Best Electric Guitars 2019: 10 new guitars that pulled our strings this year
Ibanez, Epiphone, PRS, Shergold, ESP LTD, G&L all feature in our list of favourites from 2019
What a great year it’s been! Picking the best electric guitars from a field this big is always going to be very subjective, but here goes. Here are my choices for the best new electric guitars 2019! Yup, a lot of these are signature models (make of that what you will!) But these are all interesting guitars in one way or another. Don’t agree with my choices? Seen other models you think should have made the cut? Let us know in the comments below.
The Best Electric Guitars 2019
Epiphone Jared James Nichols ‘Old Glory’
Let’s start off with a guitar that’s super-cool but not at the top end, price-wise, of these ten guitars. With its black finish, this stripped-back, single-P90-loaded Les Paul Custom just oozes style and attitude. It may, in fact, have been the most Googled guitar on the internet this year. The Epiphone Old Glory Jared James Nichols signature model Les Paul Custom was definitely my top signature model guitar in 2019. It has a wraparound tail piece, combining with a stripped-down vibe for a great-looking guitar.
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Kirk Hammett ESP LTD Sparkle Ouija
Why this one? Maybe it was the bold sparkling finish, Ouija graphic and general over-the-top-ness of this all-out shred monster! The Kirk Hammett ESP LTD Sparkle Ouija takes no prisoners and is outfitted with a Floyd Rose locking trem and a set of of Kirk’s signature EMG KH-BB Bone Breaker active pickups.
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Epiphone Lzzy Hale Explorer
This is another Epiphone signature model, but I think it deserves the attention. The Epiphone Lzzy Hale Explorer model looks luscious in its all-white finish, matching headstock and gold hardware and trimmings. You get a pair of Alnico Classic Pro humbuckers, a set of Grover Rotomatic 18:1 machine heads and an Epiphone LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge, with a stop tailpiece. Now all you need to do is go rock out with it!
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Reverend Greg Koch Signature Gristlemaster
This oversized Tele-esque guitar is the brainchild of Mr Greg Koch who, as a tall guy, wanted a guitar to fit his stature. The Reverend Greg Koch Signature Gristlemaster is a great-looking instrument. Plus, it comes loaded with a set of his signature Fishman Greg Koch Gristle-Tone active pickups, with a built in boost function available as well.
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PRS DW CE 24 Floyd
The PRS DW CE 24 Floyd is, in my opinion, a stunning guitar. Dustie Waring of Between the Buried and Me has specified a wonderful high-performance instrument that comes loaded with a set of his signature Mojotone DW Tomahawk humbuckers. Of course, as the name suggests, it is factory-fitted with a Floyd Rose locking trem system as well. Simply lush.
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PRS Vela Semi-Hollow
Another cracking PRS here. I own a standard PRS Vela and so these new semi-hollow models from the S2 series got my attention when they were announced back in May. The new PRS Vela Semi-Hollow models take the offset design somewhere genuinely intriguing. Aesthetically, it just works.
What was already a good design has now become something special. The S2 Vela Semi-Hollow is available in Antique White, Black, Frost Blue Metallic, Frost Green Metallic, McCarty Tobacco Sunburst, Vintage Cherry and Walnut finishes.
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G&L Fullerton Deluxe Doheny HH
The G&L Fullerton Deluxe Doheny HH is a slightly more modern take on the offset guitar design and combines classic curves with more modern hardware. It takes away some of the hassle of vintage offset instruments and brings the kind of modern playability that we expect from guitars in 2019.
Having twin humbuckers gives you some grunt when needed. However, you also get the G&L PTB system which has a handy bass roll-off feature, so you can dial in more tones than you could with a regular set of humbucking pickups, which makes these guitars even more versatile.
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Ibanez AZ2204-SCR Prestige
A high-performance guitar with modern looks and great specifications, the new Ibanez AZ2204-SCR Prestige turns heads and shreds riffs. These Japanese-built guitars have boutique looks and lots of style.
If you are looking for something a little more modern and less vintage-inspired, but versatile and not ‘all-out rock’, then you should check out these new models.
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Cort G290 FAT
This mid-priced guitar offers a lot of high-end features, but at a much lower price than you might expect. The Cort G290 FAT manages to give players the look of a much more expensive guitar by using flame maple veneers on the top, yet retains all the important stuff like good quality hardware that make a very playable guitar.
These guitars look versatile and, given the price point, look pretty darn fetching. Cort makes some decent guitars, so if you can look past the name on the headstock and go out and play one, you’ll find these get you a lot of guitar for the money.
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Shergold Provocateur
Now here is an altogether different proposition: the classy-looking Shergold Provocateur designed by British Luthier James Patrick Eggle. It’s available in two formats, the Shergold Provocateur SP01-SD and SP02-SD. The former sports a Seymour Duncan P90 in the neck with a Pearly Gates humbucker for the bridge. The SP02-SD comes loaded with a pair of Seymour Duncan ’59 humbuckers.
A great-looking guitar at an attractive price point. You really should, if you get the opportunity, go check out one of these.
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There we go, thanks for reading our – very subjective – Best Electric Guitars 2019 list. What was your favourite new guitar this year? Let us know in the comments section below.