I was starting to fetishize guitars until I realized I'd be better by focusing on the notes I play instead of the guitar on which I play them. It was liberating, and this video confirms it's fine to not obsess much about guitars.

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Indeed! The most important thing is probably how they feel to play!

@chrisnedbalek2866

Жыл бұрын

You can't do that! That attitude doesn't sell guitars!

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

@@chrisnedbalek2866 😂😂👍

@nicolas.ordialesjuarez

Жыл бұрын

It's the "container culture" (and not the content) in which the actual liberal/globalist system only can be sustained.

@snifty4497

Жыл бұрын

I quite like the feel of playing my Jazzmaster but I’m clueless about tone, amps, and all that. I feel like the best next step for me would be to learn a bit about tone studio (I have a Boss Katana amp)and EQ and stuff like that before figuring out what my next guitar will be. I do drool over semi-hollows though.

Do we need a video on string gauges? That could be another experiment

@dcjway

Жыл бұрын

Yes please.

@Calbertone

Жыл бұрын

They make a massive difference to sound. Martino Benson would sound very different on 8s round. I find that Daddario ej12s have a really defined sound that makes my archtops sound more similar to one another than when stringed with say Thomastik, which are more neutral.

@marcusjansen3904

Жыл бұрын

I think string gauges make a big difference in the acoustic sound. Not so shure with electric amplification? Would be very interested how you think about it.

@paulpmanhowland7818

Жыл бұрын

I was gonna say some things about string gauges actually. I'll save my comments for that video.

@TheElectricfishmusic

Жыл бұрын

Yes!

I agree. The biggest difference among amplified electric guitars tonality is probably between single coils and double coils - all other things being equal. Other KZreadrs have shown how little difference body construction and design makes among electric guitars. One even suggested that how you mike the speakers makes an even greater difference - well demonstrated. There are so many factors involved in getting the tone you want, it is hard to pick just one element. I think it is the player who works with their gear who is the biggest determinant of the tone we hear - at least live. I know I work with my gear until I hear the tone I want. It almost doesn’t matter what guitar I pick up. We guitarists often obsess too much about the wrong things. We should spend more time learning how to play.

@michu6777

Жыл бұрын

Yup, pickups are the biggest factor in a guitar's sound. Scale length also makes a huge difference

@randyzeitman1354

11 ай бұрын

They DO NOT care... any excuse to claim there is a different tone is an excuse to buy more toys.

@raymondarthur5937

11 ай бұрын

Agreed re: single coils vs humbuckers being the only difference that I could really notice. I'm guessing guitar #2 was the Strat. The rest all sound the same to me!

@dappawap

9 ай бұрын

the last jazz gig I did was with a Vantage superstrat with a Floyd Rose it's all sbout pickups

If, as guitarists, we put as much time into actually PRACTICING and PLAYING, as we often spend obsessing about gear, we would all be much better musicians than we are. Speaking from experience, I can certainly attest to this fact. Having a decent guitar that is well set-up and a decent amp, will be fine for most of us... for DECADES, without having to spend a fortune on the "right", "best", "most versatile", or "vintage" guitar we can find. If we focus on the music, not the gear, we'll all be better musicians for it.

@BrianVallotton

Жыл бұрын

Yes, welcome to my world. I love everything about music and I love learning and using new technology, but as a guitar player I have felt the surge of sadness that I have not had my guitar in my hands as often as I could have. I am 62 and whatever time I have here I want to have the guitar in my hands more often. I still enjoy all the subjects around it, but nothing takes the place of fingers on the fretboard! God bless.

@JazzGuitarTS

24 күн бұрын

Holy words!! Just stopped taking care of gear some 20 years ago, after recording an album with inexpensive gear which I found in studio. Just talk about MUSIC not guitars, amps etc. The REAL big change for me was start playing with thumb instead of pick, whatever guitar/amp

@julianharford-taylor5962

18 күн бұрын

Hence the term here in Australia “all the gear with no idea” 😅

I hear pickups, fret buzz, note envelope… Some guitars cripple my playing, others inspire and feel effortless to play. Having played for four decades and owning two dozen or so guitars of heterogeneous design, always glad to see folks pointing out that your FM3 sounds great. ;-) The greats are as susceptible to myth as any of us. Good to see fellow players emphasizing focus on note choice, phrasing, and well, aesthetic choices born of knowledge and skill and not of assumptions. Fun video, Jens! 😊 Cheers all, Daniel

@t3hgir

Жыл бұрын

@@pbajnow I recently got an AxeFX II used and it blows my mind every time... "It's a space station..." - Steve Vai

I grew up in Toronto in the 60’s listening to a great jazz guitarist, Ed Bickert, without even being aware of who he was. He played all sorts of gig’s with a CBC house band that backed many different performers. Being a hard core r&b fan I used to wonder who the guy was playing the white Telecaster. I love the almost delicate precision and tone of his playing. As a Torontonian, I’m so happy that all you jazz cats are making sure that he’ll never be forgotten.

@jaaklucas1329

3 ай бұрын

Nice to hear him mention Lorne Lofsky as well...

Is there such a thing as a Jazz Guitar? and what is it? And what about Amps? kzread.info/dash/bejne/jJ2Mp5aMdLDgZZM.html

@paulpmanhowland7818

Жыл бұрын

Quilter. Before that, Peavey. But I use a pedal style preamp and cab sim solution in to the effects return or recording interface.

Interesting and very truthful video man. For me, if a guitar can play jazz, which with the right settings and tones can be any model really, then it doesn't have to be a guitar that was built specifically for jazz. Cheers man!

This was a great video. The key concept is EQ. I've seen quite a few videos where studio pros talk about guitar recording and they're always really into EQ and how much it changes the sound of the guitar. They are also really into mic placement. I've been working for years on my playing, but completely ignoring these issues. Soon I will start recording myself, and then all of this stuff about EQ, mics, etc., will become my new obsession. There are so many choices, even within one guitar/amp combo without any other processing: pickup switch, tone knobs, volume knobs -- both on guitar and amp -- and stuff like whether I turn the guitar up and the amp down, or the guitar down and the amp up, will make a huge difference. Any one rig can produce a huge range of sounds.

Dear Jens, this is such a great video, not just for learning about tone and guitars, but also learning about your favorite players and other players I was not familiar with. You always keep it classy. Thanks.

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

I choose guitars for a project in order to exploit their differences, not to make them sound alike. String type, fret height, neck width, fretboard radius, how it interacts with amp or DAW, etc. will influence my choice for a particular session. Love the idea of a string comparison video! Round vs flat, nickel vs chrome, expensive vs cheap. Love your videos!

Any style of music is in your fingers from your minds eye. The great innovators of the world, in any form, have always gone against the conventional grain. You sound fantastic and clearly understand the language you speak. Carry on my friend 💪👍😎

This is the perfect demonstration of "tone is in the hands". It's the player, not the gear

This video just confirms my intuition that you should play what you want to play with anything that will stay in tune. I agonized for a long time about how I couldn't get the sound I wanted without a specific guitar. Then I watched Jim Lill's videos and realized that, above a certain threshold, gear does not matter to your sound.

This is a real player perspective! Very similar to pedals - sometimes the "feel" is just as (or more) important than the sound to the player. Your comment about sustain, envelope and dynamics is spot on when adjusting the feel of an overdrive pedal using different clipping solutions! Great video!

Wonderful, thought-provoking video. For jazz, I play an ESP semi-hollow eclipse, one of the early ones with a bolt-on neck (the later Eclipse semis are set neck). The moderate output factory humbuckers are pretty versatile, and I've never had a problem getting jazz tones I like from various profiles on my Kemper. I'm glad that's the case, because its typical ESP playability gives me a lot of confidence tackling technically demanding music, and I don't have to choose between a guitar that sounds like I want and one I can actually play stuff on.

Thanks Jens! I’m fascinated by guitars and have always enjoy this kind of video. I play a lot of tennis. Your video reminded me of a saying I have about the obsessions people have with tennis racquets: “A good tennis player can beat you using a snowshoe”. Jens, I think you’d be able to play great jazz using a using a snowshoe too!

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Haha! Thanks Jim! 🙂

@bjornlangoren3002

Жыл бұрын

Or old tennis racket. How anyone could hit the ball with those tiny heads is amazing.

This was really interesting, Jens. I currently own and play an Eastman 403ce that I bought at a great shop in Summit, NJ, Guitar and Jazz, which is dedicated exclusively to jazz guitars. I played a bunch of more expensive archtops, but went with the 403ce because it didn't break my bank account and it held up against much more expensive guitars. Would I love to own a 175? Absolutely! Will it make me a better player? Probably not as much as watching your videos and practicing everyday on my Eastman. Thank you for always inspiring me, Jens! Cheers from VT!

I really enjoyed this video Jens. I love your sense of humor too! I have a brand new Gibson ES335 arriving Tuesday! I sold a bunch of stuff and can feel good about spending a LOT of money. I am essentially playing three guitars that are pretty distinct from each other. A PRS Custom 24, A Fender Stratocaster Ultra, and now the 335. The Strat is by far the one I reach for the most. We will see if the 335 will become my number one. I play at church, mostly contemporary worship songs. At home I spend a lot of time trying to get those beautiful chord tones you play. I have a long ways to go, but you are always an encouragement. Thanks and God bless you and all you love.

Como siempre Jens, aprendiendo de tus aportaciones. "No oigan con los ojos" ¡qué gran verdad! Saludos y gracias.

@JensLarsen

11 ай бұрын

You are very welcome 🙂

Wonderful video. The Strat sounded great to me, I think about semi hollows and jazz boxes a lot as I branch out into jazz, but maybe I'll just stick with my Strat for now. Really fun editing on this video.

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

It's not the guitar anyway, it is what you play on it. Glad you like the video 🙂

Very intersting comparisons Jens ✅. I play my Gibson ES 137 semi-hollow for gigs and playing with brass and reed instruments as its got a nice mellow but punchy sound. I use a Gibson ES 175 for studio recording, small groups or solo playing where you really can hear that thick warm tone. I never use any pedals these days, EQ or compression. However, I think the main thing is to play an instrument that inspires, has a quality sound and is playable. 95% of the audience can't really tell the difference to be honest.

Such an informative and interesting video that is the perfect medication for the GAS that we may have in pursuing the beloved own tone. The touch also helps which was the constant factor with the same amp. Definitely I will turn the knobs more before deciding that I need a new guitar as I may have my dream guitar in my arsenal 😉

I love the acoustic sound of a good archtop in combination with the neck pickup. In a small to medium setting, this is exactly the sound I like, especially when the player is comping.

thanks Jens. I am playing jazz (amateur level) on a strat, and I was kind of insecure about it. But you help change my mind that it is not a big deal at all.

@JensLarsen

10 ай бұрын

Great! Just go for it 🙂

I remember seeing an article years ago about a jazz session player that used a telecaster for all his sessions. Since he was a working player, it would make sense that the real jazz guitar is the one people pay you money to play.

Beautiful video. The start really has a beauty sound a wide range of tones. I bet almost no one noticed the strat as #2

Great video. It demystified a lot. I think like you. I have some guitars of various models, and with several different pickups, and I realize how much I like them even though they are so different from each other, and that their timbres can be or stay very similar according to how I regulate them. Thanks for the class.

I liked all of them. So much of the tone comes from the hands, so Jens could make almost any guitar sound good.

Jens, it is so nice to watch and listen to your videos. This vid was fun for the switch games but what made it great was how adult and honest you are, not pushing any agenda. You make it feel like I'm talking with a friend. A very good musician friend.

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much 🙂

Jens that bit of shredding on the Strat was awesome. More please😃

Really, really great video. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this so professionally.

It's so cool to see Glenn Fricker refer to Jim Lill, a country musician, and you refer to Glenn, a metal studio engineer. Across all the genres, you all just care about getting the best from the instrument you love.

A jazz guitar is any guitar you play jazz on

Thank you for addressing this! A lot of the sonic differences we work with are indeed very subtle and the 'form factor' of that interface (guitar) is only one aspect among many others. Actually a nice takeaway that one's own personal guitar touch / technique / tone also 'equalizes' the sound of different types of instrument. I have three guitars, mostly to have a variety of pickup sounds on tap and while I stopped to aim to achieve that "official" jazz tone the differences are so subtle - the most audible difference is how a guitar makes you play.

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Glad you like it Jan! Hope you are well! It is nice to have a video to send people when they tell me that I should be playing another guitar because it sounds better 🙂

this was a really interesting video to me! in the blind listen test i had singled out #3 and 5 as having the sound i liked the best, interesting to see what they actually where!

The guitars all sounded good and have workable tones. There were differences in each clip but not enough that I'd say a bit of EQ wouldn't solve that. In a mix they'd work great. Feel-wise, I suspect they'd all bring out different things in the player, especially the scale length difference between 24.75" and 25.5".

You and Glenn are my main guitar KZreadrs! He's got a bit of a potty mouth but it's usually just tough love lol Very interesting that this applies to clean tone as well. Humbucker vs. single coil vs. P90 does make a difference imo, but as far as recording goes, speakers and mics (and mic placement) are the biggest influence on tone.

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Glenn is a lot of fun, and a really nice guy if you meet him!

Thank you for this factual, informative and very useful video. So many myths, so little time to bust! But you are doing a great job. I am getting back into jazz and will definitely follow and learn from you. I think the best takeaway - and most important for those of us acquiring guitars - is that it is not the frequencies, but the feel, and compression, and envelope. Keep up the great work and again, thank you very much!

Awesome video! Reminds me of another video somewhere here on youtube where a guy built two guitars with the same components only difference was one was a solid wood body and the other was a concrete block. Their sound was practically identical.

I play an old 70s Ovation with a chipped tuning head that I bought for $40. Works great

Wonderful video. Thanks for the lesson! So much of a guitar's 'tone' is from the player's hands

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

Thanks for the video, sir! Long time jazz player here. Always wanted an ES-175; simply not in my budget. I have a Yamaha SBG 2000 (similar to your SG1000. I’ve been astounded how the Yamaha with (as you mentioned in this video) an EQ pedal ( Boss GE-7 for me) gets me VERY close to that archetypal jazz sound in my head. Thanks for confirming my experience!

@JensLarsen

9 ай бұрын

My pleasure! 😁

Thanks for all of the content that you make, Jens. Is there any way we could get either lessons, or even just your perspective on the playing of some brilliant albeit lesser known players like Jimmy Wyble, Ted Greene, or Johnny Smith? I appreciate all that you do.

There have been multiple experiments that clearly illustrate that the main sonic component of an electric guitar is (drum roll please)….. THE PICKUPS. From there, as you move from solid to semi hollow to archtop you’ll get less sustain of the intitial pick attack. So an archtop will sound more ‘percussive’ while a solidbody will be smoother overall. I personally love my archtop (w/floating pickup, and electronics mounted in the pickguard), AND I love the ES335 a guitarist brings down for our weekly session. They both sound great. He also brings a Telecaster occasionally, and that too sounds great as does his Strat. I’ve seen people play jazz on ‘pointy’ guitars designed to be ‘metal’ guitars…. as long as you back down the volume a tad and engage the neck pickup, they sound just fine,

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

But would you not expect a bigger difference between the P90 and the humbucker then?

Cool video. I owned a Barney Kessel guitar (fat hollow body) and on gigs always had to be conscious of feedback issues. I traded for a 335 style guitar--much less prone to those issues and the tone is right where I want it

@snifty4497

Жыл бұрын

I’ve never played one and always wondered if those huge beasts are uncomfortable to play?

@janehutchison1063

Жыл бұрын

@@snifty4497 no. They're not uncomfortable to play at all

Very interesting video. For me the feel/ playability of a semi inspires me more than any other design. You can make a guitar sound like any Jazz guitar with choice of pick-ups, amp and tone settings. One guitar is really all I need, playing one becomes parts of you, getting the very best out of it. Also the set-up is crucial for me. I'm luckly in that I'm very practical and have set-up my guitars just how I like them - it's worth learning everything there is to know about set-ups to get it just how like it.

Fun video. I’ve gone through fully hollow, semi hollow, solid body and all types. They all inspire in a different way. I keep coming back to telecasters and Stratocasters but also really enjoy gibsons of all kinds. Man, guitars are just awesome. Each one is unique and a great guitar can inspire a great performance. Cheers.

@michavandam

11 ай бұрын

Funny how you maintain the exact opposite of what Jens Larsen is demonstrating in his video.

The best advice Jens has given me came from when the visual at the start of the video came up saying “New text layer” Such profound advice, it changed the way I think forever, and has greatly influenced my jazz playing.

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Just go with it and see where it takes you 😁

@djsjdh-hoahdi

Жыл бұрын

@official_jensLarsen go away scammer

Fascinating and funny. Ed bickert is about my favorite tone, so so much for hollow bodies. Always wondered how the air in a hollow body affects the sound when the pick up doesn’t interact with the air at all.

@ragingchimera8021

Жыл бұрын

Ed and his Tele were magic.

You have a great Channel great channel for jazz this is the place to be thanks for all your hard work thanks from Alaska

I really loved this video! One of the reasons I first subscribed was because of your 2630. I'm an Ibanez fan (I owned a GB10, AF200 and 2 AS200s), but I'm a real newb when it comes to jazz. My buddy, a fantastic jazz player, (I sold him my GB10) brought his Yamaha SG1000 to last week's Jazz Jam. He played every song on it for about 5 hours. He always sounds great! I've been playing my Orville by Gibson LP Custom at these Jams, so I appreciated your insights about EQ vs. Tone roll-off. I have to think about an EQ solution. I hope you don't mind if I post a link here on Ibanez Collectors World site?👏👍

Excellent video. I suggest that a major factor in the similarity of the sound of those guitars is the talent and experience in the two hands playing them. Call me crazy, but I think accomplished players subconsciously adjust their technique to get a specific desired sound from different guitars. There are limits to this of course but I think it happens.

@BrianVallotton

Жыл бұрын

Very good point!

@AlanThomas-hp3fn

6 күн бұрын

Pretty much. My personal experience neck shape and set up produce different sounds from my guitars. The brand or pickup type not so much. I don't use any pedals just reverb in the amp.

I’m not sure anymore how important the type of guitar is. For the longest time I wanted a good hollow body. But, when I finally got one I wasn’t happy with the position it put me in with the thicker body, so I went back to my first love, semi-hollow guitars. But really, the first time I tried a Telecaster I was able to dial in a pretty decent jazz tone on that guitar also. I guess it’s just personal choice.

Couple of things 1. Which phrase you choose has a big effect on the tone. The 5 guitar blind test used different phrases and I could not pick out the strat. In fact I thought it was #4 because I felt #4 was the brightest. 2. The amount of high end roll off with typical jazz tone seems to mask a lot of tonal differences. In a similar vein, more distortion masks tonal differences coming pre-distortion (in Glenn's case). 3. Loudness is a huge factor in comparisons, psycho-acoustically. And the amount of overdrive the pickup provides to the amp is as well.

Jens, Thank you. This thoughtful and well-executed comparison should really help emphasize that instrument choice really is about three things. In order of importance; 1- Tone is in the practice 2- How a particular instrument “feels” to you is important to “you” and how you may play. 3- Tone is in the practice I have many guitars and nothing makes them sound better than when I emerge from some good wood-shedding sessions.

This experiment confirmed my biases: #3 and #5 clearly stood out as preferable to the rest, and sure enough they were hollow and semi. #2 #4 noticeably thin, with #4 outright annoying. #1 was just "OK". As you said EQ adjustment would maybe go a long way.

@stefangeschke7604

Жыл бұрын

I completely agree. I also thought the third guitar was clearly the best of the five. Which is amazing given the fact that this ES175 has single coils. However, the difference was not so clear in the three guitar comparison. I have an ES175 clone and a semi-hollow, both with humbuckers and identical strings, and sometimes they sound the same to my ear and sometimes they don't. The difference is minimal and probably not at all noticable in a band context.

Very interesting. I was going to point the Strat as the #4, because I heard more of high end in this take. I guess you’re right when you say that our perception is not just related to frequencies we hear but also (and in great extent) with compression and sustain, which influences a lot how the tone is shaped until it reaches our ear. These factors actually act as a kind of Eq by itself.

Appreciate your quest for truth. My first electric was s bass in 70s when gear was way more expensive. It was a good education to try to make it sound like players I loved who had radically different gear. With your skill you could probably make my bass sound close to what you want it to!

Hey Jen’s listened with some studio headphones with my eyes closed when the audio was mismatched up. Got all three guitars nailed perfectly! I guessed correctly later on too haha. I’m a jazz guitarist, and I play with a strat! I love the strat’s sound, and if I play just right, I can get a great jazz sound. It’s not about the guitar, it’s about the player. But . . . I will say I love the sound of a hollowbody the best hahaha great video

One thing that strikes me apart from the bodies is that the P90 sounds the same as the humbuckers. I am one of the ones that your fooled and I love it!

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Yes, I was also super surprised by that! :)

Interesting video. I love this kind of thing. I spend way more time than necessary thinking about stuff like this. I'm definitely gonna watch this again. I bought a Gibson Les Paul last year. That thing sounds great! Especially on the neck pickup. I'm surprised more people don't use them for Jazz.

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it, Paul! It is fun, and also great to have a little variation between all the lessons

@Rexmorgan687

Жыл бұрын

Wanted to piggy back off your comment on Les Pauls. I typ play a solid-body LTD EC-256 (Les Paul Clone) with a couple Seymour-Duncan jazz PUPs. That swap alone helped to really bring out my low-end and deliver a warmer, darker, and clearer tone from my neck PUP. Cost about $100 for the swap at the time but made a $250 guitar sound like $2500. It's a light-weight, wide-necked jazz machine that delights me every time I pick up and plug in. Can't say enough about those Seymour-Duncan jazz PUPs.

@MarkAnderson-iv1zt

Жыл бұрын

I recently bought a Les Paul w/p-90's. I Was able to dial in a sweet jazz tone.

@marciamakesmusic

Жыл бұрын

I used to use a les paul junior with the p90 in the neck, and it has a great jazz sound! The major problem I ran into is that 1) the guitar is just too heavy to be comfortable for me long term, and 2) I don't love the shape of the neck.

@Guitar6ty

Жыл бұрын

Well Les Paul certainly thought his solid body guitars were great for Jazz.

Thanks!! Really interesting comparision!

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

Thank you indeed for putting forward the question and making this video. This has been "the" question scince I started thinking of having an electric guitar for practicing Jazz/blues music. I have focoused on Hollow and semi-hollow guitars and tried to find my most pleasent sound among the ocean of available choices. Among the big names i shortlisted my favorites to Ibanez gb-10, D'angelico Deluxe 59 and Gretsch G6120TG-DS. To me the sound quality of gretsch is very different from Ibanez. Ibanez being sweet while gretsch being twangy(as they name it). D'angelico is a bit in between I guess...

The main thing I think makes the difference between archtop, semi, and solid body has nothing to do with tone or pickups. It's how the body width effects your right hand position and technique. I feel a lot more comfortable and efficient with my right hand technique when playing jazz on an archtop.

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

That is indeed one of the best reasons I have seen in the comments yet 👍🙂

@AlphaTribeBand

Жыл бұрын

@@JensLarsen Thankyou.

@BenKolloch

10 ай бұрын

I agree 100 %!

@FalseNomen

9 ай бұрын

Good point. People tend to focus on the output of the music (how it sounds to the listener) versus on its input (how the guitar feels/reacts to the person playing).

Great video Jens. Keep up the great work.

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Micheal!

Thanks for spotlighting Bossa Antiqua. Was new for me. Fijne dag daar.

Hilarious 🤣 I always say just play what you enjoy playing, and this confirms it

Great video. There is a factor that the sound is also in our fingers....which is why having bought various drive pedals for rock after a couple of weeks I've dialed the same sound out of all of them (even though they are supposed to be different - TS vs Plexi vs Dumble). Maybe our ears draw us to play with a particular sound irrespective of the guitar - or not ??

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Good point!

Very entertaining and informative as well. Thanks Jens. The biggest difference I noticed were the added high harmonics because you went without using your blue scrunchie to mute the strings between the nut and the tuners. Ah ha ha ha ha.........

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Good point! 😂

Great video. It would be a nice to see one about sustain, envelope and dynamics.

It’s a lot like the comparison of stereo equipment. The golden ear audiophile would say he can hear the difference when he upgraded his RCA cables to $1000 Audio Quest cables. 😂. The only thing I’ve found that can really change the sound is replacing the speakers. For guitars, I think it comes down to how it feels. A lot of cheap guitars in the past were horrors to play.

@flogginga_dead_horse4022

Жыл бұрын

This is a big one, audiophiles talk big until you mention blind A/B testing...

The main difference between all these guitars is the way they make us play differently. The sound comes from the fingers. So when you change guitars and you‘d like to get a certain sound then there is an automatic process that makes you adapt your picking to what’s required to get that sound you’re trying to achieve.

I love this, hopefully we can all focus more on our hands rather than gear. Only thing I was able to pick out was the strat and even then it hardly sounded bad for the style.

The conclusion in this video was really stunning, I think. The similarity between the guitars closes the gap on their price point, as well. However, I don't think that this applies to the tone of some budget guitars. I could never get the tone that I wanted from my Epiphone 335 dot - so I replaced the pickups with Low-Wind Lollars and the control harness with a supposed 335 classic - and What A Difference (a day made...🙂). I'm playing through a Henriksen Blu, as well. Now I'm *very* happy with my tone! What this video does is to make me re-think the necessity to get a 175 or something similar.... Thanks, Jens - I love your videos,

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

That was my experience as well with the Sheraton, the cheap pickups lacked definition and were muddy and unclear

Interesting! This video comes at time when I am assessing how often I use each of my guitars. I play blues and a little Jazz. The guitars: Epiphone ES-339 P90 Pro, Ibanez AFC151, Squier Affinity Telecaster and a Yamaha Revstar RS620. I find myself playing the Revstar the most. I almost went down the road of changing out the pickups for less hot output. Then I learned that using active EQ I could dial back the gain ahead of the amp’s preamp, while emphasizing frequencies that get me into the stereotypical jazz tone. Even with round wound strings installed. I also purchased a used Voodoo Labs Giggity which works nicely, but isn’t as handy at switching EQ curves for different tonal qualities for a given piece of music. My Ibanez has the stock pickup which is OK. But it is a floating pickup and it sounds similar to a Telecaster or a bright P90. EQ helps but I found that If I did the old-school trick of rolling back the volume, leaving the tone pot fully “open ,” I was into the “boop” tone territory. Just not as much as the Revstar with the hotter pickups. I also discovered that my cheap Squier was capable of sounding similar to the Ibanez using the volume control as a treble cut and a few tweaks of EQ at the amp. I don’t have large hands. Yet I find the Revstar’s wider nut allows me to cleanly finger chords. The Ibanez nut is as narrow as the Tele.

Apart from being a wonderful musician and educator, Jens is such a gentleman

love we're finally getting your input on this, Jens

@JensLarsen

11 ай бұрын

Glad you like it! 🙂

Thank you for posting this. I also use an Ibanez for Jazz and R &B; this video confirms that my choice is solid. 👍🏾👍🏾😎

Good video Jens. It's down to the player, not the instrument 🎷

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Exactly, Christian!

Jens, I found your experiments and videos fascinating. Thanks for indirectly telling me to practice more and spend less on more guitars chasing a "jazz tone." My wife really appreciates it!

Thank you! I'm going to buy a new electric soon, after having sold my last one for an acoustic many years ago. Out of ignorance, I'd bought into somewhat narrow stereotypes about particular guitars being best-suited to particular genres. As an eclectic player. it's good to see I don't have to limit my options.

Great video. Really enjoyed it.

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Glad to hear it!

Totally agree with you. The eyes do listen, too. Since 1974 I do play electric guitar and I can´t say it often enough: If you close your eyes and can tell exactly which guitar you hear, you are a magician, a guru, a kind of guitar Merlin. Even sometimes one cannot even say, if the song is played on a single coil or on a humbucker. By using additional effect pedals, the situation is even more complicated. I have both: hollowbodies as well als solid bodies and somehow I can produce exactly the same sound with each of these guitars. If you don´t see them you don´t know which one is played. I love your video. Thank you for this.

After listening to your recordings on this video - I'm on board with you on this. Good comparison.

@JensLarsen

10 ай бұрын

Thanks for listening 🙂

The first time I played a 335 I fell in lust. Not a real jazz guitar? So what. I'm not a real jazz player. Perfect match. Great video! Thanks for taking the time.

I am glad I found your videos. I have learned so much.

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Glad you like them!

I very much like to watch your videos which are very informative, not only on guitar techniques but also background information. This comparison is a confirmation on what I personally noticed. As a (jazz) guitarist with almost 50 years of practice I do have sufficient experience both on archtop, hollow as well as solid style guitars. In tone forming a couple of issues you didn’t touch are of utmost importance. For a good comparison I presume on all instruments you sticked to the neck pu’s. But as important as that a lot of tone comes from the left hand. Like where the strings are touched, the type of picks you use. And to start with what type of strings are on the guitar. On each instrument I play (and played), I’m always very much aware of that to get the result I’m looking for. I’m sure that goes for every guitarist, either consciously or unconsciously. The configuration of an archtop guitar for me works the best, as soon it’s in my hands it almost like automatically falls in place. The most difficulty I had was with a Fender Telecaster style guitar. Great tone, but I couldn’t get it right, it always seemed to be out of balance. I always wonder how pop and rock guitarist manage to master their instrument, hanging low on hip level does give a lot a limitations on your left hand I always think…

hahaha punch line: "listen with your ears not eyes" This actually also takes me back to the subject of what pedal or effects machine one might use. A while back when u said at some point your trusted podxt live back in the day couldn't cut it anymore it got me wondering how this could be possible since I also use one but with a strat. hahaha so I went down a rabbit hole to find the perfect jazz patch on the podxt live. and am happy to report I found many alternatives that worked for me in different settings but never found the right patch/ tone. But just one that I settled for as a go-to. Speaking of which did you ever come to this point back then when it was just the pod xt live and your guitar? Coz when am practicing on headphone through the pedal it sounds perfect but sometime when I connect to a PA the sound is very different

Very informative. Greatly appreciated.

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

I love this video and your thoughts Jens. I've compared a lot of guitars (and love them all) and found the biggest factor in getting a 'jazz' sound is how I set up my Henrickson amp (or any other good amp if that's what I happened to own). I wonder how much the jazz sound is a function of the amp versus guitar and my suspicion is the amp can play more of a role. Of course, how well you play is no doubt bigger than amp or guitar so long as the thing is in tune. I've also had a better return putting on good strings (like Thomastik) and getting my guitar 'setup' by a pro seems to make a significant difference compared to the actual type of guitar and think lots of guitars can become jazzers if setup well.

Very interesting video ! Thanks Jens. According to me, as far as tone is concerned, the main factor to consider is the pickup. I play a Yamaha AEX 1500 which has a very warm floating humbucker with a lot of output. I also play a semi acoustic Godin Montreal 2006 and a Guild X-700 archtop. Both of the latter have good humbuckers but nothing to compare with the one on the Yamaha. The body of the guitar has an impact on the tone but for me the pickup is the main player.

This was fascinating. I think modern recording techniques can allow one to alter the sound of the instrument and make it almost impossible to hear the perceived differences between different guitars. This applies almost exclusively to low volume playing and 'clean' tone Once one turns up the gain and distortion kicks in, the differences are even smaller. One also has to appreciate the importance of type and age of the strings being used. New strings sound different compared to older strings. Personally, I find that the type and thickness of the plectrum/pick I use has an important and discernable influence on the sound/tone I'm aiming for and is more important than many people think. And all this is before we get into the interesting and complex area of the acoustic properties of the space one is playing in! People buy with their eyes, but listen with their hearts.

I think different guitars make me interact differently with them. I am a want-to-be Jazz player, and tried to get the sound with all my guitars, including my Charvel, lol. I wasn't happy, so I bought an Ibanez semi hollow with their modified, '58. I instantly was happy with the tone I was getting, especially with my Vibrolux amp. Is it all in my head, yes I am sure that's part of getting the sounds, and why most guitar player, with jobs, have to many guitars. Bottom line to me is pick a guitar that inspires you, If it is a Pink Squire, better yet! Don't underestimate the power of your brain. Very thought inspiring video, thanks!

Love this video! I think that having your amp and signal chain set up for a jazz sound sort of takes the edges off specific guitar tones and you get an emphasis on the common midrange frequencies. Turning things up brings out some of the more extreme individual characteristics; the distorted, bridge pickup Telecaster tones on the first Roy Buchanan album just can't be replicated on anything else, for example...but, on the other hand, there are people who drool over Jimmy Page's Les Paul 'burst' tone on the first Zeppelin album - and he's using a Tele. Thanks, Jens, you're an absolute gem.

@JensLarsen

Жыл бұрын

Thanks! I don't know, I think all styles wants the same sound from an instrument, and that means that the type of guitar becomes less important. Would SRV really sound different on a Tele? I never even knew he used the middle pickup so much.

@slowjammerukdog

Жыл бұрын

@@JensLarsen Hm, maybe, but there are certain sounds that seem to come only from certain guitars, like that 'Lenny', 'Little Wing' Strat neck pickup thing. A Tele doesn't quite have that. I think you're basically right, though - these iconic tones are really the exception. This makes me feel good about the £175 Hagstrom I've been attempting to play jazz on for the past 40-odd years. Sounds gorgeous.

After many years of playing my ES-345, the older stereo models, I got a ‘61 custom SG and found myself happier with the clean tone with my Fender Jazzmaster Ultralight. It just took the right amplifier. I love my Twin but not the weight 😁

The content and experimentation you provided was remarkably enlightening. The player is important, the instrument less so, me thinks!

Jens- unknowingly, I did a similar comparison between my L-5, ES-346, Epi 175 Premium and a Chibson 335 I put Classic 57's into. I recorded an original smooth jazz tune backing track into Cakewalk and then laid down the lead line using the guitars as noted to see which one would sound the best. Damned if they didn't sound nearly identical playing through only a Boss ME-50 for some delay. Nice posting.

I had 1,3,2 for the first round (best to third best), and 1,3,5 as hollow bodies on the second round (2-the strat confused me the most). Really close between the Ibanez and ES175. cool video! Thank you!

That was really interesting! I'm trying to decide between two guitars right now actually and that question was specifically on my mind.

@JensLarsen

9 ай бұрын

Glad it was useful 🙂