How Much Does An Electric Guitar Cost?
Published on 20 June 2024
How much does an electric guitar cost?
This is a question we get asked a lot, and whilst it’s not the easiest question to answer, I think it at least deserves my best shot!
I’ve been with guitarguitar for 17 years, both as a salesperson and as a staff writer on the site here. This means that I’ve had access to - and sold - literally thousands of guitars, from £100 entry level instruments to top of the range, custom built boutique guitars.
Determining why a certain guitar costs a certain amount can sometimes be a less than obvious affair, so what I’ve done today is to pick out a range of Stratocaster-type guitars (the most popular electric guitar shape in the world) with a vastly varying set of prices, and I’ll share with you the reasons why they are cheaper or more expensive. Hopefully the superficial visual similarity will be helpful here: it’ll illustrate what is intrinsically different about each guitar choice, since they all look the same, more or less.
I will include the prices in this blog, even though those may change in the future. I feel that it’s important to understand the difference in cost between the models, so with all prices being correct for June 2024, you’ll be seeing prices for each model discussed.
Are you with me? Questions at the end, thank you: now, let’s move along!
Contents
Why Do Electric Guitars Have Different Prices?
Are Mexican Fenders Good Enough?
Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster
So, How Much is an Electric Guitar?
Why Do Electric Guitars Have Different Prices?
Why indeed? Let’s use that Stratocaster example I mentioned earlier. As a guitar, it’s an icon, an innovator…with around 100+ variations! I’ll be checking out examples from Fender’s Mexican and US ranges today, but there are also great instruments from Squier, who are licensed replicas of Fender guitars. They are made in the Far East and are the most affordable options of all. Great guitars, but I’ll stick with ‘F’-branded guitars today for simplicity’s sake.
When looking at a wall of Strats - as you undoubtedly will do upon entering your preferred guitarguitar store - it can be both intimidating and confusing due to the overwhelming choice, never mind the fact that most of them will look kind of the same!
Separating these guitars into their different subbrands will help demystify things.
Fender Player Series Strat
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Considered the entry level model in the official Fender line, the Player Series Strat carries the features we all love about the model, with a list of specs that make these really quite impressive, regardless of price. Let’s explore this a little more…
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Where they are Made
The Fender Player Series are produced in Ensenada, Mexico which has been making Fender’s more budget friendly models for over 2 decades. The quality is higher than ever, making these instruments good enough for anybody.
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Quality of Parts
Every part of a guitar comes in a variety of different qualities & levels, which ultimately determines the final cost. The Fender Player Series uses slightly more cost effective parts to keep the cost down when producing the guitars. Interestingly, important elements like pickups are not skimped on here: Fender are using good quality Alnico pickups, which give a very pleasing and authentic Strat tone. Counter to this, areas like the bridge and the electronics are where you’ll find more budget-friendly parts choices.
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Quality of Build
Time is money: this means the Mexican made models don't have as much hands on time by the builders as the American guitars. In real terms, we’re talking about them being spray-painted in batches rather than individually, for example. There’s a level less of the hand-building, but the guitars still have a high degree of human being interaction in the build process!
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Extras
Fender Player Series guitars do not come with any form of case or bag which is another way to keep costs down. The Player Series is, at time of writing, available for around £700.
Other Mexican Models
The Player Series isn’t the only range of Fender instruments coming out of Ensenada. In bullet form, here’s a brief rundown of what’s currently on offer:
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Vintera II - ‘Vintera’ is an entirely made up word, blending ‘vintage’ and ‘era’. This range is all about historically-inspired models with particular specs & colours. Whilst not strictly ‘vintage’, the Vintera II range utilises more vintage inspired pickups and configurations, along with a more retro look to certain models. Fender Vintera guitars come with a gig bag and currently cost around a grand.
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Player Plus - An upgraded Player Series model, the Player Plus Stratocaster features Noiseless pickups, a flatter radius fingerboard (so that solos feel really good to play higher up the neck) and a set of locking tuners. There’s a choice of entirely different finishes, too. Fender Player Plus guitars have a gig bag and come in around £899.
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Signature Series - Artist specific models are made while working with a particular guitarist and their specific specs. There is a huge roster of talent with Mexican-made Fenders, from Tash Sultana to Troy Van Leeuwen. Often, these guitars feature parts and finishes that are simply not available on standard-issue Fenders. Fender Artist signature series guitars almost always ship with a gig bag or a hard case.
Each of these variants have their own benefits to players: it’s a matter of finding the one that offers what you need. Also, I want to add that just because a particular guitar is more expensive than another one, that doesn’t mean that it will be better for you! The best way to find your perfect guitar is to see what’s out there, try a few models back to back and make your final choice based on how you feel about the instrument.
Are Mexican Fenders Good Enough?
I often used to hear talk on the shop floor form customers assuming that professional players used US-made guitars, and that Mexican or Far Eastern models were for students, hobbyists, and other players who somehow weren’t that serious about their guitar playing. I heard it all the time, and I often wondered whether these opinions were based on first-hand experience.
May I be clear about my take on this? The question of whether Mexican Fenders (or Epiphones, Squiers or any other imported brand) is good enough to play in a studio or on a stage is crazy. OF COURSE they are good enough! They are built with passion and dedication, just like anything from the States. Most professional players do not use top-priced museum pieces to tour with, anyway. Guitars at all price points are good these days, and after you settle into the string gauge and setup preferences that you like, you’ll quite quickly notice how well made and giggable these less-expensive instruments are.
And on that note, let’s look at some American-made Fender!
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Fender American Pro II
Known as the "Standard" of U.S made Fender instruments, the American Pro II Series is, for many, the starting point for a ‘guitar for life’. Since 1985, Fender have been producing their American line of guitars from their facility in Corona, California. What you can expect with the American line of Fender guitars is a higher level of build quality, more attention to detail in both the fit and the finish, and higher grade components. These guitars will all be supplied with either a gig bag or a hard case, too.
Let’s go further in…
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Quality of Parts
The American Pro II has a higher quality of pickup called the “V-Mod II” series which is wound by hand and made especially for the Pro II series. These pickups provide more punch & clarity than most of the Mexican made models, but still provide all the usual Strat vibe you’d expect.
Also, the bridge is more intricately machined and has a higher mass, which aids tuning stability and helps promote sustain. Also, the quality level of the electronics is hiked up a notch.
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Quality of Build
As previously mentioned, these guitars are built in Fender’s famous California factory where Fender have been creating their flagship models for years. More time is spent on each guitar by the builders, since these are the typical ‘blueprint’ Fenders that most customers will want to see. They are professional gigging instruments and are built for a life on the road. Neck joins, frets, detailing: it’s all just made to a higher level.
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Extras
All American made Fenders comes with a gig bag or hard case. Styles differ from range to range (see below) but no US-made instruments are shipped without some form of bag or case.
American-built guitars are still very revered in today’s market. There’s the weight of heritage and history on their side: an idea of ‘authenticity’ that adds to the appeal of this most romantic of brands. Right now, a typical Fender American Pro II Strat will cost around £1800.
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Other American Models
Like with Mexican Fenders, the US-made guitars can be had in a variety of iterations, with similar stylistic delineations. Here’s a rundown…
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American Performer - Fender's most affordable model to come out of the Californian factory. Loaded with "Yosemite" pickups - exclusive to this line - these guitars pack a good deal of punch into a package that won’t break the bank. All Performer models come with a gig bag and are priced around the £1349 mark.
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American Vintage II - These guitars are made to replicate vintage Fenders of the 50’s, 60’s & 70’s. This range is similar in idea to the Mexican made Vintera II range, but the guitars themselves are from different time periods, and perhaps adhere slightly more to being ‘true vintage’ in design & spec. Fender American Vintage II guitars come with an old school tweed hard case and the price is around £2k.
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American Ultra - Seen as a premium range, Fender American Ultra guitars are the highest priced Fender guitars out there, until you start looking at Fender Custom Shop instruments. Designed to be a more modern incarnation of the Fender classics, these Ultra guitars feature a ton of specs that really take these guitars to the next level: Ultra noiseless pickups that eliminate the “hum” experienced with typical single coils; locking tuners for pitch perfect tuning stability; a new neck shape; a compound radius fingerboard (it flattens out the higher up it gets) and much much more. These all come with a moulded hard case, with prices landing around £2k-2100 at time of writing (June 2024).
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The Ultra Luxe line is very similar to the American Ultra guitars I just mentioned, albeit with a few extra add ons such as Floyd Rose locking tremolos, depending on the model.
The American factory also produces some of the higher spec artist models, including very popular models such as the Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck Stratocasters. These guitars are filled with non-standard specifications and are used by the artists themselves.
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Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster
Last, but certainly not least, we have the top of the list when it comes to Fender offerings: the Fender Custom Shop. Also based in Corona, California, this is where guitar dreams become reality. Housing the very best of the best of the company’s master luthiers, if you want the highest grade instrument that Fender can produce, look no further.
Whilst you can actually make up a custom order with Fender Custom Shop for a guitar of your own specs (contact us to take you through the process, we are Custom Shop Gold Dealers!), the reality of supply and demand means that there can sometimes be a wait of years before you get your hands on a custom order. This is why we offer so many Fender CS guitars in our stores: we make our orders years in advance so that you don’t have to wait years to get your hands on one!
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There isn’t any real list of models to run down, since you can custom order pretty much anything Fender related from this group of master builders, but there are a few grades of build that you can get, and it’s all based on terms like ‘Team Built’ and ‘Master Built’. Here’s roughly how that goes:
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Team Built - Your guitar is created by a small number of Custom Shop builders.
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Master Built - A custom guitar created from start to finish by one Master Builder. People such as Dale Wilson, Greg Fessler, Yuriy Shishkov & Dennis Galuszka have been producing some of the most jaw dropping Fender instruments ever made. These are the builders making guitars for famous Fender artists, and with that pedigree, the waiting list can be many years!
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Master Built Designed - Designed by one of the Master Builders but instead of being built by them, it is assembled by the Custom Shop Team.
The time, effort and sheer build quality that goes into these guitars determine the cost, but be confident in knowing that you will be receiving the highest quality Fender guitar that you’ve ever played! As such, the prices are correspondingly expensive, compared with what we’ve looked at so far today. Team Built guitars are more affordable, and Master Built guitars are the most expensive. You’re basically paying for exclusivity, prestige and experience here: it’s Fender’s best people, making a guitar just for you.
Is it better than something that’s still expensive but is perhaps a grand or two cheaper? I’d say that the metrics aren’t particularly balanced there: a £4000 CS Strat is, in my opinion, not necessarily twice as good as a £2000 Ultra Strat, but I’d argue that that isn’t really the point. You aren’t just buying a Custom Shop Strat because it’s better, but the fact is that it is the best you can get.
Check out a little more information on the Fender Custom Shop.
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So, How Much is an Electric Guitar?
Okay, so I’ve had a look at a number of Stratocasters, from around the £700 mark to the £4k+ mark. What did I learn?
‘Expensive’ gets you better parts and more time/effort spent on the build. Does that make the guitar objectively better? It does, if you can afford it and if you notice the differences. The more expensive Strats I looked at today do have a smoother feel, a more specific sound and lots of particular details that can only be had when more money is spent on the build.
What the more expensive guitars don’t do is transform your playing to any great degree. Some guitars WILL make you play better than others, but that just means that you prefer one style over another: if you prefer Les Paul-type guitars over Strat-type guitars, then you’ll prefer a £500 Epiphone Les Paul over a £4k Custom Shop Strat simply because you get on with that style of design and build better. Money isn’t the question.
So, finally: how much is an electric guitar? A hundred quid. Fifteen grand. Every single price point in between. And they are all good in their own way. What a time to be alive!
