The Best Budget Electric Guitars for 2024
In this review, we’re going to look at the best budget beginner electric guitars for 2024. As a professional full time guitar instructor, I’ve coached well over a thousand students, with many of them starting as beginners. The following guitars are recommended based on quality of price point, playability, and sound. These are recommended if you’re on a tight budget or not sure you (or perhaps your child) want to totally commit to the rigorous journey of learning to play the guitar, all of these guitars are around $200-300 at the time of this post. If you feel like you will be a dedicated student and will commit to the long haul, then I recommend spending more money initially on a guitar that will last you longer.
Best Budget Electric Guitar Overall for 2024
The Squier Stratocaster Guitar Pack
The Squier Affinity Strat Pack
The Fender Stratocaster (along with the Gibson Les Paul) is inarguably the most well-known electric guitar in history and is always a great beginner guitar because of the ergonomics of the contoured body design and playability. The Squier brand is Fender’s Chinese and Indonesian made entry level line of guitars that are budget-friendly.
The Squier Stratocaster Guitar Pack comes with everything you need to get started, including a Squier Frontman 10G Amplifier, a soft case padded gig bag, guitar strap, cable, and picks. The lightweight, solid poplar wood body and modern C shape neck make this guitar very comfortable for a novice guitarist to play.
Shop here for the Squier Stratocaster Electric Guitar Pack with Fender Frontman 10G Amp
Best Budget Electric Guitar for Blues in 2024
The Squier Affinity Stratocaster Electric Guitar
The Squier Affinity Stratocaster
The Stratocaster has been the go-to guitar of blues and rock guitarists including Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, David Gilmour, Buddy Guy, and countless since its inception. The entry class Chinese made Squier Affinity Strat sports an Alder body for a thick tone, modern C shape maple neck with Indian Laurel fingerboard. As stated above, these are a good, playable choice if on a budget.
Best Budget Electric Guitar for Country in 2024
The Squier Sonic Telecaster Electric Guitar
The Squier Sonic Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster has long been THE guitar that defined the country electric guitar twang sound. All the greats, from Danny Gatton, Brad Paisley, Waylon Jennings, Brent Mason, as well as every other player in Nashville, tote a Tele for its twangy tone. Although not quite in the same league as its American made sibling, the Indonesian made Squier Sonic Telecaster is a good budget option to get started on a chicken pickin’ slab. These guitars are built using a solid poplar body and maple neck, with modern style tuners and bridge, and the classic 2 single coil pick up configuration.
Best Budget Electric Guitar for Metal in 2024
The Ibanez GRX70QA GIO RX Series Electric Guitar
The Ibanez GRX70QA GIO RX Series
Ibanez has long been the brand that shredders flock to for soaring solo and chuggy rhythm tones. From old masters such as Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Paul Gilbert, to newer known neo prog shredders Tosin Abasi and Kiko Loureiro. The Japanese brand has long had it’s line of guitars that cover all price points and the GRX70QA, with its humbucker-single coil-humbucker configuration and stunning looks, gets a good tone while looking the part. Sporting a poplar body, maple neck, treated New Zealand fingerboard, and FAT-6 tremolo for doing dive bombs, the Chinese built GRX is a really good option for budget beginner metal heads.
Best Budget Electric Guitar for Classic Rock in 2024
The Epiphone Limited Edition Les Paul Special-I
The Epiphone Limited Edition Les Paul Special-I
No electric guitar list would be complete without a Les Paul on it. Epiphone is Gibson’s budget brand that produces a lot of the same classic models that for a fraction of the price. As expected, the quality isn’t quite the same but if you don’t want to commit the dollars these are a great entry level guitars to start on to get used to the feel and approximate tone of the real thing. The Les Paul Special-I is built using a basswood body, rosewood finger board, and bolt-on mahogany neck with a 1960’s SlimTaper shape that makes it easier for a beginner to play. The two humbucking pick up configuration makes it a great choice for classic rock, hard rock, metal, and even jazz.
Shop here for the Epiphone Limited Edition Les Paul Special-I
Best Budget Electric Guitar for Jazz in 2024
The Ibanez Artcore Series AS53 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar
The Ibanez Artcore Series AS53 Semi-Hollow
While the aforementioned solid body Epiphone Les Paul is a competent pick for an entry level jazz guitar, if you’re looking to get the quintessential tone and feel of a real jazz guitar, its best to go with a hollow or semi-hollow body guitar… the challenge, though, is finding one at a budget. The Ibanez Artcore series provides surprisingly decent guitars for the price point they sell at. The AS53 uses a sapele top, back, and sides, a set-in mahogany neck, and bound laurel fretboard with pearl dot inlay
About the Author
Mark Hamrock has been Orange County’s premier guitar and bass guru since 1995, teaching students how to excel in every genre including rock, blues, classical, metal, funk, and country. After studying rock guitar with Rusty Anderson (Paul McCartney, Elton John, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Willie Nelson, Santana), classical guitar with David Tanenbaum, Scott Tennant, Ricardo Cobo, John Schneiderman, and Jazz with Alan Rowe (Stan Kenton Orchestra, Keith Jarret); Mark has gone on to tour extensively and perform in concerts featuring Jazz Legend Larry Carlton, Tim Reynolds (Dave Matthews Band), and Dave Mason with Traffic. He currently produces, composes, engineers, and teaches, and is working on developing a series of instructional books and videos for guitar and bass. In what little free time he has, Mark enjoys traveling, culinary arts, scuba diving, and entrepreneurial pursuits.
