Obviously you haven't heard the Rolling Stones. The Telecaster is the most versatile of the Fender line. Twang is just one thing that guitar can do, and it doesn't take much research to hear what players have done with it.
We're getting off topic, but the Telecaster neck pickup doesn't sound very twangy to me, especially with the tone rolled off slightly. It is quite feasible to get a credible jazz tone from a Tele. I just find them awkward to handle.
A bit of an unfair comparison, IMHO. There can be many reasons for this from how this was recorded/mixed to which amp was used. In this video, I think I see a Fender Silverface head being used but can't make out which one. Kind of sounds as if the Treble is on 10 and Bass is at 0. Little mids in that sound, too. But again, could be many things ; tired tubes, coldly biased amp, mic that was used, etc. I don't have a dog in this fight but I've heard terrific sounding tracks featuring all of the usual suspects so I'm unconvinced about the sound deficiencies that are being discussed. Sounds good in this video, for instance. In fact, the Telecaster while distinct is more recessed and the Jazzmaster sounds quite good and lyrical.
I have heard The Rolling Stones. Every album. Do I like them? No, aside from one album. I don't like the natural tone of a Telecaster. Nothing can change that other than hearing a different guitar.
I don't know any jazz players who play a Tele as their main guitar. I don't like the tone of Telecasters. That includes the neck pickup.
Okay. I will concede that Danny Gatton was a great guitar player, and I definitely don't mind listening to him. Danny didn't just play jazz, though. He was more of a fusion type guy. Wikipedia puts it like this... "American guitarist who fused blues, rockabilly, jazz, and country to create a musical style he called "redneck jazz". Either way, he used custom pickups in his Tele that drastically altered the tonality of the guitar.
No not drastically altered. Have you heard stock Fender pickups side by side with Joe Bardens, what Danny used or any other aftermarket pickups? Tele's can play all styles easily, amplification and the player will change the color. Another player was Jimmy Bryant who was very jazz inspired and oriented as well as his crazy hillbilly country.
J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr. always has made the Jazzmaster (along with many pedals) sound cool imo. In this vid he tells an interesting story about how he came to own a Jazzmaster.
From Guitar World : "It’s hard for people to believe, but I just used my Fender Telecaster for the entire album, except for one track. Somebody was trying to sell me a Gibson Flying V at the time. I don’t what made them think I could afford it, because I clearly couldn’t, but I asked them if I could just try it out. I brought it into Olympic and used it on “You Shook Me.” With those big humbuckers, it was so powerful you can hear it breaking up the amp in the middle of the song. I could’ve tidied it up, but I really liked hearing the amp really struggle to get the sound out. It’s really fighting through the electronics to get out of that speaker. I’m not sure what happened to the guitar. It might’ve found its way to Keith Richards or something, but I really don’t know." Led Vault: Jimmy Page Talks First Three Led Zeppelin Albums, Gibson and Harmony Guitars and More
Elvis Costello at one time used a Strat but had difficulty playing it. He stumbled onto the Jazzmaster, which he originally thought was a modified Strat that was “way better than mine.” Costello loved the Jazzmaster tremolo, which he said gives the guitar a “Spy Fy Sound” and used it to great effect on songs like “Watching the Detectives.” Also, it is my understanding that punk & new wave bands started using Jazzmasters because pawn shops & guitar shops sold second hand versions much cheaper than a Strat.
Here's a great article series on Jazzmasters & Jaguars on how to set them up correctly - and also clears up some misconceptions surrounding them: Demystifying the Fender Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pt. 1 Demystifying the Fender Jazzmaster and Jaguar, Pt. 2: Bridge Over Troubled Vibrato Demystifying the Fender Jazzmaster and Jaguar Part 3: Free your mind and your [tailpiece] will follow. Demystifying the Fender Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pt. 4: Pickup Lines
In my opinion his tone has less to do with the guitar and more to do with the vintage Electro-Harmonix Triangle and Ram's Head Big Muff fuzz pedals he uses. They make that Jazzmaster scream.
I have heard stock Fender pickups in a Tele, and I've disliked them all. Joe Bardens sound different and better to me. Danny also designed his own electronics, and I imagine that affected his tone. I agree that a degree of the tone is going to be in how the players style leans, but with a Tele, it just sounds like a Tele, and country-ish to me. I don't like that sound. I agree that amplification can color the tone as well, but I don't care what amp is being used, A Les Paul is going to sound better to me just plugged straight into any amp than a Tele. It's just my opinion.
Jazzmaster neck pickups have a deeper, wamer, more piano-y sound. The tremolo is fabulous: great range of motion up and down, with a pop-in arm. Finally, in addition to SY, Wilco and Dinosaur Jr., the frontman of the second-greatest band of all time, Swervedriver, only plays JMs. My Bloody Valentine and Stereolab also made AMAZING records primarily on these guitars. -E
Right on! I've owned/played/lived with all of what I refer to as- the 4 foundational Fenders. Each one has their unique value and with modern changes there are endless variations & possibilities out there now. For both the Jazz & Jag new replacement parts, like the great Mastery Bridge, have revolutionized their playability massively! Way back when Mojo Guitars in the East Village NYC put in a Gibson bridge for me (as they did for Thurston & Lee of Sonic Youth) & it made all the difference. For many years I was Strat & Jazz (and a Rick 360-12 and Martin D-18) as my main axes. Was later on I found my way into the Gibson & Gretsch worlds too... at the time Strat was my far Fender sound & I preferred the Jazz over the Gibson or Gretsch options heading towards warmer, creamier sounds ...
Those are some amazing worlds to explore. I was considering an aftermarket bridge for my Squier Jag, but cheaped out and bought some Loctite instead. All good.
He often uses ... semi-clean tones. I think you can hear the JM character in a lot of his stuff (and some of his recordings feature Teles and the occasional Gibson), and then there's his trem work. -E
