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Best Blues Guitar for Superior Rhythm and Tonal Versatility 2021

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Blues music, created by the African Americans, originated in the south of the U.S. You can find elements of Blues in other genres of music from jazz and pop to heavy metal and rock. It is considered as a feeling that you can convey on the instrument you are playing.Here are a few best Blues guitar that can help you better your blues rhythm.  

There are many accomplished Blues guitarists in the world. They have instruments that can rock out blues tunes in style. If you love Texas blues behemoth Stevie Ray Vaughan’s sound you should have look at the Fender Stratocaster. Or if you love Tab Benoit’s Blues tunes you should consider a Fender Telecaster.

If you love Blues and your passion is to become a Blues guitarist, there are numerous guitars in the market that can give you the sound and rhythm you prefer. Guitar manufacturing giants including Gibson offer guitars that lend themselves particularly well to playing the blue 

Best Blues Guitar – Comparison Table 

Product Features Latest Price
1. Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar
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  • Mahogany body
  • Double cutaway 
  • Dual humbucker pickup

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2. Fender American Special Stratocaster
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  • Alder body
  • Jumbo frets
  • Clean tone

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3. Epiphone SG Special Electric Guitar
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  • Poplar body
  • Three-way selector switch
  • Open coil ceramic humbuckers

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4. Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro
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  • Mahogany body
  • Easy playability
  • Well balanced tone

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5. Gretsch G9500 Jim Dandy
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  • Good sound quality
  • Solid construction
  • Beginner-friendly

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1. Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar

Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar

 

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Product Highlights

Gibson SG is a guitar that was wielded by artists like Angus Young and Derek Trucks. This guitar is a revamped version of Gibson’s Les Paul in 1961. The company only affected minimal changes to its new guitar including a larger pickguard, a different neck shape, and a few tweaks to the pickups set. If you are looking for a versatile, comfortable guitar with a thick tone, this will be a great guitar for you. 

Features

  • The Gibson SG features a mahogany body with dual humbuckers.
  • It is lightweight compared to other mahogany guitars. The slender body and beveled edges make it a comfortable guitar.
  • This double-cutaway guitar gives easy access to higher frets.
  • The humbucker pick contributes to a warm and well-balanced tone. 

 What We Like About Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar

The guitar is aesthetically pleasing and at the same time satisfies the tonal quality standard. 

What We Don’t Like About Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar

The neck feels slightly thick. 

        Pros         Cons
Double cutaway body

Well balanced tone

The low end is not full and present as expected

2. Fender American Special Stratocaster

Fender American Special Stratocaster

 

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Product Highlights

The American Special Strat hails from the Fender American Special series of guitars. These guitars generally feature a modern neck designed for comfort and performance, with a contemporary C-shaped profile and a smooth satin finish. 

Features

  • Made of alder, the guitar possesses a smooth glossy finish. The C-shaped satin-finished neck has a 9.5-inch radius maple fretboard for easy bending and fast play. 
  • It comes with 22 jumbo frets and black dot inlays, lending the guitar its modern feel.
  • The jumbo frets are tall and wide to let you get a better grip on the strings. This enables more control over them making bends and vibrato easier. 
  • This guitar is fitted with three Fender Texas Special single-coil pickups. These pickups feature more treble response and promote a clean tone. 
  • You can play a wide variety of music genres like folk, blues, rhythm and blues, hard rock, classic rock, country, jazz, and heavy metal.

What We Like About Fender American Special Stratocaster

The belly cut on the back makes it comfortable for the guitar player to play on it for long hours.

What We Don’t Like About Fender American Special Stratocaster

The gig bag that accompanies the product is of bad quality. 

        Pros         Cons
Greasebucket Tone Circuit to roll off high frequencies without adding more bass

Jumbo frets, easy to maneuver for people with large hands

Low-quality gig bag

3. Epiphone SG Special Electric Guitar

Epiphone SG Special Electric Guitar

 

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Product Highlights

If you can’t afford a Gibson SG, check out the Epiphone SG Special guitar. Launched in 1961, this guitar is the successor of the Les Paul edition. The Epiphone SG Special Electric Guitar like the Gibson SG Special has been wielded by great artists on numerous rock stages. 

Features

  • Made of poplar, the guitar is given a vintage finish. 
  • The body is slim and lightweight making it player-friendly. 
  • The bolt-on Okoume neck, with a traditional ‘60s SlimTaper D-shaped profile, makes it a beginner’s guitar.  
  • Since it is an entry-level model, Epiphone has equipped it with a basic set of open-coil ceramic humbuckers. These pickups are controlled with an easy layout. 
  • There are two black ‘speed’ knobs; one for master tone, and the other one for master volume. It also has a three-way pickup selector switch.

What We Like About Epiphone SG Special

This is a versatile guitar with pickups that can handle high-gain distortion well. 

What We Don’t Like About Epiphone SG Special

The strings that come with the guitar are of cheap quality. Therefore, you would need to buy a separate set of strings. 

        Pros         Cons
Lightweight body

Beginner-friendly

Lacks double volume and tone controls

4. Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro

Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro

 

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Product Highlights

This is another guitar from Epiphone that is great for all Bluesmen. The Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plustop Pro is one of the best guitars from the Epiphone Les Paul style product line. It comes with the same essential features and appearance of the classic late-fifties Les Paul Standard. 

Features

  • The guitar features great tuning stability and can hold the tune for several weeks. 
  • The neck and body of the guitar are shaped from mahogany and the frets are carved out of rosewood.
  • The edges of the neck are smooth and feature easy playability.
  • The neck exhibits trapezoid inlays that stretch across 22 medium jumbo frets. 
  • It is fitted with ProBucker 2 on the neck and ProBucker 3 pickups located at the bridge. Both of them employ Alnico II magnets. These two pickups contribute to a well-balanced tone. 
  • These pickups also provide access to the coil-split mode of the guitar. This mode allows you to improve treble and promotes cleaner sound. 

What We Like About Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro

The guitar features great tuning stability and clean sound.

What We Don’t Like About Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro

If you are looking for a guitar to record for your studio sessions, then this doesn’t cut it.

        Pros         Cons
Excellent sustain

Tonal versatility

 

  • Confusing for beginners
  • Not studio-quality tone

5. Gretsch G9500 Jim Dandy 

Gretsch G9500 Jim Dandy

 

 

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Product Highlights

The G9500 Jim Dandy from Gretsch is known for being a budget-friendly guitar. Many guitarists like this product due to the sound quality it offers. According to the company, it is a parlor guitar meant to resemble “everyone’s first guitar”. Although it is doesn’t sport professional quality, the guitar is for those who like to play casually and beginners.

Features

  • The G9500 Jim Dandy features an Agathis body and a C-shape nato neck with a slick vintage white finish. Agathis wood delivers solid construction and solid tone to the guitar.
  • It is a small-bodied guitar and therefore, the range of tones available is not too many. 
  • It possesses a 12-inch radius Rosewood fingerboard and bridge.
  • Gretsch has made it slightly easier for beginners and people with small hands by building a fingerboard with 12 accessible frets rather than the usual 14. 
  • The sound clarity of the guitar is excellent, the lows, mids, and highs are pronounced and loud. However, if you are a bass fan, this guitar will disappoint you.

What We Like About Gretsch G9500 Jim Dandy 

This is a parlor size guitar with great tonal quality suitable for beginners and players with smaller hands.

What We Don’t Like About Gretsch G9500 Jim Dandy 

It is light, small and cheap, therefore durability is a doubt.  So you have to make sure to take good care of the guitar. 

        Pros         Cons
Great tonal quality

Solid construction

Great for beginners

Not good for people with large hands

Not professional grade

Final Verdict

The Gibson SG Special is the best blues guitar because of its affordability and rich, well-balanced sound.  The body is quite thin, making it a comfortable guitar and the double-cutaway on the body gives easier access to the highest frets. Blues players love this feature, especially while using a slide to play tunes. This is a go-to guitar for Blues players with a classic sound. 

There are several other manufactures like PRS and Gretsch that make guitars catering to Blues players. You should choose among these guitars with quality and budget in mind. Also, don’t forget to research on guitars wielded by your favorite Blues artists and other Blues maestros to get the best Blues guitar. 

Hope our review of best blues guitar was helpful!

Read also:

Best Electric Guitar Under $1000 For 2021 [Our Reviews and Comparisons].

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