The world of electric guitars has to be the most interesting and exciting one in the entire music business. This is mostly because the instrument provides some of the best expressive qualities these days. When combined with a nice amp and a good pedalboard, there’s simply no style of music that you won’t be able to pull off. It’s the flexibility and versatility that make it so great, which is why it found its use in every genre from classic jazz and up to extreme metal subgenres.
But it can sometimes be difficult to find a good guitar or at least one that’s suitable for the genre or scope of genres that you play. And that’s not unusual, both with cheaper and more expensive instruments. However, there are still some go-to brands that no one can resist. After decades of pumping out reliable and consistent products, these big manufacturers earn a good reputation among guitar players and remain the best choice for guitarists from all walks of life. This is why we decided to do this brief guide and bring you the list of the best electric guitar brands. To be fair, you simply cannot go wrong with almost any guitar that comes from these big names.
Fender
And what a better way to start than with the legendary brand that was responsible for the first commercially successful solid-body electric guitar of all time? Started by Leo Fender, they managed to change the game and set the standard for the entire electric guitar industry with their earliest models. Eventually, Leo Fender came up with the legendary Stratocaster guitar, which remains almost unchanged even to this day. While there are many different Stratocaster series, they all retain the same essential features and manage to deliver the same punch.
Of course, we should not forget about Telecaster, which is an evolved version of the company’s first electric guitars. Then we also have the Jazzmaster, Mustang, Jaguar, and many others, including the Meteora that’s becoming increasingly popular. Fender usually makes higher-end instruments, with some exception of mid-level ones. If you need something cheaper and “stripped-down,” we’d recommend Fender’s subsidiary Squier, which makes some great guitars for the money.
Gibson
When there’s talk about Fender, then there’s no way to avoid mentioning Gibson. The company goes all the way back to the beginning of the 20th century and was founded by Orville Gibson. It changed ownership over the years, but it became really popular when Les Paul created the legendary single-cutaway model that got his name on it. Just like Fender’s Stratocaster and Telecaster, both Les Paul and SG by Gibson are almost unchanged to this day.
Of course, there are plenty of different Gibson models, but there’s one problem – these guitars are all expensive. Gibson doesn’t ever make cheap instruments. In fact, they’ve been criticized that their relatively lower-priced guitars aren’t worth the price and that only the high-end stuff, that’s above the $2000 is worth it. You should only look into Gibson if you’re a professional player
Paul Reed Smith Guitars
With Gibson and Fender being the only big brands and all-time competitors over the decades, it was only a matter of time until a new brand would emerge and bring the best of these two worlds together. One of the most successful companies to do this is PRS Guitars, founded by luthier Paul Reed Smith back in the mid-1980s. One of their most famous guitars is the PRS Standard, which bears a double-cutaway design, some very ergonomic features, and, in most cases, two humbucker pickups.
One of the company’s biggest strengths lies in its product consistency. Even if you try out one of their cheaper models, the next copy will feel and sound exactly the same as the previous one. And they’ve kept this tradition for decades now.
Ibanez
Ibanez guitars were originally cheaper alternatives to brands like Gibson, Fender, and Gretsch. Some models were not, as is the case with the Iceman, which has been produced steadily since the mid-1970s. However, what Ibanez became known for are their amazing “Super-Strat” guitars. This was one of the first brands to ever combine the playability and ergonomic features of Fender along with a darker and “rugged” tone of Gibson. Additionally, they also innovated extensively by adding more pickup combinations into the equation, most notably two humbuckers with a single-coil pickup in the middle.
These days, you can’t go wrong with Ibanez no matter the price range. What’s more, most of these guitars are pretty versatile, bringing such a diverse tone palette that would satisfy both pop and metal musicians. In fact, you’ll often see a metal guitarist and a pop guitarist using the same exact model with the same exact pickups.
ESP
Lastly, we would like to mention ESP as another one of the best electric guitar brands of all time. Although mostly associated with metal music, the company has been around since 1975 and has been making a lot of different stuff. But due to their reputation, they mostly found use in bands like Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, and other thrash or extreme metal groups. They’re usually not that cheap, but there’s also their subsidiary LTD which makes some affordable models. Nonetheless, LTD still manages to deliver some nice stuff.
And that wraps up the best electric guitar brands! We hope you found what you were looking for, feel free to browse the site some more for new info. Make sure you’re staying safe, guys!
