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Jazz Guitars – 5 Guitars for a great Jazz Tone

Posted by admin on October 4th, 2009 No Comments

As a musical genre traditional Jazz requires a fairly specific Guitar sound – generally this has involved a very clean dry tone – with little to no effects (perhaps only a hint of reverb) – usually the neck pickup is used with the resultant sound required to be clear enough to pickup the subtle nuances and articulation of the playing.

Jazz Guitarists therefore need to carefully consider their Guitar when setting out – luckily Jazz has been around for many years and there is a wide selection of instruments available. Traditionally Jazz Guitars are hollow body semi acoustics (though not always) and these have tended to favor P90 or Humbucker style pickups to produce the required sound – as stated there are many guitars on the market today – but here we list 5 classic Jazz guitars that helped shape the scene.

1 Gibson ES150

Made famous to the jazz community by Charlie Christian the ES 150 became his guitar. The ES150 became one of the world’s first commercially available electric guitars. With its single coil pickup fitted at the neck and its acoustic shaped body with f holes – the 150 has that sweet warm jazz tone that became a world favorite.

2 Gibson L5

Another of Gibson’s Jazz power trio (the others are the ES150 and the ES175) – the L5 features a large resonant body. With a history that goes back nearly 90 years the L5 has changed a little over this time and has featured different pickups (from P90’s to Humbuckers). As the prestige rhythm guitar it has been played by a variety of greats including Wes Montgomery.

3 Gibson ES-175

With it’s stylish Florentine single cutaway – the ES175 represented a departure for Gibson from their usual design – Debuting in 1949 – the 175 has been associated with a variety of Jazz greats from Herb Ellis to Pat Metheny.

4 Gretsch Country Gentleman/Nashville

While Gretsch are not considered jazz guitars per se – both the Country Gent and the Nashville are able to produce both versatile and authentic jazz tones. Both guitars offer a range of controls for adapting the tone of the guitar and can produce some versatile jazzy results – whilst the FiterTron pickups produce something that’s unlike it’s Gibson counterparts.

5 Fender Telecaster

With it’s sweet and mellow neck pickup tone the telecaster offers something a little different that the usual Jazz fare – Traditionally a country guitar the telecaster has been featured with Jazz artists including Ed Bickert and Mike Stern.

By: Adrian Martin

Posted in Jazz Festivals

Play Jazz Now

Posted by admin on September 30th, 2009 No Comments

Getting that jazz sound can be a complex process. It is impossible to say who have the greatest jazz tone and sound as we are all different and are subjective in our listening. What I’m about to share with you acts as a general guide in the area of getting that jazz tone and should be improvise upon should you feel like it.

The Guitar


For an authentic jazz tone, you should have a semi-acoustic hollow body electric guitar. The Gibson ES-175 or the Gretch Tennessean can run into thousands of dollars but there are also excellent entry models such as Ibanez Artcore line of guitars. Guitars by Yamaha or Guild also make great entry level semi-acoustics. Epiphone, owned by Gibson are designed for the aspiring musician to own a Gibson but lack the budget to do so. What you get is a fantastic sounding guitar made by Gibson but at a much much lower price. Look for a guitar which provides a clean tone with plenty of sustain.

Jazz guitar players often plays with a rich mellow tone that is suitable for the style. Roll off the treble on your guitar’s controls to achieve that.

A Jazz Guitar Amplifier


The playing style and sound that you wish to attain will determine the amp you need. Very often, traditional jazz guitar players uses solid state amps that can produce a clean sound which compliment acoustic arch-top guitars. For others seeking a more distorted sound, a tube amp might be just what you are looking for. Many jazz guitarists use a Fender Pro or a Polytone. On board effects maybe another requirement you are looking for. This can range from a overdrive channel to a reverb channel.

Effect Pedals


A hint of reverb is all you need if you are one who does not want to meddle with effects. However, many modern jazz guitar players today includes an arsenal of effect pedals in their effects chain ranging from chorus, overdrive, distortion and even wah-wah pedal. A word of advice. When using effects, ensure they compliment your playing style and that you retain that “clarity” in your tone. Many guitar players often make the mistake of cluttering their guitar tone with too many effects which results in a poor quality muddy sound.

In summary, listen, listen, listen. Listen to recordings by all the jazz guitarists. Listen closely to their sounds and try to emulate them. When done enough, you’ll be able to find that unique tone in your guitar sound which you have crafted. Congratulations! You have found your very own signature sound!

By: Andy Ng

Posted in Jazz Festivals

What Are The Best Jazz Guitars?

Posted by admin on August 25th, 2009 No Comments

In finding the best jazz guitars, it is important to look at some of the historical icons in the genre. The tone of any jazz instrument is of the utmost significance. Many famous jazz guitarists have developed signature sounds that have come to be viewed as standards in jazz music.

By looking at players who made a distinct mark on jazz with their signature tones and techniques, you can discover the reasons behind their choice of guitar, and this might influence your decision.

Charlie Christian

Charlie Christian was the first musician to make a name for the electric guitar in jazz. His work was so pivotal that jazz enthusiasts often talk about jazz “before Charlie Christian” and jazz “after Charlie Christian.” He played a critical role in developing the type of jazz known as bebop. Guitar legends like B.B. King and Eric Clapton followed in his footsteps and learned their craft from the efforts of Charlie Christian.

Charlie Christian was an arch-top man. He is the reason that the Gibson ES150 is such a legendary instrument. The arch-top guitar became a standard piece of equipment in jazz music. It features a hollow, resonant body, and f-holes. They are designed to produce a clear voice with little sustain that is free of distortion or feedback. If you want to focus on maintaining a traditional jazz sound, then an arch-top guitar is definitely the way to go.

Les Paul

Les Paul was not only a jazz guitarist, but he was an innovator who actually made some of the best jazz guitars. The solid body electric guitar appeared in the jazz world, much due to the efforts of Les Paul. These instruments got rid of the two things that no jazz guitarist wants – feedback and lack of sustain. Solid body electrics play an important role in jazz, and one of the most notable instruments is the Gibson Les Paul guitar. Many more affordable imitations of this instrument are also popular choices for jazz guitarists, like ESP and Heritage guitars.

Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt revolutionized the world of jazz. He was an acoustic guitar man, and he played a flat-top acoustic guitar made by Selmer, which was capable of resonating above the large bands in Europe. The instrument is commonly known as a Maccaferri, which happened to be the last name of the creator. While Selmer is not necessarily a leader in the guitar world (only about 1,000 of this particular model were manufactured), other companies have created successful models that are similar to Django Reinhardt’s instrument. Typical acoustic guitars that are commonly found in jazz music include Gallato and Dell’Arte models.

The best jazz guitars are designed with the functionality of the music in mind. Jazz should not be distorted or heavy, and the guitar does not typically play a role that requires a great deal of sustain. Arch-top, solid body electric, and flat-top acoustics can all accommodate the needs of the genre, and the best instruments are the ones that have stood the test of time, yet still come out on top!

By: David Smithe

Posted in Jazz Festivals
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