Top Jazz Guitars - Special Guitars For A Special Genre

Last Updated: March 7, 2018 In the latest refresh of this jazz guitar article we changed a couple of things. This included removing the Epiphone Broadway, which had become trickier to find, and adding two excellent jazz archtops – the Gretsch G100CE and the Godin 5th Avenue CW (Kingpin II).

Anybody who has ever dabbled in jazz will know that it’s a style of music like no other – and a special kind of music deserves a special kind of guitar! Just like metal guitars or blues guitars are a breed of their own, jazz six-strings are a very specific bunch with unique audio, aesthetic and playability demands. Thankfully, a huge range of choices are open for jazz players, as today’s market is packed with many options – all vying for the title of ‘the best guitar for jazz’. We’ve broken things down for you by laying out a chart of the best jazz models as well as some buying advice to keep things simple. Let’s do it!

Types Of Jazz Guitar

We'll start by jotting down the essential types of jazz six-string. There are three basic types:

• Archtop
• Semi-hollow
• Solid Body

Archtop Jazz Guitars

For most people, when they thing jazz guitars, they think archtop guitars, probably some vintage Gibson model. These six-strings operate as hollow-body instruments, and most commonly utilize the following notable features:

• Arched back and top, not a flat one
• An adjustable bridge that can be positioned in various locations
• F-holes reminiscent to those on violins
• A rear mounted tailpiece
• Stoptail bridge or a Bigsby tremolo
• Neck join position on the 14th fret

Good things about archtops

• Bigger size of the body is a perfect match for some of the players and gives a strong resonance
• The sound is just pure jazz
• Recent market developments have created more budget-friendly archtops with an affordable price

Not so good things about archtops

• Limited tonal variations
• Feedback issues
• Larger body is not for everyone

Semi-Hollow Jazz Guitars

Semi-hollows are an option of many jazz icons out there, and are known for finding their spot in the blues and rock 'n' roll domain as well. Their warm tone is highly prized, but it's a more affordable pricing that also makes them stand out and gain a higher traffic share than archtops. We'll sum up the good and the not so good things about this type of guitars in another rundown. Here goes! Good things about semi-hollow guitars

• Smaller size than archtops, still bigger than solid-body stuff
• More affordable and reasonably priced
• Less feedback than archtops

Not so good things about semi-hollow guitars

• Size still might be too big for some players, and the shape is usually awkward to play while sitting down
• Less tonal options than solid body guitars

Jazz legends who play semi-hollow guitars: John Scofield, Mike Moreno, Emily Remler, Larry Carlton; not a jazz legend, but BB King's Lucille is also a semi-hollow.

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Solid Body Jazz Guitars

Finally, solid body guitars are the third valid option we have. These things are basically what they call "standard" electric guitars, featuring a solid body driven by a mixture of tonewood and electronics. They are smaller, lighter, and highly versatile. So although while they don't have that organic jazz sound, they can cover a lot of sonic ground and incorporate many musical styles. Let's dive right into the good stuff – bad stuff part, shall we? Good stuff

• Light weight
• High sonic versatility
• Zero feedback issues in most cases

Not so good stuff

• Sound can be a bit too much on the rock side
• If you're into looks, this is the least jazz-looking option

Jazz legends who use solid body guitars: John McLaughlin, Al DiMeola, Allan Holdsworth, Mike Stern.

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The Final Word

That wraps it up folks! We hope you found some inspiration from our chart and managed to get a little closer to finding your best guitar for jazz. Now it’s simply a matter of reading some reviews, watching some videos and making a decision! Don’t forget, if this is your first guitar, you’ll need to buy a good amplifier to go with it. If you liked our stuff, you can subscribe to our newsletter for more sensational guitar deals.