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Independent analysis · Amazon US

Find your next instrument

We analyse guitars and basses to help you choose better — verified specifications, editorial scores, and a comparator that puts them side by side.

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Jackson Pro Plus Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET7 in Metallic Black

Editor’s pick

Jackson Pro Plus Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET7

An EverTune bridge, stainless frets and a 20-inch radius — a studio seven-string

8.8/10 Fretline score

10

Instruments analysed

10

Instrument types

6

Editorial score axes

8

Buying guides

Featured

What we are recommending now

The instruments we would put in someone's hands today, across every price bracket in the catalogue.

All instruments
Epiphone Masterbilt Gem Archer Sheraton in Cherry, left-handed, full front view

Epiphone · Semi-hollow electric guitar

Masterbilt Gem Archer Sheraton

Cherry Red, left-handed, with hardshell case

USA Gibson mini humbuckers in a semi-hollow — and, unusually, built left-handed

8.3/10No Amazon ratings yet
Read the analysis

Best value

Most instrument for the money

Ranked by our value-for-money score: what the specification actually delivers against what it costs.

Starting out

For beginners

Slim neck profiles, forgiving radii and hardware that will not fight a new player.

Read the beginner guide
Ibanez GIO GRX70QA in Transparent Black Sunburst, full front view

Ibanez · Electric guitar

GIO GRX70QA

Transparent Black Sunburst

The cheapest honest route into a fast neck and a humbucker at each end

7.2/104.6 (2,567)
Read the analysis

Serious kit

For advanced and professional players

Instruments where the hardware solves real problems: tuning stability, fret wear, feedback control.

Epiphone Masterbilt Gem Archer Sheraton in Cherry, left-handed, full front view

Epiphone · Semi-hollow electric guitar

Masterbilt Gem Archer Sheraton

Cherry Red, left-handed, with hardshell case

USA Gibson mini humbuckers in a semi-hollow — and, unusually, built left-handed

8.3/10No Amazon ratings yet
Read the analysis

Electric

Electric guitars

All guitars
Epiphone Masterbilt Gem Archer Sheraton in Cherry, left-handed, full front view

Epiphone · Semi-hollow electric guitar

Masterbilt Gem Archer Sheraton

Cherry Red, left-handed, with hardshell case

USA Gibson mini humbuckers in a semi-hollow — and, unusually, built left-handed

8.3/10No Amazon ratings yet
Read the analysis

Acoustic

Acoustic guitars

All guitars

Low end

Basses

All basses

The comparator

Put them side by side

Add any number of instruments and see every specification aligned in one table, with the rows that actually differ marked out. Score profiles are overlaid on a single radar, and the conclusions — best value, best build, best for metal — recompute from your selection rather than from a fixed list.

Open the comparatorPick instruments first

Browse

By instrument type

Stratocaster

Three single-coils, a tremolo and a contoured body

Superstrat

Strat ergonomics rebuilt for speed and gain

Semi-hollow

A centre block that keeps the warmth and kills the squeal

Double cut

Both horns carved away for reach

Metal

High output, hard hardware, fast necks

7-string

A low B under the standard six

Dreadnought

The loud, broad-shouldered standard

Jumbo

Maximum air, maximum bloom

Precision Bass

One split humbucker, all the low mids

PJ

Precision body, Jazz bridge pickup

Buying guides

Read before you buy

All guides

Guide

The Best Guitars of 2026

Six guitars, from a $200 first instrument to a signature seven-string built for the studio. Every specification here was checked against the manufacturer before it was published.

Guide

The Best Electric Guitars

The electric guitar is not one instrument but half a dozen, each solving a different problem. Here is what separates them, and which one to buy.

Guide

The Best Guitars for Beginners

The specifications that matter to a beginner are not the ones on the front of the box. Here is what to look for, and the four instruments we would recommend.

Guide

The Best Guitars Under $500

Under $500 is where the guitar market is most competitive, and where the difference between a good specification and a marketing one matters most.

Deals

Price tracking, honestly

We do not publish invented discounts. The deals page explains exactly what we track and what we do not.

See the deals page