thcraymer's Music Gear Setup
My two Czechoslovakian beauties: Jolana Iris telecaster, and Jolana Kolor semi-hollow bass
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Amazing guitar, would higly recommend it (if you're lucky enough to find one in good condition)!
As a psychedelic/shoegaze musician based in Hungary, this guitar was among the best (and cheapest) purchases I've ever made! It's a vintage guitar from early '70s Czechoslovakia, and is a sort of cross between a telecaster and a jazzmaster/jaguar (having the form, pickups, and simple switch plate system resembling the telecaster, and the bridge with a tremolo system resembling the jazzmaster/jaguar, so at least in my opinion, is the best of both worlds). The sound resembles that of a telecaster, is extremely clear (even when distorted), and just as versatile as a tele (more so in fact, because of the tremolo system). For a guitar that was almost 50 years old when I purchased it, it was kept in amazing condition by the previous owner, and keeps in tune better than some of my newer guitars, while having an extremely comfortable tremolo system too. It's now become my go-to electric guitar!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
The combination of telecaster sound and jazzmaster/jaguar type bridge makes it perfect for playing psychedelic rock and shoegaze, and makes it among the most versatile guitars I have ever played! So far, my most used setting for it is the middle position (both pickups), and run it to the amp/interface through a light distortion (sometimes with fuzz too), a noise reducer, and a light delay, giving a gritty but clear tone.
Amazing bass, with the right setup!
A real relic from the '60s, retains its amazing vintage sound and is one of my favourites to play! Though it did require a fair amount of setup. The original paint had come off when I bought mine second hand, though the previous owner had kept all the basic functions such as the wiring, hardware, and tuners in good condition. I had mine re-finished, painted in gloss black for more of a rock aesthetic, and fitted it with flatwound strings. Also, it was fairly quiet, even with my amp at a high volume, as the pickups are quite low output. This was easily fixed by bringing the pickups closer to the strings.
After setting it up, I ended up with an amazing, versatile monster of a bass! Its 8 way selector switch allows a variety of different tones, and it can growl just as well as any modern J or P bass, while keeping its vintage tone. It's also pretty lightweight, being semi-hollow, but still has no neck dive. Although it looks long scale (in length, it's as long as any long scale bass, probably due to the large headstock), it's actually short scale, making it easier to play, while having quite a chunky neck. As well as everything else, it is a real looker, and definitely one I'd be proud to show off at any gig (especially after the new paint job). Definitely among my favourite basses, if not my favourite. Though I will say: for those buying one, be prepared that you need to be fairly competent in doing setups, and may need to take it to a luthier, to get it to a well playable level.
Preferred Settings + Usage:
Pickups should be set up high, close to the strings, as the vintage single coil pickups are very low output. I currently have Höfner contemporary flatwound strings on it, might also consider trying tapewounds somewhere in the future. You almost certainly need a noise-reducer pedal to reduce the pickup hum cycle
About this setup
This gear photo by thcraymer features 2 pieces of gear, including Jolana Iris and Jolana Kolor Bass.
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