13 Best Electric Guitars of all Time (2022 edition)

Are you a person who looks after the best service when it comes to choosing electric guitars?

Well, we are here to do such an assessment today. All through decades, we have has several brands of electric guitars that come and disappear in the markets. However, some electric guitars have proven to offer the best service and have stayed in the market for long.

It is a fact that the service of an electric guitar determines when it will capture the market. High quality and performing electric guitars are known to maintain their market compared to low quality and poor performance electric guitars.

Let us now have a look at the best electric guitars of all time.

Best electric guitars of all times

Fender Stratocaster electric guitar

Fender Standard Stratocaster Electric Guitar - Maple Fingerboard, Arctic White

When it comes to the best electric guitars of all time, Fender Stratocaster is one of the guitars that set the pace. You will love this guitar because of the material used to make it ad its general performance.

Since the electric guitar got introduced in 1954, it has made drastic changes to how we enjoy music and generally the quality of music playing. At least every guitar player has something unique to share about Fender Stratocaster.

The most exciting thing about the guitar is its versatility. It offers a perfect response to all genres of music. You can play soft music and even hard music without having any challenges of bad tonnage.

Moreover, the general performance of the guitar is excellent. You will enjoy the comfortability to play as you navigate easily through the fretboard hitting all notes perfectly. The balance between the bass and the treble is excellent.

Feature of the Guitar

  • It is made from a variety of wood such as maple necks, basswood, poplar, and alder ash hence a durable guitar.
  • Better resonance and sustain due to the rigidity of strings and the sturdy material make.
  • Three port tuners that allow you to adjust the volume and the tone of the guitar.
  • Five-way/ 3way switch with single-coil pickups.
  • Tremolo bridge and a solid body with either 3 or 4 screws.
  • The models come with Hum-single-single or hum-single-hum, or two humbuckers.
  • Double cutaway body design and comfortability of the play.

The guitar, however, comes on different prices through affordable. You always have an opportunity to choose a model that favors your pocket

Gibson Les Paul electric guitar

Gibson Les Paul electric guitar

This electric guitar is prevalent because it got played by the well-known players of all time, such as Billy Gibson, Eric Clapton, Slash, and many others. You will enjoy the high-quality make, which has a direct influence on the sound output.

More about the electric guitar has a single-cutaway that makes it very comfortable to play. The single cutaway design that has been imitated by many guitar making companies sourced from Gibson Les Paul.

Since its first release in 1952, the guitar has been improving day by day with more features. It, therefore, has been hitting the market all through. Each player has always loved the sound and the versatility of the guitar.

Moreover, the guitar boasts a better resonance and sustainment because of the materials used to make the guitar. The stable make plays an instrumental role in maintaining the best vibration and sustain. You will, therefore, feel each note you play correctly.

Features of Gibson Les Paul

  • Solid guitar with mahogany/maple body, a maple neck, and a fretboard of maple/Rosewood.
  • Two single-coil pickups.
  • 3-way switch.
  • Three tuners for volume and tone for each pickup.
  • 2 Humbuckers though with a variation.
  • Tune-O-Matic with bar tailpiece bridge
  • Beautiful design.

The general performance is excellent with the best sound balance. The solid make gears towards the production of high-quality sound output.  What you will enjoy most with the electric guitar is its responsiveness to your strikes and the ability to handle different kinds of plays. Finish types are also excellent, and you can choose the best from the variety.

Fender Telecaster

Fender Telecaster

Another featuring model of the best electric guitar is the Fender Telecaster. The guitar comes with a beautiful design and features that make it a perfect choice for all music genres. It is also known as the Tele.

Tele electric guitar, just like the Stratocaster, is a very successful and high performing guitar. After the guitar got released in the 1950s, it went missing for some time while drums were released bearing the same name. Initially, it was called the broadcaster and later telecaster.

Moreover, the guitar has an outstanding performance in its use as a country music guitar. With the more years of active play, it got used by famous players such as John 5, Jim Root, Brad Paisley, Tom Morello, and many others. Each player has had a positive comment about the performance of the guitar.

The Fender Telecaster is one model that has been instrumental in the use of electric guitars. Being electrified, the guitar brought a new sound and advanced music style. All through, the guitar has had unique features that have made it stand out among the rest.

Features of Fender Telecaster

  • Solid material makes of Alder Body, Maple neck, and a fingerboard of either maple or Rosewood.
  • Two single-coil humbucker pickups.
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  • Tele bridge plate of 3-6 saddles.
  • A fixed bridge is replaceable with tremolo.
  • 3-way switch and four tuners for volume and tone.
  • Hollow body with an F-shaped hole resembling that of a violin.

The combination of these features gives rise to a guitar unit with a remarkable performance. You will comfortably hold the guitar and play any kind of music. Furthermore, the guitar boasts of better resonance and sound quality

Ibanez Jemelectric guitar

Ibanez Jemelectric guitar

Ibanez Jem is a solid guitar with outstanding performance. This model got designed by Steve Vai, who is a legend in playing guitars. You will enjoy an excellent sound balance with the best bass and treble.

It was introduced in the late 80s with a modern revolutionary look. The electric guitar got designed to offer the best resonance and tonnage. It comes on a modern design that makes it very captivating to use.

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You will love the design that was employed to make the guitar and generally, its features. It has shaper edges that make its design very unique. The players who have used the guitar have highly recommended its performance and comfortability while playing it.

If you have small hands or are a young trainee, the guitar will offer you the best. It has a better sustain and a simple nature that makes it very easy to use. Moreover, if you are a metal player, this is the guitar that will meet your exact needs.

Features of Ibanez Jem

  • Has a stable make of basswood/Alder body, ebony/rosewood fretboard, and a maple neck.
  • Beautiful design with a ‘tree of life’ inlay across the fretboard.
  • DiMarzio pickups with an excellent HSH configuration
  • 5-way switch and tuners for both volume and tone.
  • Bolt-on neck construction with sharp edges.
  • Floyd Rose Tremolo system that will help your guitar strings to be tight hence a better sound
  • Greet response to your guitar strikes.

The combination of this guitar’s features gives a unit that is very attractive for the eye and the general performance. Having fixed strings and the hardwood body makes the sound produced resonate better. For a learner, you will understand the notes better because of the excellent sustain

Gibson Es-335 electric guitar

Gibson Custom ES-335 Dot Electric Guitar

Gibson Es-335 is another guitar model that has an outstanding performance with an incredible sound. It has a semi-hollow body with a block that runs from the center of the guitar. The wing parts of the guitar are also hollow.

The guitar has an excellent sound quality that achieves the greatness of the best electric guitars of all time. It has several variations, including ES-345, ES-355, ES-330, and many more. However, the most famous model is B.B Kings Lucille.

Moreover, the guitar was among the first available commercial hollow-body guitars. Before it got released in 1958 were using the old-style hollow-body guitars of the solid body guitars for better sounds. Its appearance was, therefore, a landmark for better sounds form the semi-hollow guitar.

Because the guitar produced sound equal to the hollow-bodied guitars, the Gibson ES-335 began to fame. After that, it has continued to gain popularity until now. It has emerged to be one of the best electric guitars of all time.

Features of Gibson ES-335

  • Has a fixed bridge which is replaceable with tremolo
  • Solid maple body with a mahogany neck and a fretboard of either mahogany or maple
  • Two humbucker pickups
  • 3-way switch with four tuners for volume and tone adjustment
  • An F-shaped hole like that of a violin

The guitar comes at an affordable price. The hollow body gives enough surface area for the guitar to resonate better. You will also enjoy a balanced tone for both bass and treble. The general performance of the guitar is excellent

Gretsch White Falcon

Gretsch White Falcon

Gretsch White Falcon is an electric guitar that has undergone so many changes since its release in 1954. For instance, the single-coil pickups got placed by two humbuckers in 1958. The guitar has maintained changes since then, with features that have made its performance excellent.

The guitar has received excellent and positive remarks from famous users who have tested it. You will love the stylish design and the beauty of the guitar. Moreover, the quality of the guitar has been maintained all through up to date.

Furthermore, the guitar has several features that make its performance excellent. It features a hard-earned body that plays a significant role in the production of high-quality sound. You will love the colors that finish up the guitar.

What maybe a little bit challenging with the guitar is the control knobs. They are located one at the neck, one at the pickup, and the last one is the master volume pot. However, understanding the guitar will help you achieve excellence in playing.

Features of Gretsch White Falcon

  • A hollow body that is instrumental in the production of better sounding.
  • Solid maple body with a neck maple, ebony fretboard with beautiful pearl inlays.
  • 3-way switch.
  • The gold finish on the pickguard, bridge, tuning machines, and the Bigsby.
  • Tuners for tone and volume.
  • 3-way pickup.
  • 3-volume potentiometers.

Once combined, the features lead to better sound production. The hollow body offers an adequate surface area for sound production. You will enjoy a deep and well-projected sound with a proper balance of the bass and treble.

You will enjoy using the guitar because it is simple to hold and pray. The aesthetics and the affordability of the guitar will make you invest in it

Fender Jaguar electric guitar

Fender Player Jaguar Electric Guitar - Pau Ferro Fingerboard - Tidepool: Best Electric Guitars of All Times

Fender jaguar company has been making quality guitars all through. The Fender Jaguar, however, has a peculiar look. When they got first released in the markets in the 80s, it had limited purchases. It later gained fame because of rocking the best sound output.

The guitar looks a little bit complicated but very simple to use.  You will love the body and its design because of its simplicity and the comfortability of holding it. It comes with advanced features that make its performance excellent.

More about the Guitar is its continuous improvement. You will find new features that will make the performance of the guitar better. The sleek design and modern make will give you awesome moments. Earlier versions of the guitar had single-coil pickups while the latest has 2 humbuckers.

The guitar has lovely melodic sounds and capable of reaching the high notes effortlessly. All artists can enjoy using the guitar because of its simplicity and versatility.  It has a perfect response to notes.

Features of Fender Jaguar

  • Solid material makes with a basswood body, rosewood fretboard, and a maple neck.
  • Tune-O-Matic adjustable bridge
  • Has an adjuster for master volume and master tone
  • Strangle witch, rhythm switch, and on/off.
  • Pickups with alnico magnets.
  • C shaped neck profile

Fender Jaguar has exceptional performance. It has advanced features that make its performance excellent. The features are instrumental in ensuring that you get the best sound quality. With the help of the volume and tone tuners, you will get the best cargo with perfect quality.

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Gibson SG electric guitar

Gibson SG electric guitar
Gibson SG electric guitar

Gibson SG is a bestselling electric guitar with its roots from Angus Young, Les Paul’s sibling. The guitar comes with various features that make each guitar unique. For instance, some models have a bolt-on neck, while others don’t.

The guitar has a beautiful design that makes eat colorfully. Its lightweight will make you enjoy carrying the guitar as you play it.  Professional and experienced players such as Dereck Trucks and Tonni Lommi have played this guitar. Their experience was excellent.

You may associate the lightweight of the guitar with non-performance. However, this does not mean that the guitar is disappointing. It has a healthy mahogany body that not only makes it durable but also with the best resonance.

The fretboard of the guitar is slim, making it very simple to navigate the 24 frets while playing. The guitar has undergone various advancements that make its performance excellent. Combining the neck, shape, and the lightweight makes the guitar a unique component to handle.

Features of Gibson SG

  • Double-cutaway body
  • Silver stenciled logo
  • Stylish design
  • Four tuners for volume and tone
  • 3-way switch
  • Fixed bridge with Gibson Tremolo
  • Light and hence easy playing
  • Two Humbuckers

The guitar comes at a very affordable price. Combining the features brings rise to an incredible unit. Controlling the guitar’s volume and tone makes you get an impressive sound production. You will, therefore, enjoy the sound quality and a well-balanced sound blend.

Paul Reed Smith PRS Custom 22

Paul Reed Smith PRS Custom 22: Best Electric Guitars of All Times

PRS guitars are known for their beauty. The choice of material used to make the guitar. As a result, the guitars have an excellent sound with the best quality. Moreover, the guitars have had frequent improvements that make them more advanced.

The latest models have the gorgeous make and updated features.  You will love the choice of colors is also perfect. Most famous players who have had a taste of the guitar have very positive reviews about them.

The solid make of materials is instrumental in sound production. You will get the best resonance and sustain. A beautiful thing about the guitar is its pickups. Modern tones get projected correctly, and the slightest notes can get felt.

Moreover, it has two positions that make it quite simple to switch from the single-coil to the pickup. Various genres of music can get played via the guitar. Excellent response to the notes gets felt every time you navigate through the fretboard.

Finally, the guitar has a 5- way switch which is rare for guitars with two humbuckers

Features of Paul RRS Custom 22

  • Beautiful color optimization
  • Incredible neck for comfortability play
  • PRS tremolo bridge
  • Two tuners for volume and tone
  • Two humbucker pickups
  • 5-way switch
  • Solid make of a mahogany body and a maple top

The unique guitars features make it outstanding from the rest hence best for decades.  You will love the make of the guitar, which is excellent and matches the performance. Even though the tuner’s control is limited, you will enjoy the sound blend.

Rickenbacker 300 series

Rickenbacker 330 Fireglo Electric Guitar

The Rickenbacker 300 series is an excellent guitar in terms of performance that has left a significant mark in guitars’ generational changes. The model is known to have attractive features that make it get recognized as the best guitar for several decades.

Moreover, the guitar has a traditional F-shaped hole, which was initially requested by European guitar dealers. You will love the guitar because of the variation of features such as the strings and the pickups.

The set-in neck and the hollow-body are keys to the best sound production. You will enjoy the performance of the guitar with the accompaniment of the design and the finish. Fretboard access is fast, and scanning through the frets is a new experience.

The higher frets are easily accessed, and their response is excellent. You will, therefore, have an easy time playing the guitar. Playing various genres of music is simply because of the response of the guitar. You will consequently play jazz, classical music, and many others.

Features of the Rickenbacker 300 series.

  • Hollow-body
  • Solid material make
  • Has either a slash hole of completely no hole
  • F-shaped hole
  • Adjustable bridge with a pickup selector
  • Double moon-like cutaway
  • Available in both 6 and 12 strings
  • Variation of the pickups from double to sing-coil pickups
  • Binding and inlays on various models

The guitar stands out because of its excellent performance. Its sound balance and projection are outstanding. Playing the guitar gives you an awesome moment. Experienced players who have had a taste of the guitar say it offers comfortability in playing due to its pure nature.

SchesterHellraiser

Schecter Hellraiser C-1 Electric Guitar (Black Cherry): Best Electric Guitars of All Times

Schester Hellraiser is a high-quality guitar that started as a service company. It started a company to produce spare parts for Gibson and Fender guitars. They, therefore, began producing guitars similar to fender and one that Mark Knopfler used to play.

It has a similar shape to Stratocaster. However, the variation comes in with the features and the number of strings. The guitar has outstanding performance due to the materials that have got used to making it.

Having a C-Shaped neck makes the guitar comfortable to play. You will easily access the 24 jumbo frets and navigate through them with ease. You will, therefore, have an easy play because of the excellent response.

Moreover, the guitar has excellent sound production. You will enjoy the sustain and the resonance of the guitar. The sound balance of the guitar is outstanding. It also responds excellently to all genres of music. You will, therefore, play jazz, rock, and many other effects.

Features of Schecter Hellraiser

  • Solid mahogany body and a mahogany neck
  • Fixed bridge
  • EMG 81TW/89 pickups
  • Tuners for volume and tones
  • 3-way switch
  • Easy access and comfortable play

The guitar manages to be the best because of its features and simplicity. Even though it has a simple design with limited and straightforward features, it still performs excellently.

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Gibson Explorer electric guitar

Gibson Explorer 2016 T Electric Guitar, Cherry

Gibson company has attempted to make several guitars that have turned out to be the best of all time. All its models have proved to be an excellent performer.

Gibson explorer was an attempt to make an ultimate guitar. At the start of around the 70s and 80s, the guitar got discounted. It later gained popularity to be among the best performers of the metal and rock players.

The guitar set the pace for the modern hard rock and metal guitars. It acted as an inspiration towards the development of may guitars with various features that are instrumental to the best quality.

Features of Gibson Explorer

  • Use of Korina wood for earlier models and mahogany for newer ones
  • Solid-body
  • Set-in-neck
  • Beautiful shape
  • Two humbuckers
  • 3-way switch
  • Tune-O-Matic fixed bridge
  • Tuners for volume and tone

The guitar has had a continuous improvement, which has been instrumental in the production of many other guitars. It has an outstanding performance that keeps it lively in the markets.

Gibson Flying V

Gibson Flying V: Best Electric Guitars of All Times

Last on our List is another model of Gibson. This time is Gibson Flying V, which is a colorful model. It was played first by Albert King then later by Hendrix. All had positive reviews about its functionality.

Gibson Flying V and Gibson Explorer have played a massive role in transforming the music guitar industry.  Metal guitarists have loved the guitar because of its outstanding performance.

The V shape on the guitar has been instrumental to the success of the guitar in the market. Most guitarists and upcoming guitarists have had a special love for the guitar. Most guitar manufacturers have also imitated the guitar hence its remarkable performance.

Features of   Gibson Flying V

  • Solid mahogany body
  • Set-in-neck
  • Two or three tuners
  • Two humbuckers and pickups
  • Unique V shape

This guitar model has had an outstanding performance. However, what makes it be the best of all times is its features. You will love the combination of the design and the performance. You will get the best sound production from the guitar.

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Best Electric Guitar FAQs

Which is the best electric guitar worldwide?

Several components result in having the best electric guitar. First, it is a model that has the requirements for the best performance. Some of the things you have to look at while selecting the best electric guitar are the pickup, performance, ease of use, and composition of parts.
A guitar has several parts that make it up, such as the neck, the body and the head. A good model will have high-quality strings and pick up a better resonance. Gibson Les Paul, Fender Stratocaster and the Ibanez Jem are the best brands in the world. They have the best performance, and the design of their making is ideal for good performance.

Which is the ideal pickup for an electric guitar?

An ideal electric guitar must have a pickup that will make its performance commendable. One that has options that allow for the adjustment of the volume is the best. Potentiometers are the best options because they allow you to make various changes without a hassle.
If there are more than two potentiometers, then the model will deliver outstanding performance. Some models have even four options hence delivering the best performance. A three-way switch is also a good option because it allows quick transition and picking of the best sound quality.
When making a selection, you need to ensure that you get one that will probably deliver the best performance.

How do you get the best electric guitar?

There are several features you will need to look at to get the best electric guitar. Some people prefer to buy brands that end up compromising the quality. You have to be specific with the kind of performance you want to get. If you are using the model for stage performance, then the features must be better and more enhanced.
One of the things you will look at is the kind of wood it uses. Mahogany, maple and ebony make the best wood. Steel and metal strings, on the other hand, are the best. The pickup must have more than two options or three switches. Such a model will not disappoint you.

Must you get a high-end electric guitar?

Most people believe that a high-end electric guitar is the best option ever. However, some models will not disappoint you because they have the best performance. When buying a guitar, you will get models at the lower end that deliver excellent performance, and some at the higher end perform poorly.
A budget that ranges between $50 and $1000 will get you an ideal model.  You will need to look at the various performance features to get one that will not disappoint you. Focusing on having each part having the best quality will get you the best model.

What makes an electric guitar different from others?

An electric guitar will pose a significant difference from others because of its nature. Firstly, the guitar does not have a big sound and will need amplification. Secondly, the body is slim and makes handling simpler, especially if you have to perform live.
Other guitars do not have a powerful pickup when you compare them to electric guitars. However, they serve multiple roles and ensure that the sound you get has the best quality ever. Moreover, it needs some source of powering to function correctly.

Final Verdict

Many guitars come to the market trend for a short time then just disappear. However, the guitars in our article today have had a continuous improvement that has made the guitars stay in the market for a longer time; and be the most preferred.

If you are looking for a guitar that will offer you the best service, consider choosing one from the list. Customer experience has kept then in the market for a longer time hence perfect in quality and performance.