Price: $399/£299 | Body: Mahogany | Neck: Mahogany | Scale: 24.75” | Fingerboard: Pau Ferro | Frets: 22 | Pickups: Alnico Classic Pro humbuckers | Controls: Volume x 2, Tone x 2 | Hardware: Chrome | Left-handed: Yes | Finish: Metallic Gold, Ebony, Pelham Blue, Pacific Blue, Wine Red. Electric guitars, with one of the best guitar amps in tow, naturally, cover a lot of bases, and any of the guitars listed below provide plenty in the way of creative expression. If being flashy is more your style, then you’re better off opting for the custom SE range with its flamboyant flamed top goodness. You’re no doubt starting to see a trend in the finishes from Mr. Paul Reed Smith, and who can hate on the flamed tops? The quality and variety is staggering, thanks to the improvement in manufacturing methods, which has raised the bar on quality control in the entry-level guitar market. But there is more to this subject than that. The Custom 24 comes in an amazing charcoal burst finish, spread via a flamed maple veneer across a mahogany body, and beautiful maple top. Of course, Noel Gallagher is the obvious reference point, but the quality playing was being performed by Suede’s Bernard Butler. The most obvious addition you’ll notice is the Flloyd Rose locking tremolo system, something any metal guitarist will struggle to live without! Gibson ES 335 - The Most Versatile Guitar Ever? 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. The 10 Best Taylor Guitars of 2020 (complete reviews). All rights reserved. Elsewhere, you’ll want to consider the tone woods employed in a guitar’s construction as each has its own tonal properties and weight, while the included hardware – like the bridge and tuners - will also have a significant impact on a guitar’s durability and performance. The Epiphone Les Paul Traditional Pro III is the Gibson offshoot brand’s best beginner electric guitar, and it packs all that knowledge and understanding into a near-perfect package here. Though on records he has mainly opted for Les Pauls (to contrast with Black Francis’ omnipresent Telecasters), you’ll more often than not see him opting for a delicious Cherry ES-345. Chuck’s red Gibson probably did more to put Gibson’s ES on the map than any other. Let’s now take a look at our top electric guitars for beginners…, The best beginner electric guitar for small budgets – a great all-rounder, Price: $299/£299 | Body: Alder | Neck: Maple | Scale: 25.5" (648 mm) | Fingerboard: Rosewood | Frets: 22 | Pickups: Alnico V Humbucker x 1, Alnico V Single Coils x 2 | Controls: Master Volume, Master tone with push/pull coil split | Hardware: Chrome | Left-handed: Yes | Finish: Natural, Black, Old Violin Sunburst, Red Raspberry, Silver, Sonic Blue. This type of sound is what BB King excelled at. Now, with this specific model, you’re looking at an incredible sapphire finish, again achieved with a flame maple veneer with the identical mahogany build construct as the Custom 22. First introduced in 1993, the Yamaha Pacifica 112V has earned its place at the table of quality electric guitars for beginners. We should know, as between all of us on the Guitar World team have been playing for a very, very long time. If you aren't sure what these are, learn more in our guide to the best electric guitar pickups. So with this you’re essentially getting the beef of a Les Paul, with the versatility to switch to a twangy Telecaster or Strat tone! If the Strat itself doesn’t appeal to you, the beginner-friendly range extends to include Telecasters, Jaguars and Jazzmasters, so there is bound to be a guitar that suits you at this early stage in your guitar playing journey. Wondering what the best acoustic guitars are from iconic brand Taylor? That can only mean one thing: you've decided you want to learn the guitar, and we couldn't be more excited to welcome you to this super special club! Put simply, it’s hard to find a six-string in our best beginner electric guitars round-up that doesn’t tick all of these boxes and then some. That said, having played one ourselves, we can confidently say that this guitar is no mere toy. Let’s take a look at what makes it special: The bird inlays are famously ‘PRS’, and can be mostly seen on their premium guitar models. Swans’ Michael Gira takes this further, using a Gibson Lucille to make earth-shattering noises of intensity and great volume. His ES-335/Vox AC30/Rat pedal combo was an electrifying sound that is still proving influential. 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. It is quite versatile in the tones it offers, and I'm not dissatisfied, but I'm curious what others would say is the most versatile instrument they have played? From BB King to Cream-era Clapton, the smoother, more open voice of the 335 is the perfect choice. If you spend the time at the start of your playing journey working out what you enjoy playing, what is comfortable to you and what is important to you in a guitar, your future self will be blessed with a life full of incredible instruments. Receive news and offers from our other brands? Well, the clue is in the name! Two humbuckers deliver a great palette of tones, while the mahogany body ensures sustain that goes for hours. Our advice? If the name on your guitar’s headstock is important to you, we’re very happy to report that both the Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster and the Epiphone Les Paul Traditional Pro III are superb electric guitars for beginners and will complement your playing for years to come. Oh, and if you’re wondering, PRS stands for Paul Reed Smith (the founder and original luthier of the brand). But, we feel this is important information you need to be aware… it’s about looks as much as it is about tone these days (we’re only joking slightly when saying this…). Now, enough of a history lesson… how about those guitars? PRS SE Custom 24 10-Top – Orange Tiger. It also has an 81TW/89 EMG Active pickup. The SE ranges are commonly manufactured in Korea and/or outside the USA, which means they can generally be offered at a cheap price (in the same way that most popular manufacturers offer discounted ranges from outside of the USA manufacturing). Les Pauls, on the other hand, suit harder and heavier styles of music, along with indie, country and rock. If you plan on learning how to play songs by your favorite metal bands, this is the best beginner’s electric guitar for you. Bath Now, we’ve seen PRS rival Fender, Gibson and even Gretsch with their F hole additions. Its ergonomic design makes it lightweight and easy to handle, and a pair of Ibanez humbuckers ensures even the gainiest of gain sounds cut through in a band situation. The Britpop days of the mid 90s were awash with 335’s. His is also a very visible fan of the Bigsby tremolo, a device that wins approval often for its visual triumphs over its practical ones! First thing you’re probably thinking with this specific custom 24 is that it looks expensive… and you’re right. In terms of build quality you’re looking at mahogany back, with that perfect neck ‘scoop’ which is from a beveled maple top. And, if you’re new to the world of seven string guitars, then you might be better checking out our guide to the best seven string guitars before going full steam ahead with the SVN. Often, it's in the hardware that the biggest differences can be found between low-cost guitars and their more superior stablemates. This makes for an extremely versatile, and incredibly attractive, electric guitar for beginners. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. As you’ve seen from our top selections, the flamed maple top is a very common finish on both SE and premium custom ranges.