NGD - ES-165/Herb Ellis/Charlie Christian content

DB1

If you're a bridge pickup type of chap, look away now - quickly! 

Just picked this up the other day - it's an ES-165 Herb Ellis model from 2010. It's beautifully put together with a fast, easy fretboard and a Lollar Charlie Christian pickup (humbucker size). As soon as I got it home I hated it (I always do this!) and nearly resolved to sell it the day after. It had flatwounds on (I think they were 12's) and seemed to have no life to it, or nothing that made me connect with it. Odd really, as I'd initially really liked it. I suppose the fact that I'd had a nine hour drive to get it and was knackered didn't help.

Any, my panic default is 10-46 roundwounds (too light for this guitar) so I stuck them on and it immediately seemed a friendlier guitar. I've changed to 11's since then, and may go to 12's, just to be a rebel. Now I like it a lot. :-)

The CC pickup gives it a nice vintage tone, but it's also surprisingly bright past, say, 2 on the tone control. The roundwounds have made it nice and bluesy as well as jazzy. The pics don't really do it justice, as the burst is a little darker than they show  - it's 'Autumn Burst', I think, and looks very classy indeed. 

jdgm

A beauty! Congrats!

prlgmnr

That's extremely nice.

And gives me another chance to harp on my preference for roundwounds for jazz.

Winny_Pooh

Beauty

Moominpapa

Sweet - very!

Wonky

Ooooph! Stunning Jazz box

DB1

prlgmnr said:

That's extremely nice.

And gives me another chance to harp on my preference for roundwounds for jazz.

Thanks chaps. Yes, I'm pleased with it - the pics don't actually do it justice, and I do like that burst, not having seen that one before. Interesting point about the roundwounds as well - I suppose if you're doing a lot of quick change chords (three a minute is enough for me) then I can see the attraction of flats, and have bought into the jazz = flat wound argument. I'm starting to prefer round wounds again though. I think 12's will probably be better for this one, as 11's still feel a bit flimsy. 

Funnily enough, I'm having similar thoughts about my 'real' Charlie Christian guitar, the old ES-150 - I've just changed to round wounds, but 11's again, which are too light for it. Flats sounded a bit harsh on it acoustically believe it or not, and I think that 12 round wounds are the next thing to try. The old pickup (81 years old, to be fair) probably needs thicker strings anyway to perform. 

grayn

Very classy and worth working with to get your sound.

octatonic

That is very nice indeed.
I like flats on that style of instrument, but it depends on the specific guitar.

Jalapeno

Lovely !!!!

And I agree - stick on a set of Tomastik-Infeld "Swing" Flats 11s or 12s

p90fool

Very nice, I prefer roundwounds on archtops too.

edenfield99

That’s one lovely guitar...flats or rounds, it’s whatever works with the guitar. 

grayn

Nice backdrop, particularly that cool clock.=)

DB1

Thanks. :-)  The clock belonged to my in-laws, and it's a nice old timepiece. My father in law unfortunately developed dementia and had to go into care. He took this clock with him (along with other things) to at least give him so familiar things around him. When he died (and my mum in law did as well), we decided that it had better take pride of place. The clock that was there previously used to belong to Richard Harris, or at least to the Richard Harris Suite at The Savoy Hotel. I 'won' it at auction when the Savoy closed for refurb in 2007. 

I'm about to put a set of 12 round wounds on it, as 11's still feel a touch light, then experiment with flats again if I need to. It's interesting to see just how much choice of strings makes or breaks a guitar. 

Funnily enough, I've just come home with an Ibanez Pat Metheny PM-35, Chinese built. I wouldn't have taken much notice of it, having just got the ES-165, but picked it up and really liked it. That seems to have flat wounds 10 gauge on it, which I've always found way too light (on a jazzer) but they seem to suit it.

@grayn - your name came up in conversation this morning! All good, of course, I was at SAP talking to Andy, who was very complimentary about you. I'm glad I spotted that last bit in time, as it originally came out as 'complicated mentally'. 

grayn

Interesting story about the clock.  It seems made to go with that guitar.  As does that gorgeous pickup.  I like where the pickup  is positioned too, not right against the neck, like many.  
I've always liked the look of the Metheny Ibanez.  But I'm not much good a jazz playing, although I like to dabble occasionally.  Andy from SAP is a real gent and I love going there with some cash.  Cheers.