Industry news & advice blog

This blog is contributed by Professional Music Technology, the UK's leading instrument retailer with over 25 years experience and 16 locations nationwide. PMT's megastores are packed to the rafters with the latest Guitars, Drums and Hi-Tech gear and they have everything a musician needs from leading brands in the industry.

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Whether you’re looking for your 1st or 21st electric guitar, you want a high quality instrument that feels good to play, sounds amazing and hopefully, won’t stretch your bank account too far. In addition, if you’re just starting out in the world of guitar, you need something that will encourage a positive learning experience so you enjoy playing and will likely continue your journey. A bad playing guitar will discourage you from playing and practicing, after all. So, we thought we’d put together a list of cheap electric guitars that don’t cost a fortune, sound and feel great, whether you’re plugging them in to an amp or playing acoustically, and make great options for both beginners and advanced players alike.


Epiphone Les Paul SL Vintage Sunburst - £88
The Epiphone Les Paul SL Vintage Sunburst makes our list with flying colours here as it’s not only way under £100 clocking in at just £88, but it’s an incredible piece of equipment that beginner players will enjoy learning on and seasoned players will enjoy too.

If you’ve always wanted a Les Paul, but couldn’t quite stretch your budget, this is a great option as it provides a massive sound thanks to a set of ceramic single coil pickups that can handle a wide variety of musical genres. It’s completely comfortable to play due to the 1960s SlimTaper D Profile Neck and won’t break your back due to the slim, lightweight body design – ideal for gigging musicians. A great option for guitarists who want something that will work hard and won’t break the bank.


Eastcoast GS10 Electric Guitar in Cherry - £169
Since the Eastcoast brand relaunched, we’ve been blown away by the quality of their guitars here at Professional Music Technology. The Eastcoast GS10 Electric Guitar in Cherry in particular has really impressed us thanks to its powerful dual humbucking pickups. This offers incredible tone for the money, and at way under £200, it is superb value for money. The familiar solid body, double cutaway shape is a perfect option for those who want that AC/DC style guitar whilst the addition of professional appointments like chrome stop-bar tailpiece, block inlays, Poplar body and Okoume neck material makes it a reliable and formidable tone monster.



Squier Affinity Telecaster, MN, Butterscotch Blonde - £169
Every guitarist needs a Telecaster in their collection – it’s just a fact! The Squier series of guitars may be the more budget friendly options from Fender, but make no mistake; they are built to an exceptionally high quality and feature professional level electronics so you sound your best whether you’re recording or playing live.

The Squier Affinity Telecaster, MN, Butterscotch Blonde features a classic colour scheme, and as the black scratchplate and butterscotch suggests, offers a classic Telecaster tone too. The Vintage-Style single coil Tele pickups in the neck and bridge position give you all that twang and ‘quack’ which made the Tele so revered – this sounds far more expensive than it is! Professional appointments such as a 6-Saddle Top-Load Tele bridge ensures your strings are resonant and the standard die-cast tuning machines are reliable, keeping your tuning rock-solid when you need it most. If you want the Telecaster sound on a budget, this should be on your ‘must try’ list!



Eastcoast GL130-HCS Electric Guitar in Heritage Cherry Sunburst - £199
Again, Eastcoast have appeared in our list owing to the incredible construction quality and sonic versatility within one of their key lines. The Eastcoast GL130-HCS Electric Guitar pictured here in Heritage Cherry Sunburst is a stunning guitar which takes inspiration from a very well-known guitar played by the likes of Jimmy Page. Within this nifty guitar are two very powerful humbucking pickups which can handle every style of music, from Rock to Metal, Blues to Country and everything in-between.

We love this guitar as it is very comfortable to play thanks to the Amaranth (Purpleheart) fingerboard, which feels really nice under your fingertips and the slim neck which encourages a comfortable playing experience and good habits whilst you fret or chord the guitar. We also love it because you can totally rock out with it and really take advantage of the different sounds via the 3-way selector switch and dual tone and volume knobs. A great guitar for a budget friendly price.



Yamaha Pacifica 112V Yellow Natural Satin - £203
The Yamaha Pacifica 112V is one of our top recommendations for those looking for a cheap electric guitar that actually sounds good. This has been a go-to guitar for beginners and professionals alike as it offers incredible tonality for a budget friendly price. The familiar Strat style shape has been tweaked to allow better access to the upper frets so you can enjoy playing guitar solos past the 12th fret and the addition of a humbucker in the bridge position provides that extra push should you want to make the jump from smooth Blues to all out Rock.


Once again, these 5 guitars prove that you don’t have to fork out loads of cash to get a reliable, great sounding instrument that won’t get you laughed off stage or out of the studio. Call in to your local PMT store today to try them out for yourself or visit http://www.pmtonline.co.uk for more information.

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