Dean is best known for making guitars that are ideally suited for playing heavy metal and other extremely demanding music genres. With the Dean Evo XM electric guitar pack, you get everything you need to play right out of the box, and at under $200, this is one of the least expensive beginner guitar packages that you can buy from a major manufacturer. The package includes pretty much everything you’d expect in a beginner kit like this including a gig bag, shoulder strap, 10-watt Dean amp, and a bunch of picks. There is, of course, the Evo XM guitar at the center of the package. The XM is a decent little electric guitar featuring a solid basswood body, 22-fret bolt-on maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard, sealed tuners, and a pair of humbucker pickups. It also has Dean’s patented angled neck, which makes playing it a bit easier. I reviewed this guitar by itself — you can read my full review of the guitar here — and it is definitely a solid instrument for the price. The aggressive and crazy Dean styling that you see on so many of their guitars is painfully missing on this guitar, but it is also much more versatile than most Deans in terms of genres that you can play with it. I wasn’t overwhelmed by the guitar, but I was pleased with it considering the price, and you can definitely grow with it. You won’t have to upgrade for at least a year or two.

I was disappointed with the rest of the package, however. This package definitely has one of the lower quality starter amps that I’ve encountered, and it did not produce as nice a sound as I have found in other packages from folks like Epiphone and Fender. Also, most other beginner guitar packages include some additional extras like an instructional DVD or booklet, a digital tuner, headphones, or a stand. I’ve seen conflicting information on some websites as to whether this comes with a tuner or not, but the one that I reviewed definitely did NOT. Perhaps they decided to include a tuner in a newer production run, but it is something to be aware of nonetheless.

Dean Evo XM Electric Guitar Pack Verdict

The guitar in this package is definitely a good instrument for the money, but the rest of the package left me underwhelmed. The amp isn’t too great, and it lacks some of the other extras that you typically expect to find in a beginner guitar package. If you have your heart set on a you can get this package, but I would recommend buying the guitar and the extras separately. It will cost a little more money, but it is definitely worth the extra cost in my opinion. If the amp were better, I’d be happy to recommend buying it, but it isn’t so I’m not.

Buy The Dean Evo XM Electric Guitar Package

Guitar Center: Buy for $189
Amazon: Buy for $185

The Dean Vendetta XMT is a nice entry level guitar, particularly for anyone interested in playing metal. There are two different models of the XMT available — one with the tremolo bar and one without — and I highly recommend the one with the tremolo. You will normally spend between $130 and $140 for this guitar; however, guitar center IS selling this guitar for $99 in the natural satin finish (it also comes in black).

The body of this guitar is made from Paulownia, which is a south-east Asian wood with good resonant properties that is typically used in Asian stringed instruments, but it is less expensive than Mahogany. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the sound from this particular wood, but I was pleasantly surprised. The XMT also features a bolt-on maple neck with a 25-fret rosewood fingerboard. I would be lying if I didn’t mention the tremolo as one of the biggest highlights of this guitar for me. For anyone looking to play metal, the presence of a tremolo bar is almost required, and I don’t know of many guitars that cost ~$100 that come with a tremolo.

The Paulownia body is really light, so the overall weight of this guitar is incredibly low. I was shocked at how light this guitar was. The sound was comparable to other guitars that are in the $150-$250 range, and I was glad that Dean didn’t cheap out on things like the humbuckers and hardware. I feel like most of the cost savings for Dean came from using a different wood on the body, which makes this guitar quite a bargain for the price.

Dean Vendetta XMT Verdict

Overall, I was very pleased with the sound and playability of the guitar. The construction was good, the hardware was good, and the pickups were much better than I would have expected on a guitar this price. The tremolo bar is pretty standard and it is definitely an entry level guitar; however, it is easy to play, and it isn’t something that you will need to upgrade right away. This guitar is perfect for someone just starting out, for kids because of the extremely lightweight body, or for someone looking for a cheap but good practice guitar that can take a few hard knocks.

Buy The Dean Vendetta XMT

Guitar Center: Buy for $99
Amazon: Buy for $128

Guitar Center: Buy for $100
Amazon: Buy for $119

My Review Of The Squier Bullet Stratocaster Electric Guitar

There are almost no guitars out there that come in under $100. Typically, if you do manage to find an electric guitar that is less than 100, you are probably going to be getting a giant piece of junk. To say that I was pleasantly surprised with this Squier Bullet Stratocaster is a massive understatement. Quite simply, I was shocked that you can get a complete electric guitar from Squier for this price. It isn’t a great electric guitar, but it is a phenomenal guitar for the price.

The first thing to know about this guitar is that it isn’t completely setup out of the box. It is an “assembled kit” so you’re going to need to make some small adjustments or take it to someone who can make those adjustments for you which will probably run you about 20 bucks. This guitar has a dual humbucker setup and this little guitar can actually put out some decent tone. The overall fit and finish on this guitar isn’t great — the neck was a bit rough and the paint seems to chip pretty easily — but you’re getting a lot for your 100 bucks. This guitar has a solid maple neck with a 21 fret rosewood fretboard. The body is a wood composite, but it gives a surprisingly nice sound. This guitar also has a tremolo bar which I found pretty surprising. One of the problems with this guitar is that tuning it is a chore. The tuning knobs that come with this guitar just aren’t that easy to manipulate and left me frustrated, but picking up some new ones are cheap.

The Verdict

This guitar is the perfect guitar for a number of people. Total beginners who are on the fence about whether they are going to play for very long will be very happy with this. It is more than adequate to start playing and if the guitar isn’t for you, you’re only out 100 bucks. This is also excellent for kids as it has a composite wood body making it much lighter than most other electric guitars. With that said, I believe you’re much better off spending an extra $40 or $50 to get a superior instrument.

Other Relevant Reviews

Squier Guitars
Guitars Under $200
Les Paul Special II Review

With many electric guitars, particularly cheaper ones, though at $419.00 this guitar isn’t “cheap”, I have found that the stock pickups tend to be low quality. That was not the case with this guitar. The pickups are very good and this guitar sounds awesome. The resonance is good, the notes are rich and full, and it really feels nice in your hands. If I have one complaint about this guitar, it would be that the neck is a little on the small side. Granted, I do have extremely large hands, and the couple of friends that I had test this out had no complaints about the guitar whatsoever. This is definitely a great option if you’re looking for a guitar in the $400 range.

Buy the Dean EVO Special Electric Guitar for $419. Like the styling but not sure about this model? Check out the Les Paul style electric guitars that have been reviewed!

Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Electric Guitar

What best guitars under 500 dollars list would be complete without the Epiphone Les Paul? The answer is none. Perhaps I’m a little biased — I play an Epiphone Les Paul regularly — but I think the Epiphone Les Paul is one of the best guitars under 1000 dollars and this version is under 500. It has the traditional Les Paul styling that is famous around the world, a sleek and high quality mahogany construction, slim neck with a rosewood fretboard, and Alnico Classic humbucker pickups. This is the guitar that I recommend the most to new guitar enthusiasts. You can check out my full review of the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus or buy it here.

Ibanez ARX320

Ibanez is one name that comes to mind when most people think about good guitars. However, a lot of people mistakenly think that these are not affordable for the beginner. This is not true, as you can get an Ibanez ARX320 for about $450. This guitar not only has a unique and classic look, but the sound produced is fantastic too. The majority of Ibanez ARX320 owners have been highly impressed with the workmanship that has gone into this model. There are a huge range of tones that can be achieved with this guitar, which is a definite plus point. In terms of money, this guitar is affordable and an incredibly good value for money. Check out my full Ibanez ARX320 review or buy it here.

Dean Evo Special

For the beginner, this guitar is definitely one to be considered. It is not a well-known guitar, but the Dean Evo Special electric guitar not only offers great value for money, but also brilliant workmanship. The thing that appeals to many people where this guitar is concerned is the fact that it not only looks like a Gibson, but it also has the same rich notes of one as well. In addition, the styling is very reminiscent of the Les Paul and for $420, you really can’t go wrong here. You can read my full review or buy it here.

Epiphone Vintage G-400 Electric Guitar

The Epiphone is highly popular, largely due to the many famous guitarists that have played them in the past. The great thing about this particular model is that it is only a highly affordable $299. For a beginner, this would be the perfect guitar. The rosewood fret board is incredibly easy on the hands and eyes, as is the solid mahogany base. This is one guitar under 500 dollars that a lot of guitarists are raving about, and it is definitely one that should be considered if you really do want to get into playing the guitar.

So, there you have it, four incredibly good guitars for under 500 dollars. Of course, there are so many more. You can get many different Stratocasters for under 500 dollars if you look in the right places. Happy playing!

Guitar

Obviously, a guitar starter pack wouldn’t really be much use without the guitar itself. Now, there are a range of different types of guitar starter packs. Yamaha do some very good starter packs when it comes to acoustic guitars, but if you are looking for an electric starter pack then it may be worth seeing what Fender have to offer as they usually have some very good deals. One important thing to remember is that guitars come in different sizes, so be sure to purchase one that is actually suitable for you personally.

Amp

The vast majority of guitar starter packs include a small amp. If you are getting an electric guitar, it is good to have an amp to go with it. Amps can range in price from $50 to $50,000 so there is a wide range of prices and qualities when it comes to amps. In most guitar starter packages, the amp will be small with around ten watts of power.

Gig Bag

A gig bag is a soft guitar case, which holds your guitar, spare strings, picks, and other miscellaneous stuff. A soft case is great because it is not large and it does not weigh a lot, but a soft case does not offer the protection that you will get from a hard case. Regardless, you need a bag to carry around your guitar and a soft case is great is most cases.

Chord Chart

All starter packs will contain some sort of chord chart. These are usually in huge poster form so that you can pin them up wherever is convenient for you to memorize them. This will definitely help you in the long run when it comes to learning how to play guitar because you will need to know all of these chords as you progress with your playing. They usually come with a small image of the fret board and colored dots over the strings. These dots represent where you need to put your fingers when you are playing the chord.

DVD

The vast majority of guitar starter packs will contain a DVD of some description. Although a lot of people don’t use them, these DVDs can actually be incredibly helpful. They are usually films of a professional teacher showing you how to do certain things with the guitar. Typically they will talk about rhythm, strumming patterns, chords, and they will also explain the different parts of the guitar. At some point in the DVD they will probably get you to practice little melodies and chord progressions. Whilst this may be boring, it is very good practice for the future.

Spare Strings

Spare strings are essential, especially for the beginner. It is so easy to break a string, particularly the high E, and if you are in the middle of practicing the last thing you want to have to do is go out and buy new strings. Usually there will be instructions within the starter pack that will tell you how to change the strings yourself, but if there isn’t then there are plenty of tutorials on the internet that you can take a look at.

Who Should Buy A Guitar Starter Pack?

If you have never picked up a guitar in your life, a starter pack is definitely the place to start. It will contain everything that you need to get started on learning to play the guitar. If you buy a guitar on its own, you are not going to have the advantage of all of the help contained in a starter pack.

Volume

If you, like most guitarists, like to practice without the amp from time to time then you will know that it can quite often be hard to hear what you are playing. Of course, if you are practicing late at night then you can’t really plug the guitar in because the neighbors are not going to be amused. With a hollow body electric guitar, the volume when it is unplugged is a significant amount louder than a solid body electric. This means you can practice whenever and wherever without having to worry about disturbing people and you will still be able to hear the sound really well.

Weight

If you are a live performer then you will know how uncomfortable it can be to play a whole set with a solid body guitar around your neck. Not only is it uncomfortable, but it can actually cause problems if this is a regular thing. A hollow body guitar is a lot lighter than a semi hollow or solid body guitar. Obviously this is going to be much more comfortable if you have to stand for long periods of time whilst you are playing.

More Acoustic Feel

A lot of people prefer the feel of playing an acoustic guitar. Unfortunately, you do not get this feeling when playing a solid body electric guitar. Acoustic music is and always has been incredibly popular, and whilst you can get effects pedals to produce an acoustic sound from an electric guitar, the hollow body guitar has a much more authentic feel. Obviously this is a huge plus point for those who perform live.

Cleaner Sound

With a lot of solid bodied electric guitars you tend to get horrible feedback and distortion. This is not an issue with a hollow body guitar. It produces a much cleaner, smoother sound. Again, this is very important when playing live. Sometimes solid bodied electric guitars can actually drown out the vocalist.

Less Sustain

The only real disadvantage when it comes to the hollow body guitar is the fact that you won’t get as much sustain as you do from a solid body electric. However, this is not a problem for some players.

More Sustain

With a hollow body guitar you do not get as much sustain as you do with a solid body electric. This is not an issue for all players, but for some, and also for some types of music, this is definitely a point to be kept in mind. If you play live then you may want to consider a solid body guitar.

Less Feedback

Although hollow body guitars have a much smoother and more authentic sound, the solid body guitar has much less feedback when it is played at a high volume. This is especially important for those who play live. When you are on stage, you have to have the volume incredibly high for everyone to be able to hear. With a hollow body guitar you tend to get a lot of feedback from the amp when doing this.

Smaller

Solid body electric guitars are much smaller than the hollow body. For taller people, this is not a problem, but if you are on the smaller side, you may find a hollow body very difficult to play, especially when standing. A solid body electric guitar is suited to the vast majority of people because of its small size. It will be heavier than a hollow body guitar of course, but much smaller.

As you can see, there are some benefits that come with playing a solid body electric guitar. If you are a beginner then a solid body I definitely the way to go. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, because of the feedback issue with hollow and semi-hollow bodies, it takes a lot of time to get used to how to control the volume to avoid distortion and feedback.

If you are a beginner then this can be very difficult. With a solid body, you still have the volume and tone controls, but they are much easier to manage if you are not actually too sure what you’re doing. We have many reviews of solid body guitars to find the right one for you.

Buy The Best Lefty Electric Guitars

Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Guitar Center: Buy for $564
Amazon: Buy for $564
Dean VX Electric Guitar
Amazon: Buy for $219
Epiphone Les Paul Special II
Guitar Center: Buy for $184
Amazon: Buy for $184

Left Handed Electric Guitars

Left handed electric guitars, and to an even greater extent left handed guitars, have been around for as long as there have been guitars. Well, almost. Left handed electric guitars are designed to be played by people who are left handed (shocking, I know!) Left handed electric guitars differ from standard guitars in that they are meant to be played with the right hand on the fretboard as opposed to the left hand for a standard guitar. There are many benefits for a left-handed person to play a lefty guitar and almost every company offers a wide selection of lefty guitars to choose from.

A lot of people ask me whether or not you need to use a left handed electric guitar as a left handed person and the answer to this is a resounding NO! While you do not have to it is easier because your dominant hand is strumming the strings which is more comfortable for most people. With that said, if you learn to play on a standard right-handed guitar, there is absolutely nothing wrong with continuing the way you have been as long as you are comfortable and enjoy playing that way. I am ambidextrous and I have been playing the piano since I was three so I can actually play either lefty guitars or righty guitars and, while I am more comfortable with a righty guitar, I have no problem at all with a lefty guitar.

When you are trying to find a good left handed electric guitar, you should apply all of the same rules that you would for a regular electric guitar. Price, quality, craftsmanship, sound, and appearance are all things that you should take into account. Just because it is left handed is no excuse for a poor instrument. Below I list a number of excellent options for anyone looking for a left handed electric guitar covering a number of different price ranges.

Epiphone Les Paul Standard

This is the lefty guitar version of my personal favorite electric guitar. I love the Gibson Les Paul and the Epiphone version gives you a phenomenal instrument for a much lower price. This is the best guitar, in my opinion, for under $1000 and matches the sound of many significantly more expensive guitars. Not to mention, it is absolutely gorgeous. You can read my full review here.

Dean VX Solid Body

Dean makes some seriously good electric guitars and this is one of their better guitars in my opinion. In fact, I own one of these myself (right handed). You will be hard pressed to find another guitar in this price range that is as good as a dean and it’s also extremely good looking. There isn’t really too much to say about this guitar and that is a, good thing. The instrument sounds great, plays really well, and at about $270, this guitar gives you some serious instrument for your money.

Epiphone Les Paul Special II

Another Epiphone Les Paul? You better believe it. This is a guitar that clocks in under $200, which definitely qualifies as a cheap electric guitar. With that said, this little guitar is absolutely amazing for the price. It is well built, it sounds good, and it looks great. It isn’t as amazing as its big brother that I mentioned up above, but at less than half the price, this guitar is superb. You can read my full review of the Les Paul Special II here.

These are just a few of the best options and you can read many of my other reviews to get a feeling for others. If you’re looking for something else, you can go visit our store page which has many left handed electric guitars to choose from. And it’s powered by Amazon, so you need not worry about your information!

The first question you should ask yourself is how much you want to spend. I normally recommend to people that they should plan to spend less than $300 for their first electric guitar and amp combo. $300 is a good baseline and it is not too incredibly expensive but you can still get a really good guitar and amp combination for this price without having to worry about what you are going to get. You can get decent beginner guitars with amps and other extras for under $150 on occasion but I have found that many of these are not very good.

The next question you should ask yourself is what type of guitar you are looking for. There are many different types of electric guitars and many different styles of guitars to choose from. Typically, good beginner guitars are solid body electric guitars that are durable, easy to play, and provide a good general electric guitar sounds. Some people who have more specific needs could look at buying an electric-acoustic, a hollow body, or some other variation but I usually recommend a basic solid body as it covers all of the bases really well. They are also really durable.

There are many good choices for a beginner electric guitar set but I have included some of the best with a little information on each to help make the decision easier on you.

Epiphone Les Paul Special II Player Pack, Vintage Sunburst

I’m going to be honest, this is more expensive than the $300 limit that I suggested but I include this because the Epiphone Les Paul is one of the BEST guitars that you can find for under $1000 and it is an excellent imitation of my favorite electric guitar. I own an Epiphone Les Pual as well as a Gibson and it is a great instrument and if you have a little extra money to spend, you cannot go wrong with this guitar.

Yamaha Gigmaker EG – Black Electric Guitar Package

The Yamaha Gigmaker is an amazing choice that definitely get’s in under the $300 basic top end that I suggest most people to stick to. Yamaha has been making great instruments for decades and it is as true for their electric guitars as it is for their pianos. For the $200-$300 range, the Yamaha Gigmaker package is top of the line. It has everything you need from Amp to gigbag to get you jamming in no time.

Fender Starcaster Electric Guitar Pack with Amp and Accessories, Candy Apple Red

The Fender Stratocaster is a great solid body electric guitar and the standard for people just learning to play the instrument. It has been popular for decades and will continue to be a mainstay for people learning to and continuing to play the electric guitar. For someone who is on a budget, this guitar pack is an amazing option and definitely my biggest recommendation for an electric guitar pack under $200.

Austin Bazaar Black Electric Guitar Package with 10 Watt Amp – Beginner Kit

For those of you who are really on a budget or are not sure whether or not you actually want to play the guitar, the Austin Bazaar beginner guitar package is a great choice. At a little over $100, you will not be breaking the bank and will get everything you need to play. You won’t be getting the same level of quality as you would buying the Les Paul package but for $100, you really cannot go wrong here. This guitar package will keep you going until you decide to either pick up a new instrument when you want to take guitar more seriously or, if you decide it isn’t for you, you haven’t dropped many hundreds of dollars on an instrument you won’t use.