The best value electric guitars: 11 affordable options for beginners and players on a budget
Any guitarist can tell you that there aren’t many things that’ll give you as much value for money as a good electric guitar. Over the years, you’re paying pocket change per month, or fractions of a penny per riff – but for many of us, the economic reality is that we’ll need to choose a value model to manage the up-front cost.
Some of the best value electric guitars are beginner models from the likes of Squier and Yamaha, providing a solid introduction to the instrument without daunting levels of investment. For those shopping a little further up-market, another reason to buy a value guitar is to add a totally different set of sounds to your repertoire – an affordable ‘second guitar’ can bring a much wider range of sounds to within your grasp, especially if you want to change up things like the bridge, pickup or scale setup from your main guitar.
It’s quite tricky to define a ‘value electric guitar’. Rather than fixating on the lowest-priced options, the potted reviews below are focused around relatively inexpensive guitars that are genuinely good examples of their type, with prices ranging from the low £100s to around £1,000. We believe that all of these guitars are genuinely good value, with craftsmanship and playability that you can enjoy for years to come.
At a glance:
Our Pick:: Squier Classic Vibe Custom Esquire
Best for advanced guitarists: Sterling By Music Man Rabea Artist Series Sabre
Best value offset: Eastman Fullertone Offset ’62
Best affordable Stratocaster: Squier Sonic Stratocaster HSS
Best value rock guitar: Manson MBM-2H
Best value guitar for speedy playing: EVH Wolfgang Standard TOM
Best value singlecut guitar: Heritage Ascent+ H-150
Best affordable guitar for clean sounds: Gretsch G5230T Electromatic Sparkle Jet
Best guitar for begginner guitarists: Yamaha Pacifica 112J
Best value guitar for downtuned metal: Jackson Lee Malia LM-87
Best affordable kids guitar: Squier Mini Stratocaster
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Our Pick:: Squier Classic Vibe Custom Esquire
Squier Classic Vibe Custom Esquire. Image: Adam Gasson
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It often takes a while for a guitarist to learn that simplicity is a virtue. Whether you’ve made that revelation after years of playing, or you’re looking for an outstanding first guitar, this Custom Esquire from the Squier Classic Vibe range will help you cut straight to what matters most: great tone and fun, fluid playing.
There’s only one pickup, but it’s a cleverly wired one supplying a different set of filtered tones for a varied sound. The faux-‘neck’ position is everything we’d hope for in an Esquire: bright, sweet, punchy, and capable of some really spiky sounds when used with gain-based effects.
As you can see, this guitar is quite a looker. Its classy, double-bound, early 60s, custom colour design is a classic vibe indeed.
Need more? Read our Squier Classic Vibe Custom Esquire review.
Best for advanced guitarists: Sterling By Music Man Rabea Artist Series Sabre
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If you’re a devotee of rock or metal, you’ve probably cast a few admiring glances (or at least an admiring ear) at the Music Man Rabea Massaad Artist Series Sabre. The only trouble with the YouTube heavyweight’s signature edition guitar is the price, which is well over £3,000/$4,000.
The good news for budget-conscious musicians is that you can now pick up an affordable version of the ‘Rabea’ that comes pretty close to the real deal: the Sterling By Music Man Rabea Artist Series Sabre. This rock and metal workhorse has a low action for easy soloing right up and down the neck, and it sounds awesome when it’s lathered in gain.
Need more? Read our Sterling By Music man Rabea Artist Series Sabre review.
Best value offset: Eastman Fullertone Offset ’62
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This guitar only just scrapes into the ‘value’ bracket, but it’s something special that might warrant the extra outlay, especially if you’re looking for an instrument to play long-term. We were enamoured at first glance with its offset vibes and unique Göldo trem system – and once our reviewer had actually played the Eastman Fullertone Offset ’62, it was true love.
Beautifully, ergonomically sculpted, the Offset ’62 practically melts into the player’s body. It sounds as good as it feels, with impressive pickups delivering plenty of snap, jangle or punch, as per your selected settings. For guitarists who play with feeling, this elegant and idiosyncratic offset can capture the mood.
Need more? Read our Eastman Fullertone Offset ’62 review.
Best affordable Stratocaster: Squier Sonic Stratocaster HSS
Image: Adam Gasson
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A good beginner guitar doesn’t just have to be cheap – although the Squier Sonic Stratocaster HSS is – it’s also got to be approachable. Who’s going to want to continue learning through sharp fret-ends, terrible sounds or miles-high string action? Luckily the Sonic Strat is a very approachable instrument indeed, with a pleasantly playable satin-finished neck, and far better-sounding pickups than a guitar at this price point has any right to be loaded with. And whether you were inspired to pick up a Strat by Hendrix’s dive-bombs or by more subtle wobble, the standard vintage-style vibrato unit will get you there.
Need more? Read our Squier Sonic Stratocaster HSS review.
Best value rock guitar: Manson MBM-2H
Manson x Cort MBM-2H. Image: Adam Gasson
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Carrying more than a sprinkling of Matt Bellamy stardust, this Cort collab from Manson is one of the best (relatively) affordable options from the Muse virtuoso’s workshop. Our reviewer found this guitar a delight to play, with lightweight, well-balanced construction, a soft, V-shaped profile to the neck and generous custom carves to accommodate your forearm, thigh, or whichever other body parts you might happen to rest your guitar against.
The MBM-2H is as playable as it is sparkly, with a low, slinky action, highly responsive pickups and a fun killswitch that you can use to stutter your guitar sound (or simply shut it off during the quiet bits of a song).
Need more? Read our Manson MBM-2H review.
Best value guitar for speedy playing: EVH Wolfgang Standard TOM
EVH Wolfgang Standard TOM. Image: Adam Gasson
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Not content with single-handedly making two-handed tapping cool, the late, great Eddie Van Halen also managed to design one of the best accessible hard rock guitars in history: the Wolfgang. The Standard TOM is a wallet-friendly version of the maestro’s masterpiece, and while it replaces the original’s Floyd Rose vibrato system with a Tune-o-Matic bridge, it’s largely true to the blueprint.
This may be the cheapest EVH Wolfgang out there, but the Standard TOM plays beautifully and sounds impressive. It’s lightweight, resonant, and has a smooth, oiled finish to the maple neck that’s perfect for fleet-fingered playing.
Need more? Read our EVH Wolfgang Standard TOM review.
Best value singlecut guitar: Heritage Ascent+ H-150
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This Heritage is an ornately-finished single-cut that demonstrates impressive craftsmanship and great playability. It packs two humbucker pickups, each with a push/pull potentiometer that can split the coils for a single coil sound, and these deliver a superb range of classic rock tones, from smooth, dark sounds at the neck to honk and snarl at the bridge. It’s a great guitar for retro chords and riffs, with plenty of sustain and resonance.
Need more? Read our Heritage Ascent+ H-150 review.
Best affordable guitar for clean sounds: Gretsch G5230T Electromatic Sparkle Jet
I hope you don’t mind the brief first-person intrusion, but I (the compiler of this article) have one of these lovely-looking, spangly Gretsches at home, and I’d highly recommend it as a first (or alternate) guitar. It’s my go-to for warm, mellow sounds when playing Motown, pop or folk-rock songs, and I often find my hand drawn to the chunky tremolo arm for added retro wobble.
The short-ish scale length is ideal for beginners or guitarists with smaller hands as it makes elaborate chord positions easier to achieve, while the slender, U-shaped neck profile offers plenty of purchase for your thumb.
Best guitar for begginner guitarists: Yamaha Pacifica 112J
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Surprising beginner guitarists with its superior playability since the 1990s, Yamaha Pacifica is the budget S-type (Stratocaster-like) guitar line par excellence.
There are Pacificas for all sorts of budgets these days, but arguably the best option at a minimal cost is the 112J. It’s a versatile choice for adventurous beginner guitarists, with a host of tones available via its trio of pickups (two single coil; one humbucker) and a softly rounded neck that goes easy on your fretting hand.
The finishing on this budget model is understandably basic, but the 112J is nonetheless a solidly made guitar that will suit beginners and newcomers – as was ever the case with Yamaha Pacificas.
Best value guitar for downtuned metal: Jackson Lee Malia LM-87
Image: Press
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Maybe you’re into Bring Me The Horizon. Maybe you’re not. The Jackson Lee Malia LM-87 – named for the BMTH lead guitarist – is an excellent value guitar, either way. This distinctive signature edition from Jackson brings bucketfuls of vintage cool and metal aggression, with an eye-catching yet accommodating offset shape and a Tune-o-Matic hardtail bridge for easy tuning adjustment – perfect for drop tunings.
What we liked best is how the LM-87 sounds. The distinctive-looking bridge pickup with its large, hex-head polepieces is excellent at picking up the detail from individual strings, so you can hear the complexity of crunchy chords, even when you have some gnarly distortion in play.
Need more? Read our Jackson Lee Malia LM-87 review.
Best affordable kids guitar: Squier Mini Stratocaster
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You’re never too young to rock out – the only thing standing in your way is that most electric guitars are not made for little hands. Thankfully, the youngest guitarists can start out with a mini guitar, such as this cute, scaled-down Strat from Squier.
Don’t mistake this for a toy: the mini Stratocaster has three proper single-coil pickups, sports a decidedly decent Indian laurel fretboard and is designed by Fender. Helpfully, it also has a slender, C-shaped neck profile that’s relatively easy for younger guitarists to fret, and the hardtail bridge offers decent tuning stability for parent-pleasing tonality.
Why You Can Trust Us
Every year, Guitar.com reviews a huge variety of new products – from the biggest launches to cool boutique effects – and our expert guitar reviewers have decades of collective experience, having played everything from Gibson ’59 Les Pauls to the cheapest Squiers.
That means that when you click on a Guitar.com buyer’s guide, you’re getting the benefit of all that experience to help you make the best buying decision for you. What’s more, every guide written on Guitar.com was put together by a guitar obsessive just like you. You can trust that every product recommended in those guides is something that we’d be happy to have in our own rigs.
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