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Best Electric Guitar For Beginners

Last Updated on August 12, 2022 by Play Guitar Notes

Electric guitars may seem intimidating because of their long fretboard or the complex knobs that are attached to them. But in truth, if you want to be good at playing the guitar then having an electric guitar may be the best way to achieve it. These sound machines are often seen at concerts where thousands of people wave their hands or bang their heads to their tunes.

Popularized by bands and solo guitarists, this instrument became the face and soul of different genres like the blues, rock, metal and more. Therefore learning the differences between various electric guitars is key for beginners.

Squier-Vibe-50s-Stratocaster-guitar
Squier Stratocaster

    Number of Frets:
    21

    Fret Size:
    Narrow Tall


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Epiphone-Les-Paul-Studio-black-colorEpiphone Les Paul Studio

    Number of Frets:
    22

    Fret Size:
    Medium Jumbo


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Gretsch-G2420-Streamliner-Hollow-BodyGretsch G2420 Streamliner

    Number of Frets:
    22

    Fret Size:
    Medium Jumbo


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epiphone-sg-standard-electric-guitar-cherryEpiphone SG Standard

    Number of Frets:
    22

    Fret Size:
    Medium Jumbo


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Squier-Bullet-Mustang-HHSquier Bullet Mustang HH

    Number of Frets:
    22

    Fret Size:
    Medium Jumbo


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Ibanez-Gio-GRGR120EX-blueIbanez Gio GRGR120EX

    Number of Frets:
    24

    Fret Size:
    Jumbo


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Gretsch-G5425-Electromatic-Jet-ClubGretsch G5425

    Number of Frets:
    22

    Fret Size:
    Medium Jumbo


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Yamaha-Pacifica-Series-PAC112VYamaha Pacifica

    Number of Frets:
    22

    Fret Size:
    Medium


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Squier Classic Vibe ‘50s Stratocaster

Squier-Vibe-50s-Stratocaster-guitar

This classic guitar commemorates the birth of the famed Stratocaster played by famous guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Jeff Beck and many others. Its sturdy body is made of Pine with a gloss polyurethane finish while its long and sexy neck is made of Maple with a tinted gloss urethane finish. The Stratocaster’s “C” shaped neck makes up the superb quality of the instrument paired with its 21 narrow and tall frets which are comfortable to play with.

It features a 5-way blade that lets you play with different tones. And not to mention its remarkable 3 Fender-designed single-coil alnico pickups. The sound of this guitar is truly superior within its price range. While playing this guitar you will be able to reminisce the classic sound of a Stratocaster, sprinkled with modern touches.

Epiphone Les Paul Studio

Epiphone-Les-Paul-Studio-black-color

Inspired by the truly iconic Les Paul, this electric guitar intends to give guitarists the classic feels. Its body is made of Mahogany with a maple cap with plain maple veneer top and has a glossy finish. The neck is also made up of mahogany while using Indian laurel as its fingerboard material. It is designed with 22 medium frets that give the best sound quality possible. It uses the Epiphone Alnico Classic PRO Humbucker as its neck and bridge pick up, having a 3-way Epiphone toggle pickup selector.

This electric guitar sounds just as good as the Gibson Les Paul but with only half the price. It is recommended to those who love hearing the classic Les Paul and are only looking for a budget guitar. The Epiphone Les Paul Studio is a beginner-friendly guitar that sounds great and feels comfortable.

Gretsch G2420 Streamliner

Gretsch-G2420-Streamliner-Hollow-Body

This powerful guitar is an addition to Gretsch’s roster of great guitars with its bold and righteous look. Its single-cutaway hollowed body is made of laminated maple. The Streamliner’s set-neck is made of Nato having a gloss urethane finish. It uses the Broad’Tron BT-2S neck and bridge pick up and can be switched in 3 different toggle positions.

This guitar boasts its solid bass response on lows, clean highs and husky middles with its BT-2S humbucking pickup. It also has enlarged F-holes than other Gretsch guitars for more acoustic projection. The classic and astounding sound of this instrument makes it easier for beginners to love playing the guitar.

Epiphone SG Standard

epiphone-sg-standard-electric-guitar-cherry

A guitar that is inspired by the music of hard rock and metal. The astonishing design and superb quality is thanks to the mahogany material that was used for its body. A glossy finish accompanied by an SG body shape makes the rock and roll vibe more pronounced for this guitar. The neck is also finished with the same mahogany material having 22 medium-jumbo frets that were built for comfort and easy playing.

The neck and the bridge pickup come with the Epiphone Alnico Classic PRO for maximum performance. This beast of a guitar produces a quality sound that you’ll never want to put away.

Squier Bullet Mustang HH

Squier-Bullet-Mustang-HH

A beginner guitar that is shaped like no other, a kind beast that will give you satisfaction while playing. The solid body of this incredible guitar is made of basswood while its long neck is crafted from a single piece maple. The neck has 22 medium jumbo frets having a “C” shape and using an Indian laurel for its fingerboard material.

Having basswood in its body makes the guitar lightweight and easy to handle while also producing marvelous sound quality. When in need of a beginner electric guitar, this baby will be fitting to those who would want a manageable yet high-quality entry-level sound machine.

Ibanez Gio GRGR120EX

Ibanez-Gio-GRGR120EX-blue

The classic look of an Ibanez is profound in this gentle monster. With its spiking and daunting look you might get intimidated at first, but even with a master’s guitar, a beginner can begin its journey while looking cool in this rock classic instrument. The body is made up of poplar while the neck is of maple. Its fingerboard is refined with rosewood having 24 jumbo frets for comfort and stability while playing.

The guitar is equipped with Ibanez Infinity R pickups having a standard tremolo bridge. The entry price range for this guitar is perfect for beginners. The sound quality is amazing and the build is rock solid.

Gretsch G5425 Electromatic Jet Club

Gretsch-G5425-Electromatic-Jet-Club

This entry-level guitar has all that you’re looking at a Gretsch classic style and sound. Great for beginners wanting to learn jazz or country music, this guitar offers a solid single-cutaway body that is made of chambered basswood. The neck of this guitar is made of maple while its fingerboard is made of rosewood.

Any beginner could easily master this guitar thanks to its 22 medium jumbo frets. For its sound, the Gretsch G5425 Electromatic Jet Club gives off a bright and clear tone. Truly an incredible entry-level Gretsch that will make you fall in love with playing music.

Yamaha Pacifica Series PAC112V

Yamaha-Pacifica-Series-PAC112V

This spectacular-sounding guitar’s overall look is inspired by the Stratocaster and in fact, has the same sound and feel. The body of this electric guitar is made of a single piece of alder wood. Its neck is made of maple while its fingerboard is of rosewood. Although we can see a similarity in the style of the Yamaha Pacifica Series PAC112V and a Stratocaster still we can see a slight difference in the design between the two. The guitar gives a clear and well-rounded tone with a thick midrange and a great responsive bass.

How Often Should You Change Your Strings?

Whichever comes first, average strings should be changed every 100 hours of practice or every 3 months. But don’t worry, these strings won’t snap if you weren’t able to change them in this given time. In fact, the strings would last twice this long, sometimes even more. The rule of thumb is, you can still use them as long as it does not break. But of course, you would want a fresh and new set of strings every once in a while.

If you are using your strings for several hours every day then you might want to change them before the given time period. But for those casual players then you need not worry about changing them every time. Besides, why care to change if you don’t really play that much. Also, you might want to change the strings if you notice corrosion build-up within it. It affects the sound of the guitar and can be due to a number of reasons. If you sweat a lot then corrosion build-up might occur more often.

What age is too late to learn guitar?

Learning music picks no age. Even if truly, when you learn music at an early stage you may be at an advantage for the fact that your brain is just starting to learn new things. Still, as an adult, you will be able to pick up knowledge necessary in music just like a teenager. As an adult, you no longer need to enroll in a music lesson. What you can do is use the resources that you have at home.

Use the internet and learn music on websites that offer paid or free courses. At least as an adult, you have the liberty to choose how you would learn to play the guitar. It is highly recommended however that if a child shows interest in instruments then you must let them learn as soon as possible.

Children still develop their soon-to-be habits, if you would introduce them to a guitar at an early age they will build habits on the guitar that would help them in playing when they become adults. But there really is no age that could restrict you from playing the guitar. As long as you have the passion and the love for it, it doesn’t matter if you’re 10, 20 or 70. Besides, music is universal. It encompasses all ages and generations.

How many hours a day should I practice guitar?

Consistency is key when learning the guitar. In order to keep your motivation, you must always remember why you started playing the guitar in the first place. A good habit would be to practice every day. Avoid skipping a session. It is paramount that you train your fingers to memorize the positioning in the fingerboard as soon as possible. It may be hard at first but when you do it consistently for days eventually it will become a habit.

Start with practicing for 15 minutes, in due time you will notice that this time frame is not enough and you will start to increase your time of practice. Ideally, when practicing to be an intermediate player, you would want to practice for at least an hour every day.

Take note that you are not only training your fingers, but you will need to teach your ears to hear the tones and familiarize them. This will be vital in the future if you would want to begin your journey as an advanced player.

There are really no specific times or calculations that would assure you that you will become good at playing the guitar. The dedication you put into practicing and how you do your practice session would determine your success as a guitar player.

Can I plug headphones directly into my electric guitar?

The system inside the headphones won’t be able to interpret the signals from the electric guitar. So the answer is no, even if you have a jack that would allow you to plug your earphones directly into your electric guitar, it simply won’t work. You won’t hear anything unless there is a medium to amplify the sounds from the electric guitar. That is why there is a need to use an audio interface or amp before connecting to your headphones.

Some guitar amps would have a headphone jack, it would be labeled in order to avoid confusion. Not all, however, would have an output for a headphone. In that case, you would need an audio interface plugged in the amplifier so you could connect it to your headphones.

It is helpful to use headphones while practicing electric guitar. You won’t expect to play the guitar perfectly on your first try, therefore, in order to spare others from the continuous cracking noise of you practicing the guitar. It is also helpful to avoid distractions while playing. With headphones on, you will only hear the tunes from your guitar that would separate you for a moment from the world.

Can I play electric guitar without an amp?

Any musician would advise you to have an amplifier for your electric guitar. You can however play without one, just don’t expect that the sound would be projected as it would when plugged into an amplifier. Still, you will be able to practice your chords even without an amplifier. But as soon as you can buy one, it is vital that you play the electric guitar with an amplifier. Having one would make a huge difference in your practice and playing of the guitar.

What happens with an amplifier is that the built-in preamp would amplify signals from your guitar and adds gain into it to make it sound more distorted or clean depending on the settings you’ll put it on. The signals from your guitar then would be interpreted in the amplifier where it would allow you to hear what you are playing loudly and more clear.
A guitar amplifier would be a necessity especially if you are planning to take your guitar playing to the next level. It is an investment that would require you a lot of capital but would pay off in the end if you will just give your time and dedication to it.

Can I teach myself electric guitar?

It is easier now to do anything because of the internet. 20 years ago, you would scramble for information on how to read chords or how to arrange melodies. Now, all you need to learn is at the tip of your fingers. Taking advantage of the availability of this information in today’s generation, many aspirant guitarists are blooming from every corner of the world. Since there is a lot of information available on the internet, a beginner must learn how to learn the right way and be able to take information in order.

One must first learn the basic chords, find songs or tunes that you love listening to and search on the internet for their chords. It is easier to learn if you love what you are playing. Soon you will be able to build muscle memory for every chord in the guitar. Once you have learned your way into the fingerboard, you may then start learning music theories for advanced guitarists.

How long does it take to learn electric guitar?

In learning the guitar, a beginner usually would look into a time frame. They would ask themselves how long will it take for them to learn how to play the guitar. In truth, learning it requires a lot of dedication and patience. Some would give up after a month or two, but the learning process contributes to the fun of playing it. It is said that it would take you 156 hours in order to be acquainted with the guitar.

It would take a month or two for you to learn the basics and call yourself a beginner in playing. And it would years and years of practice in order to become a world-class renowned musician. Of course, not all guitarists would be able to accomplish that in their lifetime. But if you are willing to be that person, some articles suggest that it would take you at least 20,000 hours of practice before you become the next Slash or Jimi Hendrix.

You see, the moment you decide that you would want to learn how to play the guitar, your life will forever be changed. Some may do it as a hobby, others would do it for work or passion. But the talent you have acquired or the title as “that man who knows how to play guitar” will stay with you forever.

Are electric guitars easier to play?

Electric guitars are definitely easier to play. This is because of their build. The electric guitar is easier to handle since it has a thinner and smaller body. A longer neck which has narrower frets. The strings are closer to the fingerboard than in the acoustic. Its sound is also amplified through a pickup which will only require you minimal strumming or plucking, unlike the acoustic where you would need to give a certain force in order to produce a loud and quality tone.

The strings on the electric guitar are thinner and softer than those of the acoustic making it more comfortable to play. If you are fond of exploring new things in the guitar, the electric offers a wide variety of effects than the acoustic, making it more fascinating to learn. Just keep in mind that in order to learn the electric guitar you would also need to buy extra like an amplifier or a multi-effects. An electric guitar would not create sound unless plugged into an amplifier and a multi-effects is used to change to the sound of the guitar to fit different genre and types of playing.

Should I learn acoustic or electric guitar first?

The only difference between an electric and an acoustic guitar is the way how you play them and their role in a musical piece. Whether you choose to learn the acoustic or electric you will still climb your way to mastering playing the guitar. So depending on your goal, you could choose to learn one over the other first. Others would tell you that you should learn the acoustic first since it is harder to play and you can develop strong finger positioning over time.

While some would recommend the electric guitar since it is easier to play. It all boils down to your preference. For example, if you are fond of singing along to music then you probably should learn the acoustic first. But if you’re not much of a singer and you want to do guitar solos and other fun stuff on the guitar then you should jump on to the electric guitar. Keep in mind that learning the electric guitar would require you to also learn technical knowledge like mixing, pickup positions, and others.

While in the acoustic, you only need to learn some basic chords and you are good to go. In the acoustic, you don’t need to mind how your guitar would sound since the sound amplification is natural through the guitar’s build.

Reference Sources:

Epiphone Les Paul Studio

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