Selecting the best beginner electric guitar can be an exciting and fulfilling task since you have the option of choosing a model that meets your exact needs. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to find the right fit since there are so many products on the market.
It is essential for beginners to know the most suitable options and how to make the right choice. This article features a review of the best beginner electric guitars and the things to keep in mind as you make your buying decision.
Let's begin!
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Best Beginner Electric Guitar
1. Yamaha Pacifica 112V Electric Guitar
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Since the first launch in the '90s, the Yamaha Pacifica series has displayed exceptional performance and playability. The Yamaha Pacifica 112V is designed to accurately respond to your style and personality so that you can play songs of various genres with it. Whether you are a rock, R&B, country, or blues fan, this guitar will deliver.
This electric guitar can handle different pickup configurations to offer a wide range of sounds. You could play something heavy with sound distortion or something crystal clear with a purity of tone. This instrument features a comfort-contoured body that allows any beginner to pick it up and play it without feeling bulky. It comes with a vintage tremolo bridge, rosewood fingerboard, and a maple neck.
Safe to say that the Pacifica 112V would be a wise choice for your first beginner electric guitar. The black color also adds to this guitar's appeal since it looks exceptionally well. It also features push-pull coil-split controls for the master volume and master tone.
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2. Epiphone SG Electric Guitar
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The Epiphone Gibson SG special is one of the best beginner electric guitars featuring a cherry red body and neck made from Mahogany. It comes with two open-coil humbucking pickups, a stop bar tailpiece, and a carved body. It looks exceptionally stylish and will help you hit the ground running on your guitar journey.
It has a slim D-shaped neck profile which makes it a comfortable option for a novice guitarist. Additionally, t has a scale length of almost 25 inches to provide enough room for you to practice your playing.
The fingerboard has dot inlays to let you keep track of the fret numbers without having to count them each time. This will make it easier to get familiar with the fretboard much faster than with another electric guitar. The controls on the Epiphone SG special are easy to use and allow you to adjust the volume and tones as you play.
This beginner electric guitar offers excellent flexibility since it can accommodate both bridge pickup and the neck pickup. You can start playing this SG electric guitar right out of the box and enjoy the great sound it produces. Best of all, this electric guitar is not that expensive and is among the most affordable electric guitars for beginners.
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3. Epiphone Les Paul 100
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The Epiphone Les Paul 100 is a cheaper bolt-neck model that features all the advantages of a Les Paul electric guitar. The carved top and neck are made from Mahogany, and the fingerboard is made from Rosewood. The high-quality materials comprising this electric guitar ensure that it'll serve you for years to come.
If you buy this Epiphone electric guitar, not only will you have a starter guitar, but it will also hold up as you advance to intermediate and advanced levels of guitar playing. This guitar has high-performance capabilities and also looks professional. You don't have to shy away from the stage or competition with the Les Paul 100 at hand.
The vintage sunburst color gives this electric guitar a classic appearance that enhances the mood of the music you'll be playing. If you consider the value this product offers in relation to its price, you'll realize that it comes at a low cost. As you start learning how to play guitar, the Les Paul 100 will provide all you need to make consistent progress.
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4. Fender Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster Electric Guitar
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Next, we have the Squier Classic Vibe by Fender, one of the best beginner electric guitars on the market. This beautiful beginner guitar is an excellent pick for someone looking for an easy-to-play guitar that is still aesthetically relevant.
It has an alder body with a high-gloss polyester finish, making it look as vibrant as it sounds. It also features a maple neck and a rosewood fingerboard that will give your fingers an easy time as you slide along the fretboard.
The C-shape neck makes this electric guitar more ergonomic which means that it'll be comfortable to handle even for a novice. The single-coil pickups this guitar uses will supply much clarity and warmth in the tones so that you can play country, rock, jazz, and blues without hassle.
You can easily operate the controls of the Fender Squier Classic Vibe with the master volume and master tone controls which are pretty straightforward even for beginners.
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5. Epiphone Les Paul Studio
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The Epiphone Les Paul Studio is another excellent choice for looking for one of the best beginner electric guitars in the guitar world. With a mahogany body and neck and an ergonomic build, this guitar is a great option for practicing guitar fundamentals.
Everything about this electric guitar will inspire you to keep playing, from the red Les Paul design to the high-quality sound. This Les Paul Studio model by Epiphone has dot inlays along the fretboard to help the guitarist keep track of the frets.
Additionally, it can use open-coil pickups and easy controls for adjusting the volume and tones. It is a great option for a beginner since it offers exceptional performance while remaining easy enough for a novice to use.
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Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Beginner Electric Guitars
1. Guitar Body Shape
There are three primary body types for beginner guitars; solid body, semi-hollow, and hollow-body guitars, which we'll look at in detail below.
a. Solid Body Guitars
These guitars are completely solid and don't feature a hole, or chamber-like acoustic guitars do. They are the most common type available in the guitar world. Here are some examples to keep in mind
- Stratocaster Guitars
The Stratocaster by Fender has cutaway horns which allow guitarists to access the high-end frets with little difficulty. This type of electric guitar is built for comfort to let musicians play for long performances without fatigue.
Stratocaster guitars accommodate three single-coil pickups that facilitate the transfer of string vibrations to the guitar amp. You can use all three of them simultaneously for a wide range of sounds, and the tremolo bar will also allow you to adjust the pitch according to preference. If you like playing multiple styles and genres of music, then a Stratocaster is a great choice for you.
- Telecasters
Telecasters are another Fender lineup that features a single cut for easy reach of the higher frets. A telecaster guitar has two single-coil pickups, which you can use separately or together for better sound dynamics. These guitars produce a thin sound that characterizes country music and indie songs. These guitars are not the best fit for your style if you are heavy metal or rock enthusiast.
- Les Paul
These are heavyweight electric guitars that are ideal for heavy metal and rock songs. These electric guitars for beginners use double humbucker pickups and deliver a thick, sustained sound. They also feature a single-cut shape for ease of use along the fretboard.
Fender and Gibson produce some of the best beginner electric guitars in the Les Paul style.
- SG
If you love heavy metal and rock, the SG electric guitars are for you. They have a double horn cutaway build and feature a long neck. These electric guitars are much lighter and cheaper than Les Paul's and can feel unbalanced because of the long neck design.
b. Hollowbody Guitars
Hollowbody guitars are also known as semi-acoustic guitars. They look just like a typical acoustic guitar, but they can be connected to an amplifier through a cable for better sound projection. They have warmer and more dynamic tones but are unfortunately vulnerable to feedback and sound distortion.
c. Semi-Hollow Guitars
A semi-hollow guitar is like a hollow body type, but it includes a solid center block to reduce sound distortion and feedback.
2. Tonewoods
You might think that tonewood is a concept that only applies to acoustic and classical guitars, but you would be wrong. The type of wood used to make your electric guitar will greatly influence the sound you hear. Here are some of the types of wood to expect in electric guitars for beginners.
Mahogany- Mahogany is a strong and expensive type of wood that is quite popular for making guitars. It can be used for various electric guitar parts, such as the body, back, or neck.
Ash- This wood can produce a lot of sustain as you play and provides vibrant mid-range and high-range sounds. This wood has visible grains, but the guitar finishing can be used to conceal it.
Maple- Maple is also used for different guitar parts like the fingerboard, necks, and bodies. It produces clean and responsive tones, making it great for rock, metal, blues, and country genres. j
Basswood - This is another type of wood commonly used in guitars. This is especially because it is a lower price tag than mahogany and other woods. So, if you are looking for a beginner electric guitar that comes at a budget-friendly price range, you should consider basswood guitars.
3. Guitar Necks
The neck of your guitar is also a factor to consider. A more specific element to think about when looking at guitar necks other than the material in the joint. The neck and body of electric guitars can be joined in two primary ways; using a bolt or setting the neck with glue.
A guitar with a bolt-on neck can deliver a brighter and higher sound, while the set-neck types deliver a more harmonic tone. As a beginner, this might not make that much of a difference, but as you continue to perfect your playing skills, you'll understand how this applies.
A less common way of installing the neck is with a neck-through, which is a neck that moves from the top to the bottom of the guitar with the body attached to either side.
4. Scale
The scale of your electric guitar refers to the length of the neck. The scale doesn't directly relate to the fret number since frets can be of different sizes. Nevertheless, a long-scale guitar normally has tighter strings than a short-scale guitar.
A long scale isn't the best choice for beginners since it makes it challenging to perform solo techniques. However, it has a resonant and vibrant sound. On the other hand, a short-scale guitar has less tension which makes it ideal for lower tuning.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the best beginner electric guitar?
In this review, the best beginner electric guitar is the Yamaha Pacifica 112V Electric Guitar, which is made from high-quality materials and has high playability.
2. Should a beginner start with an electric guitar?
Yes, because in contrast to acoustic and classical models, electric guitars are designed to make it easier to play, even for inexperienced guitarists.
3. What is a good price for a beginner electric guitar?
The cheapest electric guitars go for a little over $100, while the high-end options go for almost $900. So, a good compromise could be somewhere in between, depending on your budget and preferences.
