Jazz/Rockabilly electric guitar.

[chomper76]

My son has been playing guitar for a year now. He is currently playing trumpet in his 6th grade band, but starting in 7th grade he can play guitar in the school's Jazz band.

In the band, they will have several concerts and will play Jazz along with Rockabilly songs.

He currently has a Fender Strat, but I am looking to see if anyone has advice on a guitar that will be suited for those styles of music. I'd prefer to keep the cost to $1000 or $1200 tops.

Any suggestions on what I should be looking at? I only play acoustic, so this is out of my area of knowledge.

Thanks,

Matt

[terrapin]

Gretsch Electromatic of some sort. Or, a Telecaster is perfectly suited for those music styles. I would go with a Telecaster with a Humbucker or P-90 in the neck position.

[Aaron Smith]

A Strat is one of the most versatile guitars out there- I'm sure you can find a good rockabilly tone in there. That said... if you really need an excuse to buy another guitar... a Gretsch electromatic into a Fender amp is pretty much "the" sound.

[chomper76]

Well, I have been toying with the idea of getting a Telecaster for myself as I have had fun the times I have picked up his Strat.

But I know next to nothing about Jazz or Rockabilly styles of music.

[terrapin]

Originally Posted by chomper76

Well, I have been toying with the idea of getting a Telecaster for myself as I have had fun the times I have picked up his Strat.

But I know next to nothing about Jazz or Rockabilly styles of music.

Honestly, get a Tele with a Humbucker or P-90 in the neck! It will work BEAUTIFULLY!!!

[Eric_M]

Gretsch 5120 or an Epiphone Swingster.

Or a Strat

[Steve DeRosa]

Started as a jazz player in 1962, have a Strat, had a Tele - and unless you're Ted Greene or Mike Stern neither one is really a jazz guitar IMO. I'd recommend looking at some kind of hollow or semi-hollow, preferably with P-90's or minibuckers if he's also going to do rockabilly; fortunately, there's a lot of good stuff out there if you're looking to keep it under $1200. I've played some of the new 5400-Series Gretsch Electromatics ($800-900) - the 5100's were discontinued a couple years ago - and they compare favorably to my '64 Double Anniversary: roll off the tone control for a mellow jazz sound, or run it wide open for a classic rockabilly vibe. If you've got a bright-sounding amp, one of the humbucker-equipped Ibanez Artcore AF instruments might be a good choice - they start at about half the price of the Gretsch models, and their fit/finish are a cut above just about anything in their class; there's also a wide selection of semi-hollow (ES-335 type) instruments in this range from most of the major manufacturers - the Eastman T386 (~$850) and Epiphone Casino ($600 - actually a full-hollow with P-90's and a Beatles staple during the Rubber Soul/Revolver period) are two of my favorites. At the top of your range, Guild has reissued a number of their classic Hoboken models as part of their Newark St. Series; they've received rave reviews from the trade press, but you might want to do a hands-on first as some of the instruments may be a bit large at 17" wide. Finally, as a very satisfied owner I'd suggest that you don't make a final decision until you've checked out a Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II ($995), a dual P-90 16" single-cut deep-body in the general mold of the original ES-175; IMO this would be an ideal first jazzbox for a younger player (or his dad... ): simple controls (volume/tone/3-way switch), short (24.8") scale, and at around five pounds about one-third lighter than any of the above (other than the Casino at ~6-1/2 pounds) - it's become my go-to hollow as well as standby/backup for my P-90 LP goldtop. FWIW, my wife - who has a vehement and long-standing dislike for archtops - asked to borrow it for a Thanksgiving church service, so there's got to be something serious going on in terms of tone...

Good luck...

[terrapin]

Don't agree Steve. Alot of great jazz has been made on Telecasters! Strats, not so much. But a Tele with a p-90 in the neck position is a much more versatile guitar than most. And so simple to dial in.

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Started as a jazz player in 1962, have a Strat, had a Tele - and unless you're Ted Greene or Mike Stern neither one is really a jazz guitar IMO. I'd recommend looking at some kind of hollow or semi-hollow, preferably with P-90's or minibuckers if he's also going to do rockabilly; fortunately, there's a lot of good stuff out there if you're looking to keep it under $1200. I've played some of the new 5400-Series Gretsch Electromatics ($800-900) - the 5100's were discontinued a couple years ago - and they compare favorably to my '64 Double Anniversary: roll off the tone control for a mellow jazz sound, or run it wide open for a classic rockabilly vibe. If you've got a bright-sounding amp, one of the humbucker-equipped Ibanez Artcore AF instruments might be a good choice - they start at about half the price of the Gretsch models, and their fit/finish are a cut above just about anything in their class; there's also a wide selection of semi-hollow (ES-335 type) instruments in this range from most of the major manufacturers - the Eastman T386 (~$850) and Epiphone Casino ($600 - actually a full-hollow with P-90's and a Beatles staple during the Rubber Soul/Revolver period) are two of my favorites. At the top of your range, Guild has reissued a number of their classic Hoboken models as part of their Newark St. Series; they've received rave reviews from the trade press, but you might want to do a hands-on first as some of the instruments may be a bit large at 17" wide. Finally, as a very satisfied owner I'd suggest that you don't make a final decision until you've checked out a Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II ($995), a dual P-90 16" single-cut deep-body in the general mold of the original ES-175; IMO this would be an ideal first jazzbox for a younger player (or his dad... ): simple controls (volume/tone/3-way switch), short (24.8") scale, and at around five pounds about one-third lighter than any of the above (other than the Casino at ~6-1/2 pounds) - it's become my go-to hollow as well as standby/backup for my P-90 LP goldtop. FWIW, my wife - who has a vehement and long-standing dislike for archtops - asked to borrow it for a Thanksgiving church service, so there's got to be something serious going on in terms of tone...

Good luck...

[moon]

Originally Posted by chomper76

In the band, they will have several concerts and will play Jazz along with Rockabilly songs.

Gretsch is an easy pick (or similar body style). Rockabilly/jazz is what it's made for.

[Tony Done]

Ibanez make a range of very good and relatively inexpensive archtops, including some that have the right look right for jazz and/or rockabilly.

[SprintBob]

Gretsch, Godin, Guild, Fender, Epiphone, and Ibanez seem to all have great options. That's a good thing.

[6L6]

Rockabilly has been my favorite guitar music since I started playing in the mid 60's.

I've been through a ton of electric guitars since then, but NONE compares to my 1960 Harmony Meteor w/Bigsby:





Those old DeArmond "Gold Foil" pickups just can't be beat!

Bill

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by 6L6

Rockabilly has been my favorite guitar music since I started playing in the mid 60's...I've been through a ton of electric guitars since then, but NONE compares to my 1960 Harmony Meteor w/Bigsby...Those old DeArmond "Gold Foil" pickups just can't be beat!

Good suggestion - I thought they had gone under, but apparently they just cut down their lineup. Here's one of the new ones:

http://www.8thstreet.com/Harmony-H-5...ar-pc64758.8th

[zabdart]

Originally Posted by terrapin

Gretsch Electromatic of some sort. Or, a Telecaster is perfectly suited for those music styles. I would go with a Telecaster with a Humbucker or P-90 in the neck position.

Roy Buchanan's ghost will haunt you. A Telecaster with a good single-coil neck pickup will do just fine, and you shouldn't have any trouble finding one in your price range if you shop around.

[Taylorplayer]

Originally Posted by terrapin

Gretsch Electromatic of some sort. Or, a Telecaster is perfectly suited for those music styles. I would go with a Telecaster with a Humbucker or P-90 in the neck position.

Or, try one of these in that tele:

http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/mer...Code=Gold_Foil

Scroll down and check out the video.

I'm thinking about doing one myself.