The Best Beginner Electric Guitars

When shopping for beginner electric guitars it's very important to get the best guitar that you can afford.

The cheapest guitars are usually made of inferior materials and workmanship. They won't stay in tune very well and they're not easy to play - which will make learning frustrating and difficult. Don't handicap yourself right off the bat - get a decent guitar.

You can find nice playable guitars in the $180 - $500 price range. They're usually a notch or two above the cheapest models and a notch or two below the more expensive models.

Don't forget that you'll need an amplifier too. You can practice just fine without one, but an electric guitar is meant to be plugged in. An entry level Crate, Fender, Peavey or Marshall practice amp will set you back $50 to $100.

Go to your local music store and look at as many guitars as you can. Try them out and see how they sound. If you can't play anything, at least pick them up and get a feel for them. Every guitar has a different feel and different playability. Some are really heavy, while some are extra light. Some have large necks for larger hands and fingers - while some have smaller, thinner necks for smaller hands and fingers.

You can take a friend along who knows how to play or ask a sales clerk to demonstrate the different sounds you can get. Don't be embarrassed - we all had to start at the very beginning. Nobody just woke up one day and automatically knew how to play the guitar.

If you can't quite afford a quality new guitar - don't get the cheapest model. Save up for a decent quality electric guitar or look in the classifieds or on Ebay. You can find some excellent guitars and deals this way.

The following are some of the best beginner electric guitars - in my experience. They'll suit just about any style you want to play - country, jazz, rock, hard rock, blues, punk, metal, etc.

Great Electric Guitars For Beginners. Prices indicated are what I found in my research - they may vary a bit up or down.

Squier by Fender Affinity series Stratocasters and Telecasters - Squier guitars are the lowest priced models made by Fender. They're made outside the United States and the materials and workmanship aren't quite to the standard of the Mexican or American made Fenders. But they're good quality and an excellent beginner's choice.

The Telecasters have 2 single coil pickups that will give you a variety of tones from country to blues to rock.

The Stratocasters have 3 single coil pickups that will allow you to play anything from clean soft rock to blues to hard rock.

The Stratocasters can usually be found in the following colors - sunburst, arctic white, metallic blue, metallic red, and black.

The Telecasters can usually be found in the following colors - arctic white, black, metallic blue and metallic red.

Price: around $180.

Fender Standard Stratocasters and Telecasters (Mexican made) - These are a step above the quality and workmanship of the Squier guitars - which means better playability. You'll find these in the $500 price range.

These Mexican made guitars have the same pickup arrangements as those listed above - they're just a bit more powerful.

Here are the standard colors of the Stratocasters - lake placid blue, candy apple red, black, sunburst, arctic white, midnight wine

Here are the usual Telecaster colors - lake placid blue, candy apple red, black, sunburst, arctic white, midnight wine

Epiphone Les Pauls and SGs - Epiphone guitars are the least expensive offerings by Gibson. The materials and workmanship are a few notches below the American made Gibsons but they make for really good starter guitars. You'll find both Les Paul and SG models available in the $250 - $500 price range. Try to avoid the cheapest models as they can be hit or miss.

These guitars feature two humbucker pickups for a variety of tones from nice and clean to all out shredding metal.

$250 Range - G310-SG (vintage white, ebony, red)
$300 Range - Les Paul 100 (sunburst, ebony) G400-SG (cherry, ebony, white)
$480 Range - Les Paul Standard (sunburst, ebony)

Ibanez guitars - This company makes good quality guitars in the $200 - $300 price. Ibanez electric guitars are an especially good pick if you plan on playing metal - although you can get pretty much any sound you want out of them. You'll find a variety of pickup arrangements - both single coil and double coil (humbuckers).

$200 Range - GAX70 (green, red, black, white, gray) , RG120 (black, candy apple red, white)
$300 Range - RG321 (natural mahogany, blue, black, gray) , ART100 (cherry, black, silver, white)

It's hard to go wrong when you choose one of these beginner electric guitars. You can feel confident purchasing a Fender, Epiphone or Ibanez guitar. These companies have been producing quality instruments for decades and stand behind what they sell. Just take your time and test out as many guitars as possible. Have fun in your guitar playing journey.

Do you really want to learn how to play guitar? Not just scales and chords, but real songs? Then check this out and teach yourself guitar today.