Your opinion wanted on choice for guitar for upcoming Jazz RealTrack

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We're making some Jazz Guitar Solo Accompaniment Jazz Guitar styles. This would be a solo style that would be used to backup a singer or a sax player etc.
We have 2 choices of guitar to use - a "Solidy Body" or a Archtop (Super400).
Please have a listen to the sample, and place your vote in this thread

Solid Body (Roadstar) (example #1 on the demo)

Archtop Super 400 (example #2 on the demo)

http://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/jazzu/misc/2_Guitars_Ballad_060_Sample.mp3

To vote, just reply with the words "Solid Body (Roadstar)" or "Archtop (Super 400)" near the top, along with any comments that you have.

Archtop (Super 400)

The Super is much more smooooth. I like it.

My vote is for the Archtop (Super 400).

Quote:

The Super is much more smooooth. I like it.

A BIG +1

Archtop, hands down.

They both sound great. The Roadstar has a "brighter" sound then the Archtop to my ears. But, the Archtop sounds more refined.

Archtop

Trax

Archtop Super 400

I prefer the archtop sound. But please, record a solid body as solo jazz guitar a la Mike Stern or John Scofield.

Ralf

Archtop Super 400. I love that mellow sound.

Archtop!

From my friend who is a Jazz Guitarist.
archtop super 400

The Gibson Archtop 400!
Would be nice if you guys could get your hands on a L5.

ARCHTOP !

I had an '58 L-5...nice jazzer Git Fiddle too...I did single guitar vocals with it and with jazz singers.

But what's wrong with a "Burrell Flattop" .. Actually on the following clip, he ends the tune going from flat-top to "Super Gibson"....

Check out his bass player, Bob Magnuson on this one...now that's a cool dude, too. He'd be a cool BIAB player!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1ipftv39YU

For the purpose stated, I would say the Archtop Super 400 (2nd example).

Both very nice-sounding guitars, and if in an ensemble situation the first guitar would most likely cut through a mix better.

Thanks for asking our opinions.

Terry

Wow... it's unanimous... Archtop it is.....

I also loved the tone of the archtop, but it does not sound as clear as the solid body. I'm not a guitarist, so I have no idea why that would be. It's not just the volume of the recording, either: the first guitar was louder than the second (which would normally make it sound "better" just for that reason, and yet everyone likes the second).

Were these two recorded the same way? If you can record the tone of the second but get the clarity of the first recording, I would prefer that.

As guitarist, I prefer the Archtop Super 400 with no hesitation. This sound will blend better with a singer or a sax or an Harmmond organ sound.
Hope the track will not be too busy.
A suggestion : if for ex., the Jazz Guitar track is 8 bars long, the 4 first bars could be unbusy, and the 4 last bars could become busier and busier. Or Make a unbusy track and another busy track,...

"Archtop (Super 400)"

Archtop Super 400 sound great! the best choice to me, it deliver a classic jazz guitar tone with that dark smooth character, plenty of acoustic jazz box body, so longed for by purist jazz players.
About the solid body roadstar, despite to be more in the bright clear side, in strict audio terms, I feel it does sound a little thin.

Sometimes, in studio and live jazz music gigs, I use a Les Paul guitar because I find it a little more comfortable for its size, compared to my archtop. My approach is based in to get the most possible similar archtop tone, while taking advantage of the solid body tonal features and its greater feedback reject.

Here an example with my solid body Les Paul , a cheap but surprisingly well made chinese replica. There are three different tonal approaches in the sample, using the same guitar part. http://www.carlosarellano.com/biab/solidbody_jazzguitar.mp3

Carlos

There are indeed certain jazz artists who can make the solid body simply sing, Pat Martino comes to mind immediately, these people have mastered making the plank sound like it might be an archtop.

That said, in these two examples, I too prefer the Super 400.

--Mac

Archtop (Super 400)

Smoother...more mellow sound would be much less intrusive on the soloist and easy to over...I really like it!

Ken

oops!...meant "easy to play over" ...Ha!

Archtop super 400!

Quote:

I also loved the tone of the archtop, but it does not sound as clear as the solid body. I'm not a guitarist, so I have no idea why that would be. It's not just the volume of the recording, either: the first guitar was louder than the second (which would normally make it sound "better" just for that reason, and yet everyone likes the second).

Were these two recorded the same way? If you can record the tone of the second but get the clarity of the first recording, I would prefer that.

I am a guitar player but I also ditto the "not as clear." While my initial reaction before even hearing was that the archtop would/should have been the clear cut winner for the proposed use. However, now my question is, given what I heard, would it actually support a singer/sax or muddy them up (if recorded exactly as this MP3 sounds)?

Which leads to Matt’s other question - especially for electric “git fiddles” in terms of not only how recorded but, and again for the intended use, I would also ask through what type amp?

Since I know you have access to some really good performing jazz guitarists I will not presume to name any amps - just that they are capable of big clear sound, warm but not bassy (the archtop doesn’t need any added boominess).

PS – any reason we can’t have BOTH guitars (some tunes scream for "earth tone" archtop - others call for blue sky clarity of the roadster.

In any case - can't wait next batch of RT's
Larry

Archtop all the way!

Archtop, without a doubt.

Cut the basses a bit,though.

I like solid guitars better for live use ,no chance of feed back . And if you turn the tone knob you can get about that same mud tone as an Archtop. You can't get any of the solid body single coil pickup's bell tone sounds from an Archtop. I have owned a lot of guitars over the last 45 years of playing ,but no Archtop has ever won me over with sound. But opinions are just that ,so why not have both so everybody is happy . I have played a Strat for the last 20 years.

Archtop all the way Peter.
More bottom and sweeter also as one goes up the neck.
Thanks for asking.
Happy Sounds
Timothy Kelly
MidiVox
TeachYourselfSinging

Carlos, love your playin'...but Super 400 really does it...and nobody does it better that Wes did on his...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5ReB5-8cDs

I won't vote. I can't tell you anything about a guitar except according to my pal Freddie the Cree Indian from Moose River, if you bust it just right it makes an ok canoe paddle.

I do know some plug in and some don't and some didn't want to but then got plugged in but look like the ones that don't. Get plugged in I mean.

I enjoy the ones that do backup for me in the realstyles where I get just a bass, guitar and drums and himself on piano so.

Very well done.

I guess this is the start of a trend. Soon they will ask which accordion you like better. Maybe buy Furry Graham plane tickets to Tennessee so he can waltz about.

Both!!!

Quote:

Carlos, love your playin'...but Super 400 really does it...and nobody does it better that Wes did on his...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5ReB5-8cDs

Thanks Mike, my choice was Super 400 too, I love it, without a doubt it is not possible to match such majestic tone (or any other real archtop jazz box) with a mass of solid wood, plastic and light strings like my Les Paul. Just I did put the audio example in order to demonstrate my approach to a jazzy sound with a solid body elec. guitar

Right now the only archtop I own is a Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor MKII, a nice guitar for the money, it is a little smaller than a full sized jazz box. I like it because it sound 70% archtop - 30% electric, if you want to hear it check this smooth jazz jam I recorded with my Joe Pass, maybe a little near of a Gibson D175, but nothing to do with a super 400 , L5 etc of course! just a more pop bright "archtop" sound I think.

Carlos

I'm not a guitar player as you all know but I know what I like: Archtop Super 400. No to say that the first one is not good too.

Archtop (Super 400)

Cat amongst pigeons - I like the roadstar guitar - I like its slightly more open, coarser sound, the fuzz on the chords is nice.