[MJ_Avalanche]

Alright, time to reply to everyone!

Also micro update. I went to play the Godin again. Not feelin' in. It felt a little cheap to me now that I have the Gibson as another point of reference. Has some pretty good tone, but it lacks a lot of the depth that I'm looking for.

Originally Posted by Rainer.

I'm guessing the darn sexy Soloway Swan is also out of the question then, too. Which is too bad.

I can't think of any other midrange brands either.

Ha, hadn't seen those before, but man. Those are some sweet lookin' axes!

Originally Posted by jeepnstein

How's about a Reverend?

That's pretty nice looking. Have to keep an eye out for that.

Originally Posted by WARRIOR2

I will be following this thread with interest. I too am looking at hollowbodies. However, I am not willing to mortgage the farm to get one...

Not sure how much help it'll be. I'm totally willing to mortgage the farm, I just don't have a farm to mortgage!

Originally Posted by Rainer.

It's on the lower end, but I really enjoyed my Epi Emperor II while I had it.

You know, I still haven't played one of those yet. A kid I was teaching for a while had one. I really should have tried it out while he was still taking lessons.

Originally Posted by ABPOS

Vox makes hollow bodies I believe.

Wechter guitars, as sold on sweetwater, let me get the book..... No not wechter, but yeah, the 5th Ave. kingpin or godin.

Hmmmmm..... Dare I say a thinline tele?

I had heard about those Vox guitars but never really bothered to look at them. Looks interesting. Another I'll have to keep an eye out for.

And yeah... not sure if a Tele is exactly what I had in mind. Maybe if I want to play like Mike Stern!

Originally Posted by LC7rock

Yep, it's kind of an odd 335 or hollow Les Paul deal, but with a weird 3 coil system.

Yeah, the pickup system seems interesting.

Originally Posted by roscoestring

Eastwood has hollowbodies. I'm not sure of the prices.

The model called "Doral" is a a nice looking guitar. It's a shame the headstock on those is so, uh... Unique.

Originally Posted by jeepnstein

Agile Cool Cat Orange Bigsby at RondoMusic.com

I'm pretty impressed with Agile so far. A couple guys that come into the store have bought a few of their instruments. They've come set up pretty well and sound pretty decent. This guitar seems like a pretty good deal. Something to think about at least.

Originally Posted by LWatford

How about a used Eastman?

Eastman - Handcrafted Guitars and Mandolins

Well, well, well. Now that's what I'm talking about! Specifically this guitar. There's a store in Tallahassee that carries them and has a handful in stock. I'm going to have a plan a trip to play some very soon.

Originally Posted by Micahb

Check out the Fender Coronado. I love them, and they go for about a grand on ebay.

Hmm... looked at a few on eBay. Really unique looking axes.

Originally Posted by boxman2000

Do not forget the Duesenberg Starplayer TV - next on my hit list!!

IMO this is the most gorgeous modern guitar out there at the moment! (Sorry, haven't got 15 posts so won't allow me to post up pic).
edroman.com/guitars/duesenberg/images/duesenberg-star-bp.jpg

The Imperial looks quite nice. Not a fan of the tremolo, but on the Starplayer you can get rid of it and the 440 doesn't have one so that's something to consider.

Originally Posted by Reuben

How about Rickenbacker? Not very much associated with jazz, but not unheard of either.

Totally wasn't expecting Rickenbacker. I guess if they were playing this model, I could see it. Would need a pickup, though.

Originally Posted by sano888

What about an Epiphone Casino? It is completely hollow and a lot of fun to play. Guess how I know?

I've played a couple of those. Didn't really grab me for some reason. I was expecting it to fit better with what I was looking for.

Originally Posted by BillSPrestonEsq

My guess is they are a bit too bright for most people's association with Jazz. My Ric 330 sounds very, very different than my ES300 hollowbody.

It's also a bit of a perception thing, too. I play very differently with my hollowbody than I do with my Strat. It forces me to think differently. Sure I can do all the same stuff on both, but the feel and the sound contribute greatly to the way I approach each instrument. I dunno if I'm a weirdo that way, but that's just how I see things.

So far the frontrunner by a significant margin are those Eastman guitars. That eBay listing I linked to is practically the exact guitar I wanted to find. Looks classy, has the single pickup appears well made, and isn't $8000. Going to have to get in touch with that store to see if they would have any ideas for a way for me to get a little insurance on if I were to buy it and hate it if they could help me out in any way shape or form.

If you can think of any other ideas, I'm all ears!

Thanks a ton everybody!
Mike

[BillSPrestonEsq]

How much is your budget? Occasionally I see ES 175s coming up in the 1400 range...


Then again, I am really getting into full hollowbodies, so I am planning on building a couple. We shall see how they turn out.

Got a quilted maple topped one going to be built in a couple weeks with black limba sides, back and neck. Should be fun.

I got my ES 300 for $900 but thats sort of a once in a lifetime find.

[MJ_Avalanche]

Originally Posted by BillSPrestonEsq

How much is your budget? Occasionally I see ES 175s coming up in the 1400 range...


Then again, I am really getting into full hollowbodies, so I am planning on building a couple. We shall see how they turn out.

Got a quilted maple topped one going to be built in a couple weeks with black limba sides, back and neck. Should be fun.

I got my ES 300 for $900 but thats sort of a once in a lifetime find.

$2000 is the top of my budget range. Maybe a hundred or two more if need be. If I can get away with less than that, I'd be ecstatic, of course, but finding something that's not poorly made or is basically an electric guitar with a hole cut in it is hard to do for that price range, it seems. I was initially also limiting myself to things that I could actually get my hands on and feel, but it seems unless something like your ES walks by me I may not be able to feel anything before I get it.

Pictures are, of course, requested upon completion of those hollowbodies. Love to see how they turn out!

Yeah, I kind of had a similar experience with my Larry Coryell (though not as awesome of a deal as the ES). Was in need of a hollowbody for school, and that guitar walked in the door. It was kind of in rough shape but it wasn't anything a set of strings and some elbow grease couldn't fix up. They only wanted $300 for it and at the time those went for $1000+ if I recall correctly.

[BillSPrestonEsq]

Originally Posted by MJ_Avalanche

$2000 is the top of my budget range. Maybe a hundred or two more if need be. If I can get away with less than that, I'd be ecstatic, of course, but finding something that's not poorly made or is basically an electric guitar with a hole cut in it is hard to do for that price range, it seems. I was initially also limiting myself to things that I could actually get my hands on and feel, but it seems unless something like your ES walks by me I may not be able to feel anything before I get it.

Pictures are, of course, requested upon completion of those hollowbodies. Love to see how they turn out!

Yeah, I kind of had a similar experience with my Larry Coryell (though not as awesome of a deal as the ES). Was in need of a hollowbody for school, and that guitar walked in the door. It was kind of in rough shape but it wasn't anything a set of strings and some elbow grease couldn't fix up. They only wanted $300 for it and at the time those went for $1000+ if I recall correctly.

2 grand cash right now would easily buy quite a few es' I have seen. (Full hollowbody jazz boxes) really, $1800 in cash goes a very, very, very long way right now.

I am going to be making a flat topped one, shaped like an LP at the moment, just because I want one like that. Well, that and I have the wood lying around. Going to use some semi-weird pickups in it that are ultralight so I can get maximum vibration of the top without extra dampening. And yes, I am probably insane for doing this.

How much was the ES 137 that you played and liked?

[MJ_Avalanche]

So I got that Eastman. I like it quite a lot. It took a little time to grow on me. Had to put some of my strings on it. Had it for over 24 hours before I had "that moment" with it. Sitting in at the jazz jam for almost two hours did it. I totally realized that it was pretty much what I was looking for. It's a bit thinner than I would have liked, but it's exceptionally loud acoustically. Plugged in, it sounds pretty much how you would expect a single humbucker hollowbody to sound. It also looks extremely classy. So it seems that I'm gonna hang on to this one for quite a while.

Thanks to all you cats for helping me out so much! I really, really, really appreciate all the feedback and ideas!

(Should be noted that lousy picture I took does the finish almost no justice whatsoever.)

[boxman2000]

Duesenberg Starplayer TV

"Looks like a Les Paul, plays like a Strat, sounds like a Gretsch" - don't get much better than that IMO!

[LWatford]

Originally Posted by MJ_Avalanche

So I got that Eastman. I like it quite a lot. It took a little time to grow on me. Had to put some of my strings on it. Had it for over 24 hours before I had "that moment" with it. Sitting in at the jazz jam for almost two hours did it. I totally realized that it was pretty much what I was looking for. It's a bit thinner than I would have liked, but it's exceptionally loud acoustically. Plugged in, it sounds pretty much how you would expect a single humbucker hollowbody to sound. It also looks extremely classy. So it seems that I'm gonna hang on to this one for quite a while.

Thanks to all you cats for helping me out so much! I really, really, really appreciate all the feedback and ideas!

(Should be noted that lousy picture I took does the finish almost no justice whatsoever.)

I'd love to hear your thoughts as it grows on you. I've been looking at the Eastmans and the Peerless branded guitars, lots of nice options right now.

[Rainer.]

Nice, congrats, Mike!

I think I have that exact same History of Jazz book...

[MJ_Avalanche]

Originally Posted by LWatford

I'd love to hear your thoughts as it grows on you. I've been looking at the Eastmans and the Peerless branded guitars, lots of nice options right now.

For what it is and how well it seems to be made (of course time will tell) I'd be surprised if there's a better hollowbody out there for the same price. My only issue construction-wise is that the frets hang over the fretboard just the tiniest bit on the treble side. Could have been finished a bit better in that respect. Other than that, though I can't really find any faults from the factory and I really do like the way it feels and sounds. Worlds apart from my old Cort.

I just got my fresh sets of 12's in the mail, so I'll keep you posted on how it is after the right strings get put on it and I get it set up right.

Originally Posted by Rainer.

Nice, congrats, Mike!

I think I have that exact same History of Jazz book...

Thank ya sir!

Haha, nice. Great minds think alike... or perhaps shop at Barnes and Noble...

[Gaetano Paul]

Duesenberg!

[ABPOS]

Very nice!

[BillSPrestonEsq]

Originally Posted by MJ_Avalanche

My only issue construction-wise is that the frets hang over the fretboard just the tiniest bit on the treble side. Could have been finished a bit better in that respect.

I am going to throw something out there.

Usually, thats not a sign of bad construction. It can be, but usually that means the guitar has gone from a more humid environment to less humid, allowing the wood of the fretboard to shrink just a little.

A lot of mighty fine guitars have this issue a few years after being made, and a lot of import guitars after they first acclimate have this issue just because of humidity shift.

Just throwing that out there. Thats one of the issues that very well may not have been able to be fixed by better workmanship. It can just be a function of movement of the guitar into a different climate.

[MJ_Avalanche]

Originally Posted by BillSPrestonEsq

I am going to throw something out there.

Usually, thats not a sign of bad construction. It can be, but usually that means the guitar has gone from a more humid environment to less humid, allowing the wood of the fretboard to shrink just a little.

A lot of mighty fine guitars have this issue a few years after being made, and a lot of import guitars after they first acclimate have this issue just because of humidity shift.

Just throwing that out there. Thats one of the issues that very well may not have been able to be fixed by better workmanship. It can just be a function of movement of the guitar into a different climate.

Yeah, you're right. After I posted that I was reading a guitar repair book I got for Christmas and it said exactly what you're saying. I would imagine the wood would have done at least a fair amount of shifting coming from Iowa to Florida. Shipping it right when that giant cold front/blizzard/whatever that was starting to come across, probably wasn't the best of ideas. It was ice cold when I got it and I had to let it sit for quite a while before I attempted to play it.

What I did notice while I was playing it just a few minutes ago, was that the frets seemed better than they were even just a couple days ago. Is it possible for them to kind of come into place the more it settles in a new environment?

[BillSPrestonEsq]

Originally Posted by MJ_Avalanche

Yeah, you're right. After I posted that I was reading a guitar repair book I got for Christmas and it said exactly what you're saying. I would imagine the wood would have done at least a fair amount of shifting coming from Iowa to Florida. Shipping it right when that giant cold front/blizzard/whatever that was starting to come across, probably wasn't the best of ideas. It was ice cold when I got it and I had to let it sit for quite a while before I attempted to play it.

What I did notice while I was playing it just a few minutes ago, was that the frets seemed better than they were even just a couple days ago. Is it possible for them to kind of come into place the more it settles in a new environment?

If the wood rehydrates a little, sure. Think swelling door.