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This weekend I traded one guitar for three others. Out went the Collings CL Jazz. A superlative instrument in every aspect. I never would have thought that a thinline archtop could match full-depth archtops acoustically, but it did. And it sounded better almost everything I’ve ever pitted it against, both unplugged and plugged in. Yet somehow it didn’t feel like _my_ guitar. I struggled with the 25.5” scale length, its sound (though amazing) wasn’t really _my_ sound and the thought of damaging it was never far from my mind. A guitar like that is a good investment so I was able to let it go on favourable terms. Its three successors were carefully considered and selected based on the following:
-one thinline with a spruce top
-one thinline Gretsch (never had one before)
-one jazzbox
-excellent workhorse guitars
-excellent fretwork, setup and pickups throughout
-make me play better than I am (no compromise in sound - it has to be my sound)
-the goal is for them to be keepers for as long as I continue to play guitar
The first one to make the cut was the Eastman Romeo, the original model with a spruce top and two underwound Lollar Imperials. It’s in-between a full hollowbody and a semi, with a small block underneath the bridge. This thing doesn’t feel mass-produced at all; it feels like a commissioned instrument just for me. There’s something very old-school about it. Weighs nothing, plays like a dream, stays in tune unbelievably well. And a sound I can immerse myself in. Airy, woody, exquisitely detailed, lots of bloom and outstanding note separation in dense chords. Otto Ambrosio and Eastman really hit it out of the park together.
The second one to make the cut is a blonde Ibanez GB10. It’s been around since ‘78 and doesn’t need any introduction here. Acoustically, in terms of volume and tone it’s no match for the Collings. Obviously its voice is smaller. Yet with flatwounds it sounds exactly how I like a jazz guitar to sound. The amp sound is just what I want to hear. It comes in a super-solid case and I’m going to drag it everywhere.
^—This video was made by someone who has owned and played his GB10 for decades.
The third and last one to make the cut is a Japanese Gretsch that goes by the name of G6609TG. In Cadillac Green. The playability, fretwork and setup of this thing are amazing. And that sound… wow. For whatever reason I waited 40-odd years to get a Gretsch, despite some of my heroes playing one. Oh well, better late than never.
As good as the Collings is, and as privileged as I feel for being allowed to safekeep one for a few years, I’m glad I passed it on. These guitars just suit me better personally.
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09-18-2023 02:19 PM
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It's really funny how the journey goes. It's fluid after all, changing as we change. Enjoy your new guitars!
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Yes. For me, I have learned that the bottom line is inspiration and not having to think or worry about the guitar when I play. What’s on the headstock is inconsequential. So is age. Or rarity. Or price, in the sense that a wonderful guitar doesn’t have to be expensive. A few years ago I was in a position to buy that Collings and I’m glad I did. I learned a lot from that guitar.
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Absolutely, inspiration is the main priority, and inspiration can be found is some strange and unusual places! Not that your three choices could be called strange and unusual, far from it. Good choices, I think.
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Thank you. A lot of thought went into it. And the ability to resist the lure of beautiful instruments that also passed through my hands, such as this one. Or this one (never mind what the site says, it’s in stock). The goal was to get keepers to for decades of enjoyment. I’ve got 9 guitars and will be gradually thinning out the herd.
Safe travels to you on your wonderful road trip, BTW. Look forward to hearing what you’re going to pick up along the way.
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I have not owned or played the Gretsch or that particular Eastman, but I have owned, and still own a GB-10. Nothing but high praise for that guitar. It's a perfectly done instrument, and if it fits in to your sound definition, really the only guitar you need own. A real sleeper at that price point.
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First-week impression is an almost emotional sense of bonding with the GB10. I’ll always enjoy other guitars and need variety to stay inspired, but after a week with the GB10 it’s like “Where have you been all my life?!” I’m trying to pinpoint what makes this under-3k€-oversized-Les Paul-with-f-holes special...
…and ultimately that comes down to its sound. Unplugged, with TI flatwound 12s, it’s exactly what I want to hear. Acoustic volume is modest at best, but that’s what the pickups are for. I can lose myself in this guitar’s tones for hours on end. A lot of it has to do with the round percussiveness of the plain strings which have that almost banjo-like quality that I look for. Plinky plain strings are like nails on a blackboard to me. The wound strings strike a perfect balance between clarity and thunk, with a lovely dry woodiness. That’s basically it: the GB10 sounds very woody and organic and open. All of the guitar’s other qualities, like comfort, tuning stability (set it and forget it), intonation (ditto), its addictive neck and superb setup are the icing on the soundcake. The pickups are fantastic IMHO and I love the dual pickup setting for funk, blues and pop. And I’m sure that I can get this guitar to rock if I put roundwounds on it and use a nice clean boost pedal in front. Think Malcolm Young, Billy Duffy or even Brian Setzer (the pickups are not FilterTrons but they do have that upper-end sparkle).
…never had this dual brass/bone combo before on any guitar and am wondering how it affects the sonic stew.
Of course there are signs of factory manufacturing here and there. The absolute, 100.0% attention to the smallest of smallest of details that i.e. Collings has (I traded in one Collings for this guitar plus two others) is not here but nowhere did Ibanez cut any corners. Things like setup, tuning stability, ease of playing equal or even exceed my Collings. There might be a small sliver of untidy plastic on the trussrod cover but that’s about it. What a great guitar!
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The GB-10 sustains like a solid body. My example is what I would call loud acoustically, considering flat wound strings, it actually vibrates the body when playing. The balance is even across the strings much more mid focused than that of say Gibson. The fretwork is so good out of the factory on par with collings. You can attack and it never compresses only gets louder. Just a exceptional guitar for modest money as compared to most. Guess that's why it's been around for 45 plus years
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Well said! How loud is is acoustically depends on point of reference (in my case an L7). The GB10 isn’t lacking at all but wasn’t designed to cut through a band on its own. And yes, it sustains really really well.
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Well, that’s a year gone by. The GB10 and Romeo are still here. The Gretsch is gone.
The GB10 is just right for me. Plays like a dream, sounds like one too, completely reliable and fuss-free. And it inspires me every single time I pick it up. This is a lifer.
The Gretsch is long gone because I couldn’t get it to sound like I wanted it to. It’s a bit cold sounding and missed some warmth and old-school mojo. Plus, the Bigsby spring was super stiff and didn’t return to pitch - not even when just bending strings. I’d do a whole-step bend and the guitar would be out of tone. Blocked the trem, boom, now it’s super-stable.
I still think Romeo is an intriguing and very well-designed guitar. Acoustically it plain smokes every archtop that’s not all solid-wood. With a set of TI 11s, Romeo can be miked up and sounds great. The guitar’s voice is warm and smokey and woody. It really is a fantastic jazz guitar that doesn’t seem to get the credit it’s due. Those who are sensitive to bright treble strings should do well to try Romeo with a set of TI’s. And then there’s all the rest it can do…
On top of that, Romeo fits in a regular gigbag designed for solidbodies; it’s a small and comfortable instrument. Some minor niggles:
-The wooden knobs are a nice cosmetic touch but they’re too smooth underneath the fingers;
-Still can’t get used to having one volume and two tones…
-The Gotoh tuners are top-notch in terms of smoothness and stability, but the peg hole is right at the top of the shaft. Not a good idea. The hole is out of my line of sight when restringing and it’s super-easy to make mistakes when wrapping the string around the post.
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Totally agree with you on the Romeo.Otto really designed a great guitar.I have the Romeo-SC that has a single coil in the neck position and it is one of the easist playing and most versatile sounding guitars i have owned.Let's face it.more people would be raving about this guitar if it had Gibson on the headstock.
Originally Posted by Oscar67
Well, that’s a year gone by. The GB10 and Romeo are still here. The Gretsch is gone.
The GB10 is just right for me. Plays like a dream, sounds like one too, completely reliable and fuss-free. And it inspires me every single time I pick it up. This is a lifer.
The Gretsch is long gone because I couldn’t get it to sound like I wanted it to. It’s a bit cold sounding and missed some warmth and old-school mojo. Plus, the Bigsby spring was super stiff and didn’t return to pitch - not even when just bending strings. I’d do a whole-step bend and the guitar would be out of tone. Blocked the trem, boom, now it’s super-stable.
I still think Romeo is an intriguing and very well-designed guitar. Acoustically it plain smokes every archtop that’s not all solid-wood. With a set of TI 11s, Romeo can be miked up and sounds great. The guitar’s voice is warm and smokey and woody. It really is a fantastic jazz guitar that doesn’t seem to get the credit it’s due. Those who are sensitive to bright treble strings should do well to try Romeo with a set of TI’s. And then there’s all the rest it can do…
On top of that, Romeo fits in a regular gigbag designed for solidbodies; it’s a small and comfortable instrument. Some minor niggles:
-The wooden knobs are a nice cosmetic touch but they’re too smooth underneath the fingers;
-Still can’t get used to having one volume and two tones…
-The Gotoh tuners are top-notch in terms of smoothness and stability, but the peg hole is right at the top of the shaft. Not a good idea. The hole is out of my line of sight when restringing and it’s super-easy to make mistakes when wrapping the string around the post.
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