Jazz Guitar Tone - What kind of guitar, pickup, and strings to use

[@MrMjp58]

I played one of these in a shop today. An exceptionally well built and great sounding guitar. I dabble in jazz, but can’t do the pure, be-bop stuff so well. You are a great player.

[@sheifiproductions]

Sorry, I think I missed this comment. Thanks for the compliments! Which guitar were you referring to btw?

[@chrislaarman7532]

(Three years after) Thank you for sharing this! :-) Me, I'm in the process of discovering the different possibilities within "playing a guitar". As I am in the Netherlands, I'm within free shipping from Thomann in Germany. So I have been hoarding guitars and basses from their Harley Benton house brand. I'm also in the process of finding the strings I want for these, notably round-wound or flat-wound. For flat-wound guitar strings, I'm settling om Thomastik JS110, for round-wounds on D'Addario NYXL (although only one guitar has them actually mounted yet). Your choices may vary. :-) My "quest" has this week even resulted in ordering a second 335-type guitar (Harley Benton HB-35Plus). One now has these flat-wounds, the other will keep round-wounds (factory-fitted D'Addario EXL110, so the upgrade to NYXL has low priority). I'm very pleased to have both of them. With bass guitars, I'm more inclined to prefer flat-wound strings. There, I have two nearly identical ones: a Harley Benton MJ-4EB with round-wounds (factory-fitted, D'Addario NYXL?) and the 5-string MJ-5EB with flat-wounds (Thomastik JF345). I also have one guitar with active pick-ups (I preferred the cheaper Roswell over the more expensive EMG): a solid-body Harley Benton SC-Custom II Active. At first I had trouble controlling the tone with both pick-ups selected, until it came to me that the tone with the factory-fitted round-wound D'Addario set (EXL110?) ranged from "bright" to "ultra bright". I fitted Thomastik JS110, and now the tone of this guitar has shifted into a normal range [matter of opinion] with a focused tone. To those wanting a guitar with very little treble, I'd say: consider a Brian May Red (he has them built under license) and don't buy the matching treble booster. It comes with D'Addario EXL120 strings fitted.

[@xodarap37]

Get a noise gate, it can work wonders... I also have found with my Kingpin, rolling off the volume can really brighten up the sound, enough to roll off the tone quite a bit, and this enhances the wonderful woodiness that the Godin has... I love my Godin, a surprisingly good guitar for the price point...

[@sheifiproductions]

Agreed about the Kingpin! Great guitar, especially for value. Haven’t had issues with guitar being too noisy at all in mix.

[@mainsblanches8793]

@@sheifiproductions ...he is giving you good advice!!...volume chain is important to quiet down the P90!!...

[@sheifiproductions]

@@mainsblanches8793 I ended up changing pickup on the Godin, although not because of the noise. The stock P90 was a really good sounding pickup and not any noisier than your standard single coil. I did get a electro-harmonix humdebugger that I occasionally use for demos or recording that works quite well to get rid of buzz as well.

[@xodarap37]

@@mainsblanches8793 Thank you!

[@ggman946]

Dude that 335 style sounds great! Thick, round, warm but not muddy.

[@sheifiproductions]

Thanks! If you’re referring to the red 335 style guitar it’s a Springfield. Don’t really know much about it except it’s a relatively cheap 335 knockoff but I’ve had it for a while now and have always been impressed on the tone it gets!

[@ggman946]

@@sheifiproductions any idea what pickups you have loaded in it? Thanks

[@sheifiproductions]

@@ggman946 I’m not sure, it’s the stock pickups. Seem like some kind of humbucker maybe PAF style pickup.

[@BHAKTIBROPHY]

My room had very loud buzzing...I got several $50 Furman noise reducing power strips. They work. Especially when recording.

[@MikeJamesMusic]

The best way to get rid of the noise is to replace the plastic pickup cover with metal pickup covers. That is the best shielding you can get. Also, check to see if the guitar is using shielded wire. Strats and teles don't use shielded wire as they say it darkens tone. I have rewired fender guitars with shielded wire and I couldn't hear any difference. Also after installing the metal cover cut a piece of shielding tape and place it on the bottom of the pickup. The guitar will be dead quiet after these mods.

[@Nicolas-jb2tm]

Hello, do u know a model of metal cover that would fit this 5Th avenue p90 pickup ?

[@MikeJamesMusic]

@@Nicolas-jb2tm Sorry I don't.

[@MikeJamesMusic]

I play a Gibson L-4CES that I had custom made by Gibson many years ago to only have the neck pickup. I replaced the neck pickup with a P-90 Seymour Duncan SPH90 Phat Cat.

[@sheifiproductions]

I’ve heard great things about the phat cat! I thought the P90 that came with Godin actually sounded pretty good but i always wanted to try bartolini pickups so ended up changing it. It buzzes some (like any single coil) but not bad at all.

[@MikeJamesMusic]

@@sheifiproductionsI'm glad you were able to make the noise manageable. The Phat Cat is as dead quiet as a humbucker. And sound as clean and beautiful as a P90.

[@sheifiproductions]

@@MikeJamesMusic heard great things about the phat cat pickups. Will have to try and check them out!

[@MikeJamesMusic]

@@sheifiproductions It's a beautiful sounding pickup.

[@barondavis5692]

I totally dig your playing.

[@sheifiproductions]

Thank you, appreciate it!!!

[@Guitarstar4U]

You need a noise gate to get rid of all of that hum, especially with the P90's.

[@timsiefker7256]

Boss makes a great noise supresser that i think you might really like!

[@sheifiproductions]

I don't think I ever tried the boss noise supressor. At one point I had a electro-harmonix debugger that was pretty effective but to my ears it changed the tone just enough to bother me. I recorded this demo a while ago and for whatever reason the buzz in that rooms was always worse than most. None of the guitars I demoed produce a significant buzz/hum when played clean.

[@MrMjp58]

I was referring to the first one.

[@hammill444]

Excellent video. But here's a question unrelated to the equipment: how did you go about learning to play the way you do?

[@sheifiproductions]

hammill444 Thank you very much! Hard to give a short answer, but definitely a lot of listening and practicing. I think it all starts with listening and finding artists you enjoy. From there you study them and practice to imitate them. Once you buildup some vocabulary, you start making it your own. Having a background in music theory also of course helps and I have been lucky to have a lot of good teachers on the way!

[@hammill444]

@@sheifiproductions thanks for the response. Great playing. I love the sound you get with the kingpin. I have the same guitar; mine does not sound like that. Namely, because I'm a lousy player. But it's nice to hear what it's actually capable of in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing.

[@sheifiproductions]

@@hammill444 I started getting serious about music in high school. At the time I had just been playing a Mexican made Fender Stratocaster, and convinced myself I needed a nicer guitar if I wanted to become a professional. I took my friend who was older than myself and a much better and experienced player to go with me guitar shopping. I remember being at guitar store and I heard him playing. It sounded great, so I went over to him and asked him what guitar he was playing. It was my old guitar! Lol.

[@kennybluet5527]

Nice review. Good info. Appreciate being able to hear the difference between flats and round. Just picked up a Washburn hollow similar to the Godin. I actually put silk and steel strings on it and they work well. Nice playing too. Good stuff. Thanks.

[@andrewcleggguitar]

Great video- just subscribed 👍🏻

[@sheifiproductions]

Thanks Andrew, I appreciate it! I’ve been swamped, but will be updating the channel with a lot of new videos in the near future. Stay tuned and thanks for subscribing!

[@sasalekic3120]

First guitar has the best sound,

[@jessebarrera5471]

@sheifiproductions what is the key and chords that you played in from 3:55-4:10?

[@larrydering1598]

Great jazz tones from all of them. Are you using the Quilter cabinet, is it a 10? I appreciate your efforts. I'm seeking a better jazz tone and regardless of what guitar and amp I have, the tone eludes me. I have several archtops with both round and flatwounds, a number of great amps, tube and SS including 2 Quilters. Where am I missing the point?

[@sheifiproductions]

Thanks! What quilter amps/heads are you playing through? My general recommendations for a straight ahead jazz tone are to use 11 or 12 gauge strings and experiment with rolling some of the highs or treble off your amp as well as backing back your tone knob some as well. You can also experiment running your volume knob on guitar down a notch or two to around 7 or 8 (darkens tone a bit). Also make sure if you have gain control on your amp to keep it not too high. Decrease gain and increase master volume to give you more headroom.

[@PJ-hn4cg]

That Springfield guitar has a better jazz tone than my 335 ... can't find them online however ...

[@sheifiproductions]

Yea, I’m really not sure where you can find them. I see them occasionally show up used from time to time. The Springfield I have just randomly popped up at guitar store I was working at the time in Houston.

[@oneloveSURFISTA]

Are you using a ring light, soft box or any kind of artificial light behind the camera for the video? Maybe that's why the p90 is buzzing so much.

[@sheifiproductions]

I made the video a while ago but don’t believe I was using any kind of ring light. For whatever reason my gear always seemed to buzz more than usual in that room. Not in that house anymore though!

[@dancassidy7471]

i may not buy this after hearing that buzz..I meet and test a used one this am and may put it thru my LR baggs venue..I like where the p90s are placed

[@bronzewand]

My Kingpin has near to no buzz at all.. I've gigged with it for years and never had any kind of buzz.

[@matiasrios2719]

335 is awesome

[@sheifiproductions]

335s are pretty great guitars! This one is a pretty cheap 335 knock off but it really sounds good!

[@streetwiseguitar5113]

Did it really take nearly 20yrs for me to notice you economy pick ascending (in pitch), or did I noticed that when we were doing lessons?

[@sheifiproductions]

Man, I don’t know! I’ve never consciously practiced economy picking but maybe on certain licks it happens subconsciously. I tell all my students to alternate pick :)

[@sasalekic3120]

Which efect you use

[@sheifiproductions]

Most of the video is just the guitar running straight into the quilter (no effects). At one point with the PRS I briefly put on a overdrive which I believe was the Seymour Duncan 805 (tubescreamer kind of pedal). With the strat I put on a RC booster, Reverb (Fender FRV-1) and a carbon copy delay.

[@sasalekic3120]

@@sheifiproductions thanks lot for your write.regards

[@gregjohnson6329]

Get an Electro Harmonix Debugger.

[@sheifiproductions]

I haven’t had too much luck with noise gates but I will definitely try and check this one out. The buzz in most rooms and venues isn’t too bad with the P90 (or other single coils) but it’s worse in my study at home.

[@gregjohnson6329]

@@sheifiproductions it’s not a noise gate. Completely different. I live in an old house and when I click it on the hum goes almost entirely away with single coils. It’s designed differently and whatever they have done it works for me

[@sheifiproductions]

@@gregjohnson6329 that’s great, will definitely try and check one out. Thanks for suggestion!

[@theuserthatishere]

getting into jazz i wanted a "jazz" guitar for this new direction..... then my friend says "you have a les paul and a tone king." just saying

[@sheifiproductions]

You can definitely get out a good jazz tone out of most solid body guitars. Les Paul for sure!

[@FuruHataNinzaburo-w8z]

The fact that that PRS and that MM are some of your favorites for performing means that you are really a no bullshit pragmatic musician. I have met too many dogmatic stubborn old-school elitist jazz players (usually not that old and not elite in any way) who swote by big bodies and 335 styles by certain brands exclusively, instead of using their ears and actually judge the instrument by their quality and reliability.

[@sheifiproductions]

For me, it’s always about finding an instrument that i feel like is supporting what I’m trying to play and express. If you find a guitar that inspires you to play and you don’t want to put it down then it’s right for you! While hollow bodies sound great (and i still play one some of the time) they certainly are not the only option for jazz.

[@mikemitchell3889]

Good info, Thank-You. Your sound to my old ears is difficult for me to understand. Could you take away some of the bounce or echo to make your spoken word more legible? MYbe hang a quilt or place a rug on the floor? Perhaps a lav mic? I dearly want to understand you as you voice your learned opinions...

[@sheifiproductions]

Agreed, definitely could have done video with better mics! Made this video a while ago but believe I was just using room mic. Will hopefully find time to do a similar video soon and use separate mics for amp and vocals.

[@Walker615]

Dude,you are great, but that buzz has to go

[@sheifiproductions]

Thanks! Yea , the buzz is pretty annoying. It's a combination of my study/music room at home creates a little more buzz in amps then usual as well as playing some single-coil tones. I'm working on getting everything to run through a furman power conditioner as well as experimenting with noise gate to get buzz lower on demos in the future. Either that, or just record it in a different room :)

[@mongoharry]

"Wes Montgomery used a humbucker (bzzzzzzzzz)....I don't" 🤣😎

[@sheifiproductions]

When I think of the best traditional jazz tone I still think of Wes! He was the first jazz guitar player I really got into. Tone is a funny thing though as different sounds and tones suit different players.

[@mongoharry7765]

@@sheifiproductions Your playing's outta sight

[@sheifiproductions]

@@mongoharry7765 Thank you so much!!!!

[@slumdogjay]

Shouldn’t buzz like that.

[@sheifiproductions]

Which guitar is buzzing?

[@slumdogjay]

@@sheifiproductions Kingpin P90. Seen a few demos of it and there wasn’t a buzz like that. Would get the wires no checked out. Lovely guitars. Just ordered one.

[@sheifiproductions]

@@slumdogjay Yes, very cool guitars indeed. I haven’t noticed any buzzing with mine but will go back and check video.

[@sergioandresvahos281]

That noise is very annoying 😢