If you’re just starting to play electric guitar, or are looking to add a sensibly priced additional guitar to your arsenal, you’re most likely searching for the best electric guitar under $500. Once upon a time, buying a “budget guitar” meant running a high risk of ending up with a bad instrument – believe me, we used to see some really ropey models here at Guitar Player! – but those days are long gone. The quality of budget electrics is higher than it’s ever been, far surpassing the options I had when I first started shopping in this price bracket around twenty years ago.
However, this competition also means that the sub-$500 electric guitar market is incredibly crowded, with hundreds – if not thousands – of models to choose from. While the overall trend has been towards better quality, that isn’t universally true, as there’s been an influx of unbranded instruments churned out for next to nothing in East Asia. If I can offer one piece of advice, it’s this: avoid these super-budget, online-only guitars from brands you’ve never heard of – there’s a reason you haven’t. You might save a few dollars, but you’ll end up with an inferior instrument that probably won’t play well, won’t last long, and certainly won’t come with long-term dealer support.
If you’re looking for the overall best guitar under $500 right now, it’s got to be the PRS SE CE 24 Standard. It’s right at the $500 mark, but delivers incredible build quality, playability, and a huge variety of sounds, making it easily the best value for money guitar on the market right now. If you’re not a PRS fan, then you should take a look at the Squier Classic Vibe 60s Stratocaster for your S-type needs, or the Epiphone Les Paul Junior if you prefer LP-style guitars.
If you’re new to buying an electric guitar, then you should head to my how to choose section, which will take you through the steps you need to consider before making a decision. I’ve also curated a comprehensive selection of FAQs and a glossary of key terms to help you decode the guitar-specific lingo used in this guide.
My top picks
For the best overall guitar under $500, look no further than the PRS SE CE 24 Standard. It delivers superlative build quality, lightning-fast playability, and plenty of tone options to cover a wide variety of styles. Below $500, there’s no better guitar on the market than this right now.
If you’re a Strat fan, then have a look at the Squier Classic Vibe ‘60s Stratocaster. This is a remarkable guitar if you want a pure Strat experience below $500 thanks to three Alnico V single coil pickups and the classic five-way Strat switching.
Les Pauls are hard to come by below $500, but if you must have the LP look then the Epiphone Les Paul Junior is the best option. It’s a simple guitar with its single P-90 pickup, but a devastatingly effective one.
Best overall
✅ Buy if you want the best guitar below $500: We’ve been waxing lyrical about this guitar for a while now, and that’s because it truly is the best value for money guitar available right now.
❌ Avoid if you prefer traditional guitars: With its more modern looks, those looking for a classic guitar should go elsewhere.
Overview: Despite the fact that the PRS SE CE 24 Standard does away with some of the more bling-y aspects of their instruments, it still manages to feel like a proper PRS. It’s the lowest cost PRS currently offered, yet despite that it bears all the trademark quality we’ve come to expect from the brand.
Build quality: For below $500, this is some of the best build quality we’ve seen on a guitar in the past few years. The open-pore finish leaves nowhere to hide, and it’s been finished beautifully well. It’s a nice and lightweight body, and every component has been attached solidly to it. The neck could probably benefit from a light sanding but apart from that, there’s nothing else out of place here.
Playability: The nut width and string spacing make it feel really comfortable, despite the relatively slim Wide Thin profile typical of PRS guitars. The action came out of the box nice and low, with the 24 medium jumbo frets perfectly installed. The vibrato held up to plenty of abuse under a heavy hand, maintaining its tuning well despite the budget price point. You could absolutely take this to a show fresh out of the box.
Sound: The humbuckers' voicing sits nicely between vintage and modern, reacting equally well whether you ply them with overdrive or rein things in for a more traditional approach. There’s plenty of mid-range in the bridge position, while the neck pickup has a lovely full sound and nice balance.
Best Stratocaster
✅ Buy if you want the best Strat below $500: With its Alnico V pickups and vintage-inspired build, this is the best guitar for a classic Strat experience on a budget.
❌ Avoid if you don’t like glossy necks: We found the neck of this guitar to be a little sticky, but it can be cured with some sanding.
Overview: While some budget brands create guitars with varying levels of consistency, Squier is one of the all-time greats in the budget guitar market, manufacturing great instruments for not a lot of cash – specifically, the Classic Vibe range.
Build quality: With the CV Strat being such an affordable instrument, there has been a small amount of corner-cutting from the folks at Squier – in the form of an Indian Laurel fingerboard over a Pau Ferro or Rosewood one. I think this looks a little cheap – ours was pretty anemic – but overall, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. The playing feel was impacted not one iota, so I can’t complain.
Playability: The Squier Classic Vibe ‘60s Stratocaster delivers a traditional playing experience that is hard to match for under $500. It’s hugely comfortable with the smooth C-shaped neck a particular standout, especially when combined with the narrow tall frets making it comparable in playability to guitars double the price (or more).
Sounds: The alder body, maple neck and three alnico V single coils combine to deliver that iconic, memorable Strat tone which we all know and love. Full of punch, brightness and clarity, the Strat is one of the most versatile instruments on the market – and even the budget-friendly version from Squier can keep up with the pack.
Best Les Paul
✅ Buy if you want a simple guitar for rock and punk: This LP Junior with a single pickup means you can just focus on getting loud and lairy.
❌ Avoid if you like a guitar with body carves for comfort: This Les Paul Junior is vintage-inspired, so it doesn’t offer modern comfort.
Overview: If you’re all about simplicity, then there’s really nothing better than the Epiphone Les Paul Junior. It was initially introduced by Gibson as a budget-friendly student model, but it ended up becoming an icon in the world of punk and rock music, as its straightforward approach and bright, punchy tone fit the no-nonsense vibe of the time.
Build quality: This Epiphone equivalent continues that simplistic theme with a straightforward mahogany slab body, mahogany neck and single dog-ear P90 pickup. I may be in the minority, but I like simplicity – it means there is less to go wrong. Stripped-back it may be, but that doesn’t mean the Epiphone LP Junior feels cheap, the build is sturdy and even features premium appointments such as a Graph Tech nut to help not only with tone, but also tuning stability.
Playability: The neck is a chunky ‘50s profile, and while it’s really only suited for those who like big necks, it’s what we’d expect from a guitar which has all of its DNA rooted in the Gibson original. Finished off with a master volume and tone control, wrapover tailpiece and Deluxe Vintage tuners, this guitar isn’t about frills. It’s about solid playing, and nothing but.
Sounds: The big question with a single-pickup guitar is whether it will deliver enough sonically, and I am pleased to say the single P90 Pro single coil is awesome. It’s nuanced and responsive, and seriously barks when played with some dirt, but then back off and it cleans up beautifully. A single pickup, yes, but limited? Less so than you might think.
Best for beginners
✅ Buy if you’re a beginner looking for your first guitar: There are few guitars more versatile than the Telecaster, which makes this a great choice for beginner guitar players.
❌ Avoid if you’re looking for nuance from your pickups: The ceramic single coils can be a touch muddy, and the bridge is very bright.
Overview: When Squier canned their Bullet series of guitars, I was concerned they’d leave a gap in the range between their ‘Mini’ line of guitars and the Affinity series, which would be a real shame, because as far as entry-level guitars go, the Bullet range was about as cool as it got. It turns out I needn’t have worried, because they’ve been replaced by something even cooler: the Sonic range. Of all the Sonic models, the Sonic Telecaster just about takes it for me, though the Stratocaster and Mustang are dangerously close behind.
Build quality: The Bullet Tele feels really solid with the neck well screwed on and finished. It comes in a handful of colors too, with my personal favorite being Torino Red, which is begging to be hot-rodded. The body of the Bullet Tele is poplar, which may not have the glamour of alder, or ash as you might expect on more premium Telecasters, but does have the benefit of being really lightweight, which I think makes it a great option for gigging players
Playability: The Butterscotch and Black variants come with a maple fingerboard, compared to the Torino Red’s laurel, which definitely feels a little more premium. Both necks offer Fender’s usual excellent playability with a comfortable ‘C’ shaped profile. Whether you opt for the laurel or maple options, you will have a really great playing guitar.
Sounds: Tonally, it has every bit of the “Tele Twang” that you’d be looking for, with the pair of single coils well equipped for everything from Country, to Rock, to Jazz. If you were to A/B test it next to a more expensive Tele, you’d notice that the ceramic single coils don’t have the detail of alnico pickups, but in practice, they are more than sufficient.
Best for metal
✅ Buy if you want a simple, point-and-shoot metal machine: With its single humbucker and tremolo, this is a great guitar for chunky riffs and searing leads.
❌ Avoid if you want versatility: Although the single pickup isn’t as limiting as you might think, this is a guitar aimed at rock and metal players specifically.
Overview: Kramer is one of the classic guitar brands I’ve been most excited to see back on people’s radars. Throughout the ‘80s, Kramer dominated the industry making super-Strat style guitars for nearly every type of player. The Baretta has always been a solid favorite of mine, so seeing a ‘special’ version released for under 200 bucks is something I didn’t particularly want to miss out on.
Build quality: The body is made from mahogany, and when combined with the maple neck and fingerboard, you’ve got a guitar which is both tonally and physically well-balanced. The tuners feel strong and have just the right amount of resistance for me. You never want them to feel too loose or like your tuning is going to slip, so that solid feeling was reassuring to say the least, however I do think upgrading the nut would be worthwhile to enhance the tuning stability.
Playability: The neck is lightning fast – perfect for metal – and the frets generally feel good, however I experienced a little bit of fret sprouting, so you may want to consider a fret-dressing to take the playability to the next level. It’s equipped with a Kramer-style tremolo as well, and while you may not coax too many dive-bombs out of it, it’ll do pretty much everything else.
Sounds: The single bridge humbucker is bright, punchy and pretty in-your-face, as you’d expect from a guitar like this, so the mahogany works nicely in taming that sound ever so slightly. That being said, this guitar was never meant to be tamed. If you’re into classic super-Strats or any hair metal, then this guitar will do virtually all you might ever need – and for under 200 bucks? Well, I’m impressed – thoroughly.
Best semi-hollow
✅ Buy if you want a brilliant budget semi-hollow: With its laminated maple body and wide-range humbuckers this guitar delivers that quintessential semi-hollow experience.
❌ Avoid if you’ve got a smaller frame: The Starcaster isn’t the biggest semi-hollow, but it is still noticeably larger than most solid bodies.
Overview: In terms of semi-hollow guitars, there’s not much around under $500 that blows me away quite like the Squier Classic Vibe Starcaster. Due to their more involved manufacturing process, it’s harder to make a good, cheap semi-hollow guitar, and most under $500 feel a bit sub-par. Squier seems to have this conundrum figured out, however – and the Classic Vibe Starcaster is living proof.
Build quality: The Classic Vibe build quality always impresses, but to see that same quality carried through into the world of hollow and semi-hollow guitars is something I love. Squier very rarely puts together a guitar that doesn’t cut it, and I’m happy to announce that this guitar is definitely up to scratch. The level of finish is tremendous, with tidy fret edges, solid hardware and no visible flaws in the paint or the wood.
Playability: The neck is comfortable, even though it’s a little on the chunky side – and I found that this extra mass in your left hand helped to give me some extra confidence to really dig in to my playing.
Sounds: The pair of wide-range humbuckers is the Starcaster’s most exciting feature, in my opinion. They sound full, thick, and rich like a regular humbucker, but have a much more open tone with loads of personality. This sets the Starcaster well above its rivals for me, and it’s the reason why I’d rather have one of these than pretty much any other semi-hollow guitar in the same price bracket.
Also consider
The above guitars should cover the vast majority of guitarists out there, but if you didn't find what you were looking for, here are some more excellent options for you to look at.
How to choose
The budget end of the electric guitar market is probably the most competitive sector of any in the musical instrument market. Choosing between such a high quantity of guitars – many of which are of a high quality – is a challenge, so I recommend focusing on the following:
1. Style
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When I started playing guitar, it felt like any budget electric had to be a Strat-style guitar. The reality is there probably were other options, but that seemed like the logical place to start, and if you’re unsure of what style/shape of electric to buy, a Strat is a good place to jump off.
Nowadays, you can get just about any style you want in the sub $500 bracket, from semi-hollows, to Les Pauls, pointy-metal-monsters, and offset-indie machines. Think about the style of music you are going to play and look for a guitar suited to that style, or just one that you love the look and feel of.
2. Pickups
What pickups does your bargain electric guitar need and how many of them? Humbuckers and single coils have different characteristics that may work better for different genres – if you’re in the market for a sub-$500 guitar for Metal, a spanky single coil guitar might not be the best shout, whereas it could excel at country, or rock ‘n’ roll.
You may also want to consider the number of pickups, as this can provide more sonic options. For example, the Epiphone Les Paul Junior on this list, which has just one single coil and therefore less tonal options, but excels at specific genres e.g., punk.
Cheaper single-coil pickups may be ceramic, which might not have the nuance of alnico pickups on more expensive guitars. Bear in mind that many, if not all, of the guitars on this list are super options for upgrading with new pickups.
3. Comfort & size
The biggest error I see with new guitarists – most of whom will have a guitar under $500 as their first electrics – is buying the wrong guitar, be that a guitar which isn’t the right size for them (e.g. too big, and a ¾ size may be better), or a super-cheap guitar that has been built poorly.
Both of these impact the comfort when playing, making the whole experience more difficult. This is a huge problem for any new guitarist because anything that makes them disinterested in playing is likely to mean they give up, so consider this as a priority.
It goes without saying, this is something that seasoned players should think about too – I’ve played sub-$500 guitars that are considerably more comfortable for me than electrics around or exceeding $1,000, which translated into me having a better playing experience and ultimately sounding much better.
FAQs
Is it better to buy a new budget guitar or a used mid-tier one?
You can’t guarantee how well-maintained a used guitar may have been, and there’s every chance that it could require additional work, such as a set up, or possibly even worse, to get it playing really well again, however there are bargains out there, so I wouldn’t rule out a used guitar. It is worth remembering, the best budget guitars can now rival the quality of some of the used instruments that were produced many years ago, with the gap ever-closing.
The other benefit of buying new is that you should have dealer support with your guitar – though I would always recommend buying through a reputable dealer known for their customer service. This means if you encounter any issues, particularly soon after buying your guitar, you should be able to have help rectifying those issues. It is unlikely that buying a used guitar privately will come with this kind of support, though if you buy used from a dealer, they may offer some level of guarantee.
What's the best pickup configuration at this budget?
It’s impossible to say a definitive ‘best’ pickup configuration, but for outright versatility, HSS (humbucker in the bridge, with single coils in the middle and neck) is a great way of giving you plenty of grunt plus the option of spanky twang.
To go in entirely the other direction, you could consider a guitar with a single pickup. Costs may have been saved by having only one pickup, so it may be better quality, and in any case, it’s cheaper to upgrade a single pickup anyway. It may not be as versatile, but in some ways a single-pickup-guitar’s simplicity is what makes it so awesome.
Ultimately, the best pickup configuration will be what’s right for the kind of music you play. If you are particularly eclectic in your music tastes, look for something as versatile as possible.
Will I need to upgrade the hardware on a cheap guitar?
Any good cheap guitar should still do the basics – feel comfortable, and stay in tune – and even cheap hardware can deliver this, however it’s also one of the areas where costs will have inevitably been saved during construction, so tends to be one of the first areas to get upgraded.
You shouldn’t need to upgrade your hardware, but you may find you have better tuning stability and, in some cases, better resonance and even tone if you do. Fortunately it’s not too hard and it doesn’t need to be expensive to make these kinds of hardware upgrades.
Will I need to setup my guitar when I get it?
The best music stores may have already set up a guitar for you and some even come from factory with a setup, though budget guitars are less likely to receive this treatment and if they have been shipped a long way, bumps and humidity changes can undo this work. I’d always recommend a good setup when buying your guitar, if not immediately, then when changing your strings – they’ll change the strings for you too then! Many good retailers will offer guitar setups in store.
Can I get coil splitting at this price?
You can find coil-splitting guitars under $500, and this is becoming more and more common. There still won’t be a huge selection of guitars but if you are desperate, this is a modification that can be done after purchase to a humbucking guitar, which may be something to consider rather than limiting your search to guitars with this already in place.
How long will a guitar under $500 last me?
If you look after it, there’s no reason a sub-$500 electric guitar can’t last you years and years. The build quality may not be to the level of some of the most expensive guitars you can buy, but you may be surprised at how solid the best budget electrics are nowadays. Guitars in this price bracket won’t often come with a hard case, or even a soft case, so to make your guitar last as long as possible, I would recommend investing in one of the best electric guitar cases and a great stand.
Key terms
- Action: Guitar action is the distance between the bottom of the strings and the top of the frets – in practice, it’s the distance you need to move the string down to fret with your finger.
- Beater: A term for a guitar that is affordable and for everyday use, because you don’t mind it taking “a beating”.
- Bolt-on: A method of joining a guitar neck to a body, using a series of bolts to hold the neck in place.
- Bright: A way to describe a guitar with pronounced trebles and high mids.
- Electronics: The part of a guitar that an electrical current passes through, including pickups, controls, and any other circuitry.
- Fat: A way of describing a guitar tone that may lean towards having a beefy low end, with rich low mids. A “fat” guitar will often feel harmonically full.
- Fret buzz: If the action of a guitar is set too low the strings sit too close to the frets, and when playing touch against each other, which causes an unwanted buzzing noise.
- Floyd Rose: A locking vibrato system that allows you to perform extreme pitch alterations, such as dive-bombs, while maintaining tuning stability.
- Intonation: A guitar’s ability to stay in tune when playing the first fret or the twentieth.
- Locking tuners: Tuners that lock a string in place without the need for multiple wraps and offer superb tuning stability, even when subject to lots of string bends or using vibrato systems.
- Nut: The thin piece of material that sits at the top of the guitar neck and holds the strings before they go up into the headstock and tuners.
- Punchy: A guitar’s ability to make a sonic impact, this may be due to having a quick attack or lots of power, which makes it stand out in a mix.
- Sustain: The amount of natural “ring” that a guitar has. Not to be confused with unwanted ringing from any of the guitar’s components, the sustain is the length that a note will continue to ring for when played.
- Snappy: The attack and bounce of a guitar – it feels immediate and responsive, rather than dull.
- Stability: A guitar’s ability to remain in tune during playing. Stability is often achieved from every aspect of the guitar, from its construction woods to its hardware.
- Warm: The way to describe a guitar's tone that feels rich and full, particularly in the mid and low range.
- Workhorse: A guitar that basically always delivers in whatever setting, particularly live. A workhorse guitar won’t let you down, even if it’s been thrashed around.
How we test
We subject the best guitars under $500 to the exact same testing that we would do of a guitar that costs $5,000. Of course, the expectations are very different, but to ensure parity across all of our reviews, the process is the same.
First, we begin by examining the build quality, casting our expert eyes over every nook and cranny of the guitar build. Whether its checking for gaps in the neck pocket, examining the fretwork, or testing the knobs to ensure they’re solidly applied, we’ll leave no stone unturned here. We weight each guitar we get, measure the action, and if add in any specs that aren’t normally part of the manufacturer's offering, such as string spacing at the nut and bridge.
With this done, we’ll sit down to play the guitar unplugged to see how it resonates. This is a great additional test of build quality and setup, as a good solid body guitar should still be resonate throughout the body and neck. We’ll test the action using various techniques such as bending, vibrato, and tremolo picking, as well as playing open chords, riffs, and lead licks to see how it performs.
Read more on how we test gear and services at Guitar Player.
