Best Cheap Electric Guitar Review – Top Rated Models in 2021 with Buying Guide
If you have little to no time on your hands, here you will find what the best cheap electric guitar is. We have taken the time to examine the most popular cheap electric guitars reviews, and we’ve concluded that the model to get is the Jackson JS22 Dinky. The unit is easy to play and affordable enough to cater to even the amateur player. It comes with upgraded features such as the high-output ceramic-magnetic pickups and the graphite-reinforced maple necks. What’s more, it also comes with a beautiful design and looks. If you can’t find our first pick available for sale, we recommend you consider the Fender Squier Affinity.
Comparison Table
Our Top Choice
With a design and materials that serve up a massive tone and remarkable sustain, this guitar is ideal if you’re a novice interested in exploring the sonic possibilities of this instrument. Delivering the performance you would normally find in premium guitars, the unit ensures playability enabling the user to transition more smoothly between rhythm and lead playing.
Some customers had a hard time keeping the guitar in tune. It required re-tuning every 2 or 3 minutes.
Ideal for beginners who want to learn the basics of guitar playing, this model is worth considering due to the materials used and its design that ensure playability.
2nd Best
Boasting features that will please seasoned players and amateurs alike, this unit is an option you might want to try when embarking on the guitar playing journey or when interested in advancing in this field. You will get to enjoy accurate note intonation thanks to the six-saddle bridge design. The guitar stays in tune so you can practice without interruptions.
The color of the product may be a bit different from what you usually see in the pictures.
If you want to learn the basics of guitar playing and even if you already have knowledge in the field, this model shouldn’t go unchecked before you make a decision.
Also To Consider
Designed to meet the needs of a beginner yet featuring specs that make it ideal for more skilled players as well, this model is worth considering. The mahogany body, bolt-on mahogany neck, and smooth 22-fret rosewood fingerboard not only ensure playability and help you get a sound you will love but will also trigger admiration and add style to your performance.
According to a few customers, it might not stay in tune and, thus, requires frequent retuning.
Keep this guitar in mind whether you are a beginner or a skilled player. Its features and the materials used will help you enjoy playability and durability.
8 Best Cheap Electric Guitars (Reviews) in 2021
If you are looking for a cheap alternative to complete your quality collection of electric guitars, we have selected some of the critically acclaimed products and showcased them below. With the help of this list, you will have no problem in finding the best electric guitar on a budget.
- 1. Jackson JS22 Dinky Satin Black
- 2. Fender Squier Affinity Telecaster Butterscotch Blonde
- 3. Epiphone Les Paul Special-II Electric Guitar
- 4. Ibanez GSR200 Electric Bass Guitar
- 5. Squier by Fender Affinity Stratocaster Beginner Electric Guitar
- 6. Stagg T320-SB Standard T Style Electric Guitar
- 7. Full Size Black Electric Guitar with Amp
- 8. Sawtooth ST-ES-LH-VCW-KIT-2 Left Handed Electric Guitar
- Yearly Guide & Report
1. Jackson JS22 Dinky Satin Black
The Dinky series is made to create sonic mayhem, all at a modest price so that even the amateur or aspiring players can get a high-quality purchase on a low budget. It can serve up a massive tone, and killer sustain due to the use of an arched basswood body, two high-output ceramic humbuckers, and the tremolo tailpiece.
The maple speed neck and the fat-fretted, compound-radius rosewood fingerboard offer great playability, and you will be able to transition more smoothly between rhythm and lead playing. It is an excellent purchase for people that want to learn to play this instrument and even for seasoned artists that are looking for great value.
If you are looking for a rock-solid metal tone, this unit manages to offer similar performance to what you would typically only find in premium guitars. The high-output humbuckers give you a lot of punch and a serious bite, especially when you are plugged in a quality guitar amp.
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2. Fender Squier Affinity Telecaster Butterscotch Blonde
The Affinity series is well-known for the value it offers. The modest price should not fool you, and this is a model that is filled with a lot of features that can only be found in professional models. Seasoned players are the ones that will best appreciate the features, but they can also make it easier for amateur students to master this instrument.
The Squier Affinity comes equipped with two single-coil telecaster style pickups which help it provide the timeless tone that has graced countless recordings throughout the years. The six-saddle bridge design offers accurate note intonation as well as the ability to adjust the string height in relation to the fingerboard.
The top load bridge creates a slinkier feel by reducing the break angle of the strings over the saddles. What’s more, this model stays in tune well which means that you won’t have to keep your guitar tuner with you at all times.
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3. Epiphone Les Paul Special-II Electric Guitar
The Les Paul SPECIAL-II is the number one selling model from Epiphone, and that says a lot about the quality and satisfaction it offers to the users. It is an excellent beginner electric guitar to get you started while still benefiting from the features and quality that can allow you to keep evolving even after you reach a more advanced skill level.
Seasoned pros will also love this model because it is a great-sounding guitar that allows the users to leave their more expensive axes at home. Indeed, this is a great option for people that seek an excellent travel guitar to take with them whenever they travel away from home.
It is made with a mahogany body, a bolt-on mahogany neck, and a smooth 22-fret rosewood fingerboard. This unit does not only play great, but it also looks incredibly well. The open-coil humbucking pickups deliver long, singing sustain and true tones.
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4. Ibanez GSR200 Electric Bass Guitar
A good guitar does not have to burn a hole in your wallet in order to sound good, and this is precisely what this Ibanez alternative seeks to offer. This series has been developed to offer the new and experienced players that are on a tight budget with the means of getting an excellent quality instrument at half of the price that other manufacturers demand.
This model sees the use of the popular Ibanez body in a black night gloss finish with a black pickguard, as well as a bolt-on maple neck with white dot inlay and a rosewood fingerboard. The solid double-cutaway body can deliver a resonant tone with natural sustain, and the infinity R humbucking neck and bridge-pickups offer warmth and depth with rich dynamics.
In terms of hardware, the GRX20ZBKN is equipped with a FAT-6 traditional style tremolo bridge and standard tuners. What’s more, the sound can be adjusted via the master volume and tone controls, and the 3-way pickup selector switch.
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5. Squier by Fender Affinity Stratocaster Beginner Electric Guitar
The Affinity Stratocaster has a proud heritage and a sweet price that makes it a tempting purchase for players of any skill and budget. The contoured solid alder body is the same world-famous style that fueled the fires of renowned artists such as Hendrix, SRV, and thousands more.
The pure vintage tone that this unit produces comes from the three biting single-coil pickups that offer the same level of performance as premium acoustic guitar pickups. It also takes flavor from a classic rocking tremolo and 5-way switching. The genuine die-cast tuners provide unparalleled tuning stability for an instrument in this price range.
The headstock features the classic ‘70s big style, and the maple neck plays fast, and it feels great. The Affinity Stratocaster provides all of the desirable aesthetics of the original Fender model, it does not only look like the real thing, but it also plays and sound like it too.
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6. Stagg T320-SB Standard T Style Electric Guitar
The Stagg model is constructed of high-quality Alder wood which does not only help confer it increased durability, but also a lightweight design that will allow you to hold and play the instrument with great ease. The neck is built from quality maple that produces bright and snappy tones.
This standard electric guitar comes with a rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets, and it has volume and tone control due to the 3-way pickup selector switch. This feature offers excellent customization to the user so that he or she can get the right sound. The instrument is designed to give new players and students a classic electric guitar that can help them get started.
The customers that have purchased this model were thoroughly impressed with the quality and features this model had packed, especially when you considered the incredibly low price. For new players that are on a tight budget, this is a great purchase.
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7. Full Size Black Electric Guitar with Amp
If you are looking to get great value for your money, you can’t go wrong by going with a beginner starter package. The Davison Guitars pack comes with the useful accessories any aspiring musician requires to get the most out of their instrument so that you can start playing immediately.
You get a case with a strap so that you can transport your newly bought instrument with you everywhere you go. The case is made from high-quality fabric that is built to last. The beginner starter package also includes a guitar amplifier with a headphone jack and overdrive.
Don’t let the low price fool you. Davison Guitars is a brand that focuses on building guitars only, so you can rest assured that you are getting a premium unit thanks to the years of expertise behind every instrument. Customers were pleased with the quality and price of this model, and the numerous positive reviews are a testament to it.
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8. Sawtooth ST-ES-LH-VCW-KIT-2 Left Handed Electric Guitar
The Rise by Sawtooth Kit gives budding axe shredders everything that they might require to begin learning the basics of playing the electric guitar. You get a pitch pipe to help keep the guitar’s chords tuned. The kit also includes online lessons that will detail the ins and outs of starting, and a 10-watt amplifier.
Apart from this, you also get a guitar strap to make playing your new instrument more comfortable, a gig bag to help you transport it, and a three pick sampler. The guitar is available in both right and left-handed configuration and in two sizes. This will allow you to get the model that best suits your unique requirements.
Customers have reported that this is an excellent choice for people that seek to learn to play the electric guitar. It is easy to tune, and the quality build will ensure that your purchase will give you years of play time.
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Yearly Guide & Report
Finding a good cheap electric guitar is a hard thing, with the seemingly endless variety of models available for purchase. When it comes to affordable products, you also have a higher risk of encountering a sub-par unit that does not meet your requirements. Still, finding a quality and cheap instrument is not an impossible task, if you go about things correctly.
Research is an essential first step that should not be understated. Navigating through the massive sea of options can be done much more smoothly if you have the required information. This is where our buyer’s guide comes into the picture. By supplying you with key information, you will know what features to focus on the most.
Know your instrument well
While cheap electric guitars can work for both experienced and amateur players, it is much more likely for a new artist to start with an affordable purchase. This is why we believe that before you go and prospect the market, you should familiarize yourself with the basic components that such an instrument comes equipped with.
The electric model is very similar to acoustic guitars; it still works on the fundamental principle of strings that vibrate over wood. The catch is that there are all kinds of confusing-looking knobs and switches that might have the first-time users dumbfounded.
Learning how to identify the basic components can help feel you more comfortable so that you can focus on the most crucial elements.
The pick-up is placed under the strings, near to where the guitar is plucked. An instrument can have just one pick-up or more depending on the guitar. The pick-up is used to register the vibrations of the strings and transform them into electric signals that travel through the amplifier where they are converted into sound.
A model can also have as many as three volume knobs that will help you adjust the output volume. Tone knobs are used to switch between the low and high frequencies in the pick-up. Each pick-up will usually have its own tone knob.
The selector or the cut-off switches are utilized to select the pick-up that you want to activate or cut-off. This allows, on certain models, to use a combination of different pickups. Finally, the output jack is the place where you connect the instrument to the amplifier via a quarter-inch cable.
Pick the right body style
To an amateur player, all electric guitars might look the same, but the body style plays a crucial role, and each comes with its subtleties of sound and playing style. Some players believe that specific body styles work better for certain genres, but most of it has to do with your personal playing style and the music you want to create.
The solid body guitars are made of a single piece of wood, and that makes them sturdy and weighty. The lack of a resonance chamber means that the sound is achieved through the amplifier. These are the models best used for rock ‘n roll, metal music, and punk.
The hollow body style is a pretty straightforward one, as the name suggests, it is hollow on the inside. While this unit lacks the sound hole that is present on an acoustic guitar, this alternative uses a different type of pickup than the solid-body guitar. The hollow body is ideal for playing jazz, as it features a warm and deep mid-range.
The semi-hollow body style is present in hybrid models that boast a cut-out design as well as a small hollow portion of the body. This design helps the instruments achieve a bright and chime-like tone that is perfect for folk-rock, country music, and for lead-guitar work.
Tonewoods are important too
While the tonewoods might not play as huge of a part in an electric guitar, primarily since the sound will come from the pickup which can be changed, upgraded and customized, they are still important. There’s no need to go for expensive tonewoods since only seasoned players will notice a considerable difference in sustain.
Still, it is necessary to learn just a bit about the different types of woods used so that you can know what to choose. The primary types of tonewoods used in electric guitars are maple, mahogany, and poplar. There are other alternatives available, but those are generally too expensive to even be an option.
Maple is known for the long sustain and the bright character it offers, while mahogany is favored for its warmth. Poplar, on the other hand, is ideal for bright and crispy high-register tone.
More information about pickups
Seeing as the pickup is what gives an electric guitar its voice, you will have to be careful about this aspect when purchasing your first instrument. Sure, you have the option of upgrading and replacing the pickup if you wish to, but why do that when you can get the right model from the start? This way you’ll save both money and time.
In the price range of a cheap electric guitar, there are two kinds of pickups: the single-coil and the humbucker. The single-coil gives a bright and sparkly sound while the humbucker is fuller, meatier and it is ideal for rock and metal.
Both of these options are common and affordable, and the type you choose depends on what you intend to do with your instrument. Similarly to when going for one of the beginner bass guitar models, you can also consider getting a guitar that features a mix of both so that you get the best versatility.
Bibliography:
1) What is the electric guitar used for?
2) What is the electric guitar?
3) How the electric guitar was invented?
4) How do electric guitars work?
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