Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced guitarist, choosing your next electric guitar really boils down to preference. Electric guitars are highly versatile and you can play a lot of different genres with them, so it’s only a matter of picking which one is the right one for you.
Searching for the right guitar can become exhausting; given the huge variety of guitars are out there in the market. This list contains some of the most highly rated guitars that would suit beginners and experienced players alike. Here some of the best electric guitars you can purchase right now:
Gretsch G2622 Streamliner
The reason why this guitar is known as a ‘Streamliner’ is simply to put out a more affordable guitar without compromising on some of the core aspects of a Gretsch guitar. Making a guitar cheaper while taking away some of its good points defeats the purpose. However, the G2622 is pretty decent with a nice build-to-price ratio.
The guitar features two new Broad’Tron humbuckers which are controlled by a three-way toggle selector switch on the bass side shoulder, a master volume on the treble side horn, and then a trio of controls by the treble-side f-hole for individual-pickup volume and master tone. The construction of the guitar itself is a bit different from typical Gretsch models, which is not entirely a bad thing.
The pickups for the model are also ‘heavier’ than normal but if they don’t provide the sound or tone you like, you can easily replace them with other pickups. However, these pickups do increase sonic potential, so there is a trade-off if you want to replace them. Overall, the guitar is pretty decent which provides nice value for money. You can buy it from Amazon here.
Fender Classic Player Baja Telecaster
The Fender classic is pretty similar to other Telecaster options out there pickup-wise. However, the switching is different which makes this guitar so much better. Instead of the standard three-way switch, the Fender classic offers a four-way switch which is able to provide users with both pickups in series for bigger and louder sound.
The guitar has a 60’s vibe to it because it uses a similar recipe to the classic 60’s Tele approach. The build of this guitar feels much smoother, especially from the edges. Apart from that, the color combinations and the overall features make it a really attractive option for beginners and experienced players alike.
The guitar’s volume control has an S1 push switch at the top of the control knob. If pushed down, the switch makes the parallel and series pickup selections go out of phase which in turn gives users three additional sounds over standard Telecaster guitars. Overall, the guitar is great, especially for those who like classics as the mix and the build is a great throwback to the 60’s. You can purchase it from Amazon here.
Yamaha Pacifica PAC112V
If you’re a beginner, then you shouldn’t look for expensive guitars. Of course, there shouldn’t be any compromise on quality, but until you’ve gotten a grip over the basics, there’s no need to splash a lot of cash for an expensive guitar. With that said, Yamaha is known for making decent and affordable guitars for beginners and the Pacifica PAC112V is certainly no different.
Even though the guitar is primarily recommended for beginners, it won’t disappoint even if you’re experienced. The guitar comes with a curvy structure and you can choose from a wide range of colors for this beauty. As far as the body goes, the PAC112V has a solid one alongside a fretboard with 22 frets. There are three pickups on the guitar, a humbucker and two single-coils which provide a lot of versatility and tone.
There’s also a five-way pickup selector switch as well as a master-tone control system in place, making the guitar a highly desirable one for people with any level of expertise. Overall, it’s a fantastic choice, even more for beginners as it has some convenient control systems, decent sound quality and it’s not that expensive either. You can purchase it from Amazon here.
Cort Manson MBC-1 Matthew Bellamy Signature
With a nice Matt Black finish, you can easily tell that the guitar is a Manson guitar after one quick strum. The guitar boasts great acoustic-level responses that you don’t usually get from guitars in this price range. As far as the design and body go, it’s pretty solid and actually quite comfortable. Looks may be deceiving as it may not look as good, but it certainly feels great, it’s meant to fit like a glove.
The MBC-1 is pretty lightweight, instantly making it one of the more preferred choices because carrying and standing with a heavy guitar can be really annoying. The guitar’s bolt-on maple neck feels just right and the sloping shoulders trick you into thinking that the guitar’s thinner in depth than it actually is.
As far as the sound quality goes, it’s a fast, fluid player that’s more suited to hard-rock players. For pickups, it has an Alnico-powered humbucker at the bridge and a single coil at the neck. A three-way pickup selected, a master tone system and a kill button for shutter effects, the guitar has it all. It’s really good overall and doesn’t cost a fortune either. You can buy it from Amazon here.