Finding the best beginner electric guitar that is easy to play and made from good materials can be tough. There are several affordable, good electric guitars for beginners out there, but not all of them have the same features.
You want something that is easy to play and looks cool at the same time. Most beginner guitars have a solid body and are made out of mahogany, ash, or basswood, all of which are pretty warm sounding woods with great tone. The two main pickups are single coils and humbuckers. Single coils are brighter and twangier than humbuckers, but both have great tonal features. The important thing is that you find a guitar that fits your musical style and you feel comfortable playing.
Let’s check out the top-rated electric guitars for beginners and compare their features, so you can find the right one for you.
Compare the Top Electric Guitar for Beginners in 2021
Contents
- 1 Compare the Top Electric Guitar for Beginners in 2021
- 1.1 Epiphone Les Paul Standard Beginners Electric Guitar
- 1.2 Fender Squier Affinity Telecaster
- 1.3 Yamaha Pacifica Series PAC112V Electric Guitar
- 1.4 Ibanez RG450DX Electric Guitar for Beginners
- 1.5 Fender Squier Affinity Series Jazzmaster Electric Guitar
- 1.6 Epiphone Les Paul Starter Electric Guitar
- 1.7 Dean Vendetta XM Entry Level Electric Guitar
- 1.8 Fender Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster
- 1.9 Epiphone SG Electric for Beginners
- 1.10 Jackson JS 1X Dinky Minion Electric Guitar
- 2 What We Recommend and Why
Here’s a list of the best beginner electric guitars to learn how to play guitar on and become a rockstar.
- Epiphone Les Paul Standard Beginners Electric Guitar
- Fender Squier Affinity Telecaster
- Yamaha Pacifica Series PAC112V
- Ibanez RG450DX Electric Guitar for Beginners
- Fender Squier Affinity Series Jazzmaster
- Epiphone Les Paul Starter Electric Guitar
- Dean Vendetta XM Entry Level Electric Guitar
- Fender Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster
- Epiphone SG Electric for Beginners
- Jackson JS 1X Dinky Minion
Epiphone Les Paul Standard Beginners Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
Epiphone is a brand with a rich history that stretches back over 145 years. This brand that has made so much impact in the music world has been consistently delivering top quality guitars and other instruments from 1873. In fact, the great Les Paul said of the brand “Epiphone always made a good guitar.”
In honor of this guitar icon, Epiphone offers this Les Paul standard electric guitar. From its construction to the richness of the tone it delivers, this guitar is way beyond anything a beginner could have dreamt of starting with. This is practically a Les Paul. Beginner guitarists have not been known to start with Les Paul guitars until now so take advantage of this offer.
Pros and Highlights
- Les Paul standard – Though not a signature guitar, it offers the quality and standard associated with Les Paul guitars.
- Warm tone – The humbucker pickups and mahogany body combine to deliver unbelievable warmth.
- Playability – Its tapered mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard make playing easy.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Raised frets – You may have a few issues with a few raised frets. This is easily fixed though.
Bottom line
If you would love to get started with a great guitar like a Gibson Les Paul but can’t afford it, simply get this baby. With your eyes shut, you won’t know you’re not playing a signature Les Paul.
Fender Squier Affinity Telecaster
Specs, features, and benefits
When Fender talks about guitars, everyone keeps quiet to listen. There’s no doubt that this brand has carved a niche for itself in the guitar world and indeed the entire music world. You can hardly go wrong with a Fender.
One look at this baby and you will either fall in love with guitars or your love for it will increase. Focusing on nothing else but the huge array of tones that this guitar can deliver is enough to keep you thrilled for a long while. Just imagine the magical tones that can emerge from a combination of a tele single coil neck and bridge pickup.
Get ready for a tonal overload.
Pros and Highlights
- Huge tonal selection – With two different pickups (tele single coil in the bridge and neck) that can be combined in many different ways, the tonal options are huge.
- Easy controls – The huge tonal options are easily accessed via the 5-way switching and mini-toggle controls.
- Playability – With its 22 frets on a 9.5” radius fretboard, fast play and general playability is enhanced.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Bridge Pickup – You may find the bridge pickup coming lose. This does not affect the tone but can be inconveniencing.
Bottom line
You will be hard pressed to find a better way to be welcomed into the guitar or Fender family. This is a guitar with a rich collection of tones. If you love experimenting with different tonal colors, this is the guitar for you.
Yamaha Pacifica Series PAC112V Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
Yamaha prides itself in its ability to deliver to guitarists and musicians generally tools they need to excel. They understand that music is constantly evolving so they endeavor to keep up, churning out new designs and technologies that fuel musical creativity across the world.
The Pacifica series from Yamaha focuses on the delivery of value – affordable prices and quality products. The PAC112V is a solid body electric guitar with two single coil and one humbucker pickups. One of the things you will enjoy about this guitar aside from its rich tonal palette is the vintage tremolo that adds another dimension to its tone.
Pros and Highlights
- Solid construction – Its solid alder body, maple bolt-on neck, rosewood fingerboard, diecast tuners and other parts are all well put together.
- Wide tonal options – With a combination of 2 single coil pickups and a humbucker, a wide variety of tones can be achieved.
- Good controls – The 5 position switching and master tone controls give the player the ability to sculpt the tone to taste.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Professional tune up – You may need to first have it professionally tuned up for best performance.
Bottom line
If you really love that “strat” sound but do not have the funds to shell out for a high-end American standard Fender, then this is likely the closest you can come to it on a budget. You get to enjoy that unique strat sound without breaking the bank.
Ibanez RG450DX Electric Guitar for Beginners
Specs, features, and benefits
Ibanez is a brand committed to the production of top quality guitars. They offer the best of bass and electric guitars for all levels of proficiency, musical sounds and styles.
The solid mahogany body electric guitar, Ibanez RG450DX is ideal for the beginner who longs for that heavy metal sound. With two humbuckers and a single coil pickup, the ferocity and versatility of the sound locked within it can only be likened to a chained beast, straining to break free.
Plug in your Ibanez RG450DX, strike away and hear the beast of a sound unleashed.
Pros and Highlights
- Pickups – It comes with two humbuckers and one single coil pickup, which can all be combined in a variety of ways to yield widely varying tonal colors.
- Playability – The guitar is lightweight and well balanced. These and the really fast neck enhance its playability.
- Unique look – Its largely bright blue color with white highlights makes it stand out.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Volume dial sensitivity – You may have some sensitivity issues with the volume dial.
Bottom line
This is a great first guitar for the diehard metal music lover. It’s got a great tone and its lovely bright look will make you stand out in a crowd.
Fender Squier Affinity Series Jazzmaster Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
Fender is here again offering the beginner guitarist this lovely guitar from its Squier Affinity Series. Whether it is designing guitars for beginners or for signature series, Fender never lowers its standard.
This guitar is called the Jazz master electric guitar. It was designed to deliver an aggressive sound. A simple look at its double humbuckers will begin to give you an idea of the fatness of tone it should be capable of. Here’s what you will get from this guitar – easy playability (including smooth controls), the traditional Fender tone and of course a lovely looking and well-built instrument.
Pros and Highlights
- Great tone – The two humbuckers and the quality construction combine to deliver the traditional Fender tone.
- Playability – The controls, build and design all enhance playability.
- Warranty – It comes with a 1-year warranty.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Might need a few tweaks – Considering its price, it may require a few professional tweaks to really get it to sing.
Bottom line
This is no doubt a great guitar for a beginner. It is the ideal guitar for anyone who is just starting and is really into aggressive musical styles. Though it might not be a standard Fender Jazz Master, it at least provides a very affordable version of it.
Epiphone Les Paul Starter Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
With a musical instrument manufacturing experience that spans over 145 years, Epiphone is a big player in this space. Many world class players have relied on guitars from this brand to properly sculpt their sound and thrill their audience.
For young guitarist eager to take their play to the next level, preferably with a Les Paul kind of tone, while you may not be a world class player just yet, Epiphone had you in when they created this guitar. The classic Les Paul tone that this guitar offers is driven by two humbuckers and a mahogany body with maple top while the bolt-on mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard offers easy playability.
This is a guitar for the serious beginner guitar player.
Pros and Highlights
- Les Paul tone – Though not a signature guitar, it offers the acclaimed design and tone.
- Easy playability – This is made possible by its bolt-on mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard.
- Quality electronics and hardware – The humbucker open coil pickups and chrome hardware ensure both durability and value.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Fret buzz – Some may experience some fret buzz on some frets or after many hours of heavy use.
Bottom line
There’s no point saying that this guitar is the same as a Les Paul. It is a great guitar for someone who is just beginning and wants to begin to have a taste of the feel and sound of the great Les Paul. As you grow in proficiency and taste, you certainly will want to upgrade.
Dean Vendetta XM Entry Level Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
Dean has a simple vision and that is to manufacture guitars for anyone who wants to play this lovely instrument. Regardless of your budget (big or small) and your level (beginner or legend), Dean has a guitar that will fit you perfectly.
The vendetta XM electric guitar is one of those guitars that Dean made for the beginner with a small budget. This is a guitar designed to rock all kinds of musical styles. As a beginner, you may not have made up your mind which style you want to stick to. This allows you try out different styles and sounds until you find the one that resonates the most with you.
It is lightweight, has simple but great controls and is easy to play.
Pros and Highlights
- Versatility – This guitar offers the player the ability to play different musical styles with simple adjustments.
- Playability – It is very lightweight and has a slim neck profile which improves playability.
- Tuning and Intonation – With little or no adjustments, it is easy to tune and offers decenprofile, which
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Frets – Some of the fret ends may need to be filed down to avoid discomfort while playing.
Bottom line
As a beginner, do you want to try your hands on different musical styles and sounds? Are you on a very tight budget? If your answers to these questions were in the affirmative, simply pick up this guitar and you will really glad you did.
Fender Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster
Specs, features, and benefits
Fender has impacted the sounds of different generations. From time to time, we celebrate iconic tones from certain periods in our guitar evolution and Fender always manages to feature prominently in many of these cases.
With the Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster ’50s, Fender attempts to recreate the sound of Fender guitars of the 50s. Everything about this guitar is designed to take you back in time. From its overall vintage design to the tiny details like the aged white cover of the three single coil strat pickups and the careful finish, you will be transported back in time, simply holding it in your hands.
Firing this guitar up completes the time travel experience, taking you to a place so magical that you will want to linger a while.
Pros and Highlights
- Classic vintage look – It features a very detailed vintage design.
- Great tone – The trio of the single-coil pickups, their staggered positioning and controls provide the player with a wide palette of tones.
- Playability – A combination of the maple neck and the flawless and smooth edged frets make it a delight to play.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Neck Lacquer – Some may not like the heavily lacquered neck.
Bottom line
This guitar is ideal for any beginner who wants to enjoy that strat sound, doesn’t have a huge budget and also doesn’t want to get a crappy guitar. This guitar provides a great balance of value and quality.
Epiphone SG Electric for Beginners
Specs, features, and benefits
It’s Epiphone again offering beginners another stab at a classic guitar for a low price. This time Epiphone is giving beginners a taste of the Gibson SG look and tone. The mahogany body of this guitar is designed to look like the “67” SG while the double humbucker pickups provide the tonal replica.
This guitar not only looks great, it also plays great. In fact, an ecstatic buyer said after opening the box containing his order, “The finish was absolutely beautiful (ebony). But what good are the looks if it doesn’t play well. After tuning it up and tightening the input jack I gave it a whirl. WOW!”
That single exclamation “wow” is pretty much fully descriptive because it accurately describes the amazing sound you get for such a low price.
Pros and Highlights
- Great looks – Its carved 67-style mahogany SG body and beautiful ebony finish gives it a classy look.
- Great tone – The two (700T and 650R) open-coil Humbuckers deliver a classic tone that will inspire you.
- Quality hardware – The Epiphone LocTone hardware, locking Tune-o-matic bridge and Stop-bar tailpiece all add to its quality.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- May require some tune up – You may need to tweak it a bit to get the most out of it.
Bottom line
This guitar is great for any beginner looking for the Gibson SG tone and look but does not have the funds for it. With the Epiphone G-310 Electric Guitar, you enjoy something really close to those amazing classic tones without having to take a second mortgage.
Jackson JS 1X Dinky Minion Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
Yeah, yeah Jackson does not sound like a brand that you can expect much from. But before you jump to any conclusion, you need to know one thing – Jackson’s parent organization is Fender Musical Instrument Corporation. This should give you an idea of what to expect from this brand.
The Jackson JS 1X Dinky Minion Electric Guitar was created to deliver as much value as possible to a wide variety of guitarists from the young beginner to the experienced guitarist looking for a travel guitar.
A quick look at it will tell you that it is a serious guitar. When you plug it in and give it a quick run through, you will be impressed by the sound and high-output delivered by the dual Jackson humbuckers. For the level of playability and tonal quality you will get at its price point, it is nothing short of a steal.
Pros and Highlights
- Great look – Its glossy black finish gives it a serious look that many will appreciate.
- High output – This is delivered by the double humbucking pickups.
- Playability – The graphite reinforced maple neck and rosewood fingerboard enhances speed and playability.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Manufacturing issues – You may (or may not) find some manufacturing issues considering that it was mass produced in China.
Bottom line
This is a compact guitar that will be great for the young beginner or anyone who needs a small guitar they can easily travel around with without too much issues. It also helps that its sound quality is quite good.
What We Recommend and Why
This is always the most difficult aspect of our reviews. All the guitars we looked at are great, providing one value or the other. That said, one stood out for us and that is the Fender Modern Player Tele Plus Electric Guitar.
This guitar offers a selection of tonal options that is difficult to match. This is thanks to the trio of pickups and the controls that allow you sculpt the exact tone you desire at any time.