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Electric Guitar Review

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Electric Guitars Performance

Inexpensive electric guitars may have cheaper parts and a more economical design, but according to electric guitar reviews, many sound darn good from the get go. And remember, any guitar can be improved upon; change the pickups, give it a tune up -- a cheap guitar will always benefit from some tinkering.

But the critical first step is buying a good-quality instrument.

Electric Guitars Sound Quality.

When it comes to low priced electric guitars, you're automatically sacrificing some craftsmanship. But what you don't want to give up is tone and sound quality. Even if an inexpensive electric guitar has a few minor flaws, like a heavy neck or loose electronics, if its tone sings it's still a value buy. In electric guitar reviews, both users and experts laud the Ibanez ARX320 for its sound quality. One user writes on Harmony Central that it has a very full tone, particularly when using the full potential of both humbuckers. Another electric guitars review at Music123.com comments on the fullness of the sustain and the clarity of the sound.

The super-cheap Epiphone LP Junior Special Electric Guitar may have some design and durability shortcomings, but its tone surpasses that of many similarly-priced guitars. According to electric guitars reviews on Music123, this guitar sings with a full sound, whether you're playing blues, rock or anything in between. The Epiphone LP Junior Special may need a few adjustments for optimum performance, but it's a solid guitar for beginners or kids.

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Sound quality is also a hallmark of the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plain Top. An expert electric guitars review on YouTube by Rockongoodpeople, compares the Standard Plain Top with the original Gibson Les Paul and concludes that the sound quality on this budget electric model deserves applause. While the pickups don't quite capture the sound that they do on the Gibson, the sound you do get is like no other moderately-priced electric guitar. As an expert comments in an electric guitars review on this site, the sound is impressive and the pickups give good sustain, which suits a range of musical styles.

The Fender Standard Telecaster has long been a favorite of many players, and it's not just because of the stylish finish. An electric guitars review on this site concludes that the sound quality of the Standard Telecaster outperforms many other cheap electric guitars even though the pickups can get a bit noisy when in overdrive. And the Standard Telecaster is also praised by the expert at this website, who commends its sound quality, and says it's a solid value and suitable for players at all levels.

A downscale version of the Gibson Standard SG, the Epiphone G-400 SG is a versatile and high quality instrument, according to electric guitar reviews on Musician's Friend, where one player describes the tone as fiery despite the humbucker pickups' occasional struggles with a lot of bass. Another electric guitars review on Music Gear Review asserts that the G-400 SG has good sustain and tone but suggests replacing the stock pickups.

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Although the Squier by Fender Bullet Stratocaster is supposed to be an improvement over previous models, weaknesses remain. An electric guitars review on Musician's Friend reports that the guitar doesn't stay in tune and both the tone and sustain are deficient. Similar problems plague the Fender Starcaster Strat. According to an electric guitars review on Amazon, the guitar easily falls out of tune, its tone is weak, and the high E string has barely any body.

Electric Guitars Durability.

Most cheap electric guitars won't fall apart, but they may not stay in tune after a while. The Fender Starcaster Strat draws boos in an electric guitars review on Amazon because its tune-holding ability gives out quickly and the tremolo arm is vulnerable to breakage. Another player reports in an electric guitars review on TheTabWorld.com that the Fender Starcaster was unusable after a month; among other failures, it didn't stay in tune and the pickups stopped working. A player posting an electric guitars review on Musician's Friend agrees, and says there are better cheap electric guitars on the market.

The Epiphone LP Junior Special Electric Guitar is another instrument with durability problems. It's prone to falling out of tune after a couple of months, according to electric guitars reviews on Musician's Friend, and it seems fragile (the finish chips and scratches easily). This is a common issue with very cheap electric guitars; new tuners will fix the tuning problem, but the finish will always be easy to ding because the quality of the wood is subpar.

On the other hand, there are several cheap but tough electric guitars. The Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plain Top never falls out of tune regardless how roughly it's played, notes an electric guitars review at Musician's Friend. Ditto with the Ibanez ARZ320; an electric guitars review on Harmony Central reports it holds its tune even after taking a solid hit, and another player writes on Musician's Friend that the hardware isn't the highest quality but the guitar has held up well for more than two years. The Epiphone G-400 SG is another cheap electric guitar with a reputation for durability despite some grousing about a fragile pickup selector switch. One user posting electric guitar reviews on this site says he's used the G-400 SG for a while at heavy metal rehearsals and it survived the punishing workouts.

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Best Cheap Electric Guitars

Ibanez ARX320 Artist
Gold Medal

Ibanez ARX320 Artist

The Ibanez ARX320 features a mahogany body, rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, and dual humbucker pickups. Users and experts agree that it's an excellent value and provides a good range of tones for any style of music. The finish is impressive and it's a sturdy guitar that will last through years of play.
Electric Guitars Deals
Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plain Top
Gold Medal

Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plain Top

The Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plain Top has been a favorite among players looking to get that Les Paul sound without the price tag. With a maple body, mahogany neck, dual humbucker pickups, and solid glued neck joint, this guitar is as close as you can get to a real Les Paul. Users agree that the guitar's tone is superb and it's an excellent instrument for beginners.
Electric Guitars Deals

Good Cheap Electric Guitars

Fender Standard Telecaster
Gold Medal

Fender Standard Telecaster

The Fender Standard Telecaster is a solidly-built guitar, featuring a maple fretboard, alder body, and two single-coil pickups. The Telecaster is a favorite of country artists, but many users say it's quite versatile. They also say the guitar usually needs some tweaking to bring out its best, but it's sturdy and can take a beating without losing tone.
Electric Guitars Deals
Epiphone G-400 SG
Gold Medal

Epiphone G-400 SG

The Epiphone G-400 SG is a Gibson-authorized version of its classic SG '62, a standard in rock music. This model features a mahogany body and neck, two humbuckers, and a rosewood fretboard; the neck is a bit heavy for the body, so it may slip down on its strap. Users aren't wild about the stock pickups, complaining they can sound a bit muddy.
Electric Guitars Deals
Epiphone LP Junior Special Electric Guitar
Gold Medal

Epiphone LP Junior Special Electric Guitar

The Epiphone LP Junior Special Electric Guitar features one humbucker pickup and a stopbar tailpiece. It's made of tonewood, provides decent resonance and sustain, and is quite light. Users complain that it frequently goes out of tune, although it suits kids and beginners because it's cheap and easy to play.
Electric Guitars Deals
 
 
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Think Twice Cheap Electric Guitars

Squier by Fender Bullet Stratocaster

The Squier by Fender Bullet Stratocaster HSS Electric Guitar with Tremolo is an improvement on the old Squier Bullets, which were black-balled by many users and experts for being poorly built. Squier went back to the drawing board, added a tremolo bar and made the body of basswood, but many players don't like the build on this new model either. The pickups are said to buzz frequently, and many units are "set up" incorrectly (the placement of the strings isn't optimized to the form of the guitar), although it's hard to predict how the wood and strings will interact over time.

Fender Starcaster Strat

The Fender Starcaster Strat is a version of the Stratocaster that's shunned by many users and experts. With a synchronous tremolo bridge, rosewood fretboard, and a humbucker and two single coil pickups, it would seem to be just another inexpensive Strat. But users complain of problems with the pickups, and many guitars have issues with buzzing frets because the neck can't handle its intonation. Users also gripe about the frets being too sharp to play for extended periods.

 
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