Warpig neck pickup : Late night Jazz (ish) - Pickup photo now added.

[Fourth Feline]

Thanks to those excellent folks at B.K.P , my neck Warpig arrived this morning - and I said I would get a soundclip done.

https://www.box.com/s/90a8551c437d4d094d29

The tune is a slow wander round the tune 'My Funny Valentine' using the pickup as an excuse to dawdle somewhat.

It's a brilliant pickup for the sound I like to try and create.  Very different ( i.e more compressed and much less 'open' ) than my usual Manhattans and Stormy Mondays .   For Jazz , I feel it it does only one thing  but does it very well.   8)   It provides something of a shortcut to a nice - but - HOT  'Late night' sound .

I can therefore also see how this would be become a popular choice for the Be-Bop style,  because when you dig in on the single notes , it really pushes them confidently, without getting edgy or harsh.  They will be staying in my main squeeze / daily practice guitar , for their robust 'plug'n'play' character.

Hard to describe, but very enjoyable - and I hope the sound clip goes part way to demonstrating what they bring to this ( less than obvious )  application .  :)

[Philly Q]

A very rare trip to the Players section for me....


....nice!  :D



Although jazz is still pretty foreign to me, what you said about the more compressed sound is interesting.  It's a word which usually puts me off, I like the more edgy, "hairy" quality of an open-sounding pickup (even though it exposes the flaws of my horrible playing). 

But maybe a more compressed, "plays itself" guitar would be fun, just for once.  :)

[itamar101]

Well... That actually sounded extremely nice to my ears. I quite liked the compresse single notes and how they really just "pop out"!

[FELINEGUITARS]

very nice - enjoyed that a lot !

[DoomBuggi]

Fuh-king awesome!  

[Twinfan]

Superb Derek - great to have you back here  :D

[Ian Price]

Very good. I think I may listen to this tune whilst getting ready for bed.

[Mr_RD]

I really enjoyed that. Great job!

 RD

[Fourth Feline]

Thank you for your very kind remarks Gentlemen,  it is very much appreciated - and fuels my resolve to get better at this stuff.  :D

As Itamar101 described so well,   the notes just " pop out ".  And Philly's comments captured why it feels very 'Plug'n'play' , as it lets you concentrate on the chord movements / notes and less on avoiding finger noise. In that way it does indeed feel to "Play itself" .    The pickup drives nicely through a heavier ( i.e cheaper) laminated Archtop , but still lets you hear that the guitar is hollow . I can imagine it would do the same in a variety of Hollow, Semi-hollow and solid bodied Guitars.  Perhaps not recommended for an exsistingly 'dark sounding'  guitar.

Another advantage I can hear 'in the room' - is that it would be a great pickup for those that have to borrow an amp for practice or perfomance - or want practice to sound like performance, as it remains very consistent - and therefore if you like the sound of this pickup, it seems to confidently carry that sound to whatever it gets plugged into.

 * Edit *

Here are the photos of the Warpig neck in situ - as requested by PhillyQ.  :)

I have removed the bridge Manhattan - as on this guitar I only use a bridge pickup it to fill the pickup hole, with very occasional blending . The Manhatan set is too precious and tuneful to waste on compromises !  I threw in an otherwise unused Tonerider P/U - as a sensible but somewhat 'middle of the road' surrogate, in the bridge.



and closer up:



As this is predominantly a sound clip post, I thought I should clarify that I used T.I. Swing  flatwound strings ( 12-50) through a 'cleartone' cable ,  into my Guitar Rig Mobile  interface  - using the Twang Reverb model , with the amp's volume and tone controls all at '5' except amp reverb at '2'  - and recorded staight into it's own virtual tape deck.

Also , I wanted to say thanks for your (re) welcoming messages,  it feels great to be back amongst you on the forum ;  the only downside being that being here is as addictive as it was when I was last here !  :lol:

Cheers !

[BigB]

Really nice soundclip - playing, tone, and I have to say that despite not being much into Jazz guitar, I always liked this tune :mrgreen:

Oh and yes - not that I have anything against metal, but having more old-school tones here is kind of refreshing.

[Ian Price]

That guitar looks great! I used to have a Washburn Wes Montgomery model but just couldn't get on with the flatter than Fender radius.

I sold it but sometimes wish I had stuck at it to see if I would have grown to love it!

[Fourth Feline]

Really nice soundclip - playing, tone, and I have to say that despite not being much into Jazz guitar, I always liked this tune :mrgreen:

Oh and yes - not that I have anything against metal, but having more old-school tones here is kind of refreshing.

Thank you,  :)

My own motivation to start over again from the begining with the guitar - and this time devote all my energies to try and learn this style  ,  was /  is  to learn all my favourite 'old time' Ballads as stand alone  tunes, with the option of learning to provide accompanyment in future times. The single note/ improv stuff can wait until I get the foundation stone down. I have a list of ones I want to try and arrange , everyone of them absolutely dripping with warm sentiment .  I just love those old love songs !  :)

I also like the presence  of  Old School  tones and 'Vintage end' B.K.P users, as a compliment to the existing Ladies and Gentlemen of the more popular robust styles.   With B.K.P. already being well known amongst the more 'lively' stylists It's worth reminding  the casual browswers ( and B.K.P curious ) -  that the B.K.P. range is a 'House with many rooms ' as well as having  jolly nice staff .  :)

[Fourth Feline]

That guitar looks great! I used to have a Washburn Wes Montgomery model but just couldn't get on with the flatter than Fender radius.

I sold it but sometimes wish I had stuck at it to see if I would have grown to love it!

Cheers Ian ,  :)

I am not usually a fan of that rather sharp 'Florentine' cutaway, but when seen from the side / top / oblique angle, the effect is not as coarse as my hurried photos make it look.   I seem to have made it look like a Les Paul copy, that has been eating all my chocolate biscuits.

It also helps with getting into the practice / study / concentrate mindset, when you have a sizable item of furniture on your knee.  I must have a 'Google' of that Washburn 'Wes Montgomery' - but meanwhile, but can understand how the whole flatter radius / shorter neck / ridiculous body size , could be something of an anathema for Fender users.   I have a Baja Tele , but it bridges the gap quite nicely with it's  chunkier neck, and somewhat Gibsonesqe radius.    :)

[Philly Q]

It also helps with getting into the practice / study / concentrate mindset, when you have a sizable item of furniture on your knee.  I must have a 'Google' of that Washburn 'Wes Montgomery' - but meanwhile, but can understand how the whole flatter radius / shorter neck / ridiculous body size , could be something of an anathema for Fender users.   I have a Baja Tele , but it bridges the gap quite nicely with it's  chunkier neck, and somewhat Gibsonesqe radius.    :)

That's an interesting point.  I've never really considered buying a proper hollowbody jazz guitar, but I think I would find it physically difficult to play.  Whenever I try to play an acoustic, a larger-bodied guitar like a 335 or even just a thick-bodied guitar like a Les Paul, I get a lot of discomfort in my right shoulder.  So I like guitars to be as ergonomic as possible.

That's why I like the Gibson ES-339 and CS-336 - they're heading in the general direction of Larry Carlton (if you see what I mean  :lol: ) but physically they're only a little bigger than a solidbody.

[Fourth Feline]

...  I've never really considered buying a proper hollowbody jazz guitar, but I think I would find it physically difficult to play.  Whenever I try to play an acoustic, a larger-bodied guitar like a 335 or even just a thick-bodied guitar like a Les Paul, I get a lot of discomfort in my right shoulder.  So I like guitars to be as ergonomic as possible.

That's why I like the Gibson ES-339 and CS-336 - they're heading in the general direction of Larry Carlton (if you see what I mean  :lol: ) but physically they're only a little bigger than a solidbody.

I can imagine that tonally and 'vibe' wise, a 339 - or 336 type would indeed be the best of both very enjoyable ( Les paul / Archtop ) worlds,  but the problem I now have, is that If I pick up the Les paul or Telecaster - it feels like I've forgotten to actually put the guitar on !  :lol:

The other factor being that my archtops tend to be used sat down , often without a guitar strap - and held close into the chest, with the neck / headstock pointing upwards - as seen here in my favourite photo of good ol' Joe Pass :



The desired effect is that I am really just looking at the fretboard really close up - and thereby making all fret positions equally reachable for any chord voicings e.t.c.  The only downside, is that ( when in it's Gator case ) there just isn't a bed built high enough to store it under.   :mrgreen: