Black Friday guitar deals 2024: how to shop and the best early savings for guitarists

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Landing at the end of November, Black Friday will be here soon. We've been covering the best deals for guitarists for years - here's our tips, early deals and more

Best Black Friday guitar deals
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Best Black Friday guitar deals

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1. Quick links
2. Early deals
3. Guitar deals FAQ
4. Shopping tips
5. How we choose
6. Last year's highlights

Okay, so Black Friday is edging ever closer and trust me, as someone who has covered this sales event for years, it pays to be prepared. From now until the end of Cyber Monday, this page will be populated with what we believe to be the greatest offers from across a wide range of retailers and product categories - so if you're on the hunt for a bargain, you've come to the right place. 

In the last few days, many of the top music retailers have dropped their early Black Friday sales. Over at Sweetwater, you can score huge discounts of up to 60% off big-name brands, Musician's Friend has up to 50% off gear in their early holiday sale, while Guitar Center has slashed up to 40% off everything you need to make music. 

Meanwhile, over at Fender.com you can bag yourself big savings on everything from the popular Player Series to the Acoustasonic, American Performer and Squier Paranormal range. And finally, Reverb has massive savings on all manner of items, with up to 80% off used and brand-new gear.

Of course, this is just the start of the sales, and we expect the deals to ramp up as we get closer to the big day in a matter of weeks. So keep an eye on this page to see what we uncover. 

Black Friday guitar deals: Quick links

Below, you'll find all the latest early Black Friday guitar deals to shop right now: 

US deals

UK deals

Early deals

Fender Player II Telecaster: $799.99, now $639.99

Fender Player II Telecaster: $799.99, now $639.99
Despite having only just come out, Fender has already seen fit to slash the price of this Limited Edition Player II Telecaster. Coming in a sweet Forest Green finish with a proper Rosewood fretboard, it's unbelievable value for money with a tasty $160 discount.

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Sweetwater Boss Katana sale: Save up to $150

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.

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PRS SE Standard 24-08: Was $549, now $466.65

PRS SE Standard 24-08: Was $549, now $466.65
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.

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Sterling by Music Man Cutlass: Was $349.99, now $199.99

Sterling by Music Man Cutlass: Was $349.99, now $199.99
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.

View Deal

Black Friday guitar deals FAQ

Gibson Les Paul Modern Figured

(Image credit: Future)

When will the Black Friday guitar deals land?

2024's Black Friday guitar deals will officially rear their heads on the day after Thanksgiving - Friday, November 29th. Leaving less than a month between then and Christmas Day, it's probably the best time to load up on Christmas presents for the special guitarist in your life. Black Friday's best guitar deals will last that whole weekend (or Cyber Weekend, as it's also known) before culminating in a Cyber Monday guitar deals frenzy on Monday, 2nd December.

The events of previous years tell us that November 29th isn't the only day you can get some ridiculous savings. Many of the best Black Friday guitar deals will crop up in the weeks leading up to Black Friday - some as early as mid-October - and many deals will still be on offer leading up to Christmas Day. 

If a bargain is what you're after during this Black Friday/Cyber Monday period, then you'd better keep your eyes and ears peeled at all times. Deals will be launched at random times of the day - or night - so it's worth keeping an eye on your favourite retailers to make sure you get what you're after. We'll be scouring the web for the best Black Friday guitar deals as well, so keep an eye on this page, too.

What Black Friday guitar deals should I expect?

We'll be keeping a close eye on the biggest guitar retailers throughout the next few months. Based on what we saw last year, the Musician's Friend Black Friday deals and Guitar Center Black Friday deals brought about some killer deals for guitarists - so we'll be looking to those retailers for some of the best deals on electric and acoustic guitars, guitar audio interfaces, guitar amps, effects pedals and guitar accessories.

When it comes to electric guitars, Black Friday is one of the best opportunities to pick up an absolute steal. Last year, we were inundated with deals on the ever-popular Fender Player Series Stratocaster from Guitar Center, and Musician's Friend knocked a bundle off some of the best metal guitars and tasty valve combos. We'll be expecting some very similar (and hopefully even better) deals this year from Guitar Center and Musician's Friend.

For those that wanted to do a bit of home recording, the best place to look was definitely Positive Grid - who knocked a lofty 50% off the price of their BIAS FX 2 and AMP 2 software. Generous, eh? Again, we're expecting to see some major discounts this year.

For the pedal nerds among us, we're expecting some big savings on brands like Boss, JHS, Line 6, MXR and Digitech, if last year's deals are anything to go by. 

We've been covering Black Friday guitar deals for a long old time now, so you can rest assured that we'll be scouring the web, scouting out the best deals on all the guitar gear you can dream of, and sharing them with you right here first. 

Which sites are best for guitar deals on Black Friday?

It's fair to say we have a lot of experience when it comes to shopping for guitars, amps, pedals and accessories - and not just on Black Friday. Now, while there are a myriad of music retailers out there, we only recommend the shops and sites we trust and have had experience dealing with personally.  

For us, on Black Friday there are a small handful of places that we would point you towards and it's a mix of retailers and manufacture's own sites.

In the US, we highly recommend checking out the likes of Guitar Center, Musician's Friend, Sweetwater, Fender and Positive Grid. These sites always have killer Black Friday sales and more importantly they each have excellent customer service and decent returns policies. 

 In the UK, we'd suggest starting with Thomann, Andertons, PMT and Gear4Music. Again, these sites always deliver when it comes to excellent Black Friday sales, while also providing stellar service.  

How to prepare for the Black Friday guitar sales

Close up of the pickups on a Squier Classic Vibe ‘50s Stratocaster electric guitar

(Image credit: Squier)

1. Create a wishlist early - The most sensible way to take advantage of this year's Black Friday guitar 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. Get your research done sooner rather than later. That way, you'll know exactly what you're looking for, and can jump on a great deal as soon as you spot it. 

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 you'll never play. Has a popular model just received an update? Well, if so, perhaps the old version will be massively discounted for Black Friday? You could start by checking out our guide to the best electric guitars under £500 if you are on a strict budget. 

3. Consider your guitar goals - What do you want to achieve with your guitar goals for the next 12 months or so? Is there gear out there that will help you hit them? Are you looking to join a band? Now could be the time to invest in a giggable rig. 

4. Clear some space - Something else you should consider ahead of time is whether you have enough space in your guitar rack for another six-string. Now might be the best time to get rid of any unnecessary gear that is taking up space - and better yet, if you sell it, you could put that extra money towards your Black Friday purchase. 

How we choose which guitar deals to cover

Here at MusicRadar, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything music-making, 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 players and creators, and we want to match like-minded folk with the right products for them, at the best prices.

For us to recommend a deal on guitars or anything else 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 music retailers for fantastic deals on our favourite guitars, amps, pedals and accessories. Not only is it our job to research and recommend the best gear in our buyer’s guides and reviews, but we’re also dedicated to helping musicians get the best deals on the stuff 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, 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

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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 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.

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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. 

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Fender Vintera '50s Tele Modified: $1,199.99, $839.99
The Vintera Modified Tele is the perfect axe for those who want the best of both worlds. This Tele has plenty of vintage mojo in the style department but also benefits from modern features such as a contemporary neck profile and hotter pickups. 

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Fender Vintera '60s Mustang: $1,149.99, $804.99
The Mustang Bass has made quite the impact since it was released back in '64, finding its way into the hands of everyone from Tina Weymouth of the Talking Heads, Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones and even Mikey Way of My Chemical Romance - and now you can join the club for a less, with 30% off while stocks last.  

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Squier Classic Vibe Late '50s Precision Bass: $281.99
All guitarists need a bass – for recording, for timing, for the joy of the low end! Now you've got the perfect excuse with a 40% saving on the design that has proved the biggest influence on bass guitar ever. For good reason: the P Bass is a work of design genius, and here it's available in 2-color sunburst and White Blonde. The only difficult decision here is choosing between them!    

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Walrus Audio Slöer Reverb: $70 off at Sweetwater
We are surprised to see this deal – an impressive $70 off a recently-released reverb pedal that we scored 5/5 in our review? This is the kind of saving that Black Friday is all about! Choose between the black and blue finish options of this pedal and get lost in a world of wonderful reverb.

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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.

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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 $330 off at Guitar Center.

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Guitar Tricks Black Friday: $99 one year sub
Now is the best time to sign up for Guitar Tricks, with the best price of the year on a Full Access annual subscription, plus hundreds of dollars of extras, including a custom lesson plan, access to one premium Bootcamp, a copy of Guitar Tricks’ Ultimate Beginner Guide and exclusive access to their brand new 100 Essential Licks video series. If you’re serious about learning the guitar, this deal places a serious amount of valuable content at your fingertips.

Find more epic deals on a range of music gear below 

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Chris Barnes
Chris Barnes

I'm MusicRadar's eCommerce Editor. In addition to testing the latest music gear, with a particular focus on electronic drums, it's my job to manage the 300+ buyer's guides on MusicRadar and help musicians find the right gear for them at the best prices. I dabble with guitar, but my main instrument is the drums, which I have been playing for 24 years. I've been a part of 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 Roland, Boss, Laney and Natal.

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