Best Electric Guitar Brands

We begin our review about the best electric guitar brands with one of the famous names in the guitar industry, Ibanez. Indeed, this company rocks when it comes to producing quality guitars. Even the novices find this brand comfortable to begin.

Ibanez started off as a Japanese music company particularly focused towards producing copies of favorite guitars in America. Today, they have surpassed most firms by offering best quality products on their own. Being specifically directed towards the hard rock and metal players, Ibanez ensures to have something for players belonging to every genre.

Among their signature guitars, the RG guitars are indeed the most iconic ones. Their S Series is equally lovable too. Without a doubt, Ibanez has the privilege to be the pioneers of seven-string guitars, as they launched the first 7-string guitar in the market back in 1990 with the Universe.

Fender is yet another famous name in the realm of electric guitars today. Their iconic model’s Telecaster and Stratocaster outshine in the history of music as the most significant musical instruments of all time. For the past 60 years, Fenders have stepped in and succeeded in almost all genres of music.

Fender’s MIM (Made in Mexico) Stratocasters are offered as an affordable option, buyable at about half the rates of their American siblings. Moreover, you can also select your preferred one from among the maple and rosewood fingerboards, SSS or HSS pickup configuration, and color variations. You can also find several models available with Floyd Rose tremolo and pretty tops. For those requiring American Fenders, the American Original Series is available with all essential features.

Gibson also tops the list of best electric guitar brands that retain a consistent design. Among the popular models, the Les Paul is a favorite guitar that has been ruling the music world for several decades. It is a high-end, USA-made instrument that comes in a variety of variations. Other famous Gibson guitars include the SG, Explorer, Flying V, ES-335, and Firebird.

Although there have been several copies of Gibson guitars in Epiphone, yet their quality, tone, and artisanship suffice to attract and retain more customers. During the past few years, Gibson has adapted some modifications in their lineup. This includes restoring their classic Les Paul Studio design as Studio T, and the Les Paul Studio Faded, which is an affordable variant.

Epiphone was once among the most significant competitors of Gibson. Later on, Gibson acquired them and, now, Epiphone form sits budget-friendly. However, the popularity of Epiphone as one of the best electric guitar brands was always there owing to their affordability and near to top-notch quality. Thus, choosing an Epiphone Les Paul guitar doesn’t mean you have to compromise much on the tone and specs. In fact, you get a guitar with specs comparable to Gibson – that too – on a much cheaper rate.

Epiphone finds it right to imitate Gibson for their guitars. Now owned by Gibson, the brand still brags about its Gibson-like style, especially when it comes to Les Pauls, SGs, Flying Vs., Explorers, and other Gibson classics. For greenhorns, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard comes in as the best choice offering quality specs in an affordable range. From then onward, you can get your hands on the Les Paul PlusTop PRO and the Les Paul Custom PRO without burdening your pocket.

We now move on to a brand that is launched and named after a famous luthier Paul Reed Smith. PRS, today, has undoubtedly made its place on the list of best electric guitar brands producing high-end instruments. In fact, their guitars can often outclass Gibson regarding specs and quality.

PRS started off in the 1990s. At that time, it seemed Les Pauls were being swapped in favor of a PRS guitar. PRS leveraged this opportunity to continue the trend, making PRS more accessible to all. Hence, they launched another line of product with affordable price tags – the SE guitars. Nonetheless, one cannot consider SE guitars as the beginner’s guitars, since they all flaunt with high-end specs like other instruments. Through these guitars, one gets an opportunity to enjoy playing a pro guitar without causing a blow to your budget.

Yamaha seems to have touched every corner of the realm of guitars. From organs to bass to electric guitars to band instruments, you will find a plethora of instruments available here. Besides, from beginners to the pro guitarists, everyone can see the desired guitar at Yamaha.

In fact, Yamaha appears to be way more caring for the beginners and intermediate players. Based in Japan, Yamaha outshines among others due to its consistency with quality over the years.

Most of the Yamaha guitars are an emblem of utmost care and craftsmanship with pretty solid designs, specs, and ease of play. Indeed, a glimpse of its stable stance in the music world proves the quality of this brand.

Jackson is yet another brand among the best electric guitar brands satisfying the needs of metal players. In fact, around three decades ago, back in the ’80s, Jackson guitars were the favorite ones for all metal and hard rock players in the world. Even today, the legacy continues as we see these guitars trending among the fans. Notably, the models like Kelly, King V, Soloist, Dinky, and Rhoads still rule the realm of guitars for their outstanding performance and tone.

The USA-made variants of Jackson guitars are somewhat pricey, yet they are also custom-made. However, you can also find the same options bearing affordable price tags too. These inexpensive models come with slightly downgraded specs as they aim at the beginners and intermediate level guitarists. It means Jackson guitars provide an excellent opportunity to the metal players to choose any of the guitars that fit in their budget and meet their requirements.

Another superb brand that deserves to be counted among the best guitar brands is ‘Taylor.’ This American-based company flaunts with its plethora of electric and acoustic guitars. Nonetheless, the brand, on the whole, is markedly inclined towards the more pricier side. It is a safe bet to say that these guitars worth every penny.

Taylor has swiftly made several electric guitars that made their way to the hands of professional guitarists onstage. Moreover, a few of their models are directed towards working players too. In fact, Taylor seems to be caring about the beginners and intermediate level players as well, since they produce several guitar models aimed at these customer groups. If you are ready to scour out your wallet to get your desired guitar, Taylor will be the perfect choice for you.

If you are looking for a guitar that is not only surpassing quality levels but also looks classy, Gretsch is the one you require. The company certainly makes some genuinely beautiful instruments that appeal your eyes. Although, some Gretsch guitars come with a considerable price tag, yet they certainly worth the money. Likewise, you can also find several hollow and semi-hollow body guitars at Gretsch that are quite affordable. It means every player from all levels will surely find something of their interest over here.

Among the favorite brands of Gretsch lie the signature variants Brian Setzer and Chet Atkins models. Whereas, its Jet and Duo Jet are equally worthy. All these models are aimed explicitly at Jazz. In fact, you can think of them for Jazz as what you call Jackson for metal. For intermediate and pro players looking for affordability, its Electromatic Series is the desired option.

ESP is yet another brand that acquires a notable stance in the history of guitars. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, the company was known for producing high-quality, custom-shop instruments with incredible original designs. Even now, the trend goes on. Today, ESP guitars are among the preferred guitars for most professional musicians around the world. Particularly, the metal and hard rock players mark this brand as their favorite.

After being branched into ESP-LTD designs, the company made its signature guitars accessible to the masses. This was done by launching these guitars with the affordable price range. The design of ESP-LTD guitars is quite similar to the typical ESP designs like the Eclipse. Its ESP-LTD EC-1000 is a fantastic guitar model for rock, with high-quality features. In fact, if you are looking for something that could substitute the Les Paul guitar, EC-1000 will be the right choice.

Our list of best electric guitar brands will remain incomplete if we do not add Schecter in it. Schecter Guitar Research is a firm that evolved from a startup into a guitar giant during the recent years. Aimed mainly at the heavy metal side, Schecter produces several guitars that metal players look. However, players from all genres will find something of their wish at Schecter as it touches every side of this domain. Created with the utmost care, delicacy, and artisanship, these guitars exhibit the most amazing and high-end features that suffice to surpass most expensive brands in the market today.

Not only Schecter guitars please your pockets, but they also want your eyes too. Their signature ‘C’ shape style looks aesthetic and is also easy to play with quality tone. One of the best Schecter guitars is the Sun Valley Super Shredder that flaunts with Floyd Rose tremolo, fast necks, and hot pickups.

The Canadian firm Godwin is another popular name for producing best quality electric and acoustic guitars. (Have you heard of Seagull acoustic guitars? It’s the same brand.) Godwin outshines among the world of guitars due to producing high-end instruments with surprising variations. They even manage to touch bass too. Not only the Godwin guitars depict quality, but also reflect classiness.

If you are a die-hard rock player or a blue fan, the stunning, double-cut designs of Godwin, like the Summit and Session are the best choice. Because of their archtop and semi-hollow style, Godwin is considered one of the best electric guitar brands.

Martin is a famous America-based company known for is a variety of impressive electric and acoustic guitars. Their guitars are predominantly manufactured in Pennsylvania and Nazareth. The history of Martin guitars dates back to 1833. From then on, Martin has managed to maintain classiness and quality in their guitars to satiate the thirst of pro players in America.

Among the incredibly beautiful instruments of Martin, you will find the D-28 and D-45 the most impressive ones. If you are a greenhorn and are concerned about your budget, then don’t worry about the costs of Martin guitars as you can also find several affordable guitars as well that are specifically aimed at the beginners too.

G&L, owned by Leo Fender, is yet another brand producing quality guitars. (Of course, when it is owned by the same owner as that of Fender, one can expect the extent of quality of these guitars.) Many of the G&L guitars seem to relive the Fender classic designs with some improvisations in style. Thus, this brand can indeed be considered an excellent alternative to Fender. Instead, in many instances, you will find G&L outnumbering Fender.

When you look at the Legacy and ASAT, you will have an idea about how Leo Fender thinks at work. A deeper view of the facts will let you discover some innovative electronic and hardware designs. There also are a few models that distinct G&L from Fender.

For die-hard metal players looking for best electric guitar brands, Dean is another famous name you wish to check. The iconic ML design has become a signature instrument for rock because of Damageplan and Darrel Abbott of Pantera (late). In the ’90s, ML was revived by Dime, and then Dean stretched out the idea while sharpening the designs of it with a modern touch.

Today, you will find numerous variations of ML in the market. Dean has also received endorsements from Dave Mustaine of Megadeth with his signature V. Besides, the Dean Vendetta Series of this brand is another series of guitars worth-considering.