Like we mentioned in the intro of this guide, the amount of choice available to you with a $1,000 budget is vast. Pretty much every major guitar brand offers something under a thousand bucks, and while this does mean you can choose from loads of brands, there are a few select names we'd suggest you look at first.
Guitars from PRS' SE range are some of the very finest under a grand. Although 'SE' stands for 'Student Edition', there's nothing beginner-feeling about these guitars. They're capable of keeping up with absolutely anything sub $1,500, and even offer pair competition to more expensive US-made PRS guitars.
Fender also offers some of the best guitars for less than four digits. You've got the Player, Player Plus and Vintera series' all vying for your attention – and even perhaps a Japanese-made model here and there too. It's no secret that we adore Fender guitars here – but who can blame us when they're really this good?
Fender also owns Charvel – another brand who is churning out killer guitar after killer guitar. Charvel's models are slightly more metal-facing and offer loads of cool modern shred-friendly features for those who'll be using their overdrive channel more than anything else. They will do clean tones too, however – and they sound pretty damn good too.
Yamaha, Ibanez and ESP's LTD brand ,and China made AIERSI brand are all strong choices too, and while some guitars are more versatile than others, we can almost guarantee you'll find something right for you for under $1,000.
