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.
If you’re new to the electric guitar, make sure to have a look at our FAQs, which have loads of common questions answered by the guitar gurus here at Guitar World. If you already know your stuff, then keep scrolling for our top picks…
Our top picks
If you're looking for one of the best beginner electric guitars on the market, the Squier Classic Vibe '50s Strat takes some beating. It's got a comfortable neck profile and a trio of pickups that deliver the famed bite and spank that is the cornerstone of the Strat sound.
The Yamaha Pacifica 112V might not have the same appeal as bigger names like Fender and PRS, but this guitar is a seriously good playing instrument. Perfect for beginner guitar players, the HSS pickup configuration and build quality make it phenomenal value.
Lefty players are massively underserved in the world of guitar, but this left-handed Squier Affinity Telecaster is just as good as any instrument we've played, and hardy enough to last a long way into your playing career.
Best overall
✅ Buy if you want a beginner guitar that will last: It's not the cheapest here, but the quality of the build, top-tier specs, and phenomenal playability means it will last way beyond those first chords.
❌ Avoid if you don't like vintage tones: As it's a '50s-inspired Strat, the emphasis here is on classic tones which means it's not great for heavier styles like metal.
The Squier Classic Vibe series is renowned for providing quality specs at a fraction of the cost of a 'proper' Fender, and the Squier Classic Vibe '50s Stratocaster is a brilliant guitar for the money.
The neck is super playable with a comfortable 'C' profile. It'll make those first licks and chords a breeze and the narrow tall frets make for easy bending when you get to that stage of your development. The pickups sound great too, offering all those classic Strat tones you've heard on classic and modern records.
If the Strat itself doesn’t appeal to you, the beginner-friendly range extends to include Telecasters, Jaguars, and Jazzmasters, so at least one of the huge range of Squier guitars will suit you at this early stage in your guitar-playing journey.
"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
Best budget option
✅ Buy if you want value for money: The Pacifica 112V has been a go-to beginner guitar for many years now thanks to its low cost, great pickups, and excellent build quality.
❌ Avoid if you want classic looks: Although it's a similar shape to a classic Strat, is does differ enough that those who want a classic guitar might not appreciate the look.
First introduced in 1993, the Yamaha Pacifica 112V electric guitar has earned its place at the table of quality electric guitars for beginners. While it doesn’t bring with it quite the same mojo as a Fender or a Gibson, this impressive Strat-style guitar makes up for that with levels of playability and build quality that far exceed expectations from its smaller price tag.
A juicy-sounding humbucker at the bridge proved to us that overdriven sounds were well within reach during our testing, while the two single coils pickups provided us a superb breadth of tones. While there are undoubtedly ‘cheap’ guitars you’ll outgrow in no time, the Pacifica has enough interest to remain a staple in your roster for years to come.
"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
Best left-handed
✅ Buy if you want a great lefty guitar: While lefty players aren't spoiled for choice, there are still some fantastic options out there, and this is one of our favorites.
❌ Avoid if you want a choice of colors: As not many left-handed guitars get manufactured, there's only one color option available.
Criminally underserved in the guitar community, the beginner left-handed guitar player can sometimes struggle to find the right instrument. It needn’t be hard though, because the Squier Affinity Telecaster Left-Handed is for us, the ultimate beginner's guitar for lefties.
It’s got two ceramic pickups, which will take you from hard rock to country and back again. The bright cut of the bridge pickup is beautifully juxtaposed with the darkness of the neck position, giving you loads of options when it comes to tones.
We found the neck to be well-finished with no fret issues at all. It feels great to play too, with the Maple fretboard delivering an excellent playing platform. It’s super stable in terms of tuning and was perfectly intonated out of the box, making it a brilliant option for the first-timer.
Best tonal versatility
✅ Buy if you want versatile tones: With two humbuckers and the option to coil split each, you get a lot of different tones for your money with the SE Standard 24.
❌ Avoid if you want a bright finish: There aren't many finish options with this guitar, so unless you like a sunburst or blue you might prefer something else.
Best known for their USA-crafted masterpieces lavished with exotic woods and other incredible materials, PRS is a relative newcomer to the world of budget guitars - but they’ve definitely made an entrance. The ‘SE’ range stands for ‘Student Edition’, but we’re struggling to find anything ‘student’ about these guitars other than the price.
The SE Standard 24-08 is for those who need something special on a lower budget. As the name suggests, this SE features a 24-fret neck, allowing for those little extra flourishes in your playing. The body has a carved top which makes playing incredibly comfortable, and the lower horn is also carved to make upper fret access super easy as well. The hardware and tremolo are strong and reliable, ideal if you don’t fancy fighting your guitar to keep it in tune.
The pickups are PRS’ own 85/15 “S” creations - a re-designed version of the pickups that you’d likely find in much more expensive models - and combined with a coil-split hidden in the tone control, we found access to even more tones during our testing. There’s not much this guitar can’t do.
"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
Best for small hands
✅ Buy if you're a young guitarist or have small hands: This is a small-scale guitar, which means it's not quite as long as a regular instrument, making it super comfortable for smaller players.
❌ Avoid if you have big hands: Conversely if you've got big hands, you might find the fretboard to be a little cramped when fretting certain chords.
As many (but not all) beginner guitarists are young, it makes sense for us to include one of the best guitars for small hands. Enter the Squier Bullet Mustang. While it’s not a ‘mini guitar’, it does have a slightly reduced scale size, making it ideal for younger players to get to grips with techniques that will serve them as they develop.
That said, having played one ourselves, we can confidently say that this guitar is no mere toy. In fact, we loved its rough-and-ready playability and happily recommend it as one of the overall best beginner’s electric guitars, as well as one of the best guitars for kids. For a shade under $200, you can’t go far wrong.
"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
Best for metal
✅ Buy if you're into heavier guitar styles: The two powerful humbuckers work great with bags of distortion and hard playing, making it perfect for metal and other heavy styles.
❌ Avoid if you don't want a heavy guitar: This guitar is a chunky bit of kit, so could be too heavy for some players. It's particularly heavy to play standing up, even for an adult player.
Chances are, if you’ve heard any recorded music from the past 60 years you’ve heard the sounds of a Gibson Les Paul. Played by some of music’s biggest and best names, these iconic guitars are synonymous with rock and heavy music. So what better place for a beginner to begin than with their own slice of musical history?
The Epiphone Les Paul Studio is the Gibson offshoot brand’s best beginner electric guitar, and it packs all that knowledge and understanding into a near-perfect package here. Two humbuckers deliver a great palette of tones, from sparkly cleans to thick overdrive, and everything in-between.
The mahogany body and neck ensure sustain that goes for hours, as well as super solid build quality. You don’t get all the frills and extras of the more expensive models, but who cares when it looks, plays, and sounds this good?
"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
More options...
So those are our top picks but there are still plenty more options out there for the beginner guitar player. Here are some more of our favorite guitars we tested in the process of putting this guide together, whether you want a hollow body for vintage vibes or a more rock-orientated guitar.
✅ Buy if you want playability: The Revstar range is a very modern offering from Yamaha, and at the forefront of their design ethos is playability with a flat profile neck with a sleek feel.
❌ Avoid if you want tonal versatility: With two humbuckers and three way switch this guitar has some versatile tones, but there are others out there with more choice.
The original Revstar series launched back in 2015 to much acclaim and these MkII models offer some significant improvements over the original. The Yamaha Revstar Element RSE20 makes a fantastic first guitar, one that will last you well past the beginner stage of playing.
The chambered mahogany body is resonant and lively, with pickups voiced to a hot vintage-type tone. The bridge pickup delivers a powerful yet balanced voice, not too sharp in the high end whilst the neck pickup offers that thicker, smoother PAF-style sound that’s so highly sought after.
The previous Revstar model's neck profile got quite thick around the 12th fret, whereas here we find a flatter back that still feels hefty in the hand. It’s a satin finish, so feels nice and sleek ensuring your fretting hand can travel freely.
"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
✅ Buy if you're into vintage guitar tones: This hollow body guitar has two vintage-voiced Broad'Tron humbuckers, making it great for classic blues, jazz, and country guitar tones.
❌ Avoid if you're a smaller player: The hollow body makes it pretty massive, so for younger or smaller players this guitar will probably be too unwieldy to get started on.
If country, folk, and jazz are more your style, the Gretsch G2420 Streamliner could be the best beginner electric guitar for you. Coming from a brand with a rich heritage, this hollow-body electric delivers a much different playing experience to the other guitars featured in this list.
For a start, we found the tones it produces are much more vibrant and expressive on account of its semi-acoustic nature during our testing. Where other guitars require an amp to mold and shape a tone, this guitar simply requires its inherent tonality to be made louder, such is the richness on offer.
It's quite a chunky guitar in terms of body size so probably not the best choice for younger players. Don’t be put off by its size though – the G2420 has curves in all the right places and playing it is no more difficult than any other guitar.
"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
✅ Buy if you love rock and roll guitar: The sound of AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and many other classic rock outfits, the SG is perfect for players who love their rock music.
❌ Avoid if you want versatility: If you prefer styles other than rock, then this guitar probably won't cut it for you.
As the Gibson stable’s ‘other’ big marque, the SG found itself a niche in players who wanted to retain a bit of individuality over the plethora of Les Paul players. As a result, the SG found its hands into some of rock’s biggest names, including Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and AC/DC’s Angus Young, who favored its raw, edgy tones and striking visual appeal.
The Epiphone SG Standard continues this vibe by delivering good on the promise of rugged, rock-ready tones and exemplary construction. With an extremely comfortable neck and unparalleled access to the higher frets, this is a fun, playable, and incredibly attractive electric guitar for beginners and pros alike.
"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
✅ Buy if you want something simple: With a single pickup, volume, and tone knob, the Squier Sonic Strat HT is perfect for players who want to keep thing simple.
❌ Avoid if you want versatility: If you want lots of different sounds from your guitar, then this isn't the beginner electric you're looking for.
For the aspiring Blink 182 fan, the Tom DeLonge signature model is likely going to be out of reach at well over a grand. Fear not though, because you can have all that stripped-back style and attitude at a much lower price.
The Squier Sonic Stratocaster HT H is a simple, single humbucker guitar with a hardtail bridge, meaning it’s both easy to use as well as being very stable in terms of tuning. Great for strumming power chords, it’s got a warm and full sound that will sound great paired with rock, punk, and even metal.
The neck is in Fender’s trademark ‘C’ profile, which will provide a comfortable playing feel for new players, as well as be familiar to those who already own Fender guitars. There’s not much to this guitar, but that’s what makes it great for the new player, just pick it up, turn the volume up, and let rip.
"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
FAQs
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.
What should I look for in a beginner electric guitar?
If you've decided that you want to play the electric guitar, then first of all, welcome! You're part of an exclusive club, full of rock stars, country icons, and plenty of normal folk like you and I.
Whatever styles of guitar music you're into, an electric guitar can cover pretty much everything. Accompanied by one of the best guitar amps, your beginner electric guitar will take you from learning your very first riffs, all way to potential stardom.
There’s a lot to consider when looking for the best beginner electric guitar. Every single part of the instrument affects the resulting sound and feel. Let’s take a look at them...
The first thing we'd suggest you think about is the shape of the guitar. The amount of shapes and sizes on the market is huge, and whilst those factors don't always influence the sound of your guitar, they affect how comfortable it is to play and what it looks like – two things that are crucially important for us guitarists.
The two most recognizable electric guitar body shapes are probably the Les Paul and the Stratocaster. Now, the 'full-fat' Les Paul is made by Gibson, and will set you back some serious money – as will a USA-made Fender Stratocaster – but with budget brands such as Epiphone and Squier in play? Well, you can grab something that looks and sounds authentic for a fraction of the price. You’ll also find killer beginner electric guitars being made by a bunch of other brands including Yamaha and Gretsch.
Generally, Les Pauls tend to have a thicker body with a single cutaway and Strats are a little thinner, with two cutaways. This does affect how comfortable they are to play, though which one is right for you boils down to personal preference. There are also models like the Epiphone SG which have a similar sound to the Les Paul but are a little thinner and usually lighter.
What wood is a beginner electric guitar typically made from?
The woods used for electric guitars do vary. You’ll find the likes of basswood and nato being used on some beginner electric models, which helps keep costs down, whilst others utilize mahogany, which is usually heavier. How much of an impact the body wood has on the sound of an electric guitar is widely disputed, but it certainly affects the weight of it.
How do pickups work?
Probably the most influential part of the electric guitar's sound is the electric guitar pickups with which it is equipped. We won't get too nerdy or science-y here, but pickups are essentially either one or two magnets wrapped with wire. This creates a charged magnetic field which, when disrupted by a moving string, creates a signal that is then taken through your guitar cable to your amp. There are different types of electric guitar pickups available on different guitars, the most popular options being either single coils (which are found on Stratocasters and Telecasters) or humbuckers (which are usually found on Les Pauls).
The tonal difference between these types of pickups is pretty massive. Single coil pickups usually sound a lot brighter and thinner and put out a signal that is much lower than a humbucker – making them great for clean sounds, and a favorite choice for country, pop, and funk players among others.
Humbuckers produce a tone that is much thicker and warmer sounding due to their larger size and construction, and although they sound great clean, they have a higher output which makes them distort sooner. The vast majority of classic rock and metal players opt for humbuckers for this reason.
When it comes to what you can play with each type of pickup, the statements we've made are just a general guide. Any kind of music can be played on any type of guitar with any type of pickup. That's the beauty of the guitar! It's all about how you play, not what you play.
Does guitar hardware matter?
Hardware is quite important when looking for the best beginner electric guitar. Hardware comprises things like the bridge, saddles, tuning pegs, and the output (the bit you plug your cable into). Investing in better quality, sturdier hardware will mean your guitar will require less maintenance and hold its tuning better; it can even help with sustain, making it sound better too.
Which brands make the best beginner electric guitars?
When it comes to the best beginner electric guitars, near enough every major brand offers something. Whether it's through the main brand or a more budget-oriented subsidiary, there'll be something on offer from many of the biggest names in the business.
Some of the very best beginner electric guitars come from Squier, Epiphone, PRS, and Yamaha. These brands are consistently releasing brilliant instruments that are designed to give beginners the best possible start to their playing careers.
There are also brands such as Gretsch and Ibanez to consider. Ibanez guitars are usually built for those who are more into heavier styles of music, so if you're a metalhead, then they're worth checking out. Likewise, for you country and blues guys, Gretsch guitars are some of the best and most appropriate guitars you could choose. While all guitars can do all styles, some are definitely more suited to certain genres of music.
How much should you spend on a beginner electric guitar?
Finding the best beginner electric guitar is about balancing all of the above with the cost. You can pick up something between $150-200 that will stand you in good stead for learning; the more you pay, the more likely you’ll find better hardware, pickups that offer more definition, and better build quality. That said, most people don’t want to spend too much on their first electric guitar in case it’s not something they take to (plus, it gives you an excuse to upgrade a few years later!).
We'd say that the top end of your budget should be no more than around $500. Ultimately, you’re the one that’s going to be playing the guitar, so it’s important that you find something that’s comfortable to play, and that inspires you to pick it up.
Can you really learn to play guitar online?
Picking up one of the best beginner electric guitars is no use unless you know how to play at least the basics on it. Some people can pick things up by ear or are lucky enough to have someone in the house to guide them. If neither of these apply, we would always recommend seeking out lessons.
Face-to-face lessons are a great way to build a connection with a teacher and develop your skills in a hands-on way. Still, if you want to quickly understand basic guitar techniques, learn from the comfort of your home and don't have a huge budget, online lessons are a great, affordable route to take. You can learn more and discover our top picks in this guide to the best online guitar lessons.
How we test the best beginner electric guitars
As you'll undoubtedly have gathered from this guide, electric guitars are very subjective. One guitar player's dream axe could be another's nightmare. That said, no matter our personal preference, there are a few key criteria that a beginner guitar must meet before we consider recommending it.
First and foremost is build quality. We'll thoroughly check over every aspect of the instrument, making sure everything feels sturdy and solid. Even though these guitars may be at the bottom end of the price spectrum, they should still feel well put together and robust, especially as they may have to put up with more rough and tumble than a more expensive model.
We'll make sure the machine heads are responsive, the volume and tone pots are smooth, and there are no issues with the pickups or bridge. We will then look over the general finishing of the guitar, looking out for any finishing anomalies, such as bumps in the lacquer, or sharp frets which newcomers could catch their hands on.
Next, we check how well the guitar plays straight out of the box. A beginner guitar player isn't going to know how to set up a guitar, so it needs to be ready to go straight away. We are obviously looking to see how comfortable the neck is to hold and fret open chords, as these will likely be the first thing you learn on your new instrument.
Finally, we need to think about the sound of the instrument. We test the guitar through various amps at a variety of settings, switching through the guitar's pickups to see how they handle different styles of music and tones. Of course, we make sure we test through practice amps too, as it's unlikely a beginner will have a boutique tube combo as their first amp.
Read more about our rating system, how we choose the gear we feature, and exactly how we test each product.
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Below you'll find more information on the expert authors of this guide.
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.
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.
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.
Latest updates
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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