Starting out learning a musical instrument can be intimidating.  This is especially true if you’re a fan of the instrument in question for a long time before you pick one up.  The guitar is a perfect example of this.  How many of us are inspired to learn guitar because we see our favourite musicians making it look easy?  Many of us try it but then stop doing it as soon as we realise it isn’t as easy as it looks.

One mistake we tend to make is that we might buy an expensive, high-end guitar when we’re first starting out.  Not only does this lead to us spending more money than we need to (even worse if we decide guitar playing isn’t for us after a few weeks) but the best guitars aren’t often useful for beginner level players.

Here are some top guitars for beginners that should be considered instead.

Gibson Les Paul

The Gibson Les Paul is an iconic guitar, and the great thing about it is that it is manufactured and available at a range of quality points and prices.  You can start with a basic Les Paul model and then move onto something more expensive as your learning progresses.

In addition, Les Paul guitars give you a very smooth, natural sounding tone, so are great for someone who wants to pick it up and play without having had much musical exposure in the past.

Fender Stratocaster

Along with the Gibson Les Paul this is perhaps the most famous guitar of all, and as such you’ll be able to find it in music shops as well as in many general retailers and department stores.  While the Gibson Les Paul is probably better for someone interested in playing rockier styles, if you want to play blues or country style guitar then the Fender Stratocaster is the one for you.

Be aware that the Stratocaster has a number of different models, the Squire being the cheapest and an excellent entry level model.

Ibanez Iron Label

If you’re planning on skipping the basics and want to go straight into making an edgy, metal inspired sound, then the Ibanez Iron Label is for you.  It’s main feature is the EMG pickup (this is what you want for the aggressive metal sound) so you can always pick a different guitar brand if you want, but the clean black lines of this one make it a favourite option of ours.