Everyone has got their own opinions about which guitars are best for a given genre. Players in jazz music have historically used all kinds of guitars including solid body, hollow body archtop, and semi-hollows. Some have even preferred to go the way of nylon string guitars, although this camp is much smaller. Today, I would like to discuss what I consider to be the best for jazz in terms of electric guitars. Of course, these are some of my personal favorites and it is important to look through options for yourself.

Gibson ES175

 

The Gibson ES175 is often the first choice for many jazz guitar players. Historically, many players from Wes Montgomery to Pat Metheny have used this guitar and it is no wonder why. With its nice round tone and its incredible playability, it has been a favorite for so many jazz guitar players over the years. If you like to play with high gain, however, this might be not be the best option for you. These guitars also tend to be a little bit expensive. 

Gibson L5

Much like the ES175, the L5 is a rather expensive guitar. It’s also fully hollow so it makes a great guitar for jazz, but it is not very versatile. With that said, you would have a pretty tough time trying to find a better jazz guitar than this one. This guitar offers a nice warm sound with punchy mids and has been played by guys like Pat Martino, Wes Montgomery, and even more recent players like John Mayer.

Gibson ES335

Personally, this is one of my favorite guitars out on the market. For a long time, this was the best semi-hollow out there and it’s no secret why. It offers great tone, wonderful playability, and it tends to be a bit more versatile than some of its hollow body counterparts. Because it is semi-hollow, it can handle higher gain situations but it can also provide that wonderful jazz tone we all know and love. That is a win/win for me as I love to solo with a touch of gain. Some notable players are John Scofield, Emily Remler, and BB King.

Fender Telecaster

Telecasters are great and extremely versatile guitars. They can handle anything from country to rock and, yes, jazz. In fact, guys like Ed Bickert and Ted Greene have sworn by these. It is easy to see why so many companies have taken this model and made their own versions of it. The great thing about solid bodies, too, is that they tend to be a bit more affordable than their hollow body counterparts. While hollow body guitars can easily run $4000+, teles and strats can go from $200 for beginner models to $3000+ for some of the higher end stuff. There are plenty of pricing options available which is great. Check price on Amazon

Fender Stratocaster

Much like the telecaster, these guitars have a range of pricing options. Also, much like the telecaster, they are extremely versatile and have been copied by other guitar makers for years. Often known for its blues and rock reputation, Fender Stratocasters can handle jazz, fusion, and more just as easily. Tonally, they can offer the classic “strat spank”, but you can also get a nice warm sound if you roll off the tone knob just a bit and, suddenly, it’s a great jazz guitar! Check price on Amazon

Ibanez AF95

If you absolutely must have that box-y hollow body tone but cannot afford to shell out upward of $3000, this is a great alternative. These Ibanez guitars sound great, play great, and can do the job! I won’t say they are as good as their more expensive counterparts because I would be lying, but if you really want that hollow body sound for less, these are a great buy. I have seen them run between $500 and $750 on the market. As with the other hollow body models, it mostly lends itself to straight-ahead jazz and does not really handle high-gain situations well. Check price on Amazon

Sadowsky SS-15

Having only recently learned about these, I must say I was incredibly impressed when I finally got to play one. Immediately, I fell in love with the tone shape and the playability. It has a wonderful mid-range punch while also providing that classic “box” sound. This is another one of those guitars that tends to fall in the higher price range of about $5000, but I really think this is worth every penny. It has a slimmer body which really gives it a very unique tone color as opposed to some of the bigger hollow body models that Gibson and others make.

D’Angelico Excel EXL1

Here is another great option for those looking for more affordable but still high quality options for hollow body guitars. This model has one SH Johnny Smith Mini-Humbucker in the neck as that tends to be the sound most jazzers go for anyway. In addition to sounding great, it is very comfortable and plays wonderfully. As a quick note, I would also like to recommend their very popular semi-hollow models such as the Kurt Rosenwinkel signature. Check price on Amazon

Eastman AR910CE

Eastman archtop guitars have gained significant popularity in recent years and it is easy to see why. They also offer wonderful guitars for a more affordable price. While this particular model is more expensive, it is still a bit cheaper than some of the bigger names and is worth every penny. In my humble opinion, these can hang with some of the best “boxes” out on the market right now and this one seems to be one of the more popular models. I was lucky enough to play one recently and I was thoroughly impressed.

In conclusion, I hope these have given you some good ideas for your next guitar. Your choice will all depend on what you need out of it. Whether that is versatility, affordability, or a classic sound is entirely up to you, but it is important that you go into making your purchase with these parameters in mind.

 

About the Author

Marc-Andre Seguin is the webmaster, “brains behind” and teacher on JazzGuitarLessons.net, the #1 online resource for learning how to play jazz guitar. He draws from his experience both as a professional jazz guitarist and professional jazz teacher to help thousands of people from all around the world learn the craft of jazz guitar.