Best Electric Guitar 2023: 8 top picks | Jacob Golden

Best Electric Guitar In Reviews

#1. LyxPro 39 inch Electric Guitar Kit Bundle - Best Overall

Important Specifications

• Brand: LyxPro

• Color: Green

• Top Material Type: Canadian Maple

• Body Material: Wood

• Back Material Type: Phoenix wood

• Neck Material Type: Maple

• Fretboard Material Type: Canadian Maple

• Guitar Pickup Configuration: S-S-S

• String Material Type: Nickle steel

• Hand Orientation: Right

Product’s Highlights 

To begin your guitar education, you must first select on a guitar to purchase. If you already own a guitar, you probably want to choose an amplifier that works well with its sound. A solid wood body and a maple neck make up the guitar's standard equipment. The rosewood fretboard on this instrument is very straight. 

These transitions and quickness of motion are far superior. The neck, middle, and bridge positions are each equipped with a single-coil pickup. The pickup selector switch is linked to the master volume and master tone controls for these pickups. The intonation is maintained with a tremolo bar that only moves in one direction.

This kit's guitar and extras might be invaluable to a beginner. The guitar is excellent at maintaining its setting and remaining in tune, but it may need the expertise of a professional to set it up properly. Everything in the kit, not just the guitar, is great for use in private or professional practice. Nothing fancy, but everything works well and will serve you well for a long time. This player bundle is ideal if you need to prepare for an upcoming live performance.

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What We Like

• Great sounding guitar, feels nice

• Outstanding craftsmanship and beauty

• Clip-on tuner works fine

Things to Consider

• Might need more adjustments and setup

• Some fret edges require sanding

#2. Best Choice Products 39in Full Size Beginner Electric Guitar - Best Custom Design

Important Specifications

• Brand: Best Choice Products

• Color: Hollywood Blue

• Top Material Type: Wood

• Body Material: Wood

• Back Material Type: hardwood

• Neck Material Type: Maple

• Fretboard Material Type: rosewood

• Guitar Pickup Configuration: S

• String Material Type: Nylon

• Hand Orientation: Right

Product’s Highlights

Your electric guitar is pre-tuned and ready to rock out of the box, with a sleek, hand-crafted design that converts vibration into electric music.

This complete package includes everything you'll need to play, including an amplifier, cord, nylon case, extra strings, pick, whammy bar, electronic tuner, and a shoulder strap with a built-in pick holder.

The new model's electric guitar design is elegant, and classy thanks to its high-quality paint finish, bespoke black tuning pegs, and accentuated binding.

The tremolo bridge mechanism lets you bend the pitch as you play, and the detachable whammy bar creates tremolo effects, allowing you to rock out and explore various types and genres of music.

Incorporating 3 single-coil pickups, a tremolo bridge system, and a detachable, color-matching whammy bar, this guitar is custom-made to order with a Rosewood fretboard and maple neck to translate vibrations into a rich, classic rock sound.

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What We Like

• High-Quality Standards

• Best For Beginners

Things to Consider

• Poor shape

#3. Donner DST-100S 39 Inch Full Size Electric Guitar - Best Portable Guitar

• Brand: Donner

• Color: Sunburst

• Top Material Type: Poplar

• Body Material: Poplar

• Back Material Type: Poplar Wood

• Neck Material Type: Maple

• Fretboard Material Type: Purpleheart

• Guitar Pickup Configuration: H-S-S

• String Material Type: Nickel Plated

• Hand Orientation: Right

Product’s Highlights

Many well-known guitar companies provide convenient starting packages to aid the genuine beginner. A guitar and many other essentials for a beginner to start playing are included in these sets. Even though there are many options out there from well-known manufacturers like Fender and Gibson, we at KGR would like to introduce you to the Donner DST-100S Electric Guitar Starter Kit (previously known as the 102).

The Donner Starter Kit has the same standard of quality as other comparable kits. To be sure, this doesn't disprove the existence of any distinctions. Donner swapped out the larger amplifier for a more compact gig backpack. We think they've made a wise decision here. Having a sturdy gigbag to transport the guitar in is crucial for maintaining its condition over time.

There's a lot of nickel hardware on the instrument, which is a cheap metal. This in no way implies that it is undesirable. As may be anticipated of a guitar in this price range, the tremolo is subpar. However, a block and some tape may transform it into a reliable hardtail for very little outlay.

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What We Like

• Nice, good-looking guitar with great specs

• Accessories are nice, and exactly what you’ll need

• Decent amp, perfect for its purpose

Things to Consider

• Build quality inconsistent

#4. ZENY 39" Full Size Electric Guitar - Best Design

• Brand: ZENY

• Color: Blue

• Top Material Type: Basswood

• Body Material: Wood

• Back Material Type: basswood

• Neck Material Type: wood

• Fretboard Material Type: rosewood

• Guitar Pickup Configuration: S

• String Material Type: Steel

• Hand Orientation: Right

Product’s Highlights

Right-handed guitarists are the intended users of the Zeny electric guitar. The pricing is great, and the many extras that come with it are a huge bonus. The Zeny electric guitar is great for beginners because of its ease of use.

Steel strings may still produce loud volumes for the amplifier, but their tone constancy is adequate. Furthermore, the pickups come in three distinct varieties. Each tone's pitch, bass, and treble may be adjusted.

Our assessment of the Zeny Guitar found that none of these adjustments or additions resulted in a significant improvement above the performance of similarly priced guitars.

The right-handed-specific Zeny electric guitar is complete with its own set of attachments. It's easy to pick up and play, so newcomers won't feel overwhelmed. The nylon case with the Zeny electric guitar is perfect for musicians on the go. A guitar case is essential if you do a lot of touring.

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What We Like

• Comes with a case

• Guitar strap included

• Sleek design 

• Comes with an amplifier

Things to Consider

• The quality of the amplifier is not the best

#5. Fender Squier Affinity Stratocaster - Best Lightweight

• Brand: Fender

• Color: Charcoal Frost Metallic

• Top Material Type: Maple, Poplar

• Body Material: Poplar

• Back Material Type: Maple Wood, Poplar Wood

• Neck Material Type: Maple

Product’s Highlights

While there are many other Strat clones available, Squier is the gold standard. Sure, it might need some work, but it's already pretty darn good for the price. This Strat is versatile enough to handle heavier distortion while still looking and playing great. The Affinity Strat HSS is a great guitar for learning and playing.

It has a solid alder body in either Montego Black or Olympic White high-gloss paint with a platinum glitter pickguard. When it comes to the guitar's upper registers, Squier stays true to form by providing a rosewood fretboard with 21 medium jumbo frets and simple dot inlays and a maple neck in a classic C shape. A big, '60s-style headstock emblazoned with the Squier logo sits above this. At less than $200, it's the best you can get in terms of looks, playability, and comfort.

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What We Like

• Comfort

• Accurate turning

• Lightweight design

Things to Consider

• Some found it has broken cable

#6. Donner Electric Guitar LP Solid Body - Best High-Quality Accessories

• Brand: Donner

• Color: Black

• Top Material Type: Maple

• Body Material: Basswood

• Back Material Type: Maple Wood

• Neck Material Type: Maple

Product’s Highlights

There's a good reason why the Donner DL-124 electric guitar consistently appears on lists of the world's best-selling electric guitars, and it's not just because it was released during a lockdown. Its attractive design, reasonable pricing, and pleasurable playability won many first-time guitarists who are looking for a high-quality guitar without breaking the bank. This guitar is a deal if you look at it that way.

When it comes to guitars in the Les Paul Junior style, the Donner DLP-124 really stands out. The guitar's high-quality polish and creamy bindings give it a sophisticated appearance. The pickups sound great, and the guitar is easy to play because of its lightweight and slim neck.

It has certain flaws to be expected from a guitar of this price range. The tuners are a little bit erratic, so there may be moments when rotating them has little effect and other times when it has a significant effect on the tuning. Moreover, even for a cheap guitar, the nut quality is subpar. Last but not least, there is some buzzing on the bottom strings, and the movement isn't ideal.

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What We Like

• Comfortable C-shaped neck which is a joy to play

• Elegant look

• Lightweight and balanced instrument

Things to Consider

• Bit of buzz on lower strings

• Low-quality badly cut nut

#7. Sawtooth Sunburst Electric Guitar - Best Performance 

Important Specifications

• Brand: Sawtooth

• Color: Sunburst with Tortoise Pickguard

• Top Material Type: Sycamore

• Body Material: Sycamore

• Back Material Type: Sycamore

• Neck Material Type: Maple

• Fretboard Material Type: Pressed Pine

• Guitar Pickup Configuration: S

• String Material Type: Nylon

• Hand Orientation: Right

Product’s Highlights

Sawtooth guitars are often considered to be the most cost-effective kind of electric guitar design. These electric guitars are very adaptable and produce a robust tone while still having traditional aesthetics; they are suitable for many types of music. 

Designed to provide you with an electric guitar that has an authentic tone and a sleek appearance, is simple to play, and has a vintage feel. Sawtooth guitars include three-ply pickguards, chrome tuners, Sawtooth truss rod covers, and tremolo bridges, among many other distinguishing characteristics. These guitars are excellent choices for any student, novice, or aspiring musician, and they are also going to win over the favor of a more experienced guitarist.

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What We Like

• Lightweight Sycamore Body

• Maple c-shape

• 5-way selector switches

Things to Consider

•  False listing headline

#8. Complete 39 Inch Guitar and Amp Bundle Kit - Best Sound-Quality

Important Specifications

• Brand: COLUBER CABLE

• Color: Purple

• Top Material Type: Engineered Wood

• Body Material: Wood

• Back Material Type: Phoenix Wood

• Neck Material Type: Maple

• Fretboard Material Type: Engineered Wood

• Guitar Pickup Configuration: S

• String Material Type: steel

• Hand Orientation: Right

Product’s Highlights

Find the whole starter package for guitarists, including everything you need to get started right here: Included in the package are a Ritmo 6-string tremolo guitar, a 20-watt amplifier, a gig bag, a shoulder strap, two sets of picks, a digital tuner, a guitar cable, an extra set of strings, and two Allen wrenches.

Coluber Cable's Ritmo set has a 39-inch electric guitar optimized for playability thanks to an Engineered Fretboard, a Canadian Maple neck with a compact profile, and S-S-S pickups that can handle blues, rock, metal, funk, country, and more.

This 20W Amplifier has a built-in Speaker, Headphone Jack, and an AUX input so you can connect your phone and play along with your favorite music as you study, practice, or perform with your band.

Each beginning guitar pack has a Clip-On tuner and tuning guidelines to help you get started. There is no need to worry about losing or misplacing accessories since additional strings, picks, and a shoulder strap are included.

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What We Like

• Perfect gift

• High-quality sound

Things to Consider

• Amp not so much