Video: Jazz Virtuoso Tim Lerch Plays A Fibertone Archtop

[esimms86]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcoIYASL5G4

Sublime.



*Note that, while Tim is clearly shown to be playing a one pickup model, the still pictures inserted into the video show a two pickup model.

[mot]

Nice playing. Wish more of the guitar was visible in the video in the inserted picture. Wonder how it sounds acoustic only. The sound recorded in the video is similar to the sound I get on the Kestrel acoustically and why I find myself playing it more than my other guitars these days. I am not nearly as competent, but I am improving and this video is huge motivation for me. Thanks for posting.

Reminds me a bit of Chet Atkins--smooth and sweet.

[lat18]

Originally Posted by mot

Nice playing. Wish more of the guitar was visible in the video in the inserted picture. Wonder how it sounds acoustic only. The sound recorded in the video is similar to the sound I get on the Kestrel acoustically and why I find myself playing it more than my other guitars these days. I am not nearly as competent, but I am improving and this video is huge motivation for me. Thanks for posting.

Yeah, I wanted to hear it acoustic too, but with flat wound strings it's probably not going to get the best acoustic sound. I saw another vid of a no-cutaway no pick-up one played by another guy. Unfortunately he only played it at first position finger style. I'd like to hear some jazz comping on it. I'm interested in something that sounds like a late 20's L-5 Gibson, which the Kestral certainly does not.

[mot]

Originally Posted by lat18

I'm interested in something that sounds like a late 20's L-5 Gibson, which the Kestral certainly does not.

You are right that if you want a guitar to mimic the L5, then you're not going to get it with the Kestrel. That's not a bad thing for either guitar. Not everything should sound like an L5. It's a good sound, but then again so is the Kestrel's sound.

I have flat wounds on my Kestrel, and it is so sweet with an amp and a light touch playing through various melodies. I also can use the same guitar with a moderate strum to turn heads at the local farmer's market because it cuts through the crowd so much better acoustically than my X20 (and my Taylor FWIW).

As I remember the L5 cuts through a crowd pretty well too. I think the L5 is possibly louder in acoustic finger picking though I don't think either sounds/plays worse than the other given decent setups. I need to have both with me to A/B to be sure my memory is correct.

[esimms86]

Originally Posted by mot

You are right that if you want a guitar to mimic the L5, then you're not going to get it with the Kestrel. That's not a bad thing for either guitar. Not everything should sound like an L5. It's a good sound, but then again so is the Kestrel's sound.

I have flat wounds on my Kestrel, and it is so sweet with an amp and a light touch playing through various melodies. I also can use the same guitar with a moderate strum to turn heads at the local farmer's market because it cuts through the crowd so much better acoustically than my X20 (and my Taylor FWIW).

As I remember the L5 cuts through a crowd pretty well too. I think the L5 is possibly louder in acoustic finger picking though I don't think either sounds/plays worse than the other given decent setups. I need to have both with me to A/B to be sure my memory is correct.

As we know, the Gibson L5 comes in different flavors such that you can have one built with no pickup, a floating pickup, one built in pickup or two built in pickups. The models with built in pickups are not particularly loud acoustically and they are made to be primarily played amplified. An L5 with no pickup or a floating pickup, of course, would have much better acoustic projection.

The Fibertone that Tim Lerch has demoed is clearly at least partially based on an ES175. It has the florentine cutaway and built in pickup, same design as the ES175, but it does not have a metal tailpiece or metal tune-o-matic style bridge. Of course, Fibertone builds each guitar as a custom order so you can change the recipe to suit your taste.

An amplified L5 sound, of course, can be mimic'ed reasonably well per some ears by some semihollowbody and solidbody guitars, such as a Telecaster in the hands of many jazz players like Ted Greene and even Tim Lerch himself.

Here is Tim's subsequent review of the Fibertone. It gives you a much look at the front of the guitar. I regret the fact that Tim again did not take the opportunity to demo it non-amplified. I also think that it was a missed opportunity for him not to change to round wound strings for part of the demo given that that is his stated personal string preference. Clearly, he was only borrowing the guitar for a brief period of time so he declined changing the strings and then the setup accordingly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwTyqL70GIA