Think cheap electric guitars next time you're in the market for a new axe. Regardless of what you may have been led to believe, your next electric guitar does not need to cost you an arm and a leg.
After all, you need your arms to hold the guitar and your legs to support you while you play. So it's best to keep those and the dollars in your pockets for things like private lessons.
The first mark of your ideal candidate here will likely be its model name. You want to look for unadorned, simple number-and-letter combos.
If you run across descriptions that include words like vintage, historic, re-issue, limited, signature, or relic, run don't walk in the opposite direction because you are about to be taken for a ride.
...this axe will only set you back about one bill. It's model name is GX 40 by a totally unknown company called Condor.
A pretty tight group of quality manufacturers generally produce great cheap electric guitars, while others distinguish themselves with higher-end models. You know, the ones with the Historic, Relic, Reissues. We won't even touch these because doing so strips them of their value. And we play electric guitar to, well, actually play electric guitar. What a concept!
So you won't really be looking at a Gibson in your search. However, deals can be found, mostly in the used market. So don't rule them out.
As for new instruments, top makers in our target price range will usually come from Yamaha, Epiphone, Ibanez and G&L's Tribute series.
Finally, the Fender Squier brand models out there require special attention due to the fact that the offerings are so abundant and prices are reasonably to extremely affordable. Moreover, these guitars seem identical to the high-end, Made-In-USA guitars offered by Fender.
And that's really the heart of the issue in this category. What justifies $1000+ price tags when an clone instrument goes for $100? That's where we come in.
If you want a guitar that sounds great and is easy to play, you don't need to spend a lot of moolah. We'll show you the best players in the best price range so you don't have to shell out.
Top Tips On Buying New Cheap Guitars
play many guitars, even identical models, in your price range
visit more than one guitar retailer
try to bargain--within reason--with guitars sales people
play close attention to the action
don't choose guitars based on pictures/articles you've seen in newsstand guitar magazines
Dont buy sight-unseen unless there's a return policy
cheap guitars are made in factories in Asia, quality will sometimes vary greatly among identical models
Finally, the 