🔴JAZZ GUITAR SHOOTOUT 🎸Archtop vs Semi Vs Tele 🎸 Which sort is best at getting a good jazz tone?
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- 🎵What type of guitar is best for playing jazz guitar on? In this video I play the same musical examples on different types of guitars. Using the following:
🔴 A Gibson L5
⚫️ A Gibson Es 355
🔴 A Telecaster with a rosewood neck and Charlie Christian pickup
⚫️ A Telecaster with a maple neck and standard pickups.
👍Enjoy the video and see you every Wednesday and Saturday for jazz guitar lessons
🔔SUBSCRIBE: For jazz guitar lessons every Wednesday and Saturday. Don't forget to hit the notification bell to be informed of my next video. / @jazzguitarwithandy
❤️️COMMENT: If you've gained value out of today's video or have any questions or comments then please leave them below and I will get back to you.
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The jazz box is perfect, but the second telecaster was probably my next favorite
I agree! So surprised that the single coil Telecaster sounded better than the humbucker Tele
Absolutely the same
If I only had to have one guitar for pop, rock, country and jazz. The telecaster wins it!
I agree for having one guitar to cover so many genres!
Even metal !
Hi guys, just re-uploaded this and did the best I could with the volume. Apologies! Andy
Those are all lovely guitars. Hard to beat the L5 for jazz. But I'm a tele person. I just think Telecasters are so comfortable to play... and that neck pickup actually works pretty well for jazz, to my ears.
I'm with you on how comfortable Teles are to play.
Specially the one with the Humbucker...I like it also
That L5 sounds amazing. But I know what you mean about the Teles being playable and comfortable. Good comparisons!
Thanks Tito. You can't beat a good Tele!
The L5 kills them all..
Love all those guitars, but the truth is the truth
@@patrickevelyn8028 L5 is a killer guitar...but bigger flatwounds account for much of the difference in tone
@@RickMcCargar Understood
L5 streets ahead but the most expensive. A decent archtop wins the day in my book. Great video.
I think if you want quintessential jazz tone, then it's the archtop. I think people are more open to solid body guitars being used for jazz these days. A lot of my very recordings will all be on archtop though!
This comment is streets ahead!
streets ahead caught on? nice
I liked them all, but for me, the L5 won hands down.
They all sound great. It all depends on what kind of sound you may like best. I have always loved the soft fat sound, so I would choose the L5, beautiful mellow sound.
And this is exactly why I have four telecasters and two large arch top jazz style guitars….!
Thanks for the video…🙏🏻
You sound like a man of good taste Jeff 😎
@@jazzguitarwithandy
Ha ha ha.. Thanks..🎶❤️❤️🎶
Both the 335 and tele can darken up nearly as much as the L5 if you want. Those tone knobs really make a huge difference on a tele and 335. I'm thinking of selling my es 339 and just keeping my tele lately
Yes. And if *that* is as much as the L5 can brighten up, I don’t think I could justify buying one.
That tele with tone rolled off just a bit is exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks for the vid!
Thanks for watching
Definitely the L5, then the rosewood tele, the other tele, then the Gibson semi-hollow body. My 2 cents. Thank you for the videos.
Thanks for watching Nicholas!
355 all the way for jazz. sounded fullest, fatter, warmer...just perfect. Loved the snappyness of the teles but the 355 just had "it".
I love the L5 thick, warm tone. But it really depends on the application and context for the song and overall vibe you're after.
Greatly preferred the 355, more present and assertive, though the archtop was nice and woody. Teles work fine for jazz, just ask Bill Frisell.
There's a 4th one that might also work, a Classical Guitar w/ Nylon Strings
L5 may win when considering strictly only jazz, but to me the rosewood tele sounded a more versatile out of all these.
I liked the cobra blue tele 😩 it feels warm but also bright but also not too over powering in the sound 😩😩 you can just change the tone with your fingers and whatever. 💖💖 lovely video m8
I’d have to go with the 335 in this comparison. I love fully hollow guitars, but the L5 tone in this example is way too dark for my taste.
I ended up selling it for that reason!
Semi flatwounds on the tele could give it even more of a warmer tone. Great vid. Its appreciated! I thought the roeswood would be a touch warmer with that CC's. But the second Tele... Like Butter
Interesting idea Jason. Might try that. That green tele has such a killer jazz tone, so much so, I'm going to sell my other tele!
Thank you for this video! It makes me give up buying an expensive archtop and practice more for now :)
No problem Andrew :)
Seemed to me the tele's handled rhythm best, there is clarity and definition that I thought bested the gibsons, but when it came to single lines the 335 blew the others away. However, at least one commenter mentioned there are lots of controls to factor in and you kept the same settings
Yes, figured it was easier to keep the controls the same. I suppose I could've set it to get what I thought is the best jazz tone for each instrument. Maybe in a future video!
Outstanding video! love the clarity on the tele with charlie christian pickup. But Wow i want an L5 😁
I really love that CC pickup - it's so clear.
Tele + CC PU's
Top Top
I like !!!
The tele breaks my heart. The neck in a tele is my absolute fav jazz sound and that wasnt even compared lol tough toenails for me
2016 Tele sounds the best, it has the clearest tone. But I think you need to mic the acoustic part of the L5 to really get the sound of that guitar.
I have to agree with you, that tele had a great jazz tone. I'm sure the pickup was key to that.
Things got progressively brighter especially between the L5 and the 355.
So an Affinity Tele with a noiseless neck pickup. Sort of a reverse Esquier Squier. Got it!
Thanks!
Interesting comparison. As presented, I'd take the L5 over the rest, no matter what is being played, although I would not use flat wound strings as a matter of personal preference. I also practice on my tele (actually, a G&L ASAT Classic, maple fret board, round wound 10s), purely because my situation requires playing over headphones, so it's the quietest option. My preference (for jazz, at any rate) would be my Eastman AR580CE, ebony fret board, round wound 12s) but again, I need to be really quiet in my practice space. My all-round gigging guitar is a Gibson ES175, rosewood neck, round wound 12s, because I can switch between rock and jazz fairly simply on it. I'd bet all of the models shown could work equally well in any of the examples, given a tonal tweak.
I've actually just purchased some Thomastik bebop round wound strings to try on the L5. I've always defaulted to flats on an archtop, but time to try something else. What brand do you use on the 175?
@@jazzguitarwithandy I usually use Elixir Nanoweb Heavys (12 - 52). They're inexpensive compared to the Thomastiks, but as I'm retired now I pinch the occasional penny. I'd love to know how the Thomastiks work out. Perhaps a shootout video? Due to my skin chemistry, I tend to go through strings fast, and to my ears flat wounds sound dead from the get-go. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.
I guess we need to define jazz tone. Maybe by player Wes, Lage, Frisell, Sco… are top players to me and none have a dark tone. Same with Tim Lerch. All this said, the clarity, versatility and note bloom of a telecaster is my preference.
L5 if you can get it. But Rosewood baby! Solid mids & lows, but no mud. Like a mountain. Wow.
actually the teles sound much brighter in this video, to put them in comparison with the great L5, and 355
Canadian jazz guitarist Lorne Lofsky uses a strat style guitar with Duncan cool rails pickups. He gets a superb jazz tone. The Tele is so versatile and gets a really decent jazz tone from the neck pickup. At higher volume levels you won`t have to deal with potential feedback issues like you might from a full hollow body.
Very true re the feedback.
All very functional, but the L5 has the best jazz tone of the bunch to me.
It's the most traditional jazz tone out of those guitars
nice comparison, cheers for that! i agree the L5 is the quintessential jazz sound.
I'm a tele and 335 player, but right now I'd take the L5 hands down!
The L5 and then the rest. Jazz can sound good with almost any guitar, even an Acoustic. However, old school guys (like me) will pick the L5 every time.
I like the 355 best, because I like the chime that it has. The rosewood Tele has a bit too much chime, but that is such a one-off non-traditional Tele and Julian Lage, for one, has firmly established the Tele as suitable for jazz, not that it was even necessary. L5s are really the guitar that was used to establish the "jazz tone" which is why it sounds most like itself. On that note, John Scofield is my favorite current jazz guitarist ( no one is replacing Wes or Grant Green) and he uses a 335 style guitar primarily for his non L5 tone.
Have you ever tried a 330 style guitar for jazz?
@@jazzguitarwithandy Yes. I played one briefly for a while in a music store, but I couldn't afford it. I haven't forgotten the experience. I am still considering it 3 years later.
For me the L5 was the star of this great jazz guitar show...but in my real world, where finance and the need to practice mostly with headphones are paramount, my Tele with flatwounds does a great job, sounding good and comfortable to play. Your comparison is fantastic though and much appreciated: the L5 with the Bossa style sounded particularly spot on to my ear...gorgeous.
The Tele is my favourite solid body for playing jazz. What flats are you using on it?
@@jazzguitarwithandy: Picato Chrometape Flatwound 11 - 50 (sometimes I might beef up the top E to a 12) - about £15 a set. Good to hear the Tele/Jazz combo affirmation from such a good jazz player as yourself Andy.
I thought I'd add that I have a Bloodstone 5-way switch mod - adds “dark tone” in position 4 and series/humbucker mode in position 5: this position 5 is close to a humbucker and works well for a 'jazz' sound on the the Tele imho/fwiw. Cheers.
Last tele sounds pretty damn good
Love a good tele!
The telecaster's strings maybe not adequatet for jazz tone
I prefer 0.11 or 0.12 flat
Beautiful guitars !
Thanks!
I agree. I've since change to 11s and much happier!
I put together a Telecaster with a TV Jones Starwood pickup in the neck. I recently put on a set on Thomastik flatwounds (11’s). It really give me that warmer jazzier tone. It is not a jazz box mind you ,,, but does the job well.
I can imagine that works really well.
Semi for the best of all worlds. Very well balanced.
Thanks - pretty helped me decide that a telecaster is not the best for warm mellow jazz sounds - great comparison. first gtar is the warmest
They can be good jazz guitars, but for me the best is a fully hollow bodied guitar.
I like the seafoam green telecaster the best
The guitars are all lovely but the strap is just stunning!
A good guitar deserves a decent strap!
Further to an earlier comment I mentioned that the 335 cut thru in solo lines while the fenders sounded thin and I felt it necessary to add that they were all using the same controls. I point this out because guitar being an accompanying instrument as well as solo the player will naturally set up differently for solo. Hence it would be valuable to find each guitar's best solo setting. Still great vid especially for a guy who owns a 335.
Yes - definitely a fair point - I might remake this video along those lines one day! Although I have different guitars now 😂
That Tele single coil stood up remarkably well, whilst the humbucker didn’t feel right for jazz
Thanks for the comment Richard. I really like single coils for jazz, they have a bit more character to my ears.
Tough they all sound great, the big jazz box is the best for that music style.
It sure is
Put a thick dark sounding neck pickup on a Telecaster (or Strat) and you get a great jazz tone without the boominess problems of an archtop. The way you set up the amp is also key. There's a great video of Julian Lage playing atonal jazz on a strat in a guitar shop and it sounds great.
Very true re boominess.
A 4 way switch and roll down tone and vol a bit, is the best jazz sound I get from my tele
I love 335 style bodies but I’ve never been a fan of the standard hum buckers in them. I have two. A Dot with Filtertrons, and a new Eastman 335 with Phat Kat P90s. It makes all the difference.
This guitar has Gibson classic 57s in them. I think p90s in it would be a good move.
I bought a Sheraton that’s just an absolute beauty but I keep on coming back to my good old Tele even for jazzy parts.
Sounds great and very comfy to play.
If only it was 2.5lbs lighter it would be absolutely perfect (the Thinline nails it)
My first semi was a sheraton in natural. I really miss that guitar, they are incredible value for money.
@@jazzguitarwithandy mine is in natural too 😍
@@jazzguitarwithandy for the anecdote, it was a steal. Bought it used €350 (USD300) for a Korean made in near perfect condition. I stopped on a parking lot shortly after to take a closer look at the beast. A guitarist walked by and offered me 400 for it (to which of course I said no) so I guess it was a good deal 🤣.
The L5 is a gorgeous sound. Easily the best.
It really is!
The L5 by a life time ahead of the other guitars then the tele ultra.
L5 is sweet but too bulky for comfort, Tele's also excellent but can get a little heavy if you are standing for two hours. I don't think there is much between the L5 and the 355 but, for playing, I prefer the semi-hollow which is more versatile, provides a classic jazz tone and offers beautiful playability and comfort.
Pretty nice comparison mate! I love teles, but have struggled a long time with mine (maple and single coils). I believe that a Tele with the F hole and a good humbucker on the neck gets better results and can be very versatile. The L5 gets the most famous jazz tone, but I personally find Archtop guitars ver uncomfortable. Anyway I believe that tone is a very personal aspect.
You’re right tone is so very personal.
I love my Rosewood Tele for jazz, my Ultra is a comfortable guitar to play, but is likely to get sold next year!
honestly i want a es 335 just for looks. but the telecaster tone is what i want
335 is the coolest looking guitar!
A comparison with a Telecaster Thinline would interesting since their somewhat of a semi-hallow design.
Yes, I agree. I'd love to have one. Would love to compare one to my two teles. Also to see how one stands up against the 355 and archtop.
@@jazzguitarwithandy I forgot to mention, the CC pickup sounds like a good match for the tele neck pickup. Love your presentations too.
Thanks Steve. Yes, I think they are a perfect match 👌
I don't think so, I had a Thinline and regular Telly and the main difference was as intended: The Thinline was lighter. Remember, that was the primary reason why they added the F hole.
Damn bro the full hollow body is amazing
Excellent video! Thank you! the L5.....heavenly (insert drooling emoji)
Thank you - I ended up having to sell that guitar :(
If you own a L5 ( mine is a 74) , then you already know the others are close but not really it. L5 has been used for jazz now for almost 75 years , and there have been lots of imitators and custom builders as a testiment to its greatness and versatility. That being said its expensive to find one in great condition, or in any condition. Its nice to hear some examples of guitars that come close. but a much reduced price point, But nevertheless. a L5 thru a tube amp is the benchmark sound of the jazz guitar. Good video, like that you played clear and consistent examples
I agree re the L5. It's the quintessential jazz tone and although semis and solids can give good tones, for me they miss that hollow body depth. Incidentally, I sold my '77 for a Super V. What colour is your L5?
All fine. Just pick one. L5 is that jazz body tone but is a one trick pony. 335 is prob most versatile. Doesn’t matter that much
Appreciate the comparisons, and for the money, I prefer the rosewood tele. For a value jazz box, I'd go for hollow body Ibanez artcore.
Hi Daniel, thanks for the comment. I haven't had a chance to play one of those, is that 2 humbucker model?
@@jazzguitarwithandy Oops, missed you comment Andy. Yes, my two favorite Ibanez Artcore guitars come with humbuckers, and they are the AF95 (single cutaway, hollow body), and the AS93FM (semi-hollow, double cutaway). Then my other favorite is the Epiphone Sheraton-II Pro (semi-hollow, double cutaway).
Liked the 355 the best 👍
Depends on the style and sound you're looking for. I had a 69 Tele, a 335 and I have also a Gibson L5, which I love very much. If you like this very dark and deep Jazz sound the L5 is in my opinion simply the best Jazz guitar for ever. But I also like players like Mike Stern and John Scofield. So if you are open for a more modern Jazz & Fusion sound, maybe with a little overdrive, delay or chorus, a Tele or a 335 could exactly be the things you're looking for.
Yes and the genre of jazz to be played on it.
Ted Greene was the king of jazz tone with an Esquire and dimarzio humbucker but all these lack the thunk of an ES-175
I liked the red one the most
300 likes? come on, let's make it 300 thousand! Really useful video. L5 is the coolest one )
Thanks! I might have to make a follow up style video.
@@jazzguitarwithandy cool, because many reviewers do not understand that for the audience is necessary to divide "talking part" from "playing", otherwise they will scroll it a few times and skip it )
After a lot of bellyaching I sold my Godin 5th Avenue, kept my G&L ASAT and bought an MIM tele to run experiments on. I could really only hear the amp at neighbor complaint levels above the archtop’s own acoustic sound (which wasn’t as appealing as the acoustic sound from my 000 style guitar) whereas the T styles are ready to give good jazzy sounds at any volume through my setup. I only play at home, so I couldn’t justify keeping the archtop around. If I were a better player and gigging I would totally spring for an archtop instrument, as it is a unique feel and sound.
I get what you mean re practicing arch tops at home. I now have an acoustic archtop and that is my go to practice guitar.
@@jazzguitarwithandy Yeah it sucked to let mine go, but now I have something to tinker with that I won’t feel so precious about so it’s all good. Hopefully I get to a place where I can justify a more expensive archtop. It would be interesting to see you try a G&L with MFDs one of these days. Very modern, but I think there’s something there for the jazz player. Kind of like tele/strat/P90 pickups rolled into one.
Very usefully video thanks. L5 then rosewood tele, to my ear
Gotta say the L5 aswell!
Good choice!
You can hear and feel the hollow 17" body of the L5 which a semi or tele can't really deliver. I made the experience the louder the musical environment the more difficult to keep the sweetness and warmth of tone. Thats the point where semis and tele rules the stage.
Definitely. Playing an archtop at high volumes is never as sweet.
I felt the archtop was a bit too muffled for my tastes in most of the chording scenarios, but I did like it for the single-line work. The 335 was my favourite in most cases, except for the funky-style chording you did where it sounded a bit harsh. Didn't care much for the teles, to be honest, especially the blue one, which sounded really thin and weak to my ear. Thanks for the video - I'm actually trying to make up my mind between a tele-style or 335-style right at this moment (or whether just to stick with my archtop).
Teles really need heavy gauge strings to get thick enough for jazz. Anything under 12s or 13s, teles are too twangy. And I think if he had roundwound strings on the archtop it would’ve sounded better compared to the others
I've actually changed to round wounds n the archtop since I made this video. I much prefer the tone nowadays! Much more defined and richer than flats.
Totally agree with this comment
I’ve got a tele and was trying to decide on a jazz box and I like the 335.
Very versatile. Also, check out the 330 or 330 style guitars. They work great for jazz.
Ok - still learning and not very good yet… but I love the sound I get from my Aria Strat, using neck and middle, with the tone backed off a touch and playing through an emulated AC30, with a touch of reverb. The guitars help - but a large part of that sound comes out of your signal chain - and most of the remainder comes from you being comfortable with your instrument; if the instrument sings with you… you’re good to go!
Couldn't agree more!
I liked the L5 most.
wow. i need the american ultra telecaster . jesus. it sounds incredible
I liked the tele neck pickup and the CCR pickup the best. those sounded the clearest to my ears without too much treble. Don't get me wrong L5 and 335 tone was great. the two humbucker guitars sounded too bassy for me. I think my preferences were shaped because of the Joe Pass Virtuoso albums. the first jazz song I heard of was his version of all the things you are. His guitar tone on that album was bright and articulate unlike the sound of an L5 or a 335.
It's funny how a song really leaves a lasting impression of what a guitar should sound like. One for me is Barney Kessel's tone on 'Cry me a River' with Julie London.
Thank you very much Andy. I bought a Creamery CC too 🤗 on your suggestion. Great Pickup. Thank you
Glad you like it! I'm really loving it so far.
L 5 by far! For the same reasons you mentioned
Iconic tone on those guitars.
For me, it’s the 335. Not too dark, not too bright, just right
THANKS! Bossa Nova 2/4
I feel like for most the guitars except the L5 it would sound better to knock the tone down a lil for the rhythm
For a lot of it, lead and a lot of the Latin stuff they all sounded great tho
I liked the 355 best!!!
*checks Sweetwater, sees price*
The guitar I already own is ok!!!!!
They are ridiculously priced these days. I got mine second hand and don’t think in like justify the full price!
I prefer the sound of the telecaster with the rosewood neck.
It's a great tele!
That was a useful video, I will be looking for an arch top guitar now and nothing else, the Tele guitars have such a harsh thin tone, maybe for practise for you, but not for me. Thanks for doing the video.
I think arch tops are the quintessential jazz tone - nothing quite gets to the full tone that you get. Other guitars can make great jazz guitars, but there's just something about an archtop.
The L5 for me
I prefer the 335 and the regular, single coil Telecaster
The L-5 for Samba and single note with plectrum. Surprisingly the rest I give to the Ultra with the Rosewood Tele a close second. The 335 was blech.
Hi Joe, I do wonder how much difference the rosewood vs maple neck/fingerboard makes on both of those. I feel a bit blech towards the 355 right now, it's definitely in need of a good set up.
Give me a thinline semi-hollow or hollow, but with P-90 pickup(s). An ES-330 with on P-90 would be perfect, but they are expensive if you go vintage (~$5K). An inexpensive model, like a Grote for under $200- works too!
I'd love a 330. They are wonderful guitars.
I find the MFD pickups G&L use in their ASATs (their T-type model) are great for cutting cleans
they're great pickups. I considered buying a Fender Telecaster and swapping out the pickups for MFDs.
Do you mean the asat classic pickups? I like them a lot too :))
The L5 is absolutely the best and the reference. But is friggin expensive. I have a Gibson ES335, and I think is a good workout, not the L5 of course. I am curious about the Teles. Definitely the one with the humbucker is comparable with the other. The single coil neck is too quiet even though is not that bad.
Interesting comparison.
The Tele with the Charlie Christian pickup is such a great pickup. I got rid of the blue Tele in the end and replaced it with a jazzmaster. I might remake this video for another comparison
It is, as always, a matter of preference. I do really love the archtop sound (the ES 175 is my total fav), but the telecaster is one of the most versatile (and confy, totally agree) things ever, the neck single coil is amazing for jazz, and you could always swap it for a humbucker or a p90 if you want a warmer sound. Besides, the issue with archtops and semis is the body length, that's why I love my Ibanez AG85 archtop, which is a bit smaller and a bit narrower. The 335 sound is great, but as I said, too big... and the ES 339 feels like lacks something. It's not a bad guitar of course, but not for me. Maybe the 72' Thinline could be like "the middle ground" thing for a semihollow? Sorry if I made mistakes, English isn't my mother language, Thanks for sharing Andy, hugs from Spain!
You're English is great! Much better than my Spanish!
@@jazzguitarwithandy Thanks 🤣
I can get great jazz tone from Suhr Alt t pro (semi-hollow) with Thornbucker PUs. I hope someday I will get an L5 :) Cheers!
I've never had the chance to play a Suhr. Heard great things about them though.
I'd have to go with the 335.
Tele with the CC was my winner
That guitar has a killer tone.
To me is 1th the 335 Gibson, close but 2nd the L5 (only better in Latin Rythme to my ears), 3rd the Tele with tehe Creamery pickup, and far from the others, the Ultra Tele
The tele with cc pickup has the more potencial for me
L5, clear winner.