The 30 Best Electric Guitar Brands 2022: What Our Data Shows

Here we show our results after analyzing 2148 mass-produced guitars from 30 different brands in 2022.

Each model went through our scoring algorithm that takes into account over 40 different criteria items, including —but not limited to— nut width, scale size, neck joint, country of origin, quality control, quality of materials, and a lot more.

This data is updated every time we add a new model to our database, so, unlike other resources, this post is updated in real-time as the brands featured in this article release new models .

Take into account that we only evaluate mass-produced models not coming from the custom shop. We decided to leave those out since custom jobs vary on a case-by-case basis.

Brands With The Highest Average Scores in 2022

To find the brand that offers the highest-quality guitars, we analyze each model's specs. This let us score each guitar according to their playability, sound and build quality based on a scale from 1 to 100. After obtaining these three different scores, we calculate the average as the final score, which is the one we show in the data below.

According to our findings, without taking into account price, the highest scoring and best brand this year is Martin. Here's our result. The maximum score possible is 100:

How Did We Arrive to This Data?

To determine the build quality of each guitar, we take a look at things like the wood type —is it a proper wood piece for making a guitar?—, hardware quality —do they use branded tuning machines and bridges, or just aftermarket parts?—, building techniques —do they use the cheaper bolt-on neck or the more resistant and expensive neck-through build? We also give a higher score to guitars that are made in countries with a better reputation, although we don't give it too much importance as it's been shown that you can make good guitars from anywhere.

To score their sound quality, we take into account where and who makes their pickups. For example, if they come from a well-known brand, they will get a higher score. We also analyze the versatility of their pickup selector and additional switches.

Finally, for their playability, we take a look at the measurements, especially of the neck. For example, do they use a C or D profile, which makes guitars easier to play for most people, or do they use a baseball-like shape that some vintage players prefer? Is the neck thickness within an acceptable range for most people?

These aren't the only things we evaluate. As we said, we have over 40 different criteria items that our algorithm takes into account. We did this for all the 2148 guitars in our database and these were the results.

But that's not all we have. Below we will show more interesting data you might want to check out.

Why do Fender, Gibson and PRS Have Low Scores? Are They No Longer Good?

Something that might catch the attention of many guitarists is how low Gibson, PRS, and Fender tend to score compared to other brands. They are often considered the most prestigious and expensive brands, so why such low scores?

The reason is because they produce guitars that aim towards a mature market looking for more "vintage" style guitars. Since these brands tend to satisfy this part of the market, most of their guitars ignore modern features like multi-switching options, stainless steel frets, locking tuners, and more. Many are also more difficult to play because older necks are often thicker than modern necks.

Many vintage guitarists dislike modern features and are always looking for that old feeling, which leads to these brands building models that satisfy these needs. Even though they still can be high-quality instruments, they are at a disadvantage here. Our algorithm gives a lot of importance to modern features because we consider it the best way to score guitars objectively. We can't put a score to the "vintage tone" or the "vintage feel, but we can evaluate how up-to-date their technology is. So if you love old guitars, don't hesitate to buy a guitar from one of these brands. They're making instruments for your style.

Which Guitar Brand Offers The Best Value For The Money?

Only taking into account the best about a guitar is not fair enough if you don't take into account the price. That's why we developed a way of understanding how much you get for the money you pay.

For this, we've created another 1-to-100 scoring system called "value for the money". To calculate this, we take into account the overall score of a guitar and we add or reduce points according to how high the listing price is.

The highest the score, the more you get for your money. When it comes to value, the best scoring brand is Harley Benton.

Best Value Guitar: Fender Squier SA-105CE

What Brand is the Best for Beginners?

There are indeed some features that might make things harder for a beginner, while there are others that can make their learning process a lot easier. Because of this, we also take into account the beginner-friendly traits that each electric guitar has.

It's recommended for beginners to choose a guitar with a bridge that is easy to set up, a comfortable body and neck, good tuning stability, easy-to-press frets, short scale, and more. We take all of this into account to score the guitars from 1 to 100 in the beginner-friendliness department.

Even though these are the recommended brands for new guitar players, we still recommend you to look for the specific review of the guitar you want. We provide the beginner-friendliness score of every guitar in their dedicated review.

With all this data, we found that the most beginner-friendly brand is Sire.

Best Guitar for Beginners: Schecter Solo-II SLS Elite Evil Twin

Best Brands for Every Genre

If you're looking for a guitar to play a specific music genre, here are the brands we recommend. Bear in mind that you can still use almost any guitar to play any kind of music, but some models tend to be popular for different music. For example, SSS Stratocasters for Funk, Hollow-Bodies for Jazz, Active pickups for Heavy Metal, and so on. With this in mind, here are our results.

Note: You'll notice that some brands are missing for some genres. This is because they are not producing enough models for us to get a reliable average score for the genre, so we didn't include them.

Best Brands for Playing Hard Rock

Best Hard Rock Guitar: Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple

Best Brands for Playing Heavy Metal

Best Heavy Metal Guitar: Jackson USA Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly

Best Brands for Playing Jazz

Best Jazz Guitar: Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville

Best Brands for Playing Blues

Best Blues Guitar: Ibanez AZS2200Q Prestige

Best Brands for Playing Funk

Best Funk Guitar: Reverend Pete Anderson Eastsider Baritone

Best Brands for Playing Country Music

Best Country Guitar: Martin OMJM John Mayer

What Brand Makes the Best Extended Range Guitars?

Here are the top brands to choose from when looking for a baritone guitar (scale length longer than 25.5'') or with more than six strings.

Best Extended Range Guitar: Yamaha A5R ARE

What Countries Are Producing Most Guitars in 2022?

China was the most popular country for making guitars just a few years back. Our data shows that things have changed:

The reason might be that Indonesia provides a better price/quality relationship. However, we also believe that this was a good way for brands to wash away the bad reputation of Chinese products. Even though they've proven for years that they can produce high-quality instruments, many people still believe Chinese products are of low quality.

Where Does Each Brand Produces its Electric Guitars?

Below we list each brand's countries of choice for manufacturing and how many of their models are produced there in 2022.

Martin

ESP E-II

ESP

Music Man

Charvel

Yamaha

Chapman

Solar

EVH

Schecter

Jackson

Fender Custom

Gibson Custom

Reverend

ESP LTD

Ibanez

Fender

Gretsch

Gibson

Washburn

PRS

Dean

D'Angelico

Sterling

Kramer

Harley Benton

Cort

Epiphone

Sire

Fender Squier

That's it for now. You might also like reading about the most popular pickups found in these guitars. Alternatively, you can explore all the 2148 guitars in our database. Or, you can go to our search page to find and compare specific models you're interested in.