Jazz Tone - How To Make A Strat Jazz Sound

[@JensLarsen]

Happy New Year! 🙂 Hope you got into the new year well! Two Questions: 1 - Would you like more videos on tone, effects? (and what are you looking for) 2 - Do you think it is possible to get a Jazz Tone on a Strat`? Content: 0:00 Intro 0:47 Jazz-Tone what is that? 1:18 Ideas about Jazz and Guitar Tone in General 1:41 The different topics covered in the video 2:16 A Quick Overview of what you hear in the video 2:43 My '92 SRV strat 3:01 Pick Choices - The Sound of the different pickups 3:42 Why I prefer the Neck Pickup 4:17 Different combinations of Pick up and tone settings. 5:58 The most important part of the Guitar Tone 6:48 Picking Hand Position 8:14 Amp - Setup and AX8 - Signal Chain 10:25 Low FrequenciesThe Amp Bass Settings 11:27 Mid FrequenciesMid and Boost Settings 13:03 High FrequenciesTreble Settings 13:44 Fender Amps andtheir Mysterious EQ 15:23 Using Effects to geta Better Jazz Tone 15:40 Overdrive Pedal Trick 17:18 Overdrive Pedal #2 19:04 Compressor 20:39 EQ-Pedal 22:53 Like The Video? Check out My Patreon Page!

[@robertdouglas4293]

picks, along those lines, because few do, very personal thing.

[@JensLarsen]

Ok! Didn't think about that one :) That could be interesting!

[@Medivh73]

​@@JensLarsen thank you, really glad you made this video(I only have strat). Looking forward for other tone, effects vids. From my experiance picking position around neck is a musthave. Regarding picks Dinlop Big Stubby 3.0 mm are good for soloing but don't last very long and not great for comping. I use Tortex 1.0 mm. They are pretty univeral. Also string gauge is worth mentioning. I think 12s are required minimum if you play single coil solid body.

[@JensLarsen]

What gauge of strings do you think it sounds like I am using? 🙂

[@haydenh7660]

Hi Jens, excellent video once again, and to answer your questions: 1) Would love more videos on tone/gear, etc. Personally I listen to more fusion than pure jazz so if you're experienced in that area, I would appreciate your opinion. The other thing that I would appreciate is some composition lessons, which could be done in a few ways. One would be to have people submit music to you and you review them, another is to review some of your choices in jazz, and third (which is kind of related to two) is to review some of your own pieces; 2) Close enough for rock 'n' roll I guess. XD Tusind tak for din lektioner!

[@anwyllonmusic]

In my country, even for non-family members, when use Uncle or Aunty before a name, it is a sign of respect. Thank you Uncle Jens.

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Anwyll 🙂

[@overtonesnteatime198]

Nice :) Definitely deserved!

[@hadiffnazhan862]

Southeast asian?

[@terrymiller111]

Some cultures do it here in the US. Actually many people in the South grew up during a time where a child COULDN'T address ANY adult without something before their first name.

[@eatmorepoi]

It’s that way here in Hawaii too!

[@QuistJam]

Only have 1 thing to say... I LOVE JAZZING ON A STRAT 🎸🔥

[@JensLarsen]

Of course! :)

[@clintjones9848]

Yeah gtfo with this Tele everywhere business.

[@yyoshman]

i read that "A" in JAZZING a little wrong..

[@misterknightowlandco]

That strat on the neck pick up sounds just as jazzy as anything else when played and set properly. Thanks for showing us where to start.

[@JensLarsen]

You're very welcome! I am glad you like it! 🙂

[@herms7]

Thanks Jens! I can defer an archtop purchase for a little while with these tips and tricks...

[@JensLarsen]

Glad it was helpful! I really appreciate that you want to support the channel 🙏

[@klapaucjusz1]

This is the best solid body jazz video on KZbin. Actual useful info. It would be great if you made a similar video on use of effects in modern jazz guitar, like e.g. delay.

[@RJRonquillo]

Great subject Jens! When I was in school in the 90s, everybody had a Strat so we definitely used those techniques in getting jazz tone. One of my classmates would also pick with the fatter corner of his pick to get a rounder sound.

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks RJ :) Yes that thing with using a rounder pick works too, my picks are already like that actually :)

[@hubertvancalenbergh9022]

Metheny does that too. Conversely, I'm only at ease with a Dunlop 1.14 mm (the purple pick) with one of the extremities sanded into a fine point. Works well with Gibson H (black) or even Dunlop jazz III (red) picks. Oddly enough the Stylus (remember that one?) didn't work for me at all.

[@JensLarsen]

What is Stylus? is that a sort of pick?

[@hubertvancalenbergh9022]

@@JensLarsen I don't know if they still make them. www.styluspick.com/. I quickly realized it was not for me. If you dig deeply you risk catching the string beyond the cone shaped part, and simple strumming was as good as impossible. I think I gave it away.

[@johnbeddoe782]

its purely for practice and only for lead practice, not strumming. It trains you to not dig in too deep which, as you say, causes it to get trapped- thats the whole point! ( no pun intended). Its not for playing shows or to be used as a main pick. I found it very useful!@@hubertvancalenbergh9022

[@CaveMonJones]

I really appreciate you taking the time to explain this information to us. I hope you are being successful doing this, because it's a gift to the jazz guitar playing world!

[@JensLarsen]

Glad it is useful! :)

[@DaltonWright-fz3ye]

This is such a high quality video. How you displayed the settings on the screen is just perfection. Thank you so much!

[@martoneill]

As somebody who owns a stray (copy) and is just exploring jazz this is really helpful and encouraging. Thank you.

[@JensLarsen]

Glad to hear it Martin! See you in the course 🙂

[@binface9]

I have no idea how I missed this the first time around, but I am glad you linked to it in your latest video

[@binface9]

apparently i didn't 😂🤔🤷‍♂️

[@JensLarsen]

Hahaha! Glad you enjoyed it (again..)

[@williamrosen6675]

jens, really enjoyed this discussion, mainly because i'm studying how to be a better recording engineer in my home studio. everything you said ties right into recording. one other tip i find is to not only boost mid range on EQ but do a low pass filter which really decreases the lows nicely

[@JensLarsen]

So true! I cut low frequencies on guitar so often :)

[@WashingtonJohnson]

It’s bit a process to do , but my parts National Stratocaster, which was a gift , is a combination of Warmoth neck , Killer Components gold bridge, Sperzel tuners , bone nut , jumbo frets on a ebony fingerboard fat neck ala SRV . Pickups are custom rewound by Jim Rolph , great guy to talk to . We talked like we were old friends. Anyway two of the pickups were the original Fender types and one real Fender . I had them all rewound to 9.2 , somewhat like the Texas Specials , with reverse wound middle. Controls , here I customize them myself. After trying every kind of Stratocaster wiring configuration, I have the controls so that I can use all three pickups at once if I choose. Master volume detent potieometer , middle tone is a Dan Torres Super Mid Controls, passive . I changed the caps values to taste. Bottom control is a Fender TBX . The standard switch is wired for three positions control . Forward is neck alone, Rear is bridge alone , Middle is all three , and with the detent volume control I can blend the pickups and have tone anyway I like . The TBX control has a sweet pot that I can make in between dark and bright . I have those Fishman Fluence Stratocaster pickups, but they are for another partscaster . For my Warmoth Stratocaster I still have some Killer Compents , brand name look ‘‘em up . That’s gold hardware, pricey , and a reverse pick guard from Carvin , now Kiesel, that has that bridge pickup location with the treble goes toward the neck side giving more bass , less treble . And finally I will be replacing all the wiring with vintage cloth covering . That is a major project, but it will cleanup my somewhat ugly looking wiring under the hood and quiet things down. The cavity is shielded, along with some Dirk Wacker weights on the back of the pickups. Look him up . He writes for Premier Guitar magazine and has a website. Phew ! !

[@matsp888]

Love the emphasis on the mids. That's where the core of the guitar tone is, after all.

[@JensLarsen]

Exactly! 🙂👍

[@matsp888]

@@JensLarsen I've been considering some Les Paul type with P-90s, but I notice now that you can get a very similar tone from a Strat if you crank the mids and trim the "worst" high end :) And I love the ergonomy of the Strat.

[@clintjones9848]

What I did was route my own strat pickguard for 2 neck pickups. Then I install 2 neck pickups wired in series with a phase switch as the selector switch and a spin a split to control how much of the other pickup is active in series. This gives it a boost, boosts the low mids, and also retains the upper mid and high chime. It's possible to not use a tone at all with this method but you can use a tone with a small cap as well. It also gives you the option of choosing between 2 neck pickups. Great system, I recommend it if you like wiring and modding.

[@lorenzrosenthal6092]

Excellent information and details. I play a 1979 stratocaster using it for jazz standards. The tone is sparkling and rich, I like your idea of adding a touch of gain, which to my ears gives a pseudo Charlie Christian esque "fuzzy timbre" .

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you found it useful! 🙂

[@aashishpalikhey7307]

YESS JENS! I personally only have a strat and I've been waiting for a video from you on this!!! Wonderful!

[@JensLarsen]

Great! Are there other gear or tone videos you are looking for? 🙂

[@aashishpalikhey7307]

@@JensLarsen Best Amps? Cheap Archtops? I could always use suggestions for an affordable jazz box😂😂

[@robertdouglas4293]

Yes Sir, Always thought a Martin acoustic would make a nice jazz box, but learned from a late brother, it's the hands, and soul,

[@Jplent1]

It ain't the arrow...it's the Indian.

[@martinrhodes1619]

Followed up on this after getting your advice earlier today and I now feel I fully understand how to get the tone I want. The big thing for me is the EQ pedal as my Supro combo amp only has a tone knob rather than a full set of EQ settings. And I did have one lying around! Thank you again!

[@JensLarsen]

Great Martin :) Glad it worked out!

[@thelowmein9143]

Just for anyone’s information whom is interested, that Texas Special was put stock in numerous fender strats, not just the SRV. It was put in a very similar American guitar called a lone star strat, and a custom shop guitar that was confusingly also called a Texas Special Strat. Now those pickups are in a Mexican version of the lone star strat, and sold al a carte.

[@sethshepherd6816]

I would love to see more tone videos. Your opinion is one I highly regard!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Seth! Are there other gear or tone videos you are looking for? 🙂

[@ramilak]

Just watched this and applied the ideas with Amplitube - I think it worked pretty well! Thanks so much

[@JensLarsen]

Great to hear!

[@DrWolfbot]

Really interesting video. I'm using a Jazzmaster but a lot of the tips you've mentioned work on it as well, it's just that the tone pots tend to be more powerful so I usually leave mine on 3-4 for a jazzier sound.

[@JensLarsen]

In my experience The Jazz Master is just a more extreme version of a strat so it makes sense you put the tone lower and get the same effect.

[@tophergonzales6778]

try to use the rhythm circuit if you're not!

[@robertnewell5057]

Hi Jens, I love your vids and have learnt so much from them, and liked your one on Jazz tone from different amps. Still, I must respectfully suggest that 90% of jazz tone comes from the player's hands (you actually nailed this in a way at 00.59ish). I had the joy of being in a workshop some years ago with Adrian Ingram, who turned up off the train with a telecaster in a gig bag, plugged straight into a Fender twin that was in the workshop room and without adjusting a thing immediately produced fabulous jazz tone on single lines and chord melodies. That evening he gigged with the same set-up in a guitar trio with guys playing a D'aquisto and a Bennedetto through polytone amps. Likewise, many of Pat Martino's iconic recordings were done on solid body guitars (most notably the Koontz) - fabulous tone. Finally, listening to your jazz amp vid, it is clear (to my ear, at least) that it's your touch and lines that make most of the difference, not the diddling with the settings. I should add that I now only play acoustic guitar and am very particular about the kind of tone I get when I'm plugged in, mainly because I need all the help I can get. My acoustic heroes and mentors seem to fall into two camps: those that are as picky as me, and those that don't care what guitar, what pa, etc. Oddly, it's the second group I end up listening to the most. Maybe there's a message there for me as a player. I do think finding your tone is the keystone to finding your musical personality, what a pity I'm just finding mine after 50 years of playing. Many thanks.

[@jumemowery9434]

Thanks Jens! This looked like a fun video to make. To me the key is to know your gear and spend time experimenting with it. That way you can get the sound you want when you want it.

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Jume! It certainly was :)

[@landofold]

Been playing Jazz on a Strat for a long time. I prefer it to the more typical "jazz guitars" like Gibsons, Ibbbys, Hofners. You can get the same warmth out of the neck pickup if you dial in the amp/guitar tone knobs right but you still get that extra clarity from the single coils.

[@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040]

Fender Champion 100 has a jazz setting dial position. I'd imagine it also helps to get that sound.

[@christuxford4462]

Brilliant video. It’s so exciting to see new modern ideas for tone. I am so happy you discussed overdrive as it has been something I want to incorporate in my sound.

[@JensLarsen]

Glad it was helpful!

[@joeturnip4216]

I played sterile clean for a long time until I purchased a "Dumble-Like" effects pedal. I find using that pedal adding just a small amount of distortion (just barely detectable on a 1+5 "Power Chord") adds what seems like "life" to my tone. I enjoy it.

[@jazzlefty]

Which pedal?

[@minato4294]

you could give me that exact strat with the exact tone settings and I could make it sound like a kids ukelele

[@JensLarsen]

That is quite impressive :)

[@josephtravers777]

Neat trick I picked up from Scofield 20 years ago was the bridge pickup on his Ibanez through a Pro-Co Rat w/ the tone rolled off on the pedal. Barely crack open the distortion control for round horn-like tone. This works very well with the Fender Twin.

[@JensLarsen]

Nice! I will give that a try :)

[@DieselWeazel]

I like the versatility of a strat. You can do it all. I’ve always had a use for one.

[@briank326]

I remember when I ranted on an online forum about not being able to get a jazz sound on my strat(my only guitar at the time) the first answer I got was a link to SRV's Chitlins con Carne and a note to let go of the bridge pickup and get heavier strings and a compressor. Of course I was not able to replicate SRV's tone, much less his playing, by just doing that to my cheap off-brand strat, but it did give me something decent enough to practice with. Just some random memory that came to me when I saw the SRV strat you're using.

[@JensLarsen]

Actually I don't think he used his strat on that tune? I think he used a jazz box :) But I don't know for sure of course...

[@KiraPlaysGuitar]

That Cmin11 at 5:37 takes me straight to Easy Living - George Benson

[@jedmarsillo]

Gear and tone videos are always cool Jens. I would like to see more of this. I'm going to try that mid boost trick with an OD pedal you suggested it sounded great. Thanks for another great video.

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Jed! Glad you like them! I am curious if you get the mid boost thing to work? 🙂

[@jedmarsillo]

@@JensLarsen Hey Jens. Your video completely changed how I set up my amp and I really couldn't be happier. My previous EQ settings were way to Bass heavy. That got me a fat sound in the bed room but my band mates always complained about it. Now I've significantly lowered the Bass level and increased the mids it sounds so much better at bedroom levels and at full on heavy drummer levels. The mid boost from a pedal made my neck humbucker a little to bright for my taste in a jazz context but I see that trick working to cut through a mix during a solo or for other types of music where I may want a brighter sound. This video was so helpful thank you so much. Keep up the good work.

[@JensLarsen]

@@jedmarsillo That's really great Jed! It's true that low volume and high volume are two very different things when it comes to EQ :)

[@thomasguerra6810]

I set my neck tone knob around 7.5/8. Anything beyond that, I lose definition. I take some highs off with the volume knob, in fact I usually set around 6-7. That gives me some head room for solos as well. If the sound is too thin, I use a keeley katana or really any FET boost to bring out the mids. My pick ups are also flush agains the pick guard. On a strat with low output pickups, I find the more magnetic field with 11s gives it a fuller “woody” tone. But I can get close to a “traditional” jazz tone with all the above. Nice channel!

[@rostandbergerac6413]

Hey, Pete Hinkle uses Strats and Teles. Teles are an almost standard jazz guitar. Bill Frissel does some interesting stuff with the treble and phase pickups. It can slow down the phrasing of your jazz licks though. He does use a lot of compression. Maybe that helps. Thanks Jens

[@JensLarsen]

Bill Frisell does indeed use a tele, but I would not really say that he has a conventional jazz tone?

[@basildog007]

Gibson SG 61 reissue + Markbass jazz amp. Perfectly fine jazz tone.

[@JensLarsen]

That's great! I have never really played either so I wouldn't know :D

[@elrincondelaguitarra3050]

You can use any EQ section on a pedal or device to cut low end and add mid frequencies. Its about boosting the signal and add EQ.

[@thepickerhat6996]

Excellent Video. Searched for Jazz on a Strat and was happy that one of your Videos popped up. Exactly what i was looking for, since i have a bit of Strat Period now, as it seems :) Greast to hear what it sounds, when played by a Maestro :)

[@jadeowenhamblyn4405]

Hi Jens. I'm sorry I gave you a hard time in a previous comment. You are a really good teacher.

[@JensLarsen]

No worries!

[@joechip1232]

Great video :) I was just wondering last night why so many jazz guitarists feel the need to get basically the same tone. I get that it works for comping, but I often find that it's very same-y (i.e. everyone sounds the same) and that a super mellow tone doesn't stand out in the mix when the guitarist is playing lead. Why fear the treble? Punch through that mix and play like you're playing a muscly electric! 🤟

[@JensLarsen]

Well, they don't sound the same at all, but they do sound like Jazz Guitarists. It's just like there is no huge difference between Meshuggah vs Periphery, MegaDeth vs Metallica, AC/DC vs Deep Purple. Unless that happens to be your genre, then they are worlds apart 🙂

[@darkphoton7990]

Wow you're monster with stratocaster so beautiful playing would love to see more of strat playing and lesson...😊😊

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! 🙂 Glad you like it!

[@kobrian58]

Joyce Cooling has a great sound and she uses a Strat-style guitar. Her “major” modification is a piezo under the bridge for a more acoustic sound. She also doesn’t use a pick when playing.

[@MrMjp58]

A really interesting video. Beautifully played throughout.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you very much 🙂

[@archiewiles5512]

Nice blues playing at 3 mins in Uncle!

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks for listening

[@bubba4001]

Very informative Jens. I learned a lot about tone shaping from watching this video and thanks. Regards, David

[@jairocampo1992]

Gig of Dodrv

[@jairocampo1992]

Gig of Dodrv

[@jairocampo1992]

Okay 👍🏽 I’m doing doing good 👍🏽 I got you 😉 I was going back and you doing good 👍🏽 but but that’s why what’s going hurt

[@jairocampo1992]

Okay 👍🏽

[@jarickthom9767]

This is a great video and explains so much. You explain things so well and simply. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you like it 🙂

[@richtigfalse896]

Thanks for your advices, Jens ! I also noticed you can get a better and fuller jazz tone by using higher string gauge and a thick pick made of wood.

[@JensLarsen]

You are very welcome! I certainly agree that those two things help 🙂

[@LucasLucasMusic]

Awesome as usual Jens, waited too long for a video like this.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you very much Lucas! Are there other gear or tone videos you are looking for? 🙂

[@raymondwlodarski786]

Yes. Love the videos..make more videos..i find your stuff to be GOLD...THANKS

[@hanovergreen4091]

Greetings Jens. Subscribed. Man that was cool. Good info. I like the Tube Screamer idea for the cuts. I like keeping my strat sound audible cause everyone knows what you're playing and a Strat is an ear change for people used to arch tops. Best Regards!

[@robertdouglas4293]

If you are ever in Canada, you will be most welcome, Thanks!

[@joaomello7042]

Just take my like, dude. Awesome demos and explanations.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you very much, Joao! Glad you liked the video!

[@CaveMonJones]

Thank you for this awesome video! Many of your videos are invaluable and I hope you are being successful.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! Actually these videos are really getting a fantastic positive response!

[@mannoplanet]

got out my solid body and revisited this video. Also strings and picks make a big difference. Playing with fingers and thumb changes a lot.

[@Mats.Fagerberg]

At my work (I’m a guitar teacher in Kungsbacka, Sweden at Kungsbacka Kulturskola) we always wanted a ”proper” Jazz guitar instead of all Fender Stratocasters that we got. A colleague and I converted it so the pickups were configured as two Humbuckers (the rear and the middle pickup for rock and the middle and the neck pick up for jazz sounds) I think Jeff Beck did this first, but I’m not sure. It is done by changing the polarity of the middle pickup (swithing the cables that connect it to the other pickups) I may show such a guitar on Facebook, when I get back to work.

[@JensLarsen]

That's interesting! I have heard about those types of wirings, but never tried any :)

[@robertdouglas4293]

@@JensLarsen How about specialized acoustic pickups mean't for solid and semi- hollow bodies, pursuing that type of thinking for a decade or two.

[@JensLarsen]

Never tried any of those. I take it you mean piezos and similar?

[@robertdouglas4293]

@@JensLarsen Yup, invisioned years ago, based on what was comfortable at the time.

[@robertdouglas4293]

Even though not every guitar is jazz instrument, the hands tell the tale, with a little help.

[@ManfredElsingBielefeld]

Your Strat gives a very nice `Jazztone`,but it is so much more!Fender did a good job!At least it is you that makes it!!Brain,Fingers,Hearing,Understanding.....6Strings are 6 strings......nice video!I´m flashed!T H X !!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! :)

[@barbarasmith3579]

Hi Jens love your strat sound! I have a fender strat that looks exactly like yours and sounds like your neck pickup...nice sound..enjoy your post!

[@jacobvalois1717]

Please keep making these types of videos! Great content!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Jake! I will try to do that :)

[@milaortiz]

Happy new year as well Jens :) 1. As I told you before, a hundred of channels on YT are already talking about effects and that stuff, but I think that it'd be interesting analyzing some iconics tones in jazz world (e.g Kurt, Metheny, Allan, Jens haha) and see how they get their sound. 2. Everything is possible on a Strat haha Take care :)

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Mila! I don't think the idea of analyzing peoples gear is going to be realistic. I simply don't know what people use and even if I did I could not reproduce that without spending tons of money on gear and even then not really getting it right :)

[@Southbound27]

Maybe Gypsy sound too lol

[@jensschettler1732]

Jazz on a strat is always cool. The most ergonomic guitar ever. I play Strats exclusivly though marshall plexi amps and have a woderfull jazz tone.

[@ivankachkovski]

That Eternal Love overdrive thing in the AX8 is probably based on Lovepedal Eternity. Great video, thank you Sir!

[@JensLarsen]

Yes, that makes sense :) Glad you like the video!

[@ivankachkovski]

@@JensLarsen love your channel, and your book! Check out the Eternity when you have a chance, it is an amazing pedal.

[@Jeff-cb7xt]

I appreciate the video as it addresses my specific situation, which is how to get a nice full "jazzy" sound out of my strat. Thank you for the insights. I would be interested in your thoughts regarding string choice as well, I like the fuller sound of heavier strings but find they are harder to play, to bend, and to use hammeron-pulloff technique. Thanks!

[@JensLarsen]

Glad it was helpful! I play 11s on the strat, and I have 13s on my other solidbody. I don't think there is a massive difference in sound.

[@mrjazzkarabass]

Thanks for interesting video! Happy new year, mr.Larsen, cheers!!!

[@JensLarsen]

Happy new year to you too! Glad you like the video! :)

[@robertdouglas4293]

In response to gauge, maybe special 11's or 12's, been a long time ago since I've used heavy semi , and semi flatwounds. Arthritic hands. best thing for bad hands is to keep playing, no matter what. With respect to you Jens.

[@JensLarsen]

Yes I am using 11s :) Great that you can keep playing just the same! 🙂

[@robertnewell5057]

Pat Martino for many years used a set starting with a 14! Looking at his website tonight, it seems that he's now upgraded to a 15. Not bad on the hands for a 74 year old, eh?

[@TheMetalslayer100]

The neck pickup on a strat is really unique, i mean there is almost no limit. You can use this setting nearly in every Genre, and when it comes to jazz that is of course the best pickup setting! :D

[@JensLarsen]

Very true 🙂

[@damovanb]

Quentin Warren got a nice jazz tone from a Strat. It's hard to travel abroad with a jazz box. Geo Benson used a Les Paul

[@ed55x]

Information on tone, amps and any effects that work well in the jazz idiom would be very great.

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Ed! I will keep that in mind! 🙂

[@paulhicks3595]

I think the clue is with the tone of the first section of SRVs ‘Lenny’, which is just delicious. He’s using jazz chords but with very Strat , non jazzy, tone. And, he’s not shy with the whammy! I just wish more jazzers would go in this direction, as the young ‘ neo ‘ players have. BTW, I noticed Birrelli playing a Strat recently also BTW, although I have archtop and semi , 335 style , guitars I seldom play anything but a Strat these days - for virtually everything.

[@TheNathanJasper]

Thank you, extremely helpful. And I agree that neck tone around 5 was fantastic. nice and mellow but still kinda straty.

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you like it 🙂

[@johnbeddoe782]

Loving the video, Jens! I'd love to see and hear you discuss tuning your amp to the room you're performing in- this is an area i feel i lack confidence in

[@johnbeddoe782]

oh and do you tend to keep your guitar volume pot on full? i might've missed that in vid but seems you keep it on full. Same on your Ibanez?

[@JensLarsen]

Tuning to the room is difficult to talk about, but that could make a good topic :) I do indeed keep my volume on full most of the time. I sometimes lower it a little as a subtle cut of high frequencies.

[@rockstarjazzcat]

Hey there Jens. Happy New Year! On most guitars not modified otherwise, and for a variety of reasons, volume knob settings may drastically change tone... This is not obvious to most folks, especially some jazz folks, so I mention it here. Can save some tweaking on the AxeFx side to find the volume pot sweet spots. With thanks, my two cents. Best, Daniel

[@JensLarsen]

That's very true! The volume pot tends to work as much as a tone know as it does a volume. I don't use it like that too much on my Ibanez or the strat, but I do use that on the Yamaha and on the ES335.

[@bullerfugl]

Glædeligt nytår, tak for videoen!

[@JensLarsen]

Jamen velbekomme og i ligemåde!

[@MrBrushie]

Thank you very much Jens... All your vídeos are very helpfull!! Happy new year!!!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! Happy New Year to you too!

[@loicrechard]

thank you. I use the TS808 to have more focus on the mids, too, with a Tele Humbucker . I would like to play jazz with Strat but the sound is still too thin to me.

[@JensLarsen]

More mids!! :D I think you should experiment with that also on the amp, but of course it depends on the amp as well

[@andruspain4721]

Thks Jens Happy new Year!!!! All the best for you !

[@JensLarsen]

Likewise Andru! :)

[@suavetrainwreck7300]

Very nice sound with good definition yet warm. Happy New Year!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! You too!

[@urbsurbisf]

Happy new year and thanks for your videos. I was always wandering whether or not that was a SRV. Pickguard is not engraved, but the left-handed tremolo gave it away :)

[@JensLarsen]

Indeed! An SRV strat :) My first "real" electric guitar 🙂

[@mortensaaugaard5795]

Thank you Jens! Was adviced to look here. Was about to buy an extra guitar. Guess I don't need it now. I also added some Gibson ES335 impulse response to some recording and it works very well to get closer to the archtop sound. I didn't know they made IR for electric guitar and not just acoustic instruments and cabs. Thanks again!

[@rjroth4869]

I found this very useful - thanks. I enjoyed the recent video about your $400 guitar and the mods you made to it. I'd appreciate a whole video about replacement pickups if you haven't done that already. Cheers.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! I am not really an expert on pickups or have a lot of experience with it, so I don't think I am the one to make that video 🙂

[@pierre6940]

Thank you for this great recipes. Very, very interesting! Happy new year! Playing a Fender Strat Hendrix version with Roland Street cube ex + pedals.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Pierre! Glad you like it!

[@thekriskokid]

Before I got my hollow body, that's all I had to use was my Strat; worked pretty well. (But I still like a hollow or semi-hollow for jazz) Still use the Strat for some of the more funk or fusion oriented stuff!

[@JensLarsen]

THat's what I do too mostly.

[@robertdouglas4293]

Lucky to find an ol Ibanez in a pawnshop years ago, the scale and neck were so useful for jazz chords, as far as feel went. Not the tone one might expect, but more the heart, the feel, being able to truly express.

[@JensLarsen]

As long as it works! A guitar is just a tool!

[@jacktoddy9783]

I have been playing Jazz on a Strat for over 10-years. It is how you play that makes the difference. As for setting-up the guitar - we each have our own individual way. I think that going into great detail about amp settings and pickup settings is rather pointless if you are a player. More videos? Keep them shorter, less detailed and more concise. Apart from the lengthy and what I found boring set-up of equipment - I enjoyed this video. Thank you for making it.

[@GordonZoot]

Really interesting this, thanks :) - I recently saw an interview with Michael Angelo Batio and he also talked about the importance of the MIDs and rolling off the Bass and backing off the treble.

[@JensLarsen]

Great! That is, I guess, always true for guitar even if we don't have anything near the same ideal for sound :D

[@jy5896]

for get 5:29 tone, am i set middle pickup's tone 5 and neck pickup's tone 5? if not plz tell me the answer..(english is not my mother language. sorry for my bad english sir..)

[@JensLarsen]

Here you go: Middle + Neck, Middle tone: 0 and Neck tone: 10

[@jy5896]

@@JensLarsen i really appreciate it!! thank you sir :)

[@fifthape2119]

I spent a long time looking for the right metal string jazz guitar. I finally found a sound that I liked -- a big, heavy, clunky $550 Dean archtop (nice neck though). I don't play it much because it's too big and heavy. I wondered whether I had fallen in love with the sound of the guitar or with the thick 12 gauge strings. When the strings got old, I put them on a $100 really awful guitar -- sweetened it right up! It was the strings that I had fallen in love with. I wonder how many jazz people would discard all of their effects if they'd just stop using those tinny, small gauge strings. Small gauge is easier to play, but it sounds so irritatingly thin and needs compensating effects. When I practice, I rarely plug in. I wouldn't be able to tolerate the small gauge strings when unplugged.

[@JensLarsen]

Well, what gauge strings do you think I use? Because most jazz guitarists use fairly heavy strings :)

[@fifthape2119]

@@JensLarsen I don't know. I like your sound. I want to buy a small, light, metal string guitar with a jazz sound. I usually practice with a small, light, nylon travel guitar, but it's not a cut-away. This is why I have special interest in this episode of yours. I was creeped-out when you played with only the bridge pickup (fingernails on a chalkboard). I'm thinking of buying a Strat; reversing the wires of the middle pickup like you stated to make it like a humbucker; and replacing the bridge pickup with a Roland GK-3 Divided Pickup.

[@JensLarsen]

@@fifthape2119 These are 11s and my Ibanez is with 13s :) Why not just get a guitar with a humbucker, something like a tele?

[@fifthape2119]

@@JensLarsen Thank you. Yes, I'm planning to go to a guitar shop and try Teles with humbuckers, JazzMasters, etc. It's interesting for me to hear that you use 13s. I falsely assumed that 12s were the biggest. Possible ideas for future videos, but with no obligation for you: (1) fret varieties (2) fingerboard radius (3) tuning down a whole step [D G C F A D], or more, with large strings, for example, 13s, 14s. You've made so many videos that maybe you've already covered these topics. I'm trying to catch up to you! :-) All the best to you!

[@JensLarsen]

I think you can get 14s too :) Be adviced that a jazz master does not have humbuckers, they are single coils. I think those topics are too guitar specific for me, I just play the instrument, I don't actually know anything about guitars.

[@danielniko1318]

really helpfull videos! i love ur tone settings here. im more into bernstein sound that have some acoustic sounds!

[@timmartin8191]

I have always admired that Gibson ES hanging on the wall.

[@JensLarsen]

There are two ES guitars on the wall but thanks 🙂

[@timmartin8191]

@@JensLarsen My bad, no insult meant to the 335. I just have a thing for L and ES model archtops. :)

[@JensLarsen]

@@timmartin8191 no worries! 🙂 I was just curious

[@fernandos5403]

Mr Larsen Born to teach ! Thank you 🎸

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you

[@johnhannon9349]

Thanks Jens, how about a similar video about using a semi-hollow body guitar?

[@JensLarsen]

Ok, I almost think that a semi hollow will sound like jazz with no effort 🙂

[@kevindean1327]

Jens, excellent video as usual? Have you played a Les Paul Jr and what do you think of them?

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! I haven't played a Les Paul Junior, but they have P90s right? I am usually not a fan of those :)

[@kevindean1327]

@@JensLarsen Yes they do. Not really a jazz guitar I suppose but they're like a really good one bladed knife. They're like a pissed off Telecaster!!!

[@nickf9392]

Well, I took notes on this one. Let me play around and see how it works! Typically I run my strat volume knob at 8.5 -9 that usually gets rid of the thin sound.

[@giovannibuscone1164]

Interesting content, even tough there is no mention about the string gauge, that I suppose it affects the tone.

[@JensLarsen]

What does it sound like I play?

[@giovannibuscone1164]

@@JensLarsenit sound very cool but I’m wonder to know the gauge of the string that you have on the guitar, 10/46?

[@KerryFreemanMelbourne]

Good video. Though I'm sure you could make bare wood sound like you. Interesting with the strat, which I have normally avoided. Merry Christmas.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! Glad you like it 🙂 🎸

[@musiccreation1198]

Super helpful, thank you !!

[@markuspratz9330]

Thank you very much for the great videos. Love the way you share you knowledge! If you were to play with a singer only would you still dial down your bass on the amp, or rather raise it?

[@JensLarsen]

Depends on the room, the Amp and the guitar

[@fernandocastro6279]

Hello, Jens. A video about how you use pedals and effects would be great

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Fernando! I taket it you mean specific effects and how I set them? 🙂

[@fernandocastro6279]

@@JensLarsen Yes, what effects you use (if you use some modulation and delay and how you set them) and if you use drive (boost, overdrives...) pedals, what and how you use it. (Real pedals and amp would be perfect😀). Thanks very much for the lessons and tutorials. Greetings from Spain.

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Fernando. I actually explain how I use drive pedals in this video right? I hardly ever use real pedals or amps (unless I have to) the AX8 works a lot better for what I do in almost all situations where I play live or in the studio.

[@timelwell7002]

Great, informative video. Thanks.

[@LZcool]

Hi Jens, Could Thanks for all the hard work and effort on your videos. I've a question, could you review a Squire Starcaster semi hollow as a jazz guitar, and then, suggest if you'd do any mods to make it sound high end (Other Pickups maybe) Thanks for all the good content!

[@JensLarsen]

That is not really possible since I don't have a Starcaster 🙂