Fantasy time. What if someone gave you a gift certificate valued at up to $1500 that you could use to buy a new guitar? Some of you may fantasize about a more expensive gift. I have practical fantasies. I won’t be buying a Gibson L5 or Martin 000-45 for $1500.…
You may think the title to this post misleading. There are no lightweight, solid state amplifier heads made specifically for jazz guitar. But there are an increasing number of high-powered light heads that could be used for jazz and more. This is a survey of what I’ve found available online. Make…
I attended a Leo Kottke concert in Carrboro, NC last week. My wife bought the tickets for the concert knowing how much I love guitar and what a phenomenal guitarist Leo Kottke is. Leo was every bit as good as I remember from his earliest recorded albums many years ago.…
My last post reviewed smallish, solid state guitar combo amps for jazz. It expanded on my previous posts on jazz amps and solid state amps. But wait! There is still another possibility for small, lightweight, easily portable, powerful amps that can be used for jazz. You’ve probably already thought of…
I’m going to try to summarize my research on solid state, light-weight combo amps in this post. My interest is amplifiers that are appropriate for jazz and acoustic applications. Size and weight (how portable) are important to me, so I emphasize small and light. For me, this means that the…
I attended a concert at Duke University this past weekend. The concert, “Sounds of Justice & Inclusion: Honoring Rev. Martin L. King, Jr.” featured the Durham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro William Henry Curry, with Abraham Lincoln’s words spoken by Keith Snipes. Jazz was provided by John Brown’s Little Big Band…
The Epiphone 335 Pro thin-line, semi-hollow body electric guitar is one of the best bargains available in this style of instrument. The guitar is essentially an upgraded Epiphone Dot with both cosmetic and functional upgrades. Of course the true bargain comparison is to the Gibson ES-335 models. Epiphone has been…
The Gibson ES-175 is a great guitar. It is smaller than the 18 and 17 inch jazz boxes of the swing era — before electrification changed everything. It’s comfortable for me to hold but you may prefer something else. The only thing wrong with the ES-175 if you’re someone without a…
I reviewed some jazz guitar amps in a previous post. Most but not all of those jazz amps were solid state. This post will look at some of the same companies that have new models and some amps that I hadn’t included in the previous post. All are solid state amplifiers. They…
Guitars with lower bout widths of 15 inches or less are in general based on classic designs and designations from Martin. Part II of this guide to acoustic guitar sizes looks at guitars with lower bouts greater than 15 inches wide. Things are not as clear cut here as with…
