Getting a jazz sound on I-30 LC

[jdminor7flat5]

I'm trying to get a deep, rich, jazz sound from my Collings I-30 LC. I have a Quilter amp. I'm trying to get a sound equivalent to a Gibson 175ES (which I have, it has become too heavy and too thick to handle - as I age). Any thoughts? String gauge, amp settings, etc. I have not had much luck. Thanks - John

[nostatic]

I tried flats on my I-30 and didn't really dig them - but I'm not a big flats guy anyway. Are you playing with a pick or fingers or thumb? I typically roll the treble off on the neck pickup to about 5 plus or minus. If I'm playing with my thumb, it will get a pretty fat sound, especially if I play right over the neck pickup. With a pick, I find that I need to use a 1.0mm instead of thinner (I swap around depending on the guitar and my mood).

The other setting I really like is middle switch position, roll off the volume of the bridge pickup a bit, and have both tones down around 5 or 6 give or take. That middle position is more flexible than some think.

That said, it is a thin body so some of that 175 vibe just won't be on tap. I don't care because I prefer the comfort and playability of the I-30, and I'm not that wedded to the traditional (stereotype?) jazz guitar tone.

[jdminor7flat5]

Thanks for responding. Thanks for suggestions. I use a pick. I’m thinking of replacing the strings with a heavier gauge ..say Tomastic Infeld 12’s or 13’s from the Jazz Swing group of strings ( there are Collings standard 11’s on there now). Any thoughts on an amp setting. And I agree with you that the Collings is easier and more comfortable to play….but do miss the 175 sound.

[nostatic]

For the amp, you can try a couple of things. Depends on which model Quilter you have. The obvious solution would be to cut the treble, but I find that there is usually a sweet spot and going too low just turns it into mush. The other thing is if there is gain and master, turn down the master and turn the gain up until you're just at the edge of breakup. Usually guys will say to run the master wide open and set volume with the gain, but I would rather drive the preamp a bit as that can fatten things up. If the amp has the limiter, you can play with that. I have a Wamper Mini Ego on my board that I will sometimes use to fatten and squish things, and it has a two position switch for bright or rolled off. I will sometimes use the dark position and some compression to get a bit rounder sound. I find it is key to have a parallel compressor (you'll see a blend knob) as that keep the initial attack and sound, just sort of fills things in.