Jazz Guitar Gear :
What's YOUR Rig?

Through this website, I often get asked what type of amps, guitar, pedals (... and even string gauges!) that I use.

On this page, I'm listing all the equipment I play with as part of my regular jazz guitar gear. I don't always bring all of the stuff to gigs and rehearsals with me, but I get to pick and choose from that humble rig.

And now for the beauty of the web : this page is also dedicated to YOUR jazz guitar gear. You'll find the discussion at the bottom of this page...

So, here you can share your rig (with optional pictures) and comment on my gear or other visitors' jazz guitar equipment. You found the right the place to discuss!

Here we go!

Guitars

Solid-body : G&L Bluesboy -- (my main axe)

Sparkly blue with black pick-guard. Humbucker + single-coil = the perfect combinantion for jazz, blues and rock. Oh yeah. The Bluesboy is more often seen as a "thinline" model (semi-hollow with one "f-hole").

Mine is probably a 2006 or 2007 model (because the specs and the construction don't exactly correspond to what's on G&L website, according to my excellent luthier).

Our guess is that it basically sat in the store for 2-3 years because nobody wanted to buy that color. Nevertheless, it's now my main axe for all types of gigs.

Semi-hollow : Gibson ES-137

The 137 is like a "hybrid" guitar. It's not as thick as a 175, yet not as slim as a 335. It's somewhere in between. Gibson tried to make a few hybrids like this (such as the 135) and they were all big flops.

The ES-137 is the first of these hybrids that Gibson is keeping in production to this day. It's sturdy, sounds good, has no tailpiece, a plywood top (yes), mahogany block in the middle (avoids feedback), and is equipped with 2 humbuckers. Highly recommended.

It's considered to be a good "student guitar" for jazz guys. Some of my friends, colleagues and teachers go for archtop guitars in the 5k-10k dollars range. Coming out of the store with the brand new 137 cost me barely 2000 canadian dollars.

So it's not a "collector guitar". It's simply very well made and reliable. The main downside is that it won't gain value. Even in 15 years, it will not be worth more (unlike expensive ES-175's, ES-335's or LesPaul's).

Classical : Takamine EC 132 SC

This is the one that doesn't come out of the house too often. It's basically a good classical with a cutaway and a pickup.

The EC 132 is nice to have because I practice classical pieces on a regular basis. I don't know nylon-string guitars very well and I'm sure this Takamine is basically a "plastic toy" for the *real* classical virtuosos... But, as John Scofield says : "Works for me!"

I wouldn't dare bring it to a gig though. I'm afraid of feedback at high volumes. It would require a thorough tune-up and some serious soundchecking before I feel confident.

Amplifiers

Tube Amp : Fender Blues Junior

Really nice tube amp with one 12-inch speaker. Single channel with boost. Decent spring reverb. Gain control (yeah!) and classic 3-band EQ. As is. Only had to repair it once since I got it. (Thank god!) I acquired this amp from one of my teachers after graduating.

It's a tube amp so it needs love and care. I know the Blues Junior can be sensitive and that's why I don't always bring it with me on gigs...

Solid-state : Roland Cube 60 (the 1990's version)

Fairly versatile (and loud) amp for jazz. I use the overdrive channel so I can control the amount of gain in the sound. The reverb on it is ok enough to gig with.

I bring the Roland with me when I'm taking the subway to get to my gig or rehearsal. I don't want to damage the tubes or electronics in the Blues Junior with all the shaking and carrying. (-:

I also bring the Cube when driving for long distances and we're missing space in the trunk. This amp can be squished in a corner or piled upon without any problem. It's build like a thank.

Pedals

Reverb : Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail PLUS

Well. It is what it is!

I always like to have a bit of "space" in my sound. I've never been a fan of trailing delays, but just a tad of this fake "hall reverb" really does it for me.

If I'm playing in a big room, I barely use the Holy Grail. I guess what I like is that "big room" emulation in a tiny club or studio. A completely dry sound just kills my creativity...

Accessories / Others

Strings

I've been to hell and back finding the right string gauges for various guitars! From .09 to .13 (and obviously trying out flatwounds and plastic coated gimmicks). Now, I'm pretty sure the quest is over!

For my G&L Bluesboy : D'Addario 0.10 Electric (known as the "regular" nickel wound). For my Gibson ES-137 : D'Addario 0.105 Electric (yes, it's an in-between gauge) also nickel wound. For my Takamine : Savarez Corum, regular tension (French imported strings).

Picks : Dunlop Jazz III's

Oh yeah. I've also tried many, many, many types of picks but this is what I feel the most comfortable with.

Cables : George L's

Buy two connectors and get the length of cable you want! Sold by the foot. Lifetime Warranty.

The George L's are great because they are virtually un-breakable. There's no soldering at all. The cable just goes right into the connector (with your hand) and there's a little screw. Zat sit!

Click on picture to view larger version ...

I've also been to hell and back with cables. I would usually replace them every 3-6 months. The few George L's that I own are still lasting and I've gigged with them for years!

Ok, now it's your turn!

What Jazz Guitar Gear are *YOU* using?
(or discuss my gear)

Share your own guitar rig here! Add your own equipment list or simply comment on the above list.

Jazz Guitar Gear by other visitors (with comments)

Click on the links below to read Jazz Guitar Gear and comments that were all written by visitors to this page.

You can write or comment on them, too. Just scroll up a bit and write your own story. Or continue on and read what others have had to say about jazz guitar stuff and equipment. Enjoy...