Around 80% of guitarists take the wrong decision for their guitar buying. They make it subconsciously as a result; it burns all of their money.
I witnessed this fact from beginners to pro. Now, why is it tough to make the right decision?
For Mental and financial stress. This stress is natural when you are in the ocean of options. I wasted thousands of dollars in that ocean for my first electric guitar.
In this article, I will help you to choose the right electric guitar under your budget. You will also get rid of your stress once and for all. So, buckle up to read the best electric guitar under 500.
Here is the topic you are going to read:
- Reviews from Amazon product analyst
- Proven electric guitar buying formula.
- Answer for the community
- Super electric guitar playing tips.
We have created this section so that you can make a precise decision looking at the key features of the top pick. Intently look at the below list.
[amazon box=”B01M3Q1B82,B087CB9T7P,B005JPWNVU,B01I0CEIXY,B00V5PA0FY,B0725P3ZK8,B07NQPVPJS,B07B6PZG4Q,B00FN9DKXW,B01M6ZH0AW” items=”10″ template=”table”]Reviews from Amazon product analyst:
Previous products were the reflections of my research. But from now, things are getting changed. We picked the top ten guitars from amazon and mailed it to the official product analyst.
They replied to me with a beautiful outcome. By blending the result with my professional experience, here are the reviews of electric guitars. You will also know what problem these guitars will solve.
1. LyxPro Electric Guitar
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The purpose of making this guitar is to solve the intermediate guitar players’ demands. Guitar players like intermediate to beginner- start to explore sound and tone at this time.
Lyxpro 39 inch helps them to go through a fantastic experiment. The sound is decent and crispy at upstream. This is because of the triple single-coil pickup.
Single coil pickups are perfect for beginners. It helps to understand the tone, which later helps them to grow a better tonal sense. There are also other benefits of the guitar.
Lyxpro allows the guitarist a smooth noodling experience. For that, it includes a maple wood neck with brass tuner peg. These combinations adjust the tune better.
Plus, the rosewood fretboard and tremolo bar enhance the playing experience better. This guitar brand also offers a complete guitar set for the guitarists.
It includes -amp, digital tuner, guitar straps, extra picks, instruction manual and more. All these accessories are decent, but not high end. I found a poor sound quality in the built-in guitar amps.
Pros
- Affordable
- Perfect for beginner
- Sweet tone.
- Single coil pickup
Cons
- I am not satisfied with the guitar amp sound.
2. Fender Short Scale Stratocaster
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Fender has fulfilled the downside of Lyxpro. Such as poor amp quality. But the fender short-scale Stratocaster recovered the issue.
It has also reduced the pain of short-fingered guys/girls. The frets are not too high. One can practice their basic and advanced chord through this.
This guitar also allows five-way switching. With these ways, a guitarist can switch the tone of single coils. The three single coils offer a bright and crunchy sound. It reflects the real pop and 70s classic rock.
One of the biggest reasons for this sound is its materials. The Canadian maple wood neck and rosewood fingerboard gave a real boost on music.
Including the six strings hardtail, Fender short scale guitar snatched the short-fingered guitar players. Yet, it could not win the long-fingered guitarist. The reason is for some advanced guitar solos.
Some guitar solos need advanced techniques. This is the beauty of guitar solos. It reminds me of John Mayers “slow dancing in a burning room.”
Pros
- A short scale for short fingers.
- Tremolo bar.
- Amazing tone.
- Comes with accessories,
- Strap, tuner and picks are included.
- Come with the amp.
Cons
- I Don’t prefer it for long-fingered guys.
3. Best Choice Beginner Electric Guitar
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Every guitar tone reminds me of a signature tone. Best Choice did the same. It recalls me the beginner rock n roll and blues songs like – “smells like teen spirit” and “love is vain”.
All this legendary song can be played on this guitar. The structure and build quality are specialized for rock n roll and blues.
For example, the body has a touch of hardwood. Hardwood is best for a warm sound. For this warm sound, there is also a strong reason. That is the single-coil pickup.
As a newbie guitar player, learners can make a robust tonal sense with this. The tone could be better with a slight improvement of fret adjustment.
Yet, I would say a better choice within $500. Within this price, Best Choice offers a complete guitar package.
It includes an amp, tuner, extra set of strings and straps. The package also offers 10ft long guitar cable ad battery. This means you can play the guitar on battery power. Overall, a sweet inspiration for the beginners.
Pros
- Beginner package
- Hardwood body.
- Lightweight.
- Portable amp
- Battery supported.
Cons
- The fret adjustment did not seem good.
4. Ibanez 6 String Solid-Body Electric Guitar
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Most of the experts preferred this guitar for right-hand beginners. They believe that this guitar has all the basic and intermediate facilities.
According to their experience, one can make a ballad instrumental with this guitar. Is it true! Let me share with you a guitar review for that.
I played it for six hours at my friend’s store. Here is what I found. This guitar has a solid body; it seems to be a tonal wood neck and rosewood fingerboard.
That is why it sounds bright and warm. My taste bud says a sweet and sour feeling. To find that feeling, I observed the pickup structures.
It consists of H S H sequence. This pickup sequence is excellent for a mix sound because the humbucker sounds wet, and the single-coil sounds dry.
In a word, you have the options to change the pickup for better taste. I am not saying these combinations are not as expected. Yet, music tastes vary. So, you can change it.
Ibanez also concentrated on tone stability and hum adjustment. I feel that while playing this guitar. It has an inner shielding to protect the hum.
Overall, the guitar quality is suitable for beginners and intermediate. You can compose your first guitar solo with it. It is true!
Pros
- Lucrative colour.
- Solid-body.
- Sturdy cables.
- Frets are well-adjusted.
- Comes with a truss rod.
Cons
- Headstock and fretboard seem heavy to me.
5. Stedman Pro Beginner Series Electric Guitar
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“I just need to start” if that is your goal? Go for the Stedman pro. This guitar is streamlined for beginners.
It has a full scale and a maple neck. On top of the neck, there is a brass tuner. These tuners are sustainable. You don’t have to worry about that, because Stedman introduces rosewood fret with an adjusted fret.
Noodling and riff will sound better than an average beginner guitar. All this is possible for aligning the tuner pegs, strings, frets and bridge with proper measurement.
Our experts said, “it’s best for a birthday gift for teenagers”. Yeah, I agree with them because the package includes all guitar essentials.
It includes -gig bag, strings, guitar cord, amps and more. So, you are one step closer to starting your guitar journey.
Pros
- Perfect for teenagers.
- Maple wood neck.
- Flawless body.
Cons
- Stedman could improve the string quality better. It rusts fast.
6. Squier by Fender Stratocaster Beginner
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My jamming gear is Squier. This guitar has all the feelings that I need. From the 60s to new age rock everything is in this guitar. Here is my short review, including expert recommendation.
Fender Stratocaster offers a vintage sunburst look. It has three single-coils with five-way switches that can give you a different taste of tone.
Alexandre (expert) said that: if you are in slush rock or soul-pop, try this guitar. I nodded with his recommendation because the fretboard and neck are well-adjusted. No doubt!
Another reason for recommending this guitar is its guitar essentials. Fender offers its signature 10g amp, strap, picks, strings and more.
In a word, once can start its guitar journey right off the bat. One thing I forgot to mention. That is the C shape neck. Without this shape Fender does not look like a true warrior.
Pros
- Different colours.
- Tremolo bar.
- Comes with guitar essentials
- Perfect for short fingers.
Cons
- I don’t prefer this for long-fingered players.
7. Best Choice Products Kids Electric Guitar
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One of the hardest jobs is to find the right guitar for kids. Thankfully, I did that for you. It took finding a proper guitar since beginning should be the best.
Best Choice can be a perfect way out for the kid. It has a solid body with perfect string alignment, which are soft and dent free.
This is because of the rosewood fingerboard. The fretboard is well adjusted with the neck; I applied some basic to intermediate guitar techniques here. All sounds decent.
A perfect guitar to develop tonal sense and skills. To support continuous development, Best Choice offers a total of guitar essentials.
It includes – 5w amp, straps, lesson books, picks, instruction manual, and more. Overall, I prefer this for pre-teenager though it has slight tune adjustment issues.
Pros
- Perfect for kids.
- Steel strings.
- Solid-body.
- Lightweight.
Cons
- The tuner pegs could be better.
8. Squier by Fender Bullet Stratocaster Electric Guitar
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From beginner to pros, everyone prefers this Squier Bullet series. The reason for choosing this guitar is its pickup line.
It’s like H+S+S. A mix of different coils made this guitar unique. I played hard rock, blues, pop everything with this Stratocaster.
All genres sound great. To find the mystery of this mouthwatering sound, I explored the guitar materials. Fender gave a vintage look to this guitar.
Like the classical look, This Stratocaster has two tones, one volume and a five-way switch. It allows you to set the pickup tone.
To adjust the pickup tone, Fenders used quality ingredients. Ingredients like maple wood rosewood are installed in the neck and fretboard.
That is why the playing experience is uncompromising. This is what every expert said through the mail. So, if you are in a rush but need a quality suggestion, try this Stratocaster.
Pros
- Different coil setup.
- Easy to play.
- Smooth fretboard.
- Vintage style
- C shape.
Cons
- The colour seems pale.
9. Sawtooth Sunburst Electric Guitar
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Sawtooth is a complete beginner package for tight budget guys/girls. This guitar has everything you need to give a start. Here are the features.
The sawtooth guitar has a maple neck with all wood construction. This construction offers quality sound – a proper trainer.
It has three single coils to sound bright and crispy. I enjoyed all the beginner guitar lessons with this. To check the sound quality, I observed the significant factors.
One of the major things of Sawtooth is its bridge and intonation. It comes in adjusted. If you face any playing issues after buying you can fix that.
For fixing simple issues, this guitar provides all guitar essentials. It also offers complete guitar accessories.
The accessories include – a padded bag, lesson book, extra strings, pick and more. In a word, this wide-scale guitar is good for a tight budget.
Pros
- Mix wood composition.
- Smooth frets.
- Lightweight.
- Perfect for beginners.
Cons
- I did not like the string quality.
10. RockJam 6 ST Style Electric Guitar
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When I was writing this review, I heard the sound of Rockjam ST. The clean tone sounds fantastic, but the distortion mood is full of noise.
I even yelled over my twin for that noisy sound. Maybe the amp is the reason for that lousy noise and hum. But the vague cleared after putting it with my regular paddle. It sounds the same as my brother.
Sigh! I thought Rockjam would do a decent justice with this guitar. My expectation is burned after checking the single-coil pickup.
The quality of the pickup is not good enough, but the wood construction is high. Maple wood neck and rosewood fingerboard ensure a smooth noodling.
Yet, I am not satisfied with the performance. If I have to recommend this guitar, then its better for two months of free lessons.
Pros
- Free lessons.
- High-quality wood.
- Lightweight.
Cons
- I am frustrated with the overall performance.
Electric guitar buying guide: A Proven electric guitar buying formula
I am sorry if I turn your confidence down through my last review. But hey! It’s my job to guide you for the best solution. As a part of my job, here is another buying guide. Read it aloud:
Decide the budget first:
In my review, I organized different price guitars. All the guitars have different output based on the price. For example, Rockjam and Sawtooth are not high ends or even moderate.
These guitars are average because of price. So, decide the price first, then jump to my second section.
Wood quality:
There are numerous woods used in guitar parts. Mahogany, Rosewood, and maple wood are the best combination for a warm and bright sound. In that case, I can recommend the Fender Stratocaster series. Their overall qualities are good.
Pickups:
The sound quality is highly dependent on pickups. It sounds like dry or wet relies on different coils. For example, a single-coil pickup has a bright and crispy sound.
But the humbucker pickup sounds wet. It’s kind of heavy like butter. So, decide your pickup based on the music genre.
Scale size:
It depends on the finger size. So, if you are a short-fingered person, try short scale guitar. Otherwise, the regular size is good enough.
Weight:
Guitar weight is another major factor. Since most of your practice, jamming and performance will occur on standing, you need to consider the weight. My suggestion is: choose the guitar weight according to your physical weight.
Guitar essentials:
Most of the guitar manufacturers offer full packages. The package includes amp, strings, guitar picks, gig bag, lesson books and more. This facility is proof of great customer service.
Still, there is a question about quality. I did not find quality products in most of the cases. In some cases, gig bags are not durable, or strings are not good. So, check the guitar essentials before buying.
Strings, tuner pegs and fretboard:
No matter what is your budget, try to check and cross-check the strings and tuner pegs. I experience tuning inconsistency with some of my reviewed guitars. That’s because of material quality.
So I recommend you to strum, play some notes from the upper stream to downstream. This will help you to judge the strings, tuner peg and fretboard quality.
Sound:
Finally, the most important thing is the sound. Without your expected sound, a guitar is none other than a waste. Deciding the desired sound is not tough. Just determine what do you want to do?
For example, I prefer a Stratocaster for ambient and pop composition. These series produce the exact tone I want.
Answer for the community:
I call it Frequently asked questions. Here are the answers.
1. Will electric guitar strings work on acoustic?
Electric guitar strings will work on acoustic guitar. But, you will not get that natural crunchy sound. This is because of significant differences.
Electric guitar strings are soft, and they build for enduring high tension. You can apply legato, blend, sweep picking and hybrid picking on it.
All the techniques feel better in electric guitar, but the mentioned techniques are not suitable for acoustic guitar strings. These strings are made for acoustic stuff because of its hard tension.
So, it is wise to use the right strings for the right guitar.
2. How long will electric guitar last
There is no time limitation. I have been using my fender acoustic for 10 years, and it still sounds great. If you can take care of your guitar in a regular schedule, it can last up to 100 years! That’s what experts say.
3. Which electric guitar is the easiest to play?
Guitar playing is a kind of skill. So no rocket science will easy up your guitar playing. I cannot suggest which guitar is more comfortable to play. But I can recommend which guitar you can play to learn the skill faster.
In that case, Fender should be your First Choice. Their strings, pickup and total guitar alignment, is designed for easy learning.
4. What electric guitar to buy for beginners?
Many experts prefer to buy a starter guitar kit because these are specially designed for beginners. The overall built quality is good for beginner’s fingers. I think an example will help you to understand the statements. Lyxpro 39 is a perfect starter guitar.
Super electric guitar playing tips:
This a bonus part for beginners, here some easy tips that may help you to learn the electric guitar fast.
- Practice one lesson at one week consistently.
- Use metronome during playing. It will help you to understand the time signature.
- Know how to mute the extra noise.
- Observe the expert guitar holding techniques.
- Learn a new exercise every week. It can be twice in a week depends on mastery.
- Don’t memorize the shape, memorize the locations of notes.
- Try different guitar tunes; this will help you to learn better guitar skills.
- Subscribe some gurus from youtube.
- Imitate their playing, then invent your style.
- Create something from your entire learning. It will help you to know your flaws.
- Assess your progress.
Closing:
By following the tips, you can improve your playing better. Now, let’s move to the closing session. In my entire article, I try to solve one problem, that is: how to get rid of stress once and for all.
I believe my best electric guitar under $500 did the job. My goal is to give you a detailed guideline so that you don’t need to fumble in the darkness. If this article helps you get the right guideline, don’t forget to share it with your close one.