You can describe a jazz guitar by the jazzy sound it produces there are so many varieties available. The Jazz music has different styles and each style has other various forms of guitars available to. There are also options available in different budgets which are almost the vintages one that might cost you a whole fortune. But also, some best jazz electric guitars are available under $500-$1,000.
There are 3 different types of Jazz guitar which determine the skills of a guitarist. These are:
- Solid-Body Jazz Guitars
- Semi-Hollow Jazz Guitars
- Hollow Jazz Guitars
Now, in the beginning, the famous jazz players used to like to Semi-Acoustic guitars which were available with reduced wooden blocks inside their bodies. This gave them the extra weight but also supported the playability while performing.
Whatever Jazz Guitar you are buying must have a balance between the sound clarity and warmth. The total amount of the best jazz guitar in this page is 6 from every category selected, from solid to hollow jazz guitars.
Let’s begin…
OUR TOP-LISTED 6 BESTSELLING JAZZ GUITARS
Best 6 Jazz Guitars for Jazz Music Lovers in 2020
Best Solid Body Jazz Electric Guitars
To some jazz player, Solid Body Jazz Guitars are not the traditional type but still preferred by some Jazz Players. The very nature of Jazz Music allows users to play with different kind of instruments, when it comes to solid body jazz guitars, mike stern, Ed bicker are the wild names who used to play Solid-body jazz.
The 2 best solid body Jazz Guitars are mentioned below which we thought would be compatible with users from beginner to expert’s level.
Squier by Fender Standard Telecaster
While you are talking about the best jazz guitars in 2020, Squier By Fender Standard Telecaster has already won!
It’s not just a guitar for jazz players, but guitarists from a different genre. The most popular Solid Body Jazz Guitar of all time, which doesn’t portray additional gimmicks. As you may already know the most Fender Standard guitars are affordable and best for the beginner, with Telecaster you can play various genres including Jazz Music.
The body is made of Alder Wood while the neck is all maple. Also, the guitar is equipped with two single coils and tone controls which supports the playability of sweet jazzy sound. It is simple, accurate, less pricey and the best option for a beginner jazz player so far.
Godin LGXT Solid Body Electric Guitar
Whoever let the Telecaster and Les Paul mate together, he must have got the Godin LGXT. The guitar is packed with a combination of two famous jazz guitars, but also a tough choice since it’s a high-end model. You may have heard the name John McLaughlin, who played this instrument.
Godin LGXT is a figment of Master Jazz Player’s mind with so many sounds and notes. There are two humbuckers, just like Les Paul that can be split into 2, just like a Telecaster. LGXT has a piezo pickup which makes it sound like an acoustic guitar. For further tonal modification, you can merge two humbuckers with the help of an equalizer.
The additional features are that you can play Godin LGXT as a MIDI controller to play the electric parts. Here is the fun part, you will be able to write note sheets and tabs only by playing the guitar, this is possible when you connect the MIDI to the right software.
This makes it almost the best guitar for jazz and other genres of music that professional players like a lot. What’s more about Godin LGXT? Well, it has a Tremolo bridge and a Strat-like neck with improved playability skills.
Best Hollow Body Jazz Electric Guitars
Hollow bodies were genuinely the electric guitars which developed the jazz music in a new possible way. Playing Jazz music in the hollow body guitars is easier than most since there are acoustic archtops and some rare flat hollow body electrics.
The sound you collect from the Hollow Bodies is bigger, smoother and dense and that’s the reason why the majority of jazz players these days’ chooses them. In comparison with other electric guitars, they are pretty bulky and fragile.
Gretsch G6118T
Talking about the perfect built-in and sound quality, Gretsch G6118T is the best jazz guitar, which has been practicing the best craftsmanship for 80 years. You will astound by seeing how smooth this guitar can play and all this with superb quality material in your hands.
Gretsch G6118T has a vintage-looking traditional hollow body with Bigsby Tremolo. The latest features make it more enhanced such as they added the string-through, rocking bar bridge and the Teflon covered Tusq XL nut.
By holding, the G6118T is lightweight and thin in shape, but the fat and heavy tones it provides are almost unrecognizable. According to some pop-culture disputes, the two Gretsch and Bigsby guitars do not go along with the jazz, well that’s an old myth considering some big names played Gretsch guitar. These are Sal Salvador, Cal Collins, and Ted Greene!
Loar LH-350 VS
Loar is a Chinese brand which has recently gone under fewer adaptations from the vintage masterpiece jazz instruments. The guitar is hand-carved with solid spruce on top and maple box, it features a V-Profile Mahogany neck.
The electronics provided in this instrument are quite advanced, with Kent Armstrong Humbucker which sounds just beautiful. The tones are bold with Loar LH-350 VS and the response is quite loud that may bring a touch of both soft and hard strokes.
Best Semi-Hollow Body Jazz Electric Guitars
Now that we are talking about Semi-Hollow, they have somehow merged the taste of two guitar type i.e Solid body and Hollow Body.
Some people are still confused about the main difference between hollow and semi-hollow body, not to mention there is a significant difference. Both hollow body jazz guitars and Semi-hollow body jazz guitars are semi-acoustic, the semi-hollow guitars have a woodblock in the middle whereas the archtops have a hollow body.
Some of the best iconic jazz guitars are semi-hollow, one is the Gibson ES-335 which is considered the best guitar for jazz play and drew many inspirations to others. Why people use Semi-Hollow Jazz guitars? Well, the main benefits are rich and classical, jazzy tones with adequate versatility.
The drawbacks are their size being bigger and weight heavy which is not suitable for standalone performances. Grant Green, Larry Carlton, and Emily Remler are the popular names who used Semi-Hollow guitars back then.
The two best Semi-Hollow guitars are:
Ibanez Artcore Expressionist AM93QM
No doubt Ibanez has a great contribution to making Jazz guitars, but their Artcore series has attained maximum popularity over the last 10 years. The expressionist is the fine piece from their side when it comes to a step ahead of evolution.
The Ibanez Artcore Expressionist AM93QM is covered by a complete maple body, mahogany and maple neck with Ebony fretboard. The addition of 2 super 58 humbuckers makes it a guitar with almost “no chill”, the humbuckers comes with a 3-position switch.
The latest input from the Ibanez is the Quik Change 3 tailpiece which makes the strings wafting swiftly. It’s hard to play the guitar at first, but under the $1,000 price range, it’s the best bet.
Hagstrom Viking
Hagstrom is a legendary guitar set which rises from the ancient names. The manufacturer of Vikings came out of Swede and thereby it blew the crowds all over the world. The guitar is a sleeping giant that has been held by the great Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix.
Appeared in so many jazz scenes, the Hagstrom Viking is a guitar of the ’80s which these days count in the exclusive luxury. Recently, the manufacturing of Viking Jazz guitar started again and they are available for sale now!
All the visual designs of this guitar are extraordinary, but the fun part begins with the H-Expander Truss Rod. This is one of Hagstrom’s innovative ideas about stabilizing the neck, which put the strings into low action. Their latest update includes the same traditional design with a Tusq and Resonator Fretboard.
Summary
The best selection of Jazz Electric Guitars for 2020 has been mentioned above. But still, if it’s getting difficult for you to decide which guitar to choose for a long haul, we suggest the Telecaster or the one with Ibanez is a great choice for the beginners. They come with every package for jazz music which you need!
Even if you get the best jazz guitar, never forget to add a tube amplifier. This will help you get punchier and articulate sound one can attain, all this comes with a suitable amplifier. Now, for the contemporary Jazz Sound, you will need the effects of pedal or two.
AMAZON’S TOP 5 BESTSELLING JAZZ GUITARS
Last update on 2023-06-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
