In this article we review the BEST fingerstyle electric guitars………of all time.
AND
The great musicians who played them.
With each fingerstyle electric listed, there will be a famous musician who loved that guitar listed as well with it.
Hope you enjoy!!!
The Gibson SG standard – Played by Robby Krieger (The Doors)
“I was on an acid trip one time and it reminded me of the devil”
First, I should say that Robby has had a TON of guitars.
But, in recent years he’s mainly been playing on one of these.
These guitars feel SO good to play (in the fingerstyle hand). I was really really surprised, because for some reason I didn’t think they would feel so good to fingerpick, but they really do. Definitely a pleasant surprise. I don’t have one yet, but they’re definitely on my gear bucket list (which is huge lol)
Fun Fact: Robby Kriegers first electric guitar was EXTREMELY similar to the Gibson SG standard since it was a Gibson SG special. Guess once you’ve developed a feel for a certain guitar that never goes away.
Note: Another great player of this guitar is Derek Trucks, absolutely incredible player and legend. Very unique player.
Strat – (Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Jeff Beck, Etc)
Honestly, this has got to be the NUMBER ONE choice out of all the electric guitars out there for fingerpicking. ESPECIALLY among professional players.
Honestly, it feels the most like playing fingerstyle on an acoustic out of all the guitars on this list.
Soooo many fingerstyle electric players play on strats.
And just listen to how they play. (Mark Knopfler playing one of the greatest solos of all time) :
Many of the greats even have their own custom strats.
My favorite, is John Mayer’s custom strat –
Mark Knopfler’s strat though, is incredible as well.
Of course, most of them started out with strats that weren’t as high quality as these.
For instance, John Mayer started out with one of these. https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/squier-standard-stratocaster-electric-guitar and played it for many many years.
Strats just all around are very comfortable to play fingerstyle. If you do some digging online, you’ll find most people agree with this. Of course, if you’re used to playing a different style of guitar…….it’ll take some getting used to…..but that’s how it is switching from just about any style of guitar to another (usually).
If I had to bet, this is the one most people would be interested in. So definitely take a look.
Sidenote: Most professional players are likely playing the strats for their tone as well, NOT just the way they feel. Anyone who thinks a strats tone is overused is crazy in my opinion. Just listen to a few minutes of Jeff Beck and your mind will be totally changed.
Wes Montgomery – Gibson l-5
I’m going to talk a little about the guitar here, because it is an incredible guitar……but I REALLY want to talk about the history of Wes Montgomery. Iconic guitar for an iconic guy.
So, the Gibson L-5 (there’s now a custom edition for Wes) is an incredible guitar. But, apart from the iconic look the guitar has…….what’s really interesting about this guitar is the tone.
Many professional guitar players have fallen in love with the tone as well. Especially Jazz and country players. Some of the well known players of this guitar include: Nick Lucas, Carl Kress, Eddie Lang, and Tony Romano.
Really, the tone is what makes it stand out so much. It’s midrange is absolutely astonishing, and the bass is full yet not overpowering. It’s really one of a kind and hard to describe.
Seriously, Listen to how Wes Montgomery makes it sing. You simply can’t find other guitarists who play like this.
So…..on to Wes Montgomery’s story.
Wes Montgomery is one of the only TRUE REAL god gifted talented people out there.
As a welder, it only took Wes a few months of playing before he played his first gig. At his first gig the audience exploded. Absolutely enthralled at his skills. This was the start of his career in music.
And he was persistent. He went through a lot trying to get somewhere in music. 16 hour days. Working the factory and gigs at night.
Even after he became famous over and over and signed MULTIPLE deals……he still struggled hard to get by. Eventually he “sells out” in a way and is slightly upset about it. Especially since his fans didn’t like it.
If you’re interested in more of his story: check it out here. It’s really good.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.guitarworld.com/amp/blogs/ax-museum-wes-montgomery
Or this video documentary is slightly longer, but equally interesting and has much more info.
Albert King and his GIBSON Flying V
If you’re a blues fan this needs NO introduction. You’ve of course heard of Albert Kings Love for Gibsons flying Vs (many are owned by Steven Seagal now). Oh, and if you haven’t heard of Albert King………this dude was Stevie Ray Vaughn’s mentor. Seriously. Albert King finds notes on a guitar that don’t even exist I swear. Absolute. Total. Legend.
What’s really cool about the Gibson Flying V is that you can actually still get them. I swear that Albert King is the reason they will always be popular. He played his back in the late 50s and 60s (one of the best eras for Gibson quality if you ask most people)
Seriously. Go listen to him Jam with SRV above. Your mind will be absolutely blown.
Albert Collins “ICE MAN” and his telecaster –
Listen if you haven’t before. The energy in the “Ice Man” is unreal.
To be clear, Albert DID use other guitars (not many) but the reason I chose this as his guitar…..is because this is the one he ultimately chose after playing others for years.
BUT then again, he is known as “Master of the telecaster” So…….safe to say, he probably loved his Tele the most.
Listening to him is completely magical, and he’s very very unique. In one song he can bring you through every single mood. Absolutely love him.
Now, there are TONS of other fingerstyle players who play on a Tele……but I specifically want to mention Richie Kotzen as well.
He played in poison, and is a FANTASTIC rock player. He’s made 20 incredible albums, and is generally very very well known and GREAT at what he does.
Reason I bring this up?
I wanted to show you that you CAN play rock fingerstyle.
Teles are surprisingly great for this.
You might be interested in his custom Tele actually. Here’s a link to a great review I found of it.
Also, WHO ELSE CAN SHRED LIKE THAT FINGERPICKING?! Fucking legendary. Hard to peel your eyes away from those chops…..
Before you buy an electric guitar for fingerstyle (What You Need to Know)
Look, I understand that you might want to jump the gun and get a guitar that you really REALLY like how it looks, and maybe your favorite player has played it as well so you’ve just GOT TO HAVE IT and you make an impulse buy.
I get it, I’ve been there. I’ve gotten SO excited about a guitar after playing it 5 minutes and just been so ecstatic and bought it.
This has worked out great for me……and it has worked out badly.
When you are buying an electric guitar for fingerstyle especially, you really need to make sure what you’re buying isn’t just an impulse buy. You need to spend an hour at a minimum with this guitar and really get to know and get a feel for it. Sit down in a shop and really try to play like you’d practice at home. And THEN when you’re done and feel like it’s the one……don’t buy it. Go home and think about how it felt, and if you really want to play that particular instrument for awhile.
Take the time and read reviews online as well. Talk to some people who’ve had the instrument you want for awhile. Ask them what they wish was better, and what they like about it.
Seriously, I know this is all stuff people know…..but I just want to stress the importance of it. It really really sucks to get a guitar that you don’t like as soon as you get it home. Don’t be like me! Learn from my mistakes.
Lol.
Conclusion:
I really hope you enjoyed this article, as much as I enjoyed writing it. These guitarists are my idols and it’s really really cool all the unique sounds you can do when you simply expand your horizons and play with your hand rather than with a pick.
I’d love if you left a comment as well. Seriously, I’d really appreciate it…..wether you liked or didn’t like this article, or how I can improve it in general. Any feedback would be appreciated really.
Also a quick note about this article, this is DEFINITELY not all the options you have when it comes to electric guitars you can play fingerstyle on. There are people who even fingerpick on 8 strings and play metal (no joke). There’s no limits to what you can do and accomplish on guitar.
Thanks again for reading!!!