I want to learn how to play jazz guitar

Captain Obvious pretty much nailed it there. I've been taking Jazz Lessons from a pro for just over a year, it really is like learning to speak a language, it takes ALOT of time and practice. I still pretty much stink the house up on a daily basis. Get an instrument that you can afford and that is comfortable to you for starters. I personally use an Ibanez AS103, pretty nice sound and retails at right around 1100 (I bought the Burled Maple Limited edition cuz it's pretty!), I actually paid about 800 plaus tax. I use a Fender Dynatouch III 100 watt combo amp (same one I use for my barband gigs). With Jazz you gotta learn the language from the start, the scales, chord patterns, modes, the cliche' stuff; this could take up to a year or more to get down solid. It's not like rock and roll where you pick out 3 chords and turn it way up, there are many litle nuance things in there that you need to pick up. Plan to practice long hours and make sure you find an instructor that really knows what they are talking about, a bad habit could take years to get rid of. (I support my pinky finger on the pickguard) so you gotta learn correct from the start. Good luck man!

Please people an instrument is just tool for sound. Dont worry what kind of guitar to play cause chances are you do not possess the ability yet to fully understand optimizations made for professional guitar. Hence student model instruments versus professional model. Having a professional model instrument isnt going to hurt you in anyway, but for learning purposes (and financial purposes) you might want to buy a cheap used electric guitar and amp off of craiglist from somebody and start there. It the same principle of buying a ferrari for 15 year old kid with a learners permit. There are 3 parts to be a musician, period: the mental, the physical, and the instrument itself. The mental aspect of jazz (really ALL music) is learning theory and knowing it like the back of your hand. This means learning all scales, chords and abbreviations, meters, and appropriate resolutions. I would personally buy a notebook on manuscript paper (music staff paper) and write out scales and chord like your being punished just so they are engraved in your brain. I call this mental practice. Playing jazz or any other type of improvised music is like learning how to speak a language. You need to know the vocabulary first before you can create an intelligent sentence or hold a meaningful conversation. Also in jazz there are "catch phrases" or "cliches" just like speaking a language that everyone knows. Learn some. Another huge factor is knowing who to listen too. What you want to sound like is ultimately up to you, however, people tend to fall in traps by listening to a specific person and before you know it you sound exactly like them. Me personally I wouldnt want that, but for learning purposes try to emulate someone for a while just to get an understanding of the style, but eventually you need to ween yourself from listening to others so you can develope your own sound The physical, to me, is the second to least important. Practicing. Practicing is EXACTLY like going to the gym. You pick a specific area that you want to work on, and you sit there and workout. Dont think, just do. If you have a good mental understanding of what your trying to accomplish and such as knowing (all scale appegiations from writting them out all time like I just said). Also the more your workout (effectively that is) the stronger you become, literately, you'll be able to play hours on end. The instrument is the least important aspect of being a real musician. Most professional musicians can play on the crappiest of instrument and still make it sound there own. Like I said before the instrument is just a tool to produce sound, but the music comes for you.

Look for a hollowbody electric guitar like an Ibanez AF or AG or a Hagstrom HJ of HL. A decent amplifier with a very good clean channel (so no crunch, distortion, and other effects). A Vox AD or AC would make an excellent choice. Originally jazz was played with acoustic guitars, but the electric guitar was originally invented for jazz musicians to get heard over their brass sections so it's really well suited to the genre.