Good starter jazz guitar

[Reg]

One small detail I notice between tele style or jazz box... I like the bounce I get off heavy and high action jazz guitars... granted you loose about 25% of your technique, but I just can't get that from my tele. or my other solid body style of guitars... they force me to play differently... Reg

[pghguitar]

My vote would be for the ibanez artcores as well - I have a AK95 and I love it. The luthier at the shop where I purchased it mentioned they are great quality and he would be hard pressed to build a comparable guitar for under 3K (which was probably exaggerated, but the point on quality was well taken).

[CarolM]

My vote would be for the ibanez artcores as well - I have a AK95 and I love it. The luthier at the shop where I purchased it mentioned they are great quality and he would be hard pressed to build a comparable guitar for under 3K (which was probably exaggerated, but the point on quality was well taken).

Same here for my AG75. I can't get over how *jazzy* it sounds in practice, and I haven't even put the flatwounds on yet.

[marty]

Conman, I have been reading the posts, about playing a Les Paul, and wanting a Jazz guitar. I have been playiny for 46 years now. I have heard Jazz played on a Fender Telecaster, that sounded just as good as a Gibson L-5. There was an artical in the VINTAGE GUITAR Eric Clapton was playing a jig, and Jeff Beck was sitting out front. Eric invited Jeff to come on stage and jam....I WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN THERE...any way Eric's guitar tech gave Jeff Eric's Black Fender strat and hooked him up to another Fender amp, the same Eric was playing through. One would think the guitars would have sounded to same? Not so...Jeff sounded like Jeff and Eric sounded like Eric. It isn't the equipment, it is the player that makes the difference, Less Paul, or L-5, or Tele. You are the common factor. Play with your heart, the equipment will come....

[vinlander]

My personal experience is that while a Lespaul can pretty much nail a great jazz tone it will never get you in the Archtop territory, no solid body will actually.
If you have a specific tone in mind, you will never get satisfied until you come close to it anyway...
I went on the same path years ago and for me the best move was to get some cheap Epis like a Joe Pass first 16 years ago and then an Emperor Regent.
While these are no ES-175 or L5 they get me in the territory my Lespaul Standard could not.

[marty]

You are right. An archtop can produce tones you just can't get from a solidbody guitar. If that is the direction you want to go...I have an EPIPHONE ZEPHYR BLUES DELUXE I am listing today for sale.

[rayme330]

I had the same dilemma, wanted to attempt to learn some jazz but could not get the inspirational sound I wanted from my Strat.Could not afford an out and out Jazz box, so I bought a Tokai ES60 for just under 300 of our English pounds.
I was delighted with it.For the money it represented excellent value. I strung it with D'Daddario chromes (11's) and off I went. Good for blues too, a bit of overdrive and the p/ups growl back at you. Styled like the Gibson 335, the fit and finish mean you can play straight from the box.

[Conman]

Thanks for all the help guys

[JoeVague]

As Conway Twitty said in a local guitar shop in TN: "It ain't the car, its the driver..." after picking up a Korean made ES knock off.. LOL!

As there are so many different Jazz forms now that even include blues, it would seem best to find an artist that has the 'sound' your looking toward, then find the variables on that sound. Even an old Maple top Joe Pass with Gibson 57 pickup and harness change outs will sound much better than just a plan inexpensive one... A Mexican Tele with American Fender harness and Humbuckler change outs sounds great..the wireing, pots, capacator and pickups will cost you only 100-300 more if you shop for them. Otherwise as Donald Trump says, if you buy the best, you'll try your best....

Find a guitar you like and feel comfortable with and learn to play first, the neck size and scale should be as comfortable as possible...and realilze that even the amp can make a great difference...

[Conman]

Well I have narrowed it down to 2 guitars the artcore or one of the dots. I was almost sold on the Joe pass however I am going off to college and probably don't want to take an 800 dollar guitar with me also I will probably want to save up and get a gibson one day so I will want to start off with a inexpensive guitar. Need to go to the guitar store and play them to see which I like better.

Thanks everyone.