What's the Best Guitar for Playing the Blues?
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- What makes a guitar perfect for blues? Let's dig in and find out!
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*In this video I played a fender American Stratocaster, a Firefly semi-hollow body, an Ephiphone Les Paul, and a Gibson SG
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What guitar was your favorite blues machine?
Is there a different guitar you like for blues? if so, let me know!
Enjoy!
now.
Semi-Hollow body :P
i just love the model and the warm clean tones, it screams BLUES!
great video :D
cheers from argentina :D
Unfortunately for my wallet, all of them... However I have to say, the Tele is my favorite all around. Can't argue with Albert Collins or Muddy Waters.
Love your guitar playing in my opinion the strat does the blues the best.
You own nearly a dozen telecasters and you DON'T include them in a "what's the best guitar for the blues" video? Whassup with that?
The best guitar for “The Blues” , is the one ya’ got.
I would say the best guitar for the blues is the one you ain’t got and THAT gives you the blues… 🎸😢
Amen. My Schecter Omen FR has the sexiest single tone I've ever heard when you split the coils. Phenomenal guitar.
@@MrNeosantana
I second that. But with my Schecter PT Special with it's P90 and Single Coil pickups.
chopsddy3 No further comments necessary 🙏🏻
Agreed 100% Whatever guitar that makes you tell your story is a blues guitar.
It's not the guitar...
It's the player.
Always enjoy your playing, Darrell, particularly when it's the blues.
yeah, leave that smooth jazz stuff alone!!........kidding
🤦
Just get a Tele and never worry about genres.
Anmol Karki, Different metal genres. It’s not impossible but just plain stupid😂😂😂
U are right, teles are perfect
Genres, blues, metal? John 5 tele.
@@ImTyeDye Jim's Tele is modded to hell and back.
Just because that one dude put a W12 engine in his Gen 1 VW Golf doesn't make the entire model a race car.
Buy a strat
How about a how to video on how to set your guitar and amp for a good blues tone, rock tone jazz tone CW tone. Without pedals or a modeling amp?
especially jazz from a solid-body
John OBeirne for us people on a budget. I have one amp one guitar and one cable. Lol.
@@keithbrown8368 that's enough to make magic ⚡
Apologies, I guess at the end Darrell does give some tips for a blues tone. My vocabulary of guitar terms is lacking though. I’d love a video explaining what different effects or attributes of tone mean. Delay, chorus, reverb are easy enough but what I’d break-up, overdrive etc.
I’m sure there are explanations on YT but I enjoy Darrell’s style and Canadian references. Feels like we speak the same language.
Keith Brown break up is pretty much the point where you just are barely driving the amp to distort, overdrive is just really light distortion
Hey!!! You didn’t mention Teles. How dare you!!!😂
Ikr !!
Not having tele's in here questions credibility.
Muddy Waters would not have approved! :(
I did.
How could you possibly not have a Tele?!! Blasphemous!!
8:32 "I grew up with one really crappy guitar..." Well, you sure got over THAT!
Any guitar is best for blues if you believe Rory Gallagher: "Blues players don't mess around with the guitar - they hit the bloody thing."
Well, Rory knew how to hit it, for sure.
SG over a telecaster? You lost me there.
Davivd2 slide blues
It’s considered the best guitar for slide
@@funnymanjustin5836
Cigar box guitar joins the chat. Lol
derek trucks ?
@@gabrielalejandroavilaquint8191 Allman Brothers/Tedeschi Trucks Band.
The top on that LP.........
But where's the Telecaster?
And it's an Epiphone, too
Muddy Waters got some great blues sounds out his Tele!
He is cheating on telecaster
"If it don't come from a pawn shop it can't play the blues." Old African American quote!
Lol, true
Man African Americans are so full of wisdom
When I was younger, one of my only guitars for a while came from a dumpster. The neck was broken and I glued it back to the body with some gorilla glue.
I guess I can't play the blues though, it wasn't a pawn shop 😂
Wut
Way to trigger the Tele fans!
Yep what about the sweet tele neck pup!?!
Is this a trick question? Obviously, a blue guitar.
Some of the best blues ever played was on an acoustic guitar. Still is.
Goog luck bending
@Zach the one you have
@@najmihakimkhairi1210 I can bend pretty well on my Ovation. In fact, probably just as well as my Tele. The action and feel of the strings is almost just like an electric. Super easy to play.
najmi hakim khairi bending isn’t that hard on an acoustic guitar.
The fact is electric guitar beats acoustic for most every type/style of blues. Though some nitch blues style may technicality better on an acoustic but not musically, that's reality and a fact.
This is more of a personal preference, the best guitar for blues is the one that makes you feel more the music since blues is pretty much a ton of feeling
*Personally a Les Paul, nothing beats it for me*
You play really good guitar on your videos!
Up until recently, I was watching your videos purely for their content; and that held true also for the first time I watched this video. The second time I watched it however, it was purely to look at the cinematography - I'm looking for inspiration for some videos I want to make. It's absolutely amazing, the lighting, the color grading, the shot choices themselves, all of it very well thought out and deliberate in their execution. I just thought I'd share that. Congratulations, Darrel, this is really, really high quality work in my book. Thank you.
I decided that the best guitar I had for blues is the ones I have! Thank you for that advice! I was thinking about getting a new gold top or Casino but decided against it. I’m currently attending classes at Berklee College of Music for Blues. I decided that I’m going to use my 1978 Applause, 2013 Dean ML79, (very bluesy,) my 2008 Jackson Kelly JS32-T, and my new Ibanez Artcore AS53. Between these models, if I can’t find the tone I’m looking for…something is off. 😊
Hi, Is your teacher Tomo Fujita?
This is BY FAR my favorite intro, Darrell!
The classic blues tone is in the heart, spirit and fingers of the player. That, and what they could afford at the time.
Yeah, but I want a better guitar
I have a strat, a Les Paul and an archtop and I use all of them for everything, including blues. The pickups have a bit more of gain, but I use an FBM1 Boss Fender Bassman pedal, which gives a warm tone. I love the way they all sound. : )
The hollow body sounded wonderful 😉
😉how could you not mention the Telecaster? Sooo many iconic blues players played the Telecaster.
IMHO, blues tone and technique is more about the player though versus the name or model of the guitar. I agree a floating tremolo and hot pickups can create an untypical blues tone though
Roy Buchanan and Muddy Waters.
Albert Collins!
After watching this video, I like my fender more
Me too
Tele - PERIOD!!!!
Oh, Ok .... my Hamer 335 copy with a little "dirt" ain't too shabby for Chicago stuff.
I learned from your video any guitar can do any genres, so I always play blues with JEM Jr, JCM800 combo and of course never forget the MT-2.
Nice video Darrell! You should have left honorable mentions to the Telecaster (Albert Collins, Muddy Waters) and Flying V (Albert King), although I feel they are both guitars for more advanced players...
Darrell talks about the best guitars 🎸 for Blues doesn’t mention TELECASTERS!!! Time to grab some popcorn 🍿 S***s about to get real in the comments section 😎
Alvin Lee did fine with a 335. 🤷♂️😎 Duane Allman did fine playing blues rock on a couple of LP's and an SG. And SRV had his Strats. Albert King even had a Flying V lol.
JST uses a Telecaster, but also uses LPs nowadays...
Wondering what Gary Moore thought about playing blues with a les Paul and some hard gain
I love your Epiphone LP! It's a beautiful beast!
The best guitar to play the blues is the one you've got. The blues is not about the guitar at all, it's about your soul.
Darrell seriously needs to release an album of instrumental blues and an album of instrumental up-tempo rock or rockabilly.
The “best” guitar for the blues is the one that gives you the inspiration to play and fits your budget.
I have a Tele, a Strat, and a Les Paul. I play blues on all three of them. The Les Paul with a SD 59 neck and just a smidge of dirt sounds best to me.
Les Paul is best.
frank hall that is simply not possible
@@PetraKann why not?
So you just need an SG and a semi-acoustic and you're done! 👍
What about the Telecaster? Some great blues have been played on Teles.
Albert Collins is a fantastic example!
Muddy Waters played a tele too
You are a great player, plus, I learned several things just in this video and I know quite a bit about guitars.
Noiseless pickups... give Mojotone Quiet Coils a try in a Strat... they sound incredible and are in my main Strat. Even the most discerning listener can barely tell the difference. Love them.
Joe Misek Do you have the 58s or 67s? I’m leaning towards the 58s and will definitely be getting some.
Single coils are SUPPOSED to be noisy. Why ruin them?
@@shawnadams1693 58s, very happy with them.
What I don't like about them is that bulky bridge pickup that doesn't fit in a standard strat pickguard without having to grind the pickup cav first... 😒
I think it depends on what your blues style is. I play blues with a bit more gain similar to Gary Clark Jr or Kingfish.
Same here. Humbuckers or p90s work better for that kind of tone
Ask Gary Moore about playing blues with higher gain.
Actually, don't ask him now.
Pros and Cons of each guitar:
Strat:
pros: very comfortable to play, irreplaceable neck pickup tone
cons: despite the 5 position switch, not the most versatile tones, tremolo bridge makes tuning unstable, especially if you play around with other tunings.
Tele:
pros: awesome tones in all positions, top loader bridge plays like butter, indestructible
cons: fussy intonation on traditional 3 saddle bridges, string through bodies can feel rather stiff
Les Paul:
pros: amazing depth of tone due to combination of maple cap and mahogany woods
cons: heavy, uncomfortable to play when sitting
SG:
pros: great upper fret access, comfortable to play, versatile tones
cons: prone to neck dive
Pros and cons of each guitar
Hollow bodies and semi hollows
Pros: very versatile perfect weight and weight distribution not prone to neck dive can play any genre might be prone to feedback but the feedback can be controlled and not prone to neck dive
Cons none
Solid bodies and chambered solid bodies
Pros: none
Cons not versatile prone to neck dive can only play 6 genres can be too heavy can be either uncomfortable to play or the pickups can be too high input less sustain when have a trem system and better off as wall decor
Darrell, I always enjoy your playing. I also find it helpful when you give tone tips regarding pickup and amp settings.
I'd say it's the one that's been pawned the most times.
I love this video...the playing is awesome and the run down of pros and cons is fun. The debates in the comments are fun, too. Proof this is a thought provoking video.
On a more technical note the Fender strat is easy to record because of its frequency bandwidth. It just sits away from other instruments reducing the frequency buildup that may have occurred. This also applies for live performance. You can hear it in the mix even at lower volumes.
I would say the strat does the blues the best in my opinion.
It does everything the best 😂
I like the es-335 for blues, a tele for funk, jazz masters for clean atmospheric/jazz (of course) and a strat for rock.
that 335, and everything you played on it...super sweet
Everyone critiquing DB's selection just give it a rest. All of you should recognize how subjective all of this stuff is. To each their own (and I own a G&L ASAT Classic so no shade here) and keep up the quality content DB. I typically don't subscribe but you deserve them!
I recently played overdriven blues stuff on my Epiphone SG before I sold it. It's actually a very versatile guitar. I like the shorter scale length and humbuckers.
I believe a good guitar for blues is my HB Tele "Cabronita" with "Filtertron"-Clone pickups from Roswell. ;-)
So...Darrell, You said to avoid active pickups, and didn't mention Telecasters (Mike Bloomfield, Muddy Waters, etc..). The combination of a Tele and (active) EMG RetroActive T-52 set or T-Set is an unbelievable combination for not only Blues, but just about every other genre as well. They bring out a richness that passive pickups just don't have.
I've been playing professionally for over 50 years, and own Turbocaster Electric Guitars, and make T-style and JM style guitars, so do know tone quite well. The EMG's are unquestionably the best sounding (and most versatile) Tele pickups anywhere. Rob (Founder, CEO of EMG) has finally agreed to make Jazzmaster pickups as well. I tried the prototype set, and Jazzmasters are gonna be a whole amazing new guitar when they go into production, and will be, among all they already are, a significant Blues machine as well!
You also failed to mention the importance of the amp, and PRACTICE!!!
I prefer my es335 knock off. Not because it sounds especially good, just that it looks the part and puts me in a blues mindset.
it’s weird, i’ve been watching videos about this all week, all of a sudden you post a video of that
Stratocaster all life... Nice video!❤️👍🏼😁
True story: my teacher played blues on a Jackson V with EMGs. Worked out surprisingly well.
I usually play blues on my Strat....a few weeks ago I tried out some blues songs on my Ibanez AZ...well - it's my fav guitar to play the blues on right now! Sounds amazing & I prefer the flatter fingerboard for bending.
The correct answer is the one that feels best in your hands
Martin streetmaster for acoustic
(Robert Johnson)
Fender Strat for electric
(SRV)
I would change the SG for a thinline Telecaster when playing blues!
Telecaster bridge position with a little bit of dirt.
That 335 is beautiful.
Darrell, I guess you forgot a guitar named Telecaster, aka Tele...
Mike Bloomfield and a Les Paul. The Fillmore tapes... Get some!
Hey Darrell, you totally missed minis, as well! The first time I played a Gibson Firebird I thought it was going to be a rock machine but the mini humbuckers are absolute perfection for blues. Hot enough to get great harmonics and grit but low output enough to pick up every nuance of your pick attack and still allow you to hear the wood of the guitar. I was never a huge fan of that shape but, as soon as I played one, it became hands-down my favorite Gibson. Paul Gilbert's latest Fireman with DiMarzio mini humbuckers he designed himself is a great guitar for blues and classic rock. Stay safe everyone. Cheers from Florida.
That’s easy.....Gibson Firebird!
LOL as I look at my Firebird and it stares back at me like; "Don't even think about it".
Hello Johnny Winters(w/ chorus pedal)
Johnny Winter was the master
I wanna get one of those epiphone firebirds and put emg in
Gibson Blueshawk. I mean, it's already in the name... 🤨
In the movie, “Crossroads,” the kid plays a Tele and Jack Butler, the Devil’s guitarist, plays a red superstrat with a Floyd.
That’s Hollywood for you. Everyone knows the devil’s guitar is bright white with gold hardware.
Well yeah but I think that's only because they picked Steve Vai to play Jack Butler lol
Also, what Steve Vai played in the Crossroads duel was not blues.
Steve Vai played a Charvel/Jackson San Dimas model and you can totally play Blues with something like this,because they´re essentially just "Hotrodded" Strats. Adjust your amp settings and you´re good to go.
Oh and Vai played actually both his and Ralph Macchio´s guitar parts,minus the slide-guitar part which was played by Ry Cooder.
Technically speaking,Vai defeated himself in that guitar duel.
I should have added - I also like Tele's for blues as well - mostly neck pickup
Somebody uses the neck pickup on a Tele? Bizarre. Roy Buchanan cut the ears off me live with the bridge pu.
@@melvynobrien6193 neck pickup on a tele is glassy heaven.
It's because of the two pickups combined, I swear! 🤨
@@earhornjones full on bridge pup is awesome with fuzz. But otherwise you really need that tone control.
If you can play the blues, you can play it on anything,even a Sears. It’s all about your feel.
At least 95% technique, 4% pick-ups and 1% pre-amp colouration.
It’s why you can give Gary Moore a Bouzouki or a Moroccan Lute and he can extract a 12 bar riff from it.
Remember Jimmy Page was usually seen with a Gibson onstage with Led Zeppelin but the guitar solo on Stairway to Heaven was recorded using his trusty little Telecaster.
don t forget strings.... on my Ibanez RG, i've changed the .46 by a .52, and it changes the spirit of the guitar.
Didier desHautesPyrenees .....spot on. I was too generous with the pre-amp rating which should be around 0.87%
Strings 0.11%
Strap 0.01%
Pick 0.01%
You know, I'm no expert on this, but there are many different types of blues: Delta, New Orleans, Chicago, Texas, Country. I reckon some guitars might be more appropriate to certain styles than others?
I really enjoy strat and teles for blues, but my favorite blues artists always uses a semihollow
it depend on the amplifier you play on,and speaker for sure !
Great video, I've just started to play some blues so this was super useful 👌
Loved the blues-tones that Mick Abrahms (first Tull guitarist, later Blodwyn Pig) got out of his SG and its successors. His "Cat's Squirrel" says it all.
HSS Strats like Yamaha Pacifica 112J for example... I really love how it feels and how smooth i can play it compared to a lot of other guitars i tried. I can switch that swimming pool route pickups to SSS or HH or even mini P90s
Excellent video!!
What? No Tele? Im nauseous dude! Thats alright D,we know you cant test them all or it would be a two hour video. Love the slide playing,i need a lesson on that skill. Thanks Darrell bro, you Rooock!😉
so , really liked those riffs you played on the LP. Simple, effective and how hot do you want it. harmonics, double stops and open strings in E if I remember. Going back in right now.
regards from Florida, (wish I was in Canada though ). All of those guitars are great. thanks for the reminder re: pickup height. Now, about P-90's.........
Best blues guitar? One with a humbuckers and one with single coils. Switch whenever you feel like it, brands don't matter!
Good point about lowering pick ups. Used to raise mine - more output. But the tone was a bit muddy. On Epiphone LP. Lowered the p/us and the tone was more open and fluid, (better sustain due to less magnetic field damping) a fine bonus for a classic rock/ blues you can, always crank up the amp gain,or use an OD pedal so drop in p/u output no big deal but the change in tone was.
I have a tele and strat but the one that surprised me is the Gretsch les Paul style with the filtertron pickups is amazingly versatile
This video came out at the perfect time 😭😭😭😭
I find the problem is that, aside from the Strat, you end up with someone else's sound when playing blues
(I do like using P90s for slide playing tho).
Re amps, atm I'm still obsessed by my Vox AC10!
Stratocasters are probably the best all around for blues but all the guitars you mentioned are great too, some note worthy guitars too are Firebirds (Johnny Winter), Flying Vs (Albert King, Lonnie Mack) and Telecasters (Albert Collins, Roy Buchanan).
Hmmmm. Well, this explains a lot. I recently bought a Schecter guitar with active pickups, and I have had the hardest time getting a nice, crisp, clean, blues-ish tone out of it. I've tried doing it with the knobs, lowering the pickups, adjusting my attack, and still---this thing sounds like a rock guitar.
It would be cool if you made this a series which guitars is the best for jazz, rock, metal...
For the Blues I prefer my Duesenberg Starplayer TV Phonic and my Gretsch 50’s Edition. The Duesenberg has some amazing Pickups and the whole settings are very special
For me, my 335 does the blues better than any other in my guitar collection, including my good old strat
I've liked my Squier Strat since I bought it in 1986. I put a DiMarzio in the bridge, and still like the tone, many years later. I also have a Squier Tele with a set of Seymour Duncans that sounds pretty good, too. My lone guitar regret is the Epi Blueshawk Deluxe. I never used the notch filter, liked the shape, weight and tone, but it would not stay in tune, even with a bone nut, so I traded it. I wish I'd kept it and just bought a set of locking tuners. I also have an Eastwood Twin Tone with P-90s that sounds good. All I need to play like Joe or Derek is another 50 years of practice…
Locking tuners don’t really help a bad guitar stay in tune. They really just make strings changes faster. Most tuning issues stem from a badly cut nut. Some guitars just cannot be made to stay in tune, so you probably did the best thing by trading it and getting something that wouldn’t frustrate you to the nth degree whilst you poured money into it. What that guitar needed was a good luthier who could cut a proper nut!
Eastwood Tuxedo works pretty good, I'd say. Mine is electric metallic orange, if you can dig it.
Hello Darrell, while I enjoy your videos, I feel the need to ask a question...What about the pick, the strings, the amp, the hands and fingers of the particular guitarist...and of course, what is going on in his/her head, and his/her lifestyle...
In my book these are the quintessential blues guitars bluesmen might use.
Not really saying much...
Fender
Telecaster
Stratocaster
(Real tough choice, depends on the specific blues sound you are looking for)
Gibson
ES-335 BB King
Les Paul
Swamp Blues
Acoustic and Electrified Acoustic
National Dobro
National Resonator
Check out Son House, Bukka White and modern day... justin Johnson
Delta Blues
Gibson L-1
Robert Johnson
It's what you can afford, what fits your hands and what speaks to you... what feels right.
Then you have your amps....
Utimately the hardware... relies on you. You are ultimately the foundation for your brand of blues. Its in you and what is in you comes out through the hands.
Bone tone..... its in your hands...
Yup.... same hands that you use to wipe your butt with when you're done with the brown sound.
Tragically descriptive but true.
Hope this helps.
Smh all those teles on the wall and he didn’t even mention em once, let alone play em
Man, I love the way that rootbeer Epi looks. I've been stalking Reverb and eBay looking for one of my own ever since I saw yours.
BTW, you forgot the brass body resonator. ;-)
I've really come around to P90's for the blues. My LP Special's neck pick up cleans up incredibly well but still has some bite if I really dig in. The bridge is just hairy and brutal, a bit too hot for the blues, but heaven for heavier stuff
Darrell, Thanks for the very informative advice. As it happen I've a Les Paul copy & a Strat copy which play quite well & am now looking forward to attempting the Blues.
Best blues guitar is the one that the player plays the blues on. Thumbs up on gain light touch generally, but there's always exceptions. For example on Beano, Clapton's Les Paul through Marshall, excellent blues sound.
I played Blues with guys with LP’s, Fenders, and I used a Schecter with active 81 and 89R pups. These guys loved Gary Moore, and vintage sound. When I would fire up the Schecter it was so versatile and so over powering they loved the tones that guitar has! But the guitar is really just a part of getting a really good Blues tone!
If it's a decent quality guitar and it's set up right, you're good to go. Just avoid super hot pickups!
Question: how come I never see you reviewing cigar box guitars? They're great for blues.
Thanks for this great video
I have an american strat, gary moore les paul and a jms ibanez semi-hollow so I got the blues covered but I'm not a big blues player but those guitars are killer guitars for other styles too.