There are many things to consider when buying an electric guitar. Our picks for the top 8 best electric guitars under $500 will cover the needs of the most.
The electric guitar is an exciting instrument to lay hands on. One reason is that it can add importance to any music, production, and creating ideas. Electric guitars can get the whole of a stadium lighted up in a minute, stroking the hard strings increases the energy with ease and enjoyment. Every guitarist performs magic while playing the guitar; this is what every aspiring guitarist wants to look like when playing the guitar. They feel the urge to create an audience for their music.
The cost of owning an electric guitar has limited its availability amongst beginners and some pro guitarists. There would be a large number of people producing good music and possessing a guitar if there are price friendly choices. Faced with the truth that you need an amplifier to make music meaningful, you begin to lose interest. Here, we’ve done several pieces of research to find you top brands of electric guitars that pocket-friendly and are under $500.
Top 8 Best Electric Guitars under $500 [Guide and Reviews]
1. Squier by Fender Affinity Telecaster, Butterscotch Blonde
Fender classic is a model with the reputation of their Squier brand; it is one of the few manufacturers of guitars that sell for low prices, but the quality of sound it produces shouldn’t be doubted. The attraction of Fender Telecaster cannot go unnoticed. The authentic solid body is made of alder, and the neck of maple, most beginners usually find it comfortable playing a maple neck guitar. As such, it makes them fast learners.
The quality sound dished out of this Fender classic telecaster should not be doubted; this is made possible with Alnico’s pickup coils located in all three single-coil strat positions. Alnico’s are represented with brighter sounds with emphasis laid on highs and mids.
Since the early years of Fender, the Telecaster quickly became a guitar for every performer. It’s versatile sound, ease of playing and reasonable cost make it an excellent choice for beginners and experienced players. You should consider this Fender classical electric guitar if you are on a low budget and need a pulsated rhythm delivered with pace. This electric guitar is excellent for country, rock, blues, jazz music, and more.
Available colors: Butterscotch blonde, orange, black, green, race red, slick silver, and arctic white.
2. Sawtooth Heritage Series Maple Top Electric Guitar
Sawtooth electric guitars are made with care to craft out the astonishing sleek look. It also brings quality into consideration, one of the many reasons enthusiasts want one. With all its unique features, a pro guitarist can testify to its vintage sound. The right-handed configured electric guitar solid body is made of basswood. Although the fingerboard is made of maple, the neck has been carved nicely to play c shape.
Aside from the several choices of colors you could choose from, this Sawtooth electric guitar is fully packed with accessories that beginners can quickly learn with, and it is not only beneficial for beginners. Guitarists can also make use of the digital tuner, and the accompanied 10 ft cable.
The maple fingerboard comes with 22 frets with positioned dots. The unusual instrument is made to be price and user-friendly. No doubt, it comes second on this list. Every encounter with this Sawtooth electric guitar makes music accessible to produce. Enthusiasts, beginners, and pro guitarists find it a natural companion.
You can purchase only the guitar, or you can pick from 2 different kits with body style hard case and accessories. It also comes in two different colors, antique white and satin black, to choose according to your style.
3. ESP LTD EC-256FM Electric Guitar
Since 1975, ESP from Tokyo, Japan make guitars, basses, and cases for every musician in every corner of the world. Electric Sound Products is a usual suspect on the list of low budget quality electric guitars. That shouldn’t speak less of the sound it produces. Its solid body is made of mahogany wood and the top secured with flamed maple. Guitarists can testify that mahogany wood produces a special kind of tone for solid body guitars.
ESP-256FM electric guitar has a three-way switch for pickup selector and a split-coil method of tone control, adding to the effects of humbuckers. This electric guitar provides chrome tuners on the bridge end.
One of the unique features it carries is a high output when connected to an amplifier. Not all the expensive guitars have this feature. Hence, this is perfect for rock music. You may be limited to less sustained vintage blues. The split-coil technology used in controlling this guitar’s tone makes the sound more versatile. You’ll find this guitar a useful tool for your genre of music.
ESP LTD EC-256FM Electric Guitar has nearly perfect reviews by users all over the world. A limited lifetime warranty covers all ESP instruments, so you can be sure that it will bring you joy for many years. And when you see all four color variations (blue, dark brown, see-thru purple, lemon yellow), you will find yourself in a big dilemma.
4. Oscar Schmidt OE20 Electric Guitar, Serpentine Quilted
Beginners and pro guitarists cannot afford the costly Gibson’s, and Les Paul has this Oscar Schmidt to run to. That does not make it a cheap electric guitar, it is just less expensive, and you can tell what quality it is made of when you hear the finely tuned sound it dishes out.
Let’s start from the mahogany solid body designed with an elegant glossy gold. Its maple top is designed with a bright purple burst. You may be wondering if a low budget Oscar Schmidt lacks complexity, this is not a thing to worry about, and you are getting a high general tone with crisp and clear sounds if you purchase one of this. Some of the expensive electric guitars won’t beat the Oscar Schmidt quality. It is also one of those instruments you can show off with. The chromed tuners help you define your kind of pitch for any sound.
Quality construction and components give you a great instrument. It has a sturdy build, beautiful looks, and great finesse.
5. Squier by Fender Vintage Modified Jazzmaster
Fender never ceases to amaze guitarists with lesser prices and quality. This solid mahogany body and maple neck instrument never leave your band stranded with the grove, vibe, and rhythm it supplies. Tonally, it shouldn’t be doubted as the wiring loom isn’t confusing to understand. You can control your conventional volume and tone for the bridge pickup, the knobs located at the upper bout gives you control over your rhythm.
The Squier vintage edition comes with a three-way pickup and two-way slider switch for proper rhythm. If you have ever doubted the guitar for your jazz music, maybe because of its price or look, I am stressing the sound part for you. It has a bright bridge pickup with springy reverberation.
The pickup located at the neck of this electric guitar adds to the depth of the eventual tone when plugged in. It enhances the rhythm as it is the warmest spot on the electric bass. The sound is booming and the tone, deep with vibrations. It is also suitable for rock music, and you can learn more with Tristan Fender electric bass.
6. Sawtooth Classic ES 60 Alder Body Electric Guitar
Another edition of classical vintage electric guitar that takes your mind back to the ’60s when rock and roll guitarists play them. This Sawtooth model is made of solid alder wood with shape and body that cannot be overlooked. If you ever lived in the ’60s, you surely would be doubting the price-friendly guitar.
It’s specific classic features like the 21 jumbo frets; tremolo bridge styled strings with saddles that are adjustable, makes it unique. It is also a three vintage single-coil instrument with pickups made with ceramic magnets and runs a scale of 25.5″.
There’s every reason to be happy after owning this electric guitar because of its defining sound. The “S” style classic model quickly reminds you of David or Eric in the oldies. You’ll feel like one of them while holding this instrument. The strings are durable and won’t break in a long time. If you are a strat master, you’d love the springs.
As soon as you plug it in and play, you will feel happy and relieved with your purchase. It comes in four different color covers to pick according to your desires. Keep in mind that Sawtooth ES 60 is available only in right-handed configurations.
7. Squier by Fender Bullet Stratocaster HSS Hard Tail
This list of top electric guitars won’t be complete with an exemption of this Stratocaster. Another model of Fender, there shouldn’t be a surprise since it is coming from Fender. It is considered as an upgrade of the Telecaster.
Just like other Fender guitars, it is made of solid alder wood and maple neck with a fretboard that brings eagerness when you play. The alder wood solid body is responsible for the Stratocaster’s high sustain. Your modern “rock & roll” sound just got better with this instrument. It comes with three single-coil pickups. It is suitable for beginners who love the tremolo bridge. Of course, there wouldn’t b a Stratocaster’s without the characterized tremolo bridges.
You may likely miss a little bit volume while at the low end. That should not be a turn off feature as the pros supersede the cons. A Stratocaster on the list should be special considering its price for beginners and low budget pro guitarists.
It is very impressive what you can get for this price tag. Stratocaster is Amazon’s choice; it has nearly perfect user reviews and is probably the best pick for beginners. You can play everything from rock to blues and from jazz to straight-up unclassified.
8. Ibanez GRX70QA TBB Trans Blue Solid Body Electric Guitar
Every Ibanez electric guitar should be seen as top-notch. They don’t only excel in producing electric guitars for beginners; their models are usually easy to cash on. Without a doubt, the GIO series they decided to roll out has gained the hearts of beginners and enthusiasts alike. Every pro guitarist would love to play the GRX70 to learn the first-hand experience.
This electric guitar is made of a solid poplar body, and the neck is of maple. The fretboard made of rosewood compliments its beauty and also helps to deliver the solid tone you’d love to hear when playing an electric guitar. All the featured pickups enhance their tone when amplified. Of the three single-coil pickups, two of them located at the neck and bridge are made of ceramic magnets, and the last one is of Alnico magnet. The two ceramic magnets humbuckers give the guitar a high output, and its vintage sound is enhanced with the Alnico magnet. The clear sound of Ibanez GRX70 defines your country and rock music.
Without a doubt, this electric guitar deserves all the hype. It looks and plays better than similar electric guitars in this price range. The rigorous inspection, set-up, and warranty are the same as Ibanez’s more expensive models. Plus, it comes with a gig bag to transfer it anywhere you go.
Buyers Guide
What is an electric guitar?
One of the few instruments made and designed from different woods having an installed pickup attached to it are strings that can be strung to produce sounds of various types. Only an acoustic, electric guitar can be played with or without another combo of an amplifier to sound loud.
Although the entire body of a guitar is made of wood, it may be mistaken for a metal or plastic at first sight because of the beautifying colors from different manufacturers. Electric guitars also made of wood; the sounds produced from an electric guitar differ mainly according to the type of wood its made of.
If you are looking for acoustic guitars, take a look at the best acoustic guitars under $500.
Buying an electric guitar is an ultimate personal matter. There are many things to consider before purchasing your electric guitar, especially with a budget of around 500 dollars. It’s more than just choosing between a beautiful color, unique design, and the price tag.
You will also need an amplifier to hear your guitar. Check here the best mini guitar amps under $100.
Important factors to note when buying an electric guitar:
You’ll come across several sizes and shapes of guitars in every store you visit, and they also possess different features. If it is your first time purchasing a guitar, you should be extremely careful while choosing one. You shouldn’t select a guitar because of its beautiful colors and designs. You should worry more about the components of a guitar that works together to produce good sounds.
Body Shape
You may wonder how the body shape of an electric guitar affects the sound it dishes out. Yes, it does. The tone of a guitar is affected by the resonance produced when you strike the strings. The body shape of an electric guitar influences the strings when producing a resonance.
A part of the instrument’s body close to the joining of the neck affects its playability because it decides how accessible the fret is from your hands.
Solid or Hollow body
Electric guitars are made of wood and have a solid body. Semi-acoustic guitars are also wooden but classified as hollow or semi-hollow. A reason why the electric guitar is not audible when unplugged is because of its solid body.
Semi-acoustics can be played with or without an amplifier, fully and semi hollowed acoustics produce warm sounds with less sustain when connected to an amplifier. Fully hollow guitars are perfect for jazz, while semi-hollow guitars are suitable for the indie rock genre. They produce a kind of balance between solid and hollow-body guitars. You should be guided by this when choosing your guitar.
Neck
The different kinds of wood for different guitar parts make it an exciting puzzle to crack. Some guitarists are comfortable with the feel of a rosewood or maple neck guitar, and even a beginner may fall for the ebony material on some of Gibson’s guitar. You should note that these woods affect the sounds produced by these electric guitars, so choose the one that suits your music.
Finding the top electric guitars under $500 just got a lot easier. We compared sound quality, features, price tag, ratings, and reviews to give you only the best. On this list are some of the best electrical guitars you can get for under that price tag.
Final Thoughts.
Every beginner who goes through this list carefully should not find it hard to make the right choice. Almost all of the electric guitars on the list will help you perfect your first three chords, and if you’re aspiring to become a pro guitarist, you should not make that mistake of getting an expensive guitar. The bitter truth is that they don’t make a fantastic guitarist.
While you can afford a guitar below $500, you should not doubt it’s quality. You must make the best use of guitars like this. At subsequent times, the expensive and complicated guitars would seem easy, and with that, you can play any guitar.
Whether you are looking for an electric guitar to perform live or to record samples and sounds for your music productions, all the above will get the job done.
In Conclusion, when picking the best electric guitar choices under $500, we focused on the significant factors you should note, durability, and quality. Anything less than these features should be overlooked at the guitar store. It is also imperative you go with an experienced guitarist, but if you are reading this now, you need no guitarist to go with you. All the beautiful colors and attractive designs of electric guitars you come across are also present in this list; you don’t have to pick beauty over quality when you can choose both at the same time.
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