The Best Electric Guitar Brands

If you’re looking for the best electric guitar – look no further – we have the ultimate guitars here for you to drool over!

When we originally published our selection of the top 5 guitar brands, it became clear from the feedback we received that many of you wanted us to name the best individual models, rather than just the brands. So we have updated this page with our pick of the best electric guitars overall – you can scroll down the page if you want to see which 5 guitar brands we originally chose.

Beginner Guitars

	Squier Standard Stratocaster	The Squier Standard Stratocaster is an affordable version of the familiar Fender Strat. It is a great guitar to start out with because of its versatility and playability. It can also be a great project guitar base with the wide variety of affordable aftermarket products. You can customize it or upgrade parts like the pickups, neck and tuners to what you prefer. More information: Fender Squier Guitars.
	Epiphone SG Special	The Epiphone SG Special is the most budget friendly version of the classic Gibson SG design. It does away with the visual bells and whistles and instead focuses on the SG’s grit which helped define the sound of classic rock. What makes it special though is a “‘kill switch” feature which lets you mute your output for some cool stop sounds. This is a great entry level guitar for rockers. More Epiphone Guitars.
	Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster Thinline	With the Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster Thinline, you get the familiar Tele twang along with the juicy overtones that semi-hollow design brings. And since it is made by Squier, it will not break your bank. The guitar features a great looking F-hole that hints on the guitars semi-hollow design, resulting to jangly tones and making the guitar lighter and easy to carry. More Squier Guitars.
	Jackson JS22R Dinky	The JS22R Dinky by Jackson is an affordable “super strat”, it is great for beginners that aim to become the next big shredder. Setting up this metal guitar is simple because of its one tone and one volume knob configuration. It features a compound-radius fingerboard that is conducive to fast guitar playing, and has 2 high output humbuckers that will help you get your desired guitar tones. More Jackson Guitars.

Intermediate Guitars

	Gretsch G5120 Electromatic	The G5120 Electromatic is Gretsch’s effort to make the Chet Atkins signature model somewhat affordable to working class musicians. It has virtually the same head turning look of the original 6120. The G5120 has the sound and style which is ideal for a variety of genres like country, southern rock, folk and even jazz. This is great looking versatile guitar. More Gretsch Guitars.
	Fender Jaguar Special	The Fender Classic Player Jaguar Special is a beefed-up version of the original sleek design, equipped with dual humbucking pickups and upgraded electronics. Aside from the usual bulk of switches and tone shaping options, this Jaguar has a circuit that allows bendable coil-splitting which further adds to the variety of tones you can produce. This is a versatile and stylish instrument. More Fender Guitars.
	Gibson Les Paul Junior	The Gibson Les Paul Junior is a straight forward version of the Les Paul that is meant for no-nonsense straightforward playing. It started out as a cheap way to own a Gibson Les Paul, which turned out to have a sound of its own. These days many guitarists buy the Junior LP for its unique style and tone which comes from a single P-90 pickup. It’s the instrument of choice for many rock and blues bands. More Gibson Guitars.
	Schecter Damien Elite FR	The Schecter Damien Elite FR is a reasonably priced full featured guitar. It comes equipped with EMG-81 and EMG-85 pickups that are familiar to heavy rock and metal guitarists. You get to shred its full 24 frets with ease and the intonation is secured by its Grover tuners. The guitar also features a Floyd Rose double locking tremolo bridge for all your dive bomb needs. For its price, this is a great deal. More Schecter Guitars.
	Ibanez Iceman ICT700	The Ibanez Iceman ICT700 is arguably the most radically looking guitars in this list, and it is breath of fresh air from the familiar shapes. The guitar is made even cooler with its reverse headstock and its neck-through construction. As usual, Ibanez lets your fingers float over the fretboard effortlessly. This model has a string through design which is easier to maintain and provides better response. More Ibanez Guitars.

Top Electric Guitars

	Gibson Custom 1957 Les Paul Goldtop	The beautiful Gibson Custom 1957 Les Paul Goldtop is a worthy investment. Its eye catching “blonde” look is matched with vintage sounding tones provided by Gibson’s BurstBucker pickups, which are precise copies of the original PAF designs. The price is steep, but its enticing vintage appeal has turned it into a goal for hardworking guitarists to aim for. This is a guitar that’s worth emptying your pocket for. More Gibson Guitars.
	Fender American Standard Stratocaster	The 2012 American Standard Stratocaster continues the Strat’s old tradition of versatility and simplicity. Its flexible tone is further enhanced with vintage voiced Custom Shop Fat ’50s pickups, matched by aged plastic parts. I’m not too fond of the “relic” hype but if that’s your thing, there are various Strat models that will cater to your fetishes. No matter what guitars you have, there’s always room for another Strat. More Fender Guitars.
	Gibson Memphis ES-335	The Gibson ES-335 continues to set the standard for semi-hollow body design since it was introduced in the late ’50s. This guitar comes from Gibson Custom at Memphis, and faithfully follows the original ES-335 body design. It is equipped with BurstBucker Pro humbuckers that can handle genres as diverse as ballads, jazz, blues and even rock. If you can afford it, this is an elegant guitar to reward yourself with. More Gibson Guitars.
	PRS McCarty 58	The PRS McCarty 58 is a unique looking guitar that utilizes the eye catching design elements of Gibson and the functionality and versatility of Fender instruments. Rather than being an in-between, it has found its own distinctive look and sound. This model features a thin V12 finish that further highlights the tonewoods that were used, a successful mixture of beauty and versatility. More Paul Reed Smith Guitars.
	Fender CS 2012 Custom Deluxe Telecaster	Fender’s Custom Shop 2012 Custom Deluxe Telecaster is a dressed up Tele, featuring exotic tonewoods combined with modern electronics. It has a great looking AAA quilted maple top, partnered with an equally impressive satin finished AA flame maple neck. It’s equipped with high output Twisted Tele Pickups that have the same Twang, only louder. This is an impressive guitar to play all your tasty leads on. More Fender Guitars.
	Gibson Flying V	The Gibson Flying V oozes attitude and rock and roll. It’s the kind of guitar that you want when you’re playing hard rock, metal and even punk. The V shape makes the guitar lighter, making it easier to perform your various rockstar poses when on stage. Finally, the stopbar tailpiece setup helps the guitar bear all your aggressive riffing and soloing while holding its tune. If you want to rock in style, get the Flying V. More Gibson Guitars.

Gibson

Although Fender are a bigger company, Gibson are the brand behind the iconic Les Paul. Both the guitar and the man with the same name have had a bigger impact on the electric guitar than any other.

Gibson Custom 1959 Les Paul Reissue

(Gibson Custom 1959 Les Paul Reissue pictured above)

The ‘Les Paul’ is the gold standard in rock guitar. The Les Paul solid body guitar was a huge innovation when it was first developed by Les Paul, and the 1959 Les Paul Standard is one of the most sought after guitars by collectors.

You will find it next to impossible to get one of the originals, however the Custom 1959 reissue edition is an excellent tribute to the original and available at all good online music stores.

The MSRP is $8,468 but you can buy it online for just under $6,000. If that’s a bit too much for your budget you can always go for the Gibson Les Paul Studio Satin which sells for around $800.

For more information visit the Gibson Custom 1959 Les Paul Reissue page.

Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt 1955 Stratocaster Relic (Dale Wilson Masterbuilt)

(Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt 1955 Stratocaster Relic pictured above)

An original 1950s Strat is the top prize for most Fender collectors. It featured many innovations including the pick-guard attached to the surface of the body with all the electronics attached – just remove a few screws and you could remove all the electronics in one piece.

The Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt 1955 Stratocaster is an excellent tribute to the original 50s Strats, and has become a collector’s piece in its own right.

The MSRP is $7,300 but you can buy it online for around $5,000. The budget priced alternative is the Fender Standard Stratocaster which sells for less than $499.

See this home film tour of the Fender factory in 1959 featuring Leo Fender and people making Stratocasters. Visit the Fender Page on Sweetwater.

PRS Custom 24

(PRS Custom 24 pictured above)

Although the “Pre Lawsuit Single Cutaways” have been the most collected PRS models, the PRS Custom 24 has become a collector’s item in its own right, and looks set to be an instant classic.

The tonal spectrum is more spread out than most guitars with both a lot of high end and bass, and it has a number of notable endorsers including Tom Wheeler who was the editor of Guitar Player Magazine for over 20 years, and Davy Knowles– Paul Reed Smith says this is the guitar he plays himself.

The MSRP is $5,400 – however you can find it selling online for around $3,300. An alternative for the budget conscious is the Signature Tremonti SE (Student Edition) which sells for around $550.

G6128T GH George Harrison Tribute Custom Shop Duo Jet

(G6128T GH George Harrison Tribute Custom Shop Duo Jet pictured above)

George Harrison’s original guitar is not for sale, but you can get this meticulously presented tribute version, and it too will be a collectors’ piece with only 60 if them ever to be produced.

It comes with some very special extras including one of George’s own guitar picks, an original 1987 7″ record and picture sleeve of his hit “Got My Mind Set On You”, and a personal letter from the Harrison family.

The MSRP is $20,000 – and that’s what you’ll pay at the stores too. Gretsch don’t do things by halves, so if you want a cheaper version the best you’ll find is the G6128T-GH George Harrison Signature Duo Jet which comes with a $5,000 price tag, but Sweetwater has it for only $3,500.

Visit Gretsch for all the details.

Ibanez JCRG2011 RG J Custom

(Ibanez JCRG2011 RG J Custom pictured above)

The J Custom versions of the RG series are the cream of Ibanez guitars and are handmade in Japan.

Its Super Wizard neck is the thinnest you’ll find at 17mm and is designed specifically to enable the fastest possible lead guitar action.

The MSRP is over $4,600 but you can get it for around $2,750. The introductory version fo the RG Series is the RG350 which sell for around $450.

Those above are the top 5 we’ve selected.

Some might argue for the inclusion of other brands like Rickenbacker, Jackson, Dean, Schecter, ESP, or others – but we had to make the cut somewhere.

Please feel free to share your choices in the comments below and say which electric guitar brands you feel should be included.

Thank you to Sweetwater for their sponsorship and providing the full specifications for the guitars above where possible. You can see more electric guitars at www.sweetwater.com/shop/guitars/electric-guitars/