The electric guitar is one of the most popular instruments in the world, so it’s no surprise that there’s a wide variety of options out there. Depending on your budget, your personal playing style, and what you’re looking for in a guitar, there’s a lot to consider. Even if you’re a beginner, the right electric guitar can be your gateway to learning and mastering your favorite songs.
We researched and tested scores of guitars to find the best electric guitar bodies at a variety of price points. Whether you’re looking for a solid-body guitar or a guitar with a hollow body, there’s a lot to consider besides the cost.
Here, your shopping list of the best electric guitar bodies.
Our Editor’s Best Electric Guitar Bodies Reviews
- One Squier Debut Series Stratocaster electric guitar – a perfect beginner guitar for all ages
- Designed by the most trusted name in guitar and backed by a 75-year legacy of quality and craftsmanship
- This beginner guitar comes with a 30-day subscription to Fender Play that includes lessons with thousands of instructional videos to build your skills by playing the songs you love, all with no additional cost
- Designed for beginners, the Squier Debut Series Fender Stratocaster includes a super-comfortable "c" shaped neck, laurel fingerboard and thin, lightweight body for more comfort and playability.
- The Squier Debut Series Strat features three single-coil pickups with 5-way switching that offers a wide range of classic Strat tones, and the tremlolo bridge and removeable arm allows for excting string-bending effects
- A More Accessible Smart Electric Guitar: XMARI is an accessible smart electric guitar with 4 onboard presets (clean, overdrive, distortion, lead hi-gain), powered by a potent DSP and years of experience and talent in audio algorithms. Each preset can be easily customised through the ENYA MUSIC App. Gigging, recording, creating and noodling, this guitar does them all. Experience the true convenience and charm of smart guitars, but at a very accessible price point.
- Practical Connectivity: The XMARI smart electric guitar offers various but practical connectivity options: OTG recording to capture instant creative sparks; a Headphone Jack for your silent, solitary guitar time; Bluetooth for backing track playback; and a 6.35 mm output jack for any other proper guitar scenarios. The convenience provided by these connectivities is something that regular electric guitars would never offer.
- A Hybrid Build: The XMARI smart electric guitar is built out of 3 different materials: carbon fiber composite for the body, European maple for the neck, and Richlite for the fretboard. The combination of these 3 materials achieves a perfect balance among acoustic characteristics, overall resonance, and durability, which is unusual but practical and effective for electric guitars at this price level.
- A Solid Electric Guitar: In addition to the smart features, XMARI is a solid electric guitar. The super-strat configuration fits all music styles seamlessly. The custom ceramic SSH pickup set gets you from sparkling clean to roaring drive. 2-point locking tremolo bridge will add that extra flavor to your playing. Frets are all polished with round ends for a smooth hand feel. It's indeed a solid-built electric guitar.
- Complete Ready-to-Play Package: Everything you need to start playing is in the box: XMARI Guitar, Gig Bag, Strap, Picks, 6.35mm Audio Cable, Charging Cable, Extra Strings, Cloth, and Adjustment Wrench.
- Unveil Your Signature Sound: Introducing the Grote brand electric guitar, a masterpiece that resonates with your unique musical identity, featuring a distinguished metallic truss rod cover.
- Sonic Elegance Redefined: Embark on a sonic journey with the 24.75-inch scale length, a canvas that harmonizes tradition and innovation, delivering a resonant and versatile sound palette.
- Crafted Resonance: Dive into the captivating depths of music with the semi-hollow basswood body, a canvas that resonates with warmth and richness, breathing life into every note you play.
- Boundless Playability: Discover a world of musical expression with the Maple neck and Black Wood fingerboard, offering seamless playability across 22 precisely positioned frets, empowering your creativity.
- Precision Craftsmanship: Every detail matters – from the meticulously placed 22 stainless steel frets ensuring flawless intonation and a comfortable playing experience.
- Unveil Your Signature Sound: Introducing the Grote brand electric guitar, a masterpiece that resonates with your unique musical identity, featuring a distinguished metallic truss rod cover.
- Sonic Elegance Redefined: Embark on a sonic journey with the 24.75-inch scale length, a canvas that harmonizes tradition and innovation, delivering a resonant and versatile sound palette.
- Crafted Resonance: Dive into the captivating depths of music with the semi-hollow Canadian Maple body, a canvas that resonates with warmth and richness, breathing life into every note you play.
- Boundless Playability: Discover a world of musical expression with the Maple neck and Black Wood fingerboard, offering seamless playability across 22 precisely positioned frets, empowering your creativity.
- Precision Craftsmanship: Every detail matters – from the meticulously placed 22 stainless steel frets ensuring flawless intonation and a comfortable playing experience.
- all guitars are made punctually by CNC machine with computer programming
- Perfect neck with almost no defectiveness
- All guitars with good specification
- Grote's LP electric guitar is built to last with high-quality materials and craftsmanship, making it an excellent investment for players of all levels.
- The solid Mahogany body and neck combined with a Rosewood fingerboard produce a warm and rich sound perfect for a variety of musical genres.
- Immerse yourself in the realism of a maple wood grain finish, expertly crafted through advanced printing. This environmentally conscious veneer choice offers not only durability and low-maintenance convenience but also a sustainable approach. Serving as an eco-friendly alternative to solid wood, it marries affordability with individuality, making your choice not just a musical one, but a responsible one too.
- The Humbucker pickup and 3-way switch allow for a wide range of tonal options, making it suitable for a variety of musical styles.
- Get everything you need to start playing right away with this electric guitar package, which includes a gig bag to take your music on the go!
- 【SOLID BASSWOOD BODY】The 39 inch electric guitar features solid basswood wood body, maple neck and rosewood fingerboard, which is well made and provide phenomenal tone. And the rock style finish with premium baking paint process not only adds style but also is more durable
- 【S-S-S PICKUPS】The 6-string rock guitar features three classic single-coil pickups that restore the classic sound and provide clearer, brighter, and well-balanced tone. The 5-ways pickup switch, 1 volume, 2 tone controls and tremolo bridge system provide different tone performance. Suitable for many music styles, such as blues, rock, pop, funk, jazz, country and Fusion
- 【EASY TO PLAY】The most prevalent C-shaped neck profile is remarkably comfortable and reduce fatigue when playing or practicing, which is combines both classic and comfortable designs. The copper-nickel fret position marks help the starters to switch fingerings and improve their skills quickly
- 【FOR ALL SKILL LEVELS】Ready to use right out of the box, no assembly required. A perfect choice for musicians of all levels from beginner to experienced. Comes with a protective gig bag to defend your guitar against unwant scratches while making it easy to carry outside.
- 【COMPLETE STARTER KIT】The beginner eletric guitar set comes with a full-size guitar and all the parts you need, including Gig bag, shoulder strap, cable, tremolo arm and picks. This eletric guitar has a beautiful appearance and perfect sound that is the best choices for holiday gift
- Full Size:25.5 inch Full Scale Size Including Black Wood Fingerboard, Canadian Maple Neck and Body, Volume/Tone, P-90 pickups, Knobs & More.Number Of Frets 20.Nut Width 42mm Inlays.
- Well Built and Nice Finish:The body and neck of this guitar is solid and of good quality.The finish is good, the fret board is nice, and overall it’s a good value is you’re looking for.
- Perfect Playing Experience:This guitar looks, plays, and sounds great. It was even tuned at the 22th fret, with good action and nice frets.No matter what kind of music you play, this guitar can bring you a perfect playing experience.
- High Quality Accessories:The strings are not tight to ensure less damage during transportation.
- Available in a variety of colors:Red,Sunburst,Natural.People can choose their favorite color of guitar.
- Fast, slim Maple neck
- Beautiful quilted Maple art grain top
- High output Infinity R pickups
- Unveil Your Signature Sound: Introducing the Grote brand electric guitar, a masterpiece that resonates with your unique musical identity, featuring a distinguished metallic truss rod cover.
- Sonic Elegance Redefined: Embark on a sonic journey with the 24.75-inch scale length, a canvas that harmonizes tradition and innovation, delivering a resonant and versatile sound palette.
- Crafted Resonance: Dive into the captivating depths of music with the semi-hollow Canadian Maple body, a canvas that resonates with warmth and richness, breathing life into every note you play.
- Boundless Playability: Discover a world of musical expression with the Maple neck and Black Wood fingerboard, offering seamless playability across 22 precisely positioned frets, empowering your creativity.
- Precision Craftsmanship: Every detail matters – from the meticulously placed 22 stainless steel frets ensuring flawless intonation and a comfortable playing experience.
Best Electric Guitar Bodies Buying Guide
Before choosing the best electric guitar body you should consider following options:
1. Solid or Hollow Body: This is easily the most important factor in choosing an electric guitar body.
Solid bodies are usually preferred by rock and metal players as they produce a louder, fuller sound. Hollow bodies are more popular among country, jazz and blues guitarists, who often use the acoustic tone of the guitar in their music.
2. Wood Species: Electric guitar bodies are typically made from either alder, mahogany, ash, maple, or basswood.
These woods will affect the tone and feel of the guitar. For instance, maple is a hardwood that produces a bright tone and is often used for Gibson guitars.
Basswood is a softer wood that is typically used for Telecaster bodies. Mahogany is a good all-around choice, offering a good tone and affordable price.
3. Body Shape: Aside from solid body and hollow body, electric guitar bodies can also be shaped as a solid, single-cutaway, or double-cutaway.
Single- and double-cutaway bodies are often referred to as ‘electric’ or ‘guitar’ shaped. These are the most popular body styles and are what most guitarists are familiar with.
4. Pickup Types: Electric guitar bodies are typically made to accommodate either humbucker or single coil pickups.
Humbucker pickups produce a deep, rich tone. Single coil pickups produce a brighter tone, and are often used for jazz and blues.
5. Wood Finishes: Electric guitar bodies are available in a variety of wood finishes, including all-solid, all-burst, and all-color.
All-solid wood bodies are typically made from a single wood species, while all-burst and all-color bodies are made from multiple wood species.
These finishes are often used on vintage-style electric guitars.
What else you should know about electric guitar bodies
1. What are the best woods for electric guitar bodies?
There is no definitive answer to this question as different woods can produce different tonal qualities that may be more or less desirable for different players. Some of the more popular woods used for electric guitar bodies include alder, ash, mahogany, and basswood.
2. How does the body shape affect the sound of an electric guitar?
The body shape of an electric guitar affects the sound of the guitar in a few ways. The first way is that it affects the way the guitar vibrates. The second way is that it affects the way the guitar reflects sound. The third way is that it affects the way the guitar resonates.
3. What are the best construction techniques for electric guitar bodies?
There are many different construction techniques for electric guitar bodies, but some of the best include using solid wood, laminated wood, or composite materials. Each of these materials has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it is important to choose the one that best suits your needs.
4. How does the body finish affect the sound of an electric guitar?
The electric guitar’s body affects the sound of the instrument in a few ways. The type of wood that the body is made of can affect the tone of the guitar. For example, alder is a light wood that is often used for electric guitars because it produces a warm, rounded sound. The body’s shape can also affect the sound of the guitar. For example, a semi-hollow body guitar will have a different sound than a solid body guitar because the semi-hollow body guitar will have a more resonant sound.
5. What are the best aftermarket electric guitar bodies?
There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on personal preference. Some popular aftermarket electric guitar bodies include those made by Ibanez, PRS, and ESP.
Conclusion
On the market, there are numerous best electric guitar bodies. Hopefully, the list of the top ten best electric guitar bodies will save you time researching and deciding on the best one for you.