Top 5 Electric Guitars 2021

Aaaah those Super Strats! The Harley Benton Fusion combines so many features that you might even call it Mega Strat. In addition to a Nyatoh body and spectacularly grained maple top, the two humbuckers and the Floyd Rose system underline this ultra versatile guitar feel. Rockwell pickups can be split using the push-pull potentiometer and, to top it off, the Fusion-III features stainless steel frets (24 in all) embedded in its ebony fingerboard! Playability, sound and aesthetics of a custom instrument at the Harley Benton price!

Like almost every year, here is the latest iteration of the signature model of the famous top-hat guitarist. These more affordable versions of his legendary guitar seem to get better year after year to the point of being hard to differentiate from Gibson models. This “Appetite Burst” flamed maple top is of course a reference to the 1987 Guns N ‘Roses album “Appetite for Destruction”. This Epiphone is indeed a detailed copy of Slash’s studio guitar on the album in question, and the result is truly excellent!

A classic electric guitar is often the most popular. We’re talking about the Telecaster of course, and this model brings a little more flexibility to the legendary instrument. It’s actually been quite common, among the Nashville Cats, to find a Strat pickup in the middle position for many years. Noiseless pickups, flat fingerboard radius and comfortable contours make this Tele a decidedly modern, yet classic, instrument.

After famous bassist Marcus Miller, guitarist Larry Carlton is the second star that Asian manufacturer Sire is bringing to the spotlight via a series of instruments. An ingenious concept that has worked here again, as the guitars are not only outrageously good, but outrageously cheap as well. The L7 BK is a thoroughbred single cut with everything that goes with it – the shorter 638mm scale, two humbuckers and the famous 4 potentiometer circuit. Here, however, not in the ubiquitous standard sunburst version, but in sleek black and with gold hardware to satisfy custom model lovers!

Welcome to the “heavy” chapter our top 5 – represented this year by none other than Ola Englund, who has made a name for himself notably as a musician and YouTuber, but also as a businessman since the launch of his brand of Solar guitars. The AB1.6BOP Artist LTD is a solid guitar with its black finish, a swamp ash body, roasted maple neck, and 24 extra jumbo stainless steel frets. Everything is designed for maximum ergonomics and ideal performance (speed!). Two Duncan Solar humbuckers and an Evertune bridge make it a guitar cut for drop-Ab riffs 3 octaves below. 🤘