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The Right-Angle Monster Cable Studio Pro 1000 Review

I have written a lot of instrument cable reviews.  I love Evidence Audio.  Mogami make high-quality cables.  Many guitars you buy include free cables.  Some people don’t think you can hear a difference between brands of cable, but I can.  An Evidence Audio cable always sounds better and deeper and brighter than a Fender cable.  I can also hear how a cable changes my guitar tone from amp to amp — so I’m a big believer in your gear making a difference in your sound.  As well, guitar picks also influence your overall vibe.

When I received my fantabulous Sadowsky Jimmy Bruno guitar, I was frustrated that, for the first time in my guitar acquisition syndrome career, I did not have the right cable in hand to effectively and comfortably play that guitar.

I was delighted when expert luthier Roger Sadowsky commented on my Boles Blues review of his guitar to suggest the following:

Thanks for the nice review, David. Glad you a happy with your guitar.

Regarding the location of the jack, may I suggest a right angle plug. Structurally, this is the best and safest location for a side jack. I have repaired too many broken ribs in my career from side jacks in their normal locations.

I promise you I will check for strings sticking in the nut slots more closely from now on!

Best,

Roger

I was on a mission to find a right-angle guitar cable and, to my grateful surprise, Monster Cable read my review and offered to send me the right cable from their Studio Pro line:

Continue reading → The Right-Angle Monster Cable Studio Pro 1000 Review

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Sadowsky Jimmy Bruno Signature Polished Roundwound Strings Review

Other than the guitar, the most important factor in creating a great Jazz guitar sound are the strings you wind up tuning on your box.  I have reviewed many guitar string sets here on Boles Blues in order to find the best match for the style of music I want to play.

I have been partial to the Thomastik-Infeld strings because they last forever, but with the acquisition of my new Sadowsky Jimmy Bruno Jazz guitar, I had another set of strings to try —  The Sadowsky Jimmy Bruno Signature Set 13-52 — and here’s what I initially said about setting up my Gibson L5 with the new Sadowsky Bruno Strings:

When I picked up my Sadowsky Bruno today to play it — the guitar had morphed into a deeper, richer, tone and the playability was just a bit keener. Was the guitar getting acclimated, or was I bending my ability to better match its setup? The guitar is already starting to come into tone and I’ve only had it since Friday.

Now my new 1998 L5 sits there gently weeping at me. I picked it up for the first time today — to install Sadowsky “Jimmy Bruno Set” 13s on it! I will report back in a week or so in a new strings review!

I’ve been playing the new Sadowsky Bruno strings on my Bruno Jazz guitar and on my Gibson L5 archtop for a week and the sound is just grand.  The strings stay in tune and, like the Thomastik-Infeld strings, they grow warmer and richer the longer you play them!

Continue reading → Sadowsky Jimmy Bruno Signature Polished Roundwound Strings Review

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The Sadowsky Jimmy Bruno Jazz Guitar Review

For six weeks, I have been panting with anticipation for the arrival of my new Sadowsky Jimmy Bruno Jazz guitar, and on Friday, that anticipation was made into delight with the early-morning arrival of that beautiful guitar.  The first thing I noticed after opening the box was not the guitar, but rather a small, white, envelope waiting for me on the third fret and held in place by an E string on each side.  I opened the envelope and read a handwritten note from guitar builder Roger Sadowsky who personally signed a kind note encouraging me to: “Enjoy your new guitar.”

My Jimmy Bruno guitar is quite beautiful and extremely well-crafted.  Lifting the guitar out of its case, however, created a moment of Déjà Vu as I felt as if I had seen this guitar before in the guise of my Ibanez Artcore AG75!

The Sadowsky Bruno has a similar laminated sort of body and heft and weight and size and “hand feel” and, for a moment, I was a little freaked out that I was holding the bigger, badder, but more beautiful and better-bred brother of my Artcore!

Was this Sadowsky Bruno 14 times better than what I paid for my AG75?

It was time to find out.

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Why I Love a Rainy Day: Guitars Crave Moisture

Nothing can kill a great guitar faster than dry air.  Dry air makes us sick and dry air destroys our guitars.  Wood likes to be moist — but not too moist — and in my experience a guitar can handle too much moisture much better than it can handle too little water in the air.  Dry wood tends to crack.  Moist wood tends to swell.  Keeping my guitars properly “watered” is one of the ongoing dedications of my day — and checking the water content of the air is as regular a practice for me practicing Jimmy Bruno’s Five Fingerings.

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The Jimmy Bruno Guitar Workshop Review

Jimmy Bruno is one of the premier, living, Jazz guitarists of our time.  His playing style is immediately recognizable.  He has a signature guitar built by luthier Roger Sadowsky you can buy.  He’s the boss man.  He’s a top teacher.  You can now study Jazz guitar with him online at the Jimmy Bruno Guitar Workshop.

Continue reading → The Jimmy Bruno Guitar Workshop Review