Blues is one of the most convincing and easy to play genres in music which sounds soulful when played with the right instrument. There is very little information available on the best selling blues guitars online and many customers are looking at other options regardless of their restrained and tight budget.
It was a time when blues players used to see nothing in their guitars, but only a pure symphony which, but today we have so much of the options. Some of them have gone so far that blues players can only dream about playing them.
There is no identical sound of a blues guitar since there are so many subgenres, it’s not about a particular blues-rock or Chicago blues, the original sound of blues is made of multiple chords and it often adopted from many other guitarist playing styles.
Let’s see about the top-rated blues guitars of 2020 which customers are paying a lot of attention to.
OUR TOP-LISTED 7 BESTSELLING BLUES GUITARS
7 Best Picked Blues Guitars
Fender American Special Stratocaster
Fender American Special Stratocaster is the most iconic name in the electric guitar category which somehow revolutionized the entire blues and rock genre. The body, built and sound are all perfect with this guitar, a smooth playing neck that has been played by multiple guitar legends.
The whole guitar is alder built with a maple neck, the American Special Stratocaster offers 22 jumbo frets with a classic tremolo with features of a Stratocaster. The electronics in this guitar are awe-inspiring, with 3 Texas Special Single-Coil pickups but that’s not the catch.
The grease bucket tone circuit is what makes it sounds darker and much bluesy. You can play smooth tunes in this guitar and suddenly get noisy and went dark, and that’s the reason Fender American Special Stratocaster is ideal for multiple genres. Under $1,000 it’s a very good bargain for a music lover.
Gibson Firebird Studio
Firebird has attained maximum fame right after the Legend Johnny Winter played it. As a Gibson guitar, the price for Firebird studio is more, but there is nothing you can’t play on this.
Firebird is made of mahogany, from the body to the neck. Then we got a fingerboard which is made of Torrefied Granadillo, this wood underwent Pyrolysis which opens up the wood contents for deeper and more mature sound effects.
Firebird neck is a Slimtaper with 22 frets; a Tektoid nut is given to Mini Grover machine heads. According to many experts, this is the best blues guitar with any list you will find.
The electronics with this guitar are super-uncanny, with two P90 pickups that have their volume and tone knob. You can go elegant and all bluesy at the same time with Gibson Firebird Studio.
Ibanez Artstar AS153
From the looks of the blues guitar, nothing can beat Ibanez Artstar AS153’s hollow flamed maple body with a yellow sunburst finish.
The neck of this guitar consists of both maple and mahogany with an ebony fretboard. The frets are provided on this guitar are medium and this is what makes it better for the professionals.
The name Artstar came from the Art Star fret end treatment which lets the user experience the fast and punchy tones with rapid response rate.
Ibanez Artstar AS153 has two powerful 58 humbuckers which allow for proper growling in blues music. There is a three-way switch, but if you want to split the neck pickup and run it in parallel, you are given a second one which helps you get it done.
One of the most enthralling features about the guitar is the signature Art-1 Bridge which gives this instrument tuning runs for the long period. One who prefers jazzy blues may try this one.
PRS Custom 22
For those who like the taste of modern music in the traditional blues music, the PRS Custom 22 is a rig of choice for best blues in the right budget. Everything, including neck and the body with this guitar, is made of Mahogany with an original sonic attack that provides enough resonance.
It’s a 6-string guitar with rosewood fingerboard, this also contains 25-inch scale length and 22 packs of frets with the company’s signature flying bird inlays. You can expect to produce a heavy and powerful sound with PRS Custom under the right amount of control which allows you to follow the right sensation of mellow blues and jazz.
You can convert this blues guitar in a rock and heavy metal instrument, simply by twisting a few knobs and switch adjustments.
Epiphone ES-339
ES-339 is an example of the most classic in the old school blues and jazz fusion. Currently, Epiphone ES-339 is available with more upgrades in affordable style; this includes a laminated maple arch top body which is responsible for the deep and thick sound.
There is a Pau Ferro fingerboard attached with the Mortise and Tenon neck, which has medium jumbo frets just right for the people with either smaller or bigger hands.
The sound mechanism is executed by the two Epiphone Probucker Pickups, what is useful is you can split each of these by pulling out the tone knob. The single-coil tone will emerge which is ideal for the solos.
The lightweight of this guitar makes it ideal for long sessions and those players who have a problem in their back. If you are stuck between something from Les Paul and ES-339, the ES-339 is your guy for its quality built and sound.
Squier Affinity Telecaster
This is one of the best cheap electric blues guitars in our list, for blues, the telecaster is the best choice since it emerges some very soulful sounds. Within this much cheaper price, the company is offering an Alder body that looks and feels like an expensive instrument.
After this comes a pair of single-coil pickups which is ideal for delivering warm, bright and screamy blues-rock sound. You can modify it for the latest sonic effects by volume and tone knobs with a pickup selector on-board.
Guild Starfire V
In the list of best blues guitars, the Guild Starfire V has been on the list since the 1960s. The blues guitar expressed a semi-hollow body from laminated maple, you can choose from the beautiful retro finishes which encourage the vintage appeal, high-quality build, and playability comfortable than most three-piece soft U-shaped neck guitars.
What makes Guild Starfire V so powerful are the quality electronics and a pair of Little Buckers which offer warmth and a balanced tone. From playing the jazz and blues o the classic rock, everything about this guitar makes it easy and possible.
Best Blues Electric Guitars Buyer’s Guide
What Makes the Best Blues Guitar?
Blues guitars are not available only in one size and this is something everyone will understand. However, every best blues guitar shares almost the same features that might be the hollow or solid body with power electronics.
Whatever you do, make sure you do not go too extreme as the sense for the blues lies within the gentle tap. To play the ideal blues music, you got to choose the vintage guitar which looks and sounds like it.
Now, you don’t want to go for the heavy side, a simple model with mahogany or cedar with a solid top is preferable. Every guitar player must choose the right, durable and best value for their money. In the high-value price sure you can get a high-end model, but the secret of playing blues lies in working with brilliant tones which can also be offered by a guitar under $500.
What Type of Blues Sounds You Want to Play With It?
Moment of the truth, not all of us are playing at the concert tonight, but some of us prefer to play in smaller venues or practice at home only. For this purpose, choosing the Acoustic or resonator guitar for blues gives you the myriad flexibility options.
Even for the smaller sessions, always ask if you will be using the slide or bottleneck style. You can always rely on the resonator for they sound quite wonderful.
If it’s about the bigger venues and extraordinary blues with enhanced volume, surely your guitar has the punch, but where are the bone-chilling sensations? Now that you have made you remain for getting the electric one, you must choose between the single-coil pickups and humbuckers. These two are both different styles of the blues.
The humbucker style is the most commercialized style of blues, but the single-coil guitars are popular for giving the balanced and most authentic bluesy sound. Humbucker is ideal for producing the heavy blues riffs whereas single-coil is too thin for creating such sounds.
This gets you in the dilemma where you need to find the guitar that reveals the sounds you are looking for! You can’t get enough of our 7 best blues guitar collection though.
Summary
Music has a lot of tastes and blues are one of the oldest and inspirational genres of music. From the blues, many other genres have emerged which we are now listening to, the beginning, however, started with the use of simple chord and simple guitars.
But in the modern age, we have a plethora of options to choose from. The best electric guitars for blues as we mentioned are the ones that provide a sense of reliability, robustness and soulful meaning of the blues.
From Fender American Special Stratocaster to ES-339 by Epiphone, every best guitar for blues has some unique set of specs that can only be chosen if it matches your personality.
Find the best blues guitar and use it as you mean it, after all, blues is all about meaning something and then play it!
AMAZON’S TOP 5 BESTSELLING BLUES GUITARS
Last update on 2023-04-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
