A guy warned me about learning scales, he said that i would eventually go into 'scale mode' where i think every style and song must fall into a certain scale.

I want to start learning jazz guitar but 6the whole Jazz concept now confuses me. At times i will hear a jazz piece that sounds as if it was played solely witha the major scale and then another that uses the minor scale and so on and so forth.

My question is this; what gives jazz that 'jazzy' sound? what kind of scale do jazz musicians use, what kinds of chords do they use and all that? I'm gonna take jazz guitar lessons but i want to know at least the basics of what gives jazz taht unique sound?