The best single-cut electric guitars to buy, from Les Pauls to Telecasters
“It’s no secret that the Gibson Les Paul is one of the most influential guitar designs of all time. It has seen countless versions from Gibson itself, and inspired plenty more single-cut guitars – whether that’s set-neck designs that offer their own twist on Gibson’s formula, or other brand’s more characterful attempts to fill the same niche – such as Fender’s powerful humbucker-loaded, 1970s-inspired telecasters.
READ MORE: The best electric guitars for all styles and budgets
But there are countless Les Pauls, Les Paul-alikes and rock-ready single-cuts out there on the market. So we’ve distilled down the best guitars in the category that we’ve reviewed – let’s dive in!
At a glance:
Our Pick: Gibson Les Paul Studio Session
Best Les Paul-style guitar for Metal: Jackson Diamond Rowe Monarkh
Best high-end single-cut: Heritage Custom Shop Core Collection H-137
Best affordable humbucker-loaded Telecaster: Squier Classic Vibe ’70s Antigua Telecaster
Best modern-style HS Telecaster-style guitar: Yamaha Pacifica SC Professional
Best vintage-style HH Telecaster: Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline
Best lightweight single-cut: Harmony Jupiter Thinline
Best single-pickup Les Paul: Epiphone Jared James Nichols “Blues Power” Les Paul Custom
Best vintage-style Les Paul: Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard
Best high-end vintage-style single-cut: Heritage Standard H-150 P90
Best affordable Les Paul: Epiphone Les Paul Special
Why you can trust Guitar.com
Our Pick: Gibson Les Paul Studio Session
The Les Paul Studio is back. While its return wasn’t without controversy – the revamped version of the instrument is decidedly more pricey than its predecessors – let’s set that aside for a moment and look at what the guitar is, rather than what it isn’t. Our reviewer found plenty to love about this modern take on the format, from the incredibly playable SlimTaper neck to the updated 57 Classic/57 Classic+ pickup combo. While a lot of Gibson’s approaches to the Les Paul are perhaps squarely stuck in the ultra-modern format as with the Modern Lite (a guitar we had less of a good time with) to the thoroughly vintage-indebted, the Les Paul Studio Session balances these two approaches to arrive at one hell of a guitar.
Read our full review of the Gibson Les Paul Studio Session.
Best Les Paul-style guitar for Metal: Jackson Diamond Rowe Monarkh
A good old Les Paul can be great for metal, but what if you want to tune down, or shred up near that chunky neck joint? Jackson’s signature model for Tetrarch’s Diamond Rowe is one of the best modern metal-focused single-cuts out there. It features a Fender-style scale length, comes stock with thick strings tuned to B standard, and has an absurdly comfortable all-access cutaway. Its EMG pickups are no slouch, either – there’s a reason the 81/85 set is a metal staple. Plus, just look at it – it’s one of the most extremely metal takes on a flashy burl top out there!
For the price it’s an amazingly professional guitar, with the only downside being the rather bad gigbag that it comes with. That aside, this could form the beating heart of a heavy AF metal rig.
Need more? Read our Jackson Diamond Rowe Monarkh review.
Best high-end single-cut: Heritage Custom Shop Core Collection H-137
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On the hunt for a serious bit of guitar-making? In terms of an all-out, US-made, handcrafted electric guitar in this style, the Gibson Custom Shop isn’t your only option. The legacy of Gibson’s Kalamazoo factory lives on with Heritage – and in this particular case, we have a guitar clearly inspired by the dual-P90 Les Paul Special. It’s a refined take on what was initially a punkier student model – its P90s are punchy and aggressive off the bat, meaning a wide range of tones in the four-control layout. And the overall excellent fit-and-finish of the thing helps it transcends its thrashier roots into something a little more versatile.
Need more? Read our Heritage Custom Shop Core Collection H-137 review.
Best modern-style HS Telecaster-style guitar: Yamaha Pacifica SC Professional
Image: Adam Gasson
Yamaha’s recent adjustment of the Pacifica line has led to some stellar high-end instruments being released as part of the line. This take on something approaching a Telecaster Custom is a smartly designed – and flawlessly crafted – instrument, featuring some of Yamaha’s own unique twists on the formula. You’ve got the focus switch, for instance, borrowed from the Revstar line, as well as a unique high-end three brass-saddle bridge and a compound radius fretboard. It all combines to make a guitar that truly lives up to the professional assertion in its name.
Read our full review of the Yamaha Pacifica SC Professional.
Best vintage-style HH Telecaster: Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline
If that Squier Classic Vibe instrument isn’t for you, there’s always of course the other end of the spectrum. This entry into Fender’s American Vintage II line meticulously recreates the 1972 version of Fender’s Telecaster Thinline. There’s an awesome balance going on with this guitar – there’s the characteristic Fender liveliness thanks to the semi-hollow construction, but a pair of Wide Range Humbuckers are ready to bring the midrange grunt to the party. The price tag isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you know that you love a vintage-style Fender, this is a great Les Paul killer from California rather than Kalamazoo.
Need more? Read our Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline review.
Best lightweight single-cut: Harmony Jupiter Thinline
Looking for a thinline that’s a little different? One of the most affordable USA-made instruments you can get your hands on, this semi-hollow single-cut modernises and streamlines the vintage Harmony vibe, meaning a more sensible set of electronics in the form of a pair of brilliant-sounding gold-foil humbuckers and a single volume/tone control. And thanks to the semi-hollow construction this is a guitar your back won’t hate you for playing for four hours straight!
Need more? Read our Harmony Jupiter Thinline review.
Best single-pickup Les Paul: Epiphone Jared James Nichols “Blues Power” Les Paul Custom
The latest iteration of the blues-rock firebrand’s signature single-pickup Les Paul adds a few major changes to the formula that makes it a fantastic guitar, even without taking into account its relatively modest pricing. With a new bridge pickup – a signature noiseless P90 from Seymour Duncan – the guitar comes a lot more alive with overdrive, and a set of locking tuners make things generally easier to manage in terms of setup and string-changing. But perhaps the killer feature here is that gorgeous Pelham Blue – just look at it. Is this the coolest-looking Epiphone full stop?
Need more? Read our Epiphone Jared James Nichols “Blues Power” Les Paul Custom review.
Best vintage-style Les Paul: Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard
If you want an awesome Les Paul that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, then this collaboration between Epiphone and the Gibson Custom Shop could be it. Thanks to premium electronics and Gibson-spec pickups, there’s a wide range of responsive tone-shaping options on tap. Construction is solid and mostly sticks to vintage specifications, too – perfect if you want to see why the 1959 Les Paul Standard has remained one of the most legendary guitars of all time. It’s also a smart purchase when you compare it to what’s available at the most accessible end of the Gibson USA catalogue.
Need more? Read our Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard review.
Best high-end vintage-style single-cut: Heritage Standard H-150 P90
Guitars like Heritage’s standard H-150 P90 are more than the sum of their parts. Sure, there’s all of the classic Les Paul-indebted specifications on show, like a C-shaped mahogany neck with a rosewood fingerboard, set into a maple-capped body with vintage P90s – but thanks to Heritage’s attention to detail, it all comes together into an incredible sounding and playing guitar packaged in a sleek, stylish look that features a range of subtle updates to the single-cut formula. For the discerning buyer, this may well be the ideal option.
Need more? Read our Heritage Standard H-150 P90 review.
Best affordable Les Paul: Epiphone Les Paul Special
Compared to the pricey Custom Shop collaborations Epiphone likes to shout about, the standard Les Paul special – first launched as part of the Inspired By Gibson range in 2020 – is an affordable workhorse that, unless you really, really hate the Epiphone headstock, has no discernible compromises. Although its neck profile is on the chunkier side, it’s very playable – and not quite as fat as some baseball-bat examples out there. Importantly, its pickups aren’t messing around, either, with all of the vocal midrange P90s are famous for.
Need more? Read our Epiphone Les Paul Special review.
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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