Best Blues Guitars Review – Top Rated Models in 2021 with Buying Guide
If you need to find the best blues guitar and you don’t have much time to spare for research, you can always rely on our advice. We’ve looked at various reviews from other guitar players and experts in the music industry and concluded that one excellent choice would be the Epiphone Les Paul STANDARD PRO. This guitar has a set neck, a rosewood fingerboard, and Trapezoid inlays. Quite popular with musicians, this blues guitar features an AAA flame maple veneer top and beautiful color finishes. Should the Epiphone Les Paul STANDARD be out of stock, don’t overlook the Epiphone Les Paul STANDARD.
Highly Recommended Choices – Reviews & Comparison
There are some blues guitars that have received numerous positive reviews and excellent feedback. We selected them based on their quality and interesting features. You can take a look at this list and maybe you’ll find an instrument that suits your needs and preferences.
Epiphone Les Paul STANDARD PRO
This guitar is outfitted with ProBrucker PAF-style pickups with coil-splitting via push or pull control buttons. Moreover, the instrument has a beautiful vintage color and design and high-quality finishing.
You might end up loving this guitar because it is suitable for playing blues. The tonality is incredibly powerful and warm thanks to the trapezoid inlays and rosewood fingerboard.
Even though it’s an electric guitar, you won’t be disappointed by its capabilities. The unit features an AAA flame maple veneer top as well as easy control settings.
You can set the volume using the neck pickup or the bridge pickup that has push and pull coil-splitting.
The body of the guitar is made from mahogany, and the frets are size 22 medium jumbo.
Click to see the price on Amazon!
Epiphone Les Paul STANDARD
It’s essential to opt for a guitar that allows your playing to be both warm and powerful because that is how you play the blues. Therefore, this piece is suitable for this type of music because the neck, body binding, and trapezoid inlays ensure a classic look that band and solo stage performers need.
Furthermore, the guitar features a mahogany neck with a slim-tapered profile along with a
rosewood fretboard that enables fast action and response. You won’t have any issues adjusting this guitar to your blues needs.
In addition, the LockTone tune-o-matic bridge, as well as the stop bar tailpiece, allow you to change the strings easier. The guitar is quite lightweight since it doesn’t weigh more than 8 pounds.
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Squier by Fender Affinity
The unit is equipped with two Single-Coil Telecaster style pickups that come in handy when it comes to making and recording music.
Also, the top-load Telecaster bridge allows you to change strings easily and ensures optimal tuning stability.
In addition to this, the six saddle bridge design offers an accurate note intonation using the neck as well as the ability to adjust the string height to match the fingerboard.
If you decide to get this excellent electric guitar, you will notice the vast tonal variations you get thanks to the master volume, tone control, and three-way pickup-selectors.
The smooth satin C-shaped neck of this instrument is built to fit the natural curvature of the human palm. Because of this, the player feels a strong connection to the maple body.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($229.99)
Gibson SG Special 2016
Furthermore, the instrument is powered by a pair of genuine Alnico humbucking pickups and smooth tuners that have a traditional appearance.
One aspect worth mentioning is that the body of this electric guitar is a traditional asymmetrical double-cutaway one, which features a beveled edge that increases the level of comfort of the one playing it.
Plus, this instrument boasts an eye-catching, hand-sprayed finish that preserves the guitar’s original resonance.
We should point out the fact that the fingerboard of this particular unit enables a solid playing feel while the nut is self-lubricated to provide superior tuning stability.
The guitar is incredibly lightweight, and it comes with a practical carrying case for easy transportability.
There’s no need to worry about setup because the piece can be played right after unboxing.
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Gretsch G9200
The first thing most customers noticed about this instrument is its ideal size. Even though it doesn’t have the dimension of a typical acoustic guitar, it feels surprisingly natural and well-balanced when it comes to its weight distribution.
Also, the mahogany body of this guitar is thick to feel, just like the fretboard. Because of the thick layer of wood, the piece provides a feeling of solidness which is essential if you need a guitar to play the blues.
Another reason why this guitar has such a powerful resonance is that it features an Ampli-Sonic spider cone and bridge that work together to serve up an authentic resonator tone.
The unit comes with a rosewood fingerboard and a 25-inch scale length. A pair of ‘F’ sound holes finishes off the unique design of this instrument.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($449)
Martin 000-15M
This item is outfitted with an all-mahogany body that produces a super-rich and warm sound. This guitar appears to have an impeccable sound no matter your playing style, the type of strings you use, or the chords you’re looking to learn..
As pointed out by other owners, this guitar features an eye-catching orange mahogany color tone that would look great on a blues concert stage.
On top of this, the instrument has a beautiful vintage look thanks to the satin finish and retro design. Because the fretboard is slightly wide, the fingerstyle playing goes smoothly and effortlessly.
The sound made by this is guitar is clear, vibrant, and bright, with overtones galore. Plus, the instrument is lightweight and comfortable to use.
The treble strings have a crisp ring while the lower strings provide that warmth needed for the blues playing style.
Buy from Amazon.com for ($1299)
PRS CM2VST SE
What the majority of players noted is that this guitar boasts a detectable mid-range and clarity that are responsible for delivering a sweet, full tonal base.
Because of this feature, the guitar is quite versatile. So, you can play music by yourself or record songs with your band.
The guitar sports a maple top with a mahogany back and a 25-inch scale length. Also, the neck is thin and wide, and the fretboard is made of rosewood.
Other interesting features include dual humbuckers outfitted with volume, tone, and a 3-way toggle switch.
The unit comes with a padded gig bag that you can use to store the guitar away from dust or scratches or for easy transportation.
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Gretsch Guitars G6136T-LTD15
Thanks to the dual High Sensitive FilterTron pickups that reproduce every dynamic and tonal nuance, the guitar makes each song note sound loud and bright.
Additionally, the arched laminated maple top of this instrument resonates with a beautiful tone, adding sustainability to the playing style. The 2-3/4 -deep body fires off notes that grants the enhancement of the harmonic balance.
What’s more, the bound ebony fingerboard with Pearloid Neo-Classic thumbnail inlays have a 12-inch radius that is useful for swift playing.
Due to the comfortable standard U-shaped neck profile, your hands won’t get tired as you drive them over the neck of the guitar.
The Grover Imperial tuners work in harmony to ensure the tuning of the guitar doesn’t drift. Also, the classy bone nut is helpful for the tuning stability and resonance.
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Ibanez PM2
On the top, the unit comes with a bound ebony fretboard that is responsible for the smooth, sweet tones that come from playing this guitar. It’s an excellent acquisition if you like to play blues.
As far as the aesthetics go, the instrument presents gold hardware, pearl inlays, and a stylish KT30 tailpiece. These pair with an antique amber woodgrain and curves placed at the top. Because of all these exciting traits, the guitar looks and feels like a classy instrument.
The pickup controls include a volume and a tone string setting. The guitar has 22 frets and medium frets that benefit from an Art-star fret-edge treatment.
Other accoutrements include an ART-1 bridge and a silent 58 neck pickup. The unit can be stored in the hardshell case that comes with the product.
Click to see the price on Amazon!
Yearly Guide & Report
When you’re in the market for blues guitars for sale, you need to take into account certain aspects that are essential if you want to play the guitar without any constraints. You can’t develop your talent without a proper instrument so make sure you understand which ones suit your needs best.
To make the task more comfortable for you, we’ve taken all the available information and put it into this interesting buying guide that you can consult in the following paragraphs. Also, if you need other essential accessories for your hobby, you can always catch up with our previous articles that tackle finding a good guitar multi-effects pedal or high-quality headphones for music production.
History of blues
Because blues is a very complex musical genre, you should begin by learning a few historical facts that are useful for getting a good blues guitar. This way, you can get an idea of how the blues sounds and what kind of instruments you need to perform it.
Slaves started playing the blues in the 19th century in the United States. The African-American culture is exceptionally proud because it dominated the genre and gave back several amazing and talented blues artists.
At first, the blues didn’t require any instruments because it was mostly about soulful songs played in the fields. The majority of songs were inspired by the slaves’ difficulties such as hard luck, frustration, and life’s hardships. The blues was supposed to act as a medicine for the broken soul.
Then, jazz started gaining notoriety and became an essential influence on blues, as well. One of the reasons why they sound so similar is that these musical genres were born in the same area. Nevertheless, blues sounds differently depending on the region. Therefore, there is a myriad of blues styles such as traditional country blues, jump blues, cool blues, and Memphis blues.
What makes a blues guitar?
In the beginning, there were no guitars designed to sing blues exclusively. Musicians used any guitars they could get their hands on. Because of this, early blues didn’t sound so fancy.
However, nowadays things are a tad different and plenty of blues guitar reviews recommend getting a guitar that sounds the way you like. Indeed, you can always rely on a regular cheap acoustic guitar or a beautiful cheap electric guitar that work fine and sound good. But it’s important to purchase an instrument that fits your plans.
If you need a guitar that you can play for years, you might get something of high quality. Think long term so make sure you take into account other accessories you might need to invest in, like a modern small guitar amp or a couple of monitor speakers.
So, it doesn’t matter if you’re inclined to get an acoustic guitar or an electric piece. If you like electric guitars, don’t forget to look for a quality guitar amp.
Features
The best guitar for blues is the one that has a vintage a tone and looks but sounds powerful enough to make the blues sound profound and soulful.
A good blues guitar must possess specific characteristics. Power and articulation are a must even though nobody wants to play blues on a modern guitar with searing-hot pickups.
If you want to get an acoustic guitar, you should know that blues sounds better if the instrument has a certain warmth, preferably in the twangy area. A good option would be an instrument made of mahogany or cedar that features a solid top so that the tonality gets warmer with age.
Needless to say, you can purchase a second blues guitar that might be reliable and have an excellent value for money.
Functionality on the blues genre
Choosing a guitar that lets you play blues like a true professional might be tricky because not only instruments deliver the exact tonality and warmth you need for a genuine blues. Plus, if you’re biggest desire is to play blues, then you have to play it from your heart.
An instrument should let you develop your artistic sense and let you get wild because blues is all about passion and love for the music.
One thing you need to keep in mind is that a guitar must give you a feeling during play. It might be the downbeat, the soulful croon or the aggressive groove, but you need a tool with excellent tonewoods. Otherwise, you won’t have the impact you desire when playing blues. It might come in handy to purchase a new guitar tuner that could make the tool sound better.
Another aspect you should be aware of is that you need a guitar that enables you to slide your fingers all across the fretboard quickly. If the instrument doesn’t let you do so, you’ll find it difficult to get the necessary speed needed for playing certain blues style. For instance, a fretboard made of rosewood comes in handy and so does a great set of strings.
Budget
Lastly, you might want to establish a certain budget from the very beginning to avoid situations like overspending on a low-quality instrument. In addition, make time to search the market and make comparisons so that you pay a fair price.
Besides, our suggestions are quite affordable, and you can find something that suits your playing style and skill level. Just make sure you get all the information you need and consult other people that might be useful in making a decision.
