Members SuperAmerMetal Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 Hi all,I have never owned a LP style guitar, but I've been thinking about getting one to use for jazz I play at home. I think a flat-top Les Paul Special, humbucker, with flatwound 12s would sound pretty good, no? The closest thing I have ever owned to this was a Es-175 style; I couldn't get used to the thick hollow body. Does anyone have advice on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EllenGtrGrl Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 I say go for it. After all Ed Bickert and Jim Campilongo use Telecasters for jazz. Bill Frisell has used SG Jrs for avant garde jazz, and I think the occasional Lp Special. So yeah, you can use solid bodied guitars for jazz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bjcarl Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 How about a Mike Stern Yamaha Pacifica? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members D Carroll Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 I think some guy named les paul played jazz on one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Faber Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 Jazz is in the player, not the guitar. There are plenty playing strats or teles, hell Joe Pass played a Jaguar (or was that a jazzmaster?) - no reason a LP Special shouldn't work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poolshark Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 ^ Jag. And yes, I think a Les Paul Special could totally work. I had a LP Jr. Special - same thing, but with P100s - and it was pretty dang versatile. Just work your amp settings and tone/volume knobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kayd_mon Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 If it has strings, you can play metal on it. ...oh wait - jazz? Yes, if it has strings, you can play jazz on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elias Graves Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 I agree. Jazz is music, not gear and there are as many styles of jazz as there is rock n roll. You can play jazz with anything. I think a Jr would be a killer jazz guitar. EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members akapuli Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 at home Gigable combination, not only for home. However I would get a mahagony body Gibson with maple top instead of the Special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SuperAmerMetal Posted March 4, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 Sure, you could play any style of music on any kind of guitar, but is the solid mahogany body and humbucker going to be too much with the flatwounds and low treble? Most people who play solid bodies seem to use a telecaster for jazz, not a Les Paul (Les Paul himself aside). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members imbuedblue Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 I think some guy named les paul played jazz on one. I came here to post this. That said, it's all about your own preferences. I cut my teeth playing jazz on a big hollowbody with 14s. These days, I tend to use a Jaguar or a Silvertone 1448 due to comfort. Any guitar will do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jerry_picker Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 I agree. Jazz is music, not gear and there are as many styles of jazz as there is rock n roll. You can play jazz with anything. I think a Jr would be a killer jazz guitar. EG This^^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EllenGtrGrl Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 Sure, you could play any style of music on any kind of guitar, but is the solid mahogany body and humbucker going to be too much with the flatwounds and low treble? Most people who play solid bodies seem to use a telecaster for jazz, not a Les Paul (Les Paul himself aside). Yes and no. You see, those players that use Teles for jazz, often end up either installing a humbucker in the neck position, turning down the tone control, and/or picking up close to the neck, inorder to keep the high end a Tele can have, under control. If anything, the humbucker will mellow out the highs, which is preferred in jazz. Here's a guy bopping out some jazz on a P90 equipped LP Special. If anything, the 'bucker equipped version should sound even mellower. [video=youtube;GQiKTMr6x20] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dabbler Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 Sure, you could play any style of music on any kind of guitar, but is the solid mahogany body and humbucker going to be too much with the flatwounds and low treble? Most people who play solid bodies seem to use a telecaster for jazz, not a Les Paul (Les Paul himself aside). That's only because, as the longest running continuously available solidibody electric guitar, there were more people playing teles, and probably earlier in their lives, someone they admired played a tele. Or maybe, since the LP was out of production for a while, the teles were more plenteous. Or maybe they started playing when they were young and the tele being the cheaper option, they started on one and decided they liked it best! The real reason most jazzers who play solidbodies play teles and not LPs, is because most of them are old and an LP is too heavy for their bad back (or leg if they play sitting down). OK, OK I'm just pokin' fun... ,maybe. But the reality is a tele is the truth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stackabones Posted March 4, 2011 Members Share Posted March 4, 2011 I agree with EG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Darkstorm Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 If you like Les Pauls sound and playability etc then certainly its a good jazz guitar. I prefer SG's over them for jazz and other things, but thats mainly cause Ive never been able to get on with les pauls that well myself compared to SG;s and some others. My fave jazz guitarist is John Mclaughlin from Mahavishnu days and he played doublenecks for most of his career with Mahavishnu. If you want a darker sound Lespaul, just get a all mahogany one rather then one with the maple top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 335 or 339? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MONGOOZ Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 as to single coils and jazz.....Charlie Christian did well with them. and i could be wrong.....but i'm almost positive that i remember Larry Coryell playing a Special back in the 70's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Surfdude Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 I have an LP Special. It has the 490/498 pickups. They are not screaming, high out pickups. The few times that I accidentally play a jazz chord, it does sound real good on the neck pickup. I also used to have a Gibson Explorer with the same pickups. It too, had the flat mahogany body and I could get some good "jazz" sounds out of the neck pickup. I think the LP Special would be a good choice. Surfy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EllenGtrGrl Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 as to single coils and jazz.....Charlie Christian did well with them. and i could be wrong.....but i'm almost positive that i remember Larry Coryell playing a Special back in the 70's. Yes he did. I've seen photos of him playing them in the early 70s. Edit: upon further examination, it turns out that it was a Hagstrom LP copy with humbuckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jimdunk Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 Possibly the best jazz guitar player in the Milwaukee area -- Jack Grassel -- often plays an LP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vmanmurph Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 I have one of these and it is my number 1 guitar. Used the front pickup and back the tone knob back to 7 or 8. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Roscoe2011 Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 I had a Les Paul Special while I studied Jazz back in the mid 1980's1977 with P90's.....To this day I regret selling that guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EllenGtrGrl Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 Possibly the best jazz guitar player in the Milwaukee area -- Jack Grassel -- often plays an LP. Hmmm, I didn't know about him. I may have to go check him out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members epi56ebony Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 Jazz is in the player, not the guitar. There are plenty playing strats or teles, hell Joe Pass played a Jaguar (or was that a jazzmaster?) - no reason a LP Special shouldn't work this answer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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