This is a very important guide for people that are being introduced to the world of electric guitars because there are a lot of small details that can be overlooked in terms of quality and price.
It’s important to get an idea of how expensive electric guitars can be today and why because while you will be able to get high-end expensive guitars that excel in every aspect, most people won’t buy high-end guitars, which means that they have to go for cheaper options.
Brands often cut prices by using parts and materials that offer less quality whether it’s the wood, electronics, or manufacturing itself, so in order to help you understand how every single one of these aspects comes into play when finding the guitar that’s best for you, we will be taking a look at the electric guitar market, and help you get started.
How to Choose the Best Electric Guitar for Me?
If you decide to get a guitar, the first thing that you need to be truly certain of is that you like playing guitar, it seems obvious but many teenagers and young enthusiasts get into an instrument for the wrong reasons, so make sure your passion is real.
After you know that you really want to play guitar, you have to think about why, are you going to play professionally. is it just a hobby? or you are just trying something new. This will give you a good idea of which price range could be for you regardless of your budget.
Now that we mention it, of course, the budget is important but this should come last, once you know why you want it and your goals as a musician you can check what you have to work with.
Once you know where to look, do lots of research and try to find the one you like the most, within your range.
Of course, if you are reading this article you are doing just that, so we hope that once you finish reading this guide, you can look for your perfect electric guitar without a shadow of a doubt.
Guitar Prices
There are different price ranges for different types of guitars, with the average electric guitar costing about $500, from there it can go down to $100 or up to thousands of dollars for some really special guitars.
In order to give you a better idea of how much you should spend on your new electric guitar, we’ll show you what you can find within every price range, what exactly is the price range for every category, and some important facts that will help you decide what’s best for you.
Entry-Level $100 – $300
These guitars are the perfect choice for beginners, mostly because you’ll be able to get the experience of an electric guitar without having to spend a big amount of money. This is good because a lot of people just want to try the experience without having to think a lot about committing to it.
Entry-level guitars are often made in Asian countries like China, Indonesia, Korea and Vietnam, however, there are also differences in quality between these countries, for example, it is known that most guitars made in Indonesia and Korea tend to be better quality than China, although there are some exceptions.
One of the greatest things about the musical instruments market is that many big popular brands have side branches that offer budget versions of more expensive guitars, some of the biggest examples are Gibson’s Epiphone and Fender’s Squire.
These brands will give you great quality for the price and you will not find the problem with other products that come with buying the cheaper version (an unknown brand).
You’ll also find amazing options with Harley Benton, a German company known for making very good quality instruments for a great price, so great that you would think some of the options below $300 could very well be at the same level as some mid-range guitars.
Mid-Range $400 – $1000
Going into the mid-range, you’ll be more likely to find better quality, better hardware, and better materials than the previous category. This range can be good for both beginners and experienced guitar players.
It’s also the next natural step if you’ve had some time with an entry-level guitar and fallen in love with the instrument. The upgrade will make you feel great due to the better design and sound quality, although there are other ways to upgrade your entry-level guitar and make it a mid-range guitar, we will get to that later.
Mid-range guitars are also produced in the same Asian countries as the others but you’ll also find that a lot of them come from Japan and Mexico, which have a better reputation when it comes to guitar quality.
This range already has most brands, so you can find anything from Fender to Gretsch and Gibson to satisfy your guitarist needs.
High-End $1000 – $3000
These are some of the most expensive, but also the best quality right out of the box. You will see these around studios, or in the hands of professionals due to the amazing sound and design they tend to have.
A lot of these guitars are also made in the USA and are mostly hand-made instruments which is a big difference from the other categories. Mass production can often have consequences that will make the instruments inconsistent, which means that some will have a few issues and others will be in good shape, while handmade instruments always guarantee the best possible outcome.
Used Guitars
Buying used guitars is one of the best ideas you can have, but we would recommend you think about that once you have some experience as a guitarist, mostly because you are going to be the one to judge the state of a guitar since you won’t have the guarantee of getting a guitar in perfect shape.
Other than that, this would be the only way to get some of the more vintage guitars, and if you like collecting then this will easily become a passion, just look at Dan Auerbach’s collection!
This is also another way to get mid-range and high-end guitars at a lower price, just keep in mind you may have to do some work to restore it and have it in tip-top condition.
Signature Guitars
It’s very common nowadays for guitarists and big brands to work together to make signature guitars, these often follow specific settings and modifications that the artist made in order to get a specific sound.
Most of these guitars will fall under the high-end category, but since there is a different process for designing these guitars, we decided these should be in a different category.
What Makes a Guitar Expensive?
There is a reason why there is such a big difference in prices between every category we just mentioned, and it mostly depends on the parts used to make the guitars, where they make them, and who sells them.
Wood
Wood it’s not as important in electric guitars as it is for acoustic guitars but it’s still definitely a very important part of the tonal quality, that is why high-end guitars use higher quality wood, or in some cases rare wood that is not commonly found among instruments.
However the type of wood is not the only important thing, but how it’s actually treated when making the guitars.
The clearest giveaway for good or bad quality wood on a guitar is to check the neck, besides, that is where you need the best wood in order to help you feel comfortable while you play.
Hardware (pickups, electronics, hardware)
This is where most brands tend to cut prices, by adding cheap pickups and electronics, which can have a big effect on the sound of the guitar but it’s also the easiest part to replace.
Pickups will be one of the most important parts of your guitar in terms of tone, tuners will help you play in tune, and bridge, tremolo, and other electronics will allow you to have a more versatile style when you play.
The good news is that you can easily purchase these things and have them installed on your guitar, that is why the most important thing to get right is the wood, which is a lot harder to replace.
Year
The year a guitar was made can affect its price in two ways, the first is an obvious one, if the instrument was made about 50 years ago, you might find that the price will go up because of its “vintage value”.
The other can be the opposite, for example, Fender guitars didn’t have the best reputation in the 70s and that reputation still haunts them to this day, so you’ll find that a 90s Fender could be a lot more expensive than a 70s Fender.
Location
As we mentioned before, the location of production is a very important factor due to the techniques and attention that goes into making electric guitars.
Most guitars made in China and Indonesia will be inferior to those produced in Japan, the USA, and Europe, so the better the production process, the higher the price.
Brand
One of the greatest things a good popular brand can give you is reliability, so if you are getting a Fender guitar, you know it’s going to be great, the downside is that sometimes it can get very expensive, even more than what you are actually paying for.
We mentioned Harley Benton before but there is an interesting story there because they sometimes match the level of quality of a Fender guitar but since it’s not Fender they can’t sell it at the same price.
While this is just an example, it’s just a reminder that popular brands aren’t always the best option.
Most Common Misconceptions
Cheap Equals Bad
One of the most common misconceptions is that if you get a guitar for a low price, it’s going to be a bad instrument, but this is not true.
Brands can sell an instrument for a very low price by using cheap pickups and bridges but what if you make a few changes and adjustments? Well the wood is the same, everything else has an amazing level of quality, so with that, you can just upgrade your guitar to a high-end instrument.
If you don’t believe us check out Genesis’ guitarist Mike Rutherford using a Squier guitar, which is often seen as an entry-level guitar
Popular Brands are Always Better
Not always, especially if you just don’t like the brand. This is a very common misconception that can go beyond just popular brands, the fact that something is popular and well-known doesn’t make it good for you.
There are a lot of brands out there, including Cort, Harley Benton, Gretsch, and many more that will provide great quality instruments without necessarily having the Gibson logo on the headstock, so take your time, do your research, and don’t believe the hype.
Conclusion
Getting a new electric guitar can be an incredible journey, it’s about the research, the excitement, and the joy of finding the one that truly resonates with you as a musician and as a person.
Just remember that in the end the most important thing of all is not having a popular brand or getting the cheapest guitar there is to save a bit more, but getting the one that fits your needs in terms of sound, looks, and personality.
