Do You Need a Jazz Guitar to Play Jazz?

In order to answer this question the best way, we really have to talk about what a Jazz guitar really is. Strangely enough, the answer to this question will vary wildly depending on who you’re asking. Jazz is one of those genres of music where a large variety of artists use equally as a large variety of instruments to achieve a similar effect.

Their methods and style are both very personal, and naturally they will speak in favor of their take on jazz. A jazz guitar can really be just about anything with a neck and a pickup. The finer distinction comes in when you start talking about specific tone qualities.

Our main goal today is to go into the world of jazz and try to figure out what a jazz guitar is, and do you need one to play jazz. As a word of warning, our opinions probably won’t align with what each and every reader just like you thinks about this subject. There is no one true answer in this game, and that is actually one of the beauties of jazz.

Do You Really Need A Jazz Guitar To Play Jazz?

When you talk about jazz music, you’re probably imagining a dimly lit room full of smoke. The band on stage is dressed in borderline formal clothing, and they are wielding some pretty interesting looking instruments. The epitome of jazz, in terms of appearances, is a mysterious looking guitar player sporting a semi-hollow guitar. Next logical question would be whether or not the semi-hollow guitar is the holy grail of jazz? After all, it has that jazz vibe especially tone wise. Again, for some it is, for others it isn’t.

You will find a lot of great jazz players using solid body guitars. The selection here is fairly limited because you definitely won’t get the necessary range of sound from just about any axe on the market. We can name a Telecaster with humbuckers as a great example of what some of the more popular jazz players like to use. This guitar has enough tonal potential to meet and exceed the requirements of jazz music in hands of a capable player.

Others will stick to semi-hollows or even hollow guitars. Their reasoning is that these two types of electric guitars have the best resonance and tonal range for jazz, period. What they are forgetting is that not everyone finds that shape comfortable, nor the sound too appealing.

So what is the perfect jazz guitar then? If we completely disregard personal preference and playing styles, it’s fair to say that a perfect jazz guitar will be the one that was custom made for you. Anytime we’re talking about custom made instruments, you know that the price becomes an issue, at least for some. You will want to get your instrument made by the best luthier you can find, and that costs a decent amount of money.

Not only that, but you don’t get to test the guitar before you purchase it. This brings a lot of uncertainty into the whole process. You definitely wouldn’t want to front that kind of money, only to find out that you don’t really like the guitar. However, if everything goes smooth, you will end up with a perfect jazz guitar, for you. That last part of the sentence is really important.

The fact that there’s a lot more to playing jazz than the perfect sound makes it very clear that you definitely don’t need a jazz guitar to play jazz. Comfort is a very big factor. If you can’t play the instrument comfortably, nothing else really matters that much. This is an issue a decent amount of jazz players have with semi-hollow and hollow guitars. They are large and have a pretty unusual shape that is just not for everyone. If you’re currently shopping for a jazz guitar, you should definitely check out our shopping guide ‘Jazz Guitar Shopping Guide – What To Look For‘. It contains some tips and advice that you will definitely find helpful if you’ve never dealt with jazz guitars before.

Conclusion

If there’s one thing you should take away from this article, is not to be swayed into purchasing a guitar purely based on what other jazz players tell you. They have found their own perfect jazz guitar, and some of them don’t realize what works for them won’t work for others.

Purchasing a jazz guitar is a very personal thing. Unlike other guitars, a jazz guitar needs to meet a lot more subtle criteria and have some attributes not many guitars have to offer. Just don’t think that you have to sink in thousands of dollars into a semi-hollow guitar because that’s what someone else is using. That’s a great way to set yourself up for trouble later down the road.

With all that stuff out of the way, feel free to check out our list of Best Jazz Guitars on the market.