Top 10 Best Electric Guitars

When buying your first electric guitar, you do not just walk into a guitar shop and place an order on any guitar that you find. For one, that is cumbersome. Second, you could end up with a guitar that is too noisy, or a guitar that does not last long. Hence, you have to think about what you need to achieve first before buying any of the guitars you find online or in a brick and mortar guitar shop.

Before you buy any electric guitar, remember that these guitars are not too audible on their own. You, therefore, have to budget for an amp. The amp acts as a sound amplifier and as a monitor during a live performance. You also need a cable to connect the guitar to the amp.

In this market, you will find a range of electric guitars from different manufacturers. All of them come with different designs, shapes, and prices. Therefore, you have to do proper research if you want a guitar that will satisfy your musical needs as a musician.

Our Top Pick

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10 Best Electric Guitars Reviews

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Buyer’s Guide : Things That Help

What style of music do you want to play?

Manufacturers understand the aspect of producing guitars that fit a particular set of musicians. That’s why when you are buying any guitar, whether electric or acoustic, the salesperson may ask you want kind of style do you want to play.

For instance, if you desire to be a blues guitarist, then any semi-hollow guitar would suit the purpose. However, for a metal player, the range on semi-hollow guitars would be too small for you. Going for an electric guitar for rock aesthetics and extended range is what you should buy. And trust me, there’s a vast range of guitar for rock players in this range.

Electric guitar type to buy

You’ll hear the salesperson mention certain guitar types such as Stratocasters, Telecasters, and semi-hollow electric guitars. Both Stratocasters and telecasters depend on the electronics only to produce the sound. On the other hand, a semi-hollow guitar has F-shaped holes on the body, which work together with the electronics to affect the overall tone of the guitar.

Another thing: if you are a lead guitarist, and you would like to major on metal rock, look for a guitar with an extended range for extra room for your solos. If you are a blues guitarist, this may not really matter, since you’ll play a mix of rhythm and solos.

How the electronics function?

Obviously, you’ll need to test the sound. And one thing you’ll have to examine is how the electronics function.

Electric guitars have two types of pickups, active and passive pickups. Both are different in that active pickups rely on a battery to boost the amp, while passive pickups don’t need any batteries.

Also, manufacturers typically manufacture two types of pickups. The first one is a single-coil, and the other is the humbucker. Both are excellent choices. Note, however, humbucker pickups tend to be very loud and produce humming, which you need to learn to configure as a musician.

You also need to consider the pickup arrangement. Most strats use single-coil pickups on the bridge, middle, and neck position. Telecasters use two wide range single-coil pickups, but telecasters provide clear signals than strats, according to most musicians.

Tone shaping options

As a musician, you need to know how you want to sound right of the bat. So, depending on your needs, choose a guitar that suits you.

Most electric guitars in the 500$ price range will come with a volume, several tone knobs, and a toggle switch. The toggle switch helps the player alter the pickup position depending on what kind of sound they would like to achieve.

Some brands, such as the Epiphone, also include a coil-tap option on one of the tone control knobs. They also offer extra tone-shaping options on the pickups, such that you can use several at the same time.

The electric guitar’s construction

Many beginners may not consider this option. But in our experience, elite players are very sensitive when choosing an electric guitar that’s easy to play, and one that’s not.

So, ensure that you know the quality of materials used to make the guitar, the finish on the neck, the headstock, the tuning machines, and the fretboard material.

Note: as much as the finish on the neck is vital for the guitar’s appeal, it affects the comfort of the guitar, and the ease of transitioning across the fretboard and neck.

Final Words

From the list above, we noticed that selecting the best guitars was a task. And so, we’ve made it easy for you. Note, however, as we were listing the above ten guitars, each had its strength and weaknesses. Therefore, while buying, make sure to notice the strengths and weaknesses to avoid purchasing a guitar that doesn’t sound the way you desire.

Also, it is essential to understand that guitars within the 500-dollar range are quality guitar. They are not for beginners only. Hence, you can use such a guitar even when you go up the skill level or even during live performances.