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#1
06-27-2016, 06:51 AM
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Finger Style Blues guitar
Hi folks,
I'm looking for recommendations for a guitar for Piedmont and Delta style blues. My budget is in the $1500 range. Any recommendations? Thanks, Mike 
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#3
06-27-2016, 08:24 AM
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A bit above your budget (bought new) but the Waterloo is perfect for that style. I play mostly the same kind of stuff and reach for the Waterloo a lot. I also really like the Huss & Dalton Crossroads but that's more expensive than the Waterloo (and a bit more versatile). I prefer a 14-fret neck for reaching those higher positions more conveniently. Gary Davis stuff, for example, get up pretty high sometimes.
I've played some considerably less expensive guitars, like a Recording King (not sure which model), that sounded very good for blues but I'm not sure how they would hold up over time. I've heard stories of their not holding up very well but I can't verify or refute that from personal experience. They didn't strike me as being nearly as well made as a Waterloo, but then, they cost less. Truth be told, a lot of small-bodied guitars with mahogany back and sides and a spruce top will work well for fingerpicking the blues and, these days, there are more options than ever. The one thing I'd be mindful of is that some guitars that really look like they're designed for blues don't sound as bluesy as some others. So, a Martin CEO-7 is much more of an all-around guitar while a Waterloo is much more of a specialty blues guitar. Either can play blues or non-blues but not equally convincingly, all else being equal. Both are nice, but it's just a matter of preference and emphasis. The Gibson blues reissues seem to be more in the CEO-7 camp than the Waterloo camp. I think the big manufacturers have realized that more people think they want a bluesy guitar than actually do, and they've designed their "blues" models to be more generic than Collings has done with the Waterloo. The Collings equivalent to some of those other guitars would be the C-10 -- a "blues style" guitar with a lot more versatility than the Waterloo. I think most C-10s outperform the "blues style" guitars from the big builders but they also cost a whole lot more. But the Waterloo doesn't cost more and, I think, does a much better job of rendering the blues, which makes it a pretty amazing guitar for a blues player.
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Bob DeVellis
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#4
06-27-2016, 09:25 AM
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Your budget is a little problematic -- spend another $300 and you can get a Martin 00L17, a Waterloo, or a Gibson L-00. These would be at the very top of my list if I was looking for a blues guitar.
At the other end of the spectrum, you can get a Loar LH-250, an Epiphone EL-00 Pro, or Guild M-120 for less than $600, but I don't know if the quality is what you're looking for. For $1500 you could probably score a used Martin 00015S or a used Gibson LG2 American Eagle, but I wouldn't normally call those "blues" guitars, per se. There's a nice Gibson Blues King on Reverb right now for $1450
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#5
06-27-2016, 09:40 AM
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#6
06-27-2016, 10:19 AM
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Gibson J-15 and Guitar Center has J-35s for $1,100 in some stores. The Martin 000-17 is really great for blues too having played a Black Smoke, but it is so bluesy sounding you might be limited in playing other styles.
The J-15 is at about $1,500 and the Martin at $1,800. Ibanez has the distressed parlor, the AVN6 for $500. Only a solid top, but wow. The Gibson J-15 has some sparkle to its tone due to its walnut back and sides. The J-35 sounds a lot like the J-45, but isn't as robust imo. 75% of what I play and improvise is blues.
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Barry My SoundCloud page Avalon L-320C, Guild D-120, Martin D-16GT, McIlroy A20, Pellerin SJ CW Cordobas - C5, Fusion 12 Orchestra, C12, Stage Traditional Alvarez AP66SB, Seagull Folk Aria {Johann Logy}: Last edited by TBman; 06-27-2016 at 10:30 AM.
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#8
06-27-2016, 02:34 PM
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Quote:
For Piedmont/ragtime I like a guitar with a very quick response, high clarity, very good note separation, and not overly complex. To me, that's typically mahogany or maple for the body back/side wood, and a body size that's not too deep. For suggestions: For Delta blues get a guitar like what Rory Block plays. For Piedmont get a guitar like what Reverend Davis plays, or maybe Roy Bookbinder or Phil Heywood. For a guitar to do both, get a guitar like David Bromberg plays. In any case, buy used to get more guitar for your money; looks won't matter cause you're playing the blues.
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Chuck 2012 Carruth 12-fret 000 in Pernambuco and Adi 2010 Poling Sierra in Cuban Mahogany and Lutz 2015 Posch 13-fret 00 in Indian Rosewood and Adi Last edited by ChuckS; 06-27-2016 at 02:43 PM.
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#10
06-27-2016, 04:36 PM
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Give or take $ -
Martin 15 and 17 series *possibly a 000-18 pre-owned. Gibson J35 or LG2 Larrivee OM03 Loar LO-16 Waterloo preowned- *link for one at LA Guitar below https://www.laguitarsales.com/index....wl-14-ltr.html Have fun! madhat.
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#12
06-27-2016, 05:36 PM
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I would recommend calling Ted at LA Guitar Sales. I did about two weeks ago. Let's just say that a new Martin is within your budget, and you have a couple to choose from. Seriously. Talk to Ted.
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#13
06-27-2016, 05:59 PM
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Can't say enough about my CE07. It looks like a blues box but is so much more. Very open sound, lots of sustain, and decent bass for a small guitar. It loves blues and ragtime.
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#14
06-28-2016, 04:42 AM
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You could save some $ and buy an old restored 1930's era Stella or Harmony parlor. $300-$500 is a lot to spend on one of these and they can be found on ebay from time to time. There are luthiers that seek these out and restore them to play, not look, good. A neck reset is usually a must along with bracing and crack repair. Delta blues players of the era didn't have much $ for a Gibson, but if you insist on spending over a thousand then perhaps a used Robert Johnson Tribute Gibson L1 could be found for your budget price. Many of the young up and coming folk artist I see are playing guitars years older than they are, all beat up but still sounding good. I think its a badge of honor of some sort or maybe a fad to play a old beater that still sounds good. What every you play, keep it fun. It's not all about the guitar, it's mostly about the player and the listeners.
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#15
06-28-2016, 06:26 AM
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I really think it's all about what your comfortable with. At your budget there are many good instruments you could make work. Make it personal is what I say. To hell with everything else...
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