The Best Beginner Electric Guitars: 6 Compared (and One to Skip)

RBE top pick

Yamaha Pacifica 112V

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The Pacifica 112V gives a beginner the widest range of sounds on a standard-dimension neck, with a coil split that lets one pickup act as a humbucker or a single coil. The ST-20 CA matches the basic dimensions at the lowest tier if you can live with single-coil hum and no bag.

A first electric guitar has to be comfortable, stay in tune and sound decent through a small amp, or the instrument ends up in a closet. We looked at six well-known entry models from six different brands, using each maker's own spec page. Most share a 25.5 in scale, so the real differences are pickups, bridge, neck feel and what comes in the box. If you also need an amp, our guide to the best guitar amps picks up where this one stops, and acoustic players can start with the best acoustic guitars.

RBE top pick

Yamaha

Yamaha Pacifica 112V

Buy it

The Pacifica 112V pairs a slim, standard-scale neck with a humbucker, two single coils and a coil split, so one guitar covers most beginner styles.

Best for: A first guitar for someone who has not settled on a style yet.

$$ · mid-range

Why we like it

• Yamaha lists a 25.5 in scale, a 13-3/4 in radius and medium frets, which are the dimensions most lessons and tab assume.
• The HSS Alnico V pickups plus a push-pull coil split on the tone knob give clean, crunchy and single-coil sounds from one instrument.
• The vintage-style tremolo has block saddles, and Yamaha publishes a full spec sheet, so you know exactly what you are buying.

Know before buying

• Yamaha's spec table lists no case or gig bag for this model, so budget for one.
• The vintage tremolo can drift out of tune with heavy arm use, and a beginner may never need the arm.
• Weight is not published on the Yamaha spec page.

Check price on Amazon Read our detailed assessment ↓

Harley Benton

Harley Benton ST-20 CA

Buy it

A Strat-shaped starter from Thomann's house brand with standard dimensions, three single coils and a lowest-tier price.

Best for: A buyer who wants the lowest outlay and plans to upgrade or mod later.

$ · budget

Why we like it

• Thomann lists a Modern C neck profile, 648 mm scale, 42 mm nut and a 305 mm (12 in) radius, so it feels like a standard bolt-on guitar.
• The factory strings are listed as .009 to .042, light enough for easy bending, and the neck has a double-action truss rod for adjustment.
• It carries a 3-year Thomann warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee per the product page.

Know before buying

• The base listing says no bag is included (a separate listing sells it with a bag).
• Three single coils buzz more than humbuckers and give less crunch with high gain.
• The listing text and spec table disagree on small details such as fretboard wood and tremolo wording, so confirm the exact variant before ordering.

Find it on Amazon Read our detailed assessment ↓

Sterling by Music Man

Sterling by Music Man Intro Series Cutlass CT20HSS

Buy it

A compact double-cut with ceramic HSS pickups, a 12 in radius and a maple board, from the Music Man family's beginner line.

Best for: A beginner who wants something less common than a Strat shape with the same playability.

$$ · mid-range

Why we like it

• Sterling lists 22 narrow frets, a 12 in radius and a 42 mm nut, a friendly, flat-ish playing surface.
• The HSS layout has a ceramic humbucker and two ceramic single coils with a 5-way selector.
• Sterling mentions a straight string path through the tuners and a hard maple neck for stability.

Know before buying

• The spec page lists the gig bag as N/A, so no bag is included.
• Ceramic pickups lean bright and tight; players after a warm vintage sound may want to try one first.
• Few teachers' lessons use the Cutlass shape, so it is a slightly less common first choice.

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Ibanez

Ibanez Gio GRX70QA

Buy it

A slim-neck HSH guitar with a quilted art-grain top and a tremolo with six independent saddles at an entry price.

Best for: A rock or metal oriented beginner on a tight outlay.

$ · budget

Why we like it

• Ibanez lists neck thickness of 19.5 mm at the first fret and 21.5 mm at the 12th, one of the slimmer necks here.
• The H-S-H layout with a 5-way switch covers rock, pop and blues, and the 6-saddle T106 bridge makes intonation adjustments easy.
• Ibanez lists a 648 mm scale, 22 medium frets, a 305 mm radius and .009 to .042 strings.

Know before buying

• Ibanez does not publish a weight or list a gig bag for this model.
• Passive ceramic pickups sound bright and tight and are less forgiving for warm clean tones.
• The flat 305 mm radius and wide-ish 57 mm width at the last fret suit shredders more than chord strummers.

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Epiphone

Epiphone Les Paul Special Double Cut

It depends

A slab-mahogany double-cut with two P-90 PRO pickups, a SlimTaper neck and a gig bag in the box.

Best for: A player into blues, classic rock or garage tones who wants a bag included.

$$ · mid-range

Why we like it

• Epiphone's page lists a mahogany body, a glued-in mahogany neck with a 60s SlimTaper profile and 22 medium jumbo frets.
• Two Epiphone P-90 PRO soapbar single coils, each with its own volume and tone knob, give a thick, raw sound.
• Epiphone states a premium gig bag is included.

Know before buying

• There is no tremolo, only a compensated wraparound bridge, so no vibrato-arm tricks.
• P-90s hum like single coils and handle very high gain less tidily than humbuckers.
• The scale length is not stated in the product text, so check it in person if you have small hands.

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We'd skip it

Jackson

Jackson JS Series Dinky Arch Top JS22 DKA

Skip it

A hot-rodded metal shape with two high-output ceramic humbuckers and a three-way switch, narrow in what it does for a first guitar.

Best for: A beginner who already knows they only want heavy rock and metal.

$ · budget

Why we like it

• Jackson lists 24 jumbo frets and a 12 in to 16 in compound radius that flattens up the neck for wide bends.
• It has a bolt-on maple neck with graphite reinforcement and a bound amaranth fingerboard.
• Hardware is all black with die-cast tuners and a synchronized fulcrum tremolo.

Know before buying

• Two high-output ceramic humbuckers with a three-way switch and one volume and one tone control mean no single-coil sounds and no coil split.
• Jackson's text says the body is poplar, or nato on the Natural Oil finish only, so wood varies by finish.
• The scale length and weight are not in the maker text, and no gig bag is listed.
• The synchronized tremolo needs setup knowledge to stay in tune when a beginner tinkers with it.

See our pick instead Find it on Amazon anyway Read our detailed assessment ↓

How we judged the field

Five things matter on a first electric. Scale length and neck shape decide how easy chords and bends feel, so we compared scale, nut width, thickness and fretboard radius where makers publish them. Pickups decide the tonal range, and the bridge decides tuning stability and how much setup knowledge you need. Finally, the box contents matter: a gig bag is often not included, and spec pages say so.

The field splits into Strat-style bolt-on guitars with flexible pickups (Yamaha, Harley Benton, Sterling, Ibanez), a vintage-style P-90 double-cut (Epiphone) and a high-gain metal shape (Jackson). We picked one model from each of six brand families and used only each maker’s own page, leaving out any number a maker does not publish.

The Pacifica 112V is the safest first electric. Yamaha’s spec table lists a bolt-on maple neck, a 25.5 in scale, 22 medium frets and a 13-3/4 in fingerboard radius, with neck thickness of 20.9 mm at the first fret and 22.9 mm at the 12th. The pickups are Alnico V in an HSS arrangement with a 5-position switch, and pulling up the tone knob splits the humbucker for single-coil sounds. That coil split is the feature that makes one guitar cover clean pop, blues and heavier rock. The vintage-style tremolo has block saddles, and the tuners are die-cast. Yamaha’s spec page lists no case or gig bag, and no weight is published. Plan for a bag and a setup visit. It is for the beginner who has not chosen a genre and wants one guitar that will not hold them back.

The ST-20 CA is Thomann’s house-brand Strat-style guitar and the cheapest way in here. Thomann lists a poplar body, bolt-on maple neck, Modern C profile, 648 mm scale, 42 mm nut, 22 frets and a 305 mm (12 in) radius. Three single coils, a 5-way switch, one volume and two tone controls give the classic bright, clear Strat palette. The page says the factory strings are .009 to .042 and the double-action truss rod adds neck adjustability. The product carries a 3-year Thomann warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The trade-offs: the base listing says no bag is included, single coils hum, and the page text and spec table differ on small points like tremolo wording, so confirm the variant. It suits someone who wants a standard-feeling guitar for the least money and may mod it later.

Sterling by Music Man’s Intro Series Cutlass is a compact double-cut aimed at newcomers. The spec page lists a poplar body, a hard maple neck and fingerboard, a 25.5 in scale, a 12 in radius, 22 narrow frets and a 42 mm nut. The pickups are one ceramic humbucker and two ceramic single coils with a 5-way selector, one volume and one tone. Sterling describes a vintage fulcrum tremolo and a straight string path through the tuners. The gig bag line reads N/A, so none is included. Ceramic pickups sound bright and tight rather than warm, and the Cutlass shape is less common than a Strat. It is for a beginner who likes the look, wants the flat 12 in radius and a full HSS palette from a respected maker.

The Gio GRX70QA is Ibanez’s entry-tier rock guitar. Ibanez lists a poplar body with a quilted maple art grain (basswood) top, a GRX maple neck, jatoba fretboard, 22 medium frets, a 648 mm scale, a 305 mm radius and 42 mm width at the nut. Neck thickness is 19.5 mm at the first fret and 21.5 mm at the 12th. Pickups are passive ceramic: two Infinity R humbuckers and an Infinity RS single coil, with a 5-way switch and a 6-saddle T106 tremolo. Ibanez does not publish a weight or list a gig bag. It sounds tight and bright, which suits distortion more than warm cleans. It is for a rock-leaning beginner who wants a slim neck and the lowest tier price.

The Les Paul Special Double Cut is the pick for players who want a different sound, not the usual bolt-on. Epiphone’s page describes a slab mahogany double-cutaway body, a glued-in mahogany neck with a 60s SlimTaper profile, a bound rosewood fretboard with 22 medium jumbo frets, a Graph Tech nut and three-on-a-plate tuners. Two Epiphone P-90 PRO soapbar pickups each have their own volume and tone controls. A compensated Lightning Bar wraparound bridge replaces the tremolo, which keeps tuning simple. A premium gig bag is included, which none of the others list. Scale length is not stated in the product text. P-90s are thick and raw, hum like single coils, and are less tidy at very high gain. It is for beginners into blues, garage and classic rock.

The JS22 DKA is a capable guitar that is a poor first choice for most newcomers. Jackson’s page lists 24 jumbo frets, a bolt-on maple neck with graphite reinforcement, a bound amaranth board with a 12 in to 16 in compound radius, and a body of poplar (nato for the Natural Oil finish only). It has two Jackson high-output ceramic humbuckers, a three-way toggle, one volume and one tone control, a synchronized fulcrum tremolo and die-cast tuners. That pickup setup means no single-coil sounds and no coil split, so clean and light styles are limited. Scale length and weight are not in the maker text and no gig bag is listed. It makes sense only if you know you want heavy music from day one; everyone else gets more range from the picks above.

Yamaha Pacifica 112V vs Harley Benton ST-20 CA: which should you buy?

The Pacifica 112V and the ST-20 CA share a 25.5 in scale (Yamaha lists 25-1/2 in, Thomann 648 mm) and a flat-ish radius, so the neck feel is similar. The difference is flexibility versus outlay. The Yamaha’s HSS pickups and coil split cover more styles and its spec sheet is exhaustive, while the Harley Benton’s three single coils sound classic and cost less.

Choose the Yamaha if you do not know your style yet, or if you want one guitar to last through the first few years. Choose the Harley Benton if outlay matters most and you are fine with single-coil hum. Neither lists a gig bag in the base configuration, so factor that in.

Who should buy which

• Undecided on a style: the Yamaha Pacifica 112V. HSS pickups and a coil split cover clean, crunch and single-coil sounds.
• Tightest outlay: the Harley Benton ST-20 CA. Standard Strat-style dimensions at the budget tier, with a 3-year Thomann warranty.
• Wants a less common shape: the Sterling by Music Man Intro Series Cutlass CT20HSS. Ceramic HSS pickups and a 12 in radius in a compact double-cut.
• Rock-leaning player: the Ibanez Gio GRX70QA. A slim neck, HSH pickups and a 6-saddle tremolo at the budget tier.
• Blues and classic rock fan: the Epiphone Les Paul Special Double Cut. Two P-90 PRO pickups, a SlimTaper neck and a gig bag included.

What to look for

• Scale length: Most guitars here use 25.5 in (648 mm); a shorter scale feels slacker, so check it if you have small hands.
• Nut width and neck thickness: A 42 mm nut and a thickness near 20 mm at the first fret are typical and comfortable for chords.
• Fretboard radius: A flatter radius such as 12 in or a compound radius makes bends easier; a rounder one can feel better for chords.
• Pickup layout: HSS or HSH gives both humbucker and single-coil sounds; SSS is bright and clear; P-90s sit between.
• Bridge type: A tremolo adds options but needs more care; a fixed bridge is simpler to keep in tune.
• What is in the box: Check the spec page for a gig bag, and plan for a tuner, strap and cable if not.

Our final take

For most people starting out, the Yamaha Pacifica 112V is the guitar that will not need replacing for years. It has standard dimensions, three pickups with a coil split and a full published spec sheet. The Harley Benton ST-20 CA is the budget answer, the Sterling Cutlass and Ibanez Gio GRX70QA are good alternatives for different feels, and the Epiphone Les Paul Special Double Cut suits players who want P-90 grit and a bag included. Skip the Jackson JS22 DKA unless you only play heavy music. Pair whichever you choose with a practice amp from our best guitar amps guide.

Deciding between the top two? See our head-to-head: Yamaha Pacifica 112V vs Harley Benton ST-20 CA.

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