Electric Guitar Buyer’s Guide

Electric guitars seemed to come alive at rock concerts, but the electric guitar isn’t and shouldn’t be limited to rock concerts. While you have the legends such as Carlos Santana, Slash (Guns and Roses), Stevie Ray Vaughn, Brent Mason, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Hendrix, you also have some guitarists like Keith Urban and Brad Paisley who are awesome on any guitar, especially electric.

If you have ever seen or been to watch Brad Paisley or any of these legends perform, you know that they’re about the lyrics just as much as they’re about rocking on the electric guitar. It’s almost memorizing to watch.

Now if you want to learn how to play electric guitar, the most essential thing you can buy is, of course, the guitar. A lot of people will buy an acoustic guitar to learn the basics and then graduate up to an electric guitar when they’re ready to. When you graduate up to an electric guitar, you will also want to buy an amp, a pick, a tuner, and so much more.

Because there are so many guitars that have so many various designs and colors, it’s hard to specifically tell you which guitar is the one for you. Before you make the investment in getting an electric guitar just it’s because it looks “pretty” or “cool,” you will need to do some research. That way you know how much to spend and what will work best with what you want and need to do.

Below are some choices of guitars with price and design:

Fender Stratocaster- Fender is a worldwide icon in the music industry and is known for its style. When it was first introduced in 1954, the body was the typical style it is now. The red and white body style seems to be the most popular and has been used by Mark Knopfler. The characteristics of the body have a unique curve on the upper back of the guitar and a gradual curve around the back of the guitar. In the 1960s colors such as Daphne Blue, Surf Green, Fiesta Red, Burgundy Mist, and Lake Placid Blue were introduced to the world. Today those guitars are unusual but very desirable. Some more designs by Fender include:

Deluxe Stratocaster ranges around $600.

Deluxe Stratocaster in Rosewood ranges around $1200

Standard Stratocaster in Maple around $400. If in Rosewood, the price is increased to $600.

Stratocaster Eric Johnson series guitar ranges around $1800

Fender Telecaster- the Telecaster is a dual-pickup, solid body guitar. When it was introduced in 1949, the Telecaster was the first of its kind to have a substantial scale and is one of the oldest solid-body guitars. Some popular Telecaster designs include:

American Telecaster HS ranges anywhere from $900-$1000

Standard Telecaster ranges anywhere from $400-$500

Fender 63 Telecaster Relic Solid Body ranges anywhere from $2500-$3000

Fender 72 Telecaster Custom, ranges anywhere from $700-$800

Gibson Les Paul- the Les Paul guitar is another solid-body guitar and was first introduced in the 1950s by a man named Ted McCarty. The main feature of the guitar is the neck construction, which means that it’s not bolted to the body of the guitar. Eric Clapton, Kirk Hammett from Metallica, and Slash from Guns and Roses are just some of the legends the play the Les Paul. Some other Les Paul designs include:

The Les Paul Custom ranges anywhere from $3000-$3500

1959 Standard Guitar ranges anywhere from $5500-$6000

Vintage Mahogany Electric Guitar ranges anywhere from $700-$800

Class Electric Guitar ranges around $1800-$1900

Gibson is a popular guitar name and shouldn’t be limited to just the electric guitar. They also specialize in banjos and acoustic guitar. Some of the legends of have played or still play Gibson guitars include Frank Zappa, Tommy Page, Ace Frehley, and Toni Tommi, and this is just to name a few. Some popular models of Gibson include:

Flying V Electric Guitar ranges anywhere from $500-$600

SG 61 Electric Guitar ranges anywhere from $1500-$1600

Faded SG Special Guitar ranges anywhere from $550-$600

Explorer Pro Electric Guitar ranges anywhere from $1100-$1200

There are many brand names of guitars, but these are just of the more popular names. While these are popular and well known, remember to do your research with each name brand to find the guitar that best suits your needs.