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Session 15 - Electric Guitars - The Heart of Rock & Roll


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This is probably an insanely specific question, but in watching the video for session 15, when Steve is introducing the various electric guitar types, he picks up a 335 with a trapeze tailpiece, and gets a great jazz sound (at around 3:18).

My main instrument is a 335 (1959 reissue, stop tailpiece), and I use a Roland 80XL amp. I was immediately struck by the fact that I've never found anywhere near as good a jazz sound in my 335 as what Steve played.

Any hints anyone could offer on specific settings (guitar/amp/effects) to help me and my 335 get closer to that classic jazz sound?

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4 hours ago, JDK1962 said:

This is probably an insanely specific question, but in watching the video for session 15, when Steve is introducing the various electric guitar types, he picks up a 335 with a trapeze tailpiece, and gets a great jazz sound (at around 3:18).

My main instrument is a 335 (1959 reissue, stop tailpiece), and I use a Roland 80XL amp. I was immediately struck by the fact that I've never found anywhere near as good a jazz sound in my 335 as what Steve played.

Any hints anyone could offer on specific settings (guitar/amp/effects) to help me and my 335 get closer to that classic jazz sound?

@JDK1962 As you can likely guess I also have a ES335 (Gibson '63 RI) and I searched for this elusive 'jazz" tone as well. Steves guitar has very warm sounding hb p'ups and he uses a good tube amp mostly to get this tone. I have a digital Fender (gdec 30) which has some "jazzmaster" tone models that didnt sound too bad but I was not happy really. (too "boomy" bass) So I searched for a new amp, where really the tone comes from. I decided on a Fender '59 Princeton Tweed RI tube amp with the 12" Cannabis Rex (hemp) speaker. This produces to amazing clear clean warm tones I was looking for. I run the guitar volume full on and tone about 8 then adjust the amp to suit, roll off the treble, increase the bass.  Even at low livingroom level (4-5) the tone is beautiful... Im loving it .

So I'd look to the amp and speaker and maybe try some D'Addario Chrome Flat wound Jazz Light strings too.

Some plyers are happy with A Fender Blues Jr. too, depending on the speaker choice.  Their are some excellent digital ss jazz amps to like the Henrikson "The Bud" or "The Blue " or maybe (not my fav's) the old standby Roland Jazz Chorus or jc22. 

Check out Sandra Sherman's "Guitarversum" on YouTube lesson on Jazz guitars and Amp's for some good info on this topic too.

Regards ; Neil

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I agree with Neil,  nothing is as good as a tube amp.

I approach amp settings a bit different. 

I set guitar volume at 5, tone 5, adjust amp to suit my ears. 

That way I want to get loud, I turn guitar up, clean up turn volume down.

I want chime turn tone on guitar up, want warm roll guitar tone down 

That way I don't have to reach for the amp, since my guitar has somewhere to go in tone (sorry Neil and Steve Krenz)

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Thank you for the advice, @NeilES335 and @Eracer_Team-DougH. My Roland 80XL amp's primary/default model is a Jazz Chorus 120, so I use that most of the time, though I do play around with some of the other models (the Deluxe Reverb model is quite nice). I hesitate on investing in a good tube amp given my current circumstances: I practice/play 99.995% through headphones and do not play out.

(I actually like my amp a lot. On the subject of Session 15, the "Classic" and "Metal" amp models are great for practicing the power chord material. 😎)

I think I'm ok on strings (TI Bensons). I'll continue experimenting with the various knob combinations.

I'll check out the recommended Sandra Sherman video.

Thanks again, guys!

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On 12/6/2019 at 12:46 AM, NeilES335 said:

@JDK1962 As you can likely guess I also have a ES335 (Gibson '63 RI) and I searched for this elusive 'jazz" tone as well.

Neil, very off topic, I know.  Hopefully the mods won't notice.😉  Since you're our resident 335 guy, did you ever see 5 Watt World's "Brief History of the 335"?  Very interesting.  I know "ES" stands for "Electric Spanish".  But I had been told that the "335" was the suggested retail price when it came out but he contradicts that.

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4 hours ago, matonanjin said:

Neil, very off topic, I know.  Hopefully the mods won't notice.😉  Since you're our resident 335 guy, did you ever see 5 Watt World's "Brief History of the 335"?  Very interesting.  I know "ES" stands for "Electric Spanish".  But I had been told that the "335" was the suggested retail price when it came out but he contradicts that.

Yes Thank you, I have seen that video.

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Fun and informative history of ES-335. I had to laugh because I am one of those guys that had to have a Strat, a Tele, Gibson LP Standard, and Gibson ES-335. Comes from growing up with all the music of the 60's.

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12 hours ago, Popeye said:

Fun and informative history of ES-335. I had to laugh because I am one of those guys that had to have a Strat, a Tele, Gibson LP Standard, and Gibson ES-335. Comes from growing up with all the music of the 60's.

Aaaah, yeah, Mike.  As I said over in Danny's thread about his new Tele, that is the one "food group" I don't have a representative from.  That 60's music had a huge, major, life shifting affect on us, at least now in our guitar choices.  Who woulda' thunk that music we were listening to then would effect us now in retirement?!?!😮

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