The Top 3 Blues Electric Guitars!

This video take a look at the top 3 essential electric guitars for blues players. If you're a guitarist odds are you have either more guitars than you need or you only have a few. If you play blues in this video I explain why I believe these three videos are the best for that particular style of music and why you probably don't need to go for much else. It doesn't matter which brand you have or enjoy and it doesn't matter if you prefer a guitar that's not on the list. The main thing is, you enjoy playing and the sounds you achieve doing so. These three guitars are all unique in tone and are staples in the blues scene for a reason. ‎
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[@nickdevriese]

Blues can be played on any guitar. It's not the guitar, it's the expression. To me, an Esquire is perfect. To others, a strat neck. The guitar is the medium. The fingers tell the story.

[@hammyjammies]

Couldn't agree more, Joe Bonamassa gets great bluesy stuff on anything from a Tele to a flying V, it's all down to how he plays and not what he plays on

[@bee.normal]

How about blues on an Ibanez jem, esp, shecter, kramer, bc rich, you know, those ugly 80s modernish ones with active pickups, floyd rose and locking everything? *shivers*

[@nickdevriese]

jo sg Pretty sure T-Bone Walker would pour his heart out just the same on these. I wasn't trying to be mean. Just saying blues comes from the heart. The greats played on whatever they had.

[@jvin248]

There's a youtube video of a guy playing country on a BCRich to prove to his subscribers it's the fingers.

[@ww3lstep]

And one of a guy playing first-rate rockabilly on a really spiky guitar too (might also be a BC). BTW the closed captioning on this video turned "Tokai" into "taco"!

[@frankmaeder4358]

As young, I used to play Strat and an ES 335, until i popped into the Fender Telecaster Thinline 72, an early 90s Japanese MIJ. Since then, i hardly use another guitar - simply awesome for blues

[@ArtDonna84]

Always interesting and informative information Shane Thank you!

[@dalepal]

Those are three great choices for electric guitars for playing the blues.

[@StahlsBlues]

Genius You sound amazing on all 3 but that Tele brings something out in you that is so magical.

[@patrickobrien2068]

Concise descriptions. Thanks!

[@andyoc]

good video man, agree by and large with selection.

[@robertrockwell6996]

Good Video. Like the direction things are going. Keep them coming.

[@havingagooutdoors4133]

Suprisingly enough i have all three of those guitars in my collection. Seems i chose wisely haha! Great vid mate keep them coming.

[@DLawrenceMarketing]

Love that Tokai. Thinking of getting an Ibanez AM73or AS73.

[@toddblenkhorn7675]

I get it Yousician Guy, the beginning is so hard and frustrating... stick with it though, maybe someday I will watch your entire commercial.

[@JesusChrist-be9uz]

Todd Blinks P R E A C H

[@christinashakum]

😂

[@jamesfalardeau3886]

Have all 3 and I love the Tele. The 66 Strat is sweet but I love the Tele bridge pickup.

[@charlieisamonster]

You don't get much more blues sounding than a national tri-cone (granted a very specific type of blues). Loving this new style content to your channel Shane. Great stuff mate.

[@jvin248]

Really useful additions to a Tele is a 4-way switch and to a Strat is the Dan Armstrong Blender Mod - puts series humbucker tones on each in an intuitive switching system.

[@bobramalhorealtor6523]

Hi Shane, I like your videos, left handed too! Good stuff

[@TheGusK]

Nice analysis.

[@stuieRX]

great vid, do your top 3 blues amps next!

[@juliankirby9880]

I like the tapped PAF style pickup with the lower output hot rail(Duncan vintage rail) for some wonderful blues and country tones from my super strat(positions 2 and 4 on the 5 way switch). My semi hollow is a blues/jazz/rock machine regardless of how o fiddle with the knobs and switches though.

[@ShaunStClair-nx3xy]

A fellow Tokai user. Tokai guitars are awesome yet underrated. Excellent quality and value for money. Fender and Tokai are both awesome brands for blues playing

[@jeremybaker195]

I like my Les Paul Jr. P90 with alnico slugs instead of skrews. 2015 LPJ. I just love that pickup.

[@toddflowers8052]

Three very good choices my friend !

[@Charles75N]

Great video. I have one of each.

[@Arfonfree]

I almost agree with you. A Strat (HSS) used to be in 3rd place, but it's been dropped for a Tele Deluxe. Second place: ESP Eclipse, but my first place blues guitar is my Gretsch equipped with Broad'trons. This list is obviously controlled by the limits of my collection and my talent...love your stuff. I recommend you take a look at a couple of the Gretsch videos posted by this guy Shane over the last few years. Might convince you to take another look. He's actually the guy that convinced me to buy my Gretsch.

[@digitalsketchguy]

Saving up for a FSR Deluxe Telecaster in Butterscotch Blonde

[@bmorr6734]

Hey Shane, love the channel. How about p90 equipped Les Pauls?

[@janedoe3570]

I use an ES-335 style guitar and when I play Blues my rhythm sound is the humbucker coil split into single coil and my lead tone is full humbucker which is a nicer lead sound for me going from coil split to full humbucker also gives you a good boost for lead.

[@4s2work]

Like, like, like!

[@mougabo]

hi there, do you think you can make a tutorial on your playing hand on how to hold the pick while playing with your fingers and then changing to play with the pick?

[@SeanGibsonNoiseReel]

I dig the new formats. Classic rock guitars next?

[@bassplayersguild7641]

Shane, we gotta say this, you play really, really well. You make it look so very easy, you're very 'fluid.' Cheers 🍻

[@4s2work]

Not a strat lover but willing to give it a go! Tele rules!!!!(wink,wink--you know what I lean towards??/) That Tokai is H-O-T as! My unmodified Ibanez AS73 comes close to the Tokai but lacks a bit of bite. So through you, I discovered the neck HB on the AS73 and it is awesome. Thanks for your work and opening my eyes to "possibilities" Steph in Kiwiland. My heart goes out to all ozzie flood victims!!!!!!

[@Chord_The_Seeker]

That Tumnus sounds great with all 3 of the guitars.

[@matko101000]

Can you make a review of Harley Benton HB-35+ please?

[@mairenared]

Great video Shane. I started off on a Strat and although I still love it to bits for certain things, I moved on to a Les Paul `56 Gold Top with P90 pickups as my main blues guitar. You can get some lovely sweet Peter Green tones out of a Les Paul but you can also get some bark if you need it. I also bought a Tele but I use that for country or tune it to open G for those Keith Richards moments. I've never really got on with 335's as I find them a bit big and unwieldy. I know many blues players love them but, as you say, it's all down to personal preference.

[@glenwallace6314]

I love the 339 Custom shop. There are some for sale in my area but I need to part with a few guitars to make that happen. I tried a couple of epi 339s that were used, both had humps at the 17th fret area that made them fret out. I was ready to disagree with the tele till I heard it played in this video. I don't like how the tele plays, for silly reasons. I wish they had a belly cut and a strat neck.

[@jacobbentley2562]

Steph Blankenaar trying to save up for either an Epi 339 or an Epi ES Les Paul. I've got one of their Les Paul standards (with coil-splitting pickups) and it plays great, especially for the money

[@bungy007]

I picked up an epi flamekat ltd edition with mini humbuckers. Well classy

[@CJ-rf9jm]

I've been mainly a strat guy but I do have a tele on the way. If I was to go for something with double humbuckers (no middle) I'd probably go for an LP, or even an SG or something like a big apple strat (or humbucker equipped tele). For myself I find the ES style of guitars (semi hollow) a bit bigger than I like.

[@eweegeewa]

I agree with intheblues. All the greats used those guitars into Fender amps. Those are also the top three best guitars. A set of 10's also give a nicer blues sound. Unfortunatly for me when I bought a guitar for the blues I didn't notice the obvious and bought an Epiphone L.P. Std and do not have blues tone at all. I also didn't have a job at the time and still don't so I'm really kicking myself because at the time a Tele would've only been 200 bucks more and it would still be my only guitar. However now I know about Classic and Vintage Vibes made in Mexico so I'll be fine one day. I always preferred humbuckers over single coil but for the blues single coils in a Fender really are my choice. Thanks for letting me know about the Tokai though.

[@FilipeDiogo49]

to me they all sound good but that just means I like your playing Shane :) personal taste has a lot to do with it, I actually prefer a Les Paul

[@alwaysrockn2009]

Cool video!

[@lucygoosey6318]

Shaan DE try some flat wounds for a different sound on that 335 it mite surprise you.

[@promisespleases]

Flying v, 59 replica being beefier , than 67 , but 67's ceramic pickups are super cutty too. 59 v model has string descending through body too like telephone, and three way hambucker selector. I like the buzz saw like tones of a v in blues.

[@deon5329]

Shane does your strat have an mods to the tone dial for the bridge position? I usually use the middle and the bridge because bridge alone sounds somewhat harsh.

[@JamesJohnson-hb1me]

Does your Tele have humbucking pickups? Great playing, thanks!

[@peterpage1721]

I own copies of all three of these guitars but prefer my Gibson Blueshawk. It has P90 pickups with a dummy coil to cancel hum, a Fender size 25 1/2" scale and string through body. When I first saw it in a local music store I thought it had all the features my favourite guitars had and thought it should sound great. When I got it home and played it, it was as great as I imagined it should be. I understand certain designs become iconic because they were used on many of our most important historic recordings. Unfortunately this can become a barrier to great, more recent designs. I believe the Gibson Blueshawk suffers from these prejudices. I suspect most Blues guitarists would love this guitar if they gave it a fair chance.

[@leemarett7366]

I decided to watch this video out of curiosity. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that these are the three guitars that I own.

[@richardread8281]

Lucky devil.

[@bobtheblindbedroomguitaris8742]

What do you think of a Firebird with mini humbuckers rock and blues I think it's pretty good

[@catwhisperer911]

I might even sub an SG Standard for the Les Paul :)

[@sirbaronvoncount4147]

It's all highly subjective as are all issues of tone but I especially love Tele's. I find strats layout too crowded I'm always hitting the volume and pickup switch and the middle pickup tears up my fingers so I end up removing the volume knob and wiring the tone to the bridge because I love the sound and body shape of strats. Peace

[@davidneath8194]

Hello Shane. I play on a telecaster mim, I would like to fit it out with a Bigsby. Any info on the best Bigsby for a MIM tele. I play blues, so I don't want it going out of tune when I go out of controle in a solo.You know what I mean ;) thanks! By the way, I have never known a man or woman guitar player with one guitar :)

[@mikeadams4605]

Great video Shane!! My other favorites are an Epiphone Casino and an SG. The hollowbody and the P-90's on the Casino are great for blues. Gary Clark Jr!! Derek Trucks plays some great blues on an SG and they are great for slide. Gary Clark Jr has also been playing an SG too the last year with some great blues tones

[@Sinebandlmj]

Mike Adams I bought a Casino after I saw Gary Clark live. I have a Japanese lawsuit SG with a whammy bar on it. I'm trying to learn slide on it.

[@BoyAditya]

Mike Adams i wish Epiphone will make that yellow SG as new Gary Clark jr signature. that would be sweet

[@4s2work]

ooooooh p90's make me weak!!!

[@thebrysmith3]

Clicked on this because my new guitar is a D'angelico Premier DC, which is a ES-335 style guitar, which I play through the Bugera V5 Infinium. I've also got me a Tumnus. So anyways, I'm just wondering if you've got the power attenuator set at 1W or 5W. I'm just getting back into playing electrics and messing with amp settings.

[@tonymediati8274]

Hey that’s my little Bugera back there 👍

[@Pat130101]

Hey Shane, heading to Melbourne in the next few days - any good guitar shops you can recommend?

[@darwinsaye]

Just my 2 cents, but that voicing that you're talking about can also be found on old Harmonys and other budget guitars that had DeArmond gold foil pickups. I've got a Harmony Rebel with gold foil "moustache" pickups and the tone is just perfect for Blues.

[@4s2work]

I prefer your new format Shane.cheers and thanks!

[@joeywitt7129]

WOW THANKS FOR VIDEO I ALWAYS THOUGHT TELE MORE OF A COUNTRY "BAKERSFIELD SOUND" I GUESS I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT!!!

[@Dimbochan]

With gain overdrive on the neck pickup the Telecaster gives a fairly thick lead blues tone, less common than Stratocaster tones and sounds. Steely Dan Jeff Baxter and Denny Dias gets blues and jazz tones from basic Telecaster plus it has a simple charm to it how it feels. Plus the bridge pickup adds bite for second tone, chicken cluck (I turn down tone a tad to reduce harshness). Then middle tone is pearly sweet can get variations, less common than Stratocaster 1-2 middle tone. I play a Squire Telecaster and it feels and sounds fine, I've had Fender Telecaster too, and Stratocaster.

[@iguanabartola]

Agree, we get ripped off here in Australia on everything! Not only guitars, however, I must say you are using the RRP as per the Fender website, shops sell well below that price. My standard strat MIM while having a $1,499 price online, had a $989 price on most of the online stores in Sydney including a gig bag. Was able to get it even cheaper from my local store due to continuous business.

[@4s2work]

*&^&*&^ Rockshop holds the @$#@ monopoly over here in NZ!

[@timholtzclaw8930]

Crikey

[@elbib2446]

sure blues can be played on any guitar,but i agree with the choices as if im doing blues i gravitate towards my strats,teles and squier starfire 335 type,if i pick up a prs or a ibanez,sure you can play blues on them but they dont feel like blues guitars or sound as bluesy as strat/tele/335,well to me anyway.interesting that when my younger brother was in chicago a few years back checkin blues clubs he said he saw a couple of fender strats/teles but the majority were playing cheap squiers and other pawn shop guitars,not a custom shop fender in sight

[@claudelussier1678]

Hi I tried a Ibanez TALMAN TM303M. It is a strange discontinued guitar but it seems to be un jack of all trade guitar if you have to use just one. I would like to know what you think about it if you can find one.

[@logann2162]

How different would the first guitar sound than a les Paul?

[@asdaven1]

Go with a 4 way switch and add the series wiring. Gets the Tele closer to a Les Paul.

[@breekolean2758]

How do you jump the train with that gear

[@joeyfarley9916]

I want that wolf and muddy poster lol

[@memphisstidam3489]

Bb King used something like the first one often

[@fraserjamieson5856]

I think you should have been more specific and chosen a nashville or modern player plus tele for their middle strat pickup.

[@johnwriterpoet1783]

And the Telecaster does it right! I liked it the best.

[@Caaarrl94]

i currently have a strat but thinking of getting another guitar, 335 or les paul? wat do you guys think?

[@chriswatts9227]

what other gear have you got? I've recently moved from the guitar buying (used to have 6 or 7) to considering other gear purchases. I've not just got one nice acoustic and one main electric, with a cheap "practice" guitar that I keep at work for lunch times.

[@yesno6094]

No resonator acoustic?

[@danabnormal5892]

Hey Shane. What do you think about teles and strats with other/different pickup combinations? I mean like a tele with humbuckers or a strat with a hss configuration? I personally don't like them at all. They seem to loose that characteristic that makes them special in the first place and all kinda start to sound the same. That's what I think anyway. I'm just wondering what your opinion is.

[@SuperM3L0]

dan abnormal a tele with a humbucker neck and single coil bridge is a good combo in my opinion

[@Dimbochan]

Telecaster with one or more humbucker can retain the feel of original and some tones (but also lose some original Telecaster tones. Or, might be different guitars with tone of their own, like Keith Richard's plays humbucker Telecaster quite a bit. I heard that was good for blues.

[@JSmith-mu3fq]

What gauge strings do you use?

[@tork62077]

What about the Epiphone wildkat?

[@snooze0023]

I think the schecter hellraiser with a floyd rose and EMG active pick ups is the perfect blues guitar. Dont you think?

[@52TeleGuy]

Snooze00 great guitar! But not a blues guitar

[@deusherbert-noel2424]

Les Loranzan You really know how to spoil a joke, don't you?

[@snooze0023]

Déus Herbert-Noel LOL

[@thechannelforeverything2170]

Snooze00 You forgot to add in a metal zone for that great bluesy crunch

[@deusherbert-noel2424]

+The channel for everything​ Hahaha! How did I forget?!

[@stratcat7162]

I like me some middle position tele

[@andyoc]

the tele sound here is the sh1t. Love the open string licks.

[@johnhickey2789]

In my opinion the Gibson ES 345 and the Gibson 56 Goldtop are essential. Freddie King didn't play a 335 anytime I saw him. He first played a Gibson Goldtop with P-90's. Freddie played Gibson Es 345's every time I saw him which was well over 15 times over the years. I really think that honorable mention should be the Gibson 58 Korina Flying V that Albert King played on his classic sides.

[@andrewkang6937]

What gauge strings do you use on your Strat and Tele? I find the 9s are too thin and 11s create too much tension on the neck. I know SRV tuned his Strat down a half step with his heavier gauge strings. Anyway, I'd like to know what you think.

[@intheblues]

11-49's on all my guitars.

[@russjalichandra5491]

I find that it’s not easy to get real great blues sound out of a Les Paul. But in the hands of great players like Peter Green, Mike Bloomfield, Snowy White and Gary Moore, it’s hard to beat those Les Paul blues sound.

[@jamesluther3506]

What about a Gibson 335 with P-90s?

[@intheblues]

This is a guide for new guitarists who might be looking to get a second/new guitar. There's plenty of great guitars that are similar that I don't own or didn't mention like the Epiphone Casino etc. I used the ES335 as an example a particular style of guitar. :-) Cheers. Alternatives would be an SG/Les Paul etc.

[@bobdeluxeandtheideals1356]

🔥🔥🔥

[@michaelnatsariym3690]

5:20 thought you were going to break into Little Wing lol

[@AdiTrifan]

I actual ly went and listened to Little Wing right after this...just out of frustration :)

[@jasonbaker5430]

The Telecaster is great for dang near anything. I use mine in the place of a SG on a lot of AC/DC tunes.

[@Chiefboxer]

intheblues: I like your videos but how do you talk about a 335 type and NOT mention BB King?

[@luisangelsmusic]

Hello. I see you been making lots of new videos and I'd like to suggest an idea. How to get that Strat tone. I've seen you and others get a nice creamy overdrive tone with the bridge pickup, but when I go to my bridge pickup, it just makes my dog run away and my ears feel like they'll bleed, super bright in other words.

[@deusherbert-noel2424]

givemeacent You could..... Oh. Yeah. You can't roll the tone off! 😂 Well then, a darker sounding amp should do the trick. Or a Tube Screamer. 😉

[@luisangelsmusic]

Déus Herbert-Noel my second tone control is wired to both middle and bridge. So technically I can roll it out, but that takes away the chime and grit out and it sounds dull. It's an 08 American Strat, it has the delta pot, so it has that notch at 10 where it can completely bypass the tone control, for extra, over the top, glass shattering treble!

[@deusherbert-noel2424]

givemeacent Well I think Shane (the guy in the video) wasn't using much volume on his amp. The brightness you're experiencing should work in a full band though.

[@deusherbert-noel2424]

givemeacent Maybe the Strat bridge pickup sound here IS the kind of sound YOU'RE getting. I lean towards the statement, "One man's bite is another man's harshness" or, "One man's woodiness is another man's muddiness".

[@Dimbochan]

You might try to keep the Strat bridge pickup tone but switch it out with a Hotrails type humbucker that fits in the same hole that you can split with a mini toggle switch between single coil to humbucking for a sweeter bridge pickup tone?

[@perudahudson7481]

ive got a tanglewood chicago.. swapped it for an epiphone sg delux.. ucking wipes the floor with anything.

[@asdaven1]

Jazzmaster is very blues sounds. And how about some P90 guitars. Or Gretsch. But played a Jazzmaster the other day and that would more bluesy than a Strat

[@miguelangelperezderada8692]

that Tokai is shit hot man, greatings from Mallorca

[@docpearson]

Gotta watch that gain😳

[@BoyAditya]

if I were a pure bluesman, i definitely choose 335 type guitar... but if I also play a bit of rock, i choose telecaster

[@flohardy2000]

You can rock out on a 335 too, look at Dave Grohl

[@shaunm1983]

P90s or P90 style pickups for me

[@martinboucher6225]

Good demo but I would have preferred with your super reverb

[@intheblues]

Hi Martin, While the amp is still in the background it was actually sold to a friend. I will be using the Blues Deluxe more on videos coming up rather than the V5. :-)

[@martinboucher6225]

The Blues deluxe with the swamp thang speaker! I like it! lol

[@vbence12]

In an older video of yours you mentioned that you don't like the strat sound and to you it sounds plasticy. What made you change your mind?

[@intheblues]

I found one that didn't sound like it was covered with towels. :-)

[@vbence12]

Fair point. I think we are all looking for that special Strat in our lives :)

[@bradholmes5485]

i highly recommend that you try raising the pickups in the strati I played an American standard stratocaster for a year and then bought a wildwood spec American vintage 52 telecaster and the fat pole twisted tele pickups put the strat to shame, they had a much higher output a a much more dynamic tone :( However i raised the bass side of my pickups (the side under the low e string) on my strat so the bass side is just sitting above the screws i can measure if anyone wants an exact measurement but i just eyeballed it. anyways my point is if you are unhappy with your strat i recommend changing your pickup height it really changed my strat i think you'll like it too.

[@georgevartanian6136]

how bout acoustic blues guitars ?

[@mojobonbon]

the stella/silvertone/airline parlor guitars are true blues guitars. because you're broke, that's all you can afford, and that's why you've got the blues

[@abrahamkinard803]

I like the 49ers shirt bro!

[@asdaven1]

I think an SG would be an excellent Blues guitar. So is the Les Paul.

[@Sinebandlmj]

How about an Epiphone Casino?

[@tomstern9498]

In this case I would prefer the Century 1966 inspired -

[@martinkrauser4029]

That's a full hollow body. Might give you feedback issues at higher volumes.

[@orlock20]

And sound like Gary Clark Jr.?

[@bumblefritz]

Absolutely, check out "Beatles - Yer Blues live."

[@saccomarcelo]

The bugera sounds great...

[@leemarett7366]

I have that same Bugera amp. Love it.

[@miguelpessanha]

I would trade the Tele for the Les Paul.

[@bluesrocker91]

I find I just can't manage having more than one guitar in use at a time... I'll often string up my Strat to use alongside my main Tele, but inevitably find that the Strat gets neglected. While I'll play my Tele regularly, the Strat may only get picked up once in a blue moon, so the strings just rust away without seeing much use.

[@deusherbert-noel2424]

The Paranoid Blues Man I'm not surprised. I feel like most people play Strats mainly because the 'greats' did, while most people play Teles because of actual benefits.

[@bluesrocker91]

Déus Herbert-Noel Possibly... The Strat never quite feels right with me for some reason. I loved it at first, but after getting a Tele the following year, it's received less and less use, to the point where I even considered selling it.

[@deusherbert-noel2424]

The Paranoid Blues Man It took a back backseat 😂

[@bluesrocker91]

Pretty much... I feel kinda sorry for it.

[@deusherbert-noel2424]

The Paranoid Blues Man I understand. It's not always easy replacing something you loved dearly. But trust me. That Tele won't disappoint you.

[@adamnichols2762]

I will always tell ppl to use a Strat or 335 if they ask me what type of guitar to buy for blues tones. Teles can do it, but, they will never get the neck tone of a Strat. Yes, there are many types of guitars that will, "do it", and it is all in your fingers, BUT, the Strat is THE guitar for the blues tones that most ppl have heard. Les Pauls are great if you are looking for a British Blues or Heavier Blues-Rock tone, but the 335 will always have that, "airy tone" that Les Pauls will never be able to emulate. IMO, the amp is just as important, if not more important.