Synchro
Member
After considerable waiting, because my guitar was mistakenly shipped to Cordoba, I finally got my CE 100 Capri. By no fault, whatsoever, on the part of the dealer, Sticks and Strings of Tucson, the time between ordering and receiving was protracted, but I was glad when it finally came. The last few weeks have been exhausting and when I got home last night I could only muster the energy to tune it and to plug it in. There's still foam under the bridge and I need to tweak the action a bit.
Nonetheless, it sounded great. I had expected it to sound quite a bit like my Starfire III, but it's a much different critter. It is more in line with a "traditional jazz guitar" sound, smething like a Gibson ES-175, but it has a clearer sound, with less midrange "honk". The pickups, at least for my tastes, are better sounding than Gibson's humbuckers and I appreciate the more focused sound of the Guild mini hums.
On the neck pickup this is pure Jazz guitar with a low-end "woof" that reminds one of the fact that Guild was a worthy and viable competitor to Gibson in the Jazz guitar arena. I have long wanted an ES-175 and this guitar more than amply fills that niche. Put in on the neck pickup, roll the tone back a bit and you are in Jim Hall territory.
On both pickups the sound is relatively generic and useful for many situations. The sonic heft of the neck pickup is still there, but the bridge pickup makes it much more useful for the times when you aren't trying to sound like Wes, Jim or Tal. There's no doubt in my mind that the timbre of this instrument, when played in this mode, is appropriate for many gig situations. I haven't played it at volume yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if feedback, on the lower strings, was an issue.
The bridge pickup was bright, but full-bodied. One would never forget that this is a deep body archtop, but there's a serviceable Country, Surf, etc, sound to be had at the flip of a switch.
The overall fit and finish is great, easily the equivalent of my MIJ Gretsch guitars. The sunburst is colorful and rich. The binding, freeboard, etc, are all beautifully done.
I first fell in love with the ES-175 when I was taking guitar lessons from Dale Bruning in Denver. He owned this example and I was trying to raise the money to buy it from him when fellow student, Bill Frisell beat me to the punch. If not, I'd have this axe and this article would have never been written.
I've always wanted a 175 and missed out on some great deals along the way. The CE 100 Capri has tipped the scales back to a favorable balance; it's that good.
Nonetheless, it sounded great. I had expected it to sound quite a bit like my Starfire III, but it's a much different critter. It is more in line with a "traditional jazz guitar" sound, smething like a Gibson ES-175, but it has a clearer sound, with less midrange "honk". The pickups, at least for my tastes, are better sounding than Gibson's humbuckers and I appreciate the more focused sound of the Guild mini hums.
On the neck pickup this is pure Jazz guitar with a low-end "woof" that reminds one of the fact that Guild was a worthy and viable competitor to Gibson in the Jazz guitar arena. I have long wanted an ES-175 and this guitar more than amply fills that niche. Put in on the neck pickup, roll the tone back a bit and you are in Jim Hall territory.
On both pickups the sound is relatively generic and useful for many situations. The sonic heft of the neck pickup is still there, but the bridge pickup makes it much more useful for the times when you aren't trying to sound like Wes, Jim or Tal. There's no doubt in my mind that the timbre of this instrument, when played in this mode, is appropriate for many gig situations. I haven't played it at volume yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if feedback, on the lower strings, was an issue.
The bridge pickup was bright, but full-bodied. One would never forget that this is a deep body archtop, but there's a serviceable Country, Surf, etc, sound to be had at the flip of a switch.
The overall fit and finish is great, easily the equivalent of my MIJ Gretsch guitars. The sunburst is colorful and rich. The binding, freeboard, etc, are all beautifully done.
I first fell in love with the ES-175 when I was taking guitar lessons from Dale Bruning in Denver. He owned this example and I was trying to raise the money to buy it from him when fellow student, Bill Frisell beat me to the punch. If not, I'd have this axe and this article would have never been written.
I've always wanted a 175 and missed out on some great deals along the way. The CE 100 Capri has tipped the scales back to a favorable balance; it's that good.
Last edited:
