A mere $2000 could buy an incredible instrument capable of performing sold-out shows in stadiums.
If you’re searching for a guitar capable of rocking people’s heads off, read our recommendations from experts for the top electric guitars for under $2000.
Be aware that within these price points, you’re not going to come across any inferior guitars. These rankings are solely an opinion of mine. Based on the genre you prefer to play, and your desired tone, any of these might be the one you choose.
In the end, I generally use an electric guitar to rock hard, but I cannot get the rumble I love from a Stratocaster. Fender is among the top choices for this reason. They’re awesome. However, Strats have never been my first choice for an axe, so I’m placing the Eric Johnson Fender Stratocaster in the fifth position in today’s review.
However, although it’s common knowledge, I’m going to affirm that the Gibson SG is among my absolute favorite electric guitars that have ever been manufactured. It’s a flexible music machine that I feel is an excellent fit with any kind of music, from sweet jazz to sludgy rock. It’s great fun to play, and my top suggestion if you’re planning to spend this much cash on an instrument.
Best Electric Guitar Under 2000
Gibson USA Flying V HP 2017 Electric Guitar
Gibson is a top guitar manufacturer, and they manufacture solid guitars. They can be expensive. However, you can find one for less than $2000 that’s the same. One of their best versions is the Gibson USA Flying V HP 2017.
This guitar comes with 22 frets on a rosewood-based fingerboard and is accessible due to the distinctive Flying V shape. The neck is also equipped with beautiful mother of pearl inlays, which provide a nice look to the guitar. It has dirty Fingers+ humbuckers, which sound much better than the regular pickups found on other guitars in this range. They produce great sounds that can be used in rock, blues, metal, and various styles. There are two volume controls, one tone control, and an option to select the pickup to finish the electronics in the guitar. There’s no disadvantage to the Gibson Flying V. Thus, many famous musicians, including Randy Rhoads, use the guitar. It’s a breeze to play and is suitable for various guitar styles, not just the most well-known metal style. Bleus Legend Albert King also played one. If you purchase the Flying V, you’re getting a solid guitar worth the money. It’ll last for many years without any issues at all.
Pros
- Great look!
- Solid hardware
Cons
- Could benefit from 24 frets
- It needs a tremolo system
Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster
While everyone else is cranking up the volume and distortion, SRV (Stevie Ray Vaughan) is showing people how to play it and plays clean. In bringing the blues tone along with rock tones into the mix, This Fender is a pioneering trend set to last.
Looking at the guitar, it is clear that Fender has hit the mark by releasing the “Number One” copy. The Strat features double cutaways on an Alder body, with a Maple neck that is oval as Vaughan prefers.
It features a 25.5″ scale length, a 12″ radius of the fingerboard, and 21 frets with a narrow height to bend strings and fret unlike any other. It has Ivory dots inlays on a Pau Ferro fretboard. The guitar’s body is finished in a vintage brown sunburst shade.
It is here that things become personalized. You can have a left-hand-side tremolo bridge, where the whammy bar sits above the strings instead of under them. . . think Jimi Hendrix. It’s an American Vintage 6-saddle Synchronized Tremolo. At the headstock are six inline American Vintage tuners. All of the hardware is gold-plated!
It is easy to spot the engraved SRV pickguard that could be the most distinctive characteristic of his instrument. To truly achieve the rockin’ and bluesy tone, you need Custom Shop Texas Special Single-Coil Strat pickups in the S-S -S configuration. They come with five-way blade switches to experiment with different pickup combinations.
They have a Master Volume control, while the neck and single middle coils each have tone pots.
Big, sing-songy hot. These pickups have a distinct Strat sound that evokes Texas blues in SRV style. Yet, as lively as Vaughan was and still is, these pickups. The country twang, some rock, and most definite jazz can be highlighted or amplified and used. You’ve got a tight, low end, prominent mids, and a singing high.
Fender performed well when making these customized guitar settings with a rocking, high-output guitar. It’s a lookalike of it’s an SRV guitar. It sounds like one, too. This Strat can be a strut for a big, swinging, and jazzy tone.
Spec
- Body Material: Alder
- Neck Material: Maple
- Fingerboard Material: Pau Ferro
- Pickups: Custom Shop Texas Special Single-Coil Strats
- Bridge: Left-handed American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
PRS SE Custom 24 “Floyd”
This PRS Custom 24 The PRS Custom 24 is typically an expensive guitar that costs more than $3000. The SE version is $1200 and keeps the PRS brand name, all the way down to the birds that line the fretboard. Another version that is a variation of this SE Custom called the “Floyd” includes the Floyd Rose Tremolo locking mechanism that enhances the functionality, tuning stability, and looks fantastic.
We love this version of the SE Custom 24 for lead-focused players who want to use the whammy bars and the locking tremolo mechanism. It’s also a multi-instrument used for rhythm and lead duties.
Many people change the pickups on the top-tier PRS SE guitars because they’re the stock PRS. While possible, I’ve tried these pickups on various guitars, which do not sound good.
They’re not brand new, but they’re not as much an upgrade as you’d get for something like an Epiphone or Squier Strat.
This particular set is a good fit and won’t require being changed if you plan to store them for a while.
PROS
- Floyd Rose
- Tuners that lock
- Bird inlays
- Percussive tone
- Good blend of lead and rhythm
- It looks sharp
CONS
- Upgrade to the Pickup?
Yamaha Pacifica 612 VII FM
Yamaha’s Pacifica series of guitars have been most popular since their debut in the year 1990. They have many good reasons. But the most important reason for their success and longevity is that every Pacifica model that, ranges from the least expensive entry-level guitar to the most costly artist-designed signature guitar – gives an unbeatable value.
Pacifica 612 VII FM is no exception. Pacifica 612 7FM isn’t an exception. It offers a captivating combination of top-quality tonewoods, electronics and hardware, top artistry, and playability.
The 612 IS FM, featured in our top Strat-style guide, has a modern and sleek “superstrat” design with deep cuts, wide cutaways, and comfortable contours. What’s most impressive about this guitar is the top-quality hardware and electronic components, which makes all the usual upgrades of a pro compared to other guitars within its price range.
Pickups include a Seymour Dunn SSL-1 single coil located at the neck, a reverse wind/reverse the single spiral of polarity SSL-1 situated in the middle and a humbucker from Seymour Dunn TB-14 with a chrome cover on the bridge.
Because of the pickups, the 612 FM has a massive tone. Single coils produce vibrant harmonic tones, and their sound is with the humbucker, so there’s no loss of volume in the event of changing pickups.
The reverse middle pickup with reverse polarity wind offers a quiet performance in the neck/middle. The bridge/middle setting is chosen but provides the desired off-phase “quack” that Strat players are amazed by.
With its flawless quality of artistry, comfortable design, as well as top-quality electronics and hardware, The 612 VII FM is an incredible value in today’s marketplace.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Car: Alder With Flame Maple top
- Neck: Maple
- Scale: 25.5″Fingerboard: Rosewood
- Frets: 22
- Pickups Seymour Duncan SSL-1 single-coil (neck), SSL-1 RWRP single coil (middle) (neck), the TB-14 Humbucker (bridge)
- Controls Master Volume Master ton (push/pull coil split) and a 5-way selector
- Hardware Wilkinson VS50 tremolo, Grover Tuners that lock
- Left-handed: No
- Finish: Gloss Polyurethane
pros
- Duncan single coils, as well as humbuckers, give a wide range of tones
- Pro quality hardware
Cons
- The neck heel isn’t as sleek or contoured as many contemporary superstrates.
BUYING ADVICE
We’re definitely in the serious electrical guitar area here. If you’re considering buying a guitar between $2,000 and $3,000, then you’re either an experienced player with an idea of what you’re looking for, or perhaps you’ve won the lottery and are seeking something to put on the wall! We’ll take the latter, and we hope you’ve learned the mahogany body from the maple tops and have an eye for the style of pickups you’d like.
Do you think it is worth spending $2,000 to buy an instrument?
Typically, you can be assured of the highest quality of fit and finish and overall control over quality if you purchase an instrument at this cost. You can be sure that the guitar you purchase will have none of the bad qualities we’ve all had throughout our playing careers. It’s safe to say that if you spend this much money on a guitar, it will sound right out of the box, which every instrument in this list will certainly do.
What you decide to focus on in your process will be where you’ll notice the most benefits that a top-quality guitar can bring. The pickups are likely to let you access an array of premium tones. The fretboard’s playability is flawless. Above all, an instrument that costs $2,000 shouts, “play me!” whenever you see it.
What are you looking at today?
If you’re serious about this market segment, don’t ask us to inform you of what you should look for. You’ll be aware. It’s worth considering the following aspects before dropping your hard-earned money.
If you’re thinking of only having one guitar of the highest quality, you’ll need that it be the most versatile it can be, which is why the stunning PRS CE is featured at the top of the list. Choosing an instrument that can effortlessly tackle the soft aspect of your playing is essential as the face-melting aspect.
In this regard, you should consider an instrument with features that shape the tone, like coil splitting, because this can help you expand your sonic range.
The second is the feeling of the guitar. It should be easy to play. Most guitars are equipped with professionally edge-rolled edges on the fretboard, which will result in a pleasant playing experience. Also, you don’t need to worry about poor fretwork, either, because, at this point, most guitars are set up and ready for use. You can try a variety of designs and discover what you prefer.
What Makes a Great Electric Guitar?
They are incredible sounding. It’s due to two elements: superior manufacturing and top-of-the-line picks.
Excellent electric guitars are constructed with care and precision. They are crafted with more attention to detail than mass-produced models that you can purchase for less than $500.
Tone can be altered by even the tiniest of things. Sometimes, this means not placing finishing or paint between the bridge and body wood. It could also be the level of security with which the neck is held or the kind of attachment used.
The best guitars are built using these tiny variables in mind; paying attention to detail in every aspect of the design to create the guitar is as incredible as it can sound.
The pickups on the top electrics are far superior to the standard factory-wound used in beginner guitars. They’re manufactured with care and principal quality components to produce the purest sound that reflects the qualities of your guitar’s tonewoods. Look here to learn more about the way that pickups create your sound.
The most important thing is paying focus to the details. Manufacturers devote more time to creating top-quality instruments than the machines you buy for just a few hundred dollars.
What Should You Look for in a Guitar Under $2000?
One of the first things I would recommend is to be aware of how the guitar plays for you. A guitar of this price range is a long-lasting friend.
Do whatever you want to learn about the guitar inside and out. What do you feel your gut says? Is it too large? Too small? Light or heavy? Does it fit like a glove? Or is it too bulky and awkward for you?
The most important thing you wouldn’t like to do is spend an extra couple of grand on an expensive instrument only to find after a couple of days that you don’t like playing it.
This is the essence of the instrument. You must love this instrument. It should bring you excitement and joy whenever you are playing. A priced guitar, at this point, is as close to your soulmate.
But, of course, playing the feel isn’t the only way to go about it. Don’t leave the store before you’ve experienced it through your fingertips. If it’s not right, and its tone isn’t your style, it’s likely to fail.
Test it with various tone knob adjustments, and play in all the styles you already know. You can make it sing to you; if you’re unable to do it, this isn’t a guitar you’d like to invest so many dollars on.
If you’re at a point where you’re willing to invest $2000 on an instrument, it has to be pleasing to the player in all ways that a guitar could. If you find any aspects that don’t feel right, continue searching until you find the instrument you’ve been looking for.
Who Should Buy a Guitar Under $2000?
This is a more straightforward problem to address: do not purchase an expensive guitar unless you’re committed to your musical endeavor beyond any shadow of a doubt.
They’re professional-grade instruments. They’re not toys. Not the kind of instrument to purchase if you’re not confident that guitar is your hobby of preference.
In contrast, they are instruments for people destined to make waves in the world. These guitars are designed for stage use and studio. Would they be content in your garage group? Yes, but not at their peak.
If you’re just starting out or perhaps an ambitious intermediate player, it’s best to choose a lower-cost model until you’re ready to conquer the world. Look at our top electronic devices for under $100 if you want to start playing with a tight budget.
Learn about the most pleasing aspects of the various tonewoods before purchasing the guitar at this price. Be aware of what you like. Get familiar with your musical style and tone preferences.
Things to Consider
If you are considering buying an electric guitar for less than $1000, there are some things to consider regarding maintenance. Here are a few tips I believe will assist you.
Pickups
The pickups of an electric guitar priced under $2000 tend to be a significant amount over those of lower expensive instruments and aren’t required to be altered. If you do change them, it’s generally just a sound preference that you’re trying to achieve. Be aware that this could add cost to an instrument. Therefore, be sure to be mindful of that. It is essential to research different pickups and then give them a thorough listening session to decide the one you prefer. Certain pickups sound better on specific instruments in comparison to other models.
Setup
Most guitars, even those priced under $2000, originate from an initial setup. This is okay. However, the guitar may require adjustments to make it play according to your preferences. The factory intonation could be off, so you’ll have to correct this on your own or ask an experienced guitar technician to set up the instrument for you. The guitar might not require this, but it’s recommended to test it to ensure it is in tune across the neck. The guitar’s action is also a common factor, and it is necessary to alter the action to suit your preference, such as my guitars with higher action since I prefer blues-based music. This can make it harder to shred, so choose the tone you desire on your guitar. You may also move the bridge up and down on certain guitars and set the action.
Neck adjustments aren’t required, but should you choose to do it, do it one-quarter of a turn each period and allow the instrument to adjust. It’s best to get a guitar technician to do these kinds of adjustments on a costly device. It is also essential to look at the frets since certain guitars may have sharp frets right from the factory. However, it’s usually relatively minor and is easily repaired immediately. Most expensive guitars do not have this problem, but it does happen.
Maintenance
Before purchasing the guitar, it is essential to think about the upkeep of the guitar. For example, a guitar with a Floyd Rose will take longer to be tuned and adequately set up to play, which could be a problem for specific players. After every string change, wipe off the guitar to eliminate the dirt. You can use some water on a damp and clean cloth or even a tiny amount of polish for guitars. Make sure you don’t apply too much polish since you’ll only need a few drops. Also, you must be aware of the possibility of dings and scratches on the guitar. Minimizing them by paying attention to them and placing it in a case or a stand when you’re not playing is possible. When performing, ensure the guitar is away from a busy space and put it on the shelf. If your fretboard becomes filthy, wash it by wiping it with a cloth. This will remove dirt and debris. A soft toothbrush is sufficient for rosewood guitars. A few drops of linseed oils will help to condition the fretboard; however, don’t overdo it with more. Consult a guitar technician for assistance in maintaining your guitar. You do not want to make a mistake and ruin your expensive instrument.
I own an Electric Guitar Under $2000; what do I do?
After you’ve acquired your guitar, there are a few things you need to consider, and I’ll cover them here.
Insurance and Theft Prevention
For high-end guitars, I would always suggest insurance. This will protect your instrument from being stolen. Don’t leave your guitar in the view of a window or an affixed wall where anyone could see it since it could be a target for theft. You can buy locks for your case; many manufacturers make guitar cases with locking. This is an excellent option to keep the guitar secure. There are guitar racks available where you can secure the case in the frame, keeping your investment safe. It is not advisable to tell anyone that you own an expensive instrument; simply say that you own the average agent. Another suggestion is to place devices in a separate space and put an additional lock that makes it more difficult to steal the guitars.
Buying Gear
If you’re looking to buy a guitar that costs less than $2000, then you’ll probably have a pretty good idea of the instruments you’re looking for, and I won’t go into this here. However, you need to be aware of certain things when you are looking to purchase new equipment.
Read Reviews
Before purchasing equipment, check the reviews and watch any videos that feature the equipment to decide whether you will consider purchasing. You shouldn’t buy according to the hype, but rather what you would like. Of course, you can play around with the equipment to create different sounds, but you need to be sure you’re buying equipment you can utilize. It’s best to purchase equipment vetted by other musicians, so you’ll have a clear idea of the quality of the equipment and whether it is suitable for your needs.
By What You Like Not What Others Do
Sometimes, we’re looking to purchase equipment because someone else is using it. However, this is not a good idea. It is best to buy only gear you’ve got an interest in so that you will end up with something you’ll be happy with. Make sure you’ve got the right gear before purchasing, and look more at the equipment to find out if it’s the one you would like.
Get Quality Gear
If you’re on a tight budget, you should spend the extra money to buy top-quality equipment. You need gear for your guitar that’s likely to last for an extended time and have fewer issues, so choose the most durable that you can afford, particularly when you plan to perform this professionally. There will be less frustration as a musician if the guitar or other equipment is user-friendly and can do what you need. There’s quality gear available at any price point, so you must buy the highest quality you can to avoid any future stress and frustration. The guitars that cost a lot usually come with high-quality components that last longer than instruments that cost less, so you won’t need to replace things as frequently. For instance, high-end guitars are equipped with pickups that surpass the capabilities of the cheaper models. This is a significant reason to buy the more expensive model as the pickups are of high quality and can’t change. When you purchase an expensive guitar, you’ll receive excellent quality and value overall, which, in the end, could save you money.
Final Word
It was a joy to write. There’s no instrument that I would not want to bring home.
While the Eric Johnson Stratocaster cannot withstand the gruesome breaks I’d like to drop into; it’s a fantastic playing guitar. If you’re an avid Fender enthusiast and want to play this guitar, it has the classic tone and playing ability that has kept this model in the spotlight for over a half-century.
The SG is a classic model that will disappear from the spotlight. It’s a natural performer that can create the guitarist of the most casual of hobbyists.
There are many options when it comes to spending the money to purchase an axe, so make your choice carefully to ensure you get the string that can bring you happiness for the rest of your music career. If none of them hit the mark, check out our suggestions for the top electric guitars you can buy.
To help you make the right decision, I am pleased to present my recommendations for the top electric guitar for less than $2000.
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