Cheap Electric Guitar

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Do You Need the Best with Quality Sound or the Cheapest Guitar? It Depends ...

Creating music recordings or playing for a live audience can be nerve-winding if you don't have the right equipment or setup. If you're on a tight budget and need to buy a cheap electric guitar for now, don't worry.

There are several steps you can take to make your budget instrument sound like the more expensive ones that are often played on stage.

Sound is more than Just the Guitar

What many beginners don't realize is there's more to the electric guitar than the guitar itself. There's the amp, the microphones, outboard gear, etc. that make a recording studio or on-stage performance sufficient.

You don't necessarily need all the most expensive items to get a quality recording... especially when doing recordings only for your own music.

Keep in mind that a cheap electric guitar must have a good-quality amp. The guitar itself should make a good sound coming through the amp. These two working together are what makes a great sound.

To be on the safe side, buy your electric guitar and amp together and ask to test both together to see how it sounds. Once you have these two necessities with a great sound, you're ready to add other items to your music collection.

Microphones for Electric Guitar

If you need an inexpensive microphone, opt for a Shure SM57 or a Sennheiser E609 along with a couple of condenser microphones, and an affordable compressor/limiter such as an AKG Solid Tube.

Place the microphone towards the center of the cone if you want a louder sound with more treble. For a warmer tone, move the microphone out away from the center.

Remember, the sound doesn’t come from the center of the cone, but from the off-center or off-axis area. You can position it to get the sound you want. You can also use two microphones on your electric guitar amp to maximize sound, with one closer and one farther back.

Most electric guitars are made from wood but you can usually find cheaper brands made of other materials. Inexpensive electric guitars might be made of particle board but have a hardwood laminate such as maple on the top to make it look more stylish.

This style is often called "flame top." The body might also be made of aluminum alloys, carbon composites, or plastic (e.g. poly carbonate), each having its own sound.

Most electric guitars (no matter what the cost) will not have a sound hole as a regular acoustic guitar. This is not needed because the guitar pickups will carry the sound to the amp electronically. Without the sound hole, many of these feature exotic designs and colors to make them really stand out. So you can easily find one to match your style.

Taking Care of Your Stringed Instrument

Be sure to take extra special care of a guitar that’s not made of solid wood. It might deteriorate quickly if neglected and/or exposed to the outdoor elements for prolonged periods of time. Keep it in a case for added protection and handle with care each time you play.

Picking Out Cheap Electric Guitars

If you are thinking about learning a musical instrument, you have to make some hard choices right off the bat. The first one is how much you want to spend. A lot of people think that if you are starting off you should buy a cheap electric guitar, but this isn't always the case.

The problem is that if you buy a lower quality instrument, it will be harder to play and will not sound as good. Many cheap electric guitars are not very well designed. That doesn't mean that you can't find one that is. If you know what to look for, you can find a low-cost electric guitar that will still help you shred like a guitar god.

When buying electric guitars that are affordable, you have quite a few options. A lot of people assume that the only way to go is to buy an all-in-one beginning guitar kit, but this is not the case.

The electric guitar is probably the most popular instrument in America. As such, people buy and sell them all the time. You can find a used musical instrument that is still in pretty good shape.

Know a Guitarist? Take 'Em With You To the Music Store

It helps to take someone along who knows what they are doing. You need to understand whether the frets are lined up properly, whether the neck is warped, and a lot of other things that you might not know how to evaluate as a beginner. Pawn shops can be risky business, and used musical instrument stores are not always reputable.

Good Cheap Guitars

Of course, you can buy cheap electric Guitars without buying them used. A lot of the main manufacturers produce beginner lines that are still pretty good. My personal favorite is Epiphone. Epiphone guiters are made by the same people who produce Gibson, but they are a whole lot cheaper. The quality is still good – they just aren't as fancy. I know some professional players who still use beginner Epiphone, so they are well regarded.

Buying Factory Seconds

There are a few other strategies to consider when you are shopping for an affordable electric guitar to play. I have a friend who swears by factory seconds. Factory seconds are new guitars that were somehow slightly damaged in the factory.

Usually the damage is simply cosmetic – the instrument may have a nick on the body somewhere that looks a little bit ugly. If you don't mind a bit of cosmetic imperfection, this is the way to go. You still get a brand new electric guitar, but with substantial savings.

Guitars for Beginners

If you're a beginner, buy a cheap electric guitar to get started, and be sure you like playing before you get an expensive one.

Even the more affordable instruments can have an excellent sound with the right amp and setup. As you build your playing skills, you can also increase your knowledge base and start adding quality products to your music room one at a time!