The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    Even moving up to .11's will make a big difference. I put D'Daddario XL .11's on my Gibson SG and it has a very smooth, warm sound when EQ'd properly. Good luck!

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27

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    I also use 13 gauge flats on my Heritage LP style solid body and like 'em a lot. I find that the tension from 12's on the longer scale Strat sort of balances things out. The neck should accommodate 13's, though, as they were pretty much the norm when it was invented!
    If, by the way, I can get near enough to the Tele-Jazz sound on my Strat by experimentation and (some) modding, I'll be happy enough as I prefer its body contour to a Tele's. I have my doubts.
    Last edited by Peter C; 09-20-2008 at 08:16 AM.

  4. #28

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    Kobrian,
    I am not a pro but,... you may find this useful:
    - the sound you get is, by all means, something which is gear related ... strings, amps, the very instrument;
    - the tone you get is almost entirely dependent on your playing technique,... your habits, your muscular memory banks, etc.
    By the by, my only electric guitar is strung with .11 gauge roundwounds, complemented with a rather thick (.54) flatwound 6th string ... you may try going the Johnny Smith route.

  5. #29

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    Besides what everyone is saying about strings and what not, you can also really get a sweet jazz tone by throwing a Seymour Duncan Little 59 'humbucker' in the neck. I really swear by it if you are using something single coiled size. Not only is it a humbucker technically, it just has this super buttery edge that you really have to hear to believe. It is unlike anything I have heard on a strat, and you don't have to rely solely on thick strings and rolling off treble to get the sound. Highly recommended.

    Swapping the neck to a warmoth neck really helps to. I got a wenge neck and brazilian rosewood fingerboard from them for around $350, but boy does it sweeten the tone over the standard maple neck.
    Last edited by heavyblues; 07-26-2009 at 06:35 AM.

  6. #30

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    when I want a jazz tone out my strato I put my switch on the neck and middle pickups roll the tone down to 3 the volume to around 7 and make sure my fulltone fat boost is on and there it is...my string are gibson pure nickel RI 10's I have tried 11's and 12's and IMO 10's sound and plays best ... I don't use my strat exclusively for jazz, but if I did I would put D' Addario chromes 10's to 48 flat wound switch the 10 for an 11 on the high E string also make sure that I have the right pickups on there...Amp EQ is also very important.
    Last edited by bluemood; 07-26-2009 at 02:39 PM.

  7. #31

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    I've just watched the documentary 'Red, White & Blues' from the series 'Martin Scorsese presents The Blues'. It contains a short passage where Jeff Beck plays a solo on 'Gee baby ain't I good to you' on a Strat. You have to see this if you're after what kind of Jazz tone you can get out of a Strat. Absolutely stunning! Just don't compare it to an Archtop.

  8. #32

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    Today i was playing my strat, trying to mimic the sound Ed Bickert gets on 'Easy Living'. Put the selector btwn neck and middle pups, and it sounded pretty convincing.

  9. #33

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    Strat jazz tone................


  10. #34

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    I'm a Strat guy and I'm big into getting the right sound. For jazz I use the neck pickup with the tone turned down pretty low. For strings I use fairly heavy bottoms (.46) up to light tops (.09). I'm playing a Squire now and it sound decent, I played six of them at the store when I bought it just to get one with the right feel and sound. It's a little heavier than the others.

  11. #35

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    D'addario ECG 23 Flatwound 10's and don't forget to have your amp phased!
    Last edited by Squint; 03-17-2010 at 04:20 PM.

  12. #36

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    I just swapped out the Kinmans I had on my EJ Strat with SD Hot Rails for the bridge and middle, and an SD Cool Rail for the neck. Totally loving the sound of these humbuckers designed for Strats.

  13. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by lkmuller
    I just swapped out the Kinmans I had on my EJ Strat with SD Hot Rails for the bridge and middle, and an SD Cool Rail for the neck. Totally loving the sound of these humbuckers designed for Strats.
    They are nice aren't they? I have a Cool Rails as well, I put it in the middle. I like the idea of being able to switch from an SD minihumbucker in the neck to a single coil in the bridge instantly. That way I get every sound I want with one guitar pretty much. I've also noticed that it sounds really fat and thick with 11's on, which is nice because I can still do bends and get that thicker string tone without moving to 12's and up. I love that strat so much I named her "Lydia" after the 4th mode of the major scale hehe.

  14. #38

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    little help fellow jazz guitarist... i want to sound like george benson / kenny burrell / ronny jordan (tonewise). i use an Ibanez AF75 w/ semi-flatwound strings (.11) staight to the amp. do i need to use flatwounds? and do i need to use effect pedal? an equalizer or something? and i play in different bars w/ various amps so how can i dial-in the same tone settings every night? coz i cant always bring my amp to the gig...tnx!

  15. #39

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    Quote Originally Posted by bebop kid
    little help fellow jazz guitarist... i want to sound like george benson / kenny burrell / ronny jordan (tonewise). i use an Ibanez AF75 w/ semi-flatwound strings (.11) staight to the amp. do i need to use flatwounds? and do i need to use effect pedal? an equalizer or something? and i play in different bars w/ various amps so how can i dial-in the same tone settings every night? coz i cant always bring my amp to the gig...tnx!
    The tone is, as I'm sure you have heard, mostly in your fingers. That said, the amp used is important. Burrell in years past tended to play twin reverbs. In my opinion the '65 Reissue twin reverb is the best option. Flatwounds help but are not required in my opinion.

    Of course, for your situation, given the weight, etc., that is not an option. The alternative I found was to used a deluxe reverb reissue. There are also several small solid state amps (jazzkat, polytone, etc) that will get you where you want to go. For consistency, I think the "use whatever amp they have" approach will never get you there. Just my opinion. Your milage may vary of course.

  16. #40

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    It seems that whenever the question comes up about using a Strat for playing Jazz, it is always asked with reserve and almost apologetically. I can sort of see the stigma, but with some experimentation I've made the transition and the two are a perfect match.
    I recently got a Sunburst Classic 50s Strat that has the under-wound ALNICO III pups and full sized block and pots on it (big difference from "hot" pups, or basic ceramics). If you have a Standard Strat with the ceramics and/or small pots, then going this route would be a mega-cheap mod: ALNICO Pickup Pre-Wired Strat Pickguard- White- MAJOR Upgrade!

    I strung it up with XL Flat-Wound .10s (ditch those slinky .09s), but you can go flat .11s or .12s too on a Strat. Just do a good setup on the guitar after the change.

    Of course the amp is so important, and so often forgotten in the equation, but you don't have to spend a mint either. Most amps that are 20 to 40W or so, and have 12" speakers do the job nicely and can easily be had for $100 to $200. I have a Fender Mustang I ($99), and a Raven RG20 ($87) that sound beautiful, when dialed in right.

    This setup gives me incredibly fat, warm, woody tones that are shockingly arch-top-like, and it doesn't wear out my arm and shoulder after long practice sessions.

    I know that the look concerns some people, but in a nice vintage sunburst or classy black-on-black I personally think the Strat looks perfectly respectable as a Jazz guitar. (Although honestly, this doesn't matter to me that much)

    And keep in mind that I play traditional Jazz, many ballads, on my Stratocaster, not Fusion ('nother word for soft rock) or "Smooth Jazz" (soulless electronic white-boy elevator music), and it does the trick as well as any acoustic or arch-top.

    Thanks for reading, and don't be shy! Remember the Strat was invented before rock and roll!



    Oh and of course there's the old footage of Quentin Warren for further evidence (and he's even using the bridge pup! "position 5")
    Last edited by Retroman1969; 01-20-2011 at 10:59 AM.

  17. #41

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    If that Jimmy Smith clip is the Fender's original bridge PU, I would love to know what he's playing it through. I have never heard one that was as sweet as that. I have a HSS Strat that I can't dial in the bridge that warm.

  18. #42

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    I've thought the same thing. I never play in the bridge myself, but I'm figuring by the vintage that it's an under-wound ALNICO single, wax-dipped, and he's probably playing with flat-wound .12s or .13s which were the common strings back then if I understand correctly. Amp has to be a big tube unit of some type, which helps.

  19. #43

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    Quote Originally Posted by Retroman1969

    ...not Fusion ('nother word for soft rock) or "Smooth Jazz" (soulless electronic white-boy elevator music)...
    I agree.

    Remember the Strat was invented before rock and roll!
    Precisely. It was designed first and foremost to deliver "the jazz sound," although marketed primarily to country and Texas Swing players (think Eldon Shamblin) who, in that era, were going for the same basic tone as jazz players.

    I used to own a Strat. My only beef with a Strat is ergonomic and I include in that my need for greater aural and tactile feedback direct from the guitar to my hands and ears, so I switched from a Strat to an L5 back in the '70s.

    But if you don't want/need that, and the guitar fits, or you're in the audience, a Strat is a great jazz guitar.

  20. #44

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    I understand. There is still something about the big hollow jazz-box that resonates and feeds back to you almost like a living thing, and it's more to hold onto when sitting down. The Strat, because of its size and shape feels more like an extension of my body but I get where you're coming from. I love the legendary L5 and I'd probably own one as something different to play every once and awhile, but those things cost more than I typically pay for a car! LOL!

    Oh, and I agree about Western Swing. It's one form of Country I can handle.

  21. #45

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    Strat's can get an okay Jazz sound, but still thinner than a Tele. I've owned a few strat's even a 50's strat and sold them all they just don't feel right to me. I love my tele's and they can get a good Jazz sound with or without a humbucker.

  22. #46

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    The tone I get on my strat, even with roundwounds, is plenty good enough for me.

    I love strats for their versatility. Not to say that other guitars aren't versatile, but switching from clean to crunch to high-gain, from neck to humbucking bridge and you've got jazz, blues, rock, metal all covered.

  23. #47

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    Yes, probably the most versatile guitar going, and mostly overlooked in a genre such as jazz, which is a shame.

    But I'll give you the Telecasters and Keith Richards thing, seems likely true! LOL!

    The people who snub Strats for Jazz, are the same ones that say that a Les Paul isn't good for Jazz. Well what the hell was Les Paul doing with it all those years?


    Fender Stratocaster for Jazz?-statocaster-jazz-jpg

  24. #48

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    Some things to consider possibly:

    1) If you have the average strat neck, as opposed to a tele neck, the extra thickness may be better for heavy strings. My strat holds .12 thomastiks with great action.

    2) Tele's can sound jazzy stock! On the other hand, I had to spend extra money to make my crappy sounding MIM strat (IMHO) sound like it does and look jazzy. I tried a Tex Mex fender once, it sounded good to go from the shop!


    I in no way endorse "Strats" for particular reasons, unless it's a G&L comanche(holy, freaking, smokes. I was so lucky to find a Tribute Comanche new....if you are reading this, please try one, I'm serious lol)

  25. #49

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    Ok, I'll just post it once more, Wes-tone out of a strat:

  26. #50

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    Quote Originally Posted by Little Jay
    Ok, I'll just post it once more, Wes-tone out of a strat:
    More Jazzy than your typical strat, but thinner and plinker than Wes ever sounded.