The Musician's Friend Black Friday deals are finally live, and you can grab yourself massive savings of up to 50% off in their Holiday Kickoff Sale. There's a huge array of items on offer with some heavy reductions, making it a brilliant place to bag a guitar gear bargain.
If you're looking for a big discount on a premium guitar, you can bag yourself a massive saving of up to $600 off select Gibson guitars. The deals are on the Gibson Les Paul Standard, and Gibson Les Paul Traditional, so if you're in the market for either, now's the time to pull the trigger.
If you fancy some new pedals this holiday season, you can save up to $250 on Boss stompboxes in the sale. Featuring classics like the BD-2 as well as newer offerings like the RE-2, it's a great way to fill that gap on your pedalboard for less.
Below we've got some quick links to the sale that will get you to whichever category you'd like to browse first. If you keep scrolling you'll find a selection of deals handpicked by us, featuring some of the biggest discounts and best products.
One of our favorite guitars we've reviewed this year, the PRS SE CE 24 has got over $100 off the price at Musician's Friend. It's a brilliantly versatile guitar that comes with that well-known PRS build quality and stunning good looks.
This Squier Classic Vibe 70s Telecaster Thinline has got a nice $70 discount in the Musician's Friend Holiday Kickoff sale. It looks absolutely stunning with its contrasting color scheme and block inlays, and we're big fans of the airy tone of a Thinline Tele. Guaranteed to turn heads if you rock up to band practice with one of these.
Probably the first time we've seen this pedal discounted, the Boss SL-2 Slicer is a really unique effect that sits in a category all of its own. It's close to tremolo, but can do so much more than just that. It's got a nice $40 discount at Musician's Friend right now, a great choice if you like your effects a little more 'out there'.
What’s better than a Les Paul? A discounted Les Paul. 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.
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 Rocktober 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.
You can even save $127 off the price of the fabulously cool PRS SE Silver Sky. Decked out in the stunning Storm Gray finish and packing a trio of single-coil 635JM "S" pickups this modern S-type is an absolute steal.
Musician's Friend Black Friday deals: FAQ
(Image credit: Musician's Friend)
When is Black Friday?
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.
Musician's Friend Black Friday deals: Shopping tips
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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.
What to expect
You can trust Guitar World
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Last year's Musician’s Friend Black Friday deals covered a range of top guitar and bass brands, such as Gretsch, Yamaha, and Fender, with up to up to 50% off.
We also saw a mammoth $120 saving on the Martin Special X1-DE, bringing the price of this stunning acoustic down from $599 to just $479, as well as $170 off the shred-tasic Schecter C-1.
The retailer also offers a clear and concise returns policy, so you can return items risk-free if it doesn't quite suit - make sure you read the terms and conditions first.
How we choose deals
Here at Guitar World, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything guitar-related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products we recommend.
First and foremost, we are guitarists, and we want to match other players with the right products for them, at the best prices.
For us to recommend a deal it has to be a product we rate that’s a genuinely great price or part of a truly fantastic bundle. It’s also important that we only recommend retailers where you will have a positive shopping experience.
Why you can trust our choices
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 highlights
Fender Player Tele Plus Top: Was $829.99, $649.99 Sometimes, only a Tele will do - and the Fender Player Telecaster Plus is a brilliant option for those seeking the bright and articulate attack this humble guitar provides. The inclusion of a flame maple veneer and striking finish brings a modern flair to this classic guitar, and with $180 off, it gets even better.
PRS SE Silver Sky: Was $849, now $679 You can even save $170 off the price of the fabulously cool PRS SE Silver Sky. Decked out in the stunning Evergreen finish and packing a trio of single-coil 635JM "S" pickups this modern S-type is an absolute steal.
Squier Classic Vibe '60s Jazzmaster: $429 $349 Be still, our aching wallets: this offset stunner comes in three of the all-time best Fender finishes – Daphne Blue, Shell Pink and Surf Green – and delivers all the typical Jazzmaster playability via a rhythm/lead circuit, two Alnico single coils and a floating vibrato system. And it’s now $110 off at Musician’s Friend. What are you waiting for?
Sterling by Music Man Cutlass: $549.99, now $479.99 If you are looking for a seriously versatile axe that looks as good as it sounds then the Sterling by Music Man Cutlass, in stunning Rose Gold, is a must! This guitar is effortless to play and its HHS setup means it will cover a lot of sonic ground - and better yet, there's a mega $70 off right now!
Jackson JS22-7 DKA-M 7-String: $209.99, now $149.99 And lastly, those seeking a doom-bringing 7-string should look no further than the Jackson Special Edition JS22-7 DKA-M Dinky in Gloss Black. Coming in at only $149.99, this metal machine offers superb value for money.
Sterling by Music Man Mariposa: $599.99, $399.99 The esoteric looks of the Sterling by Music Man Mariposa will come as no surprise to anyone who's heard design collaborator Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's guitar work. It's got a phenomenal $200 discount and just like the man himself, this guitar is angular, dynamic, and tonally versatile.
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.
Mesa/Boogie tube amps: Big money off With select savings well over the $600 mark, it's the perfect time to grab yourself a premium tube amp for less. There's a selection of combos and tube amp heads too, so no matter what your style you can get that sought after Mesa tone for less.
NUX Flow Tune Mini Tuner Pedal: Was $69 now $39 Regular ol’ tuner pedals a little too… bland? NUX has got you covered with the retina-satisfying Flow Tune, a mini pedal with a pink enclosure and substantial high-def LCD display. All the essential features of a modern-day pedal tuner are present and correct: 0.1-cent tuning accuracy, strobe mode, and a choice of buffered and true bypass switching. And it’s a rather bonkers $39 – $30 off – at Musician’s Friend.
MXR Eric Gales Raw Dawg Overdrive:$119 now $79 Eric Gales is one of the most tasteful blues players of our age, and the MXR Raw Dawg is at the heart of his celebrated tone. The signature overdrive mini pedal is small enough to fit on the most crowded of ‘boards (you can never have too many drives, right?) but it has a Tube Screamer-inspired tonal capacity that totally outweighs its humble size. Look no further than Gales’ own demo of the pedal to hear what it’s capable of. Musician’s Friend’s $79 offer should tempt you.
I'm Guitar World's eCommerce Editor. In addition to testing the latest music gear, it's my job to manage the 200+ buyer's guides on the site and help guitarists find the right gear and the best prices for them. I've been a guitar player for 30 years and a drummer for almost 20. I've worked in the music gear industry for 20 years, including 7 years as Editor of the UK's best-selling drum magazine Rhythm, and 5 years as a freelance music writer, during which time I worked with the world's biggest instrument brands including Boss, Laney and Roland.
