10 Best Beginner Electric Guitars – Guide To Your First Instrument!

Last Updated: November 18, 2019
For our most recent revisit of this important article, we decided to remove a few older models and instead replace them with some popular guitars that are great for beginners! These additions included the retro-infused Gretsch Electromatic G5425, as well as the Oscar Schmidt OE20, the Dean Custom Zone, and the affordable Epiphone Les Paul Special II.

Looking to buy your first guitar? Congratulations – this is a date to remember! Learning the guitar is a life-changing experience, and opens you to a new range of possibilities. But before you can learn, you need a guitar on which to practice and perform.

To help you make an informed decision we have tried, tested and reviewed some of the best beginner’s electric guitars on the market today.

Whether you’re 16 or 60, one of these beautiful guitars will appeal to your taste, style, and budget, and will serve you well for years to come. Stay with us after the chart for a full guide on electric guitars and how to find the best one for you. So here is the list with the best electric guitars for beginners:

Top 10 Best Electric Guitars For Beginners in 2019:

Image	Electric Guitar / Rating	Summary	Check Price
+ -	1. Fender Modern Player Telecaster Total of 4.76/5	A real Fender Tele for a killer price.	Amazon Full Review
+ -	2. Epiphone Les Paul Standard Total of 4.64/5	A beginners jewel by Epiphone. Superb starting axe.	Amazon Full Review
+ -	3. Gretsch Electromatic G5425 Total of 4.70/5	A retro Jet with a lot of value for beginners.	Amazon Full Review
+ -	4. Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster 50s Total of 4.74/5	Old school axe by Fender for the players with extra style.	Amazon Full Review
+ -	5. Ibanez RG450DX Total of 4.50/5	After almost 30 years, still a great pick.	Amazon Full Review
+ -	6. Yamaha Pacifica Series PAC112V Total of 4.58/5	The classic Yamaha Pacifica with outstanding value.	Amazon Full Review
+ -	7. Oscar Schmidt OE20 Total of 4.62/5	Plenty for beginners to enjoy on this handsome Les Paul.	Amazon Full Review
+ -	8. Squier Affinity Jazzmaster HH Total of 4.72/5	Squier strip away the complication to deliver a fantastic Jazzmaster!	Amazon Full Review
+ -	9. Epiphone Les Paul Special II Total of 4.60/5	An authentic Les Paul with a budget price tag.	Amazon Full Review
+ -	10. Dean Custom Zone Total of 4.55/5	Striking style from an affordable metal machine!	Amazon Full Review

In the past, buying an electric guitar wasn’t always as satisfying as it should be. In the days before the internet, you had to rely on the wisdom of your local guitar store, a couple of magazines, and your gut instinct.

You may have ended up with something half decent – if you were lucky – but rarely would you have found your ‘dream guitar’. In fact, without the internet, you probably weren’t aware it even existed!

These days things are different. Thousands of guitars are available to you at the click of a button. You can find everything you need online, from any kind of guitar you could imagine, to amps, strings and even some top-rated guitar lessons for beginners.

As long as you are willing to do some research, you’re likely to walk away with something that really appeals to you and will continue to please you as you grow into a good guitar player.

The Electric Guitar Buying Guide for Beginners

When buying your first guitar, it’s sensible to stop and think about what you are buying it for. Is it just something to learn on? Will you be upgrading in a year or two when you start thinking about forming a band, gigging, and recording?

If so, you may be better off trying one of these affordable electric guitars, which all offer a solid platform on which to learn.

Whatever budget you’re on, you will always be able to find a suitable guitar. Even in the $100 price range you can find some models that play nicely. However, in that super-budget market there is a lot of garbage, so be careful. There’s a difference between ‘affordable’ and ‘cheap’, so do your research before buying something that may offer no value.

Even if you are on a budget, it’s always worth looking in the higher price brackets and considering something a little more expensive, which will offer better sound quality (which is always encouraging), better build quality (usually more comfortable to hold and play), looks cooler (which will keep you motivated), and will last you longer – allowing you to grow with the guitar.

It’s best to buy at the top end of what you can afford. For additional inspiration, make sure to check out this electric guitar list.

Always factor in the size of your instrument. If you are a young player – or are buying a guitar for a child – consider that small hands playing on a full-size guitar may be more difficult than if you had an electric guitar made for kids.

The Anatomy Of An Electric Guitar

If you are serious about buying a guitar and learning how to play on it, you should be familiar with everything one can offer, from woods to pickups. Here’s a brief picture of some of the most important components that make up a guitar, and what you should look out for when browsing:

Body Style

Before we go into the parts of an electric guitar, it’s worth noting that there are three different body types: solid body, hollow body, and semi-hollow body. The main difference between them is the way the bodies are constructed, and the amount of resonance they produce.

If you’re into punk, rock, metal, or any style of fast or heavy music, then it should be solid body all the way. It allows for louder sounds and more sustain, while avoiding the feedback issues that affect some hollow bodied instruments at higher volumes.

The hollow and semi-hollow bodied guitars on the market will appeal to players who prefer softer styles, such as jazz, country and blues, as well as soft rock and pop, as they offer a full, rich and more resonant sound with lots of bass.

Beginners will be best off sticking to a solid bodied guitar, as they are easier to handle in most scenarios. For the rest of this anatomical breakdown we’ll focus on solid body guitars.

Body Shape

Solid body guitars offer a fantastic platform for builders, allowing them to craft the wood into literally any shape.

Naturally you’ll probably want to opt for a guitar with a single-cutaway Les Paul or Telecaster style shape, or a double-cutaway shape like a Stratocaster, Yamaha Pacifica, or Ibanez’s RG.

However, the more extroverted beginner can check out some cool styles that always catch the attention, such as V or Z shaped guitars, or anything from Dean Guitars – especially if you want an eye-catching paint job!

Body Wood

Although it’s a minor issue when choosing your first guitar, the tone and sustain that the guitar can produce relies on the quality of the material it’s made from.

The most used tonewoods in the budget range are basswood, poplar, alder, and paulownia, while more expensive guitars can be made from pine, mahogany, and swamp ash. This is just a rough rule though – these days you will find mahogany in budget guitars and basswood in premium models.

They all have different tonal qualities – for example, mahogany typically offers a warmer sound, swamp ash is brighter, while basswood and alder are well-balanced.

Necks

As for necks, the majority of guitars will have either a maple or mahogany neck, with a rosewood, maple or ebony fretboard. Again, there’s no right or wrong, and a neck wood is never going to sway your decision.

But you should choose something that feels smooth and comfortable to play. There are a variety of shapes and profiles, and what you go for will depend on personal preference and playing style.

For example, a modern C-shaped neck is always a safe choice as the majority of guitarists will feel comfortable using it, while a thin U-shape is great for faster players (think punk rock and metal).

Pickups

There are two main types of pickup you’ll find on a guitar suitable for beginners: a single-coil pickup and a humbucker pickup. Without bogging you down in the details of how they work, the single-coil is the classic original pickup, which typically offers a bright and sparkly sound.

As they cut through the mix, single-coils are excellent pickups for lead players. Then comes the faithful humbucker, which – as the name suggests – ‘bucks’ the hum, meaning less background noise.

Humbuckers produce full, meaty sounds found across the world of rock and metal, and are great for lead and rhythm guitar. However you can still play fast punk rock powerchords with a single-coil, just like you can play an upbeat country number with a humbucker!

You’ll usually find two or three pickups on a guitar, although some models will offer just one. Guitars with two or more pickups will come fitted with a pickup selector switch to quickly change between them.

Frets

The frets are those thin metal bars running down the neck, which act as note separators, allowing you to play individual notes and chords. Most guitars will feature 22 frets, although those more rock and metal-inclined will sometimes offer 24, allowing you to reach higher notes.

As a beginner it shouldn’t really bother you whether you have 21, 22, or 24 frets. It’s only as you grow into the instrument you’ll find what works best for you.

Bridge

There are several kinds of bridge (located at the bottom of the guitar, where the strings are attached), but to keep things simple you’ll usually find either a fixed bridge or a tremolo bridge. Both have their pros and cons.

A tremolo bridge will allow you to experiment with everything from vibrato effects right up to full-on divebombs, and can sound amazing when playing high lead solos. However, tremolo bridges can affect tuning, unless the bridge and nut locks.

A fixed bridge is excellent for sustain and tuning stability, although there’s no vibrato. Again, it’s all down to personal preference.

Now you’re a little more informed on the parts that make up a guitar, which may help you when shopping around. For a summary that covers everything we’ve talked about, check out this useful video:

What is The Easiest Type of Electric Guitar to Play?

When buying an electric guitar for the very first time, you may be confused over what is better for you as a beginner – a solid body, a hollow-body or a semi-hollow body.

While you can learn on any of these, we recommend a solid-body guitar, which includes all the models featured on this page. The main advantage of a solid body guitar for beginners is that they are easier to control in front of an amplifier.

By this we mean you are unlikely to experienced squealing feedback from the amp, which can be a big annoyance when it happens all the time. Solid body guitars are often simpler to hold as well, as hollow models tend to be a bit bigger in size.

As we have mentioned above, the more you spend on an electric guitar, the better it should be in terms of playability. If you can aim higher than a super-low budget model, you will be rewarded with upgrades such as a smoother, flatter neck and an easier playing experience all-round.

How Much Should I Pay for a Beginner Electric Guitar?

Technically there is no limit to how much you should pay when buying your first electric guitar. If you have the budget you could learn on something very expensive – similar to learning how to drive in a Ferrari!

However, it isn’t necessary to spend so much on a beginner’s electric guitar. With so many guitar brands and models on the market, manufacturers have had to up their game to ensure their guitars meet a better standard at a lower price.

You can spend under $100 on a beginner’s electric guitar and this would be perfectly acceptable – especially if you are not sure if the instrument is for you. Why waste money if you aren’t sure if you’ll stick to it?

However, if you have aspirations of the stage or recording, you may want to invest a few hundred dollars in something that looks, feels, plays and sounds higher quality. This will save you money in the long run (as you won’t have to upgrade so soon) and will give you a guitar that will be ready for performance when you are.

What’s the Difference Between a Beginner and an Advanced Guitar?

As we have mentioned, it is difficult to categorize a ‘beginner’ or ‘advanced’ electric guitar. Technically, if a newbie wanted to learn on a $2,000 axe, they could. And, if Steve Vai wanted to perform on a $150 starter guitar, then he could!

However, in most cases, there are some differences between what we would class as a beginner electric guitar and an advanced model.

For example, a beginner would benefit from a comfortable and lightweight body, as you wouldn’t really want to wrestle with a heavy, awkward body while trying to simultaneously learn your chords.

However, an advanced player, who is used to playing and holding a guitar, may prefer a heavier body as the heavier the guitar, the better the tone and sustain (in theory at least). It’s therefore wise for beginners to go with a thinner or lighter wood body (such as basswood), as well as an easy-to-hold body shape, such as a Les Paul, Telecaster or Stratocaster (instead of a Flying V, or something similarly awkward).

Looking at hardware and an advanced player may want a range of pickups as well as a lot of controls. For example, they may fancy two humbuckers with coil-splitting capabilities, as well as individual volume and tone controls for each pickup.

Maybe throw in a killswitch too! However, all of this would be excessive for a complete beginner, who would be better off with two humbuckers, one master volume and one master tone control.

Finally, tremolo bridges can be used by both beginners and advanced players, yet a beginner would usually be better off with a fixed bridge. The reason being that adding a variable such as tremolo (aka the whammy bar) isn’t likely to be that useful when you are just learning your first notes and chords.

Tremolos can also negatively affect tuning stability depending on the guitar, which is another reason to avoid them unless you know the guitar is reliable in its tuning (the guitars with tremolo arms that we have highlighted in our chart are reliable enough to justify their inclusion!).

Do You Need an Amplifier for an Electric Guitar?

It may sound like you are asking an obvious question, but it is a very valid question indeed!

First off, no law says you must have an amplifier to play an electric guitar. If you don’t have the budget for one or you just don’t want one for any reason, that’s fine – you can ‘dry practice’. You will still be able to hear yourself playing, although very quietly.

Despite this being acceptable, we do advise buying an amplifier at the same time as your first electric guitar, because dry practicing for too long can encourage some bad habits.

For example, with no amp, you may be playing too aggressively to make yourself heard, which is not a good technique to pick up. Also, by not having an amp, you are also missing the important response and feedback that an amp can offer you on your playing techniques.

Besides – playing with an amp sounds so much cooler!

We suggest factoring the price of a small practice amp into your overall guitar budget. While it may mean you need to settle for a slightly cheaper guitar, the benefits of having an amp from your first day of playing are too good to pass up.

So You Have An Electric Guitar Suitable for Beginners! What Now?

First, let’s hope that with the guitar you also bought some essentials, such as an amplifier and a cable, as well as plectrums, a strap, and a bag.

Wherever you purchase your first guitar from, make sure to take it to a local professional or friend with some experience and ask them to set it up for you. They may charge you a few dollars, but it’ll be worth it to have fresh strings, a good action, and correct tuning. If possible, ask them if you can watch how they set it up, so next time you can try it yourself.

Now, you have your first electric guitar and it’s set up nicely. The next thing you ask is “what is the best way to learn guitar?” And the answer is simple – get some lessons! Whether it’s from your local pro, guitar teacher, or from a range of excellent online courses, lessons will teach you the basics – allowing you to start playing songs within a couple of hours.

Are Online Guitar Lessons Any Good?

Yes, most of them are very useful! These days there are hundreds of online tutors offering great guitar lessons. And there’s no need to throw your money at the first offer you see, as a lot of quality instructional and tutorial videos are completely free on platforms such as YouTube.

Generally, paid courses tend to be better because they are tested and are well-structured, and – in theory – you should be able to progress faster. But it all depends on your budget and on your will to learn on your own.

Finally, have you ever heard a definitive answer to the question “how long does it take to learn guitar?” Us neither!

Learning your first chords can take a few hours, but the instrument can take a lifetime to master. But that’s the joy of playing guitar – you never stop learning. It’s down to you to practise and progress, because practise makes perfect!

The Final Word

As you have seen, there are many great options for electric guitars for beginners, whether you are on a strict budget or things are a little more flexible.

We hope our buyer’s guide has helped answer a few questions and that our chart has been able to offer you some inspiration – although don’t be afraid to shop around and look for something different. However, the ten we have highlighted will at least offer you a solid platform on which to learn.

Good luck with your guitar shopping and first lessons, and keep returning to Guitar Fella for all the latest news, reviews and advice!