What guitar for some blues

  • Thread starter Thread starter WickedCoach
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Re: What guitar for some blues

I think it has been stated in this thread that you can use anything your heart desires to play blues. It has been done by countless players from all over the world with any number of guitars. Blues is more about feeling then a particular tone. For me..... I would go Strat,( SRV to a pretty good job playing aggressive blues on a Strat) 335(Otis Rush comes to mind as well as Freddie King,,, well he used a 345 but its close)
 
Re: What guitar for some blues

How many times do we need to hear "You can use any guitar for blues." I think the OP knows that, and if he didn't, he does now. Now how about comparing the two guitars he asked about.
 
Re: What guitar for some blues

You need a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, or a 1959 Dot Neck ES-335 , or a 61/62 Les paul SG( and I'm going to include a vintage Strat and Tele aginst my better judgement )to play white boy blues right and proper..besides that..carry on...anything can play Black Blues...I mean , besides Metal guitar..thats just stupid.
 
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Re: What guitar for some blues

A Strat with a blocked trem, strung with 11's will get you all the tones you'd ever want.

*You don't need a humbucker at the bridge position. Just use a set of vintage style Strat p'ups (like Duncan SSL-1's) and wire the second Tone knob so it works with both the middle and bridge p'ups.
 
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Re: What guitar for some blues

ItsaBass said:
How many times do we need to hear "You can use any guitar for blues." I think the OP knows that, and if he didn't, he does now. Now how about comparing the two guitars he asked about.
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I had a long, cynical response to this and the OP, but I realized that it was largely charged by me being pissy from having spent 10+ hours a day for the last 57 days straight studying for what is simultaneously the most anxiety-inducing and boring exam on the planet (all the while cognizant of the fact I've got another 10 days of this same routine to look forward to), so I'll spare the words.

But I will say this, I don't think asking what guitar to choose out of two of the most ubiquitous models on the planet, which have been used to play every style under the sun, creates much room for people to be helpful. It is true, you can play any genre on any guitar. The question is how you want your guitar to sound while you're going it.

So, instead of listing a genre, how about we hear what tones you're going for and possibly what amp you're playing through?
 
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Re: What guitar for some blues

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Re: What guitar for some blues

STRATDELUXER97 said:
SG,LP,335...
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+1. The 'Big Three' blues guitars in the Gibson/Epi line. I've been to dozens of blues festivals and seen many local blues bands; those three give nice bluesy tones, often the best tones in a festival. Fenders can work too, but I've heard more than my share of thin, twangy ones. To me, the best blues guitars have a good dose of mids and the treble is under control. It gives some punch and makes bends sustain longer.
 
Re: What guitar for some blues

SirJackdeFuzz said:
ANY guitar wil do for blues except that strat-thing you mentioned :angryfire

. . . i am not a start fan, at all !
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A man after my own heart! :friday: But in all seriousness, I have heard Strat players play some nice blues, although most have too much twang to really capture the feeling for me. I can pretty much count on LP, SG, and 335 players to have a nice sound; Strat players are hit or miss; some dial in nice tones but the majority seem to be oblivious to the threshold that the human ear has for treble. I enjoy a good blues player with good tones, regardless of what he's playing; what that works out to be usually, but not exclusively, comes from the Gibson side of the fence. The instrument in only a tool, what you really should be hearing is his fingers.
 
Re: What guitar for some blues

blueman335 said:
A man after my own heart! :friday:
But in all seriousness, I have heard Strat players play some nice blues, although most have too much twang to really capture the feeling for me. I can pretty much count on LP, SG, and 335 players to have a nice sound; Strat players are hit or miss; some dial in nice tones but the majority seem to be oblivious to the threshold that the human ear has for treble. I enjoy a good blues player with good tones, regardless of what he's playing; what that works out to be usually, but not exclusively, comes from the Gibson side of the fence. The instrument in only a tool, what you really should be hearing is his fingers.
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Yes, i agree . . . there are GREAT muso's out there who playes on str*ts, but "it could have been sooo much better" !!!


<--- 9m08sec ...Even Phil X think so :banana:
 
Re: What guitar for some blues

Inkstained said:
The Telecaster sounds *exactly* the same as the pointy-headstock thingy the devil's minion is playing.
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No, it doesn't. Did you watch the movie on a 19" TV with a 2" mono speaker? Because that's how I saw it for the first time, when I was in high school. I thought they sounded exactly the same to me, too. Fortunately for me, I watch movies on home theater systems now, and every one I've ever used to watch this movie makes the differences in the sounds of those two guitars as obvious as night and day.

Inkstained said:
Vai's fingers do not cramp up. The fingers of Satan's guitar players do not cramp up. Four of five theologians agree on this point. Verisimilitude again. Or something.
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His fingers don't cramp up. He flubs notes and trips over himself.

Inkstained said:
Finally -- and this is the worst part, since we're busy extolling the blues and all that jazz in this here thread -- the entire film spends itself out playing up the purity of the blues as a path to -- I dunno, redemption, musical nirvana, whatever. Then Ralphy (or Vai) saves the day with some fancy-schmancy classical arpeggios.

As Eric Clapton noted in an interview on his reaction to the movie (and I quote), "That **** had absolutely nothing to do with anything." Indeed.
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You successfully missed the point of the film. And personally, I have never cared what Eric Clapton has said about anything.
 
Re: What guitar for some blues

I play mostly blues of sorts. I have 12~15 guitars. I would say the best one is the one you like to play the most. It is not the guitar really.
 
Re: What guitar for some blues

The guitar, the wood, the paint, the strings, and the nut and bridge can play a big role in sound or tone. But it mostly depends on which pickup.
 
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