Can shred guitars be set up for jazz?

[oldguitarguy]

I'm oldguitarguy and play my teles that I buy cheap and mod.

I would like to know if a shred style guitar bridge, neck, and frets can be set up for 11s if I put in nut. I think the frets may be too small but i have no clue.

Any thoughts would be quite welcome...

Ogg (i just discover my new online name)

[Jimmy blue note]

In general, of course. There's nothing about a shred guitar that doesn't preclude the relationship of your hands, the music and your amp when you want to play. That being said, there are certain things specific guitars are designed to make easier or more functional. You're not going to get a job in a Basie's big band playing chunka chunka acoustically, but there's nothing that will stop you from setting up a guitar with strings you want (maybe you'd need to widen the string slots at the nut...depends on the guitar. Zero fret with a string lock, no problem there).
There's a lot of adjustability in a shred guitar and if you like the feel of it, the faster neck, the option to use a whammy, any of the designed features, then set it up for your hands and play. Fret size will have an effect on sound and feel, but not an all necessarily a bad thing.
All this is to say, .011 will be more than fine with a setup, neck relief and the action you want.
Go for it.
Send us a video clip of you playing Days of Wine and Roses on a dive bomb Flying V!
By the way, what guitar are you specifically thinking of? I'm curious. When I was making the transition to 7 string, I got an Ibanez AR and set it up with .012's and aside from the string slots, it was a good guitar. I even liked it enough to swap out the pickups and use it to play in jazz settings.

My opinion anyway.

[Jim Soloway]

Most shred guitars have huge frets. 6100's are common.

[AlexOT]

I play 11s with a wounded G on both my guitars, I enjoy the thickness and stability. Changing from the .09s that were originally on the setup never caused me intonation issues, nor did I have to change the nut. I play a heavy modded korean squire strat and Godin radium, both not specifically aimed at jazz (or shredding), but one day I'd like be able to shred jazz on both!

[citizenk74]

I'm oldguitarguy and play my teles that I buy cheap and mod.

I would like to know if a shred style guitar bridge, neck, and frets can be set up for 11s if I put in nut. I think the frets may be too small but i have no clue.

Any thoughts would be quite welcome...

Ogg (i just discover my new online name)

[citizenk74]

I play 11s with a wounded G on both my guitars, I enjoy the thickness and stability. Changing from the .09s that were originally on the setup never caused me intonation issues, nor did I have to change the nut. I play a heavy modded korean squire strat and Godin radium, both not specifically aimed at jazz (or shredding), but one day I'd like be able to shred jazz on both!

[RayS]

I'm oldguitarguy and play my teles that I buy cheap and mod.

I would like to know if a shred style guitar bridge, neck, and frets can be set up for 11s if I put in nut. I think the frets may be too small but i have no clue.

Any thoughts would be quite welcome...

Ogg (i just discover my new online name)

I play a Schecter Solo II custom, of the few guitars I have left it's my favorite!

It's extremely well built and sounds great on the neck pup..(US made Passadena ) I've got .012" - .046" flatwounds on it now but ordered some 015 -052 Pat Martino GHS to make it my poor man Benedetto PM........

It has Jumbo frets..not everyone likes those.....nut slots have to be enlarged for the larger diam strings...and most likely the saddles to....

Ray

[supersoul]

I have an ESP LTD AL-600 Ahrue Luster Signature guitar that I put flatwounds on.

Ahrue Luster is a metal dude but the guitar is pretty mellow looking: sunburst, fixed bridge, EMG pickups, SG shape. It's a good guitar. And... the fretboard inlays are spades!

[CliffR]

Sure you can!

Jackson soloist with flat wounds:

[Cunamara]

I would like to know if a shred style guitar bridge, neck, and frets can be set up for 11s if I put in nut. I think the frets may be too small but i have no clue.

Welcome!


All things considered, a guitar is just a guitar. Some work better for some styles than others, such as a big acoustic archtop with bronze strings and high action for chunka-chunka rhythm guitar playing in a big band, but I have seen clips of Les Paul's rhythm guitarist playing that way on a Gibson Les Paul and it sounded great.

As for strings, Jim Hall and Ed Bickert used .010s on their archtop and Telecaster, respectively. They both had exemplary jazz guitar tone; Barney Kessel and Pat Martino used .014s or heavier, and also had exemplary jazz tone. I think that Peter Bernstein uses similar gauges on his archtop. I use .011s on most of my guitars and have found that to be a good compromise, but I have .010s on my Tele and it sounds fine for jazz. Just takes a lighter touch.

Vintage jazz guitars tended to have tiny, low frets which worked well with the heavy strings but not as well with lighter strings. Most shred oriented guitars have jumbo or super jumbo frets.

[jim777]

Absolutely All three of these will 'jazz'