The Best Electric Guitars Under $1500 Price Range

With so many guitars to choose from, it’s hard to narrow down the best electric guitars under 1500$. Yet, even with all the choices available on the market, some guitars stand out among the others. So, we’ve made it our mission today to take a look and discuss these guitars. What’s unique about them? What can they do? Which materials went into their construction?

On a side note, we recently took a look at the best acoustic guitars in the sub $5000 range. It might pique your interest, as we discussed many “one-of-a-kind” and masterwork guitars.

With all that being said, let’s take a look at our choice for the best electric guitars in the sub $1500 range.

A Selection of the Best Electric Guitars Under $1500

Fender Jimi Hendrix Strat OWH

• Body: Alder
• Neck: Maple
• Fretboard: Maple

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You don’t have to be a guitarist to know who Jimi Hendrix is. His name is legendary in the music world, as he is probably one of, if not, the best guitarist of all time. And his signature model with Fender represents that quite well. So let’s take a look at the guitar.

The body of the guitar is made out of Alder wood, while its neck is made out of Maple. The fretboard is likewise made out of Maple and measures 21 Medium Jumbo frets. Its nut, i.e its saddle is made out of Micarta, a softer more flexible material than bone, but just as effective. Now let’s take a look at the hardware.

It comes with 3 American Vintage 65 single coils and it has a 5-way switch, along with the respective tone and volume knobs. The guitar also comes with a synchronized tremolo. Now, what’s interesting about it is its signature reversed headstock. The coloring of the guitar is also interesting as it’s an Olympic White, with accompanying white “aged” plastic parts, that give it that “old-time” look. And, you’d be happy to know that a gig bag is included in the package.

ESP LTD M-Black Metal Black Satin

• Body: Alder
• Neck: Maple
• Fretboard: Ebony

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Don’t let the name fool you, the LTD m-Black Metal isn’t only for black metal. Just don’t try and play K-Pop on it, or your guitar might just explode.

Just kidding. The ESP LTD M-Black Metal has an Alder body with a 3-piece neck-through neck made out of Maple. The fretboard itself is Macassar Ebony and measures 24 “XJ” Frets. It also has a locking nut, that helps with excessive vibrations. Now, let’s see what the hardware is comprised of.

Its pickups, or should I say, pickup, is just a single Seymor Duncan Blackened Black Winter Humbucker in the bridge position. As a result of this, it only has one volume knob and that’s it. Because of this, the LTD M-Black Metal has a reputation for being quite a simple guitar. So, many players take to modifying it. This characteristic can either be a pro or a con, depending on where you stand on the matter of modification. Moving on. The guitar also has a Floyd Rose 1000 tremolo and Grover machine heads. Finally, the ESP LTD M-Black Metal Black Satin comes, as the name implies, in a Black, matte coloring. It does not however come with a gig bag, as that is sold separately.

Fender Joe Strummer Tele RW Black

• Body: Alder
• Fretboard: Rosewood

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Don’t let the look of the guitar deceive you, it’s a mean beast, even though it does look “worn-down” to many people who look at it for the first time.

This Tele RW Black is a signature model of The Clash’s very own Joe Strummer. Joe Strummer is known for having one of the most iconic Telecasters of all time, and Fender has managed to recreate it perfectly with his signature model.

The RW Black is made out of an Alder body with a bolt-on Maple neck. The fretboard is made out of Rosewood and measures 21 Vintage frets, it also has white pearloid dot inlays. For stability, it has a bone nut inserted in it. Now, onto the hardware.

The hardware itself is comprised of 2 Vintage-style 60s Tele single coils with a single volume and tone knob, its switch is also a 3-way toggle. The bridge is a 6-saddle vintage-style string-through-body Tele bridge with steel saddles. Likewise, to finish off the vintage look, the machine heads are also Vitange-style as well as the pickguard, which is a 3-ply parchment. Most of the hardware is made out of Nickel and Chrome.

Its look is the most unique part of the guitar, thanks to the Black over 3-color Sunburst and the Vintage-style hardware. Thankfully, a gig case is also included with the guitar.

Gibson Les Paul Tribute STB

• Top: Maple
• Body: Mahogany
• Neck: Maple
• Fretboard: Rosewood

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It wouldn’t be a proper list without a Gibson guitar on here, and what better choice than the Gibson Les Paul Tribute STB.

The Gibson Les Paul Tribute STB has a Mahogany body with a Maple top and a Maple neck. It also has an “Ultra Modern Weight Relief”, aka, the weight of the body is reduced. Les Pauls aren’t the lightest guitars, so any reduction in its weight is a nice sight. Now, the fretboard is made out of Rosewood and is 22 Medium frets long. For stability, a Tectoid nut is inserted into the guitar. Now for the fun parts.

It has 2 pickups, an 490R and a 490T humbuckers. With their respective volume and tone knobs. The bridge is an Aluminium Tuneomatic and it has an Aluminum Stop Bar. The color of the Les Paul Tribute STB is simply iconic as it’s a Satin Tobacco Burst. Thankfully, a soft shell case is included in this package.

ESP LTD Iron Cross SW

• Top: Maple
• Body: Mahogany
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Ebony

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Does the ESP LTD Iron Cross SW seem familiar somehow? That’s because this guitar is a signature model of Metallica’s very own James Hetfield. The Iron Cross SW probably has one of the most iconic looks in guitar history, but let’s take a look inside.

The guitar itself is made out of a Mahogany body with a Maple top, while the neck is a set-in Mahogany neck. The fretboard on the other hand is Makassar Ebony and it measures 22 Extra Jumbo frets. It also has a molded nut added for stability. Now let’s take a look at the hardware, as that’s where all the fun is.

The Iron Cross comes with 2 pickups, the bridge pickup is an Active EMG JH SET and the neck pickup is likewise an Active EMG JH SET. The guitar comes with 2 volume knobs and one tone knob as well as a 3-way switch. Its bridge and tailpiece are a Tonepro Locking Tune-O-Matic, while the machine heads are LTD’s very own locking machine heads.

The guitar has a Snow White with Black Stripes finish and the iconic Iron Cross, which is present on the body of the guitar and on the fretboard. Luckily enough, the ESP LTD Iron Cross SW comes with its very own gig case.

Gibson SG Standard HC

• Neck: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Rosewood

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No list would be complete without the Gibson SG Standard HC. If we hadn’t included it, Angus Young would have been mad!

We’re only joking, but the SG is anything but a joke. Let’s see why it’s the preferred guitar for many guitar players. For starters, its body is made out of Mahogany with a Mahogany neck. The fretboard on the other hand is made out of Rosewood and measures 22 Cold-treated medium frets. For added aesthetics, it has Trapeze fretboard inlays. And for stability, a Graphtech nut is inserted into the guitar.

The hardware of the guitar includes a 490R neck pickup and a 490T bridge pickup which are both humbuckers, they also come with their respective tone and volume knobs. Its bridge is an Aluminium Tune-O-Matic bridge and so is the Stop Bar. The machine heads are the iconic Grover machine heads.

The Gibson SG Standard HC comes in a Heritage Cherry color, and, thankfully, in its very own soft-shell case.

When 1500$ Guitars are too Expensive

If these guitars are out of your budget range, don’t worry, we have you covered. We recently listed the best guitars in the sub 1000$ range. For a fraction of the price, you will be able to nab yourself a piece of equipment that will serve you just as well. So, feel free to head on over to our best electric guitars under 1000$ article and check them out yourself.