The Fender Broadcaster, later renamed to Telecaster, is considered the first commercially successful solidbody electric guitar - and now, decades later, the Telecaster is as in-demand as ever.

The Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s continues this legacy with its combination of vintage features and modern reliability at a more accessible price point.

The design of this guitar follows vintage designs closely, from its single-cutaway body to the neck and headstock shape, down to hardware configuration.

But to keep the price affordable Fender utilized more affordable materials and efficient production methods.

The body is crafted from pine wood, which may not appeal to purists but is good enough to get the look right, and more importantly, it gets the job done.

This type of wood is also lighter, which means that the guitar plays comfortably.

To meet the demands of today's guitarists, this one has a modern C neck profile and a flatter 9.5" fingerboard radius over the 7.2" that's seen on vintage specimens. This results in easier playability compared to other Teles with thicker necks.

Giving this guitar its voice are vintage-sounding Alnico III magnet pickups, and they do the vintage twang tone justice without the usual hefty price tag expected from premium Telecasters. It stands out as the best guitar for fingerpicking in this group.

Many consider the Squier Classic Vibe series to be the best budget electric guitars, and rightly so given the good value and quality they offer.

As expected, the build quality and setup are not as good as more expensive models, but it can be a gigging guitar. Thankfully, minor neck and setup imperfections are not deal breakers and can be fixed.

If you're in the market for a reasonably priced Telecaster, the Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s should be the first model to consider seriously.

Fans of the Fender designed Strat can also look into its equally good sibling, the Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster. It is considered one of the best cheap electric guitars.

Specifications

• Body: Pine
• Finish: Butterscotch Blonde (pictured), Vintage Blonde, Natural, 3-Color Sunburst
• Bridge: 3-barrel Bridge
• Pickups: (SS) Custom Vintage-Style Alnico III Single-coil Tele
• Neck: Maple (Bolt-on "C" shape)
• Scale Length: 25.5”
• Fingerboard: Maple
• Fingerboard Radius: 9.5”
• Frets: 21 Medium Jumbo
• Nut Width: 1.65”
• Controls: 1-volume, 1-tone
• Pickup Selector: 3-way blade pickup switch

The video below puts the Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s into its paces:

The Epiphone Les Paul Special is a modern take on a classic instrument from the '50s, combining latest guitar design and building technology with old school looks.

At its core are two P-90 Pro Soap Bar single-coil pickups that give it a gritty midrange rich tone that works well for rock and similar styles of music.

Speaking of being a rock instrument, its grit can be too much for musical styles that require clean tone.

The body is crafted from mahogany, shaped into the familiar single-cutaway LP shape but with a flat top.

It has a mahogany neck topped by a 12" radius 22-fret fingerboard. It has a thicker Neck Profile similar to older instruments, but it may not appeal to those who are used to thinner necks.

Modern implements include having a Graph Tech nut and CTS electronics which improve the lifespan and taper of the potentiometers.

It comes with a "TV Yellow" finish, which is inspired by the old yellow wooden cabinets that old TVs were placed inside of back in the day.

Build quality is quite good, giving this guitar aesthetics, tuning stability and a playing feel above its price range.

This is the reason why the Epiphone Les Paul Special TV Yellow was back-ordered for a while, but it's available again now as I write this.

There's a reason why more and more people are lining up to get the Epiphone Les Paul Special TV Yellow, check it out if you're looking for an affordable P-90 equipped LP.

Specifications

• Body: Mahogany
• Finish: TV Yellow
• Bridge: Lightning Bar Wrap Around
• Pickups: (PP) 2 x P-90 PRO Soap Bar Single-coil
• Neck: Mahogany
• Scale Length: 24.75”
• Fingerboard: Indian Laurel
• Fingerboard Radius: 12”
• Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo
• Nut Width: 1.693”
• Controls: 2 x Volume, 2 x Tone
• Pickup Selector: 3-Way Switch

While Gretsch is well known for their distinct looking hollowbody guitars, but they do have a lineup of solidbody electric guitars that are doing very well in the market.

The G5426 Jet Club Silver exemplifies what Gretsch is all about, applying their distinct retro style on a solid body guitar and making them unmistakably their own.

This one features a single cutaway chambered basswood body that makes the guitar lighter. The body is joined to an arched maple top which has a nice silver finish.

This sparkly silver finish is really eye-catching in person, and makes the instrument look more premium than it actually is. Even non-musicians appreciate its overall aesthetics.

It comes with dual humbucking pickups that are tweaked to give it a trebly and gritty, rockabilly-friendly tone that's expected from Gretsch guitars.

Its treble focused tone may not appeal to those who are into fat and warm sounds, but the highs can be tamed via the tone knob.

It has a rosewood fretboard on top of a maple neck, both of which follow traditional specs for comfortable and familiar playability.

For better control over intonation, Gretsch equipped the G526 with an Adjusto-Matic bridge. Being part of the Gretsch Electromatic line, this fancy looking guitar has an accessible price tag.

This is perfect if you're looking to expand your guitar collection with a visually striking solidbody electric guitar. Especially if you want the familiar Gretsch tone.

Specifications

• Body: Chambered Basswood with Maple Top
• Finish: Silver
• Bridge: Adjusto-Matic Bridge with Stop Tailpiece
• Pickups: Humbucker Pickups
• Neck: Maple
• Scale Length: 24.6”
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Fingerboard Radius: 12”
• Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo
• Nut Width: 1.6875”
• Controls: Volume control knob, Tone control knob
• Pickup Selector: 3 Way Pickup Selector Switch

The PAC112V is part of Yamaha's Pacifica line of electric guitars, it is basically a modified Strat / Superstrat style guitar marketed for students of the instrument.

While it is very similar to the more affordable PAC112J, it features upgraded electronics, including Alnico V pickups, resulting in improved response and fuller tone.

Another important distinction is the humbucker pickup with coil-splitting, providing improved tone flexibility. With it, you have the option between humbucker and single coil bridge pickup tones.

These features together with good overall build quality makes this quite a steal for the price.

On the flipside, these extra features will not appeal to fans of traditional strats.

At its core is its double cutaway alder body, with more room on the lower cutaway for reaching the highest notes. The neck is crafted from maple, and topped by a rosewood fingerboard, with a C-shape profile that's familiar and beginner friendly.

If you're looking for a versatile shred machine and rock guitar, then do check out the Yamaha PAC112V.

Specifications

• Body: Alder
• Finish: Natural, Violin Burst, Black, Red Raspberry, Silver, Sonic Blue
• Bridge: Vintage Style Tremolo with Block Saddles
• Pickups: Two Alnico V Singlecoils (Neck, Middle), One Alnico V Humbucker (Bridge)
• Neck: Maple
• Scale Length: 25.5”
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Fingerboard Radius: 13.75”
• Frets: 22 Medium
• Nut Width: 1.614”
• Controls: 1-master volume, 1-master tone (push/pull coil-split), 5-way blade pickup switch
• Pickup Selector: 5-way toggle switch

The RG series started out as the Ibanez Made in Japan streamlined version of the Steve Vai Jem. But it ended up joining the Jem as the two main models that put Ibanez on the map.

Up to this day, the RG continues to be their most popular guitar line, thanks to highly rated guitars like the RG470MB which are accessibly priced.

It retains the HSH (Humbucker - Singlecoil - Humbucker) pickup configuration, which was popularized by the original Jem.

The hot output of the two humbuckers give the neck and bridge positions better compatibility with distortion effects.

It also comes with the latest version of Ibanez' popular Wizard neck, which is a low action shred-friendly profile.

Other noteworthy features include double locking tremolo (whammy bar), locking nut, and it comes with a unique looking Autumn Fade Metallic finish.

Hardware quality is better than what you'd normally see in similarly priced guitars. Locking tremolo and nut allow for techniques like vibrato and dive bombs, but they are a bit more complex to setup.

This is not for musicians who just want a straightforward blues guitar.

If you're into shred or if you're looking for a versatile HSH guitar, and you want one from one of the major guitar brands, then this should be high on your list.

Specifications

• Body: Meranti
• Finish: Autumn Fade Metallic
• Bridge: Double Locking Tremolo
• Pickups: (HSH) 2 x Quantum Bucker, 1 x Quantum Singlecoil
• Neck: Maple
• Scale Length: 25.5”
• Fingerboard: Maple
• Fingerboard Radius: 15.7”
• Frets: 24 Jumbo
• Nut Width: 1.692”
• Controls: 1 x Volume, 1 x Tone
• Pickup Selector: 5-way Blade Switch

The G2215-90 is part of Gretsch's Streamliner line of affordable electric guitars. And as the name implies, cosmetic appointments are streamlined, which is a departure from the usual flamboyant styles of Gretsch guitars.

Thankfully, its hardware is not streamlined, rather it has a special pickup combination - a Broad'Tron (FilterTron style) humbucker at the bridge and a P-90 soapbar in the neck position.

The bridge pickup is meant to provide the distinct high-end zing expected from Gretsch, while the neck pickup offers a fat and growling contrast. The pickups are mounted on a nato body that follows Gretsch' Jet Club singlecutaway shape.

The neck is also crafted from nato and bolted on to the body. It has a thin U profile and features a 22-fret fingerboard. While the shape is a bit different, it is comfortable and easy to play.

Wrapping up its features is a compensated wrap-around bridge with ridges that help intonation.

Note that the trebly tone of Gretsch is not for everyone, but it can be versatile with the help of tone and EQ adjustments.

The Gretsch G2215-P90 is a great sounding guitar for anyone who wants to try and experiment with non-conventional pickup configurations.

Specifications

• Body: Nato
• Finish: Mint Metallic, Single Barrel Stain, Sahara Metallic
• Bridge: Anchored Compensated Wrap-around
• Pickups: (FP) Broad'Tron Filtertron Bridge, P-90 Soap Bar Neck
• Neck: Nato
• Scale Length: 24.75”
• Fingerboard: Laurel
• Fingerboard Radius: 12”
• Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo
• Nut Width: 1.6875”
• Controls: 1 x Volume, 1 x Tone
• Pickup Selector: 3-way Toggle Switch