Just a correction about Ed Bickert, he used the stock single coil for a long time, and on the Paul Desmond gigs. His tech replaced it with a humbucker after the original pickup died. It was originally a DiMarzio, but Ed thought it was too bright. They then switched it to an original PAF because it sounded MORE like the original pickup, just with no hum. Ed wasn’t a gear nut at all, the goal was to replace the non functioning original pickup, and his tech at The Twelfth Fret wanted to do that and get rid of the hum issue. If the original pickup had stayed working he likely would not have changed it.
I've played for about 45 years and have owned loads of great guitars. I LOVE really big, Antique Natural blonde archtops. I also LOVE Jumbo acoustics. But I have to say that I think the Telecaster is, was and always will be the most versatile, bulletproof and reliable guitar that anyone could have. I toured for many years and figured out early on that the expensive, fragile, rare archtops just weren't reliable in most situations and also seemed to have a propensity to "grow legs and walk away"... I've had too many beautiful works of art stolen over the years. After about ten years on the road, I broke down and started carrying two Teles and one inexpensive acoustic... And the phenomena of missing guitars magically stopped occurring. I'm retired now and have paired down to "only" six guitars... A customer rosewood jumbo, two D-28s, one was a kit that I built myself, a Telecaster Thinline, a crazy early Sixties Japanese electric and my "baby", a figured swamp ash Telecaster in Antique Natural, with a gorgeous Jazzmaster neck... It has a chopped Bigsby B-16 vibrato tailpiece and custom Paul Bigsby replica pickups. That's the axe that I take out with me to go to the Jams and other get togethers these days. Oh... And I've forsaken the giant amplifiers, too. I paired that collection down to ONE Polytone Brute and a little, tiny custom ditty that I built out of parts... That one only weighs about fifteen pounds 😂 Cheers!
I have a thrown together Parts/Telecaster with a Fralin Split in the neck. Its my "throw in the car (take on the Tube)" guitar. I took it to a lesson, plugged it into his cheap Fender Frontman or something and I played two notes and we both looked at the amp and said, Wow, that sounds nice!
You can’t go wrong with a tele, though if I was shopping for one now I’d probably go for neck humbucker. I might swap my neck pup out for something a bit meatier at some point.
The one player feels perfect. I’m happy with my Ibanez arch top. Got great tone and sustain. Priced at mass production midrange and that’s what I like. It’s a tool that does the job perfectly without the fuss. It’s perfect for me.
great sounds and playing. 335 G wound needs treatment on a nut, at least lub (pencil graphite) or widening the slot. Can hear that 'thing' when you head to retune... Loar is a beast. Had opportunity to play one once, it just sounds so special...
What a delightful tour of your guitars. Love your channel. 335 was my favorite. I think part of the Tele sound is the longer scale length that creates a little more string tension. I think my favorite 175 sound is with a metal bridge. Ever try that?
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook lol guitar players and they damn fetishism ! i told Jens Larsen the same thing when he complained about his hollow-body lack of sustain in a video he responded the same thing. "sure but i'm not putting that metal shit on my vintage hollow body"
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook but the thunkest tone of all Mr. Martino always prefered solid bodies. In some records he sounds like a legit vintage B3 with the percussion settings on. I wish there was recordings of him playing his Parker Fly ( lots of people who took lessons with him said it was his home guitar )
Interesting video, thanks. Just a thought on tuning issue on the 335. It's possible that the nut slot is too narrow and is gripping the string. This means that when you release the string after bending, it can't return to its original position. Possibly.
I absolutely love Gibson! I'm basically a collector at this point lol. Tuning stability of the G string is horrible on all of them. I use Big Bends nut sauce and it helps right away. I have been a luthier for years now, and the best thing to do, in my humble opinion, is to re-slot the nut or replace it completely. I have done that on every Gibson I own outside of my custom shops.
Nice overview! I am always surprised by how little love USA Guild archtops get when for the price of a 175 you can buy a top of the line all solid wood, hand carved Guild X 700. I play a Guild X150 which is very similar to a 175 but can be found for half the price.
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook I currently run a poverty but rare rig of a Guild X150 through a Fender Jazz King amp haha. USA Guilds do come up for sale here in the UK sometimes but you need to be quick.
That Loar sounds great Christian. What a bargain you got there! I wonder whether a nice mic on a gooseneck with an AER would be a solution? I don't think I've ever really 100% loved any floating pickup tone. There's always something not quite right about it. Same with piezo pickups on gypsy jazz guitars. Strong signal and no feedback yes, but quacking hell. I use Thomastik Bebop 12s on my 335 - can bend a tone on GBE if I have a rock/blues relapse. I'd get the nut checked out re the tuning. On mine the guy that did the set up said they'd installed the wrong saddles for this particular guitar! The biggest difficult buying guitars is there are so many iterations of each model now. I always like to go secondhand if possible. I rarely gig my Tele, but it's great in a gig bag to go to a rehearsal and avoid taking a giant archtop case.
Thanks, I LOVE that guitar. If I had the money for a DPA I’d give it a go. Tbh at the moment I’m not going to torment myself any more haha. I should get the 335 checked out at some point. At the moment, I tune frequently. The most difficult thing about buying guitars for me is that fact that I don’t actually have any money at all. Maybe when I become a big shot they’ll send me Benedettos for free? Cos that’s a thing right????
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook Those DPAs are incredible. Used to use one with a GJ guitar, but sadly sold it to fund something else. Wish I still had it. I completely relate! The damn things have gone up so much in price too.
@@jazzguitarwithandy I got poor results with an audio technica pro70… but I think DPAs have much better feedback rejection. it’s most inconvenient of the economy to interfere with my guitar acquisition. Otoh I do think my Gibsons might beat inflation. We’ll see.
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook I had the same problem with that mic. I then tried the Audio technica AT381B, a bit better, but sometimes misunderstood by a sound engineer on a gig! I bet both of your Gibsons will 😎
@@jazzguitarwithandy the sound engineer was always the biggest obstacle. Anyway these days, Gibson into a fender, or a flattop. Boring but saves on heartache haha. But I will try a DPA on day, although I’m willing to bet the finger squeak on the Loar will still annoy me. It’s fine acoustic, that’s the weird thing.
Interesting gear vid! Pedantry alert; you mention Kriesberg's guitar, but his is a maple neck 70s model. I've had both a 65 and a 76 175 ( maple neck) and they sound very very different. Your 175 ; isn't that Craig Oxley's old guitar? If so, I was offered it before you bought it, and again if so, as you say it was a pretty good deal. The late 60s 175s are great in some respects, but I agree they do their own thing, and the feedback tendency + narrow nut mean they aren't an all around gig guitar IMO. Esp if you have a tele...
It is - how on earth did you know that? Re the different characteristics of JKs 175 thought I referenced that in the video? Maybe I chopped it out. It still lacks a little sustain if you listen closely. He doesn’t let it hold him back, but it’s an interesting choice of guitar given his style. I have to say I’ve actually never ever had a problem with that 175 feeding back live even when I’ve put it through a drive pedal with drums. It can play those contemporary jazz gigs, but it’s not really its personality. I’m glad I got the 335; it lets the old fella do his thing. I haven’t gigged the tele in a while tbh.
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook I declined the offer from Craig ( it was a potential swap witha Slaman) and then I noticed on JGF ( we have sparred a few times) that you had acquired a 175 which seemed exactly as Craig described it. I think Sam D might have mentioned also that you had recently bought it. So, 2+2=....I have ocasionally regretted refusing it but it was for the best; I had a 65 175 that howled even in a tiny coffee place. Now I have a 58 L4CES conversion to satisfy that Gibson must-havery, but use an old jap 175 clone with a soundpost for most gigging. One factor for me is that I just can't get on with post- 1960 Gibson necks, with that weird thin-to-thick profile. and the thinner nut after 65... Back to your vid; good observation about the midrange peak; I suspect it's acombination of the HB pu'p design ( which has a midrange peak) and years of experimentation/ trial and error. But yeah, the Gibson sound is a real thing; part aural, part visual, part wood sourcing expertise :-)) I agree re Kreisberg, but his sound is quite a long way from your standard 175 jazz sound. Metal bridge, delay pedal I guess. He pulls some good faces too.. Nice playing BTW.
@@chrismetcalfe1904 the Gibson sound is in the wood I think. I can hear it when I play unplugged. Just like the Loar tends to squeak. Doesn’t matter how I amplify it, that aspect always come through (one reason I don’t like it live.) I’ve come to realise the pick-up doesn’t do that much to change the sound, crazy as it might sound.
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook No I agree, it's not the pickups per se., I think it's at least partly the wood too, especially for 50s/60s guitars. I know that "old toanwood' thing is a cliche., but maybe a well founded one. But I think the "one trick' pony' thing cuts two ways; it's not a versatile instrument, but OTOH if you take a175 to a duo bar gig or whatever, you know exactly what you're going to get - even through a modest amp. I can't even cart my Princeton these days!
Its down to personal taste and playability. 99% of the audience either can't tell the difference as long as its a quality instrument, or don't really mind; the way the instrument is played is far more important.
I liked the 335 sound the best. Putting heavier strings on fenders certainly helps (there's a lady on youtube testing a strat with 9s and concluding it's not good for jazz, well duh). I played 12s on a stratocaster and if nothing else it gave me higher natural volume and much better dynamics from just the extra thickness and string tension. I also played a Gibson SG with 11s but now I'm lusting for a good 335.
you might like the Romeo by Eastman (the first one) a bit tele, carved top, great sustain, but above all sweet, chimey, almost classical nylon sweet. It has a really short block, so not quite totally hollow. A unique sound.....Anyway really interesting comparison. Thank you.
I'm a jazz vibraphone player. I love playing with guitars. That said, I think going back in time to the 50s, sit those players in a modern shop with Bill Gates's visa card, and they'd come out with unexpected equipment and making unexpected sounds v
Just a correction about Ed Bickert, he used the stock single coil for a long time, and on the Paul Desmond gigs. His tech replaced it with a humbucker after the original pickup died. It was originally a DiMarzio, but Ed thought it was too bright. They then switched it to an original PAF because it sounded MORE like the original pickup, just with no hum. Ed wasn’t a gear nut at all, the goal was to replace the non functioning original pickup, and his tech at The Twelfth Fret wanted to do that and get rid of the hum issue. If the original pickup had stayed working he likely would not have changed it.
I've played for about 45 years and have owned loads of great guitars.
I LOVE really big, Antique Natural blonde archtops.
I also LOVE Jumbo acoustics.
But I have to say that I think the Telecaster is, was and always will be the most versatile, bulletproof and reliable guitar that anyone could have.
I toured for many years and figured out early on that the expensive, fragile, rare archtops just weren't reliable in most situations and also seemed to have a propensity to "grow legs and walk away"... I've had too many beautiful works of art stolen over the years.
After about ten years on the road, I broke down and started carrying two Teles and one inexpensive acoustic... And the phenomena of missing guitars magically stopped occurring.
I'm retired now and have paired down to "only" six guitars... A customer rosewood jumbo, two D-28s, one was a kit that I built myself, a Telecaster Thinline, a crazy early Sixties Japanese electric and my "baby", a figured swamp ash Telecaster in Antique Natural, with a gorgeous Jazzmaster neck... It has a chopped Bigsby B-16 vibrato tailpiece and custom Paul Bigsby replica pickups.
That's the axe that I take out with me to go to the Jams and other get togethers these days.
Oh... And I've forsaken the giant amplifiers, too.
I paired that collection down to ONE Polytone Brute and a little, tiny custom ditty that I built out of parts... That one only weighs about fifteen pounds 😂
Cheers!
Tony Mottola made great use of a Gibson ES-355...sounds amazing, very versatile. Great video, thanks,
I have a thrown together Parts/Telecaster with a Fralin Split in the neck. Its my "throw in the car (take on the Tube)" guitar. I took it to a lesson, plugged it into his cheap Fender Frontman or something and I played two notes and we both looked at the amp and said, Wow, that sounds nice!
Great review. I'm starting to get interested in Teles and this shows a nice comparison between the different body types.
You can’t go wrong with a tele, though if I was shopping for one now I’d probably go for neck humbucker. I might swap my neck pup out for something a bit meatier at some point.
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook I have a Kinman P-90 in the neck slot of my Tele. It's got a great tone both clean and dirty.
@@crimfan I am a p90 fan…. Could go for that or a cc. Maybe humbucker would be a bit of boring choice as my life is full of humbuckers haha.
P-90s sound amazing.
The one player feels perfect. I’m happy with my Ibanez arch top. Got great tone and sustain. Priced at mass production midrange and that’s what I like. It’s a tool that does the job perfectly without the fuss. It’s perfect for me.
love my telecaster...
great sounds and playing. 335 G wound needs treatment on a nut, at least lub (pencil graphite) or widening the slot. Can hear that 'thing' when you head to retune... Loar is a beast. Had opportunity to play one once, it just sounds so special...
Yes, I learned that pencil trick soon after I made the video, and that sorted the problem. The Loar is a great box. Thanks for the post!
Fascinating!
Your princeton reverb, is it a reissue? 65? What's the speaker in it? Thanks!!
It’s a 65 reissue. The speaker is changed - it’s an Eminence L’il Buddy
175 is unique
What a delightful tour of your guitars. Love your channel. 335 was my favorite. I think part of the Tele sound is the longer scale length that creates a little more string tension. I think my favorite 175 sound is with a metal bridge. Ever try that?
Not on my 175
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook lol guitar players and they damn fetishism ! i told Jens Larsen the same thing when he complained about his hollow-body lack of sustain in a video he responded the same thing. "sure but i'm not putting that metal shit on my vintage hollow body"
@@naka3339 tbh I preferred him on the old 175 haha, didn’t tell him that. Sounds great!
@@naka3339 I don’t need that guitar to be something it’s not anyway. It is what it is. Anyway, here at JGS we revere the thunk.
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook but the thunkest tone of all Mr. Martino always prefered solid bodies. In some records he sounds like a legit vintage B3 with the percussion settings on. I wish there was recordings of him playing his Parker Fly ( lots of people who took lessons with him said it was his home guitar )
Interesting video, thanks. Just a thought on tuning issue on the 335. It's possible that the nut slot is too narrow and is gripping the string. This means that when you release the string after bending, it can't return to its original position. Possibly.
Thanks! Problem solved in the end with a bit of pencil.
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook👍 Sorted.
I absolutely love Gibson! I'm basically a collector at this point lol. Tuning stability of the G string is horrible on all of them. I use Big Bends nut sauce and it helps right away. I have been a luthier for years now, and the best thing to do, in my humble opinion, is to re-slot the nut or replace it completely. I have done that on every Gibson I own outside of my custom shops.
Bit of graphite on the nut (pencil) has really helped
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook I used graphite for a long time. It works great too!
A little bit of graphite (pencil) in the nut slots will help it stay in tune but you may want to take it in. It shouldn't knock out of tune that way.
Yep, sorted the main issue
Nice overview! I am always surprised by how little love USA Guild archtops get when for the price of a 175 you can buy a top of the line all solid wood, hand carved Guild X 700. I play a Guild X150 which is very similar to a 175 but can be found for half the price.
I’ve never actually tried a USA guild, I’m not sure I’ve seen them for sale anywhere here, the cheaper ones, sure.
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook I currently run a poverty but rare rig of a Guild X150 through a Fender Jazz King amp haha. USA Guilds do come up for sale here in the UK sometimes but you need to be quick.
@@jsb1181 if what I hear about the jazz king is true I daresay that’s a very credible set up
That Loar sounds great Christian. What a bargain you got there! I wonder whether a nice mic on a gooseneck with an AER would be a solution? I don't think I've ever really 100% loved any floating pickup tone. There's always something not quite right about it. Same with piezo pickups on gypsy jazz guitars. Strong signal and no feedback yes, but quacking hell.
I use Thomastik Bebop 12s on my 335 - can bend a tone on GBE if I have a rock/blues relapse. I'd get the nut checked out re the tuning. On mine the guy that did the set up said they'd installed the wrong saddles for this particular guitar!
The biggest difficult buying guitars is there are so many iterations of each model now. I always like to go secondhand if possible. I rarely gig my Tele, but it's great in a gig bag to go to a rehearsal and avoid taking a giant archtop case.
Thanks, I LOVE that guitar. If I had the money for a DPA I’d give it a go. Tbh at the moment I’m not going to torment myself any more haha.
I should get the 335 checked out at some point. At the moment, I tune frequently.
The most difficult thing about buying guitars for me is that fact that I don’t actually have any money at all. Maybe when I become a big shot they’ll send me Benedettos for free? Cos that’s a thing right????
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook Those DPAs are incredible. Used to use one with a GJ guitar, but sadly sold it to fund something else. Wish I still had it. I completely relate! The damn things have gone up so much in price too.
@@jazzguitarwithandy I got poor results with an audio technica pro70… but I think DPAs have much better feedback rejection. it’s most inconvenient of the economy to interfere with my guitar acquisition. Otoh I do think my Gibsons might beat inflation. We’ll see.
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook I had the same problem with that mic. I then tried the Audio technica AT381B, a bit better, but sometimes misunderstood by a sound engineer on a gig!
I bet both of your Gibsons will 😎
@@jazzguitarwithandy the sound engineer was always the biggest obstacle. Anyway these days, Gibson into a fender, or a flattop. Boring but saves on heartache haha. But I will try a DPA on day, although I’m willing to bet the finger squeak on the Loar will still annoy me. It’s fine acoustic, that’s the weird thing.
Interesting gear vid!
Pedantry alert; you mention Kriesberg's guitar, but his is a maple neck 70s model. I've had both a 65 and a 76 175 ( maple neck) and they sound very very different. Your 175 ; isn't that Craig Oxley's old guitar? If so, I was offered it before you bought it, and again if so, as you say it was a pretty good deal. The late 60s 175s are great in some respects, but I agree they do their own thing, and the feedback tendency + narrow nut mean they aren't an all around gig guitar IMO. Esp if you have a tele...
It is - how on earth did you know that? Re the different characteristics of JKs 175 thought I referenced that in the video? Maybe I chopped it out. It still lacks a little sustain if you listen closely. He doesn’t let it hold him back, but it’s an interesting choice of guitar given his style. I have to say I’ve actually never ever had a problem with that 175 feeding back live even when I’ve put it through a drive pedal with drums. It can play those contemporary jazz gigs, but it’s not really its personality. I’m glad I got the 335; it lets the old fella do his thing. I haven’t gigged the tele in a while tbh.
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook I declined the offer from Craig ( it was a potential swap witha Slaman) and then I noticed on JGF ( we have sparred a few times) that you had acquired a 175 which seemed exactly as Craig described it. I think Sam D might have mentioned also that you had recently bought it. So, 2+2=....I have ocasionally regretted refusing it but it was for the best; I had a 65 175 that howled even in a tiny coffee place. Now I have a 58 L4CES conversion to satisfy that Gibson must-havery, but use an old jap 175 clone with a soundpost for most gigging. One factor for me is that I just can't get on with post- 1960 Gibson necks, with that weird thin-to-thick profile. and the thinner nut after 65...
Back to your vid; good observation about the midrange peak; I suspect it's acombination of the HB pu'p design ( which has a midrange peak) and years of experimentation/ trial and error. But yeah, the Gibson sound is a real thing; part aural, part visual, part wood sourcing expertise :-)) I agree re Kreisberg, but his sound is quite a long way from your standard 175 jazz sound. Metal bridge, delay pedal I guess. He pulls some good faces too..
Nice playing BTW.
@@chrismetcalfe1904 Heh small world. Sam has a 67 blonde which plays and sounds much the same as I’m sure you know. I’ve had it a while now….
@@chrismetcalfe1904 the Gibson sound is in the wood I think. I can hear it when I play unplugged. Just like the Loar tends to squeak. Doesn’t matter how I amplify it, that aspect always come through (one reason I don’t like it live.) I’ve come to realise the pick-up doesn’t do that much to change the sound, crazy as it might sound.
@@JazzGuitarScrapbook No I agree, it's not the pickups per se., I think it's at least partly the wood too, especially for 50s/60s guitars. I know that "old toanwood' thing is a cliche., but maybe a well founded one. But I think the "one trick' pony' thing cuts two ways; it's not a versatile instrument, but OTOH if you take a175 to a duo bar gig or whatever, you know exactly what you're going to get - even through a modest amp. I can't even cart my Princeton these days!
Its down to personal taste and playability. 99% of the audience either can't tell the difference as long as its a quality instrument, or don't really mind; the way the instrument is played is far more important.
The thing I actually value the most now is consistency
I liked the 335 sound the best. Putting heavier strings on fenders certainly helps (there's a lady on youtube testing a strat with 9s and concluding it's not good for jazz, well duh). I played 12s on a stratocaster and if nothing else it gave me higher natural volume and much better dynamics from just the extra thickness and string tension. I also played a Gibson SG with 11s but now I'm lusting for a good 335.
you might like the Romeo by Eastman (the first one) a bit tele, carved top, great sustain, but above all sweet, chimey, almost classical nylon sweet. It has a really short block, so not quite totally hollow. A unique sound.....Anyway really interesting comparison. Thank you.
Been intrigued by those, but I don’t have any guitar budget atm so probably won’t try one…
The Tele has the best tone. The other guitars don't belong on the list of "perfect jazz guitar". Why omit the Gibson L-5 or Heritage Eagle Classic?
Errm …. because I don’t own a Gibson L5 or Heritage Eagle Classic?
I'm a jazz vibraphone player. I love playing with guitars. That said, I think going back in time to the 50s, sit those players in a modern shop with Bill Gates's visa card, and they'd come out with unexpected equipment and making unexpected sounds v
For sure!
It sounds like you have very very low action
It’s not that low I don’t think? I do like well set up guitars tho.
Didn't Ted Nugent rock the heck out of a Gibson ES-175?
I don’t think it was an ES175?
I didn’t realize it was a Byrdland. Interesting
@@RickMcCargar even harder to control at volume.
“You’re probably a Communist!” Hilarious 😂
Sorry, but there is no perfect jazz guitar, it depends on so many other things ;-) Your guitars are all good in different situations!
Quite so!
There are only perfect guitar players. 🙂