Beginner electric guitars under $300 — models by shape and the real total budget

An electric guitar on its own makes no sound. You need an amp (or a headphone amp), a cable and a tuner before you can play, so if you choose a guitar under $300, you'll actually spend about $350–480.

Here are the models you can get on this budget, by shape, and what to check before you buy.

Total budget first — the cheapest complete kit

Besides the guitar, the must-haves are an amp, a cable and a tuner. Below is the cheapest complete kit; if you move up to a guitar close to $300, the total goes up by the same amount.

• Where you can save: the amp. It's fine to start with a headphone amp. It's not too late to buy a speaker amp once you know where you'll play.
• Don't skip: the tuner. If you're out of tune, everything you play sounds wrong, and you'll soon quit.

Pick a shape first

At this budget, it's easier to pick a shape first than to compare sounds, because the shape largely decides the pickup layout and the music it suits. Prices below are ranges from First Guitar's recommendation table and vary by store and timing.

S-style (Strat-type) — the standard

• Squier Sonic Stratocaster ($249) — the entry line of Squier, Fender's budget brand. The body is thin and light, so long practice sessions are less tiring. Three single-coils (SSS).
• Yamaha Pacifica 012 ($279) — an HSS layout with a humbucker at the bridge. One guitar takes you from clean tones to rock. 112J is an older model name; if you're buying new, look at the 012 or the 112V.

T-style (Tele-type) — simple and sturdy

• Squier Sonic Telecaster ($249) — a fixed layout of two single-coils, so the range of sounds isn't wide. It's known for a bright, clear tone, though.
• Harley Benton TE-52 ($159) — a T-style with an ash body. Read "If you're looking at Harley Benton" below first.

LP-style and SG-style — thick, heavy tone

• Harley Benton DC-200 ($111) — a beginner SG-style with two humbuckers and a fixed bridge. With one volume and one tone control, you can't adjust the two pickups separately.
• Harley Benton SC-450 · DC-580 ($129 each) — the SC-450 is an LP-style and the DC-580 an SG-style, both ordered from Thomann. The DC-580 has a set neck (glued into the body).

LP-styles usually have a short scale (24.75 inches), so the strings feel softer and easier on the hands. If your hands are small, look at this shape first.

Superstrat — metal and fast playing

• Ibanez GRG170DX / GRX70 ($229) — a humbucker-single-humbucker (HSH) layout gives you a wide choice of sounds. The neck is fairly thin, comfortable even with small hands.
• Jackson JS22 Dinky ($269) — two humbuckers and 24 frets give you plenty of room in the upper register.
• Cort X100 ($249) — the basic model in Cort's X series. Two humbuckers make the sound thick and resistant to noise.

Semi-hollows are rare at this budget

For a semi-hollow (a partly hollow body), even the Ibanez AS53, one of the cheapest, is $399. If you want this shape, it's better to stretch your budget a little (the Harley Benton HB-35 is $188).

What to check before you buy

• If you're looking at Harley Benton. It's the house brand of German retailer Thomann and is sold direct by Thomann, not through local stores.
  It tends to cost less, but if something goes wrong with your first guitar, getting it fixed is more of a hassle.
• Models with a whammy bar (tremolo). At this budget, most S-styles and superstrats have a standard, non-locking tremolo. Use the bar hard and the tuning tends to drift. If you don't want to keep retuning, choose a fixed bridge (T-style, LP-style, SG-style).
• Model names. Similar names can hide different specs (Pacifica 112J vs 012 and 112V; Epiphone Les Paul Special with P-90s vs humbuckers). Check the pickup layout on the product page too.
• Get a setup right after you buy. Much of what beginners blame on their own hands is really string height, and even new guitars need a setup. A music store setup costs $50–110. Details are in the setup guide.