Customer Kudos
"I've used every mail-order, catalog, app, major websites out there to get my gear for 15+ years. ONLY zZounds in the past 5. Customer service, knowledge, communication and compassion is top notch! Traits no longer available in our big corps! zZounds is the best!"
February 15, 2024
All-Star Gear: Electric Guitars
zZounds customers weigh in on their favorite gear
Few instruments say so much about their owners than the electric guitar. The body style, pickups, finish and features all combine into an instrument that expresses what the guitarist is all about. That's probably why so many owners are so passionate about their favorites.
We've compiled this All-Star list of some of our customers' top-rated electric guitars, and included real quotes from happy owners to illuminate what they love most. Shop our list to see if yours made the cut, or find your next model from our selection!
See more All-Star Gear Guides »
We've compiled this All-Star list of some of our customers' top-rated electric guitars, and included real quotes from happy owners to illuminate what they love most. Shop our list to see if yours made the cut, or find your next model from our selection!
ESP LTD EC-1000 Deluxe Series
Our Customers Say...
"The neck is a thing of beauty. It's thin, and the smooth finish of the matte black paint job allows your hand to slide up and down the neck effortlessly. The ebony fretboard is wonderful...It plays effortlessly."
- Alex in Dothan, FL
"Lovely guitar with powerful and robust sweet sound. The sleek, smooth, and light body makes an easy playability that pleases your ears and fingers."
- Fernando in San Carlos, CA
"The EC-1000 is fantastic. The fit and finish are top notch. The extra-jumbo frets make playing so much fun."
- Jonathan in Bristol, TN
"The neck is a thing of beauty. It's thin, and the smooth finish of the matte black paint job allows your hand to slide up and down the neck effortlessly. The ebony fretboard is wonderful...It plays effortlessly."
- Alex in Dothan, FL
"Lovely guitar with powerful and robust sweet sound. The sleek, smooth, and light body makes an easy playability that pleases your ears and fingers."
- Fernando in San Carlos, CA
"The EC-1000 is fantastic. The fit and finish are top notch. The extra-jumbo frets make playing so much fun."
- Jonathan in Bristol, TN
Gibson SG Standard '61
Our Customers Say...
"Cosmetically the guitar is flawless and the sound is glorious. It plays like a dream. It just takes you along for the ride. Ted McCarty’s masterpiece!"
- James in Frankfort, KY
"Plays like a dream, super fast/comfortable neck, fantastic sounding pickups! Really nice case also."
- Doc in St. Louis, MO
"Great guitar. Excellent Setup! Haven't had an SG in over 25 years and am extremely happy with this purchase."
- T in Minneapolis, MN
"Cosmetically the guitar is flawless and the sound is glorious. It plays like a dream. It just takes you along for the ride. Ted McCarty’s masterpiece!"
- James in Frankfort, KY
"Plays like a dream, super fast/comfortable neck, fantastic sounding pickups! Really nice case also."
- Doc in St. Louis, MO
"Great guitar. Excellent Setup! Haven't had an SG in over 25 years and am extremely happy with this purchase."
- T in Minneapolis, MN
Fender Player Stratocaster
Our Customers Say...
"Excellent guitar all around. Love the feel, sound & look. Upgrades are outstanding. 2-point tremolo, updated pickups, & especially the lower tone knob that now controls the bridge pickup. Finally found the guitar that fits perfectly."
- Michael in Mather, CA
"Fret ends are very well dressed, no high frets, well crowned, well polished. The body is immaculate. I tried finding any kind of flaw or blemish. Don’t waste your time. You won’t find one."
- Kenneth in St. Louis, MO
"The neck has a sweet gloss finish on the maple fretboard (looks like a Rickenbacker 620 finish) and the frets are smooth as silk. For a MIM, this thing is top notch. VERY nice guitar for the money."
- Michael in Easthampton, MA
"Excellent guitar all around. Love the feel, sound & look. Upgrades are outstanding. 2-point tremolo, updated pickups, & especially the lower tone knob that now controls the bridge pickup. Finally found the guitar that fits perfectly."
- Michael in Mather, CA
"Fret ends are very well dressed, no high frets, well crowned, well polished. The body is immaculate. I tried finding any kind of flaw or blemish. Don’t waste your time. You won’t find one."
- Kenneth in St. Louis, MO
"The neck has a sweet gloss finish on the maple fretboard (looks like a Rickenbacker 620 finish) and the frets are smooth as silk. For a MIM, this thing is top notch. VERY nice guitar for the money."
- Michael in Easthampton, MA
Epiphone Les Paul Custom
Our Customers Say...
"It is as bright and clear as my Gibson. The ebony fretboard is beautiful. Plugged in, wow. Sounds like a Les Paul is supposed to sound. I can't put it down."
- Troy
"The CTS pots, pickups, improved hardware, and ebony fretboard really make this guitar a pleasure to play. It also has a lot more weight and thickness to it more like a Gibson Les Paul. Out of the box I was able to play this guitar with ease."
- Brad in Middlesex, NJ
"A worth-every penny-type of axe, at oh-so-close to Gibson USA quality."
- Rodney in Kempner, TX
"It is as bright and clear as my Gibson. The ebony fretboard is beautiful. Plugged in, wow. Sounds like a Les Paul is supposed to sound. I can't put it down."
- Troy
"The CTS pots, pickups, improved hardware, and ebony fretboard really make this guitar a pleasure to play. It also has a lot more weight and thickness to it more like a Gibson Les Paul. Out of the box I was able to play this guitar with ease."
- Brad in Middlesex, NJ
"A worth-every penny-type of axe, at oh-so-close to Gibson USA quality."
- Rodney in Kempner, TX
Squier Classic Vibe '50s Telecaster
Our Customers Say...
"Tuning keys stay in tune VERY well and the pickups sound amazing in my opinion. Also the fretwork on my guitar is absolutely astonishing for the price."
- Mark in Murfreesboro, TN
"It feels great in my hands and is gorgeous to my eyes. The neck is smooth and the fretwork is very good."
- Stephen in Santa Fe, NM
"Awesome is the best definition. The sound from these alnicos rates up there if not better than some of my custom shop pickups."
- Johnny in Oak Grove, LA
"Tuning keys stay in tune VERY well and the pickups sound amazing in my opinion. Also the fretwork on my guitar is absolutely astonishing for the price."
- Mark in Murfreesboro, TN
"It feels great in my hands and is gorgeous to my eyes. The neck is smooth and the fretwork is very good."
- Stephen in Santa Fe, NM
"Awesome is the best definition. The sound from these alnicos rates up there if not better than some of my custom shop pickups."
- Johnny in Oak Grove, LA
Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet BT
Our Customers Say...
"The craftsmanship is something you would expect on guitars double this price and the setup was perfect out of the box."
- William in Kuna, ID
"Fit and finish are much better than I expected, sounds amazing, pickups are phenomenal, especially if you like the heavier stuff!"
- David in Charleston, SC
"The binding on the body, neck and headstock are well done. Hardware feels top notch and I’m really digging the selector switch."
- Vic in Houston, TX
"The craftsmanship is something you would expect on guitars double this price and the setup was perfect out of the box."
- William in Kuna, ID
"Fit and finish are much better than I expected, sounds amazing, pickups are phenomenal, especially if you like the heavier stuff!"
- David in Charleston, SC
"The binding on the body, neck and headstock are well done. Hardware feels top notch and I’m really digging the selector switch."
- Vic in Houston, TX
Schecter PT
Our Customers Say...
"Pickups roar, yet have the perfect sound for any style of music. Looks are both beautiful and rocking. They come with 10s. I changed strings to Ernie Ball Pure nickel...just amazing."
- Ernie in Miami, FL
"The maple neck and fingerboard feel great, it is not a super slim 'fast' neck like you may think, it's just like a Telecaster. The Grover 18:1 tuners do their job perfectly as always and the guitar stays in tune great."
- Joe in Bel Air, MD
"The pickups are very expressive and have incredible gain for passives. I was a little skeptical since they didn't have height-adjustable pole pieces but honestly I don't think I'll ever swap these out."
- Matt in Overland, MO
"Pickups roar, yet have the perfect sound for any style of music. Looks are both beautiful and rocking. They come with 10s. I changed strings to Ernie Ball Pure nickel...just amazing."
- Ernie in Miami, FL
"The maple neck and fingerboard feel great, it is not a super slim 'fast' neck like you may think, it's just like a Telecaster. The Grover 18:1 tuners do their job perfectly as always and the guitar stays in tune great."
- Joe in Bel Air, MD
"The pickups are very expressive and have incredible gain for passives. I was a little skeptical since they didn't have height-adjustable pole pieces but honestly I don't think I'll ever swap these out."
- Matt in Overland, MO
PRS Paul Reed Smith SE Paul's Guitar
Our Customers Say...
"The pickups are amazing and the twin switches for the coil taps are the best system for that feature that I've used. The tones from this guitar are off the charts."
- Travis
"My search for my 'perfect electric' has stopped at the PRS SE Paul's Guitar. While it's almost impossible to find the 'perfect' guitar, this is as close to my personal preferences as I'm going to find, and feel lucky I did so!"
- A Happy Owner
"Another thing to note is that the stop tail bridge is the same one they use on the Core guitars, and it feels and looks like a million dollars. If you took the SE logo off of it, you would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between it and its more expensive brother."
- Casey in Webster, NH
"The pickups are amazing and the twin switches for the coil taps are the best system for that feature that I've used. The tones from this guitar are off the charts."
- Travis
"My search for my 'perfect electric' has stopped at the PRS SE Paul's Guitar. While it's almost impossible to find the 'perfect' guitar, this is as close to my personal preferences as I'm going to find, and feel lucky I did so!"
- A Happy Owner
"Another thing to note is that the stop tail bridge is the same one they use on the Core guitars, and it feels and looks like a million dollars. If you took the SE logo off of it, you would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between it and its more expensive brother."
- Casey in Webster, NH
Epiphone Firebird Electric Guitar
Our Customers Say...
"This is everything a Firebird should have been from day one. Sustain for days, plays like a dream."
- Bluesman Sammy Guy in Poconos, PA
"This guitar is a dream to play, sounds amazing with a wide range with some very serious tone. The neck seems more "true" when playing, must be due to how it is actually going all the way through the entire body of the guitar, and it does affect the sound."
- A Happy Owner
"Beautiful fit and finish, and perfect setup right out of the box. I don't have to do a thing to it. The CTS pots work perfectly, and the pickups are the real deal. You CANNOT tell the difference between this Epi and a Gibson with regards to looks, feel and sound. So impressed."
- Evan
"This is everything a Firebird should have been from day one. Sustain for days, plays like a dream."
- Bluesman Sammy Guy in Poconos, PA
"This guitar is a dream to play, sounds amazing with a wide range with some very serious tone. The neck seems more "true" when playing, must be due to how it is actually going all the way through the entire body of the guitar, and it does affect the sound."
- A Happy Owner
"Beautiful fit and finish, and perfect setup right out of the box. I don't have to do a thing to it. The CTS pots work perfectly, and the pickups are the real deal. You CANNOT tell the difference between this Epi and a Gibson with regards to looks, feel and sound. So impressed."
- Evan
Jackson JS Series King V JS32T
Our Customers Say...
"The pickups are actually very high output and give you that metal sound and then some. The red finish is killer. Build quality is great."
- John in Alamogordo, NM
"The neck feels and plays wonderfully, no dead spots. It is very resonant. Pinch harmonics jump off this thing. I was thinking I would need to replace the pickups but no. They sound fantastic."
- A Happy Owner
"I am writing this review because I was actually impressed by the sound and quality at this price range. This is the first Jackson that I have bought and I am pleasantly surprised!"
- Evan
"The pickups are actually very high output and give you that metal sound and then some. The red finish is killer. Build quality is great."
- John in Alamogordo, NM
"The neck feels and plays wonderfully, no dead spots. It is very resonant. Pinch harmonics jump off this thing. I was thinking I would need to replace the pickups but no. They sound fantastic."
- A Happy Owner
"I am writing this review because I was actually impressed by the sound and quality at this price range. This is the first Jackson that I have bought and I am pleasantly surprised!"
- Evan
