Metal Machines: 12 Best Guitars for Metal

ESP LTD Arrow-1000 EverTune Electric Guitar

ESP LTD axes have an impressive list of metal users, and with offerings like the Arrow-1000 EverTune electric guitar, it’s easy to see why. This offset-shaped, neck-through-body weapon allows easy access to its 24 extra-jumbo, stainless-steel frets. And, it’s armed with active Fishman Fluence Modern pickups — a ceramic humbucker in the bridge position and an alnico humbucker in the neck. Add an EverTune bridge on its mahogany body, and this Arrow is ready to hit all your tonal targets with incredible accuracy!

Epiphone Explorer “Inspired by Gibson” Electric Guitar

Way back in 1958, Gibson boldly unveiled two new body shapes: the Flying V and the Explorer. At the time, guitarists didn’t welcome these angular axes with open arms. Nowadays, it’s a very different story, especially in the metal realm — both shapes are now iconic! This affordable Epiphone Explorer “Inspired by Gibson” electric guitar has both the sound and looks that make it perfect for metal abuse! Its ProBucker Alnico II humbuckers and resonant mahogany body produce rich mids, tight lows, with glassy highs. And its SlimTaper neck profile and dual cutaways enable fast and furious fretwork in all positions!

Strandberg Boden Prog NX 7 Electric Guitar

Seven-string guitars have been a staple of metal music for years because they give you instant access to a low B string, which is pivotal in modern metal. This string is often dropped down to A, G-sharp, or even lower. And that’s where multi-scale axes such as the futuristic-looking, headless 7-string Strandberg Boden Prog NX 7 electric guitar come in handy. Each of this guitar’s strings has a distinct scale length, which enhances the guitar’s overall tonality and playability. Add Strandberg’s acclaimed EndurNeck profile and a 20-inch fretboard radius, which many metal axmen at Sweetwater love, and you’ve got a serious shredding machine. An EGS Rev7 tremolo bridge and a pair of Fishman Fluence Modern 7 active pickups round out this highly versatile, 24-fret tone machine.

To add even further to the appeal of this eye-catching NX 7, its swamp ash body is topped with maple and a Natural Walnut Burl veneer. This Sweetwater exclusive is perfect for all forms of metal and more.

Ibanez RGMS8 Multi-scale 8-string Electric Guitar

Speaking of tunings that go “lower than whale droppings,” as Clint Eastwood’s titular character in Dirty Harry would say, 8-string guitars with a low F-sharp string are becoming increasingly more common thanks to forward-thinking, down-tuning acts like Meshuggah and Animals as Leaders. With the addition of this extra low string, multi-scale is obviously the way to go! Enter the budget-friendly Ibanez RGMS8 multi-scale 8-string — a guitar unapologetically designed with heavy metal in mind! Its multi-scale (27.2 inches to 25-1/2 inches, from low to high) design ensures the low strings have enough tension for muscle and punch while the higher strings feel familiar. And a pair of high-output Array 8 MS humbuckers deliver a tight, snarling tone.

Gibson ’70s Explorer Electric Guitar

As mentioned earlier, when Gibson first unleashed the then-futuristic-looking Explorer body shape in 1958, it was far from well received and, as a direct result, only 18 were made that year. Since that initial “fail,” however — thanks to the likes of Metallica legend James Hetfield, Matthias Jabs of the Scorpions, and Claudio Sanchez of Coheed and Cambria — this angular axe has not only become synonymous with hard rock and heavy metal but has also inspired numerous other “Explorer-like” designs. As the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Although the shape remains the same, the body and neck of this Gibson ’70s Explorer have been carefully carved out of mahogany as opposed to korina. The result is a thick, full sound with a distinctive midrange and rich overtones. The neck profile has evolved into the company’s popular SlimTaper design. The result is a fast, comfortable neck perfect for all styles, not only metal. Add overwound ’70s Tribute Alnico V humbuckers to this classic-looking axe’s 22-fret, 12-inch-radius, SlimTaper neck, and you’re ready to riff and solo to your heart’s and ears’ content.

EVH 5150 Series Standard Electric Guitar

Speaking of OGs, the late great Edward Van Halen’s homemade guitars spawned a radical shift in how electric guitars were made. Yep — not only was his playing revolutionary, but his self-confessed “tone chasing” was, too. In my opinion, the fact that his EVH brand continues to pay homage to his timeless legacy is a truly wonderful thing. The high-performance EVH 5150 Series Standard electric guitar was designed by Van Halen himself and features many metal- and rock-friendly features. Plus, it sounds and plays great! Its basswood body delivers growling mids that marry perfectly with the axe’s pair of Wolfgang Alnico II humbuckers. Its graphite-reinforced maple neck boasts an ebony fingerboard, 22 jumbo frets, and a fast, compound-radius (12-inch to 16-inch) neck. Then, there’s the guitarist-friendly toggle-switch placement, the kill switch for unique “stuttering” effects, and, of course, an EVH-branded Floyd Rose whammy system that comes complete with a D-Tuna for instant access to Drop D tuning. And let’s not forget the tech-friendly neck-heel truss rod adjustment thumbwheel. Built for high performance indeed!

Caparison Guitars Dellinger II-WB-FX EF Electric Guitar

This striking, none-more-black Caparison Guitars Dellinger II-WB-FX EF electric guitar is dangerously good, and it sounds and plays even better than it looks! Its walnut top and Australian blackwood body deliver tight lows, crisp highs, and powerful midrange punch. Its 5-piece maple/walnut neck with a soft D profile boasts an ebony fingerboard and 24 stainless steel frets. The Dellinger’s two deep cutaways ensure easy access to the highest frets, and its pair of Caparison-designed humbuckers can go from beautiful to brutal with consummate ease. Plus, a push-pull coil tap adds to this guitar’s impressive range of tones. The clockface fretboard inlays are a nice touch on this shred-friendly, Trans Charcoal Black, fixed-bridge precision machine, too!

Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 2 24 HT HH Electric Guitar

From the company that created the “Super Strat” comes an axe that is exactly what its abbreviated name tells you it is: a professionally modified, Southern Californian guitar. To be precise, this Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 2 24 HT HH electric guitar is a hot-rodded Telecaster. So, we’re talking a 24-fret, compound-radius, graphite-reinforced, maple neck with an aged, caramelized fingerboard; an alder body with comfort contours; a pair of Fishman Fluence Open Core Classic humbucker pickups; black hardware, black pickguard, and satin-black finish; and a Graph Tech nut and Charvel HT6 string-through hardtail bridge for exceptional tuning stability! Charvel’s tagline has been “No filler, all killer” for as long as I can remember. And this sleek “Super Tele” definitely walks that talk.

Schecter C-1 FR S SLS Evil Twin Electric Guitar

As its no-nonsense, cut-right-to-the-chase, “Evil Twin” name suggests, this 24-fret, Floyd Rose–bearing 6-string Schecter C-1 FR S SLS is perfect for all things metal. Its maple-capped, swamp-ash body kicks out a bright, warm tone with mids that cut through any mix. Plus, its Ultra Access neck-through design helps to ensure maximum comfort and playability. Keeping once more with its “Evil Twin” moniker, this guitar’s pickup pairing of a Fishman Fluence Modern humbucker in the bridge and a Sustainiac in the neck is perfect for both tone and endless, harmonically enriched, Spinal Tap–approved sustain. A fading finish in satin black, black hardware, and Roman-numeral fretboard inlays add even more to this guitar’s metal-ready look.

PRS SE Custom 24 Electric Guitar

This stunning-looking, set-neck Paul Reed Smith SE Custom 24 electric guitar is the perfect way to get the sound, feel, “violin” body carve, bird inlays, and overall visual appeal of a top-level PRS Custom 24 at an affordable price. Its mahogany body and gorgeous quilt maple veneer give you a nice balance between midrange richness and brightness. A pair of PRS 85/15 “S” pickups offers amp-driving humbucker sounds and chiming single-coil tones, thanks to a push-pull tone pot. A 24-fret maple neck with a 10-inch-radius ebony fretboard and a fast Pattern Thin carve completes this alluring SE Custom. There’s a reason why PRS is a favorite among metal heavyweights such as Mark Tremonti, Mikael Åkerfeldt, Mike Mushok, and Mark Holcomb. Oh! And did I mention that this six-string stunner is a Sweetwater exclusive?

Kramer Nick Bowcott Signature Baretta Electric Guitar

Armed with a Floyd Rose whammy-bar system, the stripped-down, no-nonsense Kramer Baretta Superstrat ruled the heavy-metal-laden world for a significant chunk of the ’80s. Eye-catching finishes added further appeal to this Kramer offering during that flamboyant era, too! As you know, the brand is now back and offering more of the same — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? This Nick Bowcott Signature Baretta boasts a maple body that delivers a chunky, mix-penetrating bite, and its angled, Jim DeCola-designed humbucker has an articulate yet scorchingly hot output absolutely brimming with harmonics. Its fast-playing, thin-profile, bolt-on maple neck has 22 medium-jumbo frets and a 12-inch radius. This no-nonsense, single-pickup, one-knob axe features an eye-catching Union Jack graphic both on its body and on Kramer’s instantly recognizable reverse banana headstock. And, as you may hope and expect, given the fact I’m a proud southpaw — a lefty version of this Sweetwater exclusive is also available.