I'm interested in hearing what people who have played a Seventy Seven Albatross (MIJ, not "Japan Tuned) have to say about what it's like, especially in comparison to a traditional semi-hollow. For context, I have a Seventy Seven archtop already, so I know and like the brand, especially the neck and the overall craftsmanship). I'm contemplating cashing in the semi I have for something a little smaller and with a neck that more closely matches my other Seventy Seven and my LP (which has a '50s profile neck).
I recently played an ES-339 with roughly that neck profile and a really liked it (but did not like the $3500 price tag). Does an Albatross come close to the sound and feel of a 339 or 335 (or similar), or are they more like, say, a double-cut LP. Also, how is the balance? Do they neck dive? It's Impossible to find one in a shop to try.
I had an early (made in Japan) Seventy Seven Albatross. Since you own a Seventy Seven, you already know about the flawless workmanship and playability of these guitars. I particularly liked the pickups on this model, a warm full sound but not at all muddy. I've owned three Seventy Sevens and they all had the same full neck.
I would describe the sound and feel as being more like a semi-hollow than like a Les Paul. I found the guitar to be versatile and used it for jazz, R&B and rock gigs. The guitar is small and sits on the lap much like a Les Paul only much lighter.
My albatross did not neck dive, but I am very sensitive to having guitars that hang properly on a strap. I guess you could say it was slightly neck-heavy, nothing extreme. So I put a few lead fishing weights in the body cavity to balance things and it hung fine.
I thought it was a great guitar with a wonderful tone. I only sold it because I prefer thinner necks.Here's a picture of mine, plus one of a Koa Hawk that I had, just because it's so pretty...
A variant on the Albatross was the Albatross SC Jazz, but very few of those were made. I got mine from a member here. No neck heaviness. Wonderful guitar. Vastly superior to any ES-339. The sound is much more like a Gibson ES-446 / 336 / 339 / 335 than a solid-body Les Paul of any sort.
In practice I find that the thickness/rigidity matters a lot. I mostly use Dunlop Tortex, but different thicknesses which all sound different. Thicker is less clicky/more dark sounding.
Picks are...
I like the 1.3 mm Dunlop small triangle Primetone. That line looks like they copied Blue Chip. But they're good with perfect finish and virtually don't wear out. Rigidity or thickness should not be...
It’s worth noting the full context of this - this is the section where he is suggesting improvising in each of the 7 modes of C major in turn, on one string at a time, to learn how each mode sounds...
Yeah, that's the intro section, the basics, and it's only one exercise. In this part the focus is more on learning the notes up the neck string by string focusing only on the naturals.
And this...
as for modern players getting a vintage tone, I'd check out Bobby Broom's videos on youtube. I believe he is sponsored by Henriksen, and many of his live videos show him playing directly into one, no...
You are looking at two sentences from a hundred page book.
It's full of weird little challenges and games to make you a better, more versatile guitarist. Which is to say that he doesn't mean...
So advancing guitarist is a general guitar book, right? Not jazz specific? That's a pretty silly piece of advice to say never bend more than a half step. Whole step bends are pretty standard in...
When the ear hears a bend up within a musical context, it instantly predicts the target pitch (the nominal "end" of the "proper full bend"). The ear also hears the rate of pitch ascent almost...
It still sounds like middle position, but the jangles are reduced a bit, and the output is increased. Then the tone gets woolier and darker. Before I had to quit guitar I was actually building...
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Raney and Aebersold - Great Interview (1986)
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