Dean ZX is the best Explorer guitar for under $400
This is not an easy body shape to get, and there's really only one choice if you want this shape for cheap.
Certain guitars just say "rock guitar" more than others, and the Gibson Explorer is one of them. I personally think an Explorer close to being the best out there is the Epiphone "1984" Explorer, because where the look is concerned, that guitar totally nails it. But while less expensive than the Gibson, it's still not cheap, and finding one new is difficult at best.
There is literally only one guitar in the Explorer shape that's available, built reasonably well and cheap. And that's the Dean ZX.
Depending on which model you get, the ZX runs anywhere from $269 to just a tick under $400 at the time of this writing. And it literally is your only choice if you want this electric guitar body shape for less. Dean is one of the few companies that even bothers releasing a guitar in the Explorer style shape.
When it comes to other classic Gibson guitar shapes, yes you can go super-cheap. For example, with the SG shape, Epiphone has you covered with the SG Special or LTD Viper-10 (which is under $200!) And with the Les Paul, the same applies as Epiphone has the Les Paul Special-II.
But with the Explorer shape, you can't look to Epiphone if you want a "full" Explorer with two humbuckers. You've gotta go Dean.
What is the absolute best Explorer style guitar when you're willing to spend a little more?
The Dean ZX is what you get is you want an Explorer shape guitar cheap.
But when you want the higher end stuff, I don't look to Epiphone or even Gibson.
I look to Schecter.
I personally consider the Schecter E-1 Standard to be the Explorer standard. It's over $400 but still well under $1,000. This thing is so, so good in so many ways.
The E-1 is a guitar I've mentioned here before a few times. It is the best Explorer style guitar money can buy. Looks right, sounds right, feels right, plays right. Everything is just right. It's what an Explorer guitar is supposed to be.
Believe me when I say that Schecter's E-1 outperforms any Explorer that Gibson or Epiphone could build, does it better, and cheaper. But even with the lower price tag, the guitar is absolutely good. You won't be disappointed if you order up one of these.
The cheapest electric guitar on Amazon
Another trip into the realm of the ridiculous, but this time with guitars that anyone can afford.
All of what I'll mention here are absolute beginner instruments. These are throwaway guitars. They are new, but all are priced ridiculously low just to get them sold and out the door. Don't expect fantastic guitars here. What you're buying is cheap and that's the selling point.
Take the Rise by Sawtooth ST-RISE-ST-BLK-KIT-1 [edit: this guitar no longer available, but there are others, keep reading]. What you get with this is the guitar along with a beginner's kit of a little amp, picks, gig bag and such. No, you cannot purchase the guitar separate from the kit, but then again this thing is so cheap it really doesn't matter. At the time I write this, it's under $60 new and that includes shipping.
What's good about the guitar? It's simple. One pickup, one volume knob, one control knob. It's a hardtail so there is no whammy bar to lose. All the tuners are on top of the headstock, making it easier to tune. It's black, which is an easy finish to clean and keep looking nice (assuming the guitar ever gets cleaned.)
Peavey Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Rockmaster
I consider this a step up from the Rise because of the body shape and graphics. Kids who like TMNT will obviously like the guitar, but this is actually a fun guitar for adults too. Bring this guitar to a practice session or gig and yeah, people will be laughing at it - but that's the whole point. The guitar is fun and entertaining to look at. And yes, it is a full size guitar (as are all the guitars mentioned here).
Like the Rise, it has a single pickup, one volume control, one tone control, no whammy bar. I actually like the fact the headstock is painted black.
To note, there are several Rockmaster guitars, many of them themed. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the cheapest of the lot.
Here are a few of the other Rockmasters available. Still cheap, but more expensive than the TMNT:
- Star Wars
- The Walking Dead Riot
- The Walking Dead Michonne/Zombie
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Iron Man
- Iron Man 3 Flying War
- The Simpsons
There are more Rockmasters besides that, but you get the idea. Simple fun guitars with wild graphics. Any of these would work well with a punk band or if you just want something fun and different for cheap.
This guitar is actually a "full Strat" with 3 single-coil pickups and a tremolo system. It's not a bad looking guitar in sunburst and it works just like any other Strat you've ever played.
There is one advantage buying the Sawtooth Strat over a Squier Strat. It does have 22 frets while a Squier Bullet Strat has 21. This means you have a 3rd octave D where you can bend a note to a 3rd octave E, and some guitar players consider that important.
The Amazon listing states the guitar has 21 frets, but look at the neck in the photo above. It's 22.
Said very honestly, the Sawtooth does look slightly better than a Bullet Strat because of the painted black headstock.
Good guitar? I've no idea. But it's cheap.
Rich's pick
Personally, if I were in the market for one of these, I'd get one of the Rockmaster guitars and start posting videos to YouTube of me playing the instrument just for the fun factor.
As an adult guitar player, fun is what dictates which cheap guitar to buy. You get the one that puts the biggest smile on your face, which is why the Rockmaster is the best of the 3 here. It's a lot of fun for under 100 bucks.
The most expensive electric guitar on Amazon
A trip into the realm of the ridiculous.
At the time I write this in May 2018, the most expensive electric guitar on Amazon surprisingly isn't a Fender nor a Gibson, but a PRS. Specifically, the PRS Private Stock McCarty 594 [edit: no longer on Amazon]. The price is in the 5 figure range.
What type of man buys this guitar?
This guitar will probably never see a stage, because this is one of those pride-of-ownership instruments. And it's probably also true that this guitar will hardly ever be actually used.
The type of guy who buys an instrument like this is a collector who likes guitars, or an outright guitar collector. Yes, there is a difference between the two. One collects expensive things like Rolex watches and just wants a nice guitar to pluck around on at home, and the other actually has an expensive guitar collection with this PRS being the latest addition to it.
What's the coolest thing about this guitar?
For me, the coolest thing is the fact the fingerboard inlays are koa species wood, hence the reason they're wood colored and not gray.
The truss rod cover at the headstock is also wood, and I think the tuner buttons are wood too (but even if they're not, they are still of the highest quality materials).
There's also a tasteful blend of gold hardware throughout, which includes the output jack and strap buttons.
This guitar is about a very high level of craftsmanship using woods to achieve the best possible natural look you can get.
I consider this one of the good ones from PRS. There is absolutely no flamey, stripey, or quilty crapola going on with this guitar. The woods on display here with this axe truly do show off the fact it's a luxury instrument.
Does this guitar say "high class"? Yes.
Will the guitar hold its value and increase over time? Yes.
But most importantly:
Will this guitar put a smile on the face every time you look at it? Yes.
This PRS sells for a ridiculous price, but it will make the man who buys it a very happy guy.
For the rest of us, "lesser" PRS guitars are just as good.
ESP LTD H-200FM has a low price for high fret access
Fancy digs for cheap.
At the time I write this, the ESP LTD H-200FM is selling for under $400.
There are two things that make this guitar a steal.
First, it's a set-neck.
Second, it has a 3-piece maple neck. The body is mahogany, and while the neck looks like it's also mahogany, it isn't. It's maple. This is a good thing, as a multi-piece construction for maple usually works out quite well.
In addition to that, this is a good workhorse guitar. A nice, simple hardtail with string-thru-body design, recessed control knobs and recessed toggle switch that stays out of the way during play.
The overall look is clean, and the only problem I can spot is the shape of the headstock. The headstock ends with a sharp point, and while that looks cool, it's almost too easy to knock that and take a chip out of the wood. But being that's unlikely to happen, it shouldn't be an issue.
For you players out there who like high fret access, this guitar makes getting to those frets easy. The lower horn has an additional contour cut on the rear, and because of the set-neck construction, there's very little heel getting in the way.
This is decent for what it is. And given it's under-$400 price point, that's pretty cheap for what you get.
How to pick the best guitar case
It's way too easy to buy the wrong guitar case. Don't make that mistake.
An example of a case that is 100% correct for most guitar players is the polyfoam case. There are 3 reasons why it's the best case for most people:
- Lightweight
- Toughest
- Most shock resistant
The only thing bad about the case is that it's not approved for air travel as it doesn't have TSA locks on it. If you plan on flying with your guitar, a molded flight case is required.
Things guitar players forget about when buying a case
Sure, you can go cheap and just get a padded gig bag. And yes, they work for most guitarists. But when you're ready for the good stuff, you go for the full size case.
The first thing guitar players don't take into consideration with a case is weight. While you probably won't be lugging around your case all that often, you will be pulling it in and out of a car periodically, and even at home you will be lifting and stacking it when putting it into storage. Weight absolutely matters here. You want light, because otherwise you're going to feel that strain every time you pick up the case with the guitar in it.
Hard guitar cases are not as tough as most think they are. It's easy to think, "Yes, this hard case will protect my guitar better than a padded gig bag would." Don't be so sure. It's not the hardness of the exterior that protects the guitar but rather the padding on the inside. Padding on gig bags when fit snugly to the guitar actually protect it better. Padding on polyfoam cases is just as good as padded gig bags with the added protection of an extra tough exterior.
Shock resistance is the major downfall of hard guitar cases, because aside from flight cases, they barely have any. The worst of the worst is the tweed case. Oh sure, they look awesome, no doubt about that. But they have awful shock resistance.
Think of it this way: If a guitar case is dropped on its corner (which does sometimes happen when unloading it out of a car or even a closet,) the guitar will get a big jolt if its in a tweed case or other traditional hard case. It will get somewhat of a jolt in a padded gig bag, and the least amount of jolt in the polyfoam case.
Those jolts, as in shocks, that the guitar is subjected to can break solder connections, wreck tuners or even crack a neck.
In the end, the best 2 cases for regular use are padded gig bags and polyfoam cases. When you need something for air travel, get the flight case.