Best Telecasters for Jazz – 5 Suitable Axes!

What’s the resulting sound of that clash? Well, you get defined highs while the body brings the warmth you need for chords and complex comping. Plus, if you roll off the volume just two or three points (set it to 7 or 8) and set the tone knob to the same position, you can enter jazz territory effortlessly.

Speaking of which, the telecaster construction (string-through-body) adds to the overall sustain and resonance, making this guitar vibrate evenly with every note. Furthermore, if you continue to roll the tone back, you’ll come across a growling sound that can be a great companion for some flatwound strings and a pick-less approach.

Finally, the neck is as comfortable as it gets with a C profile and a 9.5” radius. Perhaps, the only drawback is the heavy lacquer that Squier uses in its Classic Vibe series is thick and sticky and might be a drawback for those guitarists (like me) who live in humid places on the planet.

If your budget allows for it, also try the Fender American Vintage II version with the original CuNiFe pickups.

Here’s a cool no-talking-just-playing Squier video to hear this guitar in action.

So, to begin with, the front positions of a telecaster (neck and neck + bridge) are perfect to work your way around difficult, complex chords. Yes, you’ll suddenly hear every note you play louder and clearer than you’ve ever heard it on an archtop guitar. This is because, even with the tone rolled off and the neck pickup, telecasters never stop biting.

Indeed, if you dig in with your picking hand, you’ll find out that the guitar responds by delivering crystal-clear, well-defined, warm, and balanced tones.

Speaking of which, this is a great guitar to play through a Fender clean amp and use your volume knob as a tone knob. Yes, if you keep it from 5/6 to 8, you’ll realize you can roll off some of that high-pitch character the guitar has. You’ll also lose some spark during the process. 

Nevertheless, if you roll off the tone to, let’s say, 5 and crank the volume to 8, you’ll tame the high end while getting a balanced tone that oscillates between warmth and bite depending on your picking hand.

Speaking of warmth, perhaps my only caveat with this guitar is that I miss the brass saddles for that natural warmth. That being said, the six individual saddles help intonation a lot.

Finally, if your budget allows it, you can always go for the American Professional version with brass saddles, improved tone, and a hardshell case.

You can check this no-talk-just-play video or this explanatory one.

First off, what you get from this guitar is a balanced tone because the alder body and the semi-hollow construction deliver the same amount of low, mid, and high frequencies. 

On the other hand, the modern no-lacquer (thanks for that, Leo) neck is smooth and offers outstanding playability. Moreover, the 22 tall and wide frets combined with the 9.5” radius make this a guitar you can play all day tirelessly.

But those weren’t all the surprises, because after I plugged in, I was blown away by the musicality, percussiveness, and muscular power of the pickups. Later, I read these are Leo’s creations called Magnetic Field Design pickups. They’re basically an overwound version of single coils capable of creating a more powerful magnetic field. This kept the bottom end tight and the highs ringing and musical.

Speaking of sounds, the tone and volume knob can work wonders going from biting and mid-rangey to scooped and warm. Plus, if you string this guitar with flatwounds, you’ll instantly find jazz-approved tones to play with.

Perhaps, the only caveat is that the quintessential tele tones are gone because of the warmer alder body. You can check the affordable “Tribute” version (with a humbucker in the neck) and the Fender version as well.

To begin with, the cabronita sports a maple neck with a maple fretboard that’s finished with thin, satin lacquer, which makes it playable right out of the box. Also, the 22 narrow and tall frets feel and play spotless throughout the neck. 

Furthermore, the 25.5” typical Fender scale gives this guitar a great level of stability when playing. For you, who play diminished, ninth, seventh, and minor seven flat five chords, that’s great news.

More great news is that strings go through the body, giving the guitar a bonus of resonance and sustain that’s very welcome.

On the not-so-good side of things, the Fender-made P-90 pickups have a lot of bite but lack some of that growl and low-end you can find on most Gibsons. Also, and in the same line, the body is made of poplar, a tonewood that doesn’t deliver huge low-end or crisp highs.

All in all, this is a great guitar for those who love P-90 jazz.

Speaking of sustain, the string-through-body construction is perfect to enhance that aspect of the guitar while the choice of wood (mahogany body with a maple top) borrows Gibson-approved low-end and growl. The maple top gives the guitar a singing top end that’s great for breaking through even the densest mix.

The neck on the guitar is also made of mahogany with a fretboard made of Indian laurel, which is an affordable replacement for rosewood. This combination of mahogany and rosewood was the recipe for Gibson’s rise to fame in the fifties, hence, you can expect sweet and round tones from this guitar.

On the not-so-good side of things, the thick lacquer you can find on the guitar’s body and neck can be sticky in humid weather and is also a turn-down for players like me who love to feel the wood with the thumb.

Finally, sound-wise, the Seymour Duncan humbuckers are menacing when coupled with distortion but can deliver full, round, warm tones when you roll off the volume and tone a couple of points each. Also, the coil-tap functionality is very welcome when you want to achieve the classic telecaster jazz tone with a little more bite.