Jazz Electric Guitar Packages and Harmonic Clarity

The jazz guitar outfit differs from that of rock and blues in that the jazz guitarist seeks harmonic, melodic and rhythmic inventiveness as opposed to layered sound-scapes and touch sensitive distortion. Here the choice of guitar and amplifier is crucial as adding effects pedals and the like are not recommended. Most jazz guitarists would choose an archtop guitar such as the Gibson ES-175 and a simple amplifier such as the Polytone Mini Brute. The combination of this amp and guitar offer the jazz guitarist a simple yet harmoniously rich sound with a warm mid range which is ideally suited to most jazz situations.

The Gibson ES-175 is fitted with two Gibson humbucker pickups with volume and tone controls for each pickup. The selector switch allows you to use the front, back or both pickups. It is also rubber mounted to the body so as to prevent any noise when switching pickups at high volume. The maple and plywood laminated body offers tonal clarity and excellent acoustic resonance. To get a warm “jazzy’ sound, just roll the tone control off a bit. Something worth considering is having the standard metal bridge exchanged with a wooden bridge.

The Polytone Mini Brute is a small portable amplifier and has a clear, balanced solid state sound which is ideal for jazz players. It was developed in the 1970’s and during the design stage a number of leading jazz guitarists were brought in as consultants. It is a simple single channel amp with volume, treble and bass controls. It features high and low sensitivity inputs and a tone filter switch offering “bright”, “middle” and “dark” tone selections. The strengths of this amplifier have resulted in it being used with double bass and other acoustic instruments.

The extent of the jazz guitar outfit is certainly simpler than that of other guitar genre’s but the choice and quality of the instrument and amplifier are of utmost importance. The extensive use of harmony in jazz music demands a setup that delivers tonal clarity and definition.