Let’s be realistic about this. To some, owning an electric guitar is luxury. But to be honest the reality can be different. You can get the best inexpensive electric guitar without breaking the bank.
Indeed! There are plenty of budget-friendly guitars near at your hand. Now, you may think inexpensive means poor-quality. Not at all. You don’t have to pay a whole heap to get high-end models as well.
Most leading brands are manufacturing top-quality instruments at an affordable price. They know, not everyone can afford those costly options. So, are you planning to buy one? Great. You made the right choice.
Anyway, the countless shapes and sizes of the electric guitar can make you confused. Each of them is prepared for distinct musical genres and goals. This is where we can help you.
Today we are signing in with our top picks of best budget electric guitars. Hence, without further delay, check our recommended best cheap electric guitars.
Are you in a hurry? Make sure to check the following comparison table on the best inexpensive electric guitars. Here goes!
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Best Inexpensive Electric Guitar: Our Top Picks
In terms of uniqueness, alluring pickups, and build-quality, our suggested electric guitars are solving the financial problem. You should take a look before making any decision.
1. Davison Full Size Black Electric Guitar
Are you looking for the best cheap electric guitar under 100 bucks? Look no further; Davison Guitars’ full-size electric guitar is indeed the safe option. It’s a black beauty from Davison that includes everything to start.
Reasons to Buy
Davison Guitars black features a solid wood body. The basswood body and rosewood fretboard make this guitar durable. It has also a high gloss finish for stylish and tempting look.
The guitar comes with humbucker pickups that offer crunchy-wet sound. Including the chrome bridge system, Davison allows you to tune the guitar easily. It also enhances the playability of your guitar.
Moreover, the sound of the guitar is stable in the mid-range audio segment. You can use it for multiple styles with a robust fuzzy punch. The best parts are that it is compatible with most guitar software.
What Else It Comes With?
Our Feedback: Needless to say, Davison Guitars electric guitar is the right choice for those who need a budget guitar. It’s a complete package, even with the low price. We would strongly recommend this to beginners, as it’s a great deal for your first ride.
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2. Squier by Fender Affinity Series Beginner Electric Guitar
What if you have a trendy and attractive guitar in hand along with excellent sound? This what every guitarist wants. Luckily, with Squier by Fender, you can now get the best value electric guitar.
Reasons to Pick
Squier affinity by Fender is an affordable version of those classical guitar used by music superstar on stages. The guitar comes in alder body along with a smooth and eye-catching glossy finish.
It features a comfortable “C” shape maple neck for the universal comfort of any playing style. The fingerboard has 21 fret, which is suitable for newbies. Also, its vintage-style single-coil pickups ensure the iconic tone of solid-body guitars.
With its superior versatility and easy playability, you’ll surely dip your toe into the electric guitar pool. This telecaster edition is many beginner’s dream guitar. Thanks to its budget-friendly price and pleasant sounding electronics.
Our Feedback: Nothing could be better than this budget-friendly option by Fender. It is the most popular addition of Fenders for almost beginners. The cherry on the cake is that Squier is the legendary telecaster used by famous Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, and all. You must try it!
3. RockJam RJEG02 6 ST Style Electric Guitar
Up next on our list is a super efficient electric guitar. Its none other than the “Rockjam.” With 15 years of experience, Rockjam is proudly presenting RJEG02 series. This high-quality full-size electric guitar is wowing every guitarist.
Reasons to Pick
The RockJam RJEG02 comes with iconic ST design and solid wood body. It includes a high gloss finish that makes the guitar look striking. The design ensures the best feel to plays.
This full-size electric guitar doesn’t compromise with its quality. It features metal gear heads that help to generate a genuinely refined sound. The guitar also includes a 10W amplifier along with headphone output.
Moreover, its 3times single coils and adjoining whammy bar make it perfect for all playing styles. The guitar action is not too high. You can also easily switch between tones with tone knobs.
Our Feedback: Rockjam RJEG02 is undoubtedly the best option for beginners who are looking for their first guitar. With excellent detailing and best finish, it doesn’t compromise with quality and playability.
4. Sawtooth ST-ES-LH-CARP-KIT-3 Electric Guitar
If you are a lefty, no worries, we have a better option for you. Sawtooth electric guitar is what you should consider buying. This left-handed electric guitar is one of the best affordable guitars for all styles of music.
Reasons to Pick
This Sawtooth electric guitar is an emerging beauty, and gaining popularity with times. First of all, it features a sycamore body along with a black finish. It provides the guitar with a sleek looking with a vintage vibe.
It has a C-shape maple neck along with a rosewood fingerboard. This offers a solid tone and makes it a versatile guitar. The guitar is relatively easy to play due to detail components.
Our Feedback: The Sawtooth electric guitar is another best value guitar. As per Sawtooth, it is perfect for students and beginners. But, the guitar is quite heavy, which may be because of built-in upgrades.
5. Sawtooth ST-ES-LH-BKB-KIT-2 ST Style Electric Guitar in Black
The next one is from the same brand and with almost the same features. Sawtooth ST style electric guitar comes in black color and less kit that the previous one. Also, price and weight are relatively low.
Reasons to Pick
The Sawtooth ST style electric guitar comes with a Sycamore body and made for left-handed players. This black beauty features a black finish that makes it stylish and sleek. You’ll surely get the vintage vibe here.
It also offers a solid tone and made for all music styles. It also includes built-in upgrades, including chrome tuners, 3-ply pickguards, and more.
Our Feedback: If you are lefty and looking for a lightweight option in the budget, this one is for you. Apart from that, a decent deal for beginners at a value price.
What is an Electric Guitar?
If you are new here, you should have better knowledge on electric guitar. An electric guitar is a wooden-made guitar that uses pickups to convert string vibration to electrical signals.
When a guitarist plucks, strums slaps or taps the strings, the vibration happens. Electric guitar pickups use electromagnetic induction to create electrical signals.
An electric guitar uses an electric device to amplify the sound. It often comes with plastic or metal body finish. The body material changes the sound of an electric guitar.
Know the Anatomy of an Electric Guitar
So far, you know about an electric guitar. Do you know the anatomy of an electric guitar well? If not, you should. Only then, you can understand how to get the best cheap electric guitars. Electric guitar generally includes the following things.
- Head: The head is the flat part of wood at the end of the neck.
- Tuners: It is located at the guitar’s head.
- Pickups: These are electronic components that sense the change in the string and convert it to an electric signal.
- Bridge: The Bridge is where strings are attached at the other end of the guitar.
- String Retainers: It locates near tuners that retain the tension on the string.
- Nut: It’s a piece of thin plastic that makes differences in playability and sound.
- Frets: A piece of thin metal that goes across the fretboard at regular spacing.
- Truss Adjustment: It adjusts the curve of the neck to hold the string from buzzing and change the string height.
- Fretboard: The upper part of the neck, which holds the frets and fret markers.
- Fret Markers: It locates over the fretboard that helps you to find where you are on the fretboard.
- Strings: Usually, Guitar has six strings with size skinny to fat. The settings of the strings affect the guitar’s sound.
- Body: Guitar’s body is the wooden part of the guitar, like an acoustic guitar.
- Pickguard: It keeps the pick from scratching the guitar’s body.
- Pickup Selector: It switches pickups on and off, which are made of more than one pickup.
- Strap Button: This is where you hook up the guitar strap.
- Tremolo Bar: It is also known as a vibrato bar. A tremolo bar is used for the special effects of lowering and raising the pitch of the notes.
Output Jack: Output jack denotes as the port from where the pickup signal goes out to the amplifier.
What Are The Different Pickups In an Electric Guitar?
The electric guitar may include one or more pickups that make them sound distinct. Pickups decide the way an electric guitar sounds. Know them before buying one.
Single-coil Pickup
Most electric guitar features single-coil pickup that is made of single magnet wrapped with fine wore. The magnetic field captures the string’s vibration and converts it to an electrical signal. Single-coil pickup makes a crisp and bright sound.
Humbucker Pickup
These are designed to handle hum or buzz but also offer tonal characteristics. It comprises two-single coils coiled together with the polarity of magnets in the opposite direction.
Due to the design, hum pickup removes hum. This pickup tends to have a louder and thicker tone than the single-coil pickup.
Piezo Pickup
Piezo pickups are rarely found in electric guitars. Piezo sensors are embedded in the guitar’s saddle. It operates on mechanical vibration against magnets that converts vibration to electrical current. Piezo-equipped electric guitars include magnetic pickups for better tonal versatility.
Active Pickups and Electronics
Active pickups require batteries as an energy source, and it has a preamp for sound-shaping. Also, the most guitar includes active electronics like equalization and filters for better sound control. These help to produce a clear sound.
What to Look For In the Best Inexpensive Electric Guitars? (Buyer’s Guide)
Choosing a value electric guitar for the money is wholly depends on individuals. Still, there are lots of things to consider while shopping for the best value electric guitar.
Whether you are a novice or experienced guitarist, knowing them can help you make the right decision. Make sure to check the following factors in your electric guitar.
Electric Guitars Body
First and foremost, you should check the guitar’s body. There are three common types of guitars body available: solid body, hollow body, and semi-hollow body.
Once you know about their characteristics, it will be easier to find out what you need. Take a look.
- Solid-Body
Among the three types of the guitar body, the solid body is the most common electric guitar type. These electric guitars are equipped with a solid wood. The wood has an impact on the guitar’s sound.
That’s why it entirely depends on the electric pickup system. Solid-body electric guitars can amplify the sound to high volume without any feedback problems. It also available in single and multiple-pickup models.
- Hollow Body
As the name suggests, hollow electric guitars include a hollow shape acoustic guitars. It generates the same sound as an acoustic guitar. Due to its design, this guitar produces more resonance.
Hollow body electric guitar features an archtop that is prone to feedback. It relatively generates rich sounds but with feedback at higher sounds. Because of its rich tone and deep bass response, most jazz guitarists prefer using a hollow body.
- Semi-Hollow Body
Semi-hollow body electric guitar is anything in between a solid body and hollow body. It generates more resonance than a solid body but less than the hollow body. Its solid center wood block improves constancy and sustain.
Semi-hollow body electric guitar features a small soundbox that helps to minimize feedback. These guitars are the best for a range of music, including blues, jazz, punk rock, etc. In fact, it is preferred by many blues players. Thanks to its enhanced attack and sustain.
Tips:
- If you need sustain and loud amplification with many effects, you should go with a solid body.
- When acoustic sound with high levels of amplification is required, semi-hollow body guitar is the right choice.
- If you need more like acoustic sound, choose hollow body guitar. But, it can be prone to feedback at high amplification levels.
Body Material
The next thing, the guitar’s body material has a massive impact on the tone that the guitar produces. Mostly budget guitars are made of basswood, paulownia, poplar, and alder.
Conversely, expensive guitars are equipped with mahogany, ash, and pine. Most of today’s inexpensive guitars are made of mahogany, and it provides a warmer tone. Basswood and alder provide balanced tones.
Scale Length
The length of vibrated strings or the distance from the nut to bridge is defined by scale length. The longer scale length offers more tension, brighter shimmer, and low end.
Conversely, the shorter length delivers less tension and easier string bending. To get warmer tone, you should choose a shorter length. The different brand uses separate scale length;
- Gibson guitars include 24.75″ scale length
- Fender guitars include 25.5″ scale length
- PRS guitars include 25″ scale length
Neck Constructions
The extended part from the guitar’s body is known as the neck that includes fretboard and headstock. It is equipped with a metal truss rod. Guitar’s neck can be constructed to maintain a consistent pitch.
Electric guitars usually include three types of neck constructions. They are neck-on, set neck, and neck-through. Among all, bolt-on necks are cost-effective, and neck-through provides more stability.
Other Hardware
Even though you are buying an inexpensive electric guitar, make sure to check all guitars hardware. The electric guitar may have different hardware with a different use. The most common and essential hardware are bridges, frets, tuning machines, and tailpieces.
Electric Guitars Bridge is available in different forms like fixed bridge and Tremolo Bridge. Tremolo Bridge may affect tuning without locking nuts, and fixed bridge offers better tuning stability and sustain.
The thin metal bar across the neck is known as fret. It acts as a note separator that allows you to play different notes and chords. Rock or metal inclined guitars include 24 frets, though most electric guitars come with 22 frets.
If you are a beginner, you should stick on the highest fret. Overall, all these hardware can affect the guitar’s tone.
Ease of Playing
Whether you are a beginner or professional, you need an electric guitar that is comfortable. It should also be easy for fingers. That’s why make sure the intonation is well-adjusted.
This distance is known as the action, and the guitar should have the right action. If it is too low or high, make sure the necessary setup is done.
Compatibility
Finally, you should check whether the guitar is compatible with your playing style. Know if you are lefty or right, the guitar should provide better compatibility.
FAQs
Q: Does the gauge of strings make sound difference?
A: Yes, it does. If you use heavier strings, it will put more tension on the neck. It means you need to adjust the truss and re-set the intonation to get new string tension. However, the thicker string provides better and fatty sound.
Q: Does electric guitar requires a battery to power the guitar?
A: Technical question. Lets clear the myth; if a guitar pickup is piezo or active, battery is essential. But the passive pickup does not need battery power to amplify the sound. It can use the built in electric voltage to sound.
Q: Is it hard to play an electric guitar?
A: Not really. In fact, electric guitars are technical to play. The electric guitar’s strings are lighter and more comfortable than acoustic guitars. Also, electric guitars are comfortable.
So, Which Electric Guitar Should You Buy? (The Winner!)
After analyzing all our recommend guitars, we found Davison Full Size Black Electric Guitar as the best. Let us give you the reasons.
First of all, this black beauty is one of the best cheap electric guitars available today. Secondly, the users claim to use it for years with satisfaction. Considering features, playability, and price, Davison is the winner here.
Final Words
Now, you know about the best inexpensive electric guitar on the market. Though all are great value for the money, Davison Guitars, Fender, and RockJam stay ahead in the race.
Hopefully, our top suggestions help you get the best within your budget. Note that many professional guitarists had a budget guitar as their first guitar.