Very recently, someone told me they were looking to buy a new guitar. They said that they were interested in learning Blues and wanted to buy a guitar that was really right for Blues style.
“Wow, that’s a tough one…” I thought to my self. Blues is so much about soul and expression, I immediately decided that it was nearly impossible to answer that question without really knowing as much as possible about that person’s playing style and ability level.
Then I decided to not think so hard about it .
If you are somewhat new to electric guitar and are focused on Electric Blues playing, there are a few general suggestions I can make that will get you moving in the right direction. At the end of the day, it’s all about what guitar feels best to you. But if you are at a loss for where to begin, let’s roll our sleeves up a bit and dig in.
These guitars are the ones you see most often in the hands of experienced Blues players:
Fender Stratocaster - Maybe the most popular for electric blues. Many players find that the tone “Jumps” out of the guitar. The single-coil pickups lend themselves to the particularly sensitive and versatile sounds most associated with Blues Guitar. If you have particularly large or small hands, you could have a custom neck made that is larger (or smaller) than a standard Strat neck, or specify a wider “Nut Spacing” so that there is more space between the strings. Check out warmoth.com or usacustomguitars.com for more info on having a custom neck made The Fender Stratocaster is maybe the most versatile electric guitar for Blues, capable of sweet gentle “bell-like” sounds, yet also capable of some serious grind. Some examples of great Strat Blues players would be: Steve Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. Probably your safest bet if you are not sure what you are looking for.
Fender Telecaster – Much like the Fender Stratocaster, this is one you see often. A Tele is a brighter sounding guitar, particularly the bridge pickup, which can in the hands of a less-than-seasoned player, sound very brittle. The Tele lends itself to cleaner, less aggressive sounds, perfect for country as well. Some great Blues Telecaster players are: Roy Buchanan and Albert Collins. Albert Lee and Arlen Roth are also MASTERS of the Tele, but they tend to play in other styles as well, but MAN, those guys are serious players and worth listening to if you wanna hear what a Tele is capable of.
Gibson Les Paul: Another favorite, although it tends to be used for more aggressive styles like Blues Rock. Not as versatile as maybe the Strat or Tele in terms of really bell-like clean sounds, but GREAT for meatier sounds. Some great Blues Players who fancied a Les Paul would be: Gary More, Mike Bloomfield and Peter Green.
Gibson Birdland / 175 / ES-335 – These are all variations of “Hollow Body” electrics. And there are many capable models from Ibanez and Guild as well. All of these are used on less-aggressive styles of blues, bordering on Jazz. GREAT guitars, but not great in high-gain / high-volume situations (unless you are Ted Nuget… but he’s a special little bird.. : – )
Now, you could also buy one of the millions of custom / Non-Fender-Gibson guitars out there. There are so many, and I’m sure if you ask enough guitarists, you will receive lots of advice like “The XYZ Custom Shop 2000 is the GREATEST Blues guitar on earth!!!”
… and that may be true. But since you most likely have neither the time, money or patience to try every “Custom Shop” guitar out there, the ones I recommend are certainly the “Tried and True” favorites that will not let you down.
In the end, you have to find the guitar that really just feels right in your hands. The Blues is 1% technique, and 99% feel (some may debate that formula, but you get the point), so the guitar has to feel right! For what it’s worth, I play mostly Blues for a living and the guitar I use is a mish-mash of parts. The neck is very good, as are the pickups, but the body is some knock-off piece of ash I found in the basement of a guitar store on the lower-east-side of Manhattan 10 years ago (no kidding at all). It’s a piece of wood you couldn’t sell for $15. But to me, it just feels right, and it’s been my main guitar for several years now.
Ultimately, you gotta pick the guitar that feels like an old pair of Levi’s from 10 years ago. Comfy and just the right fit!
