Despite being a week or so away from the official Black Friday guitar deals as I write this, we've seen many retailers and manufacturers go full-force into the sales action, launching their Cyber Weekend sales earlier than ever. With huge money off guitars, pedals, amps, and accessories, there's plenty to get stuck into already.
At Sweetwater, you can bag yourself massive savings on guitar gear with over 14,000 items discounted. Discounts can be well up to 60% off, so it's a great place to grab a deal on a new bit of gear. Guitar Center has also gone early with a full Black Friday sale, offering up to 50% off a range of instruments. Musician's Friend meanwhile hasn't gone live with their main sale just yet, but there are early deals of up to 50% off in their Holiday Kickoff Sale. I can't imagine they'll be waiting much longer to pull the trigger on their main sale.
There are plenty of direct sales too if you prefer to buy from the manufacturer. At Fender you can bag some early Black Friday deals with up to $200 off guitars. Meanwhile at Positive Grid, we're already seeing some big savings on Spark amps and BIAS software with discounts going all the way up to 50% off. If you're buying for yourself, you can also get savings of up to 80% off second hand gear over at the Reverb early Black Friday sales event.
Keep scrolling and you'll find quick links to all the major sales from across the web in both the US and UK. A little further down the page you'll also find our top products from all the sales, handpicked by myself and the rest of the Guitar World editorial team. We'll be regularly updating this page throught Cyber Weekend, so make sure to keep checking back for more deals action.
Black Friday guitar deals: Quick links
Below you'll find links to all the latest Black Friday guitar sales from all corners of the web:
Positive Grid Black Friday: Up to 50% off PG's Black Friday sale has launched early giving you the opportunity to save big on desktop amps, amp modeling software, and accessories. With money off all the older Spark amps including the Mini and Spark Go, it’s a great opportunity to get your hands on some of the best smart amps in the world for a lot less. There’s also loads of guitar VST software available too, perfect for getting better-recorded tones at home.
Get One, Gift One: Get a Taylor BT-1 for only $99 At participating retailers, if you buy a 300 or 400 series Taylor you can get an additional Baby Taylor for $99, a GS Mini for $199, or an Academy model from $299. Taylor is running this promotion until January 6th, so if you have been after a new acoustic, this is a wonderful chance to get an additional model to use yourself or a gift for someone special.
We saw some awesome deals on PRS in last year's Black Friday sale, and this one is available super early this year. With a huge 15% saving, the PRS SE Standard 24-08 is a brilliantly put-together guitar that delivers excellent tuning stability and a huge array of sounds thanks to the switching circuit. It punches way above its weight even at full price, so the extra off here makes it a must-buy.
Walrus Audio’s Mako Series pedals are the brand’s own answer to an ever-expanding suite of pro-level effects in the boutique pedal industry. With rugged design, dual footswitches and incredible versatility, these devices are a credit to any pedalboard – and, for Black Friday, two of them are half price at Sweetwater. You can grab a pro-grade delay or reverb pedal for $175 off list price apiece.
It might not be as exciting as a new guitar or pedal, but quality guitar cables are a must for any guitarist. Over at the Musician's Friend early Black Friday sale, we spotted this Boss Instrument/Patch cable bundle with a nice $20 discount. It features a single instrument cable and two patch cables, making it a great buy for guitarists who need to stock up for less.
For fresh-faced rockers looking to sharpen their guitar hero skills, the SG Special-I is one of the best options this Black Friday. Guitar Center is currently offering $50 off, making this rock machine a no-brainer for those just getting started. It’s full-sized too, so it’ll suit learners young and old.
With a range of Limited Edition finishes, the Traditional Pro IV at Guitar Center is now reduced by a generous $100. This Les Paul is a brilliant choice for those looking to upgrade from a beginner model, and it has plenty of surprises under the hood. Modern features like coil-splitting, a treble-bleed circuit, and locking tuners bring innovative twists to a classic.
The Squier Paranormal series offers some really unique instruments, and this Nashville Stratocaster is a great example of that. With a cheeky $100 discount at Guitar Center, it amalgamates the best parts of the Stratocaster and Telecaster into a unique hybrid of both. It delivers a huge variety of tones with the bite of the Tele bridge pickup, the warmth of the neck, plus the spanky tones of the Strat middle position. Well worth a look if you want something different from the norm.
Olive Drab is easily one of the sweetest finishes out there, but a $120 saving in Guitar Center’s Black Friday sale makes it even cooler. As if that weren’t enough, the addition of a Bigsby tremolo on an ES-335 is a unique touch, adding another layer of versatility to this iconic guitar. Looking for something a bit different? Act fast before it sells out!
A brilliant choice for beginners, the Sterling by Music Man Cutlass has got a super $150 discount at Sweetwater, taking the price down below the $200 mark. Beautifully put together, the HSS pickup configuration makes it ultra-flexible tonally, giving you plenty of humbucker heft for harder styles with single coils for extra versatility.
Epiphone has been steadily closing the gap with Gibson, but this ES-335 Figured – reduced by a hefty $130 – takes that to the next level. Loaded with Gibson USA humbuckers, it’s ready to slot into any guitar collection with serious impact. In a classic Cherry Figured finish, this is an affordable staple that will never go out of style.
Amp & pedal deals
JHS Pedals: Save 25% If you’re looking for some fresh pedals for your 'board this Black Friday weekend, a huge 25% off JHS Pedals at Sweetwater is a great way to make your money go further. Featuring a huge array of JHS’ most popular stompboxes the blanket discount means you can make some big savings on high-quality pedals.
Over at Guitar Center, the MS-70CDR+ has got a tasty $40 discount, bringing it to just above the $100 mark. The original Zoom MultiStomps earned something a cult following thanks to their versatility. Small, yet packing a shedload of sounds inside the MultiStomp is the perfect 'Swiss army knife' pedal to add a particular tone or utility to your 'board when you don't want to take up too much room or spend too much money.
Sweetwater Boss Katana sale: Save up to $150 Sweetwater is getting ahead of the game with their early Black Friday sale. You can save up to $150 on select amps in the Katana range, including slightly smaller savings on the new Gen 3 models. With money off amplifiers for both guitarists and bassists, there hasn’t been a better time to snag a bargain on the world’s best-selling amplifier range. Stock will likley be limited and we don’t see these prices sticking around for long.
At just $99, the Pigtronix Constellator is a brilliant deal at Sweetwater thanks to a huge $80 reduction in their Beat the Holiday Rush sale. It's an analog delay pedal that delivers a luscious warm wash that belies its budget price point. It's a seriously underrated bit of gear, and we love the modulated tones it can deliver, as well as the mini size that means it's easily able to fit onto any 'board.
Black Friday 2024 will land on Friday, 29 November. The deals will extend across that weekend (also known as Cyber Weekend) before finishing with a bang on with Cyber Monday guitar deals on 2 December.
The deals won't be restricted to those four days, though. Previous experience tells us that some of the best Black Friday guitar deals will emerge well in advance of the event – so keep checking this page to see what epic deals we uncover.
Should I buy guitar gear online during Black Friday?
If you're concerned about buying a guitar or other gear on Black Friday without playing it first, you needn’t be. Online music instrument retailers like Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend and Sweetwater offer hassle-free returns as standard, so you can purchase a guitar, play it in the comfort and privacy of your home and, if it’s not right, send it back without issue.
You should check the specific returns policy for your chosen retailer before you purchase, but most offer between 30-45 days to return an item, as long as it’s in original condition.
What else can I buy during Black Friday 2024?
It's not just about the Black Friday guitar deals in November. Aside from music-making gear discounts, you'll find bargains on great tech like robot vacuum cleaners, iPads, MacBook Pros and Amazon Echos – and you can even pick up groceries, pet food and dishwasher tablets – but it’s the guitar deals we’ll be looking out for.
Shopping tips for Black Friday
(Image credit: Future)
Got your eye on a few things and wondering whether Black Friday is the time to buy? Here's a few tips from our personal experience that will ensure you're ready to strike if the gear you want is up for grabs:
1. Create a wishlist early - The most sensible way to take advantage of this year's Black Friday music deals is to know in advance what you’re looking for. This will make searching much easier, rather than having to trawl through loads of deals you don’t want to find the ones you do, or pondering things you don't need. To help you create your dream shopping list, take the time to explore our expert and up-to-date buying guides and reviews.
2. Work out what you actually need - Check out your favourite brands, see what you need and will genuinely use - don’t waste your cash and fill your basket with stuff that will never truly see any action.
3. Consider your music goals - What do you want to achieve with your music over the next 12 months or so? Do you want to gig more? Learn a new instrument? Or finally, record your songs? Now could be the time to invest in gear that helps you fulfil your musical aspirations.
4. Streamline your current gear - Something else you should consider ahead of time is whether you have enough space in your collection for new gear. Could you offload some gear you don't use to make room and generate funds for some new gear?
5. Sign up to mailing lists - In addition to bookmarking this page, we'd recommend signing up to mailing lists of your favourite retailers now to get the jump on the best deals when they do come around.
How we choose the best Black Friday guitar deals
We spend a large portion of our time reviewing gear, so our fingers are very much on the pulse of what's going on in the world of guitar. Products we've reviewed throughout the year as well as those we use on our own rigs inform our decision on what products we should be highlighting in our deals.
Of course, we have to take into account the price, and that includes whether or not the discount is against the RRP or the regular price of the item in question. Some retailers will try and pull the wool over your eyes with regards to a deal, making it appear as if the discount is much larger than it actually is, and that's where we come in.
We track product prices and deals all throughout the year, so we know whether or not a discount is genuinely good value or just appears to be. We'll only highlight deals that are actually great value for money, and those are what appear here on our Black Friday guitar deals page.
Why you can trust us
At Guitar World, our team is composed of actual guitar players. We play in our own bands, write our own music, record in studios, and gig all over the country. That means that when we present a deal in one of our articles, it will always be on a product we genuinely think is good, something we would use for our music-making.
We spend a lot of our time scouring guitar retailers for fantastic deals on our favorite gear. Not only is it our job to research and recommend the best gear in our buyer’s guides, but we’re also dedicated to helping players get the best deals for the gear they need, too. After all, the only thing better than New Gear Day is a hearty discount.
We cover a lot of the big sales events throughout the year, including Memorial Day, Black Friday, 4th of July sales, and Amazon Prime Day, and we have a good view on which products are likely to receive the biggest discounts and when the prices they’ve been in the past and which deals are genuinely worth a look.
Last year's Black Friday guitar deals
MESA/Boogie Mini Rectifier 25: $1,699, now $1,359 If a full-size Dual Rectifier is likely to cause you problems with your neighbors, this mini-MESA/Boogie is your answer. All the tone of the 90s classic is scaled down into a 25-watt tone machine that will work great for at home, in the studio and on stage. Especially at this price, with $340 off at Guitar Center.
Price check: Sweetwater $1,699
Positive Grid Spark 40: Was $299, now $229 The Positive Grid Spark 40 might just be the ultimate at-home amp - and it's even better with a $70 discount today. The tones are great, and the smart tech is indeed smart. Auto Chord and Smart Jam are incredible practice and learning tools, and a lot of fun, too.
Price check: Sweetwater $229
Neural Quad Cortex: Free plugin and GigCase We don’t need to tell you how good the Neural DSP Quad Cortex is. The price has recently dropped on this cutting-edge modeller/multi-FX unit, but here you can get even better value with a Neural DSP plugin bundled in (worth $159.99) as well as a Neural GigCase worth $119.99.
Squier Classic Vibe Jag: Was $499.99, now $399.99 Next up is the retro-inspired '60s Jag in the eye-catching Silver Sparkle finish. This guitar has all the vintage charm of an original Jag but without the hefty price tag. Right now this guitar is down to $399.99, that's a saving of $100.
Price check: Sweetwater $459.99
D'Angelico Premier Bedford SH: $899.99 $509.99 Guitar Center is offering a huge $390 discount on this stunning semi-hollow offset from D'Angelico. It's got retro charms a-plenty, but a seriously flexible HSS setup that – thanks to the Duncan Design mini humbucker – gives you access to a huge range of tones, but doesn't look like it's been culled from a Super Strat...
Gibson Les Paul Trad Pro V: $2,499, now $1,999 The Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro V is about as versatile as a Les Paul gets, packing coil-splits and out-of-phase switches, and comes in a luxurious Satin Wine Red finish. If you're in the market for a bonafide rock machine, this has to be your next guitar – especially with Guitar Center slashing the price to just $1,999.
Price check: Musician's Friend $1,999
Epiphone Les Paul Trad Pro IV: $549, now $399 What’s better than a Goldtop Les Paul? A discounted Goldtop Les Paul – and you can also snag this budget beauty in Ebony, Wine Red and Pacific Blue finishes. Loaded with Alnico Classic Pro humbuckers with push/pull coil-splitting, this is a surprisingly versatile guitar, while its maple-topped mahogany body nails the classic LP vibe – and right now you can bag $100 off at Musician’s Friend.
G&L Placentia ASAT: was $449 now $249 G&L was founded by Leo Fender, and the company’s designs take inspiration from his work with Fender. So if you’re in the market for a Telecaster, this is a remarkable deal on a budget model with proper heritage. Its poplar body keeps the weight down, while its dual Tele pickups deliver all the tones you’d expect. And at $200 off at Musician’s Friend, this is an unbeatable deal.
Sterling by Music Man Mariposa: $599.99, $399.99 One of the best Sterling by Music Man launches in recent years, this signature model for Mars Volta maverick Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is a no-nonsense, endlessly playable rock machine, with a slick roasted maple neck and rosewood fingerboard, locking tuners and two tonesome custom humbuckers. We rated it 4.5/5, and it's available now from Musician's Friend with an almighty $200 off.
Fender Ltd Ed Player Strat, Fiesta Red: $849 $594 You won’t find the Player Stratocaster cheaper than this in 2023, available from Fender.com. This limited-edition Fiesta Red model features a classy pau ferro fingerboard, along with the Player Strat’s winning formula of three Alnico V single coil pickups, a two-point Synchronized tremolo and Modern C-shaped neck. With over $250 off, it’s this year’s cheapest deal on one of Fender’s most popular models.
Daryl is a Senior Deals Writer at Guitar World, where he creates and maintains our 200+ buyer's guides, finds the best deals on guitar products, and tests the latest gear. His reviews have been featured in prominent publications like Total Guitar, Future Music magazine, and MusicRadar.com.
During his career, he has been lucky enough to talk to many of his musical heroes, having interviewed Slash and members of Sum 41, Foo Fighters, The Offspring, Feeder, Thrice, and more. In a past life, Daryl worked in music retail. For a little under a decade, he advised everyone from absolute beginners to seasoned pros on the right gear for their needs.
Daryl is also a fully qualified sound engineer, holding a first-class Bachelor's degree in Creative Sound Production from the University of Abertay.
