First Jazz rig

[ms80]

I'm brand new to the world of jazz and I'm trying to get an authentic jazz sound.

I'm using a Les Paul copy which I just put D'Addario chromes flatwounds on, and I also recently bought a Roland jazz chorus JC-22. The Les Paul has the Seymour Duncan Jazz/JB humbucker set in it, but I hear the SD Jazz is not really a jazz pickup! I also have some Dunlop jazz III picks.

Please let me know if you think the gear is going to be able to achieve a convincing jazz tone (should I be using a different pickup in the Les Paul?), and any tips you might be able to share about how to set it all up would be helpful.

Thanks!

[Headshot]

You should be fine with that set up. Experiment with your guitar's knobs, EQ settings on the amp, pickup height...this is where most of YOUR sound will come from, with your hands(touch, pick choice, pick attack, etc.) being the final word on final overall "tone".

[Jonathan0996]

I think what you've got will work fine for starters. Your tastes in gear may change as you experiment to find sounds that you like. It's certainly true that picking technique, pickup height and setup can affect your sound as much or more than the gear itself.

I wouldn't get too hung up on having a "jazz" guitar, pickup, amp or pick. Lots of great players with great sound break all the rules and boldly go forth with gear that isn't "jazz" labeled. I urge you to work on on getting the tone you want from your touch. Tone is mostly in your hands. And experiment with the controls on your guitar and amp. Don't worry about the settings that others use. Find your sound. The truth is that most good players don't sound a whole lot different with different gear. I promise you that George Benson can take your guitar and amp and make them sound amazing.

Playing well and sounding good is a lifelong journey and we all have a lot to learn. The best players in the world are always searching. Enjoy the ride.

[Woody Sound]

You didn't mention what gauge strings you're using. To start, try bumping up one grade. (If you've been using 10's, try a set of 11's.) Definitely will get you a bit of a fatter sound, if that's what you want.

[pingu]

1104760[/URL]]You didn't mention what gauge strings you're using. To start, try bumping up one grade. (If you've been using 10's, try a set of 11's.) Definitely will get you a bit of a fatter sound, if that's what you want.

yes .... in my exp
a lot of your sound is about
the strings you use

if the chromes are too bright
try some TI jazz swings 12
they seem expensive but last for ever
so are in fact good value

[Littlemark]

Jazz is VERY broad.

[ms80]

Thanks for all of the feedback. I was able to get a satisfactory sound that I was looking for -- like a "bloop" that sounds closer to a keyboard instrument than a typical guitar sound.

I did end up putting 13s on the guitar and this helped, but so did spending time working with just the hand and the ear.
I also found an Ibanez AFJ91 archtop (amazing value!) so I can put the roundwounds back on the Les Paul.

[citizenk74]

I'm brand new to the world of jazz and I'm trying to get an authentic jazz sound.

I'm using a Les Paul copy which I just put D'Addario chromes flatwounds on, and I also recently bought a Roland jazz chorus JC-22. The Les Paul has the Seymour Duncan Jazz/JB humbucker set in it, but I hear the SD Jazz is not really a jazz pickup! I also have some Dunlop jazz III picks.

Please let me know if you think the gear is going to be able to achieve a convincing jazz tone (should I be using a different pickup in the Les Paul?), and any tips you might be able to share about how to set it all up would be helpful.

Thanks!

[pingu]

Thanks for all of the feedback. I was able to get a satisfactory sound that I was looking for -- like a "bloop" that sounds closer to a keyboard instrument than a typical guitar sound.

I did end up putting 13s on the guitar and this helped, but so did spending time working with just the hand and the ear.
I also found an Ibanez AFJ91 archtop (amazing value!) so I can put the roundwounds back on the Les Paul.

Good man !
I got a single pickup AF81 (nearly the same as yours)
s/h for about £200 a couple of years ago
It had a stock ceramic pickup .... not very nice to my ears
... so I swapped the it out for a nice Alnico3 PAF lowing output type pickup

I'm really really happy with it now
incredible bang for the buck

(Maybe try some TI 12 or 13 jazz swings on it)