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mikeSF

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About mikeSF

  • Birthday 01/01/1970

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    bay area, CA

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  1. sorry, didnt mean to digress from the original topic.
  2. Mike, Any experience with this one? http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Pickups:_Guitar,_archtop/Kent_Armstrong_Suspended_Jazz_Humbucker.html yes. no, i don't like those one bit. I may be wrong, but i think that is one of the overseas "licensed" pickups, not handmade in Vermont. Don't know for sure. anyhow, i've had 2 or 3 of those on guitars i've owned and they are thin and overly bright. depends on the sound you want of course - they ARE at least as good as the Gibson Johnny Smith mini humbuckers that came on some of the older Gibbies and Heritage archtops, but well... Also, the lack of adjustable poles is a turn off for me, YMMV, but I will say the best "smooth top" floating jazz pickup I've owned is the Bartolini 5J pickup, which is an excellent choice for that thinner, more acoustic sound. By contrast, the Armstrong (VT-made) PAF 12-pole humbucker has a much fatter, more electric sound. Here is the one I love:
  3. i dont know anything about those models mentioned, but just a word of props for Kent Armstrong, he is a super nice guy and makes a quality product. Every one of my archtops (5) has a Kent Armstrong 14-pole PAF humbucker. IMO, they are the best jazz pickup out there. I once had occasion to call Mr Armstrong in Vermont and found him to be absolutely accommodating and quite a delightful person. he is quite the crackup...he was full of quips and one liners - it was an entertaining conversation. again, i cannot help with what you are really asking, but after reading some disparaging other comments, i thought i should at least share my experience with his handmade jazz pickups, which are superb.
  4. you cannot attach 'em in this forum. you would have to have it uploaded to a page somewhere, then reference the link here.
  5. Originally posted by riovine Well, you certainly sound good. Have you ever heard those sessions Joe Pass & Ella Fitzgerald back in the 70's & 80's. I'm betting you probably did, considering the vocal/guitar duet stuff you do. If not, you should definitly check some of them out, it's some of my favorite examples of jazz guitar/vocal duet stuss. FYI, I also do some jazz guitar duet (and solo) stuff, both with horns & vocals. I just got a nice nylon string made for me by Kirk Sand that I use for a lot of that, sounds & plays really nice. Later, Ron yeah, that is some amazing work. Joe and Ella were magical together. my teacher studied with Joe & tells some great stories about him. wow, that Kirk Sand guitar must be nice. do you have any mp3s?
  6. well, no real formal jazz education until just recently. i took the heavy metal route to jazz(iron maiden, black sabbath, judas priest) in the 80's. mostly just a lot of listening to records and transcribing; i get more out of doing a transcription than from any lesson. I do study now with Mimi Fox at the Berkeley JazzSchool here in CA. She is great. Nelson Palen is building the 7-string. These are sold through Guitars n' Jazz in New Jersey.
  7. aw thanks, you guys. its not me, its the guitar, really. i have since switched to 7-string pretty much exclusively and dont really play my sixes anymore, so i recently sold that Eastman. As soon as i find an equally great Eastman 7-string, i'll be a buyin'. None of the 4 Eastman dealers in this area stock 7 strings at all and i am not willing to gamble on one sight unseen because i am kinda picky i guess. Meanwhile, i have a 7-string being made for me by a custom builder which is still several months from completion. i'm getting excited about it.
  8. the older 80's-90's heritage archtops(eagle, super eagle, johnny smith) were pretty nice if you can find one. most new ones i have played these days seem kind of dull and sloppily crafted, imo.
  9. Eastman makes a great guitar, certainly an excellent value in a fully carved (not laminate) jazz instrument, for around $2K. If you want an ES-175 sound, this is not your instrument, but if you are looking for gorgeous acoustic archtop sound, i defy anyone to find a better piece for that kind or money. Way more responsive than the d'angelico reissue, heritage, hofner, etc, which all cost more. i will say, that as with any handmade(non robot made) guitar, they all are a little different, so you may have to kiss a few frogs to find the prince. the John Pisano model is really nice too, more of an electric, instrument, so worth finding. good luck
  10. Originally posted by taylor815 Taylor 612CE Custom 2002. AAA-grade Three peace quilted maple back: that is some insane Quilt!! wow.
  11. ah, here is my '89 Benedetto Manhattan... the 2nd Manhattan ever made: definitely more acoustic than electric, so it fits in this forum.
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