Jazz tone on a Fender Telecaster?

[kris]

I like singlecoile a the neck-it is a very clean sound.This is a plus for Tele...:-)

[Soco]

I like singlecoile a the neck-it is a very clean sound.This is a plus for Tele...:-)

I also prefer a single coli in the neck rather than a humbucker on a tele. Has more personality and brings out more of the unique side to the tele. It is still fat and warm with a single coil, just more clear than with a humbucker.

[Belhade]

Humbucker? Nah, get aP90 neck

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

SC versus HB. My ideal would be to have a single coil and a humbucker right next to each other in the neck position -- your choice at the moment. I know some folks have split coil or other sorts (P-Rail) of pickups that can do both, but I haven't found one I like as much as the idea of choosing each pickup separately.

EDIT: didn't Tal Farlow do that to his guitar? Added a SC near next to the neck HB?

At the same time, I wouldn't mind the bridge pickup disappearing.

[oldane]

SC versus HB. My ideal would be to have a single coil and a humbucker right next to each other in the neck position -- your choice at the moment.

EDIT: didn't Tal Farlow do that to his guitar? Added a SC near next to the neck HB?

Yes, it seems so. The extra PU is by some said to be part of an octave divider system he had made for the amp stool - which he also had made. He was quite a tinkerer.

Check out this clip:

[coolvinny]

Inspired by this thread somewhat, I did some more fiddling with my amp/volume controls on my tele-style guitar (note: mahagony body, maple top, rosewood board, KA PAF humbucker in neck...so arguably more of a 25.5" scale Les Paul than a tele...) and using my Mambo amp if I eq as follows I can get quite close to what I think of as a straight-ahead bebop jazz guitar sound:

- treble all the way down
- mids at 3pm
- bass at 10pm
- "dark" setting and "harmonic" setting (these are Mambo-specific)
- gain at 1pm
- guitar tone at about "3" and guitar volume at about "7".

Also I have TI Swing 12's on there with beefier B and E strings. It would be interesting to try some Swing 13's plus an even beefier E string, maybe like a 16. It's really that high E that bugs me. Unfortunately, my humbucker does not have adjustable pole pieces.

For kicks, I'm going to take it to a combo jam tonight rather than my archtop.

[ccannon1]

I've been using my American Tele for jazz for about a year and I've gotten pretty passable jazz sounds on it.

I've found the best way to get a good sound for jazz is to get some flatwounds (D'addarios are my favourite) and a really thick pick or use your thumb.

Use the neck pup, turn down the tone and turn down the treble on your amp and you should get a pretty good sound.

[Encinitastubes]

I think a Tele is great and drawing inspiration from other instruments. To me, Ed Bickert sounds very much like a Fender Rhodes. Ted Greene sounds like a church organ. Bill Frisell sounds more trumpet like. The great think about a Tele is that there are excellent sounds up and down the volume and tone knobs.

[Sean65]

lame, unrehearsed performance...but I'm playing my 575 thru a Princeton DIMED....no feedback at all

I'm surprised you don't have a Gretsch in your arsenal for the country gigs.

[Doctor Jeff]

I played one of these about 6 months ago and was absolutely blown away. The attention to detail in these hand made instruments are really 1st rate.

I couldnt help myself but I stopped at Guitar Center today and pulled a blond semi-hollow tele off the wall. I figured I "try it out" for ya... The headstock was stamped, made in China. I plugged it into a Fender Bassman and it had a very unique sound. I cant describe it, it had almost a natural "delay" to it. The playability was extrordinary. It was only $499! I loved it. I even thought about buying it, but I think if I did, my wife would have me committed.

Joe D

I have been committed for a long time now. ;-)

It it helps to have a low output pickup like a SD Alnico 2 in the neck position. That give a warm, clean tone without much treble. I use D'Addario Pure Nickel 11 rounds, which is mellowed than chrome strings. I personally don't want flats on a Tele, but just my preference.

[mr. beaumont]

I'm surprised you don't have a Gretsch in your arsenal for the country gigs.

Not that I haven't considered one...but generally, me and Gretsches don't get along.

Encinitastubes, I always thought that about Ed too...and Encinitas...is Lou's records still there?

[GoergeBenson]

I really don't like these types of discussion, for many reasons.

Yes you can play jazz on a tele, there are no rules concerning what you need to play for jazz.

IMO though, what often gets confused or shouted out by the tele crowd is this, What do you want from a jazz guitar?

It seems that you want a guitar that sounds like a jazz guitar and all the benefits that comes with that, acoustic playing levels/tone and electrified tone.
If that is the case, then a tele will not leave you satisfied. Through 90% of the time in non amplified and amplified situations, you will be wondering, hmmmm thats not really 'the' tone I was looking for, if your looking for a traditional jazz/archtop tone.

Guitars are built in different ways for different purposes. If a solid body sounded like a hollow body, then just take the laws of physics and throw them out the window.

It is my honest opinion (but just that) that you will never get the depth of tone and warmth from a tele as you would from a hollow body.

Now, can you buy a cheap hollow body with a really thick dull laminate maple/spruce top that when electrified could pretty much be replicated in a solid body? sure 90% yes. But is that what you want? If so, get a tele.

If you want a guitar that has more character and depth to its tone, plus a far more enjoyable acoustic experience (and lets be honest, you'll spend a lot of time practicing without an amp) then get a hollow body but a good one, which will allow you to have a tone IMO far better than that of a tele, 'IF' a traditional archtop/jazz tone is what your looking for.

The other thing you have to bare in mind, is that with solid body guitar, the tone is different, more 'honky' depending on your playing because IMO the style of tail pieces used, 'fixed stop' or string through etc, changes the string response somewhat. Like I said, the sound is a little more what I call Honky. You will also find the neck scales are shorter and thus the strings are more prone to having a somewhat country sound (more plinky plunky) unless you put on heavier ones. The plus to the sold body though, is that they deal better with bass tones and don't suffer the years and annoyances of an archtop hunting, for that perfect feel, tone and practicality. Although may i add, that becomes part of the fun and love in itself.

In reality with a solid body, your dealing with an electrified tone only and a good archtop can provide you with so much more IMO. If a traditional jazz tone is what your looking for. Thats why they use those guitars lol

I challenge anyone to post a sound clip of a tele, that sounds like a good archtop.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

If you want a guitar that has more character and depth to its tone, plus a far more enjoyable acoustic experience (and lets be honest, you'll spend a lot of time practicing without an amp) then get a hollow body but a good one, which will allow you to have a tone IMO far better than that of a tele, 'IF' a traditional archtop/jazz tone is what your looking for.

I agree with much of what you wrote, but I have the following observation about my playing around the house. When I practice on the archtop, it's often acoustically. But when I grab my Tele, it's hanging on the wall right next to the amp. I plug into the Tele, turn on the amp, stomp on a few pedals and go. I always use the amp, and get a kid's enjoyment from fiddling with the electronics, too: using that looper all the time for practice.

[pkirk]

I

I challenge anyone to post a sound clip of a tele, that sounds like a good archtop.

I challenge anybody to post a sound clip of an archtop that sounds like a good tele!

The different tonal characteristics of a solid body guitar (notably its sustain)
make me play it completely differently that an arch top. In particular
what style of jazz/musical context I'm playing in determines which kind of guitar I'm going to use.

[GoergeBenson]

Ok this guitar is about the best example of a'Semi' doing jazz. Of course this guy has brand new strings on it, long nails (you can hear them tapping on the pick-up) and a great classical technique.

[GuyBoden]

Ok this guitar is about the best example of a 'Semi' doing jazz.

As we all know, using a semi-hollow or solid bodied guitar avoids feedback at gigs where higher volumes are required.

[mr. beaumont]

Well, we did something like this years ago here...I'll put my music out there again, if anybody's interested.

If you check out my site and take a listen, make a guess on what guitars were used in which recording...

Obviously, there's a few acoustics...but for the amplified tones, there's a tele, a semi hollow, and a few different archtops.

It'd be interesting to hear what people think...keep it simple, pick a track, and decide if it's tele, semi-hollow, or archtop.


If anybody else has a site with recordings and multiple different guitars used, post a link too. This could be a lot of fun.

[GuyBoden]

keep it simple, pick a track, and decide if it's tele, semi-hollow, or archtop.

I'm making a wild guess, but is this an archtop?

[Encinitastubes]

Not that I haven't considered one...but generally, me and Gretsches don't get along.

Encinitastubes, I always thought that about Ed too...and Encinitas...is Lou's records still there?

Yes Mr. B. Lou's is still there, but sadly only about half the size it used to be. I'm surprised it has been open this long, but I noticed with my 16-year-old daughter that there has been a bit of a resurgence with vinyl, so maybe it will survive. This Amazon.com world we live in is really depriving a lot of kids from having that unique, funky shopping experience that places like Lou's provides.

Back to the OP, if you are limited on funds, I would recommend a Tele. Even if you graduate to a more expensive hollow body guitar, you will always have uses for a Tele. If you ever need to play in a place where you are not comfortable with an expensive hollow body, your Tele will come through and double as a weapon. If you ever need to play loud without feedback, your Tele will come through. Or, maybe you will just find that you prefer the sound of jazz on a Tele. It's just a great utility guitar.

[Vladan]

Nice shirt in that clip Mr.B. Maybe I could not see good enough, but seam a Bolo tie is missing from the picture.

...If anybody else has a site with recordings and multiple different guitars used, post a link too. This could be a lot of fun.

Here, the guitars were switched during the solo, hollowbody and tele, both Squers ...

and same recording but different mix ...

[jazzbow]

you will always have uses for a Tele. If you ever need to play in a place where you are not comfortable with an expensive hollow body, your Tele will come through and double as a weapon.

And as a tank trap in the event of Russian troops invading the stage!

See, one thing with the Tele it's a tinkerers paradise! The standards have a humbucker rout for pickup swaps to reach your preferred tonal choices and the electronics are on a handy chromed plate for quick capacitor changes to thin or thicken the tone to get that sound you're seeking without faffing about with string removal and scratchplate shenanigans.

But mostly a two handed grip at the 1st fret with forearm twist will subdue the biggest stage invading berk you'll ever meet

[mr. beaumont]

I'm making a wild guess, but is this an archtop?

actually, smart aleck, I'm miming to a backing track of an ibanez rg.

[Takemitsu]

SC versus HB. My ideal would be to have a single coil and a humbucker right next to each other in the neck position -- your choice at the moment. I know some folks have split coil or other sorts (P-Rail) of pickups that can do both, but I haven't found one I like as much as the idea of choosing each pickup separately.

EDIT: didn't Tal Farlow do that to his guitar? Added a SC near next to the neck HB?

At the same time, I wouldn't mind the bridge pickup disappearing.

One of my guitar has a neck humbucker (bare knuckle stormy monday) that can be splitter to get to single coil. I have a little switch that let me choose how I use it. I am no expert on pickups but it allows tremendous variety of sounds from the same pickup. I can also have it play in parallel. I am not quite sure what that means but its yet another colour. I end up using the full humbucker all the time because I like to pretend i am Pat Martino with this guitar (ar 1/8 of the speed on a good day).

Anyway maybe a cheap solution here

edit: WOW i write so slowly that I am a page late with this reply after posting!

[TonyB56]

It's strange that guys like Kessell, Ellis, Burrell, Benson and Montgomery etc. managed to be heard without feedback.

[teok]

Not quite a Tele, but a clip of some guy getting a jazzy tone on a Fender