8 Best Electric Guitars Under $1000

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Maybe you are upgrading, or perhaps just getting started. At any rate, a guitar under 1000 dollars will surely be a benefit to your experience as a player.

My list of the best electric guitars under $1000 has been constructed by testing and playing them. I watch what manufacturers have released and see how players respond. If they seem to have hype, I test them and update the list if they make the cut.

Best electric guitars under $1000

Some of these brands might be familiar to you. They are practically household names. These are manufactures who consistently make excellent guitars on a regular basis.

And so I was able to compile a list of the best guitars on the market! My top pick is the PRS SE Custom 24-08, followed by the Yamaha Revstar RSS20. I chose them because they sound great and are incredibly versatile.

PRS SE Custom 24-08

The new revision in the SE Custom line is the 24-08. An already awesome guitar design made more versatile with 8 pickup positions and tons of tone!

Improving upon a great model better can be tricky if you are not PRS. They have taken a workhorse and upgraded it to be unbelievable. It has many pickup tones from single coil to humbucker. Thanks to the coil tap electronics.

The switching is very intuitive and high quality. The sounds are simply wonderful and more refined compared to other revisions.

Build Quality

One thing that I love about PRS guitars is the quality. They make guitars like no one else! This Custom 24 variation is part of their SE line, but man is it good! The body is beautiful with nice contouring around the edges. The hardware robust and very functional!

The electronics are installed with some quality soldering and wiring work. The quality control is always high with PRS instruments. All around, it’s just an excellent guitar, and I’m super impressed!

Sound Performance

This guitar has 8 settings that each have their own tone. You can find some bright single-coil tones in one configuration, then warm, silky smooth sounds in another. The single coil tones really stood out to me, it almost felt like I was playing a Stratocaster.

On the other end of the spectrum, the hard rock humbucker sounds were also on point. The guitar comes with 9–42 strings, so they are easy to play and do provide a heavy sound should you desire it. This is an excellent guitar and easily one of my favorites.

Cost and Value

The PRS Custom 24-08 is available in a few different colors, but the price of them is $949.00. They all come with the same great hardware and sound. They are an excellent value and a guitar you will use for many years.

And because they are made by PRS, they won’t lose their value. They will always be sought after by many players.

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Yamaha Revstar RSS20

Build Quality

If there is one guitar on this list that punches way above its price class, it is the Yamaha Revstar RSS20. Yamaha has essentially embarrassed other manufacturers by including features usually reserved for $2,000+ boutique instruments.

The body is made of chambered mahogany with a maple top. Yamaha calls this “Acoustic Design” chambering—it’s calculated to increase resonance, not just save your back.

But the real showstopper is the neck. It features Stainless Steel Frets (which will virtually never wear out) and Carbon Fiber Reinforcement rods inside the neck. This makes the guitar incredibly stable against temperature changes. You simply do not find these specs on other guitars under $1,000.

Comfort

The RSS20 features a satin-finished neck that feels incredibly fast and smooth—no sticky gloss here to slow you down. The body shape, inspired by “Cafe Racer” motorcycles, is very different. It balances perfectly on a strap and has a belly cut that makes it much more comfortable to play seated than a traditional Les Paul.

Sound Performance

This guitar is a tonal chameleon. It comes with custom VH5 Alnico V humbuckers that sound thick and punchy. However, the magic lies in the electronics.

It features a 5-way switch (rare for a 2-humbucker guitar) that gives you out-of-phase sounds for funky, “strat-like” cleans. Even cooler is the “Focus Switch” on the tone knob.

When you pull it, it engages a passive boost that shifts the resonant frequency of the pickups. It essentially makes the guitar sound darker, louder, and more aggressive instantly—perfect for pushing a tube amp into overdrive for a solo.

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Fender Player II Stratocaster

This solid body Stratocaster gives you popular features at a price that is unheard of! For a Fender-made guitar, this is the Stratocaster you need to get for your playing adventures!

Build Quality

This beautiful vintage guitar has an ash body with a high gloss polyester finish. It also has a C-style maple neck with a 25.5-inch scale length and vintage-style single coil pick-ups. I inspected the soldering for the electronics and was surprised to find such good work.

This guitar is also available in different colors or finishes. A left-handed model also exists. There is serious bang for your buck in this strat, those that own one love it!

The machine heads and bridge are of good quality. This is a Fender guitar, after all. They are made in Mexico and so the quality is very good!

Sound

The first thing that is apparent is the noiseless pickups. I do love the sound of single-coil pickups, but not the noise.

These, however, are a great-sounding pickup! The chimey Stratocaster tone is all here. You get the bright twangy tone at the bridge and warmer sounds as you move toward the neck.

The tone is very bright and clear, just as you would expect and hope for. Especially from a Stratocaster. This is, after all, what they are known for, and this model does that very well. This video will demonstrate that very well. I was getting tones just like this.

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Epiphone Les Paul Standard

The Les Paul guitar has a legacy that is known for rock and roll. This version made by Epiphone gives players of all different skill levels the ability to afford one. Anyone from blues to hard rock players can now get the legendary tone in a quality made guitar.

Build Quality

The pickups and hardware are all quality, loaded into a mahogany body with a one piece design. The neck is a through-body construction, making it very rigid but also providing a feel that is dynamic.

There are also many different colors to choose from that make this not only a great sounding electric guitar, but a beautiful one as well. The tuners are rigid and feel good when turned. Plus, they hold tune well and didn’t slip at all while I played it.

Sound Performance

The alnico humbuckers in this guitar don’t have an overly high output. But they do provide a good rock tone that is very thick. The clarity is also nice, they are not overly dark sounding.

When set to the neck pickup, I was able to get a great blues tone that was warm. Especially when I lowered the volume control for the pickup.

The leads and solos rip with this guitar! It has all the frequencies and sustain you could want. It does have enough output to push an amp pretty hard, which was also nice. Crunchy hard rock tones had a throaty sound which is perfect. It’s one of my favorite sounds.

Cost and Value

You can find this guitar in a few different models. There are many colors and pickup options.

As a result, it can range from $650.00 to $1000.00 which is quite incredible! The quality of the guitars is right up there with some premium options. Epiphone has out done themselves!

This means that it’s an excellent value for the money! The sound, aesthetics and build are all top shelf! These guitars will retain their value for years, which makes them a wonderful investment.

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ESP LTD EC-1000

ESP LTD EC-1000 vintage black is powerful and articulate! Thanks to the EMG humbucker pick-ups! This is one killer guitar! The EC-1000 is a monster in the sound department! It’s a mahogany body with a vintage black finish.

The neck is a thin U shape and is incredibly easy to play, and man is it fun! This model looks and sounds stunning! ESP has produced a home run, and I can’t recommend it enough! Bang for the buck is an understatement!

Build Quality

ESP calls the body shape an Eclipse. But it’s pretty much a Les Paul with very small changes. Nice thing is that it only weighs 9 pounds! And it’s made from mahogany as well. The finish is flat black and looks great. Especially if you like hard rock and metal.

The neck feel good and is easy to fret. It’s pretty slim, so moving around is easy. I also enjoyed the quality of the hardware. It’s simple but effective. Overall, it’s good construction with some modern aesthetics.

Sound Performance

This guitar is raw, aggressive and brutal! If you’re into rock or metal, this is the sound for you. The pickups are high output and when used with the right amp, the sounds are killer! I appreciated the articulation and tight bass response.

If you are looking for a guitar that can chug, this is it. It can get pretty loose if you desire, but it’s easy to tame with the controls.

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Schecter Hellraiser C-1

The Schecter Hellraiser C-1 is designed for modern guitarists! Its double-cutaway body gives you full access to the neck. And a push-pull coil tap pick-up design that will accommodate all types of tones!

The C-1 is a lot of guitar for the money! The Beautiful mahogany body and quilted maple top are brilliant. The neck is a treat to play, with low action and a great profile.

The EMG pickups give you a lot of articulate power and are ready to rock! This guitar can almost do anything. And it came well set up out of the box, you really need to look into this model!

Build Quality

I have always appreciated the build quality from Schecter. Even though their guitars are made overseas, they provide good quality. The body on this guitar is beautiful!

It’s detail and construction are perfect. Plus, the rounded profiles around the guitar make it comfortable to play.

The hardware is all pretty tough stuff, which includes solid tuners and a great tremolo bridge.

This guitar comes with a locking nut to ensure that proper use of the bridge won’t result in going out of tune. The wiring and hardware installation are all done well, and it’s quality work.

Playability

The neck on the C-1 is a thin C profile. It’s not ultra-thin, but fits my hand much better than thicker necks. This makes the playability feel faster as there is less material to hold onto. This is better for lead playing, but on this guitar, even chords are performed simply.

The guitar is comfortable, it sits in my lap without any balance issues. And when I’m standing, the guitar was easy to use on a strap.

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Fender Player II Telecaster

The Player II Telecaster delivers classic playability and feel! The vintage noiseless pickup delivers a telecaster tone without the hum! This is one amazing guitar!

Build Quality

This telecaster has a serious vintage look, sound, and feel! This is because it’s built super well.

It has a gloss alder body, maple C-shaped neck, 25.5-inch scale length, and great-sounding pickups. You can also get it in a left-hand version as well as many colors. It’s a wonderful looking Telecaster!

The hardware is all quality parts. You can feel it as you use them. The knobs all feel very good, and the machine heads hold tune. I didn’t have to tune up very often between sessions.

Sound Performance

The sound quality has to be on the mark, though, especially for a telecaster. Now, there isn’t any magic to it, just the right pickups and body shape. But because this is a Fender guitar, they know how to do it right.

The pickups on this guitar are Two single-coil Alnico V pickups. They are great for punchy low end but still shimmery highs. They are quite spicy too and can provide some decent gain tones. I was able to get anything from twangy country tones to mid-gain crunch.

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Epiphone SG Custom

Build Quality

The Epiphone SG Custom is a well-built guitar that showcases the quality craftsmanship one would expect from Epiphone. I’ve had the pleasure of playing this guitar on several occasions, and it never ceases to impress me with its durability and attention to detail.

The solid mahogany body and neck contribute to its overall sturdiness. While the laurel fingerboard adds a touch of elegance. Plus, it’s an SG, I mean it just screams rock and roll!

Sound Performance

This guitar is designed to produce the classic, powerful sound of an SG. In my experience, it delivers a rich, full tone with excellent sustain. It’s suitable for various genres, from metal to blues.

The ProBucker 2 and 3 humbuckers provide a broad range of tonal possibilities. Allowing you to achieve anything from warm, smooth tones to aggressive, high-gain sounds.

Cost and Value

Considering its features, build quality, and sound performance, the Epiphone SG Custom is a fantastic value for money. With a price tag set at $629.00, this guitar provides an affordable way to enjoy the legendary SG experience.

It’s an excellent option for beginners looking to upgrade their instrument or experienced players seeking a versatile and dependable guitar.

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