Classical guitar for jazz
Russ Hanchin
music lately. So over the past few weeks, I've been haunting local
music stores -- call it the beginning stages of finding a classical
(nylon string) guitar to play this music on. What's immediately
obvious to me is that the wide, flat fingerboard is quite a ...
stretch for my small hands.
Does anyone know of a company that builds a nylon string instrument
for the jazz player -- meaning a radius'd fingerboard and/or a less
wide neck. I know that there are some luthiers out there that will
build you one as a special order, ie: Roger Borys has a "Jazz Classic"
model. I was hoping I could find one for less than the independent
luthier price, if you know what I mean...
Thanks in advance,
Russ
Margaret Wilson
hands and have been happy with mine. It's got a 25.5" scale, with a 1-7/8"
nut and 20" radius. The body is small, too, 14" across the lower bout and
2.5" in depth. What's more, it's equipped with a Fishman Prefix Pro preamp.
Check out pics of mine at: http://web.newsguy.com/2katmew/gear.htm
You can hear it at:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/2/margaretwilsonmusic.htm
Regards,
Margaret
"Russ Hanchin" <rhan...@comcast.net> wrote in message
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Skip Moy
solid body) with a very comfortable neck made by soloette . www.soloette.com
skip
"Russ Hanchin" <rhan...@comcast.net> wrote in message
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Gerry Scott-Moore
Hanchin <rhan...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Does anyone know of a company that builds a nylon string instrument
> for the jazz player -- meaning a radius'd fingerboard and/or a less
> wide neck.
Jeez, that seems so very very logical. I'm unsure why no one has done
it...
--
///---
Joe Jewell
not cheap, but not custom priced either. But is a serious-quality
instrument. I believe the neck is 1 13/16" at the nut and it comes with
excellent electronics. However, it is quite a warm guitar. I think a
flamenco is a better choice for Brazilian because of its very quick response
and drier tone (allows complex rhythms to sound out clearly). But, you're
back to the drawing board because I don't know of any flamencos with a
slimmer neck. try that Lowden, though. Really nice guitar.
Joe Jewell
Fellow Borys-lover
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Steve Modica
$895
Bob R
at 222...@adelphia.net.invalid wrote on 7/24/03 12:35 AM:
Some of the Godin nylon-string models have slightly narrower necks (1 7/8"
instead of 2"). I think Yamaha has a model that's a thinline with a skinnier
neck (APX-9NA). Ovation makes something called a Country Artist that's a
nylon-string with a 1 7/8" neck. They also make a lower-priced "Celebrity"
version of that one. Wechter makes a couple of different nylon-strings with
several neck width options, one of them being 1.75". So there are a few
models out there at various non-boutique price points.
--
Bob Russell
http://www.bobrussellguitar.com
CD, "Watch This!", available at:
http://www.cdbaby.com/bobrussell
JALSRV
models with a smaller neck width as well as 640mm scale.
Jonathan
Bob R
jal...@aol.com wrote on 7/24/03 1:12 AM:
> I dont know if anyone has mentioned kennyhill, I think you can get his cutaway
> models with a smaller neck width as well as 640mm scale.
> Jonathan
Those do look great, but I think the OP was looking for something less
expensive than custom-built guitars.
David Moss
I'm just working on a new site for Anna and me, that
will be another jazz guitar + cat site.
"Margaret Wilson" wrote...
JALSRV
masters series I think? under 2 thousand dollars.
Jonathan
thomas
tried to, but Wechter kept sending me to Jay Wolfe and he
didn't respond to my email queries. Other possibilities
include Kenny Hill, Lowden, Breedlove, Takamine, etc.
I think you can get narrow necks from all these folks.
Keep in mind that nylon strings are fatter and also need
more space to vibrate in. If you get too small a neck,
it will be difficult to avoid accidentally stopping
strings that you want to keep ringing. I would recommend
just getting used to a 2" neck. Only takes a little practice.
rhan...@comcast.net (Russ Hanchin) wrote in message news:<443ad2dc.0307...@posting.google.com>...
Rene Oliver
Although I prefer the wider neck, if you prefer a narrower neck then
check out Taylor and Breedlove nylon strings. Godin and Turner's
renaissance are other options.
rene oliver
rhan...@comcast.net (Russ Hanchin) wrote in message news:<443ad2dc.0307...@posting.google.com>...
Bob R
tomb...@jhu.edu wrote on 7/24/03 3:04 AM:
> Keep in mind that nylon strings are fatter and also need
> more space to vibrate in. If you get too small a neck,
> it will be difficult to avoid accidentally stopping
> strings that you want to keep ringing. I would recommend
> just getting used to a 2" neck. Only takes a little practice.
Good point. I played an Ovation Country Artist back in the late '70s and
decided it wasn't for me; the narrow neck didn't feel right to me with nylon
strings.
I played a Taylor nylon-string recently that felt pretty good. I don't
remember the cost, but I don't think it was very expensive. Didn't have a
great acoustic sound, but might be good for gigging plugged in.
Margaret Wilson
web site. Just gotta find the time. :-) Good luck with your new web site,
Margaret
"David Moss" <david.no...@anka.fzk.de> wrote in message
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Margaret Wilson
Breedlove nylon string that had a 1-3/4" nut. It felt great at first, but I
soon found that the nut was actually *too narrow*. The worst was that I
kept pulling the high E string off the edge of the fingerboard. IMO,
there's just not enough room to work those nylong strings in 1-3/4" of nut
width. Now if all you're doing is strumming chords, 1-3/4" is probably
fine. But Brazilian music is likely to require that extra 1/8".
Another nice thing about the Carvin, is that you can choose your woods. I
went with the stock mahogany back/sides & cedar top. But spruce, maple,
koa, and walnut are available.
Regards,
Margaret
"thomas" <tomb...@jhu.edu> wrote in message
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KevinW
the floor, my cat crawls right in it and snuggles up to hear me
butcher jazz!
foldedpath
I've been window shopping for something like this for a while. I still
can't afford it, and I'll probably just go to a full 2.1" neck classical
because the choices are so much wider. But here's a list of some guitars
that fit your description. This is in rough order from most expensive to
least expensive.
Breedlove N20, N25, SN20, SN25. It looks like they've gone to a 1 7/8"
width at the nut now, instead of the 1 3/4" neck on the one Margaret
had.
Lowden S25J. I know a few people who have this, and like it very much.
Not a true classical tone, but balanced nicely for jazz playing.
Wechter has both the Pathmaker and florentine cutaway style nylon
guitars.
Taylor nylon series. I've played a few in stores. The necks are nice
(very "fast," radiused, and 1 7/8" at the nut. But the ones I've tried
have all sounded like they were made of cardboard. They were very quiet,
with very little resonance. They probably sound good amplified, but I
don't think Taylor really groks the nylon guitar sound.
Tacoma Little Jumbo ER64NC. I'm not 100% sure, but I think this has a 1
7/8" neck. It's rosewood/spruce, gloss finish. I haven't heard one yet,
but it's had one or two glowing reviews over in rmmga. The trouble is
finding one in stock... dealers don't seem to carry them. I think price
on this is about $1,100 or so, but like I said, they're hard to locate.
Kenny Hill is building a "crossover" nylon with a 1 7/8" neck, and a
smaller (Torres-type) body with a cutaway. These price out at between
$1,000 and $1,700 or so, depending on whether it's the Palo Escrito
model or not. Gryphon Strings seems to get them in, every once in a
while. I'm not sure this has a radiused board though. I think all the
other ones here do.
There are other crossover nylons out there like the Sand, Turner,
Multiac, etc., but those are mainly for plugged-in playing. The ones
listed above (as well as the much more expensive McGill and Buscarino
nylon string guitars) are the ones I know about that should have a
decent acoustic sound... except for the Taylor. ;-)
Good luck!
--
Mike Barrs
Al
etc., is very comfortable. However, I play some Brazilian, and I can tell
you that you will want a somewhat wider neck to get those right hand fingers
moving on those samba rhythms. You can do it on the Wechter, but it's a
challenge. Wechter makes something like a 1.9" (wider than mine), but I
haven't played one yet. I've talked to Jay Wolfe and found him very
responsive. He's coming to Philly for a show in the fall and I hope he has
one with a wider neck there. And I'm hoping it's a single-cut Florentine
model rather than the double-cut Pathmaker. They're nice guitars.
"foldedpath" <mba...@NOSPAM.nightviewer.com> wrote in message
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Bob R
data...@speakeasy.net wrote on 7/24/03 2:41 PM:
> I have a Wechter Pathmaker and I think it's really nice. The neck radius,
> etc., is very comfortable. However, I play some Brazilian, and I can tell
> you that you will want a somewhat wider neck to get those right hand fingers
> moving on those samba rhythms. You can do it on the Wechter, but it's a
> challenge. Wechter makes something like a 1.9" (wider than mine), but I
> haven't played one yet. I've talked to Jay Wolfe and found him very
> responsive. He's coming to Philly for a show in the fall and I hope he has
> one with a wider neck there. And I'm hoping it's a single-cut Florentine
> model rather than the double-cut Pathmaker. They're nice guitars.
Those Florentines Wechter makes are beautiful guitars. GAS-inspiring...
Does your Pathmaker have the 1.75" neck? That seems to be the standard
Pathmaker width, which does sound awfully skinny for nylon strings and
fingerstyle.
thomas
> Boy they seem to! Everytime I practice, with the guitar case open on
> the floor, my cat crawls right in it and snuggles up to hear me
> butcher jazz!
That's one of the reasons my practice room is a cat-free
(and dog-free) zone. They are too destructive to allow near
loose papers and expensive wood.
Al
>
> Does your Pathmaker have the 1.75" neck? That seems to be the standard
> Pathmaker width, which does sound awfully skinny for nylon strings and
> fingerstyle.
And the Florentines aren't terribly expensive -- under $1800 I think. Yes,
my neck is 1.75. I like the guitar quite a lot, but it's designed for
picking rather than fingerstyle.
Barry Hansen
Have you checked out the Taylor nylons
(http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/models/nylon/)? They're very playable
if you aren't looking for a true classical sound. They do sound quite nice
when amplified.
Martin also has a nice nylon string crossover guitar
(http://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/choosing/size.php?z=m), and Breedlove
also has a couple of nice models
(http://www.breedloveguitars.com/index/index6b.html).
You might also want to check out some of the new models from Kenny Hill
(http://www.hillguitar.com/). I tried these and it was truly refreshing to
find a classical crossover that had both the playability and the sound I was
looking for. Unfortunately the price is a little steep. But I understand
there may be some new models on the way that may be more affordable.
Good luck!
Barry
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