ok. you know how you generally get a certain guitar depending on the type of music you want to play? well what if you did it backwards. you have a guitar and you want to know the best type of music to play on it. like a martin acoustic would probably be bluegrass, that sorta thing. what would be the best music for a 1963 gibson es-125t? hollowbody? and what would be the best amp to get for that music type? aint got to be new cuz i can find vintage.
i didnt say martins were ONLY bluegrass. the word only was not used. at all. you can use a martin to play classical if you want. hell, you can use a classical guitar to play rock. but its not exactly ideal. not saying that martin is bad to use with rock, because its not. its great. but its BEST with bluegrass, thats all, just best. defenently not ONLY for bluegrass. i use mine for everything acoustic. but again. it works best with bluegrass. and all in all. its not a FACT that it works best with anything. just the opinion of myself and many others.
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It’d be sweet playing some bluesy rock or some jazz on that es!
Jazz. Also some early rock, more electric driven Chicago blues.
Nice guitar! It’s a nice blues and jazz axe. I think I’d try pairing it up with a Fender Blues/Blues Jr. or maybe a Marshall AVT amp. (it all depends how much you have to spend)
I’d take it into a guitar shop and try it on those first. And of course then try more brands, but I would definitely put it on a tube amp.
play what you want; keep in mind that artists from Ted Nugent to George Benson play electric hollow bodies. choose the pickups with the sound you want, have ‘em installed, and wail away! the hollow body generally has a warmer sound, hence the mention of the blues and early rock. but put a bright-ass nasty humbucker at the bridge and drive the signal, and you could just about cut through steel plate with the sound. talk to your local music guru about the different pickups available for your guitar body type.
if you’re going to go to that extent with a guitar, then the only option is tube amplification. trust me, please. there is nothing less grating on the ear than a tube amp. if you’re at the stage yet where tone is a concern (the Final Frontier) then you’ll find everyone agreeing with all-tube amps. your best bet is a little combo; 12-inch speaker (I always put in an EV); 25 to 50 watts (30 watt is ideal); and then the pedals of your choice. that makes for an amp that’s almost heavy enough to want roadies! actually, that combination of guitar and little combo amp sound delicious – you could be warm and smooth on the neck pickup, and screaming for crunch on the bridge pickup; a very versatile one-two punch. happy trails.
buffster is pretty much right on. Only thing I would say is be careful with the hollowbody. They have a tendency to feed back a little more. And who says Martins are only bluegrass? I believe Mr. Clapton has played only Martin acoustics for at least 15 yrs. I don’t hear much bluegrass from him. I own 2 and they can both rock a little if needed.
Jazz. As for what amp – here’s a few places to look: Fender Vibro-King (60watts, 3×10″ speaker, tube, customizeable and vintage models are around), for punch and tone, OR Roland Jazz Chorus series, 12 or 15 inch speaker, solid state, warmth and tone are good.
If you’re having problems finding used gear, I’d recommend the Mesa Boogie combos – 50 watt if you like softer, warmer tones, and 100 watt if you like crisp attack and effects pedals in addition.
Avoid amps of the era – until you get to something large and high end – the smaller wattage, small-cone amps won’t do justice to Jazz unless they’re low volume and mic’d.
(added after reading some answers given)
I respectfully disagree that a small amp is best for a good Jazz tone – 8-10 inch speakers (unless having several of them) don’t produce the honest warmth that a hollowbody needs – I play a 64 Guild Starfire V and can’t hear the harmonics and tone color from these little hard driving rock amps. Yes, rock and jazz were closer then, but unless you’re in a confined area, stick with low volume, larger speaker area. That’s why Roland MADE the Jazz chorus line.
Clapton’s Clapton, but his hoard of Strats sounds completely different than a vintage Gibson.
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