Electric Guitar to get into Blues?

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

If you're looking for an electric, as someone else said look at Squiers. Not all Squier models are the same quality. Classic Vibe model Strats are relatively cheap. But if you can find an SE or Squier Standard you can find incredible deals on used units. I had a SE which I paid $50 for and a HSS Standard (Fat Strat) that I got for $80. Because I was skilled at setup and wiring I turned both of these guitars into instruments that would rival Strats costing more than $1000 for around $150 each (guitar and parts included).



The other guitar that is a great buy is Epiphone Dot. It is the Epiphone version of the Gibson ES335. I got one of those on a straight trade for my Squier SE. You can find those used for $200-300 depending on finish and condition.



Good luck.

I’m a fan of making cheap guitars into serious instruments. I have a Squier from the 80’s that’s as cheap as it gets even for that time. Plywood body, terrible hardware and electronics, but it has an amazing Samick neck. So I modified everything from the tuning keys to the pickups and it’s amazing guitar now.

[Matt.S]

If you need an excuse to get an electric then you could make the argument. It just depends on what you want to learn, the more I get into blues the more I start to enjoy the electric and what you can do to manipulate the sound.

However I just bought a new acoustic more tailored to my needs. Shorter scale (easier to bend) 12 Fret Slot Head all solid Acacia. Just the deep rich bluesy tone I was looking for. I’m more into delta blues than anything else and love playing with my fingers. Coming back into playing seriously after a cowboy chord every so often my fingers did hurt. To the point of blisters. As long I as I stop playing before I’m bleeding I’ll be recovered and stronger the next morning. I equipped my guitar with silk and steels which are much easier on the fingers. My issue is namely with strings one and two. I can’t decide if thinner strings are more like razor blades or less...

Anyway it’s all about the sound you want. I want to be able to pull my guitar out anywhere and anytime and shred some delta blues.

[Hotspur]

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

Small tube amps are great things, but there are three advantages to modern modeling amps. Two have already been mentioned: they tend to be more flexible as a group for low volume playing with timbres that sound like recordings that may have been created with amps playing much louder (this is what folks are refereeing to when they talk about overdrive or gain), and most include a selection of "effects" which also are part of many electric guitar recordings, and therefore may be expected as part of the sound. The last advantage is that for someone totally green to the differences in electric guitar amp tones, is that a modeling amp lets you casually "window shop" those differences. On computers, amp modeling software can serve a similar function with no amp needed.

The Vox Amp I mentioned actually isn't a digital modeler. It's quite interesting - the best way to think of it is as a 1-watt tube amp connected to a solid-state amp. It actually does have a tube in the power stage. I'm actually stunned - I'm still in the honeymoon stage with it, sure, but I think from a pure tone standpoint it should probably kill most of the tube-amp-under-$500 market.

I certainly won't disparage a Blues Jr, which is a great amp, but it does lack a certain amount of flexibility. I know a few people who have been frustrated trying to get tones that excite them out of it at bedroom volumes.

[rwmct]

I would get a Squire Telecaster. They run about $200 and can be really nice. It is amazing to me how good they feel at that price point. Then you can put the rest of your budget into the amp.

I have a MIM Telecaster I bought in the mid 1990s. It is better than the Squires, but it cost more, too.

As I don't doubt that modeling amps will do just fine. But me, I wanted a tube amp. It just seems like the thing to own to go with a guitar like a Telecaster.

I know a lot of people are advising that you get a Strat, but at a minimum, I would at least compare Strats and Teles and see what you like best. To me, they feel quite a bit different from each other in your hands. You might like one better than the other. The Tele is about the most simple electric guitar you can get. I like that.

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by rwmct

I would get a Squire Telecaster. They run about $200 and can be really nice. It is amazing to me how good they feel at that price point. Then you can put the rest of your budget into the amp.



I have a MIM Telecaster I bought in the mid 1990s. It is better than the Squires, but it cost more, too.



As I don't doubt that modeling amps will do just fine. But me, I wanted a tube amp. It just seems like the thing to own to go with a guitar like a Telecaster.



I know a lot of people are advising that you get a Strat, but at a minimum, I would at least compare Strats and Teles and see what you like best. To me, they feel quite a bit different from each other in your hands. You might like one better than the other. The Tele is about the most simple electric guitar you can get. I like that.

The Tele is quite the different guitar from feel, playability and tone. The Strat is generally lighter, more versatile, more comfortable to play, and has better upper fret access. Tone wise, the Tele is known for its twangy bridge pickup tone, and the Strat is best known for its warm and silky neck pickup tone. That warm neck pickup tone is Blues country right there. The twangy Tele is more popular for country and folky music.

Just get both! [emoji4]

[1neeto]

You can play any kind of music with any guitar, but certain guitars are popular with certain music genres.

[TBman]

When I think of playing the blues I think Waterloo, Whiskey Sunset, J-45..... I'm an acoustic guy though. Those Epiphone Century archtops sound pretty good for it also.

Obviously I know nothing about electrics, but retirement is on its way, lol.

The OP might want to try these strings on his acoustic.

Martin Flexible Cores

[tonyo]

Originally Posted by Hotspur

...

As far as amps, I have a recommendation: Vox AV15. It's only like $250, and I think you are very unlikely to outgrow it anytime soon. Fantastic tone and very flexible (and includes a couple of basic effects). I have the AV30 and absolutely love it - and it's loud enough to keep up with a drummer. The 15 might not be, but for home playing I think you'd be hard pressed to do much better.

Between that and a Mexi-strat you've got a solid setup for under $900.

Hotspur, consider yourself an "enabler". :-D. Your comments about the AV15 sent me on an expedition of looking at various amps and deciding to get my old electric fixed or replaced and back into learning to play some electric. I'm an acoustic only player but have dreamed of playing electric for some time, problem is any of the electrics I had just sounded like noise. I have been working on my technique in ways I knew would help with electric, much thicker plectrum, palm muting, that sort of thing.

My old electric wasn't repairable, well, I would have had to spend far more than it's worth. So I ended up with a scrap-o-caster, made up from bits and pieces by my favourite guitar shop. I like naming my guitars and this one is affectionately called "Roadkill".

Thanks Hotspur

Roadkill by ynotob, on Flickr

[Gordon Currie]

Since the OP is an electric newbie, I would recommend trying some out at a local music store. If there is a Guitar Center, bingo!

Even though a Les Paul and Stratocaster are THE iconic electric guitars, each of these has issues that will be apparent to an acoustic guitarist.

A Les Paul is one of the heaviest guitars around. It is not comfortable to play sitting in your rocking chair. Due to the standard humbucker pickups, it has an inherently 'thick' tone.

A standard Strat is probably easier to handle, but has a narrow fretboard and extreme radius that may be super distracting. Standard pickups on these tend to be single-coil, which sound thinner than humbuckers albeit with a nice shimmery high end.

IMHO a huge amount of the popularity of these classic designs can be attributed to inertia (I'll have what he's having) rather than having qualities that best the competition.

If you like how one or the other feels, then go for a downmarket version (MIM or Esquire for Fender, Epiphone for Les Paul-style). You are not going to appreciate all the little aspects that add up to $1000 or more if this is your first foray into electric playing.

OP is probably wanting less choices rather than more, but I would look into Epiphones, PRS (used), Gibson SG, and Carvin/Kiesel. You'll be paying more for the guitar than the legend.

(Personally, I hate playing Strats, and the only thing I hate more is playing Les Pauls. OTOH I love my 1974 SG standard.)

[Davis Webb]

Originally Posted by 1neeto

Here’s a good and affordable blues rig:

Fender Mexican Strat or Squier Classic Vibe Series Strat
Fender Blues Jr. amp
Boss Blues Driver pedal or OD-1

Yep.

I think the Classic Vibe is a much better instrument than the MIM though. And cheaper.

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by Davis Webb

Yep.



I think the Classic Vibe is a much better instrument than the MIM though. And cheaper.

Yeah those classic vibe are hard to tell apart from a MIA Strat. They’re that well built. Where they usually lack is in the hardware and electronics. You can get a MIM Strat with decent pickups and hardware for about $650. But then again you can modify that Squier for less.

[tonyo]

Originally Posted by Gordon Currie

...

A standard Strat is probably easier to handle, but has a narrow fretboard and extreme radius that may be super distracting. Standard pickups on these tend to be single-coil, which sound thinner than humbuckers albeit with a nice shimmery high end.
...

The narrower fretboard is a complication for me with the "strat" I've got. I'm not really concerned at this stage. When I first started playing acoustic, having a wider nut made a big diffference when I when from martin esque 1 11/16 to a taylor esque 1 3/4 nut.

I also knew I wanted to have narrower fretboards down the road so I could play anyone's guitar, rather than just my own. And six years down the track that's working well for me.

[beninma]

Originally Posted by 1neeto

The Tele is quite the different guitar from feel, playability and tone. The Strat is generally lighter, more versatile, more comfortable to play, and has better upper fret access. Tone wise, the Tele is known for its twangy bridge pickup tone, and the Strat is best known for its warm and silky neck pickup tone. That warm neck pickup tone is Blues country right there. The twangy Tele is more popular for country and folky music.

Just get both! [emoji4]

Meh.. the Tele bridge pickup has a ton of attitude and can be great for the Blues too. Depending on how you play and how your amp is setup that pickup can twang, do growly blues, or easily do hard rock stuff that you'd normally do on a hum bucker guitar's bridge pickup.

The Strat neck pickup is certainly amazing though. Tele neck pickups are almost never as clear sounding, but then they have their own thing going to.

I only have a Tele, I have a teacher who is 99% a Tele player. It seems like the longer you play one the more you start unlocking those different sounds just by changing how you play.

Must be dependent on the guitar and player but to me blues seems like a bridge pickup thing if you want to play with attitude.

[tonyo]

As far as amps, I have a recommendation: Vox AV15. It's only like $250

I've also been looking at reviews on the Yamaha THR10C. It's a lot smaller and battery powered (we do a lot of camping) so it has a certain appeal. Anyone in this thread got experience with it?

[beninma]

Originally Posted by tonyo

I've also been looking at reviews on the Yamaha THR10C. It's a lot smaller and battery powered (we do a lot of camping) so it has a certain appeal. Anyone in this thread got experience with it?

Yah pretty much all the THR amps are fantastic for the size/price. I have a THR5, but I've played the 10 tons too. I haven't tried the THR10X, 10C, or the 5A (acoustic) models. But they're all very similar with different software load outs.

I mostly have the 5 cause it's smaller. They sound the same, the 5s just lose out on a few of the knobs and preset features.

They're pretty amazing on batteries too. Plug in and play anywhere. Very nice response to picking & the guitar's volume knob for a digital amp. The "feel" is very nice, and the stereo sound and effects are very nice too. You add in the stereo reverb and/or delay and there's a weird illusion that you've got a much bigger amp at a pretty healthy volume level even though the actual volume is very low.

I don't use my THR5 as much as I could/should as my main amp is an Orange that can switch down to 0.5/1w range. But the THR will probably go on vacation with me a few times this year if I decide to bring my electric guitar instead of my acoustic guitar. The THR5 is honestly small enough I am contemplating throwing it in my suitcase for air travel for my next vacation, if I did that I could take my Telecaster as it's case is actually smaller than my acoustic case so easier to fit in the overhead, it's a more bombproof guitar if I am forced to check it, and the particular case I have is well regarded if it gets checked. The THR5 would still represent a decent chunk of suitcase space but it's definitely small enough that it's an option if you just put a couple wraps of bubble wrap around it and then wrapped it in clothes.

For camping it's size would be a total non-issue, and it's a great little "stereo" you can attach a smartphone too as well. And the 10 is just an inch or two bigger in one dimension. It's totally fine too.