Although the traditional jazz-style guitar wouldn’t be born until the 1930s, the first take on a jazz guitar was actually in 1923. This was the Gibson L5, which popular jazz musicians of the time, including Eddie Lang, would use. When the electric guitar was invented in the 1931, it would quickly become the jazz instrument of choice for those playing strings. Until this time, the banjo was the dominant instrument for jazz musicians.

What are the Differences?

Most jazz musicians will use an archtop guitar, which is a Gibson model and colloquially referred to as a jazz guitar. However, many will also use a standard electric guitar, or an electric acoustic, and use a range of gear and equipment to create the jazz sound they’re looking for.

Guitars Within Jazz

Jazz was most popular during the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s. During this time, guitars such as the Gibson ES-150, invented in 1936, would often be played by individual jazz guitarists as well as making up an important part of the rhythm section of popular jazz bands of the era.

Eddie Durham and Charlie Christian are the two musicians most widely credited with being the fathers of jazz guitar. Durham for creating the first jazz guitar solo and Christian for making jazz guitar solos a hugely popular sub-genre of music.

Moving Forward

Throughout the 1950s Gibson would continue to produce archtop guitars, including the L5CES, which was instantly popular with jazz musicians as it could be played as an acoustic or electric instrument. Tal Farlow and Johnny Smith were among the artists who would use this instrument and enjoy great popularity. However, it was Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass who would set the benchmark for what we’d describe as jazz guitar playing in the modern day.

The 1950s would also be the last time there would be any significant changes to the design of the archtop guitar, and as jazz fused with rock and moved into the mainstream through the late 1960s and 1970s, demand for these instruments would sharply fall.

Jazz Revival

The 1980s would see a move back to what many would call traditional jazz, and while the genre of music would regain popularity, it wouldn’t be until the 1990s that sales of the archtop guitar would pick up once again.

Today, the archtop guitar is available from a number of manufacturers – most sell at least one as part of their range – but the Gibson models are still the most in demand and sought after both by professional and amateur musicians.

Image Author: kurisurokku