What epiphone is good for delta style blues?

[jwmtele]

I posted a thread about the epiphone el00,but i was wondering if there is another

epiphone acoustic that will be good for playing delta,Robert Johnson type blues?

I love Gibson acoustics but cant afford one right now so i am looking at epiphone.

Cheers.

James

[6string]

Of Epiphone's current acoustic lineup, I think the EL-00 is your best bet. I owned one and wish I hadn't let it go...I'll be replacing it in the future.

 

Out of production Epi's you could look for would be the Bluesmaster and the Elite L-00. Good luck on your quest.

[bloozeguy]

I do mine on a Masterbilt AJ500RC-12fret, but those, sad to say, are discontinued. I'm a little surprised that I do this stuff on a dreadnought-sized guitar; never thought I would till I played this monster. Enough high-end cutting power to make it worthwhile, given the quality of the guitar. Plus, I play acoustic blues in a band (string/jug band) so the extra volume is necessary. The Gibson LGO I used to use didn't cut it, as nice as it was.

 

Beyond the EL00, I'd say try to check out the Masterbilt EF series, esp. the mahogany model--EF500M. The suggestion about the Bluesmaster is a good one if you can find one, OR IF EPIPHONE WILL MAKE THEM AGAIN (hint,hint!)!!!! Other suggestions I'd have would go beyond Epi-dom.

[charlie brown]

Umm, "Delta Blues" is a "Style," so any guitar can provide a decent

sound, if you know the style, and have the chops, to begin with.

I've always liked the sound of the "Concert" shaped guitars, for

that style. They often have a bit wider fingerboard, as well,

depending on brand spec's.

 

The EF series Masterbilt's, should do nicely. But, really..any of

the Masterbilt's are suitable...IMHO, FWIW.

 

CB

[bloozeguy]

Umm, "Delta Blues" is a "Style," so any guitar can provide a decent

sound, if you know the style, and have the chops, to begin with.

I've always liked the sound of the "Concert" shaped guitars, for

that style. They often have a bit wider fingerboard, as well,

depending on brand spec's.

 

The EF series Masterbilt's, should do nicely. But, really..any of

the Masterbilt's are suitable...IMHO, FWIW.

 

CB

Agree that "Delta blues" is a style (where I am we hear a lot about "Piedmont Blues" even as one plays a Son House tune, but I digress...), and also agree about "concert" size as good for old-timey acoustic blues--akin to Martin's OOO size--or even smaller. In the '70s I used to use a Martin O16NY restrung w/ extra light bronze strings (came with useless silk & steels, so the XL was for fear of undue neck strain) before it was stolen from a gig in '78 . Broke m'heart, but it's cool to tell the story about the Martin getting swiped from a gig to all the kid musicians! Cred!

IMHO, however, if one really wants the sound one gets off the old 78s (and their various reissues), a "Grand Concert" or smaller guitar is your best bet to get that snappy high-end, damped bass sound (my AJ is a real exception, and was a surprise to me, as explained above). And along with the wider necks, I'd also suggest the V-profile, if it's at all comfy for you--and I believe the EF Masterbilts have that, except the EF500RCCE. The V is real good for finger-pickin'.

Forgot to mention above the 60's-70's Epis. Can get a very nice deal on them in excellent condition. Posted a couple weeks ago about running into a very nice FT135 for very little money.

[zombywoof]

I have been playin dirt-under-your-fingernail blues since the 1960s. I think there comes a point where everybody who loves dem blues thinks they need to go snag an old Oscar Schmidt or Kay Kraft concert to get that "authentic" sound. Most folks, however, quickly find they were more intrigued with the idea of owning a real deal "blues guitar" than the reality of playing these pre-War el cheapo concerts.

 

Thing is ya can play the bluz on anything. I move between smaller guitars like a Schmidt Stella and Gibson script logo LG-2 to some pretty good size boxes like a Gibson J-200, pre-Gibson Epi FT-79 and Harmony Sovereign. They all work. Don't matter what guitar I am playing cuz in the end I just sound like me. So don't overthink it - just go pick yourself out a guitar you like and have a go at it.