The superb Conti Entrada was received extremely well packaged through FedEx International ahead of schedule. The supplied gig bag provided a safe and secure environment and the guitar was revealed in perfect condition.
Once tuned, the Entrada played perfectly, no adjustment was needed to the intonation or playing action. The fret ends and fingerboard were exquisitely finished as was the tailpiece and headstock. A nice touch is the volute on the reverse of the join between the headstock and the neck. A sign of a quality instrument.
The body finish is perfect with the stain revealing the attractive grain through the lacquer. Played acoustically, the tone is rich, consistent and surprisingly loud, very satisfying! Plugged in to a Roland Jazz Chorus combo, using the clean channel with no effects, there is a charming, well rounded acoustic feel which is perfect for the music I currently play (jazz vocal/guitar duo – Fitzgerald/Flack/Streisand style) in a lounge environment. It is particularly pleasing that the pick up voicing is perfectly adjusted for left handed use, so all strings sound at the same volume.
All in all I have found the perfect electric guitar after many years of searching. Many thanks to Conti Guitars.
What a master! This course may be old - but the information within is timeless!
Beauty, playability, consistency, quality and value all describe my two Conti Entradas perfectly, but not completely. The purchasing process was undoubtedly the most customer focused experience I’ve ever encountered (for any product purchase I’ve ever made). From working with Steve in finalizing the guitar options, Mike on the supply/shipping/delivery side, and finally Robert and his incredibly enjoyable and personal videos; just an outstanding effort by a highly professional team that places the customer first.
They are the finest guitars I’ve ever owned (far superior to a $5,000 archtop I recently sold). The craftsmanship and value of the Entrada make me question why anyone would purchase anything other than a Conti Guitar.
I’m also about a third through the Source Code family of videos and Robert’s instruction is concise, insightful and highly enjoyable; a tremendous teacher without peer.
My sincere thanks to the great Conti Team!
As with all things Conti, my new Entrada arrived on time, and the day after I watched the video of Robert ‘leading by example’ on it. As I got more used to the fingerboard and the balance of the instrument, my thought was that it plays itself! Notes just fly off. The tone is acoustic and warm, and the pickup worked great through my studio board (Audient preamp into a UA Apollo). I’ll use my Bose L1 compact at a gig tomorrow night…can’t wait! Thanks for a wonderful instrument and a superb buying experience.
What I learned in my first lesson with Robert is that he is as energetic and friendly as he is in his DVDs. I’ve watched hours of the DVDs and it was a privilege to be able to personally converse, for two hours. Within the first 15 minutes, Robert watched me play and asked a few questions, and then had his tech email me three pages, which we spent the remainder of the lesson on. During the analysis of those pages, he answered the question I had not asked, which was how do I apply the Etudes from The Precision Technique and the few lines I learned in the Jazz Lines to a song. By focusing me on Green Dolphin Street, he answered this question and gave me some wonderful homework. The most important impact of the lesson though, was that Robert has helped me integrate and focus all of the skills and knowledge I’ve developed over the years into a direction that will allow me to improvise lines easily. Handing someone a scale book or a list or arpeggios to learn is like handing someone a fishing pole and walking off without telling them to thrown the line in the water. Robert wants you to land a big fish…tonight at the gig.
Again an excellent and tastefully selected collection of standard melodies.
Very useful for gigs that involve background settings such as restaurants, wedding events and formal dinner settings where tasteful and unobtrusive music is required.
Can be played with a plectrum of fingerstyle as you wish-either one chord per beat as written or adapted to your own personal preferences.
Highly recommended for the chord melody guitarist,.
Great selection of tunes to play and alternative chord voicings to use allowing for variety in delivering the arrangements.
Can be used as block chords I.e. one chord per beat or more sparsely at the player's discretion.
Much material can be cross referenced from the Chord Melody Assembly Line publication.
One thought that might expand the work further- some suggestions as to single line connecting phrases between chords-quite popular with many contemporary players now.
Hope these observations are helpful.
Kind regards Brian
Very good commercial arrangements-could be further strengthened by the inclusion of some appropriate introductions leading into the respective arrangements.
. Hooe this is helpful.
Hi Brian, thanks for your latest review! As you're aware from your previous comments about the Conti resources you've ordered, Robert dedicates an entire product toward each facet of playing jazz, i.e. Improvising, Technique, Comping, Chord Melody etc. More specifically, the very broad scope of each of the aforementioned playing skills requires a singular focus, thereby rendering the notion of a 'complete method for jazz guitar' as marketing hyperbole. As you've noted, Robert's arrangements are pro level, and ready to play on any gig. That said, regarding your suggestion, he has produced a Source Code Book/Video title entirely dedicated to creating Intros, Endings and Turnarounds to the chord melody arrangements. As a token of our appreciation for your long time patronage and stellar commentaries, we will extend complimentary access to the streaming video/PDF version of his Intros, Endings & Turnarounds learning resource (immediate access, no shipping required), and we'll hope to see you performing some of those arrangements in our Players Gallery in the near future!
Kind regards,
Mike, Production Manager
I thought it was about time to update my review of Robert and his teaching. All I can say is that it really works. However, one needs to put the time in to practice and getting comfortable with the neck. This is not a Vulcan mind-meld exercise. Robert can expertly guide you to success. Because of his teaching my gig schedule has increased and I am getting calls to sub. The poster attached is from a past gig. I have more coming but you get the idea.
Also attached is a recent video. I no longer worry about my improvisation skills when they point and tell me to play. Do yourself a favor and book it. Have fun playing...
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to do a 2-hour online lesson with Robert Conti.
Robert’s approach to teaching jazz guitar is to get you playing and that’s exactly what we did in our lesson. Just like his books and DVDs, there is a lot of information packed into a very small space. This can be deceiving, in my opinion, because it’s going to take time and effort on my part to learn and internalize the material. There aren’t any shortcuts.
The two hours went by quickly, and I look very much forward to doing more lessons with him. I also received a video of our lesson that day. As a teacher, Robert Conti was personable, patient, knowledgeable, and encouraging. As a side note, I really enjoyed his stories and look forward to hearing more in the future.
For the last two decades or so I have been looking for a guitar with the following specs: thin body single cutaway jazz guitar, single pickup, good quality, good looks and above all affordable. I think I nailed it this time. I was browsing the web for the millionth time when I stumbled upon this site of Robert Conti. I immediately mailed them and they answered all my questions quickly and to the point. They even facilitated my indecisiveness on the bridge top: Gotoh T.O.M or compensated ebony. I got both. Since I live in The Netherlands, Europe I expected a long wait before I could hold the guitar I ordered in my hands. Not so. Shipped Monday and delivered Thursday! Thumbs up for both Conti Guitars and their shipping firm FedEx. I use the guitar already. Mr. Conti and his staff have made me a very happy guitar player indeed. This is stellar service. To be recommended!
My brother has the Conti guitar which comes with this tailpiece. It is a really nice addition to any guitar, especially an archtop. I had to buy it for my upcoming custom made arch top!
This is great stuff! I have been playing for a long time but I always felt a little stuck in the Jazz genre. These lessons are what I was looking for because they only imply earing and playing typical jazz sounds and making them your's so they can pop into your improvisations later on. There is no bettr way to learn and Robert Conti is a real champion teacher.
Robert, the Entrada is everything you described it to be in the personal video you sent — and more! It plays smoothly and the notes are clear and very sharp. My wife, Linda, likes the color of the guitar, and the look of the Gold Finger tailpiece. In your video you explained that the Gold Finger tailpiece contributes to the sound of this beautiful arch top as well as looking nice.
I have enjoyed my equity model for 10 years, and now I can continue that enjoyment with a lighter guitar around my neck.
I started my Conti journey with your Source Code and Ticket To Improv DVDs, and now I am improving my playing with the live private online lessons with Robert. Wow! Great instructional products, wonderful guitars, and the outstanding teaching of Robert Conti.
Thank you again, and God bless you.
I collect guitars with a large collection of new and preowned. Most are the latter. I have dealt primarily with dealers in acquiring the 125 instruments I own. The value of my Conti instruments far exceeds the price I paid for them as the quality and playability of both of these instruments is far greater than the price paid. Out of the box I can state that I have never acquired a new or used instrument that is set up and that plays better than my Conti Guitars. I am not an active professional player like many of those reviewing their Conti purchases but I have played guitar for over 60 years and had the pleasure of recording in studio in Hollywood in 1963 and signing a record contract for the Band I played with. Our recording was never issued but it was an experience that was wonderful for a 21 year old. I continue to play Blues and am pursuing learning jazz guitar from a great teacher.
Guitars have been a big part of my life and I am overjoyed in stating how pleased I am to be a part of the Conti family of owners. Thank you Robert for your great creations and your outstanding service in delivering these amazing guitars.
All my best to you both. I finally got the pictures properly taken.
Due to the tropical climate in the Philippines (humidity, temperature) I started looking for a good quality jazz guitar with laminated construction up to $ 2,000. I have been following the offers of the better Koreans, Chinese and Japanese on various sites for quite some time. Below 2k, however, the supply was limited. Moreover, the shipping costs often turned out to be high because of the remote location here on the Philippines.
After visiting several sites worldwide, my eye fell on Conti Guitars. I noticed them on Facebook groups such as Archtop Guitars and Jazz Guitar. So I sent a message via email inquiring about the Entrada model, pretty soon I got a reply from Steve (Conti Support). This was followed by an extremely constructive exchange of emails with Steve, who was responding well to my ultimate priorities regarding the guitar, what you call personal attention. Robert Conti, also thanks for the personal message in the introductory video of my instrument, nice detail! This in combination with the communication with Steve and Mike shows involvement and feels good! Meanwhile, the blonde Conti Entrada has arrived in good condition. The first meeting feels good. Excellently finished guitar, all details are correct. Fantastic playability, good sound acoustically and amplified (tone rolled back approx. 80%). We're going to have a lot of fun with this!
Loek Hagen - Agusan del Sur, Philippines
Proprietor, Uptown Garage Café and KTV Bar
I just read the first ten pages are full of great concepts and it will take time to assimilate and internalise them... I love your approach! It will be a great journey exploring the rest of the Formula!! Grazie Robert!
Thank you for the wonderful purchasing experience of this new Robert Conti “Entrada” archtop guitar. From the outset I spent a lot of time with your team member Mike guiding me through all of the options available for this beautiful instrument and finalizing the payment of the purchase price. Patience was more than exemplified by both Mike and Steve. They assured me that the Guitar would be forwarded via UPS, packed and stored in a very secure box and insured. That put me at great ease.
Within 2 days of shipment I received a wonderful video of Robert playing the exact guitar purchased. It was a great resource for hearing the guitar’s tone along with very specific information about the guitar’s materials and use of the hardware. The video contained a discussion of the Kent Armstrong Pick Up (single), control knobs, Gotoh Tune-O-Matic bridge with Ebony base. I chose the Gold Finger Tailpiece with string tensioners. His explanation as to their use and impact on tone quality was educational. In closing, the video was very personal; appearing as if I were in the same room talking to him. His share of having lived in Ponte Vedra, Florida was quite warming. In the approximate 30 minute video, I came to believe that Robert was putting out the best product at a very reasonable price compared to his competitors.
Upon arrival, I let the guitar sit for a few hours (as recommended by Robert) to allow the guitar to acclimate to the Florida climate. The packaging was first rate and the guitar arrived “without” a blemish. The accompanying gig-bag was more than ample to protect the instrument, and, with the two shoulder straps allowed the ease of carry as a ‘back pack”. Robert advised in the video that prior to shipping string tension would be dropped a whole step. Upon bringing the guitar to standard tuning, I was surprised at the richness of tune for a hollow body archtop with a body depth of less than 2 inches. The intonation was perfect and there was no fret buzz.
Conti guitars earns “5 stars” in my review. I am very pleased with the guitar and the entire purchase experience. Therefore, if your are in the market for a slim body jazz guitar, I highly recommend that you consider purchasing the Conti “Entrada”!
What a great guitar! I have bought a lot of guitars, and I have to say I have never encountered a seller/manufacturer who cares this much about satisfying their customer. I feel like I am their most important client! Thank you! This jazz club is up 20+ stairs. Nice to finally be able to bring a single guitar to play the gig – standards, funk, blues. Love the guitar!
That pre-shipment video was magnificent. A real personal touch. She arrived yesterday. A stunning lady. I have adjusted the action back and put a plain G on and adjusted the saddle to suit. I have a few gigs this weekend so I will try to get some photos and maybe a video. Outstanding. Thanks again. Over the moon. Not just with the product, which is fantastic and just what I’ve been looking for for some time, but also with the customer service and communication which has blown me away. Outstanding company to deal with.
3 Day Update:
Took the guitar out for its first gig tonight. Very impressive, sounds great and feels even better. It was a real crowd pleaser as well, had quite a few people asking about it. I’m loving playing it. I’ve attached a photo from last night.
This course has not only improved my picking technique and speed, but it has also improved my reading skills. When I began practicing the exercises I realized that my notation and tab reading skills were slowing me down when learning new songs. I now move to different positions as song keys change much easier than before. I will never play as fast as Robert Conti, but this course has definitely improved my chops. The exercises have become part of my daily warm-up and practice routines.
Thanks for the nice review Terry! It's not about being as fast as Conti, it's just about taking the right steps to improve your skill by leaps and bounds in the shortest amount of time possible - carry on 🙂
I received my new Blonde Entrada with the Midnight Package and two pickups exactly one week ago. Let’s just say it was love at first sight. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of all the “hype” on the Conti website, but this guitar has exceeded my expectations.
The guitar was shipped in a sturdy container that was well packed. I thought about ordering the hard-shell case, but the gig bag is well constructed and sturdy. If I was touring and traveling, I think this would have been a good option, but the gig bag will be fine for gigging locally.
The black knobs, switches, and tuners really pop against the natural blonde wood. I’ve looked this guitar over carefully and cannot find an imperfection or a flaw with the finish or build. Every time I look more closely at this guitar I notice more interesting and beautiful wood grain textures that make this guitar unique.
The intonations are spot on, and the action is probably the lowest of all my other guitars. The neck is setup just right because not a single string or fret buzzes. With the ebony fretboard, this guitar does “play like butter.”
The tone of this guitar really sets it apart, and I am very impressed with the Kent Armstrong pickups. As I would expect from a good jazz guitar, it has warm, bright, and clear tones when played cleanly. However, this guitar can get down and dirty when playing rock or blues. The tone of the guitar cuts through when using a little distortion and effects. With two pickups, this guitar does it all!
The customer service has been excellent. Shortly after placing my order on the Web site, I received a phone call to confirm my order and ask questions. I thought it was a nice touch to reach out to me and create a more personal relationship. My guitar shipped as promised.
Everyone who purchases a Conti guitar is promised to receive a video of Robert Conti playing YOUR guitar as a final quality control check before the guitar ships. Honestly, I expected a 2- or 3-minute video of Robert running through a quick song and then saying something like “Thanks for buying a guitar.” The video I received was over 30 minutes! Robert played several songs and even read the serial number of the guitar that I would receive, as well as some important information regarding the maintenance and care of this fine instrument. I’ve watched the video over and over just to enjoy his beautiful playing. Thanks, Robert. The video adds so much more to owning this guitar.
