If you want to dial in a killer blues tone, you need to make sure you have the right guitar for the job. And whilst in most music shops, there is not a specific category of ‘blues guitars’ – there are instruments that are much better suited for the blues than others.
So if you are just starting out playing the guitar and you are not sure of which guitar you should buy, or if you are getting into the blues and want to change your existing rig, then in this article I will cover the main pieces of information you need to find the right guitar to help you dial in a range of beautiful blues tones.
Buying a new guitar can quickly become very complicated. There are a huge range of different factors to consider. The wood from which it is made, the type of pickups in the guitar, the shape and size of the neck, and the design and features of the bridge are just some of the many different elements that you could consider.
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I will touch on some of these elements here. However I will be looking at each of these points more broadly. The aim of this article is to give you all of the information you need to make the right buying decisions. And I hope to do this without bombarding you with every single last detail you might need to take into account.
So with that in mind, let’s get into it. Here is everything you need to know about the best guitars for the blues:
Before we dive into the details and look at specific guitars that will work well for the blues, I think it is first worth talking through budget. After all, if you are looking to buy a new guitar, you probably have a rough figure in mind that you would be happy or willing to spend. And if you are lucky, then this figure aligns with the figure that your spouse or significant other has in mind too…
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There is a huge variation in the price of guitars. You can buy starter guitars for little more than $140/£100. Conversely, you can buy Custom Shop guitars with prices that sometimes exceed $14, 000/£10, 000.
The budget you have in mind will depend on a number of different factors. And it is perhaps likely that you will be less flexible on price than on some of the other elements listed here.
However before you rigidly set your mind on a particular price, there are a couple of points I think are worth keeping in mind, depending on the rough price bracket you have in mind. These are as follows:
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If you are looking to keep costs down, I would not recommend opting for the cheapest guitar you can find. Although you can actually get surprisingly decent guitars for low prices, the very cheapest guitars out there will not play as well, nor last as long as those in a slightly higher price bracket.
I will add in some practical examples of this below. But the difference in quality between a $415/£250 guitar and a $140/£100 guitar is profound. The $415/£250 guitar will be one that you can play for many years. Conversely, the cheaper guitar will just not last so well. And even if it did, there is a likelihood that you will outgrow the guitar fairly quickly.
As such, I would generally recommend spending a little bit more, rather than looking for the cheapest option available. If you are on a tight budget, this might mean you have to save up for a little longer before you buy your new guitar. But it will be the better choice – both practically and financially – in the longer run.
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At the opposite end of the spectrum, it is worth recognising that the difference in quality between a guitar that costs $5000/£3600 and $10, 000/£7200 is not always that obvious. Beyond a certain price point, extra cost results in diminishing returns. So if you are looking for a high quality instrument, don’t feel compelled to hunt out the most expensive guitar you can find.
I say this partly because the extra costs are often related to the guitars being modelled closely on those of certain players or on the guitars manufactured in a particularly significant year. So if you are looking at Custom Shop guitars, I would always recommend scrutinising whether you need (or want) the various different elements that result in the higher price.
If you are just starting out, then this might be challenging. As such, if you are new to the guitar I would hold off buying a Custom Shop for now.
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In this way, you can learn what kind of tone you are looking for, what style of blues you most enjoy playing, and exactly what features and functionality you want in a guitar.
Regardless of the price bracket you have in mind, if you are unsure of the type of guitar you should buy – and money is influencing your decision – then I would always recommend waiting. Don’t rush out to buy a guitar that you don’t really want, for the sake of having it now.
Instead, wait a few more weeks or months until you can afford the guitar you really want. Not only will you be much happier when you do buy it – you will also be much less likely to suffer from any kind of buyer’s remorse.
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I went through this process when I bought my American Elite Fender Stratocaster 5 years ago. I started a new job a number of months before buying it, and saved as much money as I possibly could.
This made the process of buying the guitar so much more enjoyable. I didn’t have to worry about my budget. I had already set aside enough to cover a guitar more expensive than the one that I ended up buying. In fact, I actually played some Custom Shop guitars, and was considering buying one. In the end though opted for an American made Strat, as that was the guitar that I most enjoyed playing.
As a result, I felt (and continue to feel) very happy with my guitar. It wasn’t my budget that forced me to buy a cheaper guitar. It was because I actually preferred playing it compared to the more expensive guitars in the shop.
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The last thing you want to do is torture yourself by going to a guitar shop and falling in love with a beautiful guitar that is beyond your budget. If you then go and buy a cheaper guitar, you are much more likely to feel dissatisfied or short changed with that guitar.
Instead, take a little bit longer getting your funds together. Then go out and buy a guitar that will truly bring you joy to play.
Now we have got those initial caveats out of the way, we can look at some specific brands of guitars that are well suited to the blues.
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If you have spent time looking at possible guitars that will work well for the blues – you will have most likely encountered the brands Fender and Gibson. These are two of the oldest and most established guitar manufacturers.
Their instruments have been used by many of the best guitarists of all time. And the majority of famous blues guitarists – both past and present – use (and continue to use) guitars from either Fender or Gibson.
Both of these brands produce guitars in the middle and upper price brackets. This is particularly true of Gibson guitars – the prices of which typically start around $1400/£1000.
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However, both Fender and Gibson own companies that offer cheaper alternatives to their more expensive models. Fender offer the ‘Squier’ range of guitars. Likewise, the company Epiphone offers a range of Gibson style guitars in a lower price range.
I will look at each of these in more detail below. However before we look at guitars in different price brackets, I think it is important to look at the main guitars that both Fender and Gibson offer which are well suited to the blues. Let’s start first with Fender:
The Fender Stratocaster (Fender Strat for short) is unquestionably one of the most iconic guitars of all time. It was first released in 1954 and has since been used by famous guitarists playing in a range of different genres.
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The Stratocaster has remained one of the most popular guitars ever made. And this is for a number of reasons. Firstly, it has a comfortable design and build. Its slim neck and contoured body make it very easy to play, which is one of the key factors you should be considering when looking for a new guitar.
As I noted in more detail in this article here – the Fender Stratocaster is fitted with 3 single coil pickups. These help to give the guitar a bright, articulate and ‘twangy’ sound. The Fender Strat produces beautiful clean tones that ring out with real clarity. It is a dynamic and articulate guitar, which makes it well suited for the blues.
Having said that, part of
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