The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I am going minimal on my gear. I kept my LP, sold my Tele. Well, the other guy actually gave me a jazz bass and then some dough for it. I found myself spending more time trying out this guitar, then that guitar, then what I like about this guitar, then what I don't like about the other guitar. And then I realized a refret time is coming soon for both of them, and I wasn't much happy with the pickups on the Tele. And one day I turned on my amp, plugged one guitar, then the other. I know there is a Tele cult in jazz music, but i actually like the mids heavy, dark sound of that LP with my amp. So, I guess a did the unthinkable sacrilege in the jazz guitar world...

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    I find a LP makes a better Jazz guitar than than a Fender. With heavier strings and the right touch on the amp they can sound really nice. My favorite example is Clint Strong, he plays the daylights out of a LP in any setting. As a repairman and luthier I find LP to be easier to work on since they have set necks and much more consistency in set up. It seems to me that fenders just always require some tweaking to keep them stable. Also a good choice because refretting a Les Paul is much easier to me than a fender and I suppose some will disagree but to me no question.

    Keep playing because the sound is in the hands, not the guitar.

  4. #3

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    no sacrilege..to each his own..i like fender jazzmasters!!! haha

    enjoy the jazz bass!. they are fun too!

    gibson vs fender debate has been goin on for decades...thankfully both have survived!! haha

    cheers

  5. #4

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    Don't look back!


  6. #5

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  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Woody Sound
    Nice!

    Holy flip that hair on Gene Shalit...

  8. #7

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    There isn't a Tele cult in jazz, there are several people who make them sound great, that's all. There's an arch-top cult in jazz, if anything. Fact is, it doesn't seem to matter at a certain level: if you're a great player, you play whatever you like, and sound great. If you're a mediocre player, no guitar will make you sound better then mediocre.

    This site contains an L5 cult, yet very few of the players we learn from or worship play that model. My feeling on the issue is that the sound is in the hands, since the guitar really is the instrument that you use your hands to play as opposed to keys or a bow or valves, etc. I have a bunch of guitars, all quite different, none particularly noteworthy except for my luthier-made flamenco instruments, and I keep sounding like me no matter which one I grab, whether it's nylon-strung, semi-hollow, solid, electric, acoustic, 6 or 7-string.Making a choice of a Les Paul over a Tele makes a lot of sense for a jazzer, since that Paul was developed for jazz, even though virtually nobody but Les used it for that, with occasional rare exceptions. But its warmth and scale length leads it to the jazz style for some. In my opinion, the way the instrument fits a player's physiognomy is, in the long run, a most important consideration, thus the slowly-growing popularity of ergonomic instruments.

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by ronjazz
    There isn't a Tele cult in jazz, there are several people who make them sound great, that's all..
    i take it you havent seen this thread!!! 26 pages and ever growing...over 150K viewers!

    Telecaster love thread, no Archtops allowed

    no tele cult indeed! hah


    cheers

  10. #9

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    I could not bond with the Telecaster for jazz or anything else. I have been playing with jazz on a Lester for years. IMO, a good Lester makes for a great jazz guitar.

  11. #10

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    I owned a Les Paul Studio once. A very fine guitar. But I always felt like I was playing a fine piece of furniture when I used it, whereas with a Strat or Tele (or archtop) it's like trying to hold onto a writhing snake. It vibrates, it's alive, ALIVE I TELL YOU!!!

    Ahem. YMMV.

  12. #11

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    Nothing wrong with a Les Paul for jazz. As was mentioned, the Wizard of Waukesha (I live 15 miles from Waukesha), did some serious jazz with his Les Pauls until the day he died. Also, Al Di Meola wielded his Les Paul to great effect in his younger days to play jazz and jazz fusion.

  13. #12

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    The Les Paul is one of my favorite sounds in guitars in all genres. I've never been comfortable playing one, however, because of the weight and the size/shape of the body. Ergonomically the Telecaster works better for me for playing when seated, in particular. When seated the Tele also works better than the Stratocaster for me. Standing, however, the Stratocaster is more comfortable but for jazz I don't like the sound as well. I should note that I am 6'3.

  14. #13

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    I've got a 1973 Les Paul Recording - that's a fine jazz guitar. The low impedance pickups are beautiful sounding. I also have a very nice Telecaster, but out of the two guitars the Les Paul IMO is better sounding for jazz. That said, they both inspire me to play in different ways, so I wouldn't part with either of them.

  15. #14

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    Last week at the 2019 Hancock Institute Jazz Guitar Competition, only 3 out of 12 contestants played a hollowbody jazz box. All the rest were tele, Les Paul, 335 or clones.

  16. #15

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    Geez, I only discovered the telecaster as a viable musical instrument last year. Having ignored it... and every other electric as well, for the prior 50+ years. I love the sustain and ease of play. But I can't figure out what the pickup near the bridge is for.

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Neverisky
    But I can't figure out what the pickup near the bridge is for.
    Crank up a small tube and play an open D chord and report back.

  18. #17

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    Les Paul is a great guitar. A P90 equipped one I borrowed from a friend for a time seemed just as well suited for jazz as it did for blues and rock.

    Tele does have that nice bright clarity.

    They're all just guitars. You play them or they play you, or something....

  19. #18

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    I keep thinking I might sell my FrankenTele...I don't play it very much, even though it plays well and is set up for a jazzy tone. My other guitars (ES-135 and Peerless Sunset) get most of my playing time.

    But then I fantasize about that alt-country group I someday want to happen...

    You can't do that stuff with a hollowbody. You need something with some grit and twang.

    So for now I keep the Leo and play it once a month or so just to keep it fresh.

  20. #19

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    Re: teles...

    There's also this sound.



    But honestly...I bet a LP could get pretty dang close. It's alll about what you're comfortable with...if the OP is more comfortable with the LP, by all means that's the guitar he should be playing.

  21. #20

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    I believe anything can be played on anything. Make your own sound.

    There is too much of I have to play -------------- because =========== played one.

    Most of the " sound " is from the player.
    Last edited by BBGuitar; 12-12-2019 at 10:01 PM.

  22. #21

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    I sold my Fender Tele too -- after I got my Nash "Tele"...

  23. #22

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    Another soul saved.

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lobomov
    Funny how 335's are universally accepted but Les Paul's aren't even tho they're pretty similar.

    I guess it an image thing .. not wanting to be associated with this crowd:


    Well he may be famous for the LP but he played the solo on Stairway to Heaven on a Tele...

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    Crank up a small tube and play an open D chord and report back.
    LOL!! VERY True! It'll take your head off. Go into high gain territory, and watch all the Superstrat players hang their heads in shame! Teles are great!
    Last edited by EllenGtrGrl; 12-20-2019 at 10:07 PM.

  26. #25

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    tele cult in jazz?? yeah, sure... i think you'll find Gibson, and it's copies are far more prevalent than any Fender, even after the Frisell and Lage effect hehe