The Best Guitar for Funk ? - Essential Gear for Stanky Tone

[@RJRonquillo]

OK What do YOU think is the BEST type of guitar for funk??

[@AaronStark1993]

Strat. The percussive attack and quack achieves the best Funk tone in my opinion.

[@justingarcia7722]

Tele is one of my favorites but a casino is a surprisingly (or not) very funky guitar

[@jamesgrobertson8024]

I’d say Telecaster though your D’angelico is the bomb 💣

[@vicarelli]

Strat, Prince made the tele 2 funky, but he had 2 strat pickups in his tele type Hohners.

[@JeffAulich]

Tele for me!

[@coreymineard]

If you ain’t got the funk, it doesn’t matter what you’re playing. You can’t fake the funk.

[@domg9186]

🔥🔥 T R U T H 🔥🔥

[@Based_Stuhlinger]

Yaaas

[@HaVietHung0610]

Strat - 4th position - Vulfpeck’s groove

[@harryelliott4363]

It's so funky and it's low volume

[@sergiocarabali2621]

Accurate for me as wel

[@sebastianreh4481]

THIS IS ALL I KNOW

[@Jaa_kko]

@@sebastianreh4481 STEVE, STEVE, STEVE, STEVE

[@ethanmaruyama1149]

David Williams also played his strat on the 4th position (Micheal Jackson’s guitarist)

[@jermaineholland7108]

Uh, after listening to you, it’s obviously the player not the guitar that matters.

[@lucianomanfrinato5481]

That’s right!

[@CaptJackAubreyOfTheRoyalNavy]

I'm sure that's true, but as a complete beginner wanting to get into clean funk rhythms like Nile Rodgers style, should I get a Strat or Tele?

[@bobcorn]

I agree - with all them ghost notes EVERY guitar in every position was funky. Wow. As I learned lately from some expierienced guys to have Strat and Tele at ONCE they take a Strat and solder the pickups different. So there is still 5 positions, but instead of position neck/middle they got (Telecaster style) neck and bridge. So sooner or later I got to buy a Strat with tremolo AND the Telecaster wiring!

[@zach9809]

Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy I’m sure you know Nile plays a strat, so that’ll help you with getting his tone but if I were you, maybe go to the closest guitar center or music store and try both. You might be surprised what you like better. I love telecasters, it’s like an extra appendage. But you can funk out on both of them.

[@jonathanhandsmusic]

Yes. That's the truth. RJ can make any guitar sound however he wants. I love that Barney Kessel he's playing. I had a Ventura copy of that back in 1981, of course being stupid I sold it for almost nothing! Never regretted it till just now. Oh well.

[@evinoc]

the funk is within

[@ramonrosales969]

Tele - M 4:24 4:46 B 4:57 5:08 5:16 Strat - N 6:06 4th 6:41 2nd 6:58 M 7:23 B 7:27

[@VonBluesman]

My Strat is so funky, I had to buy an odor proof case for it. Strat wins for funk. Thanks.

[@fabricegourdon8333]

Does it work with the mexican one ?

[@sathira_anuk5179]

@@fabricegourdon8333 ofcourse, it's a strat

[@1dkappe]

Tele for the funk.

[@brianpetersen3429]

I like a Gibson ES335 style guitar for funk, (and a lot of other music).

[@physiciansassist1]

Honestly can't go wrong with Tele for anything. Most versatile guitar ever. From Jazz (Ted Green) to funk, to Rock via Rage against the machine and led zepp

[@sudanjackson]

Telecaster, middle position just does it for me 100%. Love my '72 vintage modified Thinline Tele with 2 Humbuckers...

[@dylanadamsguitar]

Early to Mid 70s funk = Tele Late 70s and beyond = Strat

[@VincentVader]

A good Tele can do most anything.

[@EpicStuffMan1000]

a good anything can do anything my man

[@cl4ptr4p_exe64]

Hey do you think that schecter pt standard is a good tele

[@no_peaches_8085]

CLAPTRAP yes

[@will-iu2bk]

Maybe it's me but I cant make a tele sound how I want. It always sounds like country

[@guitarkober1953]

@@will-iu2bk try to roll off the tone in your guitar or put it in 3 or 2 and change your amp settings Try this: Treble- 0 Mid - 10 Bass-6 Or Treble - 2 Mid-8 Bass - 4

[@mikewentworth9819]

That second MJ lick you played was off the chain!!! Wow. What a great all around player you are. And there’s my answer. Not the guitar, the player makes the funk.

[@lonniezamarripa959]

I agree. You can visit gear stores all over-the world. I think the music is in our souls.

[@jbognap]

Pretty much strat or tele - however guitars with lower output humbuckers work well too. Clear, spanky tone is a must, although sometimes a little grit on the bridge pickup is nice. Pick attack and tight pocket rhythm are huge. It's really about funk attitude - and not overplaying.

[@jodiallardice1500]

My favorite funk guitar is a tele, especially ones with a neck humbucker. It’s that Curtis mayfield sound, and it’s amazing

[@lotharroberts5978]

Mayfield usually played a Tele thinline, or a Strat. He knew what was going down.

[@bigkeezo]

Thanks for the info. Prince said CM was a big influence of his

[@davidjameschamberlain]

ES335s are shockingly funky from my experience

[@leonardsrobert]

That Barney Kessel is sooo awesome for it's old school tone! Love it!

[@asparagusbear3323]

it nails that early JB sound for sure!

[@massimolombardi1367]

James Brown tone is in Barney Kessel,no in Tele o Strat.

[@themetalhammer9406]

I like the D'Angelico with spilt coils and obviously the strat

[@daelowkey]

I have a D’angelico Brighton Deluxe and you can get Funky even without the split coils, I just need a strat and Im all set, need that 4th and 2nd position

[@martydibergi5228]

My 1968 Trini Custom similar to your Barney. I luv it😍

[@druwk]

Mad respect for the Funk! Clean is the deal, love the jazz box James Brown tones, but I feel like the Strat covers the most ground. The Strat can do a passable jazzy tone, but the other guitars can’t do the things a Strat can do.

[@dominicktardogno]

Strats are my go-to sound for funk stuff, but I also really like Les Pauls in the middle position with the neck pickup volume turned down a bit.

[@fanofthewylde2933]

Two of the best guitars for funk: BC Rich Warlock Dean Razorback

[@RJRonquillo]

🤘

[@rolux4853]

It amazes me, that BC Rich somehow is still selling guitars, regards the fact everyone makes fun of them and how crappy they sound. There seems to be a group of people hiding somewhere in a secret place, who cherish these weird battle axes. Maybe some black metal cult in Finland?

[@ThijsHuijbens]

Funk is a state of mind, achievable on everything that makes a sound. All your guitars have some funk! I like my Thinline Tele for funk, on the neck pickup it has a bit of everything, clear but jazzy.

[@Lalairu]

Lovely guitar for sure!

[@jamesgibson3242]

One of my friend's is the late David Williams nephew. Never met him tho. My friend had Chic over at his house in the late '70s too. helps having a popular musician in the family. The guitarist for KC and the Sunshine Band used a Tele like yours. I like Strats overall better but like Tele for funk best, then Tele then humbucker guitars. Your double cutaway Gibson with humbuckers was amazing tho for funk. the D'Angelico was nice as well.

[@Machinegunjoeson]

Best guitar for funk I’ve played is a Heritage H 535 through a fender 1967 deluxe reverb AMAZING!!!!

[@JacobIsBell]

I love hearing the difference between the lower then higher output single coils in the strat. I’d crown the higher output single coil as the king-o-fink, mainly because it pops more. Seems less likely to get buried in the mix.

[@blackiewheeler4706]

I would go with my "91 Jeff Beck Strat which has the rear Humbucker plus I rewired the guitar with two mini toggles giving me 15 pickup configurations from every Strat sound to Tele and Jazzmaster tones so that should cover it. Now if I had to go with a standard Strat I'd choose that but the Tele would certainly be a very close second choice. Hey they are all good if you got the funk !

[@blacksnow150]

nice , i do like options ,,,,,, just got all the stuff together to mod my tele ( the volume pot was shot ) so i thought while im swapping that for a vintage taper pot, that i may as well swap the tone pot for a zero load one and the 3way switch for a 5 way super switch ( peavy omniac style, neck ,,n+b in faze ,,n+b out of faze,, n+b 1/2 out of faze ,, bridge ) add a 3 way on,on,on. dpdt switch wired as a 3 capacitor selector .22 , .47 , .1uf . copper shield the cavities etc ,swap the tuners for fender staggered locking ones,, and fit a graphtec nut n string tree ,,,, think that's about it ,, for around £100 in parts it will be better spec than most 3k + fender custom shop guitars :)

[@rkharper]

Quality content, like always. And: Im a Tele person, but the Strat IS pure funk.

[@KyOte13]

I love Fenders for what they are, but gotta go ES style… it has that jazzy sound that is just essential for authentic old skool FUNK. That being said.. it’s really all in the hands & voicing approach🙌 🎸

[@The65luke]

Strat with low output pickups for the thin nasal sound is my choice for the funk sound!

[@brooklynboy1000]

its all in the hands.. you can EQ any guitar to sound good if the player has good rhythm and knows how to palm mute etc Tele does the trick. Jazzmaster very bright. Nile - middle pickup. dont forget to use a compressor too.

[@brooklynboy1000]

keep it up !

[@aeloxton1]

Id buy an album of this guy just jamming around on his guitars.

[@giloro85]

Strat middle...for that Dave Gilmour stealth funk songs like Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2, Echoes Funky part, Time rhythm, Have A Cigar and Any Colour You Like.

[@rkluth]

I came to this thinking strat was the only choice but love the big jazz box sound in the middle position Still strats win my vote overall but a real eye opener and great playing

[@duanewilson3941]

I would say Tele or 335 but can't go wrong with a strat either. I thought the loller picks sounded the best.

[@danieldevine8588]

Thanks for the video. I have to say I loved the way the Kessel sounded. I just bought a Jaguar for my daughter yesterday and spent a lot of time playing it and there are a lot of cool tones you can get with a jag, plus it's got that 24" scale which gives u a different sound. You just need to replace the bridge

[@charliebrown3082]

Telecaster! for funk very generally but I loved the middle position of the Barney Kessel.

[@metalmulisha0143]

Lots of winners here for me. Barney Kessel bridge pickup is pretty special. Tele middle position also. But the maple board strat was perfect

[@wilhelmsimmonds3611]

Single coil due to the softer gain and compression is the best option for the funky tone.

[@adamkhanpersonal]

I think something a lot of people forget when watching videos comparing tones like this one is that the most important thing (especially in Funk) is how it sits in the mix. While I love the sound of an isolated single coil funk sound, I personally prefer the hollow body sound. It's a different style of funk, not as percussive as it is with a single coil (which I love as well, it's just a preference) It's more melodic and deliberate in my opinion.

[@ArielCardona]

I own Strats, LPs (with humbuckers and P90s) and a Tele. All great for funk, but my favorite has to be my Les Paul Studio. It can sound Tele-ish and, of course, Les Paul-ish. The coil tapping capacities make it unbeatable for funky stuff.

[@Hamer95USA]

Great video showcasing different types of guitars and the pickups used to get different funk tones. The earlier eras of funk sounded good with the Gibson guitars with humbuckers or P-90 pickups. From the '70s to present, the Strat or a Tele is the more contemporary funk sound. It all depends on the type of music being played, the player, and the guitar needed for the sound.

[@MrHomolka]

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for (and also solidified my beliefs). I need that Strat 80's bridge/middle position tone.

[@lggusto1]

for me the classic strat..

[@vangannaway1015]

I saw almost all of them in the 60s at the Eastwood Country Club in San Antonio in the 60s. The older guys played hollow or semi hollow bodied. But the younger guys like Ike Turner, Curly Mays and Jimi James aka Jimi Hendrix all played Strats Everyone dug Steve Cropper on a Tele.

[@isaacmugunda8370]

Strat at position 2 is the go to guitar..Though I have Ibanez AR325..At mid position it sounds so good

[@jakebush8941]

absolutely nailing the Leo Nocentelli tone with that Gibson

[@zach9809]

It’s most definitely all about having the funk within and you can funk out on anything but I’m a sucker for the tele. It’s my go to always especially live.

[@BrettSmithDaniels]

I used to think SC's only, but recently I've been studying the Meters and Leo used HBs ... So... I think the answer is: older funk = Humbuckers Examples: James Brown The Meters Mid 70's onwards = Single coils... Nile Rodgers is strictly speaking disco and not pure funk, and frusctante is rock/funk but that's the beauty of it, as the genre and it's influence evolved people broke the moulds and reinvented funk guitar! All of it sounds great and ultimately it's the player, no?

[@JB-bi6jn]

Agree! Old dirty funk stuff was made on humbuckers... But Tele, strat or whatever guitar can do funky!!

[@lilakmonoke982]

oddly enough my best funk guitar is a) my 1978 music man sabre II with low impedance hifi pickups and b) my 1960 guild t-100 with franz pickups. anything with a snappy attack, short sustain and CLEAN sound works fine. check the delvon lamarr organ trio for the best contemporary oldschool funk sound from an old harmony hollowbody ...

[@danielmakuch3094]

That last axe had a nice funky tone on the bridge

[@RobertBakerGuitar]

I don't know karate but I know Karaazy!

[@davedecker1725]

Robert Baker I don't know karate either but I do know shotgun. 😆😆😆

[@RobertBakerGuitar]

@@davedecker1725 haha I was quoting the James Brown song he was playing :p

[@davedecker1725]

Robert Baker Oh, whenever JB sings I need subtitles 😆😆 I love that new dano 59 dc by the way. Howabout the rain song tutorial?? Nudge nudge wink wink.

[@Guttural]

I know karate and Voodoo too

[@beau692]

All the guitars sounded great because of the player. However, I kinda prefer the ES335, especially with the split coils.

[@justinpaquette224]

I think the best funk guitar is a tele with a stat middle pickup that has its own volume or on off switch. That way when middle is off its just a tele, but you can then have the option to bleed in that strat quack

[@xoxb2]

Glad it's not just me who wonders about positions 4 and 2, or is it 2 and4?! Low output strat, although Danelectro is rather fun.

[@3star2nr]

I agree danelectros are incredible for this. The neck is perfect for minor 7s and Barre chords, which is pretty much the bread and butter of funk, rnb and Reggae. I'm shocked more people don't play them

[@ThoM45]

This video helped me decide to get Strat , but honestly - all guitars sound amazing, can't go wrong with either. But thanks for solving my dilema.

[@viralbuthow000]

I liked the D'angelico the best -- maybe because I've heard Strats so much that this sounds fresh.

[@ajack913]

The jimmy nolen james brown sections are actually Catfish collins guitar licks with james brown. Jimmy nolen was gone at that time. But that sound was great!!! I love this video

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

Yeah mate, my '68 ES175 gives great funk. With flats it can tame the bridge a bit as well.

[@Stump51]

52 reissue fender telecaster baby!!

[@mytelecasterworld3336]

yeahhhh

[@85turtlestb]

I use a jazzmaster and I think it’s middle and neck positions are good for funk

[@TheNobbynoonar]

Whatever makes you feel funky!

[@romeou4965]

A loose wrist that plays 1/16ths ON TIME is FUNK

[@JasminBellavance_Music]

Telecaster is king for me! Thanks for the vid I’ve learn a couple of cool funk licks....🕺

[@iramercer5245]

A switchoff between a strat and a 335 is my pick.

[@olliesound67]

You can play funk on any guitar, as long as it has a good attack. If I had to pick one out of my guitars, I would say it‘s my 1972 Tele Thinline, the one with the 2 Humbuckers!

[@jaafaromar9362]

What telecaster model was that?!

[@salva4777]

It's almost like you mastered every genre, wow, so fluid playing

[@arishojaiee6483]

Tele position 1 and 2. Strat position 1 and especially 2

[@jimwalker3808]

Thanks RJ..heavy question at 4:00 am but a good one. It seems there are some tones that sound awesome in the mix but not as satisfying to listen to as you play...it might feel thin. I enjoy playing thicker sounds when I play alone I guess to make up for a lack of bandmates.

[@nothingtodeclare6190]

You can funk with any guitar, funk is in our hands and in the pick you use.

[@gimmeagig]

This is a great lesson on how to play funk . I'll be picking through this video a lot in the next few days. There's a lot to learn. Thank you. BTW Tele and Strat for me

[@gojoe36]

Fender Modern Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe - 3-tone Sunburst turn the treble up on the Fender Blues Junior Amp. Ready when you are.....

[@jimbeaux4988]

Strat has a particular "uptown" funk sound that nothing else will get. But, I think I could use that tele middle position to get the most mileage. I like the big hollow body as well that first one. Gotta work harder at it, but the reward is great.

[@ap7498]

Agree with Mike...player makes the funk! That said...I go with the strat

[@adroit57]

I always thought the strat was the be all end all of funk, but these hollow bodies sound great.

[@samsmart111]

the cool thing about playing funk is that it just doesn't matter what guitar you use. If you got it, you can even turn a metal axe into a funk guitar 😉. With that being said, I think that the best funky tones you have achieved playing the Gibson Barnes and the Telecaster, which was kinda strange for me to see b/c I always thought the stratocaster is the one for the coolest funk tones.

[@DC59925]

The tele just that has a crisp sound that's perfect for funk.

[@ceydamusic]

Fender Strat for sure!

[@DaveElke]

Straight into two all time greatest funk riffs. You covered all my big influences!

[@sipius22]

My favorite tone is the first guitar which sounds Vintage....old school funk......like I was on the corner of 125th and Lennox in 1972......with the funk blaring out of local record store speakers.......but you played the hell out of the tele and made it sound awesome!

[@PERRADE]

Soy de strat a muerte , pero mi LsL t bone para funk... es pura crema. Gran video !!!

[@willshultz7813]

Gretsch is good for funk, jazz and blues. Personally, my order of preference varies according to genre. If its rock, blues or metal, my Les Paul Deluxe; Gretsch Electromatic; Victory MVX (Gibson); then a Fender Strat. If its Jazz or Funk, I'll tend toward my Gretsch Electromatic or Black Falcon; or my Guild Starfire (you turned me on to that one!). I learned how to play mostly on a Epiphone Broadway, but I rarely play it now - vintage. Never liked a Tele all that much. Personally, I think you can get a similar sound but with better overall tone by using a Firebird with minis - I'm still looking to add one to my collection. Speaking of that, I think your amp has a lot to do with getting stanky tone, especially speaker choice. In that area, I really like the old Fenders and Marshalls. Vintage Oranges, too.

[@jadipeperzak4034]

For slow funk, the 335 and the hollow body are great, but they don’t work for fast funk... So for fast funk I’d grab a tele or a strat... Personally, I use a Luke III HH for both.. It can do the 335 type thing with the 2 humbuckers combined, but it also has a 5 way switch for the stratty tones... So yeah... My go to guitar for everything really..

[@tonray9395]

Oh my....that Tele hits it

[@-Atmos1]

Brilliant Funk & Telecasters with Humbuckers sound pretty good too . Thankyou

[@mr.holloweed5309]

start are best in all kinds of genre

[@partizan_coffee]

Really like the sound of jazz box. Old school funk!

[@chrissanderson5850]

Very informative video and nice guitar playing! I can see why you have so many subscribers. Good Job 👍🏾

[@fredn2735]

Great video RJ. Yeah a lot of people don't think the big hollow Bodies. Eric Gale when he played with Grover Washington Jr used a big super 400 Gibson with 9 gauge strings he got some great funky jazz tones

[@RJRonquillo]

Yes!

[@edwinstovall3334]

Well, R.J., I have to admit that I am somewhat agnostic on this kind of subject. To me, the best guitar(s) for whatever music you want to play is the one(s) you have. I personally tend to like "shredder" guitars, although I don't shred. No one was doing that while I did most of my being inspired and learning, and by the time I heard any, I was fairly well convinced it was too late for me to start. Regardless, I like the looks and the playability of those guitars. 3 of my 7 guitars are shredder-oriented: A Schecter C-1 Elite in amber (1993 - makes a difference), an Ibanez EX370, and an Ibanez RG200B. All of these guitars exemplify the shredder/metal vibe, but I bought them because they're versatile enough for me to play whatever else I want to play on them. Funk, blues, blues-rock, classic rock -- they're good for all of it, and more ... and I believe that most of your guitars are, too. It's all in the way you play the axe. Of course, you can also adjust them to match your needs, to a pretty fair extent. I've also modified the 2 Ibanez axes. I should mention that I also have a Peavey Raptor Plus EXP that I have modded with a new bridge (brass and steel), a new nut (graphite) and roller string trees. Freaking thing rocks! For me, then, the best guitar for funk is the one that best captures the mood I'm in at the time. As usual, the most important part of this equation is the player. After all, if the player ain't funky, nothing else is going to help!😎 I'll leave you with my musical motto: If it sounds good, it IS good!

[@edwinstovall3334]

Whoops! I made a mistake that I didn't catch until this morning! Sorry, but my Schecter is from 2003, NOT 1993! That whole series didn't exist until 2001. Also, the reason why the year of manufacture makes a difference is that Schecter started changing woods in 2003. In 2001, they introduced the C-1 Elite in gloss black with a mahogany body, a maple top and a maple neck -- which you couldn't see because it was all painted black. No change in 2002, but in 2003, they introduced a second color -- my amber, giving it a quilted maple top(!) and a flamed maple neck which were beautifully visible through the amber finish. They kept the black model, but changed its previously mahogany/maple body to an all-mahogany body. It didn't look any different (except for a change to its one fretboard inlay at the 12th fret), but I would say that it would have sounded different to MY ears, if no others. In 2004, Schecter made yet more changes. They introduced a white model, and the white and black models both wound up with mahogany necks and all-mahogany bodies, which changed their sound even more, in my opinion. They kept the amber color and its quilted maple top, but gave it the mahogany neck as well. That makes my 2003 amber with maple top and neck a kind of a rare bird, produced for only one year, and the ONLY model out of the bunch to have both the beautiful amber color and the original wood recipe and sound. They only cost $600 new! Killer axes! They are hybrids between Les Pauls and Strats and have their own sound, owing to the Strat-like scale length and the use of two humbuckers. They play great and sustain really well because of the TonePros bridge and string-through-body mounting scheme. They can play anything, so when called upon to do so, they can really preach the funk! If you ever get the chance to get a 2001 or 2002 black one or especially a 2003 amber one, I say buy it, because you won't be sorry!😎

[@troutbreath]

Nice vid! You made them all sound good. As a new strat player, I appreciate the tonal flexibility your explored.

[@mariagandcompany]

wow the tones you got on the barney kessel sound just like the classic James Brown funk ...iconic tone.

[@TotallyNotABotRightGuys]

That is a gorgeous Tele. Off-topic I know, but wow.

[@WTF-Cubing]

6:30 glad think you clarified your position 😆

[@To.Si.Ma.]

Great video. - That Barney Kessel guitar sounds awesome.

[@steveGee5787]

For me I would have to say Strat. A Tele (I've had a few over the years) can deliver a good sound for funk - but personally I think the Strat is the ultimate funk and soul guitar - the "in between sounds" plus the strong neck pickup is what edges it for me. Whereas the Tele's real strength for me is playing spiky punk/indie stuff through an overdriven bridge pickup. Maybe the ultimate guitar then is none of those, but a Nashville Tele (with a Strat middle pickup and 5-way switch)!

[@luigidambra2523]

All the guitars can be funky, but i would choose the first of the 2 strats, the 50' oriented one... thank you for the video 😊

[@cliffordholliday679]

I love the d'angelico tone, but I also really love P90s, I have an epiphone casino - combines both somewhat :D