Blues Guitars?

[kingdan7587]

hey
i was just wondering what u guys think are some good blues guitars, preferably semi-hollow or hollow, and with humbuckers instead of single coil. Also, what are some good ones in the $300-$500 range.
thanks.

[cowboyj]

The Ibanez Artcore series is hollow, with humbuckers, and falls in your range. I tried one out about a year and a half ago; they seem nice, but ultimately, I didn't buy one, found an acoustic that I liked better. Maybe someone else can speak of quality of these models.

Also, what type of neck radius are you looking for? something wider, like an acoustic or more narrow?

Another factor is whether or not you want to play slide blues. Higher string action, I've found, give better results when playing with a slide. Lower action is better for lead and faster soloing (sometimes).

Jason

[Anfontan]

You can get an Epiphone Dot Neck (335 style) for $399 from Music 123. I have the Sheraton 2 which is the more ornate model of this guitar and its a great blues guitar, solid block thru body will control feedback well too.

[Treeline]

The ES 335 is a great desgn for this stuff and it is now generic enough so you have options. Look for a neck-through construction and avoid a bolt on neck for this style. Beautiful tones for blues and a pretty versatile design.

[AGCurry]

Good blues is in the fingers (and the soul). Have you ever seen a picture of Elmore James with his guitar? A real piece of junk.

For blues, I'm currently digging my Epiphone "AlleyKat" semihollow. I have a Gibson SG, a Fender MIA Strat, and a G&L ASAT, but this little guitar I picked up used for $100 has something about it...

[Dani Pace]

Gibson Es335 and Fender Strats seem to be the most common choices for blues guitarists. But in the price range you mentioned your best bet would be an Ibanez Artcore. Another (surprisingly) inexpensive one worth checking out is a Silvertone SLA30. Personaly for blues and most other things too, I play an old Vantage VS600 (1980) I guess I prefer the more raspy tone. As others have said, blues comes from the player more than the instrument, it's something you feel, not something you get from gear.

[rayc]

& a REALLY, I mean REALLY, log cable to knock the tops off & smooth things a little.
Cheers
rayC

[Treeline]

Originally Posted by rayc

& a REALLY, I mean REALLY, log cable to knock the tops off & smooth things a little.
Cheers
rayC

Does that mean the guitar is in New South Wales and the amp is in Melbourne? That's a hell of a long cable. Better have a big amp, too.

[Richard Monroe]

Epiphone Dot - thin body with center block

http://www.musician.com/product/Guit...ric?sku=518251

Epiphone Broadway- deep body, no center block

http://www.musician.com/product/Guit...ric?sku=518218

I think I'm in the minority here, but I've played multiple models of the Ibanez Artcore series, and they pissed me off, because- they were *beautiful* and *playable*, but sounded like they were made out of cardboard, especially when unplugged. I wound up buying an Epiphone Casino, but I wanted P90's not humbuckers, which was another reason the artcores didn't work for me. The lower priced Epiphones are built by Samick in Korea. The Artcores are made in China. So far, my experience is that by and large, the Koreans build better guitars than the Chinese. The P90's in the Casino are OK, but I haven't been impressed by the humbuckers in either Korean or Chinese offerings. I've got an Epiphone Les Paul Custom which is a truly *great* guitar, after I switched out the pickups for classic 57 humbuckers. What's weird is- I've also got an Epiphone dirt-cheap Indonesian SG knockoff with open coil humbuckers, and while it is *not* a great guitar (bolt-on neck, etc.), the humbuckers were basically OK.
I suspect the pups are coming from a different source. Anyway, in your price range, I've found no hollowbodies that were as good as a Samick/Epiphone. I do, however, recommend replacing the pickups, and eventually, the tuners as well.-Richie

[rayc]

Treeeline,
Anywhere but Melbourne - perhaps across the Nullabour to Albany or on to Perth but not the city of cafe's & art rock.
Cheers
rayC

[jesterscourt]

I have an Ibanez Artcore afs75t, and I love it. I'd highly recommend it if you are going for a 335-styled guitar on a budget. You can pull of just about any style on it, and the Bigsby is great I tried out a vintage 335, a Casino, and this (to me) felt better than the Casino. As for the vintage 335... Um, well I'd rather spend 400 bucks than 2,500 bucks, you know?

[matt rascal]

'blues' has a lot of different sounds

my favorite bluesy sounding guitar is my made in mexico strat with texas special pickups... or pretty much any guitar with texas special pickups... but they're all just sounds

[Doc Holiday]

I played an Ibanez semi-hollow body at a shop about a month ago. I can't remember the exact model, but it was only about $300. It had a nice tone and played well. Could be what you are looking for.
Of course, Les Pauls and Strats are great for blues.