classic jazz tone

J

jezeline

Member
I have an axe fx 2 since four months - Im still having a big smile whenever I switch it on. It sounds so great and every update makes it even better (thanks Cliff!). It was simply the best investment I've made. I play jazz, mostly "classic" swing/bop. Till now I mainly use the presets which I only modified here and there slightly but in general I have the impression that (due to incompetence) whenever I modify a preset more I make the sound worse...my main preset is the ODS 100 clean, I think its even better than the fenders for jazz. I use a Gibson 175 with fat strings so the guitar should be fine to find "the" tone.

My question: How you would you approach to obtain an even more classic jazz tone. I would really love to come close to something like

Joe Pass (for instance - it fits the season - )
Eddie McFadden (such a great concert )

These are just two examples, I could provide much more.

Any help would be highly appreciated.

Cheers!
 
A lot of that tone comes from the guitars and pickups. Something hollow or semi-hollow body like a Gibson ES-335 or ES-175 has that tone in spades. A Les Paul with the neck tone rolled off a bit can get close. The amps are usually quite clean with a bit of compression going on. I like the ODS 100 clean for Jazzy tones. The Fender Princeton model with the treble (bright off) and bass rolled back and the mids rolled up has a nice jazzy fatness to it too.
 
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I'd say post a recording of what you have and we'd be in a much better position to help, but generally that classic tone is coming from a hollow body arch top (which you already have), into something flat (like a polytone, I figure the jc100 should work just as well), I like a little room reverb blended in as well but very subtly
 
Hi again.

Thanks for all the immediate input, really helpful. Would you just use the "unchanged" amp (one of the ones you suggested) and some reverb or also some compressor or smth else to add some more colour to the tone? How about a cab? (Sorry if I ask stupid questions, I am really a newbie in (successfully) setting up my own presets.)

Ill try to record a quick clip in the next days.
 
I used the super reverb a lot, but after trying out the ruby rocket it has become my favorit hollow body amp with my Ibanez GB10.
Also works for the more funky stuff.
 
I like the Super Verb or the Carr. Lately, I have been getting some great jazz tones from the AC30tb. I play a Heritage Sweet 16 for jazz.
 
All good amps. I would suggest experimenting with lowering the input trim if you want as well as other tone suggestions.
 
The right IR goes a long way towards making a jazz sound work or not. I was always bouncing between different amp models (I used a Deluxe Reverb in real life before getting an AxeFX), until I found just the IR for my ears. Now I use the Ownhammer Deluxe Reverb IRs along with the Deluxeverb amp, and it's an extremely close match to my real amp (with a little bit of EQ tweaking).

That said, the guitar is going to be creating most of the sound for you in a jazz context. Also, think about what most of the classic players, like Joe Pass and Wes, used. They just plugged straight into an amp, often with no reverb other than that of the actual room they were in. Fenders were widely used back then, so ultimately that's the sound you'll be trying to emulate if you're chasing their tone.
 
Just tried this on a whim. The Mr Z Hwy 66 (Rt 66) with input drive somewhere below noon and the bass and treble on 0.
 
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