-
Hello All, I need some help about Jazz guitars. I can get one of them from my wife and I can't find any comparsion avalible of this two guitars:
HAGSTROM HL-550 and Ibanez PM35 NT. Also wondering about HJ-600 bo the color of HL-550 is the great. Please give me some opinions about this guitars. I'm begginer in guitar steps but want some nice guitar for years to come. Is the HL-550 good go?
-
03-26-2012 07:42 AM
-
I used to have an Ibanez PM35, quite a nice guitar, arguably the best of the Artcores along with the AF125... but it is a little trebbly.
Send me your email in PM and I can send you some samples (low quality). I finally sold it because I couldn't get the sound I was looking for (ES 175-like). But it has a character of it's own, quite bright, very well defined and modern, metheny sound..
Hagstrom seems to offer a more "vintage" like sound, partly because the laminate mahagony (vs maple) body that seems to be bigger as well. but I only tested one a long time ago in a shop, so cannot really tell.Last edited by tomassplatch; 03-26-2012 at 09:01 AM.
-
My email is dellos@wp.pl... well I like the look and sound of the HL but the Ibanez has 25% bigger price. Price is not a problem but that gave me to think about is the 25% price good way to get better guitar. The ES-175 is great I heard that Epiphone have some nice model but for me is getting this 3 guitars is the best way (i'm getting them for 50% disscount from my friend shop for my work for them). They don't have the Epiphone so I have to pick one. As I'm not a good guitar player (I'm trumpet player) so I need some help this is for my wife a preasent for her birthday.
I can get as I this 3 models:
Ibanez PM35 NT
HAGSTROM HL-550
HAGSTROM HJ-600
and there is also a model HAGSTROM HJ-500 VINTAGE JAZZ MODEL
As for the pickups the Ibanez wgot the Super 58 Custom that I heard they are good but couldn't find any info about Single Floating Custom HF-50 from HAGSTROM...
Help needed fast
-
Hi, I can not comment on the HL-550 but you might find this helpful.
I play a Hagstrom HJ800. All Hagstroms are made in China.
The Quality is OK for the Money on my Box but you should have
a close look at the specific Guitar before you buy it:
- Does the Bridge Base fit the Body?
On mine it did not and I had to correct it.
- Is the Pickup parallel to the Strings?
On mine the floating Pickup is elevated with the curve of the Top.
It's not a big Issue but I will have this changed a some Point
- Do you like the Resinator Fretboard Material?
Hagstrom uses a Laminate Material for the Fretboard, not
Rosewood or Ebony. I personally like the feel of the Fretboard
but I' m not sure if it will cause Trouble when it comes to refret
the Guitar.
- Have a look at the Fretwork and let a good Tech do a Setup.
All in all I'm very happy with my HJ800. Her name is Elenore.
-
And the vintage sound is good good!!!!
-
I suspect that Pat Metheny's name makes for at least some of the 25% price difference. It is a nice and extremely well built instrument, no quality issues (some fret buzz possible however). But it was too bright and trebly for me.
-
Well I think the best of all would be Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin P90 CW II but can't get them in my friends shop.
As for HL-550 I looked in shop They have 3 there and my friend played every one of them and Sound was good, and they looked good. I didn't found what you wrote there. All were ok. I just wondering with one get with or without the paint on it
-
Hi dellos.
My son has a Hagstrom viking which is nice and played perfectly out of the box, but for me I found the neck too thin for my plate like hands, I cannot compare it to an Ibanez as I haven't tried one.
Advice would be try before you buy but as you cannot play I would just try sitting with it and gently hold the neck with your fretting hand and see if it feels comfortable.
I wouldn't get too hung up on 'Which is best' as you are learning to play the instrument and if you stick at it you'll probably trade it up in a few years.
Do you have a guitar teacher who could help you?
A good teacher would be money well spent and a nice guitar will come later.
Oh, looking at your email address are you in Poland?
-
Hi... Yes I'm from Poland
As for the guitar, it's for my Wife, she is using right now the 70's Teisco Japan made ES-335 COPY it is for her not so Jazzy as She would like. She used all of them I think in shop and liked all of them as well. Just wondering, with are better for quality and sound. I heard that Hagstrom arent good with power off, I don't know how is wyth the Ibanez.
For me the best is Godin but can't get it from this shop so have to choos beatwin this two. Also I'm going to get the small amp for her old guitar I will like to use for learning so getting the vox vt20+
But what I hear from guitars the Ibanez is very clean and steril if I can say sow. For my not good ears the HL-550 is more jazz'y and wormer as I think, and also I think it's more uniq sound. As for me I think, that Ibanez is better materials or is it wrong looking at it? I don't really see what's the different in "Laminate Material for the Fretboar"... I don't see what would be the different of feel?
-
If you can find a good price for the Ibanez that allows you to also buy a pickup, a Gibson PAF, Duncan 59, Duncan Jazz or something you like after doing some research, then you'll have an amazingly good instrument. That guitar is very well made and the place they cut the corners was the pickup. You tend to that and you'll have a great total package. That's one opinion to consider in the mix.
David
-
Thanx so You think, that this clean sound is by the pickups fault? I can think of changing pickups but I will lost the quarantee for the instrument. But the idea is good I think. Puting some nice single pickups would be a good idea.
-
Yes I do think so. I have always liked the construction, feel and acoustic quality of certain Ibanez guitars, that PM included. I have owned a few which I use a lot, and bought many more for friends while I worked for them. On all, I have changed pickups. On all of them, they've become instruments you don't want to put down. And replacing a pickup allows you to personalize an instrument to exactly the personality and quality you hear. It's a choice that goes way beyond the advice or recommendations of anyone else, and it makes an instrument something that accentuates your playing style, strings, picks, the way you hear. The Super 58's on there are right for some people, but not warm or a sound that inspires me.
David
-
I disagree with TruthHertz:
The Ibanez Custom Artcores (PM35 included) have a VERY good S58 pickup in them; it is more than correct. I tried to change a pickup on mine (SD Seth Lover) and it was not worth the fuzz. Changing pickup is always a lottery, so if it is not broken, do not fix it!
-
Hi David, since you used to work for Hoshino, can you shine any light on the difference between the Custom 58 pickups versus the Super 58 pickups?
Originally Posted by TruthHertz
Initially, when the Custom 58s first came out, it seemed like the Custom 58s were a ceramic version of the Super 58s. But now I'm seeing (like on the AM93 specs on the Ibanez website) that the Custom 58 is listed as alnico. Just curious if you know anything about them. I do happen to like how both the Super 58 and Custom 58 pickups sound to my ears. The Super 58 seems to have a little cult following. I have played the Custom 58 in an AF105 and my AK105SM...played the Super 58 in an old AM50 I used to have (am consdiering getting a new AM93 to replace that actually which has Custom 58s).
-
I tore apart the custom s58 from my PM35 and it is alnico, if it helps
-
Absolutely helpful and good to know! Thanks. Originally Posted by tomassplatch
I will assume the ones in my AK105SM are alnico too then, seeing as it's an Artcore Custom that was in limited (only 1 month in 2008) production. Eitherway, I'm with you about liking the Custom 58 and Super 58 pickups.
-
Yes the S58 is a good pickup. It's got its own character. My suggestion was in response to these postings: Originally Posted by tomassplatch
Originally Posted by dellos
Which seemed to indicate a preference for a different sound, possibly discounting the PM on the basis of what seemed to be an avoidable situation. Originally Posted by tomassplatch
It's not broken to you, maybe it was to them. I don't know.
I regularly switch out components on my and other peoples' guitars, so it's not a big deal for me to do something that I feel makes a difference. You wouldn't, so that's good too. You say potato and I say pomme de terre. As for the OP, keep the data at your disposal and decide what would be best after trying out what you can and knowing as much as you can first hand.
Everything else is just babble from a bunch of strangers, myself included.
David
-
Milo pana poznac Originally Posted by dellos
Hi... Yes I'm from Poland
I see your English writing/spelling is phonetic which is like my friends, keep it up.
That Teisco is a nice guitar and well up for the job, the Hagstrom would be a hollow laminate and more suited for electric playing and not for acoustic playing. Are you wanting an acoustic sound with a pickup? Originally Posted by dellos
I think if you are wanting an acoustic sound first and electric sound second then I think you should hold out for a Godin Kingpin, a much better all rounder and well made. The Vox is also a good piece of kit but you should try Boss Cubes, always recomended on this forum. Try ordering the Godin from Thomann Cyberstore, good value and under 4 days delivery in Europe and a return policy! Originally Posted by dellos
The HL-550 is mahogany laminate and is different in sound to maple/spruce of the Ibanez. I guess the maple/spruce could have more 'snap' to its sound whereas the mahogany will be more 'plunk!' Originally Posted by dellos
The fingerboard laminate is a kind of ebony type of feel to it and doesn't use too much valuable wood. It is less likely to twist or warp and also the 'H' section truss rod means you have a thin neck which would suit a smaller feminine hand(the kind of neck that is too small for me ), Landola used the same idea wayyyy back.
Also the HL-550 has a floating pickup which means you can upgrade in the future to a Kent Armstrong pickup which are kinda an industry standard.
Thinking about it I have tried a HJ-500 which was a nice playing guitar but again the neck wasn't for me.
Further more hagstrom have the HJ-800 which has a longer scale, spruce top and two pickups, this will have a different sound to the HL-550.
Before you jump in and buy any guitars you must try a Godin kingpin, it is highly recommended, Mr B has one and always rates it.
Na zdrowie!
Reply With Quote
Raney and Aebersold - Great Interview (1986)
Yesterday, 11:21 PM in Improvisation