Electric Guitar roundup
The Best Electric Guitars for the Money
The best-value electric guitar options differ significantly by price tier. Here are the strongest choices at each budget level with honest assessments.
The best value electric guitar options differ significantly by price tier. Here are the strongest choices at each budget level, with honest assessments of build quality and value for money.
Best Budget (Under £300): Squier and Epiphone
The Squier Classic Vibe series is the best electric guitar value at the budget level — significantly better than the basic Affinity series and competitive with mid-range instruments from lesser brands. The Classic Vibe Stratocaster and Telecaster both offer excellent playability, quality hardware and authentic Fender aesthetics at a price accessible to beginners. The Epiphone Les Paul Standard '50s is equally recommended for players who prefer humbuckers — its build quality and electronics are markedly better than older budget Epiphone models. Both brands represent far better value than unbranded or own-label budget instruments.
Best Mid-Range (£300–£800): Fender Player, Gibson SG and PRS SE
The Fender Player Stratocaster is the definitive mid-range electric guitar with single-coil pickups — US-designed, Mexican-made, with quality hardware and a wide range of colour options. The Gibson SG Standard is the best mid-range humbucker option if the SG body shape appeals — it is lighter than the Les Paul and has excellent upper-fret access. The PRS SE Custom 24 offers a coil-split humbucker configuration, quality Floyd Rose-style tremolo and strong build quality at a highly competitive price. All three represent meaningfully better instruments than the entry-level tier.
Best Professional (Over £800)
At the professional level, the Fender American Professional II series and the Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s or '60s are the benchmark instruments for their respective styles. The PRS Custom 24 (US-made) is the most versatile professional electric guitar available at this tier — its wide-range humbucker system, quality tremolo and exceptional build consistency make it a reliable professional tool. For players who need specialised tone — a Gretsch for rockabilly, a Rickenbacker for jangle — the professional tier is where genuine versions of those instruments live. For a full breakdown of what to look for when buying, see our buyer's guide.
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