The 5 Most Popular Guitars for Guitar Beginners

[KTSs]

Choosing the right guitar as a beginner can make a world of difference in your musical journey. With a plethora of options available, it's essential to consider guitars that are beginner-friendly, affordable, and offer great playability and sound. In this article, we will explore the five most popular guitars for guitar beginners, catering to different musical styles and preferences, to help you make an informed decision.

1. Fender Squier Stratocaster 
The Fender Squier Stratocaster is a go-to choice for many beginners. It delivers the iconic Stratocaster design, build quality, and versatility at an affordable price point. Known for its comfortable playability and smooth neck, this guitar is suitable for various genres, from rock to blues and beyond. The Squier Stratocaster offers excellent tone and is equipped with three single-coil pickups, allowing you to explore a wide range of sounds. Its popularity and widespread availability also mean that finding resources and accessories for this guitar is easy.

2. Yamaha FG800 Acoustic Guitar
For those inclined towards the acoustic realm, the Yamaha FG800 is a highly recommended beginner guitar. Renowned for its outstanding value, this instrument provides a rich, warm tone and exceptional playability. The FG800 features a solid spruce top and a nato/okoume back and sides, resulting in a balanced sound with good projection. It also boasts a comfortable neck profile, making it ideal for learning chords and fingerpicking. Yamaha's reputation for quality craftsmanship ensures that the FG800 will serve beginners well for years to come.

3. Epiphone Les Paul Standard
The Epiphone Les Paul Standard is a favorite among beginners who crave the classic rock and blues tones associated with the Les Paul design. With its mahogany body, maple top, and dual humbucker pickups, this guitar delivers a powerful and versatile sound. The Les Paul Standard offers a comfortable playing experience with its smooth neck profile and access to the upper frets. Its iconic look, robust build quality, and affordable price point make it a top choice for beginners exploring rock, blues, and related genres.

4. Ibanez RG421 Electric Guitar
If you're into heavier styles such as metal and hard rock, the Ibanez RG421 is an excellent option. This guitar is known for its sleek design, fast-playing neck, and high-performance features. The RG421 boasts a lightweight mahogany body, a comfortable Wizard III neck profile, and dual humbucker pickups that deliver powerful, aggressive tones. With its double-cutaway body and smooth access to the upper frets, this guitar is perfect for shredding solos and executing intricate riffs. The Ibanez RG421 offers great value for beginners seeking a versatile guitar for heavier genres.

5. Cordoba C3M Classical Guitar
For those interested in classical and fingerstyle playing, the Cordoba C3M is a popular choice. Crafted with a solid cedar top, mahogany back and sides, and a traditional Spanish fan bracing, this guitar produces a warm, resonant tone with excellent projection. The C3M features a comfortable neck shape and a wider nut width, allowing for precise finger placement and easy fingerstyle techniques. With its nylon strings and classical design, the Cordoba C3M is perfect for beginners delving into classical, flamenco, or acoustic fingerstyle genres.

[o0Ampy0o]

One problem with beginners choosing a guitar is that they have not had the opportunity to develop a sense for what is playable. Any specific guitar from that list could be a dud. Just choosing a model and brand is not enough.

 

You really need a wise guitar playing friend to choose for you. My very first guitar was one that my two excellent guitar playing friends raved about. That guitar I handed over to friends as they wanted to learn. Everyone always referenced that guitar as better for playing than their upgrades.

 

I played guitar then stopped for 30 years. I lost the sense and chose a guitar that was unplayable when I wanted to play again. I was limited to local shops with regards to trying them out. I had more desire than I had gotten my sea legs back before buying another, this time even online with no opportunity to try it first. That one happened to play well enough I was even able to recognize it. But after I had once played stopped then started again I was more like a natural born talent than a raw beginner. I had familiarity dormant and there to awaken in my body and memory. And I also got lucky.

[KTSs]

Of course, if you have friends around to give you recommendations is better, but most beginners may not have such friends around, for them, a cost-effective entry model is also good

[desertbluesman]

I have an Ibanez RG 321 predecessor to the RG421 mentioned above. One of my all time favorite guitars. It is not only a metal guitar it is more of an all around instrument. It has tones similar to a strat on some of the pickup combos, and also similar to a shorter scale Gibson guitar on some of the other pickup combos. I paid $199 for it and another hundred for the case a dozen years or so ago. Best three hundred I ever spent on any guitar and case.

[KuruPrionz]

As a guitar tech for decades, I HIGHLY recommend that beginners take any guitar to a tech. If there is a tech at the store where they are purchasing, they should show it to them prior to purchase and inquire on the cost of a full setup. 

 

These days, most guitars are very well made but not always well set up. That can make a big difference to a beginner, having low action and correct intonation to start out is the right path to go on and will reduce the initial struggles of learning. 

 

From the list in the OP, I would recommend the Yamaha as a great acoustic steel string starter and the Cordoba for nylon strings. Both companies have modern manufacturing facilities and very good QC. 

 

The Squier Strat gets my green light over all the other electric guitars. Why?

The choices for after market parts for a Strat are huge compared to what's available for the other guitars. My main gigger started out life as a Squier Strat - love the color, only the body remains now but I was able to easily replace all the parts with what I wanted and it can be done as you can afford it instead of all at once. Most of it is what I call "screwdriver work" and any semi=competent person can do it themselves although they may want a tech to do the final adjustments. 

 

Photo attached, Squier body, Warmoth 1 7/8" ultra wide fatback neck (I scalloped the fretboard), EMG pickups, an EMG SPC, locking Hipshot tuners and other bits and dabs out of my parts box. Photo attached.

 

This is a great way for a beginner to evolve to a professional level guitar at their own pace without doing a financial deep dive and also a great way to learn that they can build a guitar with features THEY prefer if that's what they want to do. 

[CEB]

Depends on the student.  None of these would have been great for me. 

[Larryz]

From the list I would go with the Epi LP for electric and the Yamaha for acoustic.  +1 On having a tech check it out before buying and have it set up. Good luck and good hunting!  Have fun with it! 😎👍

[RABid]

Beginner guitars are soooooo much better now than they were when I started.

[KuruPrionz]

1 hour ago, RABid said:

Beginner guitars are soooooo much better now than they were when I started.

Yes, manufacturing techniques are extraordinarily superior and so is QC. 

On the other hand, I bought my first guitar (a Harmony arch top) for $40 at a pawn shop. 

[CEB]

My beginner electric was pretty much as good as anything available today.  All these guitar are too big.

 

I started with a little short scale acoustic when I was around 5.  Didn't make much progess till I was around 8 or 9.  Got serious about guitar in 6th/7th grade.

 

Piano was my focus starting at age 6.  My parents were musicians.    My first electric was a 64/65 Mustang which is like a 3/4 scale guitar.  Officially I think 65 was the first model year but the pickups were marked 64.   

 

Young violinist do not start on full scale instruments.  Young guiatust shouldn't either.   Everything depends on the student. 

[o0Ampy0o]

Size matters?

 

They may be small and good for young students but ukulele is huge.

 

After the outdoor video went viral Jake had hit it big in the Ukulele world. He was a ukulele star of Rock Star status. He had a career. He became a touring musician. He comes through my town and plays at the theater a couple blocks away from me. Jake is responsible for expanding interest in Ukulele. Count me among the godzillions.

 

 

 

 

 

[KuruPrionz]

13 hours ago, CEB said:

My beginner electric was pretty much as good as anything available today.  All these guitar are too big.

 

I started with a little short scale acoustic when I was around 5.  Didn't make much progess till I was around 8 or 9.  Got serious about guitar in 6th/7th grade.

 

Piano was my focus starting at age 6.  My parents were musicians.    My first electric was a 64/65 Mustang which is like a 3/4 scale guitar.  Officially I think 65 was the first model year but the pickups were marked 64.   

 

Young violinist do not start on full scale instruments.  Young guiatust shouldn't either.   Everything depends on the student. 

I agree with this and there are lots of smaller instruments available. It's been my experience that smaller guitars are more difficult to manufacture with correct intonation, especially steel strings. Nylon strings seem to be easier to intonate. 

I'm from Fresno and there is a large community of Hispanic musicians. There is a nylon string smaller guitar called a requinto that is often used in ensemble work. I had one but being a full sized human I realized that I could just capo up my nylon string guitar for those sounds. Still, a good choice for a smaller person. 

[RABid]

13 hours ago, CEB said:

My beginner electric was pretty much as good as anything available today.  All these guitar are too big.

 

I started with a little short scale acoustic when I was around 5.  Didn't make much progess till I was around 8 or 9.  Got serious about guitar in 6th/7th grade.

 

Piano was my focus starting at age 6.  My parents were musicians.    My first electric was a 64/65 Mustang which is like a 3/4 scale guitar.  Officially I think 65 was the first model year but the pickups were marked 64.   

 

Young violinist do not start on full scale instruments.  Young guiatust shouldn't either.   Everything depends on the student. 

I'm not young but I did buy myself a Gretsch short scale bass. Good price, looks nice, and much more comfortable to play.

[surfergirl]

My first guitar was a Squier mini stratocaster when I was 6, then a Squier strat at 8 and a Fender, which is my #1 guitar now.

@o0Ampy0oI've been fortunate to have seen Jake Shimabukuro numerous times. He performed at the 2010 Hawaii Ukulele Festival that I was fortunate enough to perform at with elementary school ensemble.

[KuruPrionz]

24 minutes ago, surfergirl said:

My first guitar was a Squier mini stratocaster when I was 6, then a Squier strat at 8 and a Fender, which is my #1 guitar now.

@o0Ampy0oI've been fortunate to have seen Jake Shimabukuro numerous times. He performed at the 2010 Hawaii Ukulele Festival that I was fortunate enough to perform at with elementary school ensemble.

Do you still have the mini?

I bought a Johnson "Strat" that is smaller and has a 22.5" scale instead of 25.5" like a standard Strat. 

I tuned it Nashville, the octave strings from a 12 string, and set the intonation for that. It's replaced 12 string guitars in my recording studio because I can do so much more with it and still get that chimey sound. 

[surfergirl]

@KuruPrionzno I gave the mini away. 

[KuruPrionz]

2 minutes ago, surfergirl said:

@KuruPrionzno I gave the mini away. 

So it goes, I've given a good few guitars away and sold piles of them over the decades.

FWIW, I got the Johnson at Goodwill for $30. Stuff is out there if we look!!!

[Anderton]

Talk about turning lemon into lemonade: I think the OP was all about creating something as an excuse for the link toward the end. I've been watching this to see if there was any follow-up discussion, or whether I should just nuke the thread as spam. But the thread ended up with a lot of great info, so I'm glad I left it alone!