GBREVIEW ELECTRIC GUITAR SADOWSKY JIM HALL SIGNATURE MODEL

HALLTHE SADOWSKY JIM HALL SIGNATURE OF MODEL ARCHTOPFAME ALLOWS YOU TO COP THE CELEBRATED JAZZ GUITARIST’S PATENTED TONES – BUT PLAYING HIS LICKS PROVES RATHER MORE CHALLENGING, AS PAUL ALCANTARA DISCOVERS…

You may be familiar with a reduced body depth (2.75 inches as ... New York-based luthier, opposed to the 3.375 of a Gibson Roger Sadowsky, from the ES-175) helps to control feedback. solidbody guitars and basses All of the body edges are multiple that he has built for such major bound in black and white plastic, league players as Walter Becker though the fact that the binding has (Steely Dan), Nathan East (Eric not been scraped clean prior to Clapton), Jason Newsted (Ozzy application of the clear coat creates the Osbourne), Lenny Kravitz, impression that the body is bound in Chuck Rainey and Marcus wood. This effect, which is GBINFO Miller. Roger also works as a intentional, replicates the appearance repair man and has looked after of Jim Hall’s original D’Aquisto jazz legend Jim Hall’s archtop. The guitarist apparently instruments, including his visited Jimmy D’Aquisto’s workshop Jimmy D’Aquisto archtop, for while the luthier was working on his SADOWSKY JIM HALL over 15 years. guitar. It was in the spray booth at the SIGNATURE Now the two men have collaborated time and Jimmy commented that it MODEL on the design and development of the would look better once the colour coat PRICE: £2950 Jim Hall Signature Model archtop we had been scraped off the binding. Jim BUILT IN: Japan see before us. The guitar is built in Hall, however, liked the guitar as it SCALE LENGTH: 629mm (24.75 inches) Japan at the Sadowsky Tokyo was and it was left that way. NUT WIDTH: 44.5mm workshop under the supervision of The neck, which is attached with a (1.75 inches) skilled luthier Yoshi Kikuchi. “Yoshi dovetail joint, meets the body at the STRING SPACING AT NUT: 36.8mm (1.45 inches) spent a year working at Sadowsky 14th fret, while a rounded treble side BODY: Maple, 5-ply Guitars, NYC, before returning to cutaway improves access to the top laminate Japan to set up and manage the end of the fingerboard. Neck and NECK: Maple Sadowsky Tokyo shop,” Roger headstock are crafted from a single FINGERBOARD: Ebony, 305mm radius comments. “He is one of the most piece of maple, with an additional (12 inches) highly respected instrument makers in maple section fitted beneath the FRETS: 21 medium Japan and all of the guitars are elevated fingerboard extension that PICKUPS: 1 x Sadowsky/ personally inspected and set up by sticks out over the body. DiMarzio JH humbucker CONTROLS: 1 x volume, him before they are shipped.” Let’s Roger has apparently duplicated the 1 x tone take a closer look. neck profile of Jim Hall’s D’Aquisto BRIDGE: Ebony and the result is comfortable and STRING SPACING AT BODY & NECK inviting – a little slimmer than the BRIDGE: 51mm (2 inches) The Jim Hall Signature Model features neck shape of a classic Gibson, and MACHINEHEADS: Gotoh, gold a 16-inch-wide laminated body with eminently playable. WEIGHT: 2.8kg (6.25lbs) the arch of the top and back formed The smooth black ebony FINISHES: Nitro-cellulose from pressed plywood rather than fingerboard has been left plain (black ‘Jim Hall violin sunburst’ (shown) carved from solid timber. Roger side dots positioned along the white CASE: Hardshell case Sadowsky believes that this type of binding prevent you from getting supplied construction produces superior results lost), while the bound asymmetrical LEFT-HANDERS: Available on special order to solid timber when the guitar is headstock displays the Sadowsky logo played through an amplifier, an inlaid in pearl together with Jim Hall’s CONTACT: opinion that is apparently shared by signature in gold script. Gold Gotoh Gillan’s Guitars PHONE: 01250 876343 Jim Hall. The use of lightweight maple tuners with black ebony buttons and WEB: www.sadowsky.com ply for the top and back is intended to a wooden truss rod cover complete provide more acoustic response, while the picture. ➔

56 GUITARBUYER MAY 2007 MAY 2007 GUITARBUYER 57 GBREVIEW ELECTRIC GUITAR SADOWSKY JIM HALL SIGNATURE MODEL

■ As with most archtop bridges, the Sadowsky Jim Hall’s is adjustable only for height

■ This nitro-cellulose finish is called the ‘Jim Hall violin sunburst’

case of a laminated instrument, a THE GUITAR’S APPEARANCE IS built-in pickup has a negligible effect on either the tone or the structural integrity of the top. CLEAN AND UNCLUTTERED The electronics are straightforward, All 21 frets, which extend over the comprising tone and volume controls fingerboard binding without Gibson that are body mounted. Top-notch style ‘nibs’, are expertly polished and components are used throughout, profiled, while the nut slots are cut to including high-quality potentiometers the correct depth for a comfortable and a Switchcraft jack socket. action in the lower positions. Taken overall, the guitar’s appearance is SOUNDS clean and uncluttered – perhaps a The Jim Hall Signature Model arrived nod to the minimalist aesthetics of impeccably set up and plays well Jim Hall’s original D’Aquisto. straight out of the case. Played As on most archtops, the bridge is acoustically, it produces a pleasing HARDWARE & PARTS adjustable for height only, but the The choice of ebony for the upper section, which forms the saddle, PERFECT PICKUP pickguard, tuner buttons, is pre-compensated to provide control knobs, bridge accurate string intonation. The guitar THE JH HUMBUCKER WAS DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY and tailpiece picks up is equipped with a single gold-plated FOR THIS GUITAR on the theme humbucker, custom-wound for established by the Sadowsky by DiMarzio, positioned at fingerboard, as well as the end of the fingerboard. complementing the According to Roger Sadowsky, the body’s glossy orange- decision to fit a built-in rather than brown nitro-cellulose floating pickup was taken in part to finish. Referred to as make it easy for inquisitive players to the ‘Jim Hall violin experiment with their sounds. “As a sunburst’, this guitar maker, it always bothered me finish is available how difficult it was for a player with a only on the Jim floating pickup to try a different ■ The Jim Hall Signature Model’s Hall Signature pickup on his guitar. It is always a very JH humbucker is custom-wound for Model. A labour-intensive procedure, and there Sadowsky by DiMarzio. virtually are few pickup choices.” When designing this pickup, identical guitar While this reviewer would agree DiMarzio’s Steve Blucher analysed called, slightly that a built-in pickup offers far greater the Guild/DeArmond pickup fitted to Jim Hall’s Jimmy D’Aquisto guitar. confusingly, the choice, the difficulty of replacing a The resulting pickup, which is Jim Hall Model floating pickup appears to be rather exclusive to this guitar, is said to (which has no overstated. A floating pickup (usually capture much of the original’s even signature on the attached to the pickguard or the response and transparent sound. headstock and fingerboard extension) is generally This month, and every month, Steve traditional scraped preferred on solid-topped archtops, as Blucher is on hand to answer your pickup queries as part of Larry binding) can be had in it obviates the need to make a hole in DiMarzio’s column in Guitar Buyer – blonde and various the guitar. The fact is (as Sadowsky see page 36 of this issue. sunburst finishes. points out on his website) that, in the ➔

58 GUITARBUYER MAY 2007 GBREVIEW ELECTRIC GUITAR SADOWSKY JIM HALL SIGNATURE MODEL

... DETAILS A HIGH-QUALITY ARCHTOP WITH A SMART, MODERN FEEL

■ The scratchplate is ebony, just like the ■ Gold-plated machineheads add the finishing ■ The raised fingerboard makes a cutaway fingerboard, bridge, tailpiece and tuner keys touch to the one-piece maple neck – nice even more essential for top-fret access

GBCONCLUSION

tone with more volume than you So how does this guitar measure AN EXCELLENT JAZZ GUITAR GBOPINION might expect from a guitar with a up against an archtop carved from BUT AN EXPENSIVE ONE SADOWSKY laminated top. Nevertheless, it solid timber when amplified? To my ■ All told, the Jim Hall JIM HALL SIGNATURE remains the sound of an unplugged ear, it presents a voice that is more Signature model is a MODEL electric instrument, and aside from assertive – more electric even – but thoughtfully designed guitar GOLD STARS late night practise sessions at home, I slightly lacking the carved guitar’s that plays effortlessly and Easy playing experience Top quality sounds can think of few situations in which woody resonance and open quality. sounds very good indeed. Classy, understated this guitar could be used productively Ultimately, it’s neither better nor Our only quibble is with the looks without an amplifier. worse, just different. price. You won’t get much BLACK MARKS Plugged in, the JH Signature The Jim Hall Signature Model’s change from three grand, Relatively high price certainly comes into its own. Tailored resistance to feedback is about as good which seems a lot of money IDEAL FOR... Serious jazz players with to complement the guitar’s natural as a Gibson ES-175 (a guitar that Steve for a Japanese-built a taste for quality voice, the DiMarzio humbucker Howe somehow manages to use in a laminated instrument. produces a smooth, warm tonality rock context) but don’t expect to Building an electric archtop with outstanding balance across the escape feedback problems if you instrument from laminated instrument’s entire sonic range. Single intend to play at high volume levels. timber is neither new nor note lines jump from the speakers, Having said that, you shouldn’t controversial. Gibson’s ever- while the complex chords beloved of encounter any problems at the level popular ES-175 – a favourite of jazz players are clearly articulated. of the average jazz gig. players from Steve Howe and Pat The volume and tone controls Metheney to Joe Pass and indeed exhibit a smooth audio taper that GBRATINGS Jim Hall himself – has been built eliminates the jumpiness characteristic from maple ply since its of lesser-quality potentiometers. With SADOWSKY JIM HALL introduction in 1949, making the SIGNATURE MODEL a single pickup guitar this is an Sadowsky part of a long and well BODY & NECK important consideration, allowing as it established tradition. There’s no HARDWARE & PARTS does a wide variety of subtle shadings. question of this guitar’s quality PLAYABILITY To be honest, the absence of a bridge either, in terms of build or sound SOUNDS pickup doesn’t bother us, though if – those who can afford it will not VALUE FOR MONEY offered as an option it might broaden be disappointed. GB GBVERDICT the model’s appeal.

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