If you're interested in learning to play the electric guitar, it's important that you have a strong starting point.
The best way to start strong is to get a great first electric guitar - most importantly, one that's great for you.
Shopping for a great beginner electric guitar can be time consuming. Many new guitar players question how much they should spend, and what exactly they should look for when choosing their first guitar.
To best help you choose your first electric guitar, we asked each of the responding guitar teachers the following questions about beginner electric guitars:
- What should a beginner guitarist look for when shopping for an electric guitar?
- What should a beginner guitarist be prepared to spend on an electric guitar?
- What would you say is the best electric guitar for beginners?
- What makes it awesome?
With each response, we've included links to the respondents' websites so you have a place to start taking lessons when you're ready.
Hopefully these responses will help you make the best decision on your first electric guitar.
Let's dive in.
Top 10 Beginner Electric Guitars - According to Guitar Teachers
Mike from The Art of Guitar
What should a beginner guitarist look for when shopping for an electric guitar?
Playability is key. Learning on a poorly constructed guitar can really take the fun out of the whole process and may even convince you that guitar is harder than it really has to be. I'd avoid getting a V shape right off the bat because they are strange to sit and play, and you'll be sitting and playing a lot in the beginning.
What should a beginner guitarist be prepared to spend on an electric guitar?
I've seen decent beginner guitars run from $50 to $300, but you'll have to spend a bit more than this because you also need an amplifier.
What would you say is the best electric guitar for beginners?
Something like this would be great. There are cheaper ones but I'm skeptical of a guitar and amp costing only $99.
Yamaha Gigmaker EG Electric Guitar Pack
What makes it awesome?
The guitar and amp look like they're decent, shouldn't give you many issues and when you're ready to move up in the guitar world you can pass it off to your younger sibling without guilt.
Bobby Crispy
What should a beginner guitarist look for when shopping for an electric guitar?
Make sure it feels comfortable, especially the fretboard and body. Make sure there are no buzzing notes and that the frets are flat and even. Avoid electric guitars with whammy bars as they may be too difficult to tune for beginner guitar players and make the guitar more expensive (maybe one on the next electric guitar you buy). The tuning heads should be easy to tune and stay in place, and try playing the guitar through an amplifier to check for a good sound quality (hopefully no humming or buzzing).
What should a beginner guitarist be prepared to spend on an electric guitar?
Around $100-$200. You may want to avoid guitars that are less than $100 as you get what you pay for. You don't want to be playing a bad quality electric guitar as they sound bad and are very difficult to tune and play.
What would you say is the best electric guitar for beginners?
The best electric guitar for beginners would probably be a Fender Squier Stratocaster.
Squier by Fender Bullet Stratocaster
What makes it awesome?
The Squire Stratocaster is made by Fender, so for sure they are good quality, and for a great price!
Monique Hernandez-Fuentes from Guitar Tricks
What should a beginner guitarist look for when shopping for an electric guitar?
You should make sure that the action is set nice and low (even lower than an acoustic). Be sure to plug it in when trying it out to make sure the electronics don't pop or scratch in a way that makes the guitar hard to hear.
What should a beginner guitarist be prepared to spend on an electric guitar?
With electric guitars, you can plan on spending $200 - $500 on a decent instrument.
What would you say is the best electric guitar for beginners?
Squier by Fender Affinity Stratocaster Beginner Electric Guitar
What makes it awesome?
The Squier Affinity series is a great beginner instrument. All of the bodies & necks have been CNC manufactured, so they are consistent and solidly built. In recent years, Fender has completely re-hauled the Squier series of instruments to make them decent introductory level instruments, at a great introductory cost to the beginner player. You can choose from Strats, Teles and even Jazzmaster style guitars!
Andrew Clarke from Guitareo
Website | YouTube | Facebook | Awake O Sleeper (Andrew's band)
What should a beginner guitarist look for when shopping for an electric guitar?
The main thing you need to pay attention to when looking for an electric guitar is style. There are many styles of electric guitars out there, and they are all designed to do a slightly different thing. So the first things you should ask yourself are what style of music do you want to play? And what kind of sound am I going for?
Think of your favorite guitar player, what type of guitar does he/she use? That might be a good starting point. Do some searching online and listen to the differences between the various electric guitar archetypes.
What should a beginner guitarist be prepared to spend on an electric guitar?
It's worth it to spend at least $300 or $400 if you can. It's always going to be a good idea to go with a reputable brand and with a bigger budget you can get into some of the higher quality series from Squier (Fender) and Epiphone.
What would you say is the best electric guitar for beginners?
Squier by Fender Classic Vibe 50's Telecaster
What makes it awesome?
The Telecaster was the first solid body guitar and is a great all-around instrument. Since their introduction, they've been used in just about every genre of music.
There are more affordable Telecaster-style guitars out there, but the Classic Vibe series from Squier is a step above the rest for its price. If this guitar is a bit out of your price range, it's worth it to look for a used one rather than going with a cheaper alternative.
Jeffrey Thomas
Note: Jeff wanted to mention that he's offering a free lesson via Skype.
What should a beginner guitarist look for when shopping for an electric guitar?
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Tuning - Make sure the tuning pegs work. Sounds like a given but I have seen problems with the gears on brand new guitars so don't assume they are fine.
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Intonation - Put the guitar on a tuner and get it the open strings in tune. Then play the strings at the 12th fret for each string. This note should be a octave higher than the open not. If it's sharp or flat then the intonation is out and I would make sure it is fixed as part of the sale.
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Sharp Overhanging Frets - Check for sharp overhanging frets on the bass and treble sides.
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Dead spots and high frets - Check for dead spots or high frets. Literally play each note from open until you run out of frets. If you hit a dead note it will not play or sound buzzy. This means the guitar needs fret work.
What should a beginner guitarist be prepared to spend on an electric guitar?
I would say anywhere from $150 to $350 is the entry level guitar.
What would you say is the best electric guitar for beginners?
Squier by Fender Affinity Stratocaster Beginner Electric Guitar
What makes it awesome?
I like Fender - they make a consistent product and have great warranties. They sell electric packages with everything you will need to get started on electric guitar - amp, gig bag, strap, method book, etc.
Erich from Your Guitar Sage
Website | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram
What should a beginner guitarist look for when shopping for an electric guitar?
Budget, feel and sound! Don't worry about who plays what or brand names. NONE of that matters if the guitar does not FEEL good to you and have the SOUND that you are looking for. Of course, most people have a budget and there is no need in trying $2000 guitars if you can't afford one, except for expanding your education about different types of guitar.
With electric specifically, it's important to ask what genre's of music do you want to play and who are your influences. A humbucker pick-up found in Les Pauls and SGs sound MUCH different than single-coils found in Stratocasters and Telecasters. If you like the sound of your guitar heroes, chances are you will like playing through similar gear. Again, go with my BUDGET, FEEL and SOUND trifecta!
What should a beginner guitarist be prepared to spend on an electric guitar?
You can get an okay electric guitar for $200, but a $600 budget will get you a much better guitar. An MIM (Made in Mexico) Fender Stratocaster is a LOT of bang for the buck. If you are looking for humbuckers, try an Epiphone Les Paul. GREAT guitar for the money.
What would you say is the best electric guitar for beginners?
Fender Standard Stratocaster Electric Guitar
What makes it awesome?
Great tone and feel and it does NOT break the bank.
Rob Swift
What should a beginner guitarist look for when shopping for an electric guitar?
You will need to decide if you want to buy a Gibson or Fender style guitar, as the tonal possibilities are much different. I suggest researching the preferences of your favorite players. Beginners may want to start on the entry level versions, Epiphone by Gibson and Squire by Fender.
Many beginner students may decide to buy a used instrument, if so, then be wary of common flaws such as:
- High Action - Excessive distance between the strings and the fret board.
- Warping - Abrupt sinking and swelling of the body.
- Splitting - Cracking of the finish and, in more extreme cases, the wood itself.
What should a beginner guitarist be prepared to spend on an electric guitar?
I would say that the $250-$300 range is the area where you start to find instruments that you can progress on for several years.
What would you say is the best electric guitar for beginners?
Squier by Fender Standard Stratocaster
What makes it awesome?
You can't go wrong with a squire stratocaster. It's basically the same thing the pros are using minus a few bells and whistles. They sound and look fantastic, and can always be upgraded.
Bryan Mays
What should a beginner guitarist look for when shopping for an electric guitar?
Comfort should be the first thing any guitarist should look for when shopping for a guitar. Other than that I would say - how cool does it look?
What should a beginner guitarist be prepared to spend on an electric guitar?
$100-250. Many retailers offer beginner packages with just about everything you need to start.
What would you say is the best electric guitar for beginners?
Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar Player Package,
What makes it awesome?
Epiphone guitars are always great for starters but, Beyond that it comes with amp, cable, strap, tuner, picks, as well as downloadable lessons.
All that for $204.00
Marty Schwartz from MartyMusic
YouTube | Instagram | Facebook
What should a beginner guitarist look for when shopping for an electric guitar?
Try and get low action and make sure it can stay in tune. Also, comfort with a strap and standing should be taken into consideration.
What should a beginner guitarist be prepared to spend on an electric guitar?
$300-$500 would be ideal, but sometimes you can get lucky at a garage sale.
What would you say is the best electric guitar for beginners?
If you can afford it, a used Mexican made Fender Stratocaster is the way to go.
Fender Standard Stratocaster
What makes it awesome?
It's right in the sweet spot of quality and price. Great playing guitars especially if you find a used one and get a good deal on it!
Carl Brown
Website | YouTube | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
What should a beginner guitarist look for when shopping for an electric guitar?
One that is balanced so that you can sit down and practice without having to hold the guitar up. A Fender Strat is a great guitar that fits like a glove but will also sit very comfortably on your leg without falling off.
What should a beginner guitarist be prepared to spend on an electric guitar?
I always recommend spending a little more money in the beginning. If you start with a complete bottom of the line starter guitar, you are going to want to upgrade within a few months. I always recommend going for a midrange priced guitar between $350-$800.
What would you say is the best electric guitar for beginners?
Fender Offset Series Mustang MN Faded Mocha FSR
What makes it awesome?
I think a Fender Strat or any strat style guitar is the most versatile way to go. It feels great to hold and you can make it sound like anything you want. Even if someone doesn't go with a Fender guitar, I think a strat style guitar (almost every guitar manufacturer makes one), would be the best way to start.