Best beginner electric guitar for the price.?
Zaphod Beeblebrox
I've been playing for over 40 years and I personally have a largish collection of vintage American, British, Swedish and Japanese-made guitars that are all very pricey, but I also have a few cheap knockabouts that play and sound surprisingly good. Almost all low-priced electric guitars are made in China these days, and the quality can range from good for the price to absolute junk. Guitars made in Taiwan tend to be better than those made on the mainland, and most of the budget Yamaha line are made there. Two years ago I picked up a used Yamaha Pacifica for my kid to play for only $100 bucks and dang if I don't find myself playing it almost as much as my CBS-era Fender guitars that now sell for over 10 times that price. I also have a Fender Squier Strat that was made in China and it's not bad either, and certainly a decent beginners guitar for the price, but I don't like it quite as much as the Pacifica. Just before Christmas I picked up the new Monoprice Indio Helix, which costs $200 delivered, including a soft case. I haven't spent much time with it yet, but I think it's going to become my new regular knockabout. It comes with a 30-day return policy, which is great for someone like yourself. You can't go wrong to try it out, and the best thing is that it gets professionally set up in the USA before delivery. For a Chinese-made guitar I think it's pretty phenomenal. There are lots of others out there, and I pick up everything when I'm at a music store just to see what they're like. The Epiphone Les Paul II is really decent for a budget Chinese made guitar, and I think a very good choice, although I personally prefer the versatility of the 3 Fender Strat-style pickups over the two Gibson-style humbuckers. At $200 new it's a pretty good buy, but I like the Helix a lot more. That's my two cents worth. Take it or leave it.
Ben
You don't need to spend $500 for a decent beginners electric guitar.
mars: New rig
New rig: Squier Stratocaster (about $250 US), Fender Mustang Amp ($160), Case and Accs. (about $100)/ or a Charvel DS-1, with a Blackstar Amp.
yeah
by second hand