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These are the best looking guitars you can buy

Some guitar players just want a guitar that has the right look first before anything else. This is a list of the best looking guitars you can buy right now, some of which you can get for cheap.

Attracting men vs. attracting women

Guys buy many things to impress other men. Regardless if the man is straight, bisexual or gay, he will, unless told otherwise, always go for stuff to impress others of his gender.

Examples of guitar looks that guys like and women hate:

Coffee table - This is any guitar that resembles the look of a coffee table. Girls hate these things because they believe the idea of wearing furniture is stupid. And I have to admit they're correct.
Flame top - There is no shortage of these. Again, this is about showing wood grain. Girls hate these too.
V shape guitar - There are tons of these too. This is not a sexy shape as it's obviously angular and not curvy.
"Relic" - Absolute woman repellent. Guitars that are purposely made to look old and beat up make women look the other way instantly.

...but it goes beyond just what women like

The amount of people who are not musicians greatly outnumber those who are. That being true, non-musician types have a very different idea of what they think looks good where guitars are concerned.

Relic styled guitars are, again, the kind that make non-musicians cringe the most. Even someone who is into steampunk fashion would look at a relic'd guitar and say, "Why would anyone be stupid enough to buy a new guitar purposely made to look old and beat up? That makes no sense."

Aside from the relic crapola, if a guitar is styled to the point of looking like a toy, that is also something non-musician types consider to look totally stupid.

So what's a good guitar look?

A good looking electric guitar has these qualities to it:

Solid color that is not "loud" (no super bright neon colors)
Tasteful array of shiny bits
Curvy body shape
A sense of elegance

It's the last one that most guitar players have a difficult time understanding. Elegance where guitar styling is concerned means beauty that is subtle.

A no-brainer where the elegant guitar look is concerned is just to look at hollow body electrics such as Gretsch Streamliner series. All of the Streamliner guitars have elegant styling. There's nothing "loud" in appearance, nothing in-your-face and colors offered are chosen carefully. Examine the styling used, and you can easily see why Gretsch is a proper gentleman's guitar.

Examples of good looking guitars that regular people can afford

Epiphone Les Paul Standard, Gold Top

The gold top Les Paul is can't-go-wrong styling. The Les Paul shape has always taken to gold very well. And the chrome and white works with the gold very nicely. In addition, this style of LP works anywhere for any type of music. Country, jazz, rock, metal, whatever. This just works.

Fender Standard Stratocaster, Lake Placid Blue

The ladies in particular really like this color. They see the sparkly blue and say, "Ooooh, pretty..." If you're going to buy a Strat and want a look that the girls like, get this one.

Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar, Surf Green

The surf green solid finish in combination with the shiny bits (particularly the upper and lower chrome control plates) grabs attention in the right way with this Jag. This guitar always gets stared at in awe, even in Squier flavor. It has styling to it that's genuinely attractive. Weird styling? Yes. But weird in a good way.

(Side note: I don't like the Jag in this color, but even so, I know the guitar has a good look to it.)

Fender Classic Player Baja '60s Telecaster, Faded Sonic Blue

Faded Sonic Blue is obviously a color the ladies like because it has a bit of that "baby blue" going on with it. And there is no denying this absolutely counts as an elegant Telecaster look, especially with those brass saddles.

Gretsch Streamliner G2655T, Gold Dust

I mentioned the Streamliner above and wanted to show it. This particular one in "gold dust" finish (which by the way is on the front, back and neck) is a good example of a great Gretsch look. It's definitely elegant, and the pearl block inlays are a very nice touch.

Does the look of a guitar truly matter?

Yes, provided you pick a look for the right reasons.

These are the two rules to always keep in mind when buying a guitar:

Never buy a guitar to impress other dudes.
Never buy a guitar to impress other guitar players.

Keep these rules in mind, and you will always make better guitar buying decisions. Following those rules means you will not make the mistake of buying guitars like any Dean Razorback or EVH striped crap.

What kind of guitar look works everywhere?

The gold top Les Paul above does.

But there's also the basic black electric guitar. You can consider that the "little black dress" of the guitar world.

Fender designs with the one-piece maple neck do carry the basic black look best because it gives it a "tuxedo" style look. On the cheap side there's the black Squier Affinity Strat and black Squier Affinity Telecaster. For mid-priced basic black, there's the Fender Standard Stratocaster and Fender Standard Telecaster. For upper-tier priced there's the USA-made Professional Stratocaster and Professional Telecaster.

"But I never see these guitars in the guitar store."

That's right, you don't. Guitar stores as a rule stock the dopey, flashier stuff. In the rare instances they are in stock, they sell quick because there are a lot of guitar players that really like basic black. You will probably have to order yours online. And yes, it's worth it - even for a cheap Squier.

Published 2017 Nov 8

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