After playing guitar 15 years (most of that I played metal and in a few bands), I’ve found that it depends a lot on the player what the “best” metal guitars are. However there are some guitars that definitely stand out as nearly perfect for most metal players.

The guitars in this list are extremely popular because they are inexpensive and have quite a lot going for them for their price. This has been updated for 2018, and I’ve considered all genres of metal for this list so no matter what style of metal you prefer you’ll definitely find something on here you can shred on.

What Makes a Good Metal Guitar?

How “Playable the neck is (Fretboard design/radius/finish/etc.)

When it comes to getting a great metal guitar, the neck and the pickups are the most important parts to pay-attention to. Specifically, for Metal guitar players (You) need a fast, playable neck (We’ll cover what makes a good neck for metal here in a second) and good humbucker pickups to get a thick, fat metal tone that cuts through the mix, sounds dynamic and some other stuff (we’ll cover).

So, What Makes a Good (Fast and “Playable”) Neck?

A good fast neck is an essential part for any good metal guitar player. The right neck for you should feel and play like butter when it is in your hands. Basically (almost) all styles of metal will need you to play almost everywhere on the neck and fast. Even if you’re not going to be shredding high on the fretboard chances are your riffs are still going to be fast, an easy to play neck will help with this.

A fast “Playable” Guitar Neck Has:

The Right Type of Finish
A comfortable fingerboard radius (most people prefer flat)
Thin Neck
Good Tonewood (not as important, but should be considered)
Long Scale Length
Cutaways (Technically not a part of the neck but this hugely affects playing the higher notes)

Let’s Look at each of these a Little more closely….

Types of Finish –

When choosing any type of guitar, it’s important that the finish on the neck and fretboard feel right for you. Some types of finishes will stick to your fingers and feel grippy, this is of course bad for metal guitarists who need to move around the neck and fretboard quickly. Your goal should be to find a fast feeling neck that doesn’t feel sticky so you can play easier and faster.

We could talk about all the different types of finishes, and their differences for ever…..but to keep things simple..

Here’s what you need to know:

There are many types of guitar finishes, (Lacquer, Nitrocellulose, Lacquer, Polyurethane Lacquer, Shellac, the list goes on)
There are two ways to describe most of the finishes you’ll see on guitars – Gloss and Satin.
The most popular finish for metal guitarists is Satin because most Satin finishes feel great to most players and doesn’t stick. Most players consider Satin necks to be the fastest.
Unfinished Guitar Necks are also non-sticky and a great option. Personally I think Unfinished necks play a bit faster.
Gloss necks might be more comfortable for you, many people find after playing awhile the stickiness rubs off.
It’s very easy to tell if a neck is sticky or how it feels by reading the reviews on the product page, however it’s always best to play one in person.

This is a good basis for what you need to know, just remember that Satin necks and unfinished necks are your best bet.

I should say however, you’ll be fine however if you do choose a gloss neck. Tons of players out there play metal with guitars that have gloss necks and if you do find it sticky you can sand it down which there are tons of tutorials out there that show you how to do this.

If you want to go a little more in depth I definitely recommend checking out this video. He does a great job of explaining here some other things to consider as well.

Fingerboard Radius –

Note: The fingerboard radius is simply a measure of the arc of the fingerboard across it’s width. Most guitars fingerboards are curved and not flat, however the flatter the fingerboard the easier it is to shred.

When you first pick up a new guitar and start to play a little, the first thing you’ll usually notice is the fretboard radius and how good it feels. Like I said earlier, a flat fretboard is easier to shred on, and the reason why is very simple. Flat radius fretboards can be set with lower action than other fretboards.

Lower action means less time spent actually pressing down on each string and then lifting and pressing down on the next. It might not seem like a big deal, but a low action will not only improve how fast you can play it will also improve how long you are able to play without wearing out. (Low action strings are easier to press down so they won’t wear out your hands as much)

Thin Neck –

This, like almost every other part of a guitar is up to taste. Most Metal guitarists do agree that it is easier to play faster on a guitar with a thin neck, and that’s usually the case. Some metal guitarist prefer however (for some unknown reason) that their necks are thick. I personally can’t stand a thick neck and I find them very hard to play for fast licks on (most guitarists are the same). It’s easiest to just go pick one of these up in a store to figure out what you like. Spend some serious time trying to figure this out, since you’ll be playing this often you’ll want the neck as comfortable as possible.

Good Tonewood –

When choosing the right wood for your guitar, the decision is not a very important part but it is definitely something you should pay attention to. The things that will affect your tone the most in the signal chain is your pickup you choose and the amp. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay attention to the type of wood on your guitar.

Skeptical on how much of a difference the wood type makes on the guitar? You’re not alone, but if you watch a few videos online on the differences I guarantee you’ll notice that the tone is slightly different on each. In fact, some woods make the tone sound kinda bad.

If you feel like the woods don’t make much of a difference watch the video below:

For metal guitarists, there are a few different types of wood that people consider to be good for metal (The most popular is Mahogany). Any type of wood that is dense works great because it gives a dark, and heavy tone. All of the guitars I recommend in this article will have woods that will work great for playing metal.

Scale Length –

Most Metal Guitarists opt for a longer scale length when it comes to their guitars. A longer scale length means that there is more space between each fret. So this is a good thing? The answer is sort of, it depends on your preference. While a longer scale length (Say a 25.5 inch versus a 24.75 inch scale) gives you more tension, it does also give you more room when you’re on the higher notes. This makes a big impact on playing quickly.

Longer Scale Lengths = Higher String Tension in order to bring notes to pitch. A guitar with a shorter scale length will feel easier to bend. Keep in mind if you are downtuning this won’t be as much of a problem.

Don’t think of string tension as a bad thing, we do need string tension to have a low action. If the string tension becomes to slack the strings will fall against the fretboard and buzz.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have high tension with a longer scale length guitar, scale length is not the all determining factor when it comes to tension. You can always move to a lighter string gauge if you want to decrease the tension. A lot of metal players do choose however to use larger strings to get a heavier, darker metal tone. We’ll talk more about strings in the “Other things to consider” section.

Cutaways –

A Cutaway is basically an indention in the bottom of a guitar, this will give you access to the higher parts of the fretboard easily. If you want to shred, this is almost critical. I won’t be including any guitars in this article that don’t have cutaways. Playing in the higher ranges without them is simply to hard.

The Pickups (Humbuckers) –

So, now that we’ve talked about what makes a good guitar neck, it’s time to move on to the second most important part of the guitar, the pickups.

These are one of the most important parts of the guitar because they control a huge portion of the tone before it hits the rest of your signal chain (amps, pedals, etc). Getting a good pickup is essential to creating a great metal tone even though people have created okay metal tones with pickups that weren’t the best.

To have a good metal guitar, you’re going to need humbucker pickups. These are the winners hands down. There are quite a few humbucker options to choose from, but first we’re going to cover what a humbucker is.

(Note: Back in the day bands like Metallica, Sabbath, and other bands did use single coils)

Actually, I’m going to leave it to Colin from CS guitars, this video is a great explanation of the different pickup types you can choose. You’ll definitely hear the difference and why humbuckers are the best.

Quick checklist on why humbuckers are the best pickup choice for metal:

They cancel out humming noises (feedback) in the background
They have a fat, meaty sound thanks to better bass response
More Saturation and Distortion (good for metal)
High Output (Causes the distortion)

So, now that we know humbuckers are the best pickups…..which ones are good?

The answer, (I’m starting to sound like a broken record) is again up to you and what you like best. Thankfully however, there aren’t a lot to choose from so making your decision won’t be that difficult. The great thing about pickups also is that they can be swapped out, so if you decide you don’t like what you got originally you can replace them. This does vary in difficulty depending on your setup.

The best way to find out? Simply Listen. I’ll be linking to a pretty good comparison review here below as well as a video from Ryan Bruce (his channel is awesome you should definitely go subscribe if you’re into metal) on how pickups don’t matter as much as they used to.

My favorite Humbuckers:

EMG 81
Duncan Blackouts
Fishman Fluence KSE
Seymour Duncan Black Winter

(Seymour Duncan, Fishman Fluence, and EMG are the most popular humbuckers)

Slightly controversial video, but he does have a great point and I definitely agree that the pickups do not play as important of a role that they used to.

Note: If you watched the video above, you might get the idea that since the amp does make most of the sound it’s not a big deal what type of pickup you use. and technically, that is true to an extent. You should definitely still get the best you can get (in your budget). Low budget pickups are still not as good as higher end ones, and will usually have more problems with things like feedback and low quality builds that eventually can even stop working altogether. Just keep in mind these have to be well made to get a great tone, and companies that aren’t focusing on that will make products that aren’t that great.

Brand Of Guitar (How Important is it?) –

As a bargain shopper, I can tell you that brands are not usual worth it. In fact, I make most of my money buying and reselling stuff on ebay and after seeing the quality of name brand goods versus non name brand I can say without a doubt (most) non name brand is as good as the real stuff.

When it comes to Guitars however, I think it’s definitely best to go with a brand name. Guitars are the exception, Here’s Why.

Guitar companies simply have to make good guitars in order to stay in business. Now, there are some brands that people buy only because of how the guitar either looks or because of the brand name, I’m not here to trash the companies that are slowly ruining their reputation because they are cutting corners nowadays. A quick Google search will tell you who they are, and of course I won’t be including them in this article.

Think about it though, guitar companies absolutely have to rely on their reputation in order to sell guitars, most guitars are sold in stores for one and it takes all of a few seconds for any surrounding guitar player or someone working in the store to tell you that a guitar is or isn’t a good buy. The reputation Guitar manufacturers have to have has to be on point, if it isn’t people start to lose trust with them and fast.

Now, I am definitely not saying that there aren’t tons of good new manufacturers out there, there are and they are making killer guitars that hopefully stand the test of time.

With these new manufacturers, I don’t suggest buying a guitar off them if you are on a budget. It is risky. With a new brand (even if the reviews are good online) you could have trouble anywhere from problems with how the guitar was made to even having problems getting a refund if the quality isn’t where you want. Now, if you’re experienced in understanding how guitars are built this is a totally different story because you’ll know of course what to watch out for.

At a minimum, if you do decide to get a guitar from a new manufacturer (and I understand wanting to do this, it’s very cool owning something from a small manufacturer) do make sure to test the guitar out well in person and do absolutely as much research as you can.

Special Accessories (Floyd Roses, Extra Tone Knobs, Killswitches, etc.) –

As I’ve said before, the best Metal Guitar for you is going to be the one that feels right for you. There’s no ultimate guitar to rule them all and unfortunately you might even have to sacrifice certain things you might want on your guitar if it’s not in the budget, or simply isn’t being made. Before now however, every part that I’ve referenced has had a general consensus on what people think is the best. (Mahogany is the best tonewood, satin and unfinished necks are the best necks, thin necks are better than thick necks, etc.)

When it comes to Special Accessories however, you’ll be on your own. There really isn’t a general consensus for most special accessories, you’ll have to decide on your own what accessories you do/don’t want on your guitar.

Some accessories are more common than others, for instance Floyd Roses are one of my favorite options that I also hate. I absolutely love doing Floyd tricks because they’re just plain fun, however it is a royal pain that I can’t simply change tunings easily. This has honestly been more of a problem than I care to admit, but I still enjoy playing guitars with them.

Seriously, look at how much fun you can have with these.

Just do your research before getting any of these, it’s not to hard to figure out what is good and what isn’t just looking things up online. But do at least try out whatever you’re looking at getting in a store before you actually get it.

(Note: I consider Special Accessories to be anything that isn’t normally found on a guitar.)

Low Action –

I touched this subject earlier for a second, but I do want to drive home some points about the Pros & Cons of Low action and why most Metal guitar players will choose a guitar with Low action. Low action is perfect for metal guitar players and anyone who needs to play quick runs and licks mainly because it requires the least amount of effort.

Remember: Action is the measurement between the fretboard and strings, Low action means that the strings are closer to the fretboard and a high action means they’re farther away.

Here are the main Pros & Cons of having Low Action, when it comes to Metal almost everyone will choose a low action. Also do keep in mind that some guitars do not come with the action already properly adjusted, and you might have to adjust the action yourself. I keep guitar brands that are known to set their action higher than would be good for metal off this article.

Pros –

Perfect for lightning quick playing
Doesn’t wear out your hands as quickly
Only need to lightly touch each fret to play it

Cons –

Strings buzz against frets when played to hard (if the action is to low)
More difficult to bend strings on a Low Action Guitar
Can’t pick as hard on a Low Action Guitar (Again depends on how Low your action is set)
Difficult to play with a slide (Not really a problem at all if you want to play Metal)
You lose some Sustain (Length of time a note plays)
Some necks will “Fret out” when bending the strings, meaning the note will die. I won’t be including necks this happens on in this article.

Other Things To Consider:

We’ve covered the basics pretty well, and you’ll definitely be able to get a good metal guitar from what you’ve learned already however there are a couple things I also want to talk about that do a play a part in making a great Metal guitar.

Strings – This shouldn’t be your main concern right now, since you can simply replace the ones that come on your guitar when you get it, but it is good to keep in mind that the strings will change how your guitar tone sounds, and will affect playability. There are tons of guides online that can show you what strings to buy. I would suggest keeping this in mind for after buying your guitar.

Bridge Design – The number one thing to consider with your bridge is how it feels for you to play. You might find that you absolutely hate palm muting on a Floyd Rose, each bridge is different and has different pros & cons. I find the best bridges are ones that diminish crosstalk (when playing one string makes another vibrate) this really helps when you’re really digging in and palm muting hard.

Get a Guitar you’ll stick with – This is some advice you should really consider before you purchase your guitar, yes I know it does sound obvious but you should really think about what you’ll need this guitar for in the future as well. I remember years ago I got an Ibanez S series 7 string that was an incredible guitar, but it was not at all what I really needed. It was more of something I fell in love with and I could’ve made a much better choice if I had actually just thought about what I needed in the future.

Jumbo Frets – Jumbo frets are made with thicker wire than normal and because of that the fret is further away from the fretboard. This is great for Metal Guitarists because jumbo frets create a fatter tone. This is also increases sustain as well. Jumbo Frets also help with bending notes and give a scalloped feel to the guitar (Scalloped guitar necks are where the fretboard is actually sanded down until a U shape is created so your fingers won’t touch the fretboard at all) according to some guitarists the scalloped feel gives a slight edge to playing faster since you don’t have to touch the actual fretboard as much when moving your fingers from one note to the next.

Top 7 Guitars (Under 500$)

So now that we’ve covered the basis of what makes a good Metal Guitar, here’s this list of guitars under 500$ that are the most bang for your buck. I didn’t put the price on each of these because guitar prices do fluctuate, however none of them (I don’t think) should go over 500 unless maybe it’s one of the ones I included that was borderline. I tried to include a guitar for every type of metal player on this article, so there’s a good variety here.

For each guitar on this list, I’ll simply write a short blurb and then provide specs and if I can find a good review video so you can watch/hear it in action I’ll add one as well. I’ll also put a link for more info as well if you want to read reviews from other people who tried the guitar as well. Hope you enjoy!

Also, all the options on this list are new guitars. If you’re interested in a used option there’s a section right after this one that has some great options as well.

Let’s Get Started.

Shecter Omen Extreme 6 –

Double-cutaway
Mahogany Body
Scale length: 25-1/2″
Rosewood Fingerboard
Jumbo Frets
Schecter Diamond Plus high-output alnico humbuckers
Tune-o-matic-type bridge

Jackson Soloist SLX –

Double cutaway
Basswood Body
Gloss neck and body
Scale length: 25.5 in.
Jumbo Frets
Duncan Designed Humbuckers
Floyd Rose

Ibanez RG6003FM –

Maple “Wizard III” fast neck
Mahogany body
Jumbo frets
Fixed bridge
Infinity pickups

Jackson JS32TQ –Body

Basswood Body
Jumbo Frets
Rosewood Fretboard
Satin Neck finish, Gloss body
25.5′ Scale Length
Jackson High Output Humbuckers

Ibanez RG470ahm –

Wizard III Maple neck
Ash body
Maple fretboard w/Black dot inlay
Jumbo frets
Quantum (H) neck pickup
Quantum (S) middle pickup
Quantum (H) bridge pickup
Double Locking tremolo bridge
Cosmo black Hardware
Case sold separately

ESP LTD-401QM –

Cutaway
Mahogany body
Gloss finish on neck and body
24.75″ Scale Length
Jumbo Frets
EMG pickups, 81 in the bridge and 60 in the neck
Fixed Bridge

Shecter Guitar Research C-1 Platinum –

Mahogany body
Rosewood fingerboard
Jumbo Frets
EMG 81/85 Humbuckers
Tune-o-matic Bridge
25.5″ Scale Length

Used options (Under 500$)

Here are some other options you can only find either used or can be found for less than 500$ used, but would be more expensive new. It goes without saying that you do need to do a thorough check of any used guitar much more than you would a new one.

ESP LTD EC-1ooo –Body

Cutaway
Mahogany Body
Satin Neck and Body finish
24.75″ Scale Length
Jumbo Frets
Seymour Duncan Pickups
Fixed Bridge

ESP LTD MH-103 –

Jumbo Frets
Basswood Body
Floyd Rose
25.5″ Scale Length
ESP special pickups

Summary (Things To Keep In Mind) –

Thanks for taking the time to read this article!!!!! I tried to make this as informative as possible without being too much, and I hope that you can find it useful. Please feel free to leave a comment, if you think there’s anything I should add or say.

So, to summarize the points of what makes a good Metal Guitar.

Choose a finish that feels right for you
Try and get a thin neck so you can play faster
Pay attention to the tonewood, any thick woods will produce a fatter tone
Make sure to get humbuckers, and test them out so you can decide which tone you like the best
Make sure your guitar has a low action so it’s easier to play
If you’re going to buy a brand that isn’t well known do a lot of research, and it’s probably best to buy that brand in person
Special accessories are entirely up to you, just be aware of the Pros & Cons of each.
If you’re buying a used guitar, it’s best to buy this in person and thoroughly examine it beforehand.

Again, I hope this was helpful. Thanks so much for reading! Any questions or if you’d like for me to go into more detail about anything please leave me a comment.