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Instruments
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Most of the time you'll see us out and about with just the guitars.
jiva use Taylor guitars, Kala ukuleles, the Bose L1 sound system, AER Acoustic Amplifier, Elixir guitar strings, Aquila ukulele strings and ClearTone instrument & microphone cables . We are not sponsored by any of the manufacturers (chance would be a fine thing!), but fully endorse and recommend them.
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Taylor 855 - 'Missy'
June 2005: another Taylor? Yes, it’s true… this 12-string is gorgeous. The distinctive, rounded jumbo shape combined with the Taylor headstock is a sight to behold. The 12-string fretboard is wider than our 6-strings, but the sleek Taylor neck makes this guitar eminently playable. And the sound is unbelievable - top end tinkling Taylor clarity, mid-range sweetness, a resounding bottom end and the added sparkle of 12 strings. Wow!
It has an EMG under-bridge pickup and EQ/volume controls on the shoulder. We’re still experimenting with the settings, but one thing’s for sure… it has a big sound, a very big sound.
Taylor 810-CE - 'The Chief '
August 2005: yet again, another Taylor - Val prefers the 810-CE Indian Rosewood to the 810-L1 Brazilian Rosewood, and so has changed guitars again! The 810-CE is a stunner… it has the Taylor brightness and clarity, well-balanced mid-range and a powerful tight-sounding bass. It truly sparkles both in sound and looks, and is the perfect partner to any of our other 800 series guitars.
It has a Taylor-fitted Fishman Matrix Stereo blender pickup system which makes for wonderful amplified sound.
We now have this guitar set up in high-string (Nashville) tuning for an even brighter, tinkling sound.
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Taylor 910CE-L7 - 'Rio' September 2007: surely not another Taylor? Yes, absolutely. This guitar is a truly wonderful example of Taylor craftsmanship and attention to detail at it's best. Brazilian Rosewood back and sides with Engelmann Spruce top mean that this guitar looks superb and sounds incredible. The intricate inlay for the fret markers is a beautiful touch. It sounds great acoustically - the treble possessing the bell-like quality that we love, and the balance through mid-range to bass is light and clear. The Taylor Expression System ensures that every nuance of playing is captured and faithfully reproduced when plugged into the PA. In October 2008 we had the Expression System taken out and replaced with a brand new version 2 Expression System. |
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Taylor 910CE - 'Nams' September 2007: gasp! No, really - this is not a mis-print. Jimmy has a brand new Taylor 910CE-L7 (see above), and Val now has a brand new 910CE brother (or is it sister?). This is the perfect companion - it has the same immaculate construction, differing only slightly in that it has Indian Rosewood back and sides, super Gotoh 510 tuners and the 900 series fret marker inlay pattern reproduced on the bridge. Its acoustic sound is excellent... bright, crystal clear across the whole range - and beautifully captured by the Taylor Expression system when amplified. The two 910s together produce a subtle, uncluttered blend that is distinctively jiva. |
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Custom Build Taylor Jumbo
12-String - 'Chalise' August 2009: on 10th August we visited the Taylor Guitars factory in El Cajon, California, prior to our wedding there on 12th August. We both fell in love with this gorgeous 12-string... Cocobolo back and sides, sunburst Sitka Spruce top, super Gotoh 510 mini tuners - awesome crystalline sound. We sang to each other during the actual service and Val played this guitar. So it's no surprise that we couldn't resist buying her. Named Chalise after our friend and contact at Taylor Guitars she is already creating a stir wherever we go - stunning visually and sonically, this guitar provides the most wonderful blend with Jimmy's Taylor 910CE-L7 (Rio) and our 855 12-string (Missy). She sounds smooth, clear and perfectly balanced both acoustically and amplified through our Bose L1 system. |
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Yamaha FG580 - 'Fair Lady Guinevere' Since buying it in 1978, the Yamaha FG580 6-string guitar has been Jimmy's constant companion and favourite instrument. During a period of madness and generosity he loaned the 580 to a fellow musician and, when it was returned, it only had 5 working machine heads. So the original Yamaha tuners were replaced with Grovers. At the same time, a Martin Thinline under-bridge pickup was fitted - this was replaced in November 2003 with a Fishman Rare Earth Humbucking soundhole pickup. He's resisted many offers from people wanting to buy it for considerably more than his purchase price. Although his main 6-string is now a Limited Edition Taylor 910CE-L7, we couldn’t bear to part with the FG580, and so plan to keep her busy with alternative tunings (eg D-A-D-G-A-D). |
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Yamaha FG630 - 'Lancelot' It took 15 years of searching before Jimmy found the perfect companion to the FG580 - the Yamaha FG630 12-string. It has the same materials as the 580 - Brazilian Jacaranda Rosewood back and sides, spruce top, and ebony fingerboard. In July 2004 we swapped the previously installed Fishman Matrix Natural II under-bridge pickup for the Natural I model. Like the FG580, this guitar has served us well, and was an important feature in establishing the jiva sound. Our main 12-string is now the Taylor 855, so it’s unlikely that the FG630 will appear in our future live performances, but this guitar will remain part of our treasured collection. |
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Taylor Big Baby - 'Taylor' Smaller than the Yamahas, the Big Baby was easier for Val to play (she's only little, 5' 2"). For such a small guitar the Taylor produces a big, crystal clear sound - so much so that Jimmy also wanted a Taylor (and now we both play Taylors). In October 2003 we decided to 'electrify' the Big Baby and had a Fishman Matrix Natural I under-bridge pickup fitted. In July 2004 we swapped the Natural I for a Natural II pickup, thus reducing the bass boom. In May 2007 we removed this pickup and installed in the Taylor 810-L1. Val now plays the magnificent Taylor 910-CE but, along with our Yamaha FG guitars, the Big Baby has a special place in our past and will remain in our guitar archive. |
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Cases Our full-size Taylors come with high quality Taylor cases – but we use Hiscox guitar cases for the others - great product at a good price, and excellent customer service. |
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Ukuleles Kala KA-KTG-CT - 'Duke' and 'Luke' September 2010: Quite a departure for 'gentle, tinkling' jiva... We've thought about ukes for some time and finally took delivery of a matching brother and sister pair of tenor ukuleles from Kala (Taylor don't do ukuleles). Hawaiian Koa back and sides, Cedar top, beautiful purfling and fretboard and headstock inlays coupled with Aquila nylgut strings make for beautiful looks and great sound. As they don't come supplied with cases, we bought a pair of Kinsman hardshell cases to protect these little beauties. |
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Mandolin - FOR SALE This is a Westfield flatback acoustic in a beautiful, deep sunburst finish. |
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Jimmy bought a Kawai K1 in 1988 because of its rich string sounds. He still can't play it very well but Val, having played piano, has adapted quickly to the K1. We bought a Yamaha PSR1500 workstation which, because of its onboard speaker system, gave us the option of including keyboards in an acoustic (ie without PA system) venue. However, it was such a complicated machine with so many buttons and settings that we seemed to spend more time twiddling than actually making music with it. So the Kawai crept back into favour until we bought a superb Roland FP-4 piano for val. We’re concentrating on guitar-based songs with the occasional uke playing too, so it may be some time before keyboards become part of the live set. |
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Techie Stuff
Elixir strings are more expensive than normal strings, but we find that they sound cleaner and brighter, and retain their clarity longer than any other make we've tried. (And no, sadly, we're not sponsored by the makers of Elixir strings.) Similarly, Aquila uke strings are renowned as being one of the best brands around. |
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If you have excellent instruments and a state of the art
sound system, then you owe it to your music and your audience to use good
quality cables. After years of experimenting and trial and error we have
finally settled on cables that we believe to be the best we've ever used. ClearTone cables from Award-Session are made to order using high quality cable and genuine Neutrik connectors... they deliver a crisp and uncoloured sound which to us is the perfect match for our Taylor Guitars and Bose L1 sound system.
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Bose L1 Model 2 Bose L1 Model II Cylindrical Radiator speaker system...this high tech, high spec system is phenomenal - it combines classy, cool looks with an amazing clarity of sound that seems to effortlessly fill the stage and the venue. Our setup comprises:
There is no need for separate stage monitoring and Front of House systems - all we add to the above is our guitars, ukes, leads and:
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AER Alpha Plus 2 Acoustic
Amplifier Small but perfectly formed, this diminutive amplifier gives us clarity and quality in more intimate venues where the Bose L1 might be just a bit too imposing. AER sound quality is legendary, and is the first choice for many acoustic musicians. Now that we've experienced it ourselves, (using our Bose T1 ToneMatch mixers and taking the T1 master out into the AER channel 1 input), retaining the perfect mix and tonal characteristics, we are amazed! |
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Recording
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| Phone: 077868 36223 |
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