The Best Electric Guitars
Electric guitars have been riffing their way onto hit songs for decades, so it’s no surprise that their popularity has grown throughout the years. With them being such a prevalent part of rock music today, it’s easy to forget that electric guitars were invented less than 100 years ago. From day one, they've been growing and changing the music industry. If you’re looking to get your hands on a new axe but you’re not sure where to start, we’ve put together a list of the best electric guitars so you can start shredding in no time.
What to Look For
When narrowing down the best electric guitars on the market, we considered playability, quality of materials, overall sound, and versatility. For example, if you’re a beginner guitarist but you want to start on the right note, the Fender Squier Stratocaster bundle has a surprisingly well-made guitar for the price and works for almost all styles of music. If you’re an intermediate player who’s looking for a workhorse guitar, the Epiphone Les Paul Special II is a favorite of rockers all over the world. Read on to see all our top picks and find the guitar that’s right for you.
Fender Squier Stratocaster Bundle
Rock n roll
Fender is no stranger to the spotlight, and their guitar models have been revolutionizing music for decades. With the Squier series, they’ve taken one of their most popular models, the Stratocaster, and made an affordable version that’s more accessible to beginners. This guitar has a double cutaway for easy access to higher frets, a tremolo bridge for pitch bending, and the classic three-pickup setup that gave players like Eric Clapton and John Mayer their signature tones. Now, that same guitar model can be in your hands. When it comes to quality all-American guitars, it doesn’t get any better than Fender.
Pros:
- Indian Laurel fingerboard is a great alternative to rosewood
- Better quality than most other budget guitars
- Full-scale body with 21 frets
- Options for three different Stratocaster models
Cons:
- Not the same build quality as Mexican or American-made Stratocasters
LyxPro Electric Guitar Kit
Humble beginnings
If you’re looking to hit the ground running with your guitar progression, it helps to have a starter kit that can do it all. With LyxPro, that’s exactly what you get. It comes with a Stratocaster-style guitar, a 20-watt amp, a digital tuner for accurate tuning, a strap, picks, a new set of strings, a tremolo bar, an instrument cable, and more. It has everything you need to unbox and plug in. In a matter of minutes, you can be jamming along with your friends at full volume. Better yet, the amp has an aux input so you can play along with your favorite songs. For the price and number of accessories, this starter kit is an absolute steal.
Pros:
- Twelve different color options
- Coordinated guitar and amp exterior color matching
- Options for right or left-handed players
- Includes a 20-watt amp as well as plenty of accessories
Cons:
- The tone of the amp is sub-par to other affordable solid-state amp options
Master Play Electric Guitar Complete Starter Kit
School of rock
Most guitars are made with a one-size-fits-all approach, but that can make it tricky for young kids who want to learn. If you have little ones at home who want to try their hand at guitar, it helps to give them tools that work for their size. That’s why this guitar bundle from Master Play is great for kids of all sizes. There’s a 30-inch model for extremely small children and a 39-inch model for slightly larger children. Once they grow out of these sizes, they’ll be ready for a full-size adult guitar. Best of all, this starter kit comes with plenty of accessories, so they’ll have everything they need from the get-go.
Pros:
- Comes in 30-inch and 39-inch sizes
- Comes in seven different color options
- Has one pickup for easy operation
- The lightweight design makes it more manageable for kids
Cons:
- Acts more as a novelty guitar because of its tuning issues
Epiphone Les Paul Special II
A true classic
The Gibson Les Paul has been a standard in rock n roll since the 50s, and it’s been used by everyone from rockers like Led Zeppelin and Guns N Roses to metalheads like Black Label Society and Ozzy Ozborne. With its thick and punchy design, it’s perfect for all kinds of hard-hitting rock, blues, and metal riffs. With the Epiphone Les Paul, you get that same tone in a more affordable design that’s built for intermediate players. Make no mistake, these guitars are fit for the stage just as well as they are for practicing at home. They may not boast the Gibson name, but they’re still heavy-duty rock n roll machines. At their price point, this bargain is almost too good to be true.
Pros:
- Two 700T humbucker pickups
- The 24.75-inch scale length makes bending strings easier
- Comes in a plain black finish or two different sunburst finishes
- Convenient master volume and tone setup
Cons:
- May require a setup to adjust the action after purchasing
Fender Player Telecaster Electric Guitar
Hit the stage
If you’re past jamming with your friends in the basement and want to take your music to the bars and clubs in your city, you’re going to need the right gear for the job. For guitarists that want to be professionals, we recommend the Fender Player Telecaster. Telecasters in general are notoriously solid when it comes to tuning stability, and they’re incredibly versatile when it comes to genre-bending. They’ve been used on countless country albums, as well as rock, emo, indie, pop, and even metal recordings. If you’re looking for one guitar that can do it all, it’s hard to beat the Telecaster. With the Fender Players series, you get the quality tone that Telecasters are known for with the added consistency that modern-day Fender has built over decades in the business.
Pros:
- Maple neck for a brighter tone
- Excellent pickups and build quality
- Options for bundling with a hardshell case
- Alder body for an overall lightweight guitar
Cons:
- More expensive than many mid-range guitars
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the type of wood matter in a guitar fretboard?
If you’re particular about your sound, yes. Maple makes for a brighter, snappier sound, whereas rosewood has a warmer, thicker sound. When it comes to guitar maintenance, maple fretboards are easier to maintain since they don’t have to be conditioned with oil. However, rosewood, ebony, and all other types of fretboards need regular conditioning roughly once every year or two to prevent cracks in the wood.
Does the price of a guitar really reflect how well it plays?
Not necessarily. For a few hundred dollars, you can get a quality guitar that plays almost as well as those that cost thousands of dollars. The difference in build quality usually presents itself in the electronics and hardware, including the pickups. You could easily give your affordable guitar a good setup and install new pickups and electronics to make it play nearly as well as a top-of-the-line instrument. It takes a bit of know-how and elbow grease, but budget-friendly guitars can be a great choice for beginner and intermediate players without sacrificing sound quality.
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