1. Quick list
2. Best versatility
3. Best for shred
4. Best 7-string
5. Best 8-string
6. Best baritone
7. Best budget
8. More options
9. Buying advice
10. How we choose products
There are a few different crucial components that go into making the best metal guitars. High-output humbuckers for chunky tones, fast-playing necks for quick licks, and an aesthetic that lets your audience know exactly what they’re in for before you hit a single note all play a part in making a guitar truly great for metal.
Playing metal can require you to cover a lot of sonic ground from standard-tuning thrash riffs right through to the lowest depths of drop-E-tuned deathcore. That’s a lot of bases to cover so we’ve used our twenty years of experience playing in heavy bands to pick the finest metal machines available today, no matter what your preferred style.
If you’re a burgeoning metalhead, we’d highly recommend checking out our buyer’s advice section, which features loads of useful knowledge and common questions answered by the experts here at Guitar World. If you already know your Floyd Rose from your Fishman Fluence, then keep on scrolling for our top picks…
Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to publications including Guitar World, MusicRadar and Total Guitar. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.
Best metal guitars: Quick list
Want to get to the good stuff without scrolling through walls of text? Well here you'll find our favorite metal guitars with links to read more if you wish.
The ESP LTD EC-1000 is one of the most common guitars on the metal gigging circuit, combining playability with tonal versatility to cover pretty much any style of metal you can think of.
If you're looking to play rapid-fire shred licks, the Ibanez RG550 is one of the fastest-playing guitars money can buy. A versatile pickup configuration means it can cover a lot of ground too.
This versatile 7-string guitar has plenty of heft for low-tuned riffing, but still sounds great clean. The PRS SE Mark Holcomb SVN is a fantastic choice for progressive metal players.
For the lowest of low tunings, the Jackson X Series Soloist Arch Top SLAT8 combines comfortable ergonomics and fast playability, with tones that will shake foundations.
If you like the sound of low tunings but don't want to mess around with extra strings, the Chapman ML-1 Baritone gives you incredible playability with stable drop tunings.
If you're looking for a guitar that lets you get heavy without spending loads of cash, the Ibanez RGA42FM will hit the mark with its excellent playability and great-sounding pickups.
Best for versatility
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want a great value all-rounder: There's a reason you see heavy bands using the EC-1000 so often. It's versatile, well-built, and excellent value for money.
❌ Avoid if you want a shred guitar: As it's more traditional in its design, it isn't the fastest-playing or sleekest guitar out there.
With Fishman’s Modern Fluence humbuckers, ESP/LTD’s flagship single cut can perform metal of all eras. The switching is all very state-of-the-art, with push/pull coil-split for single-coil tones and enough firepower to add serious weight to your riffs.
The Tune-O-Matic bridge offers a fuss-free performance, plenty of sustain, and a solid platform for your punishing right-hand attack, but we wouldn’t want you to think of this only for rhythm.
The thin-U neck is an exceptional profile for lightning leads, with the extra-jumbo frets and 13.8” radius providing us an easy ride up to the top end of the fretboard during testing, where you’ll find a neatly sculpted heel. Oh, and the finish is incredible. It’s called Violet Andromeda and looks different depending on how the light hits it.
Read the full ESP LTD EC-1000 review
Best for shred
2. Ibanez RG550
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want a fast-playing neck: The RG550 features the thinnest neck Ibanez offers, making it the perfect platform for shredding.
❌ Avoid if you want drop tuning: With its regular scale length it will handle down to drop-C but anything lower than that and you'd be better off with an extended-range guitar.
The original shred guitar is, in our opinion, still one of the best you can buy. The Ibanez RG550 is the perfect blend of affordability, playability, and tonal versatility to cover a variety of styles of metal. It’s been around since the 80s and is still popular today for good reason.
It features Ibanez’s thinnest neck profile in the Super Wizard, with a 5-piece Maple/Walnut construction. It’s ridiculously fast playing and positively begs for legato runs and sweep-picking from the moment you pick it up. 24 jumbo frets ensure those wild bends sound great too.
It also has a very versatile HSH pickup configuration, so can cover a lot of sonic ground. We like that the bridge humbucker is Alnico whereas the neck humbucker is Ceramic, which further adds to the range of tones you can coax from it. The Alnico single coil in the middle position adds another flavor of tone to this brilliant metal guitar.
Best 7-string
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you like prog metal: With its versatile pickups and extended range, the Holcomb SVN is perfect for prog-metallers who need heavy riffs with good cleans.
❌ Avoid if you like high output pickups: The pickups on this guitar are less hot than you'd expect, particularly the neck, so avoid if you prefer a more intense sound.
As one-third of Periphery’s three guitar assault, Mark Holcomb certainly knows a thing or two about drop-tuned riffing. His signature PRS SE Mark Holcomb SVN is just as versatile as Mark’s own playing is, giving you savage downtuned distorted riffs alongside crystal clear cleans.
With a Seymour Duncan Scourge in the bridge and Seymour Duncan Scarlet in the neck, you’ve got a surprisingly versatile set of pickups that aren't quite as 'hot' as you'd expect from a metal guitar. The bridge is aggressive sounding, but the neck pickup delivers excellent clean tones with the addition of a push/pull coil split to give you even more options.
The longer scale length will take some getting used to if you’ve never played one before, and for those with smaller hands, the first five frets could end up feeling monstrous. PRS’s neck profile is also slightly different from other guitars, but we found it ultra-comfortable here, at times forgetting we were playing a guitar with an extra string!
Read our full PRS SE Mark Holcomb SVN review
Best 8-string
4. Jackson X Series Soloist Arch Top SLAT8 Multi-Scale
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want ultra-low tunings: With a multi-scale fretboard and 8 strings, you can take the Jackson SLAT8 down to drop-E if you want.
❌ Avoid if you want easy playability: 8-string guitars are already difficult to master and that's before you take into account the multi-scale fretboard.
If you’re looking for the Mariana Trench of metal guitar tunings, then the Jackson X Series Soloist Arch Top SLAT8 is about as low as it gets. Ergonomically designed to account for two strings more than your regular guitar, this behemoth of metal tone is perfect for extreme metal, djent, and shred.
Jackson’s necks have always been eminently playable and this guitar is no different. Despite the obvious width difference, it still feels really nice and thin. The other obvious difference is the multi-scale fretboard, which runs 26” on the treble side but 28” on the bass side. It takes some getting used to, but not as much as you’d think.
Two powerful (and gigantic) EMG 909s give you the earth-shattering tone you’d expect from a guitar of this ilk. There’s plenty of clarity and articulation here even when you start drop-tuning the guitar, with loads of power in the midrange ensuring that things get low, but never muddy.
Best baritone
5. Chapman ML1 Baritone
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want low tunings with six-string playability: This baritone will get you down to drop-E with the right strings, whilst retaining those familiar scale patterns and chord shapes.
❌ Avoid if you've got small hands: With a 28-inch scale, reaching from the 1st fret to the 5th will feel massive on this guitar and takes some getting used to.
If you’re looking for the nasty low end of metal guitar without having to faff around with multi-scale and extended-range guitars, then a baritone might be your best option. The Chapman ML1 Baritone will get you super chunky riffing and fast leads, whilst still allowing you to play open chords when you need to.
We’ve owned an ML1 for a couple of years now, and the long scale definitely takes some getting used to. For players with smaller hands, those first five frets will feel monstrous, but once you get used to it, this guitar gets really inspiring. You can still play all your normal chords and scales from a six-string, just pitched down for extra heaviness.
The pickups are voiced in progressive metal territory, which means you can get those tight djent-style chugs whilst still retaining a lovely clean voice. A push-pull on the tone knob opens up a coil-split option, which further adds to the versatile tonality. Add in a set of locking tuners and you’ve got yourself a versatile and reliable gigging guitar.
Best budget option
6. Ibanez Standard RGA42FM
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want a metal guitar on a budget: The RGA42FM is phenomenal value for money, making it perfect for beginner players or those who need a reliable backup.
❌ Avoid if you want versatile tones: The budget pickups here do a great job on metal tones, but they don't have as much depth as other, more expensive models.
Ibanez’s RG series was launched in 1987 and with sharp horns, thoughtful body contouring, and being a testing ground for the super-svelte Wizard neck profiles, it fast cemented itself as one of the world’s favorite S-styles.
You can find the RG at all prices but the stripped-down model is very financially accessible. It has a speedy Wizard III maple neck, measuring just 19mm thick at the first fret and only 21mm at the 12th.
Okay, it doesn’t have a Floyd Rose tremolo, the hard-tail format is a good stable platform, ideal for aspiring shredders who don’t yet want to worry about spending time adjusting their bridge. The 5-way blade selector offers a wide sweep of humbucker and split-coil tones.
More options...
If you didn't find what you were looking for above, don't worry there are still loads of great metal guitars out there. Here are some more of our favorites:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want ultra-fast playability: With its ultra-rigid neck and flat fingerboard profile, the Soloist SL3 is perfect for shred licks.
❌ Avoid if you're on a budget: This instrument is made in the USA and features Seymour Duncan pickups, so comes with a significant price tag attached to it.
The Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 is a premium guitar for metal that plays as fast as it looks. Featuring a host of premium features plus quality USA-made craftsmanship it’s not just for shredders either, with a pickup configuration that makes it more versatile than you’d think.
With a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge position, it comes as no surprise to find this guitar excels at distorted guitar tones. It delivers excellent sustain and a full-bodied tone, that will immediately make you want to shred. Despite this, you can still get some pretty Strat-esque sounds from the single coil pickups, with plenty of spanky tones if you need them.
The neck on this guitar is joyous thanks to its ultra-rigidity and flat radius. Graphite shafts flank the truss rod providing an excellent playing platform with no hint of movement from the neck. The Floyd Rose feels nice and solid with corrosion-resistant bolts that ensure the system will keep operating perfectly for years and years.
Read the full Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 review
8. Harley Benton EX-84 Modern EMG
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want a great value metal guitar: Harley Benton guitars cost relatively little and this Explorer-inspired guitar is no different.
❌ Avoid if you're not in the UK/EU: You might find you incur expensive shipping fees if you're buying this guitar outside of the UK or EU.
This is Harley Benton’s take on one of the quintessential metal guitars. The body shape is pointy enough to get you noticed, but not so much that you pose a risk to your band members when on stage. Available in black or white, it’s a timeless look that screams metal.
It’s fitted with pickups that can be heard on various metal records over the years – EMGs. The EMG81 is a classic bridge pickup and offers punchy, clear, and defined tones that sound great paired with distortion. The EMG61 in the neck position is a little smoother and works really well on clean tones, or for solos. The controls are super simple and won’t get in your way – one volume and one tone.
Harley Benton is known for offering players great value for money, and this is no exception. It’s one of the best metal guitars you can get at this price point, especially with these pickups.
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want a traditional guitar geared for metal: With its traditional Jazzmaster body, on the surface this guitar looks very traditional, but those pickups are capable of unleashing proper metal tones.
❌ Avoid if you like more versatility: It's a simple guitar with just a master volume knob and three-way pickup selector, so may not suit those who like versatile guitars.
Jim Root has always liked to take a classic Fender design and gear it up for war. What he has done with his new Jazzmaster is like taking an old station wagon and fitting a surface-to-air missile launcher on the hood.
Here we’re dealing with a non-traditional and heavier-weighted mahogany body. The controls have been pared down to the essentials, including a three-way blade switch choosing between his active EMG Daemonum pickups or both, with only a master volume and no tone.
The result is a guitar that is Jazzmaster in profile only, a retro-profiled offset with a voice that has a more solid low-end, with bright mids and highs that really begin to sing once the gain is past two o’clock.
Read the full Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster V4 review
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want a metal guitar for live shows: Flying V guitars are meant to be played on stage, so if you're a regularly gigging player this is a great guitar for you.
❌ Avoid if you're a bedroom player: Despite looking so damn cool, V-shaped guitars are totally impractical for playing sitting down at home.
Epiphone’s Prophecy range of guitars drags classic designs kicking and screaming into the 21st century - and scream they do. The Prophecy Flying V is, simply put, a total monster. Specs-wise, it’s overflowing with high-end accouterments, from the asymmetrical neck profile to the sophisticated Fishman Fluence custom-voiced humbuckers.
You’ll notice the push-pull volume and tone pots don’t have the standard ‘coil-split’ function of most other guitars. That’s thanks to the Fluence humbuckers being just that bit cleverer than most, toggling between a high-output modern humbucker and a classic Burstbucker/PAF-style voicing. In terms of metal, this guitar can cover virtually any style you can throw at it - we discovered during our testing that it can do beautiful cleans, too.
To be fair, we’d have liked the option of a Prophecy model with a pair of passive humbuckers like Epiphone has done with past models, but we really can’t complain. You get a lot for your money with this Flying V.
View the full Epiphone Prophecy Flying V review
11. Jackson X Series Rhoads RRX24
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want a more modern 'V' guitar: The RRX24 is very much a modern metal guitar with its all-black design, active pickups, and locking tremolo.
❌ Avoid if you want to play sitting down: As with all 'V' guitars, they're predominantly designed to be played standing up.
There have been countless versions of Jackson’s über-pointy Randy Rhoads V over the years but this X Series Rhoads - new for 2020 - might just skewer the dragon in terms of value and on-message style.
It’s black-on-black, with a reverse six-in-line headstock for added metal points. You could pay $30-odd bucks more and get one with Neon Pink or Neon Green bevels if you need some color. It’s a super-aggressive silhouette but has been around long enough to be a classic.
But the key here is its playability. We found during testing that while it's not great while seated, it's awesome standing up. It is typically shreddable with the dual active pickups from Seymour Duncan providing a super-hot performance that will deliver the goods big-style. And there’s a Floyd.
12. Schecter Omen-8
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want a great value 8-string: Extended-range guitars can get pretty pricey, but this offering from Schecter is phenomenal value for money.
❌ Avoid if you like active pickups: A lot of guitar players prefer active pickups with 7 and 8-string guitars. These are ceramic which are high output, but not as much as EMGs or Fishman Fluence.
Once upon a time, it would cost you the GDP of a G7 country to be able to afford an eight-string electric, and here we are - and now you’ll get some change out of 500 dollars. Schecter has really taken to the extended-range market, and while you won’t mistake the Omen-8 for one of their high-end models it is a helluva lot of guitar for the price.
When playing the Omen-8, we found that the neck is welcoming, and with a set of high-ratio 15:1 Schecter tuners, the Omen-8 is pretty darn stable too. The weight feels okay, too. And the build quality and finish are what you might expect from Schecter.
While you might want active pickups on an eight-string, just to keep the hum down while turning string vibration into a buzzsaw, these overwound passive humbuckers (kind of reminiscent of the underrated EMG-HZ) have heaps of gnarly output.
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want a metal guitar with a traditional design: On the face of it, this signature Charvel looks much more like a traditional Telecaster than the metal machine it really is.
❌ Avoid if you like the metal aesthetic: Conversely if you're into spiky shapes and a none-more-black ethos, this probably won't do the job for you.
The evolution of the Gojira riff-master’s signature San Dimas Style 2 continues apace, and this one, unveiled at NAMM 2020, is the classiest-looking yet. The black guard is nice, too, especially if you have moseyed on over here from using a ‘50s Telecaster and want to tune down and bang some heads.
The playability is incredible. Charvel is the original hot rodder, and we found, during testing, that the 12-16” fingerboard radius across its more recent models is supremely comfortable for fretting chords and sweeping up arpeggios alike. There is a Charvel Speed Shape profile that’s joined to the body with a four-bolt heel.
But it’s the pickups that have got us really sold on this. Duplantier’s signature DiMarzio is the hotter of the two, perfect for articulating down-tuned riffs that are saturated in gain, while the PAF 36th Anniversary shoots for the Holy Grail of ’59 Les Paul tones.
Read the full Charvel Pro-Mod Joe Duplantier San Dimas Style 2 review
14. EVH Wolfgang Standard
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want a fast-playing guitar: Bearing the name of one of the godfathers of shred guitar, the Wolfgang features an ultra-playable neck.
❌ Avoid if you like downtuning: This guitar is definitely geared more towards classic metal styles rather than the heavy chugs of modern metal.
If you are looking for one of the best affordable metal guitars and want to avoid anything too necro- and pointed, then the updated EVH Wolfgang Standard Series is a pretty safe bet. It can cover a variety of styles, but of course, with Mr Van Halen’s initials on the headstock, you can be sure it plays nice and quick.
Here we’ve got a basswood body and a bolt-on roasted maple neck, an en vogue 12”-16” compound radius fingerboard, and ultimately there is something ergonomically slight and welcoming about the Wolfgang that made it very hard for us to put down during our testing.
It has an EVH-branded Floyd Rose Special double-locking tremolo for hitting harmonics and divebombing them, and two moderately hot Wolfgang humbuckers that should stand the topsy-turvy world of metal.
15. ESP LTD Stephen Carpenter Signature SC-607 Baritone
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want low tunings with great playability: The combination of baritone scale and an extra string makes this signature ESP perfect for modern metal players.
❌ Avoid if you like a neck pickup: There's no neck pickup on this guitar, which some players might feel limits them in terms of available tones.
ESP's long-standing collaboration with the Deftones' Steph Carpenter has produced some of the most cutting-edge designs in metal guitars. Carpenter would probably resist the term "metal guitar" because his sound is so much more, but this SC-607 might just be the best option for down-tuned riffers.
There's no neck pickup, instead, the two SRC Fluence Humbuckers are in bridge and middle positions. They both have push-pull functions to switch up their voicings between active and passive.
During testing, we loved the neck-through construction and thin U-profile on the three-piece maple neck. No fret markers either - which looks stealthy and epic. Embrace the minimalism, fret a chord, and brace for impact...
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ Buy if you want a great value baritone: It may look like a classic Telecaster, but it can most definitely djent with the more metal-looking guitars out there, and it's phenomenal value for money.
❌ Avoid if you like active pickups: This Squier features two soapbar pickups, which are pretty far from the active pickups you normally find in modern metal guitars.
A rather unsuspecting option for the best metal guitar, but it works. The soapbar pickups might not dish out the same sort of saturation as a pair of active humbuckers, but they’ve got a really nice growl and mid-range bump that helps them cut through a mix. They distort nicely, plus they cover a range of different tones. If you’re one for bringing in clean breaks and intros, then this guitar is ideal.
The 27” scale helps cater for the B to B tuning as standard and really helps deliver some wall-rumbling low end. It’s great for serving up big, mean-sounding riffs. Plus, with Squier’s great build quality and affordable pricing, you get a lot for your money. The Tele is also a classic body shape and is easy to play in any situation!
Read the full Squier Paranormal Baritone Cabronita Telecaster review
Best metal guitars: Buying advice
Picking the best metal guitar for you will mean asking yourself some questions, to figure out what you need from it. Whilst you don’t necessarily need any particular type of guitar to play metal, there are some features to look out for that will help you on your way.
Do I need a specific metal guitar to play metal?
Contrary to popular belief, no - you do not need a specific metal guitar to play metal. Having a guitar that's up to the job definitely helps you achieve the crazy gain tones you're after, but you don't need any specific type of guitar to do this. Sometimes, single-coil pickups sound killer in a metal setting. It's all about experimenting with tones and seeing what you like.
But, for that super-heavy, drowning-in-gain tones you’re after, one of the best metal guitars is designed specifically to make your life easier. The hardware, electronics, necks, fingerboards, and bodies are all built specifically to draw out the best metal tones possible from that guitar - and who doesn’t want a purpose-built shred machine?
What are the best brands for metal guitars?
Most guitar brands make instruments specced out for metal, but there are definitely a few firm favorites that you’ll see onstage more often than others. ESP, Schecter, Ibanez, and Jackson are the ones that spring immediately to mind. Playing metal demands a lot from your instrument and these brands all make some epic high-output axes that will play fast and let you get heavy.
So why don’t big brands like Fender and Gibson make metal guitars? We reckon it’s because they both own sub-brands where they can better market axes catered towards the metal player. Fender owns Jackson and Charvel, who both make loads of extreme, pointy-shaped guitars, whereas Gibson has both Epiphone and Kramer where they can manufacture instruments for metal.
Are 7-string or 8-string guitars better for metal music?
It all depends on what you want to play really. If you’re into more traditional forms of metal like thrash, heavy metal, power metal, or hair metal then a six-string instrument will likely do the job for you. You can tune it down if you want to get heavier, but it’s not a must-have as you’ll likely be playing closer to standard tuning.
If you’re into more modern metalcore, djent, or progressive metal, then an extended-range 7-string guitar or 8-string guitar is definitely the way to go. It gives you that super low end and these guitars usually feature longer scale lengths to deal with lower tunings. You also get the ‘regular’ range of a guitar, but it will take some getting used to thanks to the extra string.
If you’d like to keep the playability of a regular six-string but still want to tune low, then you should have a look at the best baritone guitars. These guitars feature a longer scale but keep the six strings, so you can still play open chords as you would on a regular guitar, but in a much lower tuning.
Which pickups do I need in my metal guitar?
High-output humbuckers will do the job nicely because you are going to need to have plenty of gain and harmonic excitement to get those really crazy tones. Pickup manufacturers such as EMG specialize in active pickups, which are powered by one or more 9V batteries in your guitar - meaning that their output is sky high, and their tone is highly precise - making them some of the best pickups for metal.
Companies such as DiMarzio, Seymour Duncan, and Bare Knuckle specialize in passive pickups, which have a slightly lower output and don’t need any extra power sources to operate. They often sound a little more organic and classic, but still create enough noise to boil blood. Many of the best metal guitars will be equipped with something from these manufacturers.
What is the difference between active and passive pickups?
A lot of guitars on this list will feature active pickups, due to the association between metal and high-gain tones. Active pickups require an outside power source (usually a 9V battery) and tend to compress your sound more, great for complex riffing played really fast. Active pickups are also very quiet, which is again useful when playing with high gain.
On a passive pickup if you roll down your volume knob, you’ll find that you get less overdrive and a warmer tone as the high frequencies are rolled off - provided it’s not fitted with a treble bleed kit. For some guitarists, this is a desirable trait, as it allows you to warm up your guitar sound without going over to your amplifier. Active pickups don’t do this however, they tend to retain pretty much the same frequencies through the whole range of the volume knob.
Us guitarists aren’t great at change, and even though from a technical standpoint an active pickup is better, a lot of ‘tone purists’ don’t like active pickups because they aren’t as reactive. It’s best you try both out for yourself and see what you like, but players like Dave Gilmour and Steve Lukather both have guitars with active pickups, so they can’t be all that bad!
What is the best tuning for metal?
A lot of metal features down-tuning. Regular tuning is E-E which is fine for some metal players, however, some like to tune one, or all six of their strings lower. A slightly longer scale length can help with tuning stability if you’re tuning way down to around C or B. Baritone guitars can be a good option as they have a much longer scale length – usually around 27”, and have a regular tuning of B-B.
Some of the best metal guitars have more strings. 7 and even 8-string guitars provide a much wider frequency range. You’ve still got the high end with your top strings, allowing you more space to solo but when you need that earth-shattering low end, you’ve got it at your disposal with an additional low string.
Does guitar body shape matter?
Believe it or not, there’s no law that states all metal should be played on a pointy guitar. Of course, a guitar that can double as a weapon adds to the metal aesthetic but, they don’t always make for comfortable instruments when you’re sat down. So, if you do a lot of your riff writing at home, sat down before you take it to the rehearsal room, then you might want to look for something with a body shape that allows for that.
Sometimes though, simplicity can do the job; a black guitar with a standard body shape can be just as metal as a pointy V – it’s all down to the player!
Should I choose a hardtail or locking trem?
When looking at a range of metal guitars, you again need to think about which styles of metal you want to play, and your overall playing style.
Are you a rhythm guitarist who needs something super solid and reliable? If that’s the case, a hardtail is probably the bridge to go for, as the strings won’t be able to slip out of tune as easily as they would if you had a tremolo. Either a string-thru or tune-o-matic style bridge setup would work best for you.
If you’re more of a lead player who loves doing dive-bombs and crazy trem-based effects, then something with a locking Floyd-Rose style tremolo system should be your go-to. A locking trem stops your strings from slipping out of tune, by – you guessed it – locking the strings at the nut.
Read more about our rating system, how we choose the gear we feature, and exactly how we test each product.
How we choose the best metal guitars
At Guitar World, we're not just writers; we're devoted metalheads with a wealth of live and studio experience. Our process of selecting the best metal guitars involves a meticulous examination of tonal aggression, playability, build quality, and value for money. Rigorously tested across various metal genres, our recommendations meet the demands of that most discerning type of guitarist; the metalhead.
Precision and power define the metal genre, and our selection mirrors this ethos. We'd never recommend something that we wouldn't use ourselves, and having played in many metal bands over the years, we know what's expected of a properly good metal guitar.
Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned shredder, the products in this guide will cover a spectrum of metal guitars, from affordable options to extended-range instruments. Each recommendation has earned its place through rigorous testing, ensuring it aligns with the uncompromising standards of the metal genre.
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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.
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