Whats the best guitar for blues?

I currently play a strat thru a hot rod deville 410. I’m looking at getting a Jazzmaster 62 re-issue. Anybody got any other recomendations for a good blues guitar? Or Anyone got a jazzmaster (do they sound good?)
Cheers Guys

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11 Responses to “Whats the best guitar for blues?”

1. Brinton says:

   September 7, 2010 at 3:09 pm

   I don’t think the guitar matters near as much as the person playing… Hollow body guitars make a pretty good blues sound with lots of “thick” sounding tone. The amp is pretty big factor. I would recommend a tube amp.
2. Jc says:

   September 7, 2010 at 3:57 pm

   it depends on what kind of blues you play. If you wanna be a gunslingin’ guitar man, then buy a guitar similar to a Fender Strat, and you’ll need a Fender Tube Amp too. The Jazzmaster would be a good choice too. If you wanna play strait up delta blues, then i would get a Gretsch hollow body, or a Gibson hollow body, such as the Gibson es-335, or 6118.
3. Brad says:

   September 7, 2010 at 4:13 pm

   Look at the KAY vintage reissue “Thin Twin”

   Also, a nice Fender Telecaster really nails the blues sound. Just ask Muddy Waters.

   The Jazzmaster is way cool, but remember, it was more of a “Surf” guitar. Also, the American made Fenders are far better than the Mexican, but twice the price or more.

   The custom shop guitars from Fender and Gibson are the only ones that really come close to the quality of instruments that made them famous. The rest are only just barely passable by comparison.

   And it’s true…it really comes down to the player. It’s in your fingers, mind, and soul.

   If it ain’t there, the guitar won’t really fix it for you…
4. Nicki says:

   September 7, 2010 at 4:43 pm

   you play a strat.the next guy plays a gretsch,then the next plays a gibson les paul,one person plays a frammus,and so on.blues,like country,is not an instrument,it is what you do with that instrument and that instrument that you use for speech.you can see and feel and hear the connections between original country and original blues.they were both written,sung and played by folks that were too poor to have any other form of entertainment.so they entertained themselves.they were seperated by color lines back then,but the feelings were still the same.love,loss,heartache,despair, loneliness,having the blues,being downhearted,death,infidelity,and the list goes on.anyway,play it as you feel it,not as your instrument dictates.you play the instrument,the instrument doesn’t play you.
5. john d says:

   September 7, 2010 at 5:42 pm

   a fender stratocaster
6. Actual Size says:

   September 7, 2010 at 6:34 pm

   I have owned a few guitars over the years,( fender gibson washburn takamine and more) hollow body and/or electric. I currently play godin guitars. I can play blues on all of them. Best guitar for blues? What ever feels right and sounds good at the time or fits the song. I have three different amps,( 2 marshalls and a fender) and a pedal I can program. Your options are infinite, have fun!
7. 1 Finger Willy says:

   September 7, 2010 at 7:23 pm

   depends on the guitarist, Buddy Guy plays a Fender Stratoastor where as BB king plays a Gibson ES 345 two completely different animals
8. pearlene says:

   September 7, 2010 at 7:38 pm

   Have to agree it’s in the player to bring out the heart of the music on whatever guitar is handy. Those poor delta folks rigged up cigar boxes and catgut and sounded great.
   Go with what feels best in your hands, man. Kinda like picking a lover, we all got different tastes and styles!
9. crosstwntraffic says:

   September 7, 2010 at 8:16 pm

   You already have the best blues set-up you could get. If your music still isn’t sounding like you want, it’s probably your technique that needs improving, not your gear. Seriously though, The blues is what you make it. Semi-hollow bodied guitars (Gibson ES-335, Ibanez Artcore, Carvin SH-550) are great blues guitars. Stratocasters are the essential blues guitar. Les Pauls are also a good choice. Jazzmasters are not a good blues guitar. Or any other genre for that matter. That of course, is just my opinion. But thats what you asked for, our opinion. They have an odd sound that I just don’t like no matter what you plug it into. Your choice in amplifiers is also a good one. HR Devilles are a good all around amp. But if you can play the blues, it won’t matter what you play it on. It will sound like the blues. I play 3 guitars in my live shows. A Les Paul, a Stratocaster and a Music Man Axis. In the studio I usually just stick with my Music Man. Its shaped kinda funny but it plays and sounds like a dream. Heck, I know a guy in another local band here that plays the blues on a Parker Fly, and he’s awesome. Its all in how you play, not what you play. Good luck and remember…. Be here every Saturday night at mid-night, and you learn them blues.
10. WhoMe says:

    September 7, 2010 at 8:21 pm

    Here’s my short answer to a complicated question. I’d go with either a Fender Telecaster or Stratocaster. Jazzmasters are killer, especially if you’re looking to do early proto-punk (think Elvis Costello here) or rockabilly. Their pickups produce great tones, and they’re well balanced guitars to play. The good news is that with a simple digital stompbox you can dial any guitar into whatever tone you want.
    I got a Behringer V-Amp 120 box a few years, eventually sold my Strat and Ibanez Artist, but you’d never know it by the presets this pedal produces. I’m now running it through an Ovation Artist acoustic-electric, but can pull up any tone I want, whenever it’s called for. I can go from sounding like Jimi’s wah-wah, to SRV’s fatter tone, to BB’s, and then play acoustic all with a quick foot movement. It’s an inexpensive way to become a tone merchant, sounding like you’re playing a variety of guitars. Good luck in hunting, regardless of your choice, but I’d seriously consider one of these digital emulators.
11. ♫Cowboy Neal At The Wheel ® says:

    September 7, 2010 at 8:46 pm

    Gimme this $350 Dobro Hound Dawg and I’ll play rings around all y’alls thousand dollars Strats and Gibbys.

    http://folk-instruments.musiciansfriend.com/product/Dobro-Hound-Dog-Round-Neck-Resonator-Guitar?sku=514374&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=67445305