Prefer to play Jazz on a Telecaster??

[BFcaster]

I'm not a Jazz guy, per se, but I do love/appreciate guitar Jazz...who can not love Chet or Les, or Adrian Lange, or...dang, maybe I am a jazz guy...Django? Yeah.
Anyway, my Number 1 is a Les Paul with Seth Lover pickups, my Numbers 2 and 3 are Telecasters.
The Les Paul and it's PAF pickups were basically designed to be a solid-body jazz box. The Telecaster was more of a picker's guitar.
Seems the more I hear Jazz that I do like done electrically, it's on a Telecaster, perhaps even more than on a hollow-body jazz box.
I can definitely get Jazz-tones on my Seth Lover PAFs, but it's certainly there on my 52RI (1996) with stock pickups as well. If I had a Tele with Charlie Christians...obviously! The more I pickup my 52RI, go to either the middle or neck position, and start doing Jazz phrasings....I mean it's THERE.
Wish I were better at it...my wife loves it...there is a calming thing going on that takes away the stress of work and such...I digress, sorry.

 

[BFcaster]

My OP was- why does the Telecaster seem to get more Jazz-time than a Les Paul??

 

[4pickupguy]

I have always preferred the higher dynamic range of single coils over HB for most things.
Nothing gets that bridge PAF/plexi thing like a HB but,
I agree. Many famous jazz tele slingers for a reason. Teles can do it all.

 

[BFcaster]

@4pickupguy it kinda seems that way, doesn't it? Tommy Tedesco of the Wrecking Crew kinda proved it! All the classic hits from the 60s done on a Telecaster.

 

[badinfinities]

When it comes to a Tele playing jazz, Ed Bickert is always the first player who comes to mind. Ed had one of my favorite jazz guitar tones of all time.

 

[kuch]

When I attempt to play jazz, my 1st choice is taking my 330 off the wall.....
close second is the mini hum neck pickup on my 52 hotrod tele....

 

[Trenchant63]

My MFD neck pickup in my G&L ASAT is very nice for jazz. Warm and rounded tone but with a touch of single coil glass. Great for chord melody playing.

 

[mschafft]

I find Teles more comfortable when sitting down, which is the position for jazz more often than not...

 

[ruger9]

I have always preferred the higher dynamic range of single coils over HB for most things.
Nothing gets that bridge PAF/plexi thing like a HB but,
I agree. Many famous jazz tele slingers for a reason. Teles can do it all.

 

[badscrew_projects]

When it comes to a Tele playing jazz, Ed Bickert is always the first player who comes to mind. Ed had one of my favorite jazz guitar tones of all time.

Had no idea that this was a Tele...

 

[badscrew_projects]

By no means a good or even average jazz player, I split pretty evenly my jazz practicing between a semi-hollow (John Scofield signature Ibanez) and my Teles. Can't say that I prefer one or another but the Tele certainly isn't in any way inferior. I even think stringing one Tele with flats.

 

[Trenchant63]

I have always preferred the higher dynamic range of single coils over HB for most things.
Nothing gets that bridge PAF/plexi thing like a HB but,
I agree. Many famous jazz tele slingers for a reason. Teles can do it all.

I agree on the single coil’s dynamics. I’ve found the closest match HBs are low output, scooped mids like the Duncan Jazz. Not exactly like a single coil of course but high frequency range and snap and bringing its own kind of warmth. It’s fun to play both types in different situations.

 

[jim232777]

Good question. Tim Lerch (also known for jazz on a Tele) has a youtube video on how to get jazz tone from the solid body guitar, as does Rich Severenson and others. I haven't listed to these in awhile so I can't recall if they discuss Tele vs. LP. I remember Sandra Sherman doing a "best solidbody for jazz" video where she compared LP, Strat, Tele, and a PRS. She keyed into the sound and thehumbucker pickups, and put the Fenders last (Tele #4 as I recall).

Tim, on the other hand, has demonstrated many different pickups over the years, using Telecasters as the platform. Somewhere there is video (maybe an interview?) of him telling why he likes Teles; obviously it's not just about the pickup to him. I may also remember a statement from Bickert on why Telecasters, but I could be confusing it with the Lerch video.

I hope this doesn't prompt me to spend hours hunting up these videos and all the "follow up" suggested videos!

 

[jim232777]

My MFD neck pickup in my G&L ASAT is very nice for jazz. Warm and rounded tone but with a touch of single coil glass. Great for chord melody playing.

I've heard good things about those MFD pups. One of these days I'm going to find a G&L to try out.

 

[ElvisNixon]

I also prefer a good Tele for jazz. Especially Wes Montgomery, Django and T-Bone Walker (if you consider him jazz).

 

[Martian]

Ted Green. Give him a listen. I don’t think there’s a better tone for that type of music.

 

[black_doug]

I'm not a Jazz guy, per se, but I do love/appreciate guitar Jazz...who can not love Chet or Les, or Adrian Lange, or...dang, maybe I am a jazz guy...Django? Yeah.
Anyway, my Number 1 is a Les Paul with Seth Lover pickups, my Numbers 2 and 3 are Telecasters.
The Les Paul and it's PAF pickups were basically designed to be a solid-body jazz box. The Telecaster was more of a picker's guitar.
Seems the more I hear Jazz that I do like done electrically, it's on a Telecaster, perhaps even more than on a hollow-body jazz box.
I can definitely get Jazz-tones on my Seth Lover PAFs, but it's certainly there on my 52RI (1996) with stock pickups as well. If I had a Tele with Charlie Christians...obviously! The more I pickup my 52RI, go to either the middle or neck position, and start doing Jazz phrasings....I mean it's THERE.
Wish I were better at it...my wife loves it...there is a calming thing going on that takes away the stress of work and such...I digress, sorry.

Ed Bickert’s Tele has a Gibson PAF in the neck position.

 

[Pcs264]

Most of my electric playing for almost 25 years has been with a jazz quartet (bass, drums, tenor sax, guitar). I've owned & played 4 Gibsons (an L5 Wes Montgomery, a Les Paul and 2 different ES-335s). All fine guitars, but the Tele in my photo is head & shoulders the best sounding, most versatile and most comfortable of them all. Surprised me too.

 

[brookdalebill]

I absolutely love TV Jones Supertron pickups for a neck humbucker.
They’re clear, full and quiet.
They reside in my four busiest guitars.
They’re not as warm as a PAF type, but I greatly prefer them.

 

[badscrew_projects]

Maybe the one thing preventing me from bringing my teles to the jazz jams/open mikes is that they look very un-jazz like

(I know, that's stupid but avoiding being vibed by jazz nazis makes my life simpler. Already, I don't play that well, don't need more reasons to be looked weird at )