Best Guitars for Metal: Gear Guide

You may recognize the shape of the EC series by LTD and ESP. That is because it is based on Gibson's famous Les Paul shape. In fact, ESP as a brand was built as a custom shop that attracted players who used Gibson and Fender products. Eventually, they started manufacturing their own guitars.

The body is mahogany with a maple top capping it off. The mahogany neck with a rosewood fingerboard is attached through set-neck construction, so you get sustain for days, as you would expect from this body style. The 24.75" scale length neck ends with a 42mm standard nut, which did its job and intonation is not an issue. The hardware is solid and comes from in house ESP for the tuners and it utilizes a Tune-o-Matic bridge and tailpiece.

One thing that could be improved is this guitar does not come with a case, which is unfortunate. It is nothing that picking up a gig bag can't remedy, but at this price point, it would have been a nice touch for ESP to include. Having said that, if we had to choose, we would rather that money be invested into quality components for the guitar, which seems to be the route ESP has taken.

The controls on the guitar are simple, with a 3 way toggle to select between between the ESP designed LH-150 pickup set. The three knobs at your disposal are a bridge volume, neck volume and a master tone with push-pull coil-split.

All in, this is a fantastic place to start exploring your needs for a metal guitar.

The Explorer shape is iconic, and we don't use that word lightly. Gibson introduced the Explorer in 1958. This Goth version comes loaded with the sought after Alnico Classic humbucker pickups to provide a great tone. We personally love these pickups, but explorers also come from the factory with EMGs if that is more your speed in the 1984 Explorer model. This particular version of the explorer also looks wicked. Gothic details like the "XII" twelfth fret marker on the rosewood fretboard, blacked out chrome hardware, and matte black finish make this beast perfect for metal fans.

The LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece give the guitar sustain for days and are high quality components for this price range. The master tone control features an innovative integrated killswitch/tone pot for strobe effects.

This guitar is purpose built to deliver crushing riffs. Coming from a trusted brand like Epiphone, this is a great guitar is you're looking for a guitar that will work for beginners and advanced players alike. All in, this beast excels at all things metal rhythm guitar.

Sometimes, 6 strings just isn't enough. This 7 string guitar from Jackson is well regarded as a terrific guitar that rocks hard and is very attainable.

The seven-string features an arch-top basswood body, bolt-on maple neck, 16"-radius rosewood fingerboard with 24 jumbo frets and "piranha" inlays, 26.5" scale length, dual high-output Jackson humbucking pickups, single volume and tone controls, direct-mount hard-tail bridge, and die-cast tuners.

If you're a metal fan, you definitely know who Dimebag Darrell is and what impact he had on the genre and music as a whole. As you would expect from a guitar with Pantera guitarist's name on it, it has a Floyd Rose Special to dive bomb like a boss. The pickups are both DMTs, very much catered to heavy metal.

The guitar comes with a "Lite Leer" case, which is somewhere on the spectrum between a gig bag and hardshell, which does the job very well for this price point. It will unquestionably get your axe to the gig and home again. Out of the box, this is an excellent option to get the aggressive tones you need to rock your face off. Dean delivers.

Even though the SG Special is the most affordable SG in the line-up, it still features Epiphone's patented LockTone Tune-o-Matic bridge and StopBar tailpiece for increased sustain and easy string changing. The master volume and master tone controls each feature full-size 500K potentiometers along with Epiphone's rugged all-metal 3-way toggle pickup selector switch for long-lasting, dependable performance.

The SG Special features solid nickel hardware and is available in both Cherry and Ebony finishes. To top it all off, Epiphone has added a patented combination Tone/Killpot control. Turn it, and it works like a regular tone control. Push it in, and you have a momentary "Kill" switch which mutes all output for crazy Buckethead-like effects.

Looking at this guitar, you know it is meant for one thing, and one thing only; Metal. B.C. Rich's Warlock was introduced in 1981, and it is still a staple for high output kick ass metal.

The shape is very memorable, and comes with 2 hot humbuckers for screaming notes. The maple neck is bolted on to the body, and features diecast tuners. The 25.5" scale neck also has a rosewood whith white pearloid dot inlays. This is a 24 fret guitar that allows easy access to the upper registry for ripping solos.

There controls are straightforward; 1 volume, 1 three-way toggle selector switch, and 1 tone knob. The glossy black paint is called Onyx, which really contrasts against the chrome hardware and looks great on this shape of guitar. The bridge and tailpiece is a wrap-around style that is adjustable.

If you're a metal fan, you definitely know who Dimebag Darrell is and what impact he had on the genre and music as a whole. As you would expect from a guitar with Pantera guitarist's name on it, it has a Floyd Rose Special to dive bomb like a boss. The pickups are both DMTs, very much catered to heavy metal.

The guitar comes with a "Lite Leer" case, which is somewhere on the spectrum between a gig bag and hardshell, which does the job very well for this price point. It will unquestionably get your axe to the gig and home again. Out of the box, this is an excellent option to get the aggressive tones you need to rock your face off. Dean delivers.

A Telecaster style guitar isn't normally associated with hard rock, much less metal. However, this isn't a standard Tele. This is Jim Root's, of Slipknot and Stone Sour, Tele. That means it features a lightning fast slim neck, more aggressive pickups, and an awesome matte finish that cuts through the noise to present a no nonsense guitar.

Ibanez's super Strats, the RG series, has been a staple of metal players worldwide for decades. Ibanez has pretty much perfected the RG for progressive rock and metal players with a very comfortable and fast fretboard. The guitar is very balanced in terms of weight and comfortable to play sitting or standing. The pickups sound great and the craftsmanship of Ibanez doesn't disappoint. This guitar, or most in the RG range really, is a great guitar for metal players.

Schecter has really put a stake in the ground in the guitar world around the metal genre. The company specializes almost exclusively in hard hitting metal guitars and they are well renowned as a company that makes a quality product. Schecter produces signature models for Synyster Gates of Avenged Sevenfold, Jeff Loomis, and Dan Donegan of Disturbed. Safe to say, they know a thing or two about producing very solid metal instruments.

It was hard to narrow down the Schecters we wanted to include on this list, but in the end, the Omen 6 won out.Here's why:

It is simple. This guitar is a six string hardtail that was built to be very playable, and it achieves that mission. The maple neck is very fast and this guitar was clearly built with speed in mind with a thin C shape. The basswood body feels well crafted in that the finishing is excellent and the shape is ergonomic. The rosewood fretboard radius is 14", and the pearloid inlays and black chrome hardware add style points and character.

The stock pickups on this guitar are good, if not great. If you wanted a brand name like Duncans or EMGs, this guitar would cost twice as much. Schecter did a very good job with the pair of its own Diamond Plus pickups it used for this guitar. We are big fans, but even if you are not, the pickups are easy to switch out if you desire.

Long story short, this is a fantastic guitar for what is widely considered an entry level point.

Randy Rhoads is one of the world's best players to ever pick up a six string, and he left an amazing legacy of shred. This flying V design comes with a amazing degree of craftsmanship. It features a neck-through body construction which fives the guitar phenomenal sustain. This axe is equipped with Seymour Duncan SH2 and TB4 humbuckers, so you know you're getting a high quality hot sound straight from the factory. Further, you're getting a genuine Floyd Rose original double locking trem system.

The ebony fretboard has sharkfin shaped inlays and a maple neck runs through the alder body. This is a grail guitar for many metal guitarists and for good reason. It was co-designed by a legend and has a functional shape that allows scorching leads with easy access to all parts of the neck. If you're looking for a premium option with choice components, this legendary guitar might be the one.