- There are plenty of guitars for right-handed guitarists, but what are the options for left-handed players?
- We look at 7 of the best options for all budgets.
Left-handed electric guitar players have seen a boom in options during the last decades. Manufacturers have answered the demand for left-handed guitars and flooded the market with options, although nowhere near the number of right-handed guitars.
However, with so many options available, how do you know what instrument to get? Today we’re going to list the 7 best left-handed electric guitars to help you out. Each of these instruments offers something unique for your situation, so let’s begin.
What Are The Best Left-Handed Electric Guitars?
Our pick for the best left-handed electric guitar is the PRS SE Custom 24. This guitar offers tremendous value, as it sounds and plays great, fits a number of situations, and will work well in basically any genre.
For those short on cash, our best value option is the Squier Affinity Telecaster. This model by Fender’s Squier brand gives you iconic Tele tone and feel for a fraction of the price.
Finally, for those that need the best, the Suhr Classic Pro Left-Handed Fiesta Red is our premium choice. This guitar is hands down one of the best guitars for left-handed players, offering stunning quality, tone, and playability.
So, here are our candidates for the 7 best left-handed electric guitars.
- PRS SE Custom 24 Left-handed (Our Pick)
- Squier Affinity Telecaster, Left-handed (Budget Option)
- Suhr Classic Pro Left-Handed Fiesta Red (Premium Option)
- Ibanez Steve Vai Signature JEMJR
- Epiphone Les Paul Custom Pro
- Squier Affinity Stratocaster
- Jackson X Series Soloist SLX
1. PRS SE Custom 24 (Our Pick)
The Paul Reed Smith SE Custom 24 left-handed solid-body electric guitar puts the sound, playability, and gorgeous looks of the Custom line into a high-quality and affordable instrument.
The line of SE guitars from PRS is made in Asia under PRS guidance and has been extremely popular among young and budget-conscious PRS lovers.
Manufacturing these instruments overseas makes it possible to get a quality guitar at a much lower price. The PRS SE Custom 24 is a great guitar for the money, offering fantastic sound, features, and playability, making it our top pick for this list.
Features
- Mahogany body for punchier tone and long sustain
- PRS-designed tremolo
- PRS 85/15 S pickups
- Push-pull tone knob for single-coil-type tones
- Wide-thin comfortable maple neck
Review
The SE Custom 24 features a combination of a mahogany body and maple top for a nice balance of rich midrange and bright snap.
It also features a rosewood fingerboard with the now-classic PRS bird inlays. The headstock has been redesigned to sport Paul Reed Smith’s signature, giving some extra swagger to this left-handed guitar.
This guitar features a pair of PRS-designed 85/15 S humbucking pickups in the bridge and neck positions, with the option to pull up on the tone pot to access single-coil sounds.
These pickups are an update to PRS’s original humbuckers, offering great sound for both humbucking or single-coil sounds. They feature enough output for driving your amp hard while sounding clear and detailed when they need to. The SE Custom 24’s maple neck has a wide-thin carve, giving it a fast feel and great playability.
As far as the controls, this PRS SE features a three-way blade pickup switch as well as one master volume and one master tone (push/pull coil-split).
If you want an affordable but nice PRS, the SE Custom 24 left-handed is one of the best options in the market.
2. Squier Affinity Telecaster (Best Value)
Featuring a lightweight, resonant poplar body with a solid "C"-shape, bolt-on maple neck, this Tele offers endless hours of comfort and playability on stage, in the studio, or in the garage as you explore your own style across genres.
- Tele feel and tone
- Comfortable to play
The Squier by Fender brand of guitars has been around for almost 40 years. These guitars are made with one goal in mind: to offer classic Fender tone and feel at a much lower cost.
The Squier Affinity Series Telecaster is a good guitar for left-handed players that want that legendary Tele tone on a budget. This is our best value option for this list.
Features
- Classic Telecaster feel, tone, and looks at an affordable price
- C-shape maple neck and maple fingerboard for greater playability and comfort
- 21 medium jumbo frets
- Master volume and master tone knobs
- Gloss Polyurethane finish
Review
The Squier Affinity Telecaster offers you a true Tele feel, tone, and looks at an affordable price. Featuring a lightweight, resonant alder body with a solid C-shape maple neck, this Tele offers a comfortable playing experience, whether you use it on stage, in the studio, or just for fun at home.
Its two single-coil pickups provide a classic Telecaster tone. In addition, master volume and master tone knobs allow you to dial in your preferred sound with subtle tweaks.
The Squier Affinity Series Telecaster neck was designed for comfortable playing and is made from solid maple with a maple fingerboard, providing a powerful, robust tone. The 21 medium-jumbo frets add to the overall playing comfort of this instrument.
The pickups in this guitar are two vintage-style single-coils that offer a dynamic and crisp tone, in true Telecaster fashion. Finally, the master volume and master tone knobs allow you to dial in your desired sound for your style.
3. Suhr Classic Pro (Premium Option)
These new Classic pro's are fitted with Suhr's latest single-coil pickups the "V70" which create the classic chimey clean tones of the classic rock era and the distorted heavyweight punch of those classic 70's riffs, all in one pickup.
Suhr is one of the premier manufacturers of electric guitars. Their instruments are for those that demand the best there is, and the Suhr Classic Pro is further proof.
This left-handed electric guitar offers superior playability, sound, and components. It features a Stratocaster shape and design, but with some of the best tonewoods, electronics, and overall construction we’ve seen in a left-handed electric guitar. The Suhr Classic Pro is our premium option for the best left-handed electric guitar.
Features
- Alder Body
- Quartersawn Maple neck with 9-12″ radius
- East Indian Rosewood Fingerboard
- Even C medium Neck Shape
- Medium Stainless steel frets
Review
The Suhr Classic Pro Left-Handed Fiesta Red is for those left-handed guitarists that want nothing but the best and are willing to pay for it.
It features an incredible set of specs that truly justify its price. This left-handed guitar is fitted with Suhr’s V70 single-coil pickups the which create the iconic chime-y clean tones of the classic rock era as well as the distorted heavyweight punch required to burn onstage or the studio.
The Suhr Classic Pro features Suhr’s SSCII silent single coil circuit, which gives you true single-coil tones without any hum.
This guitar features an Alder body, thin skin urethane finish, quartersawn maple neck wood, maple fingerboard, and an even C medium fingerboard for ultimate playability. Its scale length is 25.5″, with a 9-12″ compound fingerboard radius and 22 frets.
As far as the hardware goes, this Suhr Classic Pro features a Gotoh 510 bridge with bent saddle, chrome finish, and Surh locking tunning machines.
Simply said, the Suhr Classic Pro is one of the finest left-handed electric guitars on the market today, ideal for those discerning players that need to have the best there is.
4. Ibanez Steve Vai Signature JEMJR
From the acrylic vine inlay to the instantly recognizable "monkey grip" handle, there's no doubt where the JEMJR Steve Vai Signature came from. For tonal tenacity, you get two Quantum humbuckers and one Quantum single-coil pickup complete with five-way switching.
- Powerful tone
- Affordable
- Effortless playability
The JEM has been a very popular line of guitars by Ibanez, in great part thanks to guitar god Steve Vai, who helped design several models to his specifications.
The JEMJR is a more affordable option for this line and is quite popular. This instrument offers killer looks with a bunch of other nice features. If you like to play rock and have a taste for that virtuoso style, then the JEMJR left-handed electric guitar is for you.
Features
- A value-packed version of Steve Vai’s iconic signature guitar
- Two Quantum humbuckers and one Quantum single-coil
- Acrylic vine inlay
- Wizard III neck for fast playability
- Standard double-locking bridge for solid tuning and intonation
Review
The JEMJR Steve Vai Signature guitar features the neck Wizard III, one of Ibanez’s fastest necks to date. This is a slim and very comfortable neck that lets you do your ultra-fast runs (if you practice, of course), but still feels solid for laying down fat chords when you need to.
As it is expected by a guitar made for Steve Vai, you’ll know you’ve got a guitar that was built with performance in mind as soon as you pick it up.
The JEMJR Steve Vai Signature feature Quantum pickups that provide hot tonal aggression for hard rock and lead lines, with a defined sound that helps individual notes ring through. These pickups also allow for sonic flexibility.
This guitar also features Ibanez’s standard double-locking bridge, which helps you maintain your tuning stability even after heavy pitch bends.
To say Steve Vai uses his whammy bar quite a bit is an understatement, and this bridge was made with stability in mind. If you like rock and/or admire the work, tone, and sound of Steve Vai, the JEMJR is the way to go.
5. Epiphone Les Paul Custom Pro
The Epiphone Les Paul Custom faithfully re-creates the magic of the original Les Paul Custom down to the tiniest detail. It's made with the same mahogany body, features gorgeous binding and inlays, and sounds killer when you plug it in.
- Gloss-finish
- Brilliant both visually and sonically
The Epiphone Les Paul Custom Pro with gold hardware features the look of one of the most iconic electric guitars of all time, dating back to 1953 when Les Paul wanted to create a luxurious instrument with a tuxedo look.
This Epiphone retains a lot of the characteristics you’d get from the enormously more expensive Gibson Custom Shop version, with a familiarity that feels authentic.
Features
- ProBucker pickups for hand-wound PAF tones
- Options for coil splits
- Mahogany, maple, and rosewood tonewoods for classic Les Paul sound
- Upgraded hardware for better playability and tuning
- Mahogany body with maple veneer top
Review
The Epiphone Les Paul Custom Pro features two Probucker pickups. These pickups do a good job of capturing that famous Les Paul magic tone and are more versatile thanks to a split-coil mode not featured on the Gibson Les Paul version.
Naturally, there is a reason why the Gibson Les Paul costs so much more. This Epiphone features a fretboard made of Rosewood instead of Ebony, and the Epiphone maple veneer is much thinner than what you’d find on a Gibson maple top.
However, if we take into account that this Epiphone costs six times less than its Custom Shop equivalent, this is easily one of the best Les Paul-shaped left-handed guitars in the market today.
If you are left-handed, and a fan of the Les Paul tone, feel, and look (but don’t have the fortune to spend) the Epiphone Les Paul Custom Pro is a fantastic option.
6. Squier Affinity Stratocaster
The Affinity Series Stratocaster® Left-Handed features a bolt-on maple neck with a rosewood Fingerboard, three single-coil pickups, and a synchronous tremolo system.
- Authentic Tele feel
- Great tones
The Fender Stratocaster is one of the most iconic electric guitar designs in history. Legendary guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Stevie Ray Vaughan employed a Strat as their main guitar and their sound impacted generations.
The Squire Affinity Stratocaster is a great instrument for a beginner looking to get that Strat tone and feel at an affordable price.
Features
- Alder body, maple neck, Gloss Polyurethane finish
- Indian laurel neck with 9.5″ radius
- C modern neck shape
- 25.5 in Scale length
- 6-saddle vintage-style synchronized tremolo bridge
Review
The Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster gives you the possibility of playing the most popular electric guitar model ever at a low cost.
The Stratocaster is one of the most copied guitars ever, and for good reason. It features a great design that just works for many styles and players. Their price range differs greatly, with the Squier Affinity being one of the cheapest ones that still manages to offer great quality.
The Squier Affinity Stratocaster features a maple fingerboard and 21 medium jumbo frets, an alder body with gloss polyethylene finish, and is outfitted with three standard single-coil Strat pickups.
Naturally, these pickups are not the best on the market, but it is fairly easy to replace them with better ones.
Overall, the Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster Left-Handed guitar is a solid choice for beginners that want to start off with a good initial instrument that keeps costs in check.
(For the best replacement pickups for Strats, check out 6 Best Single-Coil Pickups For Your Stratocaster)
7. Jackson X Series Soloist SLX
From solid riffs to intense solos, the Jackson Soloist SLX solid-body electric guitar is the affordable axe you want in your arsenal. The first thing you'll notice when you pick up your Soloist SLX is how comfortable it feels.
The Jackson X Series Soloist SLX was made for those left-handed electric guitar players that want to shred comfortably.
It features fantastic features and comfort that will match the needs of any rock or metal guitarist. Besides great sound, splendid playability, and fantastic comfort, this Jackson guitar also looks the part with a beautiful trans-black finish and Jackson’s signature fret inlays.
Features
- Basswood Soloist body style
- Duncan Designed humbucking pickups for a variety of tones
- Compound-radius fretboard for comfort
- Graphite reinforced neck-through-body design for sustain
- Floyd Rose Special double-locking 2-point tremolo
Review
The Jackson Soloist SLX left-handed guitar features a lightweight basswood contoured body with classic curves and a compound-radius fretboard.
This type of fretboard is more rounded at the nut and flatter higher up the neck which makes it more comfortable to fret chords near the nut while soloing.
The flatter higher frets also let you keep the action low without bottoming out when you bend notes. This construction and design are favored by many rock players because it lets you play with great comfort and ease.
This guitar also features a couple of Duncan Designed humbucker pickups, with an HB-103N pickup at the neck and an HB-102B at the bridge for a well-balanced tone with tight bass, glassy mids, and crunching highs. Additionally, the Soloist’s neck-through-body design also offers excellent sustain.
The Jackson Soloist SLX guitar features a real 2-point, double-locking Floyd Rose vibrato tailpiece which also helps the guitar’s responsiveness.
Soloist SLX with a set of extra-hot Duncan Designed humbucking pickups. An HB-103N pickup at the neck and an HB-102B at the bridge gives you a well-balanced tone with tight bass, glassy mids, and crunching highs.
Overall, the Jackson Soloist SLX guitar is a great choice for any left-handed player that wants a good rock or metal axe.