THE blues guitar?

[Mbroady]

When I think blues I think of BB King and Lucille. I believe it was a Gibson ES 335
But I am a strat fan, so that would also be at the top of my list.

[Dru Edwards]

When I think of blues I think Strat and Les Paul. It's great to get the diversity of tones from those two guitars and from the heros that play them.

[muscmp]

no one guitar-tele, strat, 335, les paul, es125, and es5, just to name the ones that popped out

play music!

[Scotso]

The beauty of blues is that you can play it on almost anything. My current favorite is a Taylor T3. Next week it might be a strat or a Gretsch. Maybe acoustic next month. It is about emotion and feel, not the guitar.

[M Sarad]

Albert King and his Flying V.

[posternutbag]

Probably a stratocaster, but bluegrass is sort of uniquely tied to specific instrumentation; not only is the traditional line up bass, guitar, mandolin, banjo and fiddle (and ocasionally dobro) pretty much set, those are often the only instruments "allowed." To take it a step further, not just any instrument will do, Kay basses, Martin dreads (especially D-28), Gibson F-5 mandolins, and Gibson banjos are THE tone everyone playing those instruments is chasing.

Blues, and indeed most musical genres, allow for a greater range of acceptable tones. Part of what annoys me about bluegrass (and I play a lot of it), is that it almost becomes musical cosplay. I enjoy stepping into other genres where a wider tonal palette is not just acceptable, but expected.

[muscmp]

Originally Posted by posternutbag

Probably a stratocaster, but bluegrass is sort of uniquely tied to specific instrumentation; not only is the traditional line up bass, guitar, mandolin, banjo and fiddle (and ocasionally dobro) pretty much set, those are often the only instruments "allowed." To take it a step further, not just any instrument will do, Kay basses, Martin dreads (especially D-28), Gibson F-5 mandolins, and Gibson banjos are THE tone everyone playing those instruments is chasing.

Blues, and indeed most musical genres, allow for a greater range of acceptable tones. Part of what annoys me about bluegrass (and I play a lot of it), is that it almost becomes musical cosplay. I enjoy stepping into other genres where a wider tonal palette is not just acceptable, but expected.

i love bluegrass too, but i agree with your comments about it.

play music!

[MC5C]

Lonnie Johnson played a Kay semi-acoustic for the last decade or so. My blues special is a 1962 Gibson Melody Maker. I'm in that camp that says if you play blues on it, it's a blues guitar. They all sound great!

[sweiss]

The ES 335 is the quintessential blues guitar for me, followed by the Les Paul and Strat tied for second.

I've never thought of the Tele as being much of a blues guitar. It seems almost fashionable these days to talk about the "versatility" of the Tele...but I think the Strat is a much more versatile guitar. I own, and like, both....but the Tele for blues is a square peg in a round hole. Just my opinion, with which many would disagree.

[Jdansti]

I believe that any guitar that is in good operating order (good setup, strings, and pickups) is fine for the blues. It has more to do with the person playing the guitar than the guitar itself. I would sound mediocre playing the blues on any guitar, but any great guitarist will still sound great no matter what brand guitar he plays.

[Nailpicker]

Originally Posted by Jdansti

I believe that any guitar that is in good operating order (good setup, strings, and pickups) is fine for the blues. It has more to do with the person playing the guitar than the guitar itself. I would sound mediocre playing the blues on any guitar, but any great guitarist will still sound great no matter what brand guitar he plays.

Originally Posted by Scotso

The beauty of blues is that you can play it on almost anything. My current favorite is a Taylor T3. Next week it might be a strat or a Gretsch. Maybe acoustic next month. It is about emotion and feel, not the guitar.

Thank you both for saying what I've often thought when reading some of these type of threads....."what kind of guitar for......"

[blue]

Originally Posted by sweiss

The ES 335 is the quintessential blues guitar for me, followed by the Les Paul and Strat tied for second.

I've never thought of the Tele as being much of a blues guitar. It seems almost fashionable these days to talk about the "versatility" of the Tele...but I think the Strat is a much more versatile guitar. I own, and like, both....but the Tele for blues is a square peg in a round hole. Just my opinion, with which many would disagree.

The Tele has 3 basic tones. The strat has 5. Way too much amazing blues was, and continues to be done on the tele to even begin to suggest it doesn't fit in the "blues" hole.

[BoneDigger]

I understand that pretty much any guitar can play the blues. I also realize that it's more player than guitar. This isn't a "which guitar is best for" thread. I was simply wondering what you picture in your mind when you think of the blues?

Todd

[PistolPete]

Something hollow, preferably bought from a pawn shop in Memphis. Harmony, Stella, Silvertone or Guild, Fender or Gibson at a push. Definitely not a Parker Fly or a PRS or anything overly pointy (unless you're T-Model Ford).

[Tyeetime]

I like but don't love the sound of the typical blues Strat. (Although I must admit I really like Robert Cray's clean hard tail Strat sound.)

But the most beautiful blues guitar sound to me is what Sean Costello got out of his '53 Les Paul on the "Moaning for Molasses" album. That is pure bliss to my ears.