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Gibson ES-125

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The Gibson ES-125 is an archtop , hollow body electric guitar model that was produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation .

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64-645: Introduced in 1941 as the successor to the ES-100, the ES-125 was an entry-level archtop electric guitar . It had one P-90 single-coil pickup in the neck position, a single volume control and a single tone control. The pre-war model, discontinued in 1942, had a smaller 14.5" body. When reintroduced in 1946 it had the larger 16.25" wide body that the ES-150 had. The unbound rosewood fingerboard initially sported pearl trapezoid inlays; later, it would have dot inlays. In

128-574: A guitar amplifier to make it sound loud enough for performance. Guitar amplifiers have equalizer controls that allow the guitarist to change the tone of the instrument, by emphasizing or de-emphasizing certain frequency bands. The use of reverb effects , often included in guitar amplifiers, has long been part of the jazz guitar sound. Particularly since the 1970s jazz fusion era, some jazz guitarists have also used effects pedals such as overdrive pedals , chorus pedals and wah pedals . The earliest guitars used in jazz were acoustic, later superseded by

192-473: A walking bass -style accompaniment. Jazz guitarists learn to perform these chords over the range of different chord progressions used in jazz, such as the ubiquitous ii-V-I progression, the jazz-style blues progression (which, in contrast to a blues-style 12 bar progression, may have two or more chord changes per bar) the minor jazz-style blues form, the I-vi-ii-V based " rhythm changes " progression, and

256-400: A Fender Stratocaster, the full-depth archtop guitar has become known as the prototypical "jazz guitar." Archtop guitars are steel-string acoustic guitars with a big soundbox, arched top, violin-style f-holes , a " floating bridge " and magnetic or piezoelectric pickups . Early makers of jazz guitars included Gibson , Epiphone , D'Angelico and Stromberg. The electric guitar is plugged into

320-423: A cohesive solo. Jazz guitarists often try to imbue their melodic phrasing with the sense of natural breathing and legato phrasing used by horn players such as saxophone players. As well, a jazz guitarists' solo improvisations have to have a rhythmic drive and "timefeel" that creates a sense of " swing " and "groove." The most experienced jazz guitarists learn to play with different "timefeels" such as playing "ahead of

384-542: A couple of archtops in their range, albeit not necessarily manufactured at their own facilities. Ibanez sells an extensive range of archtops under the Artcore marque. The Samick corporation sells archtops under its own name besides manufacturing for other companies. Gibson sells inexpensive Asian-made archtops under its Epiphone brand, such as the Epiphone Dot . Renewed interest in acoustic music has also led to

448-678: A given style or jazz era. Some jazz guitarists also borrow ornamentation techniques from other jazz instruments, such as Wes Montgomery's borrowing of playing melodies in parallel octaves, which is a jazz piano technique. Jazz guitarists also have to learn how to add in passing tones, use "guide tones" and chord tones from the chord progression to structure their improvisations. In the 1970s and 1980s, with jazz-rock fusion guitar playing, jazz guitarists incorporated rock guitar soloing approaches, such as riff -based soloing and usage of pentatonic and blues scale patterns. Some guitarists used Jimi Hendrix -influenced distortion and wah-wah effects to get

512-456: A graduated convex back and top." The instrument featured a metal tailpiece and teardrop shaped "f-holes," and strongly resembled the archtop guitars of the 1930s. James S. Back obtained patent #508,858 in 1893 for a guitar (which also mentions applicability to mandolins) that among other features included an arched top, which were produced under the Howe Orme name. Another transitional design is

576-439: A more complex, polyphonic approach to unaccompanied soloing. Eddie Lang and Lonnie Johnson were two of the earliest practitioners of single note improvised solos. Both played with Louis Armstrong and other leading jazz and blues musicians of the 1920s and 1930s. In later years Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt , the former on electric guitar and the latter playing forcefully on an acoustic guitar, are acknowledged as

640-582: A more prominent position in ensembles. Jazz guitarist Eddie Durham is usually credited with making the first electric guitar solo, but it was ES-150 player Charlie Christian who popularized the jazz guitar as a solo, not just a rhythm, instrument. The ES-150's top was not carved on the underside, making it unsuitable for acoustic use. In 1951, Gibson released the L5CES, an L5 with a single cutaway body and two electric pickups, equally playable as either an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar . This innovation

704-439: A more radio-friendly sounds of smooth jazz . Guitarist Pat Metheny mixed the sounds of rock, blues, country, and “world” music, while still maintaining a strong foundation in bebop and cool jazz, playing both a flat-top acoustic guitar and an electric guitar with a softer, more mellow tone which was sweetened with a shimmering effect known as “ chorusing ". During the 1980s, a neo-traditional school of jazz sought to reconnect with

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768-621: A range of archtop 4-, 5-, and 6-string bass guitars . Framus also makes a range of archtop bass guitars . 4-string (tenor), 7-string , 9-string , and 12-string archtops have been manufactured. A few luthiers offer archtopped Maccaferri guitars . The Mohan veena is a cross between an archtop and an Indian veena . Some electric archtops also have piezoelectric pickups , making them hybrid guitars . A relatively small number of ukulele makers offer instruments with flat tops but arched backs, generally of heat-pressed laminate construction with high-quality veneer; that design concentrates

832-512: A semitone, which is called a "flat 13th"). Jazz guitarists need to learn about a range of different chords, including major 7th , major 6th , minor 7th , minor/major 7th , dominant 7th , diminished , half-diminished , and augmented chords . As well, they need to learn about chord transformations (e.g., altered chords, such as "alt dominant chords" described above), chord substitutions , and re-harmonization techniques. Some jazz guitarists use their knowledge of jazz scales and chords to provide

896-550: A solid piece of wood that is carved into the arched shape, or a piece of laminated wood (essentially a type of plywood) that is pressed into shape. Spruce is often used for tops, and maple for backs. Archtop guitars can be mass-produced, such as the Ibanez Artcore series , or handmade by luthiers such as Robert Benedetto . Jazz rhythm guitar often consists of very textural, odd-meter playing that includes generous use of exotic, difficult-to-fret chords. In 4/4 timing, it

960-467: A song's melody or another musician's solo improvisations. The stringed, chord-playing rhythm can be heard in groups which included military band-style instruments such as brass, saxes, clarinets, and drums, such as early jazz groups. As the acoustic guitar became a more popular instrument in the early 20th century, guitar-makers began building louder guitars which would be useful in a wider range of settings. The Gibson L5, an acoustic archtop guitar which

1024-430: A source of "licks", melodic phrases and ideas they incorporate either intact or in variations, and is an established way of learning from the previous generations of players. In jazz big bands , popular during the 1930s and 1940s, the guitarist is considered an integral part of the rhythm section (guitar, drums and bass ). They usually played a regular four strums to the bar, although an amount of harmonic improvisation

1088-463: A sustained, heavy tone, or even used rapid-fire guitar shredding techniques, such as tapping and tremolo bar bending. Guitarist Al Di Meola , who started his career with Return to Forever in 1974, was one of the first guitarists to perform in a " shred " style, a technique later used in rock and heavy metal playing. Di Meola used alternate-picking to perform very rapid sequences of notes in his solos. When jazz guitar players improvise , they use

1152-555: A typical electric configuration of two humbucking pickups . In the 1990s, there was a resurgence of interest among jazz guitarists in acoustic archtop guitars with floating pickups. The original acoustic archtop guitars were designed to enhance volume: for that reason they were constructed for use with relatively heavy guitar strings . Even after electrification became the norm, jazz guitarists continued to fit strings of 0.012" gauge or heavier for reasons of tone, and also prefer flatwound strings . The characteristic arched top can be made of

1216-445: Is common to play 2.5 beat intervals such as on the 2 and then the half beat or "and" after 4. Jazz guitarists may play chords "ahead" of the beat, by playing the chord a swung eighth note before the actual chord change. Chords are not generally played in a repetitive rhythmic fashion, like a rock rhythm guitarist would play. Jazz guitarists use their knowledge of harmony and jazz theory to create jazz chord "voicings," which emphasize

1280-410: Is generally recognized as the world's first commercially successful Spanish-style electric guitar. The ES stands for Electric Spanish, and it was designated 150 because it cost $ 150, along with an EH-150 amplifier and a cable. After its introduction in 1936, it immediately became popular in jazz orchestras of the period. Unlike the usual acoustic guitars utilized in jazz, it was loud enough to take

1344-591: Is indicated by arpeggiation. Exponents of this style often come from a country , folk or ragtime background, such as Chet Atkins , although it is also sometimes employed by straight-ahead jazz practitioners, for instance Martin Taylor . Chord-melody is often played with a plectrum (see Tal Farlow , George Benson and others); whereas fingerstyle , as practised by Joe Pass, George van Eps , Ted Greene , Robert Conti , Lenny Breau or hybrid picking as practised by Ed Bickert , Laszlo Sirsom and others allows for

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1408-509: Is often credited to Orville Gibson , whose innovative designs led to the formation of the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co, Ltd in 1902. His 1898 patent for a mandolin , which was also applicable to guitars according to the specifications, was intended to enhance "power and quality of tone." Among the features of this instrument were a violin-style arched top and back, each carved from a single piece of wood, and thicker in

1472-518: Is possible. Freddie Green , guitarist in the Count Basie orchestra, was a noted exponent of this style. The harmonies are often minimal; for instance, the root note is often omitted on the assumption that it will be supplied by the bassist. When jazz guitarists play chords underneath a song's melody or another musician's solo improvisations, it is called " comping ", short for "accompanying". The accompanying style in most jazz styles differs from

1536-655: The Gibson L5 was released to his design. Although the new instrument models flopped commercially and Loar left Gibson after only a couple of years, Gibson instruments signed by Loar now are among the most prized and celebrated in stringed-instrument history. Perhaps the most revered instrument from this period is the F5 mandolin, but probably the more broadly influential was the L5 guitar, which remains in production to this day. The mature Gibson archtop guitar and its imitators are regarded as

1600-504: The Gretsch White Falcon and various Chet Atkins models. Some of these instruments have a distinctive "twangy" sound and were taken up by country music and early rock and roll artists such as Duane Eddy and Eddie Cochran . Similar models remain popular in rockabilly . Gibson's last innovation in archtop design was the creation, in 1955, of "thinline" models with a reduced body depth. Notable thinline models include

1664-547: The parlor guitar fitted with a floating bridge and tailpiece. These inexpensive instruments, manufactured by companies such as Stella and Harmony , are associated with early blues musicians. The earliest Gibson designs (L1 to L3) introduced the arched top and increasing body sizes, but still had round or oval sound holes. In 1922, Lloyd Loar was hired by the Gibson Company to redesign their instrument line in an effort to counter flagging sales, and in that same year

1728-409: The 1930s. It was not until the large-scale emergence of small combo jazz in the post-WWII period that the guitar took off as a versatile instrument, which was used both in the rhythm section and as a featured melodic instrument and solo improviser. In the hands of George Barnes , Kenny Burrell , Herb Ellis , Barney Kessel , Jimmy Raney , and Tal Farlow , who had absorbed the language of bebop ,

1792-590: The 1940s have performed on an electrically amplified guitar or electric guitar . Traditionally, jazz electric guitarists use an archtop with a relatively broad hollow sound-box, violin-style f-holes , a " floating bridge ", and a magnetic pickup . Solid body guitars, mass-produced since the early 1950s, are also used. Jazz guitar playing styles include comping with jazz chord voicings (and in some cases walking bass lines) and blowing ( improvising ) over jazz chord progressions with jazz-style phrasing and ornaments. Comping refers to playing chords underneath

1856-468: The 1960s. The ES-335 and similar guitars were taken up by, and remain steadfastly popular with, electric blues players; B. B. King 's various "Lucilles" are based on the ES-335. The 1970s and 1980s were a low point of interest in archtops, with many rock and pop (and some jazz and blues) players switching to solid body guitars . One manufacturer for this period was Robert Benedetto . Interest in archtops

1920-434: The 3rd and 7th notes of the chord. Some more sophisticated chord voicings also include the 9th, 11th, and 13th notes of the chord. In some modern jazz styles, dominant 7th chords in a tune may contain altered 9ths (either flattened by a semitone, which is called a "flat 9th", or sharpened by a semitone, which is called a "sharp 9th"); 11ths (sharpened by a semitone, which is called a "sharp 11th"); 13ths (typically flattened by

1984-405: The ES-125 requires a shorter neck pickup than a typical dogear. This pickup is, however, not as short as those found on an ES-330TD which has the pickup mounted flush to the end of the fingerboard. Coils were wound to approximately 10,000 wraps although DC resistance of these pickups can vary greatly Volume and tone controls were 500k Audio taper pots. A treble bypass cap value of .022 microfarads

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2048-463: The P90 transitioned to 6 adjustable poles between two Alnico 5 bar magnets. The model used for the ES-125 has a string spacing on the neck pickup of 1 15 ⁄ 16 " from high E to low E. The ES-125 also used a tapered dogear cover for their neck position pickups with a thickness of 4/16" on the treble side and 5/16" on the bass side. Since the fingerboard sits flush to the body (as opposed to an ES-175)

2112-602: The accessories ( pickguard , bridge, tuner buttons, knobs, etc.) are made of wood (ebony or rosewood) instead of metal and have a clean acoustic look. It is estimated there are nearly 100 archtop guitar luthiers in North America alone. Contrastingly, mass-market archtop guitars became more affordable in the late 20th century, due to a combination of low labor costs in Asian countries and computer numerically controlled manufacture. Most major guitar marques include at least

2176-517: The arching profile are usually derived in an ad hoc fashion. The tops of Gibson's archtops were parallel braced . X-braced designs were introduced later, giving a tone closer to that of a flat-top guitar. Sitka spruce , European spruce , and Engelmann spruce are most often used for the resonant tops of archtop guitars, although some guitar builders use Adirondack spruce (Red spruce), or Western red cedar . Archtop guitars often have Curly maple or Quilted maple backs. Full-sized archtops are among

2240-464: The back) of the archtop guitar is either carved out of a block of solid wood or heat-pressed using either a solid top or laminations, the latter being a less expensive construction method. The belly normally has two f-holes , the lower of these partly covered by a scratch plate raised above the belly so as not to dampen its vibration. The arching of the top and the f-holes are similar to the violin family, on which they were originally based. The contours of

2304-412: The beat" or "behind the beat," to create or release tension. Another aspect of the jazz guitar style is the use of stylistically appropriate ornaments, such as grace notes, slides, and muted notes. Each subgenre or era of jazz has different ornaments that are part of the style of that subgenre or era. Jazz guitarists usually learn the appropriate ornamenting styles by listening to prominent recordings from

2368-404: The chord changes using scales (whole tone scale, chromatic scale, etc.) and arpeggios. Jazz guitar players tend to improvise around chord/scale relationships, rather than reworking the melody, possibly due to their familiarity with chords resulting from their comping role. A source of melodic ideas for improvisation is transcribing improvised solos from recordings. This provides jazz guitarists with

2432-406: The creative vision of contemporary musicians. As we look back on its journey from humble beginnings in early jazz bands to its electrifying present, one thing remains clear: the jazz guitar remains a testament to the enduring spirit of innovation and artistic exploration in music. While jazz can be played on any type of guitar, from an acoustic instrument to a solid-bodied electric guitar such as

2496-470: The early 1930s, jazz musicians sought to amplify their sound to be heard over loud big bands . When guitarists in big bands switched from acoustic to semi-acoustic guitar and began using amplifiers , it enabled them to play solos . Jazz guitar had an important influence on jazz in the beginning of the twentieth century. Although the earliest guitars used in jazz were acoustic and acoustic guitars are still sometimes used in jazz, most jazz guitarists since

2560-510: The first soloists to put jazz guitar improvisation on an equal footing with that of other instruments. Over the years, jazz guitarists have been able to solo in standard jazz idioms, such as bebop , cool jazz and so on, while in also absorbing influences from rock guitarists, such as the use of electronic effects. Jazz guitarists are not limited to single note improvisation. When working with accompaniment, chord solos are created by improvising chords (harmony) and melody simultaneously, usually in

2624-456: The guitar began to be seen as a “serious” jazz instrument. Improved electric guitars such as Gibson's ES-175 (released in 1949), gave players a larger variety of tonal options. In the 1940s through the 1960s, players such as Wes Montgomery , Joe Pass , Al Caiola Tony Mottola and Jim Hall laid the foundation of what is now known as "jazz guitar" playing. By the early 1980s, the radical experiments of early 1970s-era fusion gave way to

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2688-411: The individual player and his or her arrangement of a particular piece. In the sparse style, a full chord is often played only at the beginning of a melodic phrase. The denser chordal textures, in contrast, approach chord soloing (see below). A third approach is to maintain a steady, busy bass-line, like a New Orleans pianist. Here, no more than two or three notes are played at a time, and the full harmony

2752-560: The largest guitars ever made, with the width of the lower bout in some cases approaching 19 inches (47 cm). The original acoustic archtop guitars were designed to enhance volume, so they were constructed for use with relatively heavy strings. Even after electrification became the norm, jazz guitarists have continued to fit strings of 0.012" gauge or heavier for reasons of tone, and also prefer flatwound strings . Thinline archtops generally use standard electric guitar strings. Many vibrato systems cannot be fitted to an archtop owing to

2816-467: The melody or solo, and using periods of silence. Jazz guitarists commonly use a wide variety of inversions when comping, rather than only using standard voicings. In this style, the guitarist aims to render an entire song — harmony, melody and bass — in something like the way a classical guitarist or pianist can. Chord roots cannot be left to the bassist in this style. Chords themselves can be used sparsely or more densely, depending on both

2880-547: The mid-1950s, the ES-125T was introduced, which was an entry-level thinline archtop electric guitar based on the original ES-125. It would later add options for double P-90 pickups and a sharp cutaway, referred to as a florentine cutaway, similar to the ES-175 . Both the thinline and the regular models would be discontinued by the 1970s. The ES-125 was equipped with one P90 pickup. The original had 6 Alnico slug pole pieces. In 1950

2944-467: The middle than at the sides; sides carved to shape from a single block of wood; and a lack of internal "braces, splices, blocks, or bridges . . . which, if employed, would rob the instrument of much of its volume of tone." But Gibson was not the first to apply violin design principles to the guitar. Guitar maker A. H. Merrill, for example, patented in 1896 a very modern looking instrument "of the guitar and mandolin type . . . with egg-shaped hoop or sides and

3008-683: The need to cut large holes in the belly to accommodate the mechanism, with the exception of the Bigsby vibrato tailpiece and the long tailpiece versions of the Gibson Vibrola . These vibrato systems mount on the surface of the guitar and need no body routing. Other systems have been used and trialed since this time. Although "archtop" normally refers to a hollow-bodied , arched top instrument, some makers of solid-bodied guitars with carved bellies also refer to these as archtop to distinguish these from flat top guitars . For example, Gibson refers to

3072-403: The past. In keeping with such an aesthetic, young guitarists of this era sought a clean and round tone, and they often played traditional hollow-body arch-top guitars without electronic effects, frequently through vacuum tube amplifiers . As players such as Bobby Broom , Peter Bernstein , Howard Alden , Russell Malone , and Mark Whitfield revived the sounds of traditional jazz guitar, there

3136-603: The quintessential " jazzbox ." Archtop guitars were subsequently made by many top American luthiers, notably John D'Angelico of New York and Jimmy D'Aquisto , William Wilkanowski , Charles Stromberg and Son in Boston, and by other major manufacturers, notably Gretsch and Epiphone . In Europe, companies such as Framus , Höfner , Hoyer and Hagström took up the manufacture of archtops. Archtop guitars were particularly adopted by both jazz and country musicians, and in big bands and swing bands . Gibson's ES-150 guitar

3200-718: The revival of purely acoustic archtops, such as the Gibson L-7C , The Loar Lh-600 , Godin 5th Avenue and the Epiphone Century Series. Recent technical innovations include Ken Parker 's use of carbon fibre in high-end acoustic archtops, and the Godin Montreal hybrid guitar . Archtops usually have three-a-side pegheads and necks similar in width to a steel-string acoustic rather than an electric. High-end models traditionally have "block" or "trapezoid" position markers . The top or belly (and often

3264-580: The scales, modes, and arpeggios associated with the chords in a tune's chord progression. The approach to improvising has changed since the earliest eras of jazz guitar. During the Swing era, many soloists improvised "by ear" by embellishing the melody with ornaments and passing notes. However, during the bebop era, the rapid tempo and complicated chord progressions made it increasingly harder to play "by ear." Along with other improvisers, such as saxes and piano players, bebop-era jazz guitarists began to improvise over

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3328-665: The small combo context. The most important jazz guitar soloists of this period included the Manouche virtuoso Django Reinhardt , Oscar Moore who was featured with Nat “King” Cole 's trio, and Charlie Christian of Benny Goodman 's band and sextet, who was a major influence despite his early death at 25. Also noteworthy was Mike Danzi who performed with the Alex Hyde Orchestra in the United States as well as with several jazz orchestras throughout Germany during

3392-581: The standard Gibson Les Paul as an archtop to distinguish it from flat top models such as the Les Paul Special and Melody Maker . A continuum exists from purely acoustic instruments similar to the original Orville Gibson design, to solid-body designs: Archtop 4-string bass guitars have been manufactured since the use of electric pickups became popular. The most famous example is the Höfner violin bass used by Paul McCartney . Warwick makes

3456-611: The successful Gibson ES-335 , introduced in 1958, as well as the Epiphone Casino , introduced after Epiphone was acquired in 1957 by CMI, Gibson's parent company. These were more feedback resistant, comfortable to hold and easier to play standing up. The first thinlines were hollow bodies. Later thinlines such as the ES-335, ES-345 and ES-355 were semi-hollow. Thinlines can be classed as semiacoustic guitars , although not all semiacoustic guitars have an arched top. Thinlines became popular with mainstream pop and rock artists during

3520-415: The tuba as the dominant bass instrument in jazz music. During the late 1930s and through the 1940s—the heyday of big band jazz and swing music —the guitar was an important rhythm section instrument. Some guitarists, such as Freddie Green of Count Basie 's band, developed a guitar-specific style of accompaniment. Few of the big bands, however, featured amplified guitar solos, which were done instead in

3584-460: The uke body's internal resonance upward toward the sound hole, "like a parabolic mirror," according to the German seller RISA, whose Koki'o brand line of ukuleles all feature arched backs. Jazz guitar#Archtop guitars Jazz guitar may refer to either a type of electric guitar or a guitar playing style in jazz , using electric amplification to increase the volume of acoustic guitars. In

3648-423: The upper register on strings 1,2,3 and 4. Wes Montgomery was noted for playing successive choruses in single notes, then octaves and finally a chord solo - this can be heard in his improvisation on the standard Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?) . When playing without accompaniment, jazz guitarists may create chord solos by playing bass, melody and chords, individually or simultaneously, on any or all strings - such as

3712-430: The variety of modulation-rich chord progressions used in jazz ballads, and jazz standards . Guitarists may also learn to use the chord types, strumming styles, and effects pedals (e.g., chorus effect or fuzzbox ) used in 1970s-era jazz-Latin, jazz-funk, and jazz-rock fusion music. Jazz guitarists integrate the basic building blocks of scales and arpeggio patterns into balanced rhythmic and melodic phrases that make up

3776-411: The way chordal instruments accompany in many popular styles of music. In many popular styles of music, such as rock and pop, the rhythm guitarist usually performs the chords in rhythmic fashion which sets out the beat or groove of a tune. In contrast, in many modern jazz styles within smaller groups, the guitarist plays much more sparsely, intermingling periodic chords and delicate voicings into pauses in

3840-478: Was also a resurgence of archtop luthierie (guitar-making). By the early 1990s many small independent luthiers began making archtop guitars. In the 2000s, jazz guitar playing continues to change. Some guitarists incorporate a Latin jazz influence, acid jazz -style dance club music uses samples from Wes Montgomery, and guitarists such as Bill Frisell continue to defy categorization. Today, the jazz guitar continues to evolve, influenced by advancements in technology and

3904-446: Was first produced in 1923, was an early “jazz”-style guitar which was used by early jazz guitarists such as Eddie Lang . By the 1930s, the guitar began to displace the banjo as the primary chordal rhythm instrument in jazz music, because the guitar could be used to voice chords of greater harmonic complexity, and it had a somewhat more muted tone that blended well with the upright bass , which, by this time, had almost completely replaced

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3968-522: Was immediately popular, and while purely acoustic archtop guitars such as the Gibson L-7C remain available to this day, they have become the exception. In 1958, the L5CES was redesigned with humbucking pickups; most, but certainly not all, subsequent archtop guitars conform loosely to the pattern set by this model. The electric archtop was particularly popular with jazz musicians Tal Farlow , Barney Kessel and Johnny Smith . Other manufacturers introduced electric archtop guitars, notable examples including

4032-469: Was revived in the 1990s. Archtops had long been expensive instruments, with a level of finish and ornament to match. Boutique luthiers such as Roger Borys and Bob Benedetto brought the aesthetics of the instrument to even greater heights, making them attractive to collectors, and also continuing to innovate in technical design. The Benedetto style of acoustic/electric archtop has itself been copied by luthiers such as Dale Unger and Dana Bourgeois . Most of

4096-435: Was used for the tone circuit. D (Double Pickup) models included a 3 position toggle switch to select each pickup individually or both pickups simultaneously. Archtop An archtop guitar is a hollow acoustic or semi-acoustic guitar with a full body and a distinctive arched top, whose sound is particularly popular with jazz , blues , and rockabilly players. Typically, an archtop guitar has: The archtop guitar

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