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One of my greatest regrets is having sold my Fender Mustang... and guess what I played with it: Jazz!
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02-10-2026 02:22 AM
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Great jazz has been played on every kind of guitar.
I had heard that the SG's long neck creates some tuning instability, but I don't know if it's true.
Sound wise, solid bodies with HB pickups all strike me as being in a similar sonic ballpark.
I think John A is correct about the pickup placement. The Gibson L5S is another guitar with that issue that didn't get very popular.
I'm guessing that I'm not the only one here who has chased another player's sound -- and discovered that having the same equipment doesn't get you there.
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Yes, I do have a couple of cheap SG type guitars bought from Amazon. They seem to play good, and sound not bad too.
I thought SG tend to sound muddy, and haven't played SG guitars often. SG are usually associated with heavy metal or rock music, which is not my interest.
Having said that, my SG fb is very nice, and playable. It has thin body, and is light guitar which is handy for picking up for quick practice.
I appreciate that any guitar could be played for jazz music. It is just the skill and knowledge I need for it suppose.
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It depends on the version. Gibson has made them with a few different neck/heel/body-joint designs and neck profiles. Some are more wiggly than others. E.g., the current SG Standard is much more stable than an early '60s SG or one of the reissues intended to be a faithful repro. I had an early '70s SG special, and the neck was pretty much a whammy bar. I imagine there's similar variation with non-Gibson copies of the SG design.
Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
Any 24-fret guitar has the same neck-pickup position. On some it sounds different in a useful way (e.g., some Hofner archtops), but on others, not so much IMHO. Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
Yup. Gear matters, but the way you play and how your hands interface with the instrument have a much bigger effect on sound than we gearheads like to admit. Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
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This was played on my $135 Dean telecaster from Good Will (but I have to call it a $400 telecaster now after the Plek job which cost me about twice the price of the guitar). It's mostly what I've been playing lately. -- February 2026 - Sweet & Lovely
In the case of solid-bodies, the amp is at least as important to the sound as the guitar, but I suppose that goes without saying.
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Hahaha, but you see, I am safe because I already have a Les Heritage and would never buy the same body shape twice just for different pickups. Tho there is this very pretty cherry red solidtop H150 w P90s at the local dealership Originally Posted by John A.
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I'm also in the 'whatever I'm playing is a jazz guitar' corner. I play jazz on my Ibanez Jem, my JP6, my Squier Tele with the 1 3/4" nut Warmoth neck, and my hollowbodies. Basically everything but my 18" Campellone, which I am unfortunately feeling is just that slight bit too big (despite being an absolute masterpiece). My Emerald acoustic is also a fine jazz guitar. They are all jazz guitars!
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Here's some jazz on an SG that doesn't even have a neck pickup.
There's no such thing as a jazz guitar. There's no such thing as a jazz guitar sound. You can play this music with whatever sound you like. And what "this music" is is up for discussion, too.
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My favorite guitar now is a hollow bodied acoustic telecaster type guitar with the internal pickup. It is loud enough to play without the pickup connected to amp. I find that feature handy, just pick up the guitar and practice or noodle away.
It is also very thin bodied and paper light in weight which is comfortable to hold for the shoulders. A good guitar for quick practicing.
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