Guitars and Amplifiers
Choosing the right equipment is an important part of any players sound. Although no two players will sound the same even with identical equipment, there are certain types of guitars and amplifiers which have become tried and true standards for each individual style of music. Some of the most popular ones for Blues playing are mentioned below.
Guitars
The most popular guitars used for Blues playing generally fall into two basic types, the solid body and the semi hollow-body. There are many types of solid-body guitars which produce a variety of sounds. As a general rule, Blues players tend to favour the traditional Fender and Gibson designs.
The classic Fender Guitars are the Stratocaster and the Telecaster. These two guitars contain single coil pickups which produce a clear, crisp sound which is excellent for rhythm playing. Both guitars are also capable of producing biting trebly lead sounds. The most popular Gibson solid body is the Les Paul, which contains double coil pickups. The Les Paul produces a fatter, more chunky sound often favoured by the English Blues players like (early) Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Gary Moore. Hollow-body guitars generally follow the traditional Gibson designs, the most popular being the 335. Luckily, today there are many less expensive copies of these original guitars, which along with some other interesting newer designs makes it possible for most people to afford a good guitar suitable for Blues. When buying a guitar, try a few different brands and types before deciding which one is right for you.
Solid-body Electric
Hollow-body Electric
Amplifiers
Valve amplifiers, particularly Fenders have traditionally been the most popular amongst Blues players, because of their ability to produce a clear crisp sound without losing warmth. Small valve amps also produce great natural distortion sounds when turned right up.
This is more difficult to achieve with larger amplifiers, mainly because by the time you turn the amp up enough to get the desired tone it’s just too loud! In recent years there have been many advances in amplifier design and manufacture. There are now many types of amps suitable for Blues and its related styles. If you haven’t been playing for long, it is probably best to go for a fairly versatile amplifier which is capable of producing a variety of sounds suitable for several styles of music. As with the guitars, try out several amps before deciding.
