Best beginner electric guitars 2024: kickstart your musical journey with these epic electric guitars for beginners

Close up of the pickups and tremolo on a Squier Stratocaster
(Image credit: Future)

Laying your hands on your first guitar is an amazing moment, and hopefully the start of a long and fruitful relationship. But not all of us remember our first instruments fondly. Those longer in the tooth know that the best beginner electric guitars have come a long way in the last twenty years or so, providing incredible playability and excellent specs for relatively little money.

The selection of instruments at this level is massive, so picking yours can be difficult if you don’t know your stuff. Lucky for you, we’ve used our years of experience playing guitar to review every single entry on this list. By systematically checking each instrument in a variety of scenarios, whether that's playing at home or a live show, as well as physically examining the instrument for any quality control issues, we're able to comprehensively evaluate whether or not it has the making of a great electric guitar for beginners.

Expert verdict: Squier Classic Vibe ‘50s Strat
James Farmer bio
Expert verdict: Squier Classic Vibe ‘50s Strat
James Farmer

"Squier consistently produces some of the very best affordable Strats money can buy, and this iteration of its Classic Vibe series proves that cheap does mean cheerful. The '50s specs of this model help provide an exciting and entertaining throwback to the genesis era of the Stratocaster at an accessible and affordable price tag."Read more: Squier Classic Vibe ‘50s Stratocaster review

Expert verdict: Yamaha Pacifica 112V
Chris Corfield author image
Expert verdict: Yamaha Pacifica 112V
Chris Corfield

"There are plenty of reasons why the Yamaha Pacifica 112V is still one of the best options for beginners. Look past that learner image, however, and you’ll find a versatile, well-made guitar that will bring something extra to any player’s roster." Read more: Yamaha Pacifica 112V review

Expert verdict: PRS SE Standard 24-08
Dave Burrluck
Expert verdict: PRS SE Standard 24-08
Dave Burrluck

"It’s faultlessly made and functions perfectly, but it’s the ‘08’ switching that turns it from being an also-ran into a serious workhorse for any player who needs to cover a lot of ground from one instrument. A new standard for the mass production guitar? It’s a yes from us." Read the full PRS SE Standard 24-08 review

Expert verdict: Squier Bullet Mustang
James Farmer bio
Expert verdict: Squier Bullet Mustang
James Farmer

"The Squier Bullet Mustang is without a doubt one of the top electric guitars for anyone looking to start their playing journey on the right path. Although aimed at beginners, it’s capable of some truly sophisticated tones and delivers a fun, easy playing experience." Read more: Squier Bullet Mustang review

Expert verdict: Epiphone Les Paul Studio
Guitar World author Matt McCracken playing guitar on stage
Expert verdict: Epiphone Les Paul Studio
Matt McCracken

"Combining two powerful humbuckers with extra switching options, the sound of the Epiphone Les Paul Studio is gloriously Gibson, without you needing to refinance your house to get it." Read more: Epiphone Les Paul Studio review

Expert verdict: Read more: Yamaha Revstar RSE20
Dave Burrluck
Expert verdict: Read more: Yamaha Revstar RSE20
Dave Burrluck

"One of the sales slogans of the original Revstars was ‘Just Different Enough’, and that’s not been forgotten on these second-generation models. They’re not trying to be ‘better’ versions of a classic design. Instead, they are very much their own thing, underpinned by excellent build quality with a unique feature set." Read more: Yamaha Revstar RSE20 review

Expert verdict: Gretsch G2420 Streamliner
Guitar World author Matt McCracken playing guitar on stage
Expert verdict: Gretsch G2420 Streamliner
Matt McCracken

"Although it's perfect for those who like their tone of the vintage variety, the Gretsch G2420 Streamliner is certainly versatile enough to excel in many styles. The combination of a super playable neck and updated pickups make this guitar much more than just a vintage throwback – it's sure to inspire players both old and new." Read more: Gretsch G2420 Streamliner review

Expert verdict: Epiphone SG Standard
Daryl Robertson
Expert verdict: Epiphone SG Standard
Daryl Robertson

"With effortless playability and a fierce, fiery tone, this Epiphone SG delivers the larger-than-life sound of a rock icon with the added bonus of a modest price tag. The Epiphone SG Standard helps cement the idea that Gibson's sibling is in the midst of a renaissance, producing the best guitars they have done in years." Read more: Epiphone SG Standard review

Expert verdict: Squier Sonic Stratocaster HT H
Matt Owen
Expert verdict: Squier Sonic Stratocaster HT H
Matt Owen

"Squier's Sonic Series serves up another quality and credible electric for under $200 – and it's so good that beginners might rather upgrade its pickup than trade up for a higher-priced model. It's a keeper." Read more: Squier Sonic Stratocaster HT H review

You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Chris Corfield author image
Chris Corfield

Chris Corfield is a journalist with over 12 years of experience writing for some of the music world's biggest brands including Orange Amplification, MusicRadar, Guitar World, Total Guitar and Dawsons Music. Chris loves getting nerdy about everything from guitar gear and synths, to microphones and music production hardware.

Richard Blenkinsop profile pic
Richard Blenkinsop

After spending a decade in music retail, I’m now a freelance writer for Guitar World, MusicRadar, Guitar Player and Reverb, specialising in electric and acoustic guitars, bass, and almost anything else you can make a tune with. When my head’s not buried in the best of modern and vintage gear, I run a small company helping musicians with songwriting, production and performance, and I play bass in an alt-rock band.

Guitar World author Matt McCracken playing guitar on stage
Matt McCracken

Matt is a Junior Deals Writer here at Guitar World. He regularly tests and reviews music gear with a focus on guitars, amps, pedals, modelers, and pretty much anything else guitar-related. Responsible for over 60 buying guides, a large part of his role is helping guitarists find the best deals on gear. Matt worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars and has written for various music sites including MusicRadar, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog.

Recent updates

30/10/24: The guide has been checked to ensure it is up to date, and we are still recommending the very best beginner electric guitars on the market right now. We've also added expert verdicts to the end of each product entry so you can better understand our choices.
02/14/24: We added a left-handed option to our top picks with the Squier Affinity Telecaster.
02/07/24: We added buy if/avoid if copy for each product in the list to help you decide at a glance whether the product is the right one for you.
01/12/24: The Squier Sonic Stratocaster HT H was added to the product list as we recently reviewed it. 

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