For Those That Wonder if Jazz Can/Should be Played on an LP:

[Midnight Blues]

[L50EF15]

Yes! As a Les Paul player, this truly makes me smile.

[Midnight Blues]

Yes! As a Les Paul player, this truly makes me smile.

I'm mostly an LP player myself and I completely agree with you!


Thanks for the post and

[wolflen]

considering the model name of the guitar..there should be little to wonder about.

I am also in the LP can and does play "jazz"-and everything else club

[pauln]

I like the way that after so many years I can hear someone's first three
notes and think to myself, "Oh yeah, now this is going to be wonderful".

[Midnight Blues]

considering the model name of the guitar..there should be little to wonder about.

I am also in the LP can and does play "jazz"-and everything else club

Honestly, I don't even know why it would be a question? It comes up somewhat frequently on other forums, but IMHO, there's no question that an LP lends itself quite well to Jazz.


Thanks for the post and

[Midnight Blues]

I like the way that after so many years I can hear someone's first three
notes and think to myself, "Oh yeah, now this is going to be wonderful".

Alessio is a phenomenal player, with quite the biography as well! If you haven't check-him-out previously, here's a link to his YT channel:

Alessio Menconi Official Youtube Channel - YouTube


Thanks for the post and

[DawgBone]

Sounded great!!!

[Cunamara]

Love the sound of the Les Paul and of course it can jazz; what a silly question. Unfortunately, I've never been able to be comfortable playing one. The ergonomics are just not right for me. Maybe it's being 6'3" and preferring to play seated. But, man, the sound is great. I remember watching one of the Les Paul Monday night videos from later in his life; the other guitarist in the band was also playing an LP and chunking 4 to the bar, sounding pretty much just like Freddie Green for all the world to hear. There are a huge range of tones available in one of those.

There are a number of Allessi videos on Youtube and he always sounds great.

[Stringswinger]

I have played jazz on a Lester for over 40 years myself.

But the cat playing in the first post could make a Squier sound great.

[princeplanet]

Best slab for jazz, LP or Tele? I prefer the LP myself, but I have a feeling I'd be outvoted...

[Doctor Jeff]

Great tone, and a really tasteful way of soloing. His licks and voicings are wonderful.

Thanks for posting.

[Midnight Blues]

Love the sound of the Les Paul and of course it can jazz; what a silly question. Unfortunately, I've never been able to be comfortable playing one. The ergonomics are just not right for me. Maybe it's being 6'3" and preferring to play seated. But, man, the sound is great. I remember watching one of the Les Paul Monday night videos from later in his life; the other guitarist in the band was also playing an LP and chunking 4 to the bar, sounding pretty much just like Freddie Green for all the world to hear. There are a huge range of tones available in one of those.

There are a number of Allessi videos on Youtube and he always sounds great.

Silly question indeed!

Was the other player with Les Lou Pallo by any chance?


Thanks for the post and

[Midnight Blues]

I have played jazz on a Lester for over 40 years myself.

But the cat playing in the first post could make a Squier sound great.

Agreed!


Thanks for the post and

[Midnight Blues]

Best slab for jazz, LP or Tele? I prefer the LP myself, but I have a feeling I'd be outvoted...

I for one agree with you pp.


Thanks for the post and

[Midnight Blues]

Great tone, and a really tasteful way of soloing. His licks and voicings are wonderful.

Thanks for posting.

Agreed DJ and you're quite welcome.


Thanks for the post and

[deacon Mark]

The sound Alessio is getting might well be the best I have ever on a Les Paul. He actually looks cool playing it in a way that a real archtop acoustic guitar would look. The other person who played a Les Paul and can smoke is Clint Strong. I understand he had a stroke but wow he can play one too. The Lester is my first choice solidbody guitar. No I don't have one but maybe sometime.

[RLetson]

Maybe revealing my naivete (and acoustic bias), but isn't a lot of jazz tone--or any tone from an electric--as much a matter of pickups, amps, processing, and other signal-chain stuff? (Probably string formulae as well.) I realize that there must be limits to what a given guitar can generate, but most of the electric players I know have pedals or pedal boards or signal processors with more lights than a Christmas tree. (And I'm still struggling to get the sound I hear in my head to come out of my Eastman 805 and Henriksen Blu 6, so what do I know.)

That said, Menconi's playing sure sounded like jazz to me. Good jazz.

[Midnight Blues]

The sound Alessio is getting might well be the best I have ever on a Les Paul. He actually looks cool playing it in a way that a real archtop acoustic guitar would look. The other person who played a Les Paul and can smoke is Clint Strong. I understand he had a stroke but wow he can play one too. The Lester is my first choice solidbody guitar. No I don't have one but maybe sometime.

He does have great tone and his LP certainly isn't an exception either.

I don't know if you've heard his tone with his new "Signature" Fibonacci model, but, it's fantastic.

You're probably overdue for an LP? That would be an admirable goal for the new year!


Thanks for the post Mark and

[L50EF15]

Love the sound of the Les Paul and of course it can jazz; what a silly question. Unfortunately, I've never been able to be comfortable playing one. The ergonomics are just not right for me. Maybe it's being 6'3" and preferring to play seated. But, man, the sound is great. I remember watching one of the Les Paul Monday night videos from later in his life; the other guitarist in the band was also playing an LP and chunking 4 to the bar, sounding pretty much just like Freddie Green for all the world to hear. There are a huge range of tones available in one of those.

There are a number of Allessi videos on Youtube and he always sounds great.

That sounds like when Lou Pallo was in the band. He was really something, as were Nikki (bassist) and of course LP himself. I got to see them a few times myself.

And yes, Lou really did nail the Freddie Green sound on his LP. I don’t think he used the low impedance pickups that Les did, but he got the full but stringy acoustic tone nonetheless. Maybe he was using the Alnico staple pickup? P90? I have to look into this; if memory serves me correctly, Gibson actually released a Lou Pallo limited edition LP Custom modeled on Lou’s instrument.

EDITED TO ADD: I just looked it up and Gibson indeed released a Lou Pallo version with a P90 neck pickup and a humbucker in the bridge position. IOW, the hum/sing combo beloved of the superstrat players of my youth.

[L50EF15]

I note that Alessio is playing an LP Deluxe here, hence with the minihumbuckers. Those are really articulate pickups that, to my ear, come closer than the PAF and its derivatives, to the original idea of keeping the sound of the P90 but getting rid of the hum.

Phil Lee used one back in the 70s with one of my favorite obscure Prog/jazz bands, Gilgamesh:

[Midnight Blues]

That sounds like when Lou Pallo was in the band. He was really something, as were Nikki (bassist) and of course LP himself. I got to see them a few times myself.

And yes, Lou really did nail the Freddie Green sound on his LP. I don’t think he used the low impedance pickups that Les did, but he got the full but stringy acoustic tone nonetheless. Maybe he was using the Alnico staple pickup? P90? I have to look into this; if memory serves me correctly, Gibson actually released a Lou Pallo limited edition LP Custom modeled on Lou’s instrument.

EDITED TO ADD: I just looked it up and Gibson indeed released a Lou Pallo version with a P90 neck pickup and a humbucker in the bridge position. IOW, the hum/sing combo beloved of the superstrat players of my youth.

I was thinking it was him as well and you're right, they did:

[Midnight Blues]

The sound Alessio is getting might well be the best I have ever on a Les Paul. He actually looks cool playing it in a way that a real archtop acoustic guitar would look. The other person who played a Les Paul and can smoke is Clint Strong. I understand he had a stroke but wow he can play one too. The Lester is my first choice solidbody guitar. No I don't have one but maybe sometime.

Found it:

[John A.]

Maybe revealing my naivete (and acoustic bias), but isn't a lot of jazz tone--or any tone from an electric--as much a matter of pickups, amps, processing, and other signal-chain stuff? (Probably string formulae as well.)

The pickup is coupled to the guitar body, and the strings are coupled to the guitar body. So in addition to detecting the vibration of the strings, the pickup resonates, which affects how it detects overtones. Every combination of guitar, pickup, and string is a little different (or sometimes a lot different). Much variety and tastiness of tone ensues. Obviously whatever else is in the signal chain has an effect, but it starts with the guitar.

I realize that there must be limits to what a given guitar can generate, but most of the electric players I know have pedals or pedal boards or signal processors with more lights than a Christmas tree. (And I'm still struggling to get the sound I hear in my head to come out of my Eastman 805 and Henriksen Blu 6, so what do I know.)

Jazz players tend to use much simpler set-ups. Just guitar + amp is very common. That Menconi clip has a little reverb and delay, but I don't really hear any coloring of the basic guitar-amp sound.

That said, Menconi's playing sure sounded like jazz to me. Good jazz.

Yup.

[robocoptick]