As a follow-on to Big Al's Paul/Strat/Tele question, I would like to get opinions as to the best currently produced and affordable (under 2K) guitar for jazz purposes, i.e., rich and mellow voicings for jazz chords.
Best Jazz Guitar?
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- Rated: 6 ↑
Oct 29, 2008 1:17 p.m. cal01:
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- Rated: 22 ↑
Oct 29, 2008 2:15 p.m. gretschiam:
For me it's the 6120. Can't beat Gretsch for versatility and that warm tone.
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- Rated: 59 ↑
Oct 29, 2008 2:20 p.m. Bear:
You're all going to scoff at this, but my favorite jazz guitar is a Fender Telecaster. Now that you're all through thinking I'm nuts... CHECK THIS OUT.
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- Rated: 25 ↑
Oct 29, 2008 2:30 p.m. Parabar:
My vote would go for the Epiphone Elitist Broadway (no longer made, but still available used sometimes in the $1,500-$1,600 range), which was made in the Terada factory (and we all know how good they are), or perhaps one of the Heritage Eagles, if you find a good deal on a used one.
The Samick JZ series are also very nice --- the JZ-2 has a Venetian cutaway, the JZ-3 has a Florentine, and the JZ-4 has a Venetian cutaway and neck-mounted floating mini-humbucker with controls on the pickguard. They all play and sound superb.
Epiphone's standard Broadway, Emperor Regent, and Joe Pass signature models are also very good, as is the Cort Larry Coryell signature model.
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- Rated: 6 ↑
Oct 29, 2008 5:00 p.m. cat mensch:
> You're all going to scoff at this, but my favorite jazz guitar is a Fender Telecaster
I don't scoff at all, Bear -- ever hear Ed Bickert? Fantastic dark jazz tone (and, to me, a quintessential jazz guitarist.) Search youtube for evidence.
Ted Greene also favored a Tele.
They make great jazz guitars when tickled properly.
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- Rated: 25 ↑
Oct 29, 2008 5:01 p.m. Scott:
I'm not really a jazz man, but when I feel like playing at it I reach for my 2006 Gretsch Country Club(strung with flatwounds)...nothing else in the house comes close.
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- Rated: 45 ↑
Oct 29, 2008 5:06 p.m. Tsar Nicholas :
Gibson ES-150, Charlie Christian's guitar. Best jazz guitarist -> Best jazz guitar.
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- Rated: 41 ↑
Oct 29, 2008 5:22 p.m. dubkitty:
wasn't Greene's Tele heavily modified?
there's a used Elitist Broadway around here that i want very much, but i have to pay the damn property taxes.
you'd be surprised how well the bass PU on either a Les Paul or a Tele works for jazz/jazz-esque playing. for those who (like me) aren't familiar with Bickert et al., dig Denny Dias on the early Steely Dan records for an example of jazz Tele tone...a great example is the solo in the middle of "Bodhisattva." you can tell Dias from Skunk Baxter because Dias never bends notes; he apparently had the Tele strung so heavy that even the more traditionalist posters here might blanch. and of course Lester would have intended the Les Paul guitar to work on jazz, since jazz (or jazzy pop if you must) was his chosen genre.
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- Rated: 59 ↑
Oct 29, 2008 6:38 p.m. Bear:
Cat,
You're so right. I forgot about Ed Bickert. Here is one of my favorites of his.
Joe Pass was also known to use a Telecaster on occasion. I have an older album (vinyl) that pictures him with a blond Telecaster.
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- Rated: 58 ↑
Oct 29, 2008 6:52 p.m. yettoblaster:
I like my Heritage H-575 and keep it pretty much as my dedicated "jazz" guitar, but also have had GREAT results with Gretsches: 6119-62FT; 6120; Anni's; and especially G5120.
Oddly, my Country Club didn't do it for me, but could've with the right strings I suppose.
http://www.gretsch-talk.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=118&pictureid=1190
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- Rated: 10 ↑
Oct 29, 2008 8:26 p.m. Daddy-O:
For a jazz box 2k or under the list is long as your arm. Get one that has a good action and learn how to set the amp and heavier strings help. For a early sound the Charlie Christain P-90 and Dearmond are best for a forties and 50's sound. This is the sound I have gone after the last couple of years although on the last two gigs I have played paf's ! I love jazz so any pickup on any guitar sounds great to me as long as it swings and is played with taste
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- Rated: 6 ↑
Oct 31, 2008 10:55 a.m. cat mensch:
I had a great Heritage Eagle a few years back and sold it for no good reason. Purchased used for well under 2K. It wasn't the prettiest bird on the pizza (it was that spartan looking tobacco burst, never really liked the look) but had a great acoustic sound -- very dark (all mahogany.) I probably should have replaced the pickup and kept it. Played great too. Damn me!
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- Rated: 47 ↑
Oct 31, 2008 11:04 a.m. dignan:
Anything with flats. Singlecoils are also a plus.
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- Rated: 4 ↑
Oct 31, 2008 12:59 p.m. RDblues:
bear - my tele is my fav guitar - i use it all night and we play - kenny burrell - stray cats - led Zep - it it works for all of it !
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- Rated: 35 ↑
Oct 31, 2008 1:16 p.m. crowbone:
I'm with Bear on the Tele.
Twang to spare, of course.
Rocks the house on it's foundation.
Being a great Jazz guitar is the Tele's dirty little secret. The wonderful Jazz tone you can get out of it belies it's aforementioned reputation and solid body status, plus, as stated in another thread, it makes for a formidable weapon.
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- Rated: 212 ↑
Oct 31, 2008 1:19 p.m. Proteus:
Leo came out swingin', didn't he?
Right from the git-go, a guitar that almost 60 years later can still only be improved in details.
VooDOO.
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- Rated: 11 ↑
Oct 31, 2008 1:36 p.m. Tux:
Of course any style can be played on just about any decent guitar, but my pick for pure jazz would be an early Gibson ES-175. Made for it, imho.
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- Rated: 59 ↑
Oct 31, 2008 1:43 p.m. Bear:
Cat, RDb, cb, & Proteus. As they say... Leo got it right on his first try. Pretty amazing for a guy who didn't even play when you think about it.
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- Rated: 30 ↑
Oct 31, 2008 1:46 p.m. JazzBoxJunky:
The tele gives nice clarity, and balance, something that's harder to get on a hollowbody. Especially when it's got a Christian pickup on it.
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- Rated: 19 ↑
Oct 31, 2008 2:03 p.m. Jet-Head:
I'll give some props to the Guild jazz archtops. Although I can't recite the model numbers, there's a guy who always brings about a dozen Guilds to our regional guitar shows and they sound fantastic.
EDIT: The Guild Starfire III is a favorite.
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- Rated: 11 ↑
Oct 31, 2008 2:06 p.m. Tux:
Telecasters are great. Have/have had several, and I love/d them all. That said, when it comes to jazz...solid body guitars must ultimately yield to the rich depths of a good hollow body. Can't imagine life without a Tele, tho. They're extremely versatile gits.
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- Rated: 27 ↑
Oct 31, 2008 2:33 p.m. audiodrome:
For low bread, you can't beat the Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II - quite a nice sounding (and not bad playing) guitar for $500!
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- Rated: 4 ↑
Oct 31, 2008 2:55 p.m. RhythmMax:
I play in a jazz guitar ensemble. A typical rehearsal will have five guitars, piano, bass and drums. We have rotating cast of about ten guitarists. The book is swingin', staight ahead charts for a section - sort of like Tony Rizzi's Five Guitars, or Supersax. The thing is - everybody's guitar seems to sound exactly the same no matter what the brand, model or amp. My Country Club is the only Gretsch of the bunch. The rest of the section is filled out with anything and everything you can imagine. A lot of Epiphones show up along Gibson 175s and L-5s, Ibanez Bensons and the occasional collectible. Get a workhorse and set it up with flat-wounds and you're most of the way there.
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- Rated: 35 ↑
Oct 31, 2008 2:59 p.m. crowbone:
I had a $400 '68 ES-175 that was smooth as silk tone wise, and was a great player too.
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- Rated: 41 ↑
Oct 31, 2008 5:55 p.m. dubkitty:
"As they say... Leo got it right on his first try. "
i've spent a fair bit of time looking at different guitars and designs in the last couple of years, and more than ever it's confirmed my belief that all the major issues in electric guitar design had been solved by (approximately) 1961, and everything since then has been variations on those themes. but it's particularly staggering to think about how much Leo and his crew innovated...he would be an engineering legend if he'd stopped after the P-Bass. or if he'd only done the Tele. or the Strat. right there you have about 65% of the stringed instruments in post-1960 rock and pop.
i may either rewire El Smurf-o (my blue Tele) or do a maple-neck Tele so i have the original treble-cut switch setting...i always thought that the '52 Tele wiring was impractical, but at the NorCal Roundup i found myself wishing for a treble-cut switch when playing 50s r&r with another guitarist who was, i think, on a 6120. I can now see how the bass-with-cap setting would be particularly useful for a jazz setup.
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