Best punk guitars 2024: straight-shooting, no-nonsense guitars for punk

Okay, a guide to the best punk guitars may seem a little redundant. As we all know, with the right attitude, just about any guitar can be punk. That said, there are a few staples of the genre that guitarists looking to tear down the establishment flock to time and time again. 

From its formation in the mid-1970s to its countless sub-genre spin-offs throughout the decades, punk guitarists have long favored a no-nonsense six-string that simply gets the job done – and that looks cool slung so low it could almost touch the stage floor.

So with that in mind, for this guide to the best guitars for punk, we've curated a list of straight-shooting instruments that we believe can more than handle the harsh conditions of a rowdy basement show, as well as deliver the gut punching tone you're looking for.

So, dust off your Dickies, lace up your Vans, and allow us to count you in…
1-2-3-4!

Quick list

Best punk guitar overall

The original Les Paul Junior was unleashed on to unexpecting guitarists in 1954, and since then, this stripped-back student model has garnered quite the following, with punks' biggest names using it to devastating effect. 

Beloved for its uncomplicated approach to tone, simplified layout, and seriously dynamic pickup, this is easily one of the best Gibson guitars in their extensive catalog. 

The modern version from Gibson's Orginal Collection does a near-perfect job at replicating the vibe and feel of the earliest models with its slab mahogany body, single dogear P-90 pickup, fat 50's-style neck profile and wraparound bridge. 

So, if you're looking for an unadorned, humble guitar that can deliver an explosive tone at the strike of a power chord, the best punk guitar for you is the Gibson Les Paul Junior. 

Best for retro punks

There are few electric guitars as famous and iconic as Johnny Ramone's beaten-up 1965 Mosrite Ventures II. Johnny was rarely seen without his leather jacket and his beloved Mosrite, with the guitar featuring on all the New York punk's 14 studio albums, as well as being his go-to guitar for every live show. 

Eastwood has managed to capture the magic of that original guitar, and while it isn't an exact clone, it's pretty damn close for the money. 

Featuring an alder body and bolt-on maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, as well as a vintage Mosrite style adjustable roller bridge, this guitar feels solid and well built – and despite its off-kilter look, it's actually very comfortable. 

Best option from Epiphone

Sex Pistol, Steve Jones, and The Clash axeman Mick Jones arguably walked with their iconic Gibson Les Paul Customs so that modern punk players such as Zach Blair could run. 

Beloved for its unprecedented sustain and fierce power, the Les Paul is a near-perfect punk guitar in every way. Now, if you're looking to harness the raw power for yourself but you don't want to spend your life savings on a guitar, then the Epiphone Les Paul is a pretty great choice. 

Featuring the traditional custom bound, all-mahogany body, thin and comfortable 60s neck profile, jet-black ebony fingerboard, and gold hardware, this guitar looks every bit as good as its USA-made big brother, while the Epiphone ProBucker humbuckers ensure it sounds pretty close as well. 

Best punk guitar from Fender

Punk guitarists across the generations have long had a fascination with heavily modified Stratocasters, so it only makes sense to feature one in our list. Whether it's Billie Joe's Fernandes copy "Blue" or Tom Delonge's single pickup tone monster, the Strat has been part of punk for a long time. 

For this guide, we've chosen to showcase the Fender Player Stratocaster HSS, as we believe it not only offers players the tone and feel they need to play hard-hitting punk but also offers superb value for money. 

Featuring an alder body, a modern C-shaped neck and Player Series humbucking bridge pickup, this affordable Strat feels effortless to play and more than delivers on tone. 

Best lightweight option

While your mind may not go immediately to Gretsch when thinking of the best guitars for punk, the retro guitar giant has actually had a long history of showing up in the hands of the genre's most notable players. Everyone from Tim Armstrong of Rancid, Flogging Molly's Dennis Casey, and Poison Ivy from The Cramps have used various Gretsch models over their careers. 

Now, while we certainly could've chosen any number of Gretsch guitars for this list, we consider the Gretsch G5210-P90 Electromatic Jet to embody the no-nonsense attitude of punk the best. 

This singlecut Gretsch features a lightweight chambered mahogany body with a maple top, a mahogany neck with a thin "U" shaped profile, a 12"-radius laurel fingerboard, and a pair of P-90E single-coil pickups.  

Best on a budget

Yes, we've already featured an interpretation of the Mosrite in this guide, but when guitars are this good and this affordable, we have to shout about it. 

The Harley Benton MR-Modern may not be as accurate as the Eastwood Sidejack featured above, but to give credit where credit is due, Thomann's version is considerably cheaper, making it easily one of the best electric guitars under $500 on the market if you want to play heavy hitting punk rock. 

The MR-Modern features a fabulously wonky offset body, a Canadian maple bolt-on neck with Macassar ebony fretboard, glow-in-the-dark neck inlays, and a duo of Artec AHC-90 Soapbar Alnico-5 humbuckers – all for a little over $/£200! 

Best offset for punk

The Fender Jaguar went from surf king in the '60s to a symbol of hope for the disenfranchised youth in the '90s, cementing itself as one of the best offset guitars in the world – so for that reason, we couldn't have a list of the best punk guitars and not include a Jag!

The Fender Vintera '60s Jaguar Modified seamlessly blends the two eras of this wonky guitar. Featuring classic '60s styling with a modern neck profile and hotter pickups, you really do get the best of both worlds here. 

Now, we have to mention that the Jaguar is a short-scale guitar, coming in much smaller than its stable mates, the Telecaster, Stratocaster or Jazzmaster. This difference in length does give the Jag its slinky feel, but if you aren't a fan of short-scale, we suggest you look at the Jazzmaster instead. 

Want to learn more? Take a deep dive into the differences between the Jazzmaster and Jaguar. 

Best for simplicity

Who needs silly extra features like a second pickup or a volume and tone control? Certainly not Descendents legend Stephen Egerton. Now, if you thought the Gibson Les Paul Junior was simple, it has nothing on this heavily modified StingRay. 

Egerton has decided to forgo all controls and the neck pickup on his version of the Music Man classic, resulting in possibly the most straightforward guitar of all time. 

Featuring a lightweight okoume body which is finished in classy Charcoal Frost, a satin maple neck and a chrome-covered custom-wound Music Man humbucker, this guitar offers a no-fuss playing experience and a tone that prove that not everything sux today. 

Best G&L for punk

Rounding off our list of the best punk guitars is the wallet-friendly G&L Fallout Tribute. This modern version of the Fallout takes inspiration from the G&L SC-2 but brings it up to date with contemporary features. 

It may share the body of the Leo Fender-designed SC-2, but the guitar has been reimagined for today's modern player with the addition of a Paul Gagon-designed humbucker in the bridge and P90 pickup in the neck position.

As you'd expect, this makes the Fallout a tonal powerhouse and ideal for high-octane riffage. If you're looking for a comfortable, slim-bodied offset that is more than capable of taking to the stage at a punk show, then the G&L Tribute Fallout is the axe for you. 

Read our full G&L Tribute Series Fallout review

Buying advice

What makes a great punk guitar?

So, when it comes to guitars for punk, most players like to keep it simple. At the end of the day, the majority of punk or pop-punk guitarists aren't switching between various tones on stage. Instead, they are more interested in playing fast, aggressively, and with attitude. 

So, with that in mind, it's very common to see one pickup guitars with simplified control layouts and minimal features. 

Now, as you'd expect, punk guitarists like to play with high levels of gain, so you'll want to make sure your new guitar has a pickup that can handle that much noise. Of course, humbuckers are the norm, as they will not only give you the power needed to push your amp into glorious distortion, but they will also take that pesky noise in their stride. 

That said, many legendary punk players gravitate towards the clear and crisp tone of the P-90 single coil – so choose which sounds best to your ears.  

How we selected the best punk guitars

Here at Guitar World, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything guitar and bass related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our guides.

When choosing what we believe to be the best punk guitars available right now, we combine our hands-on experience, user reviews and testimonies and engage in lengthy discussions with our editorial colleagues to reach a consensus about the top products in any given category.

First and foremost, we are guitarists, and we want other players to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and durability to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best punk guitars on the market right now.

Read more about our rating system, how we choose the gear we feature, and exactly how we test each product.  

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