What is a good beginner jazz electric guitar?

[martingeorg]

I know some friends who have a Sheraton but that type of guitar seems suited for an intermediate or advanced jazz player rather than a beginning one. Any advice?

[Dad3353]

Originally Posted by martingeorg

...Sheraton...Any advice?

Good morning, martingeorg, and welcome to the forum...
I can't really think where such an idea came from (perhaps you'd care to elucidate..?), but, imho, I can't think of any reason why this should not be a jazz beginners guitar. I can think of many worse...
Really, the term 'jazz guitar' is very mis-leading, as just about any can be played in a 'jazzy' fashion. These semi-solid (335-type...) guitars are very versatile, and can excel in many styles, jazz included. Why would it not be suitable?
Just my tuppence worth; hope this helps...

[wolflen]

a "jazz guitar"...a les paul would fit the bill..considering who it is named after..

[mr. beaumont]

Originally Posted by martingeorg

I know some friends who have a Sheraton but that type of guitar seems suited for an intermediate or advanced jazz player rather than a beginning one. Any advice?

What would make the guitar more for an intermediate, the price?

Semi-hollows are great versatile guitars, and they do jazz very well (among other things, like the others have mentioned)

If you don't have the cash, Ibanez and Epiphone both make cheaper semi-hollow models as well, as well as a bunch of other brands...probably after the strat and les paul copy, the 335 style is the next most common copy out there. Some are decent, some are garbage, play if you can before buying, or order from somewhere with a good return policy.

[fumblefingers]

a guitar is a guitar. meaning, if you want a good guitar for playing jazz, it should not matter how advanced the player is. so....

L5 or Manhattan.

but seriously, if you need a guitar for a student who cant pay for it him/herself due to age, or a guitar investment that is reasonable for someone who may quit.... then i agree with the above posts. a semi-hollow like a 335 is reasonable. or one of the lesser priced Benedettos.

[pierre richard]

check out the Ibanez line...AG75..AF75...etc..

good stuff for the money..

I have two students who have an AF75 and one with AG75..

I play a 1977 2355 (es175)...

time on the instrument..pierre

[Greco]

Originally Posted by pierre richard

check out the Ibanez line...AG75..AF75...etc..

good stuff for the money..

I have an Ibanez AK95...I'm enjoying it!

I also have a Greco MIJ 335 copy from the '80's ...great old guitar.

Telecasters are another option....however, opinions might vary on this choice.

Cheers

Dave

[Kman]

An Epiphone Dot would be my suggestion.

[JonnyPac]

I play a cheap semi-hollow and love it. After a wee bit of TLC, it became my favorite axe. You can get one under $300 still...

Oscar Schmidt (Washburn) Delta King Oe30

[Kojo27]

I agree, JonnyP. Inexpensive guitars can be awesome sometimes. I once owned a Martin HD-28, and a Yamaha FG-335. For certain things, one was as good as the other. Or almost. David Lindley, a good all-purpose musician who played a lot with James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Carole King, et al, was famous for playing (and loving) guitars he'd buy at yard sales - wherever - "junk" to most. But he tweaked and cranked and re-worked until he had them playing great.

Not to say your guitar is a 'yard sale special' - oh no. I am a die-hard Washburn fan. Have owned many; own two or three now. I ended up with a WI320 Pro, which is way too much guitar for me - Strats and Les Pauls don't have a thing on this animal. It's a solid body though, which I rarely play. Still... set your amp right and jazz tones pour out of it.

Your "pick-1e&a" thing is honestly rocking my world. I'm so much faster now than just 2 weeks ago. Cleaner, playing w/better groove, the whole deal. It's a shame that *everybody* isn't employing this technique.

KJ

[franco6719]

Anything that looks cool and can attract chicks.

[Gramps]

As long as it playes in tune and you like the action (setup) any guitar, electric or accoustic will work. If you think you absolutely have to play above the 14th fret, the instrument should have a cutaway to allow access to the upper part of the fingerboard.

[amhabz]

You can try a faded sg or les paul. Especially the couple year old ones had better pickups. Don't know if it's all that Mahogany with a light nitro cover or if just me. To me they sound better then the real expensive fancy ones.

[franco6719]

As for solid-bodies, I once had a used Telecaster with humbucking pickups, 12 gauge roundwound strings, turned the tone knob almost off and most people at college kept telling me that it had a much better jazz tone than their hollowbodys! Later, I bought my current Guild X175 and I'm STILL trying to get the tone I got from the Tele.

[Billnc]

I'm Playing an Aria Pro II FA50E. A friend got it on E bay new for $180. In the wrappers, new. He did not like it. I threw some flatwounds (Thomastiks) on it and gave him a MIM strat. No cut away on the guitar, I don't venture up too high anyway. I love the guitar.
I also used a Hamer USA tele copy with Joe Barden Pick ups. I went through various caps til I found the perfect one for the tone control. If I ever have to use a solidbody again (I really only enjoy playing archtops) I'd go the Telecaster type guitar route.
Thinlines never worked for me, I've had a few, good guitars but not my thing.

[P.J.]

Originally Posted by Billnc

I'm Playing an Aria Pro II FA50E. A friend got it on E bay new for $180. In the wrappers, new. He did not like it. I threw some flatwounds (Thomastiks) on it and gave him a MIM strat. No cut away on the guitar, I don't venture up too high anyway. I love the guitar.
I also used a Hamer USA tele copy with Joe Barden Pick ups. I went through various caps til I found the perfect one for the tone control. If I ever have to use a solidbody again (I really only enjoy playing archtops) I'd go the Telecaster type guitar route.
Thinlines never worked for me, I've had a few, good guitars but not my thing.

What value did you use for the cap in the Tele?

PJ

[Kojo27]

Originally Posted by Billnc

I'm Playing an Aria Pro II FA50E. A friend got it on E bay new for $180. In the wrappers, new. He did not like it. I threw some flatwounds (Thomastiks) on it and gave him a MIM strat. No cut away on the guitar, I don't venture up too high anyway. I love the guitar.
I also used a Hamer USA tele copy with Joe Barden Pick ups. I went through various caps til I found the perfect one for the tone control. If I ever have to use a solidbody again (I really only enjoy playing archtops) I'd go the Telecaster type guitar route.
Thinlines never worked for me, I've had a few, good guitars but not my thing.

Hey Bill... Don't know if you're familiar with Elderly Instruments - it's one of the giants of music mail order, but they stick to acoustic instruments almost completely. They sell some cool jazz guitars. Here's a used Aria I've been looking at: ARIA PRO II FA-71 (2003) - Elderly Instruments

My main archtop has no cutaway either. Doesn't bother me that much. It has no pickup, so I can't really use flatwounds. I use D'Addario "Flat Tops" - which are regular phosphor bronze strings, polished down smooth to eliminate finger squeak. Great strings for acoustics archtops. The guitar is a "The Loar" LH-700. Best bang for the buck I've seen, but they're about all gone.

I don't like thinlines either.

Just wanted to say hello - one 14-fretter to another.

Kojo

[zigzag]

I've heard very good things about Jay Tursers and they are very inexpensive (made in China I believe).

Jay Turser Guitars and Basses

[Kojo27]

I swear to god, I learned 2/3 of the first Mickey Baker book on my HD-28 Martin dreadnought. It's all I had, besides my "starter" Yamaha, which was a copy of my D-28 Martin. Not to say do this, but don't postpone starting on what you have now.

[Billnc]

Originally Posted by P.J.

What value did you use for the cap in the Tele?

PJ

Man, I never did know, just went through a drawer of the things til I found one that I thought sounded best. I was in a shop and there is a chance I even messed about with the value of the pots, but I usually have used standard resistance for whatever guitar I had.

[Billnc]

Originally Posted by Kojo27

Hey Bill... Don't know if you're familiar with Elderly Instruments - it's one of the giants of music mail order, but they stick to acoustic instruments almost completely. They sell some cool jazz guitars. Here's a used Aria I've been looking at: ARIA PRO II FA-71 (2003) - Elderly Instruments

My main archtop has no cutaway either. Doesn't bother me that much. It has no pickup, so I can't really use flatwounds. I use D'Addario "Flat Tops" - which are regular phosphor bronze strings, polished down smooth to eliminate finger squeak. Great strings for acoustics archtops. The guitar is a "The Loar" LH-700. Best bang for the buck I've seen, but they're about all gone.

I don't like thinlines either.

Just wanted to say hello - one 14-fretter to another.

Kojo

Nice guitar, I'd love to check one out. I'd like to know what pick up they use, I love the sound of them, looks like the same PU I have. Could be a cheap one everyone else hates, but I love it.

[Kojo27]

Originally Posted by Billnc

Nice guitar, I'd love to check one out. I'd like to know what pick up they use, I love the sound of them, looks like the same PU I have. Could be a cheap one everyone else hates, but I love it.

You can call the folks at Elderly - they'll talk your ear off about whatever you need to know, and they'll play the thing over the phone. Liberal return policy, too. I'm really tempted to buy this Aria. Something just tells me it'd sound cool.

[Kojo27]

Originally Posted by fumblefingers

a guitar is a guitar. meaning, if you want a good guitar for playing jazz, it should not matter how advanced the player is. so....

I agree -- get the best you can afford. Buy an L5 and you'll always get most of your money back (buy a used one). Buy an Artcore (as I had to do) and you get a pretty good guitar, but if you want to sell it, you're probably stuck with it, unless you want to practically give it away.

If you have $1500 or so, get a used Eastman. For about $850, you can get a "The Loar" LH-650, which is a killer guitar for the money: cutaway, pickup, solid wood. The acoustic LH-700s are simply awesome for the money - $1200 or less, and I've never heard a better sound. Just my opinion.

Check it out: (this is NOT me)

YouTube Video

[Spirit59]

Originally Posted by zigzag

I've heard very good things about Jay Tursers and they are very inexpensive (made in China I believe).

Jay Turser Guitars and Basses

Yeah but didn't they have that problem with the drywall they're made out of emitting toxic sulfur bearing fumes?

[bachplay6]

A MIM tele or strat is a fine choice for a low price guitar. Why not? Good value, ease of playing, many sound options...

[edspyhill01]

This is not a "Jazz guitar" but just an intrument I'm using to learn on - a Traveler Ultra-Lite steel string travel guitar with Gibson string scale and spacing (piezo pickup model).

[TruthHertz]

A few things I'd look for:
1) Set up really well. When you're beginning anything, it's even more important to have good action, an easy feel and something that's friendly to the hand. A more experienced player can make telephone lines on a Stella sound good, a beginner needs an instrument that's even and doesn't need to be "tamed". Good setup lets you try different strings, it makes lighter strings play easily without going out of tune, heavier strings sound fuller without being really hard to play. It lets you get the most rewarding experience when you are starting with your own limitations.
2) Appealing. Les Paul, 335 or es-175 type, the most important thing is what you feel fits your idea of size and sound. You don't want something that is so scary you don't want to run home to it everyday and spend hours with it (an old big necked super 400 is beautiful but it may take time for you to connect with it.) If you get something with crappy nasaly harsh pickups, it can be an unrewarding experience when you play, look for something that makes you sound good.
3) Once you find a type, you can find an affordable version of it somewhere. Ibanez has (or had, I haven't looked recently) an entry level 15 inch guitar for instance that had the same body width as the $3k Benson, and they have something for many of the different "types" mentioned above. As a matter of fact, Ibanez does not have an Ibanez "factory" per se, but their guitars are all made in factories in China, Korea, Indonesia and Japan where other manufacturers/labels are made side by side-same guitar different headstock. So shop around. You might indeed find the same guitar with better electronics by looking for the same instrument made by someone else.
4) Electric guitar? Get a decent amp. Think of the amp as part of your guitar. Don't get a nice guitar and skimp on the amp, that's the voice you live with.
5) Do the research but try everything out yourself. Don't let somebody else tell you what's best, especially if you have a good gut feeling about something. You're going to live with it and it will become part of you. If you have an affinity for nylon strings, by all means, begin with one. I did, even when people and teachers told me people usually don't- and my style today has a lot of classical and I play fingerstyle, but it's jazz my way and the guitar I had let me do that. Seriously, if you like a flying V and you go home everyday, or better yet can't bear not to carry it around with you and play it all the time, you'll become a better player for it.
6) Get the best you can afford at the time. I say this because good construction will let the guitar live longer with you, grow with you and if you want, let you upgrade pickups, machines, electronics as your tastes change. It will also give you a better place to appreciate an even higher quality instrument when you're ready for one. Of course, the best is not necessarily the most expensive; you might find an old modest epiphone that found a place in the back of some store, but if it has charm and it's right, that's the best.
Jazz guitar is a little bit of a misnomer. I play jazz and I now like archtops, but if you want to play jazz, it's not the kind of guitar you buy, it's whatever lets you learn the idiom on.
David