Best Guitar for Jazz? Tele or Gibson ES175 - Does it need to be Hollow?

[@topografer]

Both sound awesome. The Gibson is a more traditional deep jazz sound but the tele to me is an amazing instrument for this application

[@martydibergi5228]

Wow i am enjoying your playing so much. Awesome. I have a John Jorgenson and Will Ray fender custom shop tele and the Jerry Donahue tele all so different but unlike my 335 Excellent video and great that you kept volume levels the same . So critical in comparing

[@ksharpe10]

@@martydibergi5228 HELLECASTERS!!!!

[@kyran4238]

When you consider how many other tones lurk in that tele, and how much more robust it is, and how much cheaper it is to manufacture, and how much easier it is to repair... The tele is the greatest working man's guitar. No contest.

[@georgefromgreece4119]

Excellent observation

[@paulcaton7093]

Both sound great. In certain mids & lowers you can just hear the difference, but it really isn't worth fighting about. Telecasters are fantastic for jazz: Ted Greene, Tim Lerch, Juliann Lage, Ed Bickert (as you mentioned), and others have long piut the 'it must be hollow' nonsense to rest.

[@frankodel5318]

One of the reasons I started out loving Telecasters was because of it's ability to play Jazz as well as all other styles of music.

[@ropatidee5427]

two reasons archtop players didn't gravitate to the tele in the 50s were they could get a percussive "chick" ( much like a mandolin gets in bluegrass band) while playing jazz rhythm. this was popular in guitar rhythm in those days (almost non existant now) and the "air quality" from the hollow body. gigging regularly since 1962 early on i played a 175. these days i do everything on a tele. jazz player but play lots of genres.

[@nicolasmoran9999]

I can't stop praising the ES 175. It is the most beautiful-sounding of them all !

[@robertbourke7935]

Fantastic playing and an excellent demonstration. I could barely tell the difference between the two instruments and felt the Tele was more than adequate for a jazzy tone.

[@robertm2000]

My guitar choice came down to two guitars: a Gibson ES175 and a Fender Telecaster. The Gibson - $3,200. The Tele - a Fender Squier Affinity Telecaster - $180. and $50. for a Bill Lawrence neck pickup. The Affinity Telecaster with a good amp I had, a Roland Cube 40, sounded nearly as full as the Gibson, and due to the single coil pickups, actually a little clearer tone than the Gibson. With such a price, there was no argument - it was the Affinity Telecaster! I have been happy with the Squier for several years and it's all I've ever needed for any gig I've done!

[@Dandelion-32]

This just shows that the musician is what matters the most. The difference is easy to hear, but I enjoyed both.

[@fender4brad]

I love a good tele as much as anyone, but I really prefer the thicker fuller sound of hum buckers for jazz. Really beautiful playing! I’ve got to work on my jazz playing, I love the way it sounds.

[@School-xo1dn]

I feel like rolling the tone knob back a little on the tele would have gotten then closer.

[@johanneshoffmann9003]

Always amazing these tellis (blind test). One unshakable difference seems to be that the Tele can sound like a jazz guitar, but not the other way around.

[@fivewattworld]

We’re also dealing w flats and round wound strings of course. I used to run flats on a Parker and it had a lot to do with the differences in response and tone. Frisell runs flats on teles and it’s a big step in the jazz trad direction.

[@That52TeleGuy]

Eb tuning and flat rounds on a Tele are Magic

[@jazzFABRYk]

I‘m using flats on my hollow and half rounds on my tele - for me that‘s very versatile then

[@waynebacer6235]

Both voices complement each other... Great jazz tele players, Ted Greene, Julian Lage, Timothy Lerch

[@godrahabu3535]

And Ed Bickert as the father of them all!

[@What_If_We_Tried]

@@godrahabu3535 100%

[@letmeinwillu]

Does it matter? Whatever instrument, in the hands of a master of the instrument (as amply and clearly, demonstrated here), sounds wonderful, and is a joy to listen to.

[@stevec.1802]

I can’t say one is better than the other. Both have their unique voices. Great presentation. Ty. 🎧

[@umatgeratonleik2584]

A good, clean Tele neck pickup with a bit of reverb is my favourite guitar tone ever (especially if it's fingerpicked), but you make that fancy-pants western sound very nice too. On a related note (ta-dumm-tish!): Uffe Steen gets some fantastic jazz tones with his Strat. Check out the 1997 Uffe Steen/Jens Jefsen album "String Time"

[@smwatson1512]

Julian Lage uses a Tele. That's enough for me.

[@loozblooz963]

So did the great Canadian guitarist, Ed Bickert.

[@phish1]

Amen.

[@juaquincura1079]

Ted Greene as well.

[@docbobster]

I agree that there have been great jazz tele players, and the tele sounds great here (although they do sound different). Still, playing with a 6 piece jazz band for years, I tried swapping out my archtop for my Tele, and it just didn't sound right with the other instruments (trumpet, tenor sax, upright bass, drums and piano). I use a clean Henriksen JazzAmp for jazz, and I tried endless fiddling with EQ. When I swapped back, several bandmates said thank god. Still, my Tele and Strat are my go-to practice guitars. Maybe a tube amp would've worked better, but the Henriksen really brings out the acoustic aspects of an archtop.

[@southpaw335]

Wow the Tele sounds great. The Gibson is definitely the more traditional sounding to my ageing ears for straight up Jazz, but that tele was not out of it’s league in this one at all (some may even prefer it) Adding to the list, John Scofield is a jazzer that has been known to play Teles.

[@Metalguitarpete]

I’d argue a tele is the most versatile guitar out there and is (almost!) my first recommendation for new players. I love the neck pick up for jazz - I also love my es-165! But you can pick up a great condition 2nd hand Squier tele for around £100… I would happily gig with that! Great video and cool playing thanks

[@wolfgang4078]

It`s not all about the sound, the feeling of a hollowbody guitar is different too.

[@lastofmykind2020]

Fender Telecaster, by far, the greatest and best electric guitar of all time. I love my ES-175, but damn, my Teles with flatwounds are absolutely flawless... They just make me want to play...

[@dickey335]

Both sound great. A Tele with a P-90 style pickup is my favorite solid body jazz tone.

[@ashtynmciver6119]

That Tele is a work of art! Gorgeous guitar

[@KutayYavuzMusic]

Lucky to have them both!

[@MrMjp58]

Exquisite playing. Every time I watch one of these comparison videos, the hollow bodies sound more deep, rich and authentic for jazz. The solids sound very good, but come over like virtual, almost synthetic versions of the real thing. The difference is subtle, but telling.

[@To.Si.Ma.]

It s not only Tele vs archtop it s humbucker vs single coil. And cap vs cap. If you d play a humbucker with 47 caps on the Tele it would be closer. As well as comparing an archtop with a P90 or Charlie Christian to a Tele. But I personally love single coil jazz as well on a Tele. Sounds great.

[@kennethgarcia25]

wonderfully clean and articulate! phenomenal pacing. lovely tune.

[@jakollee]

Beautiful playing. While watching you play, of course there was a difference in sound, but I found that when scrolling through the comments (not seeing the video) I often guessed wrong as to which guitar you were playing at a given moment.

[@yuribillones5094]

Another vote for Julian Lage. I was floored by his tone (with impeccable playing of course). I'd roll back the tone on that tele if it were me. Great stuff as always JNC

[@TLMuse]

This was ear-opening, hearing the back and forth between the two types of instruments with the same player playing the same style through the same signal chain. There was some difference in basic tonality (Tele = brighter) that I'm not sure has to do with the hollow/solid distinction-I suspect the pickups and wiring may play a big role in that. But there was something more distinctive that I can't really put my fingers on. I think it's the *attacks* of notes, with the hollowbody having a less sharp attack, with a slightly more vocal quality. Though it may also be a kind of spectral evolution, with the hollowbody having a tone whose spectrum evolves more noticeably through the attack/decay part of a note. It would be fun to have you play the same lines with both and look at their waveforms zoomed in in a DAW (and maybe also their spectra, e.g., using iZotope RX or an editor that shows spectra). -Tom

[@UliHeim]

12 minutes of sublime playing 😯

[@gwalt1985]

Wow, that Tele sounds wonderful! But c'mon, for this type jazz, the Gibson hollow body can't be beat.

[@MichaelJones-gw8sg]

Well, first off, Great Playing! I'm a Tele guy. I love them, but I have to give an ever-so-slight edge to the ES 175.

[@johnnytwo-shoes9798]

Both sound great. The gibson has that gently suffocated by a pillow in a good way muted high mid (still has bell high end resonance) which I prefer. The way I hear it, it feels like something missing in the tele but I wouldn't really notice until I hear the gibson. Had the same thing but inverted experience between my 335 type centre block (had the muted thing) and my full hollow (was brighter). My 70s Ibanez ar2630 (335 type) with original pup (super80s ceramic) has the muted sound, but the Ibanez fully hollow ag95 (with same pups but reissue ver) was a little brighter and I couldn't quite get the same sound. I prefered the muted 335 type's sound slightly but hearing the brighter full hollow, I could feel something wasn't quite there but only realised when played back to back. Both still very good. ¯\(°_o)/¯

[@jakollee]

"Gently suffocated by a pillow in a good way..." great description!

[@jack6136]

Pat, Metheny used a ES-175 for years to great effect and Mike Stern used a Telecaster for years also to great effect! Both instruments are valid and beautiful sounding for MUSIC! Enjoy!

[@picksalot1]

Both sound great. The ES175 sometimes sounded a bit wolfy and nasal, but that's part of the traditional Archtop sound. Sometimes, I liked the trebles on the Tele a little more. It could been dialed for a bit warmer tone, but I don't know if that would have improved it know. But, I do think it would make distinguishing one guitar from the other even more difficult. One of my favorite guitarists that plays Jazz using a Tele is Scotty Anderson - An absolute monster on the guitar, he does fantastic musical things I haven't heard other guitarist do because I think they can't. In the last couple of years, I've heard three guitars that produced my favorite guitar tones, and had exceptionally lone sustain as well. All were Teles with Poplar bodies, Maple necks, and Maple fingerboards. I've been Modding my Strat to get the sound I like, and without really trying, it has become something of a "Stellacaster" with 2 pickups. Beside John's videos, I enjoy reading the comments and many valid points presented on this Channel. 😎

[@ksharpe10]

The Phenomenal JOHN CORDY!!!!

[@jjmatashi]

That K-Line RINGS!!!

[@luckyno888]

Both are good tones. Tele is, obviously, brighter and more upbeat. Swings better. I think the ES-175 would be better for slower more sedate, pensive numbers.

[@clives555]

Guess it depends what you are thinking when you say jazz and how you respond to each instrument. The Tele sounds lovely, just ask Bill Frisell or Ted Greene, the Gibson also sounds delicious. I’ve said before you can make a cheap or expensive instrument sound good, i think the same goes for this comparison, you were thinking jazz for both, they both sound authentically jazzy. Lovely playing John

[@jackprice7828]

That KLine Tele is so amazing!

[@GarethPryce]

Fantastic playing must say, now my ears have been opened the tele can certainly do jazz. Julian Lage of the newer generation uses a vintage tele and John Scofield also uses an old Ibanez tele now and then.

[@compucorder64]

I like a 335, the middle ground, works for most things. Though always worth having a Telecaster around too.

[@keith.loves.lasagna]

One cannot replace the other. Tele can't accomplish that lovely hollowbody tone... But it's definitely has its own voice that I love just as equally. Just different Great video! 👍

[@gertzpalma]

THANKS, JOHN!

[@Gustavo-vg1no]

I think the main diference is the pickups, single coil vs humbucker, much more than the body. Regards

[@solacemusic242]

I have a 1989 American HSS strat with a Kahler trem. Put it on neck pickup, turn treble most of the way down, plug into my Fender Twin and BOOM, jazz box! Nice playing John! Hope you don't mind if I cop a few of your licks!

[@neilwarden]

I've seen Jim Mullen many times and I have to say I loved his playing on a Tele during the 70's, 80's and 90's. Clearly his playing is amazing regardless of guitar, but the Tele sounded fantastic.

[@ronpippin1084]

I really appreciate the fact that this video is more than just a quick sample or sound clip. I was really able to listen. I owned an ES174 and an L-4, very similar guitars, at one time and can tell you that they both sounded quite a bit different from my standard Teles. I stuck with my Teles in the end because I preferred the overall feel and access to the upper frets. If I was strictly a jazz player, I’d likely prefer a true hollow body. The difference in tone that we’re all hearing is due to the fact that the ES175 is a true hollow (no center block), has a shorter scale and uses PAFs. They’re totally different beasts. For what it’s worth, I preferred the laminated top on the ES175 over the carved top on the L-4, but both sounded very regal, smooth, articulate, etc. also, the player in the video (excellent player) is obviously using some compression, pretty much a built in feature on a Polytone amp, so that blurs the nuances. They both sounded great to me.

[@ronpippin1084]

I meant ES-175. My butter fingers at work again.

[@tmuka]

Both beautiful tones, but I miss that classic spinning record player needle crackle noise beneath! Would be curious to hear if a tilt or other simple eq would get them closer.

[@john808welk]

I wonder how a tele with a humbucker in the neck would do? Either way both sound great, just different.

[@shadowm3ld]

Wow your Truxton is gorgeous. Love the color combos. Of course the tone is killer, but man what a beaut! Where can I pick one up?!

[@SpartanLaserCanon]

Tele sounds more modern to me, but it could work still. Julian Lage has some videos with him playing a tele.

[@QuinnWeb]

Great playing. And anyone giving props to Ed Bickert is way cool to me!

[@cmin7b9]

🤙 great tune. sounds amazing! Tele is a respectable alternative but…….I still prefer hollow or semi😋

[@MrMewsique]

You did something to the 175. I've never heard them sound like that. It sounds like the treble is cranked. I liked the tele way more in this video

[@andrereginato3869]

The big difference is when you play the chords...the hollow body has more air which gets closer to vocal...hollow arch top always better for Jazz in my opinion...besides that, Teles are for crankin' and spankin'...haha...a great Jazz player once said to me, if you want to pick out a good sounding Jazz guitar, first listen to grand piano....mind you the tele does the job well and can add that element of crossover/fusion to the sound...at the end of the day it needs to swing and sound beautiful...however the thin line tele is something else, better with hum buckers

[@eb7912]

incredible sounds

[@zacharyoliver1325]

Well, the sound is a little different. Sure. More important than the sound, I'd hypothesize that the experience under the fingers was a little different between these two beautiful guitars. As you reflect on this under-the-finger experience, do you have any insights, John?

[@noecuesta7888]

I had both guitars. Es175 and Tele, they are fantastic instruments. Play what you love. I prefer Telecaster. In this video, the guitar player is excellent, but the sound has too fx delay, reverb, to my taste. Es175 is the lady of jazz. Teles are easy to transport, resistent and good in fusion.

[@albertstirling6336]

Simple: the humbucker is best for the solo lines; the single coil is the best choice for the background chords.

[@Jeb_binch]

I really love both, but good Teles are easier for me to afford than good archtops. I would love one of those Herb Ellis axes, surely. Maybe someday. I will say that anyone investigating a Tele for jazz purposes should check out an ASAT Classic. The MFD is a wonderful neck pickup and the build quality one the US one that I’m lucky enough to own is absolutely superb. Very light, very resonant.

[@ushnicyuvnikof2748]

Teles don't feedback to - and i prefer the nuanced Telecaster tone.

[@patrickmillan738]

Your hands produce pure magic!!!

[@Arch_Stanton.]

The tone with that ES175 is really pleasant. The K-Line does also the job... And great playing, as always.

[@johnhendricks8140]

That tele looks expensive for some reason, maybe its the light showing all the details. Both guitars handle Jazz sounds well, the sound is in your fingers, ear, feel and how you dial your tone in.

[@RickMcCargar]

The best guitar is the one you own and that you love to use to practice. You can use any guitar for jazz.

[@mongoharry]

I notice that when great players use different guitars they often end up sounding similarly. The reason is they tend to dial up the tones in their amps that they like. An example is Pat Metheny playing Phase Dance. The acoustic guitar he starts with actually sounds a lot like the 175. This video is another example, I believe. The tele and 175 have tones selected by the player, and there's not really a ton of difference.

[@ibaneztubescreamer]

Herb Ellis has a really nice full tone, that should be your weapon of choice

[@jackprice7828]

Incredible John

[@AndyBartoshGuitarExperience]

Both can work for all kinds of music, but they are different. Any 175 wil have that kind of jazztone, fat and everything, while not every Tele will. A Tele can sound pretty thin in a Jazzband. Depends a lot on string gauge too and on the Amp. Archtops are less amp dependent. Teles are better for string bending and for higher notes. And so on.....

[@AlecBourneMidiMadScientist]

Glorious playing mate.

[@ahall3823]

For jazz, I prefer the sound of the hollow body. But as others have already mentioned, the flat-wound strings make a big difference.

[@edwardebel1847]

After listening to the beginning of this I feel as if I've finally met Miss Jones

[@ericfricke4512]

IMHO, the biggest difference is in the decay & sustain of the notes. An archtop with flats by its nature gets a very punchy, rhythmic sound that is perfect for the syncopations of bebop or jazz-funk. The notes decay a ton right away, so any sustain is pretty quiet. Telecasters, on the other hand, have loads of sustain, so the biggest contributor towards making a Tele sound jazzy is to have that punchy, staccato articulation with your left/fretting hand. Avoiding too much treble boosting or bright channels helps too.

[@ZandJ12345]

Preferred the Gibson for that style. But I like darker type tones. It really comes down to personal preference at the end of the day.

[@nicolasmoran9999]

I like the idea of the Telecaster playing jazz so much; its sound, I have to be honest, not so much. I hate praising expensive stuff, but a Gib ES-175 makes a colossal difference. Maybe it is just my obsessive crush on Joe Pass...

[@RicardoGordo]

Great tones! What amp are you using, if I may ask?

[@johnnathancordy]

HX Stomp!

[@Bral706]

I love the sound you have especially with the es 175 which is somehow more « modern » than what we usually hear. It’s closer to Rosenwinkle type of tone. Can I ask what pedals and amp settings you use to reach this results?

[@IvanoAntico]

Great frasing

[@norbertogustavoblanco1700]

Suenan de diez. ¿Las cuerdas son flat o round?

[@bobburgener3160]

You are a great player. Don't think it matters what you play, it's going to sound good.🎶

[@PearHellforge]

it does

[@FabrizioPeretti]

Have you met miss jones is such an awesome standard

[@norbertogustavoblanco1700]

Great tone! No effects but reverb added on? Strings are round? 0.11 or 0.10?

[@bernardjones5838]

The Telecaster sounds ok. The 165 sounds great.

[@hagartm]

I'm beginning to suspect that Tele is the best jazz guitar there is (and possibly the greatest guitar overall), and this video further proves that point. 🙂

[@barbmelle3136]

I love Jazz on a Telecaster.

[@jakeah1175]

Just quickly while I’m on: Tele sounds amazing

[@citizenphaid1880]

What was this piece and can I get the backing track at all 🙏

[@zaldum386]

Just great sound and playing on both, what string gauge where you using in the tele here? Great video!

[@badscrew4023]

Comparing with a Tele Custom (with a neck humbucker) would've been more fair :)

[@VinnyCarwash-js8op]

Nice guitar sounds you've put onto that reverb.

[@anthonyegan59]

Stick a set of flatwounds , on a Tele and drop it down a half step and your set to play anything.

[@Deep_Jimpact]

Interesting question and reminds me of The hollow men who appeared in several DC shows such as The Adventures of Lois and Clark, but not the Justice League Unlimited show. Wheels within wheels, I guess.

[@CRP2426]

Hey John! Did you ever recorded any Jazz Tunes with the EJ Thinline?

[@mgie22]

Time Lerch really sounds great on a solid body Tele with just fingers. That new K-Line has a wonderful round tone. Which pickups does it have?

[@robertbrown8416]

Tele for me for Sure

[@tonymaithai]

What HX setting for Telecaster? I’m gonna go buy HX stomp right now just listening to your telecaster playing.