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I'm looking for my first "large" bodied Jazz box. I've played for years but never taken learning jazz seriously until recently. I've admired from a far so to speak. I have guitars that would work well enough to get experience, including a wonderful Collings I35lc. So yes, I don't need anything. I'm retiring January 3rd and I want to get myself a little something.
A very clean blonde D'aquisto has come available locally for a very reasonable price from what I can see. I've studied up on these a bit and they seem to be a pretty nice option for the price. Any experience or opinions on these appreciated.Last edited by markb; 12-12-2022 at 12:10 PM.
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12-11-2022 10:58 PM
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in the family of 16" built-in humbucker laminated guitars originated from the 175, Jimmy D'Aquisto redefined the design and raised the bar. Within that family of guitars the guitars D'Aquisto contributed to in collaboration with Fender are outstanding.
I had one in the shop that was played to the point that the fingerboard had fingertip indentations in it. Needless to say, the owner loved it. I did a re-fret and went over the whole guitar and I was very impressed by the quality of the build, the beauty of the fittings, the sound of the instrument acoustic and plugged in. It was a joy to play and had the solid feel of a well made high end jazz box.
I'd dreamed of owning one of these since Fender had their jazz box high point during this era (IMO). They're rare, beautiful instruments, had the contributing design and build feedback of a great luthier overseeing, real quality and if it was well cared for and played with care, I'd highly recommend you give it a try and see if it's a good fit for you. The neck is also very comfortable if it's a good fit.
Let us know what you do!
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I've never played one, but I've heard nothing but great comments. And they sure look nice, if you care about that.
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I had a single-pickup "Elite" model for a bit and really liked it.
The original 1980s Schaller pickups sound great. This is one of those times when an 'upgrade' is probably not an improvement and actually tend to decrease the value of the instrument.
The 2-pickup "Standard" model is a nice ES-175 variant with maple plys and rosewood trim and fingerboard (with dots). The single-pickup "Elite" has spruce plys so it looks spruce-ier; people argue about whether you can choose the difference in a blind test. The trim and fingerboard are ebony, which tends to be a drop brighter than rosewood. The markers are genuine pearl blocks. It's a very classy look to my eye.
Probably the most significant layout difference between the D'A and the ES-175 is that the D'A neck pickup is all the way up tight to the neck while the 175 is designed with some space. That means that, all other things being entirely equal, the D'A neck pickup will tend to be a drop mellower and the 175 neck pickup will tend to be a bit brighter. That was undoubtedly James D'A's personal choice. I think that the difference is less of a sonic factor then where you place your right hand while picking but it is an actual thing.
Gibsons are finished in nitrocellulose lacquer. The D'A comes with 70s-style Fender poly which is often described -- probably wrongly -- as "thick." The finish had less plasticizer in it than most poly finishes. On the one hand it doesn't check into a lot of small pieces like nitro. On the other hand it does fracture into a few larger pieces instead of staying as one big sheet of poly like the typical highly-plasticized poly guitar top. What that means in theory is that the top gets to move more like a nitro-finished guitar. James D'A was a hall-of-fame master guitar finisher so it's possible that this reflects his personal choice and instruction to Fender Japan but it's unlikely we will ever know that.
The bottom line is that they're sturdy, classy-looking instruments and nobody ever says they played one that sounded bad. My personal taste goes to the Elite because it whispers, "Jazz, baybee" every time you walk by.
All the best with your quest.Last edited by Sam Sherry; 12-12-2022 at 12:25 PM.
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I have a later version of the Fender D'Aquisto Elite that came with a standard pickup rout in the neck position instead of the sort of oddball pickup rout that was in the earlier models. Mine has a couple of long superficial checking lines and an aftermarket pick guard and pickup, so I got it for a fantastic price. I plan to pass on this fantastic price when I list it for sale soon, so if you're interested reach out to me via direct message and I'll share more details.
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I have an Elite from 1991 whose previous owner replaced the original pickup with a Benedetto A6. (The Elite model from this era has a laminate spruce top, and laminate maple back and sides. The earlier era, c. 1984-1987?, has a laminate maple top, I believe.) Plays great, sounds great, comfortable neck. Very well-built. Attractive (to me) sunburst finish.
All ebony appointments.
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Topper,
That is a beautiful guitar. I'd buy one in a second if the timing was right..
I always thought the Fender D'Aquisto days were great for Jimmy.
After squeaking by his whole life, he finally had an opportunity to make himself and his family some good money, while watching a big reputable company replicate his brilliant designs.
That is one of the guitars I'd like to own that I never owned before. They had 3 or 4 of them at Guitars n Jazz that I checked out about 2 years ago for a friend. One of them was in immaculate condition.
A real beauty. And it means something..
JD
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I recently bought a 1953 ES-175 and can say that, while there are differences of course, the Elite captures a lot of the vibe of the single pickup mid-50s ES-175s in a slimmer more modern feeling package. I think I might be crazy for even considering selling my Elite.
Originally Posted by Max405
I'm a cheap hack, but here's my Elite in action played through a vintage Fender Twin Reverb into a mic'd up 2x10 cab.
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Nice! When I was taking lessons, I would periodically see “Fender” archtops laying around my teacher’s studio. I was surprised at first. Turns out he was instrumental in helping the man who would become his best friend, Bill Schultz, buy Fender from CBS. This was just after the death/suicide of one of closest friends, the luthier, Sam Koontz. Yet he called in all his resources and contacts to help Schultz buy Fender. Schultz wanted him to work in Japan and run a string factory, but he declined, saying that he’s a musician. He did make perhaps the first instructional DVD for Fender (back then, they were called DVD-ROMs). the instructional videos sold well, around 50,000 copies. But they made him play a Strat (!). Dirty little secret: Fender under Schulz really optimized the making of plank guitars. They got it down to a science. I was told that the average Start or Tele plank/slab guitar took on average 3.5 hours, from start to finish. Can you imagine? Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
That love of music was the apparent spirit Schultz ran Fender. “We’re not MBAs, we’re musicians,” Schultz, a clarinet and tenor sax player, said in 2000”. “This is a passionate business from manufacturer to performer. It exudes passion at all levels. I’ve seen too many companies in the music business bring in MBAs with Fortune 500 strategies and go down the tubes. We’re just a bunch of guys that love the business.”
In any event, Schulz battled cancer for the last 17 years of his life. At the very end, he was seeking treatment at Northwestern University hospital, so he moved from Arizona to live with my teacher, in the north side of Chicago.
I’m sure that my teacher had an important role in bringing both Jimmy D’Aquisto and Bob Benedetto to Fender. They were also his close friends. A few years ago, Benedetto personally made a top of the line guitar for him, as a gesture of lifetime friendship (he had retired from making guitars for his company). I’m actually not sure what role Benedetto had at Fender.
Another guitar that can be had cheap, made by Fender. the old DeArmond model arch tops, cheap, wound up at Guitar Center. But they were good guitars!
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Great story Navdeep.
I enjoyed that.
JD
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Jimmy Bruno bought my ES-175 right before he moved to Vegas but was playing one of those DAquistos when he moved back here and cut his first cd, Sleight Of Hand. He told me he left the 175 in storage there. He got a pretty good sound out of the D'Aquisto, I think that's the first time I saw one, heard him play it in person many times. Geez, now that I think about it that was 30 yrs ago, time flies.....
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Not at all. Not a cheap hack by any sense of the word! Originally Posted by wzpgsr
Nice guitar, and nice instrument! And lovely playing!
Don't stop.
S
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Is 3-3.5k too much to pay for a late 80's Fender D'Aquisto Elite in "minty" condition?
Pardon the question. I understand that value and price questions are not always popular. With all things so subjective. I know guitars. Mainly vintage values but not so much these jazz boxes.
Thanks!Last edited by markb; 01-09-2023 at 04:32 AM.
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If I were looking for a 175 type guitar, and I had the money, I'd consider it a good price for an instrument that had such a strong tie to D'Aquisto himself, was built to exacting standards, is indeed very comfortable, was absolutely a professional quality instrument and will never be made again. Originally Posted by markb
You should try it yourself though, if you can. This could be a keeper for life, so you should make sure it's a fit for you.
No use in spending a dime on anything you don't feel compelled to make music on.
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If you are looking for ‘investment’ value, I’d say that price is high, as I wouldn’t expect it to increase much over time. Its not made by D’aquisto and not in the ‘pantheon’ of hand-made D’aquistos. Whether its worth it as a playing instrument is up to you and what you’re looking for in a guitar. Originally Posted by markb
(I bought mine for around $1600 back in 2010.)
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Tough call. I have one with the normal size humbucker. Great guitar. That said, mine has a few long finish checks and an aftermarket pick guard. If I were to sell, it would be priced waaaaaay below $3,500–maybe $1,900 or so.
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"Mint" is an adjective synonymous with "pristine." Originally Posted by markb
"Minty" is an adjective describing a flavor or odor.
I am always skeptical when people sell guitars as "minty."
As far as anyone can tell it means something like, "I wish this was pristine but it's not, and that's your problem not mine."
Would you buy a guitar described as 'excellenty', 'cleany', 'goody' or 'fairy?'
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unpopular take:
I’ve had a few. They look cool but I’d take an ibanez lawsuit 175 any day over the Fender at half the price and twice the musicality.
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Lol. I concur. The guitar, (from the detailed photos) is in excellent cosmetic shape. I too wouldn't describe anything as "minty" unless I could actually smell or taste it. Originally Posted by Sam Sherry
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I guess that's what guitar licks are for. Originally Posted by markb
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One of the best guitar sounds I've ever heard was from a Fender D'Aquisto through a Twin.
I don't know which model of Fender D'A it was.
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Fairy I would. Without a doubt. Originally Posted by Sam Sherry
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I use that particular match-up a lot. It does sound great. Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
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I am mulling over the early 80's Epi Emperor F a member has for sale. Thoughts/comparisons?
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I found this Ibanez rarity
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