Left Handed Guitars For Beginners – 8 Great Electric Guitars to Get You Started

Last Updated on February 3, 2020 by Chris

Right! Let’s have a look at some great left handed electric guitars for beginners.

First off, I guess you don’t want to spend many hundreds or even thousands on your first electric guitar, but I’d say definitely buy something of decent quality and don’t aim to spend as little as possible by getting the cheapest piece of crap you can find. Sure, there are many dirt-cheap guitars out there, but you don’t want to get something so bad that you don’t even want to pick it up to play!

So to avoid all of that, I’ve put together a list of left handed guitars for beginners; great quality electric guitars that won’t break the bank.

Left Handed Guitars For Beginners

What should you look for when buying your first guitar?

I would say to avoid any non-branded guitars, just because quality can vary wildly and you never know what you’re gonna get unless you try a few of them out first. There probably will be some of those that play quite well, but you’d probably need to spend a heck of a long time trying them out to make sure, and if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you might end up with something terrible!

Some of these will need to be set up professionally before they can play well at all. If it doesn’t stay in tune, or it has some real uneven frets, you’ll probably hate playing it and just give up after a few months. At least with some of the more well-known brands, you can expect that a certain level of quality should be there.

With this list, I’ll give you a few different options, in a fairly wide price range for the main types of guitar a beginner might want to look at. I’ll also leave out some guitars, as they can be a little complicated for someone who’s never played before, definitely avoiding stuff like Floyd Rose bridges, as they can be very horrible to tune up for the uninitiated.

Once you have chosen one or more guitars that you are interested in, it’s a good idea to go to a guitar store and see it in person. Does it look as good in real life as it does in pictures? Is it ridiculously heavy to play when standing up? You don’t want to bust your back after a couple of hours of practice! Does it sit comfortably on your lap when you sit down and play? These are just some of the things you might want to consider before paying for the thing! For some other things to check out when choosing your first electric guitar, have a look at this post.

Anyway here are my choices, in ascending price order, for some fantastic left-handed guitars for beginners:

Yamaha Pacifica PAC112JL

Yamaha‘s Pacifica series of guitars are clearly influenced by the iconic Fender Stratocaster, and the PAC 112JL is a great entry-level guitar that gives you that classic feel. It may be influenced by the Strat, but it’s lighter than the Fender, and it also has just one volume control and one tone control, keeping things nice and simple. The neck and middle pickups, being single coils, provide a nice Strat-like sound, and then the humbucker at the bridge gives you the option for some meatier tones that a regular Strat just doesn’t have.

The build quality is fantastic for the price and it’s a guitar that’s able to play many different musical styles; a very versatile guitar, and great to play. I probably would’ve recommended the PAC112V instead, as it has better quality pickups, but surprise surprise, it’s not available to us lefties! Come on Yamaha! Sort it out!

• Less than $250US / £220GBP.
• One humbucker, two single coil pickups.
• Alder body.
• Bolt-on maple neck.
• Rosewood or maple fingerboard.
• 22 medium frets.
• Available finishes: Black or natural satin.

 Check price/availability at:

Jackson JS Series Dinky Arch Top JS22 DKA LH

Here is another guitar aimed at metalheads and fans of shred guitar. Jackson Guitars made a name for themselves throughout the ’80s when their high quality guitars became very popular, especially with metal guitarists.

The JS22 DKA has a Superstrat body shape, which has two high output humbuckers, a fast neck with 24 jumbo frets and the cutaways allow for easy access to the upper frets; just what you need for some heavy riffage and speedy solos. A fantastic beginner’s guitar, with great build quality; recommended for any budding shredder or metal fan.

• Less than $220US / £190GBP.
• Two humbucker pickups.
• Poplar body.
• Bolt-on maple neck with graphite reinforcement.
• Amaranth fingerboard.
• 24 jumbo frets.
• Available finishes: Black.

Check price/availability at:

Squier Affinity Series Telecaster

The Telecaster is another Fender classic that has gained many fans over the years, and it’s available in the Squier Affinity series. The Telecaster’s famous twangy sound is why so many guitarists choose this for country, blues, and jazz. Of course, it’s versatile enough to play other styles too, so don’t be afraid to get one of these if you like to rock out. This Squier version does plenty enough to recreate the smooth, clear tones of the Fender original and feels solidly built to boot.

• Less than $230US / £200GBP.
• Two single coil pickups.
• Alder body.
• Bolt-on maple neck.
• Maple fingerboard.
• 21 medium jumbo frets.
• Available finishes: Butterscotch blonde.

Check price/availability at:

Ibanez GRG170DXL

Ibanez is well known for building high-quality guitars, and each of their guitars are set up to a very high standard, and that includes their entry-level guitars too! The GRG170DXL is part of Ibanez Guitars’ entry-level GIO range and is a more affordable version of the company’s RG series of guitars.

Another Superstrat; this one has two humbuckers and one single coil in the middle. How this guitar’s pickups are set up gives you many options; by using the 5-way pickup selector switch, you can choose to play through the humbuckers as they are, or split them into single coils.

The GRG170DXL has great build quality for its price, and is very easy to play, with its comfortable fast neck. It’s aimed more at rock/metal players looking to shred, but it’s still quite a versatile guitar and can produce tones suitable for a variety of styles.

• Less than $250US / £220GBP.
• Two humbuckers, one single coil pickups.
• Poplar body.
• Bolt-on maple neck.
• Bound purpleheart fingerboard.
• 24 jumbo frets.
• Available finishes: Black.

Check price/availability at:

Squier Classic Vibe ’70s HSS Stratocaster

Squier‘s Classic Vibe series offers great build quality and incredible value, with playability to match! Because of this, it costs that little bit more than the Standard Strat. The Classic Vibe series offer you setups of Fender guitars from previous eras, including Stratocasters from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.

The Classic Vibe ’70s provides amazing bang for buck and seems to be priced ever so slightly cheaper than its ’50s and ’60s siblings, which is one reason to buy this over those. It also comes with a beefier humbucking pickup at the bridge in place of the usual single coil, giving you a few extra sonic options.

• Less than $500US / £400GBP.
• One humbucker, two single coil pickups.
• Poplar body.
• Bolt-on maple neck.
• Maple fingerboard.
• 21 narrow tall frets.
• Available finishes: Black.

Check price/availability at:

Conclusion

So there you have it; my choices for left handed guitars for beginners.

Of course, other budget-friendly guitars are available, with affordable axes from the likes of Schecter and Harley Benton, among many others, but I hope this list here will be a good starting point for any beginner lefty guitarists out there! All are available in left-handed configuration, and also in righty mode if you want.

Do any experienced guitarists out there recommend any other left-handed guitars for beginners? Please let us know in the comments below!