Electric guitar: The best 10 electric guitars on the market (2023)

Five practical tips for buying the best electric guitar

1. Buy quality: Traditional brands are always the best option. A little further down we leave you a small section with the best brands of electric guitars, so you can play it safe.
2. Versatility: The best electric guitars are the most versatile. They have many equalization options, H-S-H microphone configuration, five-position selector… Those are the best options.
3. Value for money: There are guitars of 1000€ that can easily beat others of 3000€. That’s what the best value for money is all about. In our comparison of the best electric guitars of 2019 we have selected those golden nuggets that are rather affordable ,yet outperform higher-end guitars.
4. Reputable stores: You can buy online on Amazon.es , which is one of the best department stores. All our partners have very good after-sales service.
5. Verify the integrity of the instrument: Even if you buy online, you always have the option for returns. You are investing your money and it has to be worth it: test the guitar, check that the paint is in excellent condition, that the potentiometers have no unwanted noises, try everything.

What are the best electric guitar brands?

In the world of musical instruments, there are many brands that have left their mark for their high quality construction, designs, innovation and technology. Here are the best brands of electric guitars:

1. Ibanez: it owes its name to the renowned Valencian Salvador Ibanez, a luthier who stands out for the quality of his designs. Ibanez was founded in Japan in 1957, and since then, they have designed guitars and basses of the highest quality, as well as several Joe Satrini and Steve Vai signature guitars.
2. Fender: founded by Leo Fender in 1940 and then sold in 1965. It’s perhaps the most recognized brand worldwide. Its models are characterized for being traditional, for keeping the best analog sounds on the market and because the best guitarists in the world recommend it.
3. Yamaha: this brand is a landmark in the manufacture of musical instruments, founded by Torakusu Yamaha. Its most emblematic model is the Yamaha Pacífic, a guitar with a very good quality-price ratio.
4. Gibson: Orobel Gibson is the architect of this company that is synonymous with quality and tradition. Since 1952, it has manufactured the iconic Gibson Les Paul, which is the best-selling series in the history of the electric guitar.
5. Epiphone: initially it was Gibson’s biggest competitor, but in the 50’s it was absorbed by Gibson, and since then they have launched models such as the ‘Les Paul Standar’ iconized by the great Bob Marley.
6. Harley Benton: is a brand created by Masikhaus Thomann of the Thomann musical instrument store. Its main features are: quality, affordable prices and a wide variety of designs.
7. Parker: is perhaps the greatest synonym for innovation in the service of music. Founded in 1993 by Ken Parker and Larry Fishman. It’s characterized by the use of materials such as carbon fibers, titanium and various metal alloys for winding microphones and strings.
8. Music Man: founded by Leo Fender in 1971, is a company that manufactures high-tech instruments and where Parker got his inspiration. It’s represented by guitarists such as John Petrucci and its most characteristic guitar is the Majestic.

Parts of an electric guitar

Like any other guitar, the electric guitar is composed of a body, neck, fretboard, bridge and headstock. To these basic parts of any guitar, we must add the microphones, potentiometers, microphone selector, tremolo lever and ¼” jack input.

• Body: manufactured in solid wood, with good mechanical properties, resistance to breaking and bending. It’s the most resonant part of the instrument, and is responsible for the quality of its sound.
• Neck: is where the fingerboard and frets are located. The wood used in this part is the most resistant to breakage and bending. A steel rod (web rod) is placed inside the core to be adjusted when calibration is required.
• Fretboard: an attachment on the top of the neck. The fretboard is the part of the electric guitar that receives the most wear and tear from the fingers plucking the strings. Its wood is generally the darkest.
• Bridge: is a piece of hardware located on the body of the guitar, before the microphones. It’s in charge of holding the strings and contains rails that allow adjusting the physical ratio of distance per height, for harmonization.
• Headstock: located in the headstock of the guitar, it’s the hardware in charge of tensioning the strings to achieve the different types of tuning.
• Microphones: electronic devices that capture sound and partially process it to send it to the audio output.
• Potentiometers: these are tone regulators that capture the sound picked up by the microphones to process it and give it different nuances (brightness, medium, low) that may vary depending on the range of potentiometers used.
• Microphone selector: is an electronic device that allows you to switch between the different microphones on the electric guitar.
• Tremolo lever: it’s a steel bar that is attached to the bridge, it must be held with the plectrum hand and is used to perform vibrato effects on the strings, by means of tension (stretching upwards) or bending (bringing the body of the guitar closer).
• 1/4 Jack Input: is the connector where the output cable is installed to transmit the guitar sound to an amplifier or sound and effects processor.

What are the differences between a beginner, an intermediate and an advanced electric guitar?

In essence, the difference between these guitars is determined by the quality of the material and its components.

Timbers

• In electric guitars for beginners , the body is usually made of Agathis, Poplar, Alder and Basswood. However, the neck is usually made of rosewood, or maple. Generally, the wood is poorly selected and often has small imperfections. There are some inexpensive electric guitars for beginners that are composed of veneer-type layers.
• On the other hand, for the intermediate level electric guitar , the body woods are alder, maple, mahogany and basswood, all solid and better selected.
• And for high-end electric guitars, the woods are usually mahogany or American basswood. They are also available in maple. These are woods that have undergone a rigorous selection process and are free of imperfections.

Electronic system

• This is where the real difference between guitars of different ranges lies. Beginner electric guitars use generic microphones, potentiometers and selectors that are not from specialized brands.
• In contrast, mid-range guitars incorporate microphones from specialized brands such as Seymor Duncan, Dimarzio and some use active systems (powered by a 9V battery with processors that clean the sound).
• High-end guitars also incorporate microphones from brands such as Dimarzio and Seymor Duncan, but include configurations with models such as Edge, Raptor, Expedition and others. These microphones provide an impressive richness of sound: clear treble and deep bass. These are special, high-priced microphones that only high-end electric guitars come with in the factory. You can listen to the sound differences between Dimarzio and Seymor duncan HERE.

Hardware

• The frets on an electric guitar for beginners are brass, single or medium jumbo, get worn down rather easily as they are not very thick.
• However, On mid and high end guitars, the frets are Jumbo (large) and extra jumbo (extra large). Do not wear easily and can even be made of stainless steel and some alloys such as carbon fiber or others, which add economic, aesthetic and durability values.
• Another piece of hardware that changes is the tuning keys (tuning pegs), which in beginner guitars, the material is cheap and can move easily (they go out of tune a lot).
• But in the mid and high ranges, the tuners are precision ones: they can have blockers to keep from moving, the bridge can be original Floyd Rose or Edge III, everything is of higher quality and precision.

Types of electric guitar

In our point of view, the only relevant classification of electric guitars is based on what type of body the guitar has, and there are only three:

• Solid: it’s made of solid wood, without hollows.
• Semi hollow: has a partial opening that generally covers half of the body, while the other half is solid and is identified because the opening can be seen through a hole in the lid.
• Hollow: has a hollow soundboard (top, sides and back) just like a classical guitar and is identified because the manufacturer leaves two openings on the top.

What are the differences between an electric and an electro-acoustic guitar?

Although the differences are obvious, it can still be a bit unclear for some people. Both types of guitars have certain similarities that can sometimes confuse us: they are both made of wood, have microphones, metal strings and are connected to a sound amplifier source, some with a ¼” Plus cable and others with a canon cable. The main differences are explained below:

Construction

The design on both types of electric guitars is different. Why?

• In the construction of electroacoustic guitars, the soundboard follows the same design as in acoustic guitars (hollow): with a perforated soundboard and rods that hold the structure, but the neck can be almost identical at times.
• In electric guitars, such a soundboard doesn’t always exist. Instead, most versions have a solid body. And yet, this can still be confusing. There are electric guitars with semi-hollow and hollow bodies (hollow like an acoustic) although in essence, the electro-acoustic guitar continues to have the traditional shape.

Electronics

• In electroacoustic guitars, the electronic system is composed of a microphone of which the coil (magnet and internal wires) are more specialized to capture the natural sound, and the equalization controls are a single station.
• On the other hand, in electric guitars, the microphone is composed of a single coil (single) or double coil (humbucker) and the EQ knobs are a set of separate parts.

Strings

Guitar strings are totally different, although this difference is not perceptible to the naked eye as it has more to do with the molecular structure. However, we leave you with this trick: the best way to tell the difference is the string (G) which is smooth on the electric guitar and twisted on the electro-acoustic guitar.

On this list, we have selected the best value for money electric guitars for every level of learning. We explain their characteristics, why we recommend them, their advantages and disadvantages. We want you to have all the tools you need to make the best decision when buying an electric guitar.

Best electric guitars for beginner guitar players

Electric guitar Ibanez IJRG200-BK

Ergonomic design, good sound. You can find it in very affordable packs containing: amplifier, digital tuner, stand, cable, soft cover and supra-aural headphones.

There are none to mention, taking into account that this is a guitar for beginners and not a higher-end one.

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Technical characteristics:

• Color: black, blue, red.
• Weight: 3.kg.
• Bridge system: Tremolo.
• Microphonics: H-H (Humbucker – Humbucker).
• Electronics: Three-position microphone selector lever and two potentiometers (master volume, master tone).

This Ibanez model was launched in the 90s. It’s the most basic and best-selling to date, due to its performance and affordable price. For this reason, it’s in our TOP 3 of the best budget electric guitars at the moment.

Wood:

The Ibanez IJRG200electric guitar has a body designed in basswood. This type of wood offers good resistance to intensive treatment and doesn’t break easily. The neck is made of maple, and has an internal steel rod to calibrate the height of the strings. On the other hand, the fingerboard is made of rosewood: a wood that provides good grip and balanced vibrations.

Design:

The design of the Ibanez electric guitar is ST-Style is Classic Rock Neo Classic, Symphony X Michael Romeo type. It fits very well to the touch on the neck, and when you play standing up, you can see that the body fits effortlessly. The standard Medium Jumbo size has been used for the frets, which is most suitable for beginners.

Ergonomics:

It’s modern, in the purest Heavy style that beginner guitarists like so much. It weighs approximately 3 Kg (somewhat heavy) but the stability in this guitar is appreciated. The touch when plucking the strings is comfortable, and the neck design fits very well in the palm of the hand.

Sound:

It has basic microphonics, but it does the job. The Ibanez electric guitar is ST-Style has an H-H (Humbucker-Humbucker) configuration: these are dual-coil pickups that give it a loaded sound, very desirable for Rock and Heavy Metal.

The microphone selector only has three positions (quite typical in Heavy), and in the first position, it provides quite a clear sound for phrasing. The second position, on the other hand, is not very stable and will not be one you will use often.

On the flip side, the third position is our favorite because the stability is very good. Without a doubt, we think this is what you will most want to play on this guitar.

Another highlight of the Ibanez ST-Style electric guitar is its potentiometers. It has a Pot (A 500K) for volume and a Pot (A 500K) for brightness-mid-low (it’s more brightness than low), the typical configuration for Heavy.

So if you love rock, this Ibanez electric guitar is what you need. Another internal thing we like lies in the electronics of this guitar: the Pot for equalizing the tones has a basic 23.n capacitor that gives a characteristic brightness to position one of the microphone selector.

Conclusion:

There is no doubt that this guitar is special for those who love Rock. Everything about it cries out for a Yngwie Johann Malmsteen piece, and for this reason, we believe it’s the best beginner electric guitar from the brand. Interested? Find the best deals on Thomann.

Yamaha Pacifica 012

Yamaha quality seal. It’s heavy, with stable sound and soft touch.

It lacks one more potentiometer.
With it, we think it would be a great guitar.

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Technical characteristics:

• Color: Black, blue, red.
• Weight: 3.4 kg.
• Bridge system: Tremolo.
• Microphones: H-S-S (Humbucker – Single – Single).
• Electronics: Five-position microphone selector lever and two potentiometers (volume, tone).

The Yamaha Pacifica is the most emblematic electric guitar of the Japanese company. This time, we reveal the secrets of the 012 series, one of the best budget electric guitars.

Timber:

The Yamaha Pacifica 012’s body is made of Agathys wood: this is an affordable wood commonly-used for entry-level guitars, but it has great resistance to shocks and breakage. The neck is made of rosewood, which is easy to shape and very nice to the touch.

In addition, the front wood in the body is maple, which, when mixed with Agathis wood, provides a sound that is ideal for guitars of this type.

Design:

The Yamaha Pacifica 012 electric guitar is an instrument with ST-Style design, comfortable, ergonomic, but heavy: 3.4Kg. Its frets are Medium Jumbo, a good choice for beginner guitarists, but they wear out quickly.

Ergonomics:

As we’ve mentioned before, the Yamaha Pacifica 012 electric guitar is heavy (3.4Kg). At first, you may find it a bit uncomfortable but you will gradually get used to it. The feel of the frets is acceptable, it doesn’t present much difficulty for beginners and you can move through it without problems.

Sound:

The sound of this guitar is fascinating to us, even more so than the Ibanez guitar. It has an H-S-S (Humbucker-Single-Single) with a three-position selector that provides the power of the Humbucker in the first selection to perform phrases (solos).

In the second position, it gives place to the single microphone in the middle. This makes a significant difference in sound, because the strumming sounds great for funky rhythms.

On the other hand, the third selector position has a richly nuanced sound and gives an air of country sounds which brings out the good quality of the microphones. Another aspect we like about the electronics in this guitar are the potentiometers.

It has a (A 500K) for volume and a beautiful (A 250K) for nuances (bass, mid and brightness), this gives depth to the EQ and we highly recommend it. In addition, a 23.nf capacitor, which is common in guitars, is connected to the (Pot A 250K).

All these characteristics evoke the characteristic sounds of Latin Jazz and Funky Groove and that is why the Yamah electric guitar is one of the best on the market.

Conclusion:

This is a Latin jazz, fusion and funk-sounding guitar, ideal for every intermediate guitarist. But you will say that “there are better ones”, we agree on that, but having this characteristic sound is not bad at all. Intrigued? Find the best prices at Thomann.

Epiphone Les Paul Especial VE

Good value for money.

Quite heavy.

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Technical characteristics:

• Color: Cherry Sunburst.
• Peso: 5.kg.
• Bridge system: Tune-O-Matic.
• Microphonics: H-H (Humbucker – Humbucker).
• Electronics: Three-position microphone selector lever and two potentiometers (volume, tone).

This Les Paul series is the best-selling in the history of Epiphone. It has a wonderful, warm sound and many more features that we will detail in this review.

Timber:

Epiphone electric guitars usually use Poplar wood. The Les Paul Especial VE model incorporates this type of wood in the body of the guitar. What are its characteristics? It’s a dense, heavy wood, but with great vibratory capacity.

For this reason, its sound is so balanced. In addition, the neck is made of Okoume, a rare wood that is responsible for the delicate vibrations you feel in your left hand. Okoume wood is also dense, which increases the weight considerably to around 5 kg.

Design:

Epiphone usually designs heavy guitars. It’s a trademark of the company, with its pros and cons. Nevertheless, the Epiphone Les Paul Special VE is quite ergonomic and fits the body well. The feel of the strings is what we like most about the design because it’s smooth: for phrases, the fingers can move easily and strumming doesn’t require a lot of force.

The hardware is another important element: the frets are half-jumbo (common for budget guitars) and the tuning keys are Tune-O-Matic, as is the bridge, and are of very good quality for the price.

Ergonomics:

The Epiphone Les Paul Special electric guitar is a heavy 4.99 kg guitar. So don’t be alarmed if your back and left shoulder become a little heavy during the first three months. To avoid this, we recommend that you rehearse in a seated position, with the girdle on one of your legs. The bright side? The feel of the strings is a delight and will make you forget the ache in your back for a few moments.

Sound:

Warm, full-bodied, or round: these are the three words with which we would describe the sound of this instrument. The sound of this guitar is not only due to its woods,but also to the configuration of its microphones: in the bridge we have an Epiphone 700T Humbucker and an Epiphone 650R Humbucker for the neck.

Both microphones are designed by Epiphone and this is unusual. Therefore, it’s a point that sets them apart from the competition, and is partly responsible for the sound quality.

Its microphone selector switch configuration is the traditional Epiphone one (three ways or positions). You can only choose the sound of the bridge or the neck, but this lack of possibilities is not a problem, and if you don’t believe us, watch videos of the guitarist Slash.

It uses two potentiometers: a linear one (A 500K) for volume and a linear one (A 250K) for nuances (low, medium and brightness). The latter is the configuration we prefer, because it adds a lot of body to the sound.

Conclusion:

It’s a good guitar, but you just have to consider how heavy it is. Nevertheless, it’s one of the best electric guitars on the market. To take a look at the best Thomann prices, click here.

We also recommend you check out our article on the best Gibson Les Paul guitars.

Fender Squier Affinity Stratocaster

We love Fender guitars, even if it’s a “Squier”. These guitars are of great quality in all their variations: Mexican, Indonesian or North American.

Quite heavy.

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Technical characteristics:

• Color: Sunburst.
• Weight: 3.kg.
• Bridge system: Tremolo.
• Microphones: S-S-S (Single – Single – Single).
• Electronics: Five-position microphone selector lever and three potentiometers (volume, bright/medium tone, medium/bass tone).

Fender wanted to put forth a model that was affordable in price, but retained the essence of Fender quality. That’s why he thought of Squier. And they have since created high quality guitars that are desired even more than the original American Fender.

Timber:

The Fender Squier Affinity Stratocaster is a lightweight yet rugged guitar. In addition, the use of wood is superb for the price.

• The body is solid Alder, a superb and inexpensive wood that has all the characteristics of a mid-range. It has great acoustics, vibrations are stable and its resistance to shocks is formidable.
• The neck is made of maple, an excellent choice for its sonorous capacity, it gives a lot of body to the harmonics, and the vibrations are soft but stable.

Design:

It incorporates the traditional Fender guitar design that has not lost value over time. The Fender Squier Affinity Stratocaster is a lightweight guitar and its size is standard. The hardware is Medium Jumbo, which is common for beginner guitars, and the tuning keys are of very good quality, smooth and hold the tuning for a long time. It also has a good bridge and tremolo lever, which very few will use.

Ergonomics:

The body adapts to you easily, is not heavy, has balance and equilibrium. Nevertheless, the feel of the neck can be a bit rigid in the beginning. However, that hardness can be changed with a good calibration and that is what we love about this guitar, because not all guitars allow you to adjust the string height without losing quality.

Sound:

What made us fall in love with this guitar is the sound, and this is due to the configuration of its electronics. The microphones are S-S-S (Single) single-coil microphones, which have the Fender seal of quality.

But that’s not all, because the microphone selector is five-way (five positions) and has great possibilities:

• The first position is for the bridge microphone, it’s bright, ideal for guitar solos.
• The second position allows you to make a powerful humbucker that will be useful for strumming, the sound of this position is a delicate, warm medium that simulates the nuances of Bluegrass.
• The third position, on the other hand, is a soft bass where only microphone two works in (Single) mode, which brings to mind the sounds of classic blues, delightful.
• The fourth position makes a humbucker between microphone two and three that are intended to simulate the typical sounds of Funk and Soul, warm, but with personality, it’s the sound of the 60s-70s of the last century.
• Finally, its fifth position is for the third pickup, a Single that gives a clean strummed sound that you can use if you don’t have an electro-acoustic because it’s pleasant in every way.

Another aspect that we love about this guitar is the configuration of its potentiometers, since it has a logarithmic potentiometer (B 500K) for the volume, this is a substantial difference because the way the volume increases is not linear, but rather allows you to go from 0 to 100 with a slight movement and we love that !!!

It also has two linear potentiometers (A 250K) for nuances, which is a real plus. The sound possibilities are impressive because, in addition to everything mentioned above, it has two ceramic capacitors of 23.nf and 32.nf that give that desired balance to this guitar that is, essentially, a licensed imitation of the American Fender.

Conclusion:

Fender Squier’s are by far the best choice for beginner guitarists, and their versatility is evidence of that. Curious? Find the best Thomann prices.

What is the best electric guitar for beginners?

Although we’ve described several guitars for beginners and they all go like gangbusters, we have to say it: we’re sticking with the Fender Squier as the best affordable electric guitar.

It’s versatile, has all the sounds and nuances that are needed for a beginner to experiment with Rock, Funk, Heavy, Metal, Blues, Country, Ballads, among many other possibilities.

If you need to purchase other accessories to get started, such as capos, you can check our page.

The best mid-range electric guitars

Fender AM Elite Strat MN OLP

It’s a Fender American Elite, and a Stratocaster…

None, it’s an incredible guitar.

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Technical characteristics:

• Color: Sunburst, pearl white.
• Weight: 3. 65 kg.
• Bridge system: Vintage synchronized Fender style vibrato.
• Microphones: S-S-S (Single – Single – Single) 4th generation Noiseless
• Electronics: Five-position microphone selector lever and three potentiometers (volume, bright/mid tone, mid tone/bass), S1 Off switch.

Talking about Fender Stratocaster or American Telecaster guitars is like talking about the flag of the United States of America: they are the Uncle Sam of electric guitars and that’s why they are in our TOP 3. We want to share our love for Fender with you. And this, the Fender American Elite Strat, is the best Stratocaster for the price.

Wood:

The Fender American Elite Stratocaster electric guitar incorporates a traditional wood configuration: the body of the guitar is constructed of one-piece solid Alder wood that has been carefully selected. As you can see, the wood is of quality and makes all the difference, achieving a more powerful and balanced sound.

Its neck is designed in solid maple, which gives an extra vibration to the harmonics and solidity to prevent it from breaking with use or blows. In addition, the Fender American Special Stratocaster electric guitar features a rosewood fretboard to make it very comfortable to play.

Design:

The Fender American Special Stratocaster electric guitar has been designed with a traditional Fender style (ST-Style) that is comfortable and ergonomic. In addition, its tuning keys are precision tuned, which will allow you to keep it in tune for a long time.

Among other things, it has a high quality synchronized tremolo bridge, in the purest Fender style. You will want to use this bridge because it doesn’t detune the guitar, as is the case with other tremolos. Its frets are made of chromed steel and are Jumbo size (you can see the measures in previous sections), which provide great durability both in wear due to height, as well as the brightness, because it’s maintained longer.

Ergonomics:

The Fender American Elite Stratocaster electric guitar is heavy (3.65 kg). It can generate some overload if you use it for a long time, but it’s easy to get used to it, especially if you are an experienced guitarist.

The string height, as well as the distance between the neck nut and the bridge, give it a wonderful smoothness and like all Fender guitars, it’s one of the few guitars that allows you to adjust the height without affecting the sound quality.

Despite the weight of the body, it adjusts easily when you find yourself playing standing up. The reason lies in the curvature of the upper side.

Sound:

Very good. This is what we like most about this guitar. On the one hand, the pickup configuration is the same as the Squier Stratocaster. On the other hand, the microphones are S-S-S (Single) single-coil microphones incorporating 4th generation Noiseless technology and with the enormous difference that the model is Fender, a real dream as far as sound is concerned.

The microphone selector is five-way (five positions).

• The first position is for the bridge mic, very bright but balanced, ideal for emulating Eric Johnson’s guitar solos.
• The second position allows you to make a powerful humbucker that will be useful for strumming, the sound of this position is a powerful medium, with a lot of volume, warm and designed to play Bluegrass.
• On the other hand, the third position is a round bass where only microphone two works in (single) mode designed to play classic blues, the arpeggios are heard wonderfully.
• The fourth position makes a humbucker between microphone two and three that without a doubt are the sound that every Funk and Soul guitarist is looking for, warm, with personality, it’s the sound that you find in the discographies of the 60s of the last century.
• Finally, its fifth position is what differentiates it from the Squier Strato, because in this one all the microphones are activated giving rise to a sound that every guitarist loves, clean, the strumming is a marvel, the country is heard beautifully, it’s undoubtedly the sound that we all deserve.

On the other hand, the configuration of the circuit is another huge difference. It incorporates linear potentiometers (A 250K) for the tones and a logarithmic potentiometer (B 500K) for the volume and the Push S1 Off switch system to mute the sounds.

Conclusion:

Without a doubt, this is one of the best value for money electric guitars on the market. Above all, because of its factory Greasebucket system with which the tone levels are very stable. It’s the best Stratocaster for this price range. If you want to see the best Thomann prices, follow the link.

Epiphone Wildkat

This is an intermediate level guitar, with exceptional sound and feel.

We haven’t found any, because it delivers everything it promises.

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Technical characteristics:

• Color: Natural.
• Weight: 3. 6 kg.
• Bridge system: Locktone Tune-O-Matic / StopBar, Bigsby tremolo.
• Microphonics: H-H (Humbucker – Humbucker).
• Electronics: Three-position microphone selector lever and three potentiometers (volume, bright/medium tone, medium/bass tone).

The Epiphone Wildkat is a Jazz style guitar. It’s an electric guitar made for lovers of this genre. But it’s so versatile that you can use it to get Rock and Roll, Blues, and Pop and Funk sounds. It’s one of the best mid-range electric guitars.

Wood:

As for the wood section, the Epiphone electric guitar shines :

• The sides and back are made of high quality solid mahogany, and being a hollow guitar gives it a great resonance. Therefore, the projection and volume it achieves are very good.
• The soundboard is made of maple, as well as the neck, which provides body and balance to the sound of this guitar.
• The fingerboard is made of rosewood, which provides a good vibration and easy touch.

Design:

• La Epiphone Wildkat is a hollow guitar, with a sound box, just like an electroacoustic guitar. It differs mainly because of the electronic system.
• It has a design in the purest style of a Jazz guitars from the 70s, and all of its hardware comes in a gold color.
• The frets are a medium Jumbo size, but in steel. It’s also equipped with a Locktone Tune-o-matic / StopBar bridge that is very precise when harmonizing and octaving the guitar.
• Another feature is the Bigsby B70 Vibrato tremolo lever, which is not only a simple and beautiful accessory, but a precise and stable lever that will not detune your guitar and will be very useful.

Ergonomics:

Epiphone Wildkat electric guitars have a good weight despite being Hollow. They weigh about 3.6 kg. However, they are very ergonomic and adapt easily if you use them sitting down. However, you will have to get used to using it standing up.

The feel of the frets is comfortable due to the low string height. This helps make the phrases very fluid, and the chords do not require much force.

Sound:

What makes this guitar truly wonderful is its sound. How does it achieve this?

• It comes equipped with two Humbucker microphones model (P-90R Dogear Classics) for the neck and Humbucker (P-90T Dogear Classics) for the bridge. They are very different pickups and pick up the most natural and characteristic sound for classic Jazz and Blues.
• It has a three-way selector that in its first position picks up the sound at the bridge, while the second position creates a powerful dual humbucker between the two microphones. Finally, the third position selects the neck pickup and is a delight for strumming.
• Two other valuable elements that the Epiphone Wildkat electric guitar incorporates when it comes to achieving a good sound are its three linear potentiometers (A 500k).The first one is a master to control the volume of both pickups, another one for the volume of the first microphone that will allow you to increase the sound of your solos, and another potentiometer for equalizing.

Conclusion:

This guitar is brilliant, has a very clear, clean tone and is versatile for all styles of jazz, funk, soul, blues, R&B, fusion and the like. That is, the most popular styles of today. On account of its versatility, we think it’s a steal. Check out the best prices at Thomann.

LTD EC-256 BLK

This LTD guitar is a mid-level guitar, with excellent construction and sound, but at a low-end price.

We would have liked the potentiometers not to follow the traditional configuration.

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Technical characteristics:

• Color: Black.
• Weight: 3. 6 kg.
• Bridge system: ESP design LH-150B.
• Microphonics: H-H (Humbucker – Humbucker).
• Electronics: ESP microphones (LH-150).

LTD is a brand of the company ESP that has been known for building excellent electric guitars with great value for money. The LTD EC-256 BLK electric guitar in particular is a model much admired for the quality of its sound. and is known as the company’s best value for money electric guitar.

Wood:

• The body of the LTD electric guitar is made of solid mahogany, which makes it a heavy instrument, on a level similar to that of a Gibson. But at the same time, it achieves a very stable sound with great pickup capacity for microphones.
• Its neck is made of mahogany and this provides greater stability due to the equal molecular structure of the wood. Thus, ESP achieves a guitar that is clearly level in sonic vibrations.
• However for the fretboard, they chose an unusual material, it’s the case of the Jatoba, a malleable, soft wood that works surprisingly-well in this guitar.

Design:

It has a traditional “Les Paul type” design but with a nice variation, by having a cutaway to reach the 20th through 22nd frets. The neck is turned with a thinner and more curved “C” neck, which differs from the Epiphone in that it’s more comfortable.

The hardware is gold-colored, with ESP bridge design LH-150B that is very precise when adjusting the string spacing for better tuning. The tuning keys are conventional, but of very good quality.

Finally,the frets of this guitar are extra jumbo, which provides extreme durability. You can play with confidence and pass it on to your next three generations, so that in the fourth generation, they might need to replace the fret rods.

Ergonomics:

Although it weighs quite a lot (3.6kg) due to its traditional “Les Paul” shape, it adapts quite well to the body while playing standing up. The smooth feel of the strings is what we like the most about this guitar, and this is not common in electric guitars of this type.

During the phrases (solos), the fingers feel comfortable and the chords don’t require too much force. So, in the hands of a beginner, this guitar is great, and an intermediate learner it will play it to its full potential.

Sound:

Very good. This instrument has a great sound and it’s due to the quality of its microphones (ESP designed LH-150N) for the bridge and (ESP designed LH-150B) for the neck. These microphones are dual coil, which is why they are so powerful, but with a warmth that is hard to find in many guitars.

What we don’t like so much is that despite being a more modern guitar than a “Les Paul”, it still keeps the same potentiometer configuration, where a logarithmic Pot (B 500K) is for the master volume, a logarithmic Pot (B 500K) is for the bridge mic volume and a linear Pot (A 250K) is for the tone control (bass, mid, brightness).

Nevertheless, it’s an instrument of great quality, built with great attention to detail, and that takes care of all the important aspects in a guitar; construction, materials, sound and finish.

Conclusion:

The LTD EC-256 BLK electric guitar is a guitar that has the traditional design of an Epiphone with the ESP stamp and offers a superior sound quality. Find the best Thomann prices.

Editor’s recommendation:

We’re sure you’ve already noticed that we love Fender electric guitars. And in this case, we have not changed our mind. If we had to settle on one of these three incredible electric guitars, we’d lean a little more towards the Fender Stratocaster. We believe it to be the best mid-range electric guitar.

The best high-end electric guitars

Although we are Fender devotees, in this case we believe there are more versatile electric guitars to include in our selection of the best high-end or advanced level electric guitars.

Ibanez Signature JEM77P-BFP Steve Vai

It has been created according to Steve Vai’s standards.

Very expensive.

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Technical characteristics:

• Color: Blue Floral Pattern.
• Weight: 3. 9 kg.
• Bridge system: EDGE III.
• Microphones: H-S-H (Humbucker – Single – Humbucker).
• Electronics: DiMarzio Gravity Storm / Evolution / Gravity Storm.

Ibanez is perhaps the greatest expression of modernity when it comes to electric guitars. This model also has Steve Vai ‘s stamp on it, and that’s what makes it so special.

Wood:

• The body of the Ibanez Steve Vai Signature electric guitar is designed in solid basswood and carefully selected by Ibanez Indonesia. the body is responsible for the impressive stability of this guitar for working the neck stretches, as well as the slides and hits on the tremolo edge.
• The neck is constructed with two different woods such as walnut and maple perfectly joined in five layers that, together with the Panga Panga wood of the fingerboard, are responsible for supporting the excessive load of the stretching characteristic of Steve Vai. Besides the obvious resistance, the sound provided by each of these woods is fantastic, the vibrations are stable, beautiful. If we get really poetic, you can even feel how they provoke a soft caress in your hands.

Design:

It has the typical ST-Style design but with Steve Vai’s stamp. That is, it incorporates a rather distinctive grip on the upper body. The Ibanez Steve Vai Signature electric guitar is designed in an apple green color. Among its hardware, it has Extra Jumbo chrome frets that are guaranteed to last forever.

Its bridge is a true Ibanez innovation. The Edge Tremolo, an improved version of the traditional Floyd Rose. Its action is fast, precise, it withstands the sharpest possible movements (if you don’t believe it, look at Steve) and the tuning is maintained for a long time due to the built-in blockers.

And finally, we must analyze its hardware: the neck of this guitar contains a double titanium core rod, which reveals the mystery of guitars played by Steve Vai: now we know why they don’t break.

Ergonomics:

Very comfortable. This high-end electric guitar has a body with a modern design designed to fit like a glove. On the other hand, the low scale action of this guitar (648 mm long and 0.4mm high), makes smoothness one of its hallmarks. In addition, it weighs very little.

Sound:

Impressive. This is the best part. The configuration of this guitar is (H-S-H) with a great passive DiMarzio Gravity Storm (H) humbucker in the bridge and neck. The sound is already very clean thanks to the double winding. However, not content with this, the company opted for a ceramic core that captures the natural sound of the strings and catapults the sound.

In addition, the center microphone is a passive Single DiMarzio Evolution (S) with an alnico core. This material allows the sound to be more processed, with fewer imperfections, modern and ideal to get a Funky/Rock current air. The bridge features a passive DiMarzio Evolution (H) humbucker microphone with ceramic core, which is the icing on the cake.

Another valuable aspect is the five-way selector that this guitar has. It’s responsible for amplifying the nuances and makes the Ibanez steve Vai Signature electric guitar a unique guitar of its kind.

• You can have the bridge mic on in the first position, while in the second position you mix the humbucker sound with the center single and this produces a monster sound.
• In the third position, you will get to activate the center pickup independently and it’s beautiful.
• While for the fourth position you will have the single with the humbucker of the neck that gives a different nuance to that of position two of the selector.
• Thus, we come to the fifth way that activates the neck humbucker that will work independently.

Not content with that, Vai adds a final touch by simplifying the potentiometers with just a logarithmic master (B 500K) for volume and a linear tone/matic master (A 500K) for a stunning sound that will captivate you.

Conclusion:

How to describe this guitar? It has everything to be considered one of the best in the history of the electric guitar. Intrigued? Find the best prices at thomann.

Sterling By Music Man JP150 NBL

Very versatile, great sound.

Missing an Edge Tremolo

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Technical characteristics:

• Color: Neptune Blue.
• Weight: 3.4 kg.
• Bridge system: Custom JP Inlays.
• Microphonics: H-H (Humbucker – Humbucker).
• Electronics: Model SBMM.

Music Man has earned respect in the world of high-end guitars. This time it brings us the Majesty, which we will describe below.

Wood:

The body of the John Petrucci Signature electric guitar is designed in solid basswood that has been carefully selected and guaranteed to be free of imperfections. The neck is made of mahogany and the fingerboard is constructed of rosewood, which provides good acoustic characteristics for bass and brilliance.

Design:

It incorporates the legendary Sterling By Musicman design: highly stylized curves throughout the body and a “C” neck customized to John Petrucci‘s requirements. The fittings are chromed, the tuning keys are precision with lock to maintain tuning for longer.

The frets are medium jumbo and stainless steel. In addition, its bridge is a “Custom JP Inlays” customized in Petrucci’s style, with a very comfortable and stable action, your strings won’t go out of tune right away.

Ergonomics:

Very comfortable. The shape of its body presents curvatures and adapts very well when you play it standing or sitting. The string action is a little high (4.mm) for strong fingerings, but with it you get a very characteristic sound that is undoubtedly the hallmark for Sterling. In addition, the scale of the strings is (64.8cm) making it a relatively small guitar.

Sound:

The configuration of this system is different from the other guitars we have described because it’s active. Its potentiometers contain an electronic board that is powered by a 9.V battery. This peculiarity is one of the reasons why its sound is so good. The microphones are configured (H-H) and are of the SBMM model on both the neck and bridge.

This series stands out on its own for how it processes the sound to eliminate excessive bass and glare. In addition, its potentiometers are composed of an electronic board that purifies the sound to eliminate any unwanted noise.

Conclusion:

We recommend the John Petrucci Signature electric guitar for those who wish to emulate Petrucci’s sound and playing. However, it’s also very versatile for other styles. Interested? Take a look at thomann’s best prices.

Our Recommendation:

Even though all three models are great, if we had to buy one of these three high-end electric guitars we would go for the Ibanez signature JEM70V-SFG Steve Vai. The reason? Versatility, sound quality, ample configuration possibilities for nuances, excellent quality DiMarzio microphones, and bombproof resistance. We believe that the Ibanez Steve Vai Signature is the best electric guitar for advanced players.

The best electric guitar for kids

Although it’s true that there are guitars for children with 2/4 and ¾ measures, it’s also true that these are not necessary, because we believe electric guitars have an adequate size so that any kid of a certain age can play them.

Therefore, if you want to buy an electric guitar for kids, we recommend the full-size Fender Squier guitar, which are lighter compared to other guitars. However, if you still want something smaller then you can opt for a Fender squier mini Strat.

Squier Fender Mini Strat

It’s a guitar with the ideal sound and size for children five years and older.

We believe it would be unfair to say anything against it because it has what is necessary for a beginner.

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Technical characteristics:

• Color: black and white puncher.
• Weight: 2.8 kg.
• Bridge system: Tremolo.
• Microphones: S-S-S (single – single – single).
• Electronics: Basic Squier.

Wood.

It’s the Fender electric guitar for kids. It has all the characteristics of a full-size guitar, but with slightly smaller dimensions: maple body, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, which are woods with great resistance to breakage and twisting, as well as acoustic resonance capacity.

Ergonomics.

The scale of this guitar is 557.8 mm and this means that it’s comfortable and so that children do not stretch their arms beyond their limits. The height of its strings is comfortable and the chords will not exceed the strength that children may have. The scales are the easiest to play, both in the first frets and in the last frets it becomes more and more comfortable.

Design.

It has the typical Fender Squier Stratocaster design, in black and white. The hardware is silver plated, with medium frets and the tuning keys are of very good quality. The neck has inlays that are the guide points for the little student to find his way through the frets and have a playful and visual learning experience.

Sound.

The electronic system is (S-S-S) manufactured by Squier Extension of Indonesia. These microphones pick up sound very well, the magnets are of good quality and resistant to wear. It incorporates two tone potentiometers and one volume potentiometer, so that the student can become familiar with all the equalization possibilities.

It also has a five-way selector switch for access to all possible sound combinations. We can say that the sound of this guitar is ideal for our little student. It’s wonderful and very useful for children to develop a good musical ear.

Conclusion.

This guitar has everything for any child to take their first steps in learning one of the most important instruments in modern music. Find the best Thomann prices on this link.

Final Recommendations

To make your electric guitar sound brighter, many people choose to incorporate a tube amplifier. We really liked this soundsmarket app , with a huge amount of second hand instruments, many with good value for money and we think it can be useful for you as musicians.

Remember to visit our culturasonora page. There you will find reviews of the best guitars and their accessories such as straps, banjos, guitar capos, tuners and amplifiers. We also recommend you check out our guide on how to recognize an original Gibson and reviews of the Fender Precision Bass and Fender Jazz Bass electric basses.