It takes a lot of research to find the best electric guitar. This is because there’s so much to consider, like style, sound quality, frets, materials, and, of course, price. We know you want to get the most bang for your buck and have a wonderful guitar to practice with, which is why we compiled a list of 25 best electric guitars for kids and adults of all skill levels. Check them out below.
How We Made Our Picks
Editors from the BYJU’S FutureSchool blog researched the most popular guitars for beginners and cross-referenced them against guitars that members of our music curriculum team recommend and have tried for themselves. The result: a list of vetted guitars for beginners to help get you started strumming like a pro.
Here are the Best Electric Guitars for Beginners:
Best Overall: Yamaha Pacifica 112V
Yamaha’s Pacifica is one of the best beginner electric guitars. It has superb construction, quality materials, and enhanced playing action—this electric guitar has it all. It comes with a C-shaped neck and 22 frets, making it easier for new players to navigate. The body is alder, with a bolt-on maple neck and vintage-style tuners.
[Read: Guitar Chords for Beginners]
Best for Students: PRS SE Standard 24
PRS may be new to the world of affordable guitars. Still, it’s certainly making an impression with the SE, or “Student Edition.” This guitar is for those needing a particular instrument within a lower budget. The SE has 24 frets, a carved body top, and a lower horn, making playing more reliable. The body is mahogany, while the neck is maple.
Best Lightweight Electric Guitar: Squier Classic Vibe ’50s Stratocaster
The Stratocaster is the most iconic and best electric guitar that has been around for almost 50 years. Musicians can play a variety of musical styles, from rock to blues, and more. It comes with a lightweight alder body and a maple neck, plus a fretboard. With the Stratocaster, you can use it for a long time, even when you’re an expert.
Best Affordable Electric Guitar: Squier Bullet Mustang
Considered the best budget electric guitar, the Bullet Mustang is perfect for new players who don’t want a guitar that breaks the bank. It’s great for young players since it has a light basswood body and a shorter than average scale length. With the Bullet Mustang, you can easily play different styles of music: metal, country, pop, and more.
[Read: Electric Guitar Strings]
Best Value Electric Guitar: Epiphone Les Paul Studio
The Les Paul Studio appears on many lists as one of the best electric guitars. And this less-affordable version of the Gibson Les Paul sits at one of the top positions here thanks to its two humbuckers, mahogany body and neck, and solid build quality, which give out a sound that has an excellent palette of tones.
Best Electric Guitar for Rockers: Epiphone SG Standard
Another Gibson marque, the SG Standard, is a top choice amongst some of rock’s biggest names, including Black Sabbath and AC/DC. The guitar comes with a raw, edgy sound, stunning aesthetics, and rock-ready tones and checks all the right boxes for beginners.
[Read: Different Types of Guitar Every Guitarist Should Know]
Most Stylish Electric Guitar: Yamaha Revstar RS320
Yamaha added the Revstar series to its line-up, giving it a distinct look and slightly different styling than usual. The hardware is solid, with a Nato body and neck. With punchy and clean sounds working flawlessly, the guitar lives up to its reputation.
Best Hybrid Acoustic Guitar: Gretsch G2420 Streamliner
The Gretsch Streamliner is perfect for folk, country, and jazz lovers. The brand has a rich heritage, which is visible in the construction. A hollow-body electric, this guitar delivers a unique playing experience. The sound is more vibrant because of its semi-acoustic nature. A maple body and a Nato neck add to the richness of the tones.
[Read: Acoustic-Electric Guitars]
Best for Extended Playing: Fender Player Telecaster
This is one for the players! The neck is satin-finished so it can comfortably sit in your hands. The fingerboard itself has a radius of 9.5 inches with a modern C-shaped neck. With an alder body and a bolt-on maple neck, this classic guitar gives freedom of movement. The Player Telecaster can play several genres, from pop to rock ‘n’ roll.
Best for Heavy Metal: Jackson JS32T King V Beginners Metal Guitar
At first glance, you’ll love the shape of the King V if you’re a rock or metal enthusiast. Jackson is one of the best electric guitar brands, and this one doesn’t disappoint. The poplar body has a gloss finish with a rosewood fretboard, and the guitar has a master tone and volume control.
Best First Electric Guitar: Cort X100
With as many as 24 frets, a contoured body shape, two humbuckers, and a hard maple neck, the Cort X100 is for shredders. It’s powerful, with the sound action giving excellent value for money. The guitar also has a Meranti body, a sleek satin finish, and a Jatoba fretboard. At its price point, this is one of the best beginner electric guitars.
Easiest to Hold: Hartwood Fifty6
This UK brand’s guitar is affordably priced for budding players. It comes with an exciting feature set—string through tune-o-matic hardtail bridge, one humbucker, and a deeper cutaway for better access to higher frets, 24 in all. The guitar’s body and neck have a satin finish, which feels easy on the hands. The Hartwood Fifty6 is best suited for rock lovers.
Best Electric Guitar for Kids: Harley Benton SC-Junior Black
Another European guitar, the SC-Junior Black, comes with a mahogany body, set-neck, single-cut with an amaranth fretboard. Again, Harley Benton is one of the best electric guitar brands, making the hardware reliable and easy to manage for beginner guitar players.
Here are the Best Electric Guitar for Experts:
Best Overall: Gibson Les Paul Standard ’60s
The original guitar of the Epiphone Les Paul version, this Gibson guitar comes with a rich history. The Gibson Les Paul goes back to basics with a striking single cut, solid mahogany body, flame-maple top, and slim tapered neck. It gives an excellent-quality sound, with good sustain and bark.
Best Electric Guitar for Performers: Gibson SG Standard
Another Gibson classic, the SG Standard’s design, has a “devilish” look thanks to its horned design. It also traded hands with iconic guitarists like Angus Young and Frank Zappa. The sound action is more pronounced and powerful, with a 60’s neck, rosewood fingerboard, and solid mahogany body.
Best Features: Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster
The Jazzmaster hasn’t changed much in its design and construction since its launch in 1958. This electric guitar is smooth to play, with a comfortable neck profile and fingerboard. The tapered neck-heel gives access to higher frets. Look out for the hidden tonal secrets, like the treble bleed circuit, under the hood.
Most Versatile Electric Guitar: Fender American Pro II Stratocaster
Considered one of the most versatile electric guitars, the American Pro II Stratocaster comes with three pickups and a five-way switch. As a result, the range of tones it offers can’t be found on other guitars. The deep C neck makes way for access to higher frets and gives a comfortable feel. An alder body and maple neck round out the list of impressive features.
Best for Country Music: Gretsch Electromatic G5222
Gretsch does country better than most other guitars, and the Electromatic is no exception. An additional center block gives more power and aggression, with dual humbuckers delivering the classic Gretsch sound. The Electromatic comes in several finish options, with a laminated maple body and maple neck.
Best Value Electric Guitar: PRS SE Custom 24
The PRS SE Custom 24 is luxury made accessible. The guitar is the pinnacle of design, a balance between grandeur and showy. The guitar is stunning with a mahogany body, a wide thin profile neck, and a rosewood fretboard with pearl bird inlays. The stable vibrato, bridge pickup, and neck humbucker tones are perfect for the blues.
Best for Extended Playing: Yamaha SA2200
Yamaha makes the best electric guitars with the highest standards. The SA2200 strays a little in terms of design, with gold hardware and a flamed Sycamore body. It’s fun to play, and you can go on for hours without getting tired. It gives a mid-range push and feedback, qualities you’d want from this style of guitar.
Best for Metal: Schecter Hellraiser C-1
The Hellraiser C-1 lives up to its name with a horned devil body. It produces excellent, versatile sounds, with a set-neck giving access to higher frets. This guitar is a dream to have. It has a mahogany body with a black cherry finish, EMG Active pickups, Gothic Cross fretboard inlays, and a 3-piece Mahogany neck.
Best Splurge: Ernie Ball Music Man St. Vincent Goldie
A gorgeously unique guitar, St. Vincent Goldie, is classic and futuristic at the same time. This electric guitar is effortless to play with an Okoume body and a jet-black fingerboard made of ebony. It gives out a complex tone with top-end and harmonic content.
Most Distinctive Design: D’Angelico Excel SS
This historic jazz brand’s Excel SS has become a flagship model. It delivers complex and rich tones that are associated with hollow guitars. It’s designed to keep modern players in mind and, therefore, includes coil-tapping options. The guitar itself has stunning aesthetics with a laminated flame maple body and maple neck.
Easiest to Tune: Reverend Double Agent
If you love the quirky name, you’ll love this one-of-a-kind electric guitar, too. The Double Agent comes in a unique shape. It’s a South Korean guitar, packing a punch with tone-shaping features, treble bleed circuit, passive bass roll-off, and more. It’s crafted from korina (the only one on this list) with a maple neck.
Best for Shredding: Ibanez Genesis Collection RG550
This Ibanez guitar is crafted with metal enthusiasts in mind. The brand itself is one of the best electric guitar brands. With a wafer-thin neck, locking trem and nut, and excellent quality humbuckers, the sound it produces is perfect for shredding. A basswood body and a maple/walnut neck complete the list of impressive specs.
Before making a purchase, don’t forget to consider your skill level, music style, and commitment to playing the guitar. Finding the best electric guitar doesn’t need to be challenging. And BYJU’S FutureSchool can help you along your musical journey with dozens of online music classes for kids and adults.
Do you play an electric guitar? Or are you learning? Tell us more about it in the comments below!
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