Do you dream of becoming a professional musician? Well, if that is the case, one of the first steps is getting a good guitar. And for that, you need help from the best guitar brands. Depending on the quality of your guitar, the music you produce has a different sound.
Yes, as a beginner, you might be thinking, why would I need an expensive brand guitar? Well, you need to start with a bang, and that means with a guitar that can do anything you ask of it.
Choosing the right guitar can be a tricky business. The range of models and brands is enormous. Luckily for you, we have picked the best guitar brands. And there is a good guitar no matter your ability to play and budget. Let’s go.
Gibson
Many guitar players will tell you that Gibson is one of the best high-end guitar brands in the world. And it is mostly due to its early innovation.
The company was founded in 1902 and they literally invented archtop guitars and produced the first hollow body electric guitar.
Gibson has reached the status of a household name during the 1950s when they produced the Les Paul design.
Ever since its beginning, Gibson has led guitar innovation with modern upgrades. Today, the guitar company has a great reputation and a wide range of guitar instruments. Bands like Metallica and musicians like Bob Marley have used Gibson and endorsed the guitar brand.
Ibanez
The driving force in the guitar world produces a wide range of other instruments, effects pedals, and amplifiers.
They are famous for their solid body guitars used by the likes of Paul Gilbert. Ibanez has a wide range of semi-hollow and hollow-body guitars that are quite popular with jazz musicians.
Ibanez guitars are available in a wider range of styles and prices. Some of their best instruments have a sound block feature inside the instrument and a rigid top that help to reduce feedback.
Yamaha
When you talk about musical instruments, you have to mention Yamaha. The musical instrument brand is the reason why most people go into music. They provide electric guitar and acoustic guitar instruments for decades.
The cool thing about Yamaha is that the company doesn’t rehash previous models. Each model you find in a guitar store has its own unique abilities in sound and construction.
Enter any Yamaha store and you will find something for everyone. They have guitars for beginners, intermediate musicians, or a professional guitarist.
They do not compromise on sound and construction quality no matter whether the price is high or low. This is one guitar brand where the sound is as good as a low-priced and high-priced guitar. And thanks to their durability, Yamaha acoustic guitars will last for many years.
Their model Yamaha FG800 can be classified as the best acoustic guitar for sure.
Guild
Founded in 1952 producing solely arch-top jazz guitars, Guild is a good guitar brand that has expanded in other production fields since. They now have electric guitars and many other lines. But Gibson Les Paul remains one of their best products.
At one point, Guild was once under the Fenders brand but they are now independent. Many notable musicians have played on a Guild guitar, including Billy Joe Armstrong, Bryan Adams, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Garcia, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters, and many more.
This should you give an idea of how many musical styles you can play on a Guild guitar. Their product range is so extensive.
Epiphone
Epiphone was at one point a brand of its own. But that was before Gibson bought it. Before that, they were rivals. Yet, Gibson maintains the same quality that Epiphone guitars brought to musicians. No matter if you go for a Gibson guitar or Epiphone instrument, you will get high quality.
In terms of construction, the brand tried to invent aesthetic electric guitar models. Most of them are quite appealing and you would be a proud musician to walk with them on stage.
But one of their signature features is the humbucker pickups. They provide high-quality tones and clear tones that musicians can tweak to fit their needs. For many fans, Epiphone DR-100 is the best acoustic guitar.
Trenier Guitars
The brand was inspired by great luthiers of the 20th century. They craft bespoke archtop guitars in the tradition of masters such as James D’Aquisto and John D’Angelico.
They build visually stunning instruments but also stick to the philosophy that form must be secondary to fiction. That means achieving a great tone is the end goal. Bryant Trenier, the owner, is also an accomplished guitarist.
Fender
Almost every great guitar player has at one point held a Fender guitar. The American guitar company has been producing electric and acoustic guitars for many years. Famous for coming up with the best guitar accessories, the company is loved by musicians.
One of the reasons is that Fender manages to remain consistent with its quality models and innovation. The artisanship that goes into the construction of an acoustic guitar ensures that the product’s sound quality is good and lasts long.
Any Fender guitar will get you high, low, and mid-action with a balanced sound. Talking now about the electric guitar models, they have two famous ones, the Fender Stratocaster and Fender telecaster. Even Jimi Hendrix was most famous for playing the Fender Stratocaster.
Seagull
Seagull is an acoustic guitar brand operating as a subdivision of Godin guitars. They have been producing them for more than 30 years. And one of their signature features is their head-stock shapes that align the tuning machines and nuts providing for better tuning consistency.
Some of the most famous acoustic guitar artists that use them include James Blunt and Kim Deal.
The S6 Seagull guitar is one of the best-selling instruments. It is a step away from traditional guitar design that propels their inexpensive guitars into the world of high-quality instruments.
Ovation
Now here is a guitar company that has been producing instruments for more than 5 decades. Their founder specialized in aerodynamics and their original guitar was produced by luthier Gerry Gardener. It featured a highly researched parabolic body shape.
Add that to their knowledge of high-tech aerospace and Ovation discovered the potential for enhancement with a radical redesign.
The company has great acoustics and fantastic sustain, amplified or not. Ovation pioneered a soundhole change in their Adamas model introduced in the late 1970s. It features 22 individual cut-out holes as functionals.
PRS
The term stands for Paul Reed Smith. It is an excellent brand for those who love to play or walk on stage with an appealing electric guitar. They are famous for their modern look featuring a wooden body with a maple top.
PRS guitars go a notch higher in providing excellent sound because they have double-coil pickups. You get a lot of buzz from them, and you can be sure they pick every signal without any problem.
Ideal for any musician, the PRS guitar is a dream come true. They are a bit more expensive. It is challenging to find an appealing guitar below $500.
So if you are on a budget, you might be better off looking at the other best guitar brands on our list.