My New Guitar Arrives Soon

[TapperMike]

I'm a jazz player but I don't currently have a jazz box.  I've had more then a few in the past and always thought about getting another one.  Last year I went out looking at washburn's, godin's, samicks and outrageously priced gibsons.

 

The current cheapo's (loar) sound like crap acoustically and electrically.  The thing is in the current market you go from $400USD to 1200 USD in a heartbeat. and you really don't hit the mark untill you are near 2k.  All way to deep for my pockets.

 

If I had my druthers and money was no object I'd go for a Robert Conti Guitar.  Well I have no druthers and money is an object.  So I'm getting what I think is the next closest thing.  An original Michael Kelly Vibe

 

These are more like Howard Roberts Fusion guitars in appearance and I'm assuming the tone isn't far from it either.  There has been some work done to the instrument as it has the same fault gibson headstocks have  So it's not new by a long shot

I may have to give it a day or two to acclimate.  It's coming from AZ (hot, dry) to MI (cold moist) 

 

 

[john]

We will of course need some pics of your new geetar once it arrives, including one of you giving it a loving cuddle

[symphonious7]

I'm a jazz player but I don't currently have a jazz box.  I've had more then a few in the past and always thought about getting another one.  Last year I went out looking at washburn's, godin's, samicks and outrageously priced gibsons.

 

The current cheapo's (loar) sound like crap acoustically and electrically.  The thing is in the current market you go from $400USD to 1200 USD in a heartbeat. and you really don't hit the mark untill you are near 2k.  All way to deep for my pockets.

 

If I had my druthers and money was no object I'd go for a Robert Conti Guitar.  Well I have no druthers and money is an object.  So I'm getting what I think is the next closest thing.  An original Michael Kelly Vibe

 

These are more like Howard Roberts Fusion guitars in appearance and I'm assuming the tone isn't far from it either.  There has been some work done to the instrument as it has the same fault gibson headstocks have  So it's not new by a long shot

I may have to give it a day or two to acclimate.  It's coming from AZ (hot, dry) to MI (cold moist) 

 

 

mkvibe.jpg

It's beeeautiful, I've always loved guitars with F holes.  I had one but tried to use it for live rock shows, ever tried to distort a guitar with F holes at high volume?  Yeeeah....  there's good feedback, and then there's... that... 

[TapperMike]

It's going back.

 

I asked the seller specifically about the neck in regards to straightness, truss rod. condition of the frets his reply was that it was perfect and that he had a local tech do a setup before he shipped. The action was stupid high when it arrived.

 

The neck is warped and the truss rod is useless.  The tone is great but It's impossible to play in tune. I spent 6 hours with it yesterday trying to get a reasonable action out of it. Lowering the bridge trying to adjust the truss rod which spins rather freely.  It's just heartbreaking..  It's a beautiful body with a beautiful tone that is just stunning.  But even when all is said and done it still is off by more then a few cents and I can't get it to stay in tune because of the crappy tuning pegs.

[TapperMike]

It was one of those... too good to be true, turning out to be exactly that.

 

I've had a Birdland and I've had a es 175 and I've had a 335.  But try to buy one now and well that's just too much money.  I went to a few stores last year.  I tried some washburn archtops and they were priced thru the roof with action higher then I've got this thing set.  I couldn't play the damn things and they started about 1.2k I checked out Godins (and I have three godins already) and the 5th ave's also had the action set stupid high with 15's on it

I also looked at the LaSalle big bos Samicks.  Well guess what.  I had a 605 (long before bennet or valley arts) I played them and at least they were coming down in price but... I was afraid of what would happen in a few years.  My previous samick deep jazz box took a crap on me after about 5 years.  I also checked out the Royale's but.... My Raven West sounds better for a small semi hollow body and has better action.

 

The junk boxes are all junk. I've read and seen so many issues with Epi's and Loar's it isn't even funny.  The new standard high end archtops are all around 4k or more.  The midline high quality playable ones start around 1500 in store at least.  Less online but.... when you buy online say...sweetwater, music123/musician's friend or even GC.  They don't touch the thing except to ship it.  They don't know what's in the box and they aren't going to do extra's like..see if it needs to be returned or setup.  Only a very very few brick and mortar's will even do a basic setup anymore.  And the ones that I went to didn't have anything that truely impressed me.

 

The only thing that really catches my eye and ear for under 4k right now are ...Conti's and Eastman's

I tried bidding on a eastman AR371 but I couldn't hold my ground.  It finally sold used right around 1K.

 

 

The things that impress me most about Conti guitars.

1.  They are made in the same factory as my Raven West.

2.  Like Raven West.... The guitar gets a full inspection and setup before it ships

3.  It's a solid 17 inch spruce top, not a laminate.

4.  It's a slimmer neck then reguiar jazz boxes with an ebony fretboard and 24 frets.

5.  It delivers amazingly even response across the neck

6.  It just sounds amazing.

 

I think I should just leave the Conti in the Dream guitars realm.

[TapperMike]

Just to add in

 

Robert Conti - the man and the guitar.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcKkNZc4goU