Best Guitar Brands 2018 – Ratings and Report Cards

The first time your approach a guitar, you should know that guitar falls into different categories. Two of the most popular for beginners are acoustic and electric guitars.

Many people mistake in choosing the right style due to the lack of knowing the segregation of these types. Let’s find the differences in outline between these brothers.

In the big picture, there is a body, a neck, and a headstock. On the headstock, you’ve got the tuners to change the pitch of the guitar. On the string posts where the strings are wrapped around are called the capstan. Where it joins the headstock and the neck is called the nut made of bone, plastic or steel. The lines across the necks are the fretboards accordingly with the fret marks along the side of the neck as well as on the fretboard.

On the right side of the neck, you’ll see the different color painted matching with the binding of the whole unit. On the body, down to the bridge is where bridge pins hold 6 strings passing the saddle all the way to the posts on the headstock. The pickguard next to the sound hole is optional but recommended.

Small guitars don’t have a huge bass response but focus on the mid-range punch that is great in clarity and cutting strength in the treble. Sonically speaking, the medium size of guitar exhibits the largest dynamic range and the largest tonal response.

Tonally, large body instruments have the largest bass response namely due to their sizes. They reproduce slow frequencies with ease.

The top wood of the soundboard of the guitar the is wood used to the face of the instrument. When you strum a guitar, the sound waves generated by the strings are transferred into the top causing it to vibrate. This vibration pushes the sound waves throughout the guitar body and out through the sound hole generating the tone that we actually hear. The type of wood used for the top of the guitar shapes the tone and also the volume.

The top wood you will the most steel-stringed acoustic guitars is Spruce. Sitka spruce is the most common variety. It’s a versatile well-rounded wood with a clear mid-range. It is superb balance and also lends itself to a wide variety of applications. Adirondack spruce is meant to be strong hard and is considered to be a louder wood than Sitka. It has a crisp clarity at high volumes and nice lyrical high-end. This wood is also red spruce, was used on many of the great pre-war American guitars. Today, many guitar makers use this wood in an effort to capture the strong, clear tone of vintage guitars.

Mahogany tops usually pair with mahogany back and sides. It produces a full warm sound and a strong mid-range that is favored by many country and blues musicians. Mahogany tops tend to be balanced. This provides the depth of tone thus is excellent for recording or listening environments. The other material used for distinctive sound effects are rosewood, koa, maple and the cheapest is laminated wood.

After you made up your mind whether you want to play an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar, pay attention to your dominant hand. It is important to consider is you are right-handed or a left-handed. Usually, guitars for right-handed are oriented in a way where you fret with your left hand and pick the strings with the other hand.

If you are left-handed, there are guitars made in the opposite direction. The arrangement of the strings and pickguard would be altered. With acoustic guitars, you can get the organization modified. This principle only works for guitar with a symmetrical shape. What about electric guitars? Because there are actual physical cuts on the body that won’t work the other way if you switch the direction. For left-handed electric guitar, you need to get a customized instrument or consult from the shop you are going to.

Some musicians raise the question if a left-handed really needs a specific guitar. We would agree that this is a must since most lessons teaching guitar are dedicated to the right-handed. But people on the other side manage to learn to play the guitar with their right-handed. This surprising truth would bother your comfortable zone; but, since playing the guitar is already a hard thing, why mind breaking your pleasure and go for the other way?

So, if you are a stiff learner, teach yourself from the start how to play right-handed. Otherwise, you can always run to the shop for a modified instrument.

Choosing a guitar according to your level could be something there is to think about. While a beginner should not fancy for a $2000 guitar, an experienced guitarist can play the sound right from a $50 guitar just fine. Hence, your level determines the quality. Imagine handling an expensive guitar while you have no skill wouldn’t make yourself look so cool. In our opinion, guitars don’t vary by level; they vary by quality, profession, or budget.

When it comes to choosing a guitar based on your level, go small first. We would say a cheap guitar from Hohner or Rogue would fit the need perfectly. Who knows if you find your other favorite instrument once you try the guitar and don’t find it harmony. When you reach a certain level, the world of quality guitars is now wider. The best guitar brands like Gibson, Fender or Taylor offer a bunch of collection with huge variety as well as prices for you to select.

In case you want to invest a good guitar for a start and you don’t mind your account, there are guitars available in every price range you can seek. However, by going from low to medium quality guitars, you will be able to distinguish and sense the difference in every standard.

With any budget, you can always find a guitar that fits. A couple of things to nail down before you hit a guitar at any cost; we will break down into 5 ranges. The first layer is anything below $150. A guitar at this price range has a bit below average quality but bearable sound. These budget guitars are suitable for complete beginners who don’t develop their ears yet to feel the irritation. It’s good for practicing, learning the chord, strumming, picking and anything in between. Note that you shouldn’t expect guitars at this range last for long due to their cheap material. We hope when the time comes; you are ready for a better guitar.

The next lies between $200 and $400. You will get a better-quality instrument for sure, something a little more enjoyable. The higher level brings you to the range of $500 to $900. Most guitars above $300 should have a solid body from one piece of wood as it is crucial for sound quality. Solid woods are more valuable because of their ability to age mature in sound causing the instrument to open up and resonate more freely over time.

It goes from about $1400 in the fourth layer and anything above $2000 in the last level. Obviously, you will get all the best of features in one guitar at this price.

Guitars come in almost similar shapes only different size. So, is it important to let it appearance interfere with your decision? The outer look involves the guitar’s color, cutouts or shape of the headstock. Boys probably don’t want a pink guitar no matter how good it is. The point is when you come through all the quality that needed, then choose the look.

You only look at the outlook of a guitar if you are considering buying a used one. That is when appearance comes in importance. The general rule when choosing a guitar is to inspect the things thoroughly. In particular, pay attention to the headstock to see if it got chipped around and also on the sharp edge. On the body, there might crack on the varnish or even crackle with age. However, this short of light damage shouldn’t affect the sound or the playability of the guitar.

The next thing is to look at the neck. It is the most likely thing to be damaged or bent. Get a ruler to help you inspect the straightness of this part. Though bent neck can be fixed, it is better to avoid such guitar; you have more options than that.

• Epiphone is used to be a fierce competitor of Gibson but is now owned by Gibson. Holding an Epiphone guitar is like a dream come true for a guitarist. Notably, all the models from this brand are the limited editions.
• The company designs acoustics as well as electric guitars, and most of their models follow the Gibson designs. Epiphone is the only company in the world that uses Gibson specs. Also, Les Pauls, Flying VS are some of the few models which are majorly made up of Gibson components.
• The brands from this company are ideal for beginners as well as the professional players. If we talk about the beginners, then Les Paul 100 and Les Paul Special II are the acoustic guitar brands for them.
• These guitars sound like Gibson but are available at a very reasonable price. For professional or severe players, Les Paul Plus Top PRO or Les Paul Custom PRO is the perfect option because these two models offer the best quality along with numerous features.

There is no doubt about the fact that Epiphone guitars are the best option for the beginners as well as professional players. This is the only reason which makes this company can grab the first spot in the guitar rankings.

• Fender is one of the oldest guitars brands in the music industry. Many musical legends used the Fender guitars and achieved grand successes. Stratocaster and Telecaster models are one of the best guitars manufactured by the company.
• Fender has a wide variety of guitar patterns. An extensive collection of guitars will make it easy for you to find the perfect model you were looking for. “Made in Mexico” series is ideal for beginners as well as the professionals.
• All the models under this series are made up of imported wood. Using imported timber enhances the overall sound quality of the guitar. Besides, the best part about this set is that it is available at a very reasonable price.

Fender is one of the most lovable brands among the music lovers. This brand is not expensive at all as the other top brands. For this reason, it has helped the company to have the upper hand on all the other leading manufacturers.

• Yamaha is a renowned name in the music industry. People often know it because of their designing organs, bass guitars, electric guitars and other musical instruments. Yamaha acoustic guitars are great regarding with looks and performance.
• Beginners, as well as intermediate players, can easily find some fantastic guitar models in the Yamaha guitar line up. Yamaha FG700 is highly appreciated all over the world because of numerous reasons. Exquisite sound capabilities and easy to play are the primary reasons behind its increasing popularity.
• Let’s talk about the L series which is ideal for professional players. This set offers some incredible wood designs along with a powerful sound performance. A professional player requires these two essential features in his guitar. Therefore, this model is the best choice for a professional musician.

Yamaha has some of the best models in each segment. It has helped the company to receive tremendous applause from all over the world. For the past ten years, the company has shown a lot of improvement. As a result, Yamaha is now the third best guitar company in the world.

• Taylor is an American guitar company which manufactures high-level acoustic guitars. The company also makes electric guitars, but not popular as much appreciation as acoustic guitars.
• Taylor 200 series is one of the best series in the enterprise. All the models under this series offer a big sound at a very reasonable cost. The 200 series models are smaller in size, but it doesn’t affect its popularity. So, that excellent tone quality and portability are the only reasons behind the love for Taylor 200 series.

Taylor guitars are an excellent option for beginners as well as intermediate players. A veteran music lover will love to own a Taylor acoustic guitar. Although the guitars released by the company are cheap, they are worth every single penny.

• Martin is also an American guitar company which designs top quality acoustic guitars. The company’s primary objective is to enhance the looks and the sound of an acoustic guitar.
• Martin guitars are quite innovative as they have a different look on most of their acoustic guitar models. Martin guitars fulfill the wishes of a music player who loves to play an acoustic guitar with a feeling of an electric guitar.
• Some fantastic models from the company are D-28 and D-25, which are cool guitars for the youth. Furthermore, the best part about the Martin guitars is that they are not at all expensive. Guitars from the company easily fit in every music lover’s budget.

Martin is the first company in the industry which has taken the intuitive to protect the forests. The company uses tonewoods where ever possible which results in saving wood.

• Jackson is one of the few brands which is popular among the metal players. In the 1980’s, every metal player was holding a Jackson guitar in his hands. The tradition is still followed today. Metal players still prefer to use Jackson Guitars rather than utilizing another guitar available in the industry.
• King V, Dinky, and Soloist are the top rated model guitars from this brand. These models offer high performance and a sound quality. Because of these reasons, metal players all over the world use these models. Solid looks and dominant sound performance made these guitars perfect for the metal players.

Jackson also has a vast collection of guitars. Guitarist of any level can easily find the best Jackson guitar, which fulfills all his demands in his budget. Since Jackson is one the top brands among the metal players, Jackson is one of the top 10 brands currently available in the industry.

• If you ever talk about the best guitar brands that existed on this planet, then you will come to know about Gibson. Gibson is one of the oldest brands and has ruled the music industry for years.
• Gibson uses a high-quality wood in their guitar which is responsible for making the tone very productive. Gibson’s guitars come in different variations which allow the music players to pick the best one that suits their style. Some of the famous electric guitars released by the company are SG and ES-335.
• Apart from these traditional models, most of the Gibson guitars are now available in Epiphone copies. The guitars manufactured by this company have high craftsmanship and will please the music player with its stunning performance.

Gibson is one of the most expensive brands in the industry which might be a severe problem for some music players. However, if you wish to get the best sound from an electric guitar, then Gibson is the perfect option for you.

• Ibanez is famously known for its bass guitar series but is also a renowned manufacturer of acoustic and electric guitars as well. The guitars released by the company are entirely different from other brands regarding their look as the company prefers the classic over the modern look.
• Since the 1930’s, Ibanez has been offering its incredible services to the music industry. Several models released by the company are being etched in the history which describes the performance of the guitars manufactured by the company.

Ibanez guitars are perfect for the users who love vintage style. You can easily find the best vintage guitars in the Ibanez guitar collection at a very reasonable price.

• Originates from Canada, Seagull is well-known for bringing values into their acoustic guitar with affordable price tags. Literally, they do everything from cultivating the wood all the way to shipping to their retailers.
• Every single guitar from Seagull features a solid top. Not only that, they perform the pressure test on the top to make sure the stiffness and responsiveness of the surface. More importantly, they start off with the stiffest possible to get you dynamic guitars with the full frequency range and responsive to your pick.
• Between $300 to $500, you can get the best guitar available in this range to compare to other brands. It is the intricate craftsmanship from hard-working people dedicates to the quality makes the brand stand out.
• Seagull introduces 7 series in their guitar lines include S6 the Original, Entourage, Coastline, Elements, Performer, Maritime SWS, and Artist. In there, Maritime and Artist Series offer absolute high-quality guitars with medium cost

You really can’t go wrong with a Seagull guitar. In short, they deliver not only excellent quality in sound and crafting but also their reputation that stands years of a well-recognized guitar brand from Canada.
Among the best guitar brands for beginners, with a budget account, you can go for Seagull for the best guitar possible.