Heavy metal is a pretty vague term because it could include a lot of sub-genres that fall under the “metal” blanket…depending on who you ask, at least. There’s a lot of purists who say that heavy metal bands have to have singers (no screamers allowed), or have a contempt for any albums released after 1989.
However you choose to define the genre, we can agree that some of the best guitars were designed with heavy metal bands in mind. Quite a few modern big name guitar manufacturers got their start in the 80s thanks to endorsements from heavy metal guitarists.
The 1980s was an explosive period for the electric guitar. The stage for metal was bigger and virtuoso players were put on a pedestal. Keeping up with the pace, guitar-makers put out a lot of radical/experimental body styles in bombastic colors, and the hardware was designed with speed in mind.
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We’ve compiled the most popular heavy metal guitars based on a database of all heavy metal bands and their guitarists – with particular focus on ‘classic’ heavy metal bands. The results give us a balanced list of the most popular guitars in the genre without any bias in the selection.
And now we get to the shred gods of the heavy metal era – you’ll note that Ibanez sweeps the board. If the signature model prices are too high, you’re guaranteed to find a mid-priced model of very similar specifications and the same build shape. Ibanez has made it a mission to dominate the midrange market, and has set the bar for midrange quality in doing so.
Some signature models and very slight variations counted as votes toward a particular model. Charvel & Kramer are surprisingly rare these days compared to the influence they had in the 80s – just take a look at Kramer’s endorsement list.
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Check out the Best Metal Guitars Under $500 or the Best Guitars Under $300 article if you’re looking for some great heavy metal guitars on a slightly smaller budget.There are so many guitars that are perfect for metal. If you want to play metal, the type of guitar you choose is important to get right.
I noticed that other websites tend to merely list popular metal guitars, but not explain the features you should be looking for or how to choose which one is right for you.
I’ll go through all of the important guitar features you need to think about because every metal guitarist will need a different type of guitar.
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After you read this guide and learn how to find the right metal guitar for you, check out my guide on the Best Guitar Pedals for Metal.
If you want to learn guitar and are looking at buying your first guitar, there are a few extra things you need to know.
Some people and websites will tell you that you need to start learning on an acoustic guitar, then if you want to learn metal, to buy an electric guitar later on.
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Trying to learn metal on a classical guitar (as shown below) feels and sounds horrible and may cause you to quit learning guitar (seriously).
Imagine trying to play one of your favorite metal songs on one of the above guitars. Not quite what you had in mind, is it?
Learning metal on a classical guitar is as bad as trying to learn classical music on a Flying V electric guitar. It just won’t feel or sound right.
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The important point to remember is thatthe type of guitar you learn on should match the style of music you want to play.
This means if you want to play metal, learn on a guitar suitable for metal. That means you should start learning on an electric guitar.
Sure, it might be nice to know that the guitar you buy is the exact same model as what your hero uses, but there are plenty of guitars that are just as good at a far lower price.
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The above features can make a big difference in how a guitar feels to play and what you can play on it.
Single-coil pickups tend to have a thinner tone and are great for a wide range of styles such as blues, rock, funk, country, reggae, etc.
Hum and noise can completely ruin a metal tone, which is why many metal guitarists use pedals to try and remove as much noise and hum as possible.
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Notice that the above Stratocaster has three single-coil pickups. This is an example of what to avoid when looking for a guitar suitable for metal.
When looking for a guitar for metal, look for a guitar that includes two humbucker pickups as you can see in the below example.
A guitar like this is perfect for metal and will produce a significantly better metal tone compared to the Stratocaster shown earlier with single-coil pickups.
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Having two humbucker pickups is the configuration you will see most often with metal guitarists. While other setups are possible, it’s a safe starting point.
I’ve written an entire guide comparing active and passive pickups, so if you’re interested in the difference and which is right for you, check out the guide.
The basic explanation is that active pickups are powered by a battery in your guitar, while passive pickups don’t require a battery.
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Later on, as you develop your own tone preferences, you can look at whether you might want to buy a guitar with active pickups.
The type of bridge used in a guitar will play a big role in what you can play, how the guitar feels, and how easy the guitar is to maintain.
If you’re unfamiliar with bridges or any other parts of the guitar, read this guide on guitar parts to learn about them.
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There are a lot of different types of bridges you can choose from with electric guitars, but I’ll make it easier for you to decide which is right for you.
To decide whether you should get a guitar with a tremolo or fixed bridge, ask yourself if you want to play lead or rhythm, or both.
If youdon’t want to play many solos, then the choice is easy. I recommend getting a guitar that doesn’t use a tremolo.
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If you are interested in playing a lot of lead guitar, take a look at the type of guitars used by the guitarists you listen to.
As an example, Dimebag Darrell (above) used his Floyd Rose tremolo in a lot of his solos. So if you wanted to learn his music, you would definitely want a guitar with a Floyd Rose tremolo.
One of the Easy Metal Guitar Solos covered in this lesson uses dive bombs and wide vibrato you can only get with a tremolo.
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If you look at guitarists such as Kirk Hammett from Metallica or Kerry King from Slayer, you’ll notice the Floyd Rose tremolos on their guitars.
A Floyd Rose is much more of a hassle compared to a fixed bridge, but it does offer some benefits you may or may not find useful.
A lot of metal is played on a six-string guitar, but some sub-genres have branched off to include 7, 8 & 9 string guitars.
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The number of strings on a guitar makes a big impact on how it feels to play and what you can play on it.
For example, if you want to learn some songs by Animals as Leaders, you’re going to want to get an eight-string guitar. Even 7 strings wouldn’t be enough to cover their music.
On the other hand, if you buy a 7 or 8 string guitar, you can still play any songs that are written for a 6-string guitar. But it will feel different to play.
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If you find you listen to a mix of 6 or 7 string music, keep in mind that you can play any 6-string song on a 7-string guitar.
If you plan on playing music that uses lower tunings than standard, you should consider buying a guitar with a longer scale length.
Even if you don’t plan on playing in lower tunings, read the above guide to understand how the scale length you choose will impact how the guitar feels to play.
Best Guitar For Metal
Ibanez has quite a few different ranges that are suitable for metal. Metal guitarists have been using Ibanez for decades and for good reason – they produce great guitars.
The good thing about Ibanez is that there are a lot of different models to choose from in a variety of configurations.
This means you can find models that offer fixed bridge or tremolos, active or passive pickups, 6 7 or 8 strings, etc.
Top 5 Effect Pedals For Metal!
Jackson guitars are great for metal and have a long history with metal guitarists from all the way back when Randy Rhoads contacted Charvel guitars to work on something for him.
Jackson knows what metal guitarists want and produce some great signature models worth checking out by Jeff Loomis, Gus G, Mark Morton, and Chris Broderick.
As a Metallica fan, I first heard about ESP as being Kirk Hammett’s brand of choice. But ESP produce a lot of signature guitars for metal guitarists as well as non-signature models worth checking out.
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While LTD is their ‘budget’ range, prices on LTDs can go all the way up
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