Best Guitars for Metal! (2021)
What is it that makes a guitar good for the Metal Genre? Is it the style, shape, brand name, scale length, number of frets, or the type of pickups it has?
I contend that all these things and more can factor into what makes a good “Metal Guitar”. It’s also important to look at what the popular guitarists in the Genre are using. They are some of the most talented guitarists in the world, and the gear they choose influences the market and overall opinion.
AxeDr.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
If you are short on time, and need a quick rundown of the list, here it is.
Best Metal Guitar Brands in 2020
- Ibanez
- Schecter
- ESP-LTD
- Jackson
- Dean
- Kiesel
- Epiphone
- Gibson
- B.C. Rich
- Charvel
- Fender
Things to Consider Before You Buy a Guitar for the Metal Genre.
Before you narrow down the best guitars for metal, you need to know what type of sound you are going for. Most Metal guitars have humbuckers that are either Active or Passive.
Passive Pickups:
Passive Pickups are much more natural sounding and are used in most guitars today. They come in a wide range of magnet types, output strength, and every type of EQ you can think of. They are much more versatile than than Active Pickups. Consist of two magnets wrapped in coils of wire that pick up the electrical signal produced by the vibrating strings. Does not require power.
Pros:
- Natural, Dynamic Tone
- Do not require a power source
Cons:
Produce a weaker signal, so very long lengths of instrument cable can suck tone.
Active Pickups:
Active Pickups have a built in Pre Amp powered by a battery. Long lengths of guitar cable are not a problem for active pickups. They have a reputation for producing a consistent tone no matter what guitar you put them in. They sound as good in cheap pawn shop guitar as they do in a high end Artist Model Ibanez. Because they require less magnetic power, they are less likely to dampen string vibration and sustain.
Very similar but with less coils of wire. In its place is an active built in preamp to boost the signal from the strings. Requires a power supply, usually in the form of a 9 volt battery.
Pros:
- Consistent Tone No Matter the Guitar
- Quiet Operation, Because of Shielding
- Less Pull on strings = Better Sustain
Cons:
- Flat Tone
- Battery Powered means your tone will weaken as the battery drains. (Why I removed my EMGs to go passive.)
Overall, I prefer passive for metal and every other genre. Active pickups just don’t produce rich guitar tone IMO. Literally one hour after installing a new $10 9 volt my tone would change and go all weak. Passive pickups can achieve the same or better searing guitar tone without the hassle of a battery.
Fastest Guitars: Which Brands make the Fastest Playing Guitars?
When it comes to any kind of metal, hardcore, black metal, deathcore…players always want the Fastest Playing Guitars possible. Ibanez has certainly highlighted this issue by introducing a number of fast playing neck profiles.
They have developed several iterations of the Wizard Neck over the years. It has become a huge selling point for Ibanez Guitars. I’d even venture to say its a huge reason why many players stick with Ibanez rather than another brand.
What metal player in the world would dare take a chance of POTENTIALLY LOSING SPEED because they chose a brand without speed optimized necks?
Some of the fastest playing guitars I’ve personally played came from brands like Ibanez, Schecter, and Jackson (Dinky).
Its not just neck profiles that are taken into consideration when dealing with speed.
String spacing is also something to think about. The idea is that the less distance your pick has to travel between strings, the more efficient your picking.
Other aspects to consider in regaurds to speed.
- Size of Frets (Jumbo, Large, Medium, etc.)
- Neck Finish
- Number of Frets (22, 24)
- Fretboard Radius (This is a big one, its the curvature or flatness of the fretboard in regard to the strings, a tell tale sign of good metal guitars.)
Jeff Owens, writer for Fender.com describes fingerboard radius in more detail in a tech talk article.
This can make a great deal of difference in the overall feel of your fretting hand. You will absolutely notice if you get a different radius than you are used to playing.
Most metal specific guitars are going to have relatively conservative radius fingerboards, but its always best to ensure its suitable for your needs. Worst case scenario, you’ll have to retrain your left hand’s muscle memory a bit to compensate for a different radius.
For even more info on getting your axe to be the fastest playing guitar possible read my “5 Speed Hacks Every Guitarist Should Know” Post.
Best Guitars for Metal
Best Metal Guitar #11
This is one of the best selling metal guitars available today. They’ve been making this model for a long time. I personally own this guitar and have used it for years. It is as well made as guitars can come. The setup from the factory was spot on. The Floyd Rose is a great resource for metal music. Its capable of some crazy music, and makes this list of good metal guitars.
It does well with Extra Heavy Guage Strings for De-Tuning down to B. The way it looks is just stunning with the white body, black pickups, and mother of pearl outlining the body. The neck is a little fatter than my Schecter Blackjack, but you get used to that. I would prefer an unfinished neck rather than the gloss finished neck that it comes with. The push pull knobs add functionality and adds a plethora of tonal possibilities.
Who’s It For:
Guitarists who prefer Floyd Rose Trems, 24 fret necks, and fancy pickup switching capabiltiy.
Who’s Its Not For:
Guitarists who prefer classic models and straightforward simplicity in their axe.
Customer Rating:
Hybrid Version
Good Metal Guitars #10
My main concern is to show you good metal guitars. The standout that make this Les Paul style guitar special is the Evertune Bridge and 24 Jumbo Frets. No matter which ESP Guitars Review I read, the buyers are almost entirely positive on it’s features. How many Gibson/Epiphone Les Pauls have you seen with either of those things? I can’t recall ever seeing one. Those features alone make this guitar worth it. The next time I buy a Les Paul, its going to be an ESP-LTD.
The ESP LTD EC-1000FM EverTune is a no-nonsense axe that would be a perfect fit any metal arsenal. Featuring a vintage see-thru black finish on single cutaway mahogany body, this metal machine means business. The EC-1000FM is powered by a pair of Seymour Duncan humbuckers: an SH-4 in the bridge position and an SH-2 in the neck position. These pickups will deliver a wide range of tones from retro, to up to the minute metal. The simplified controls include a master volume for each pickup, and a single master tone control.
The set-in mahogany 24-3/4″-scale neck has been carved into an ultra-fast thin profile and topped with 24 Extra Jumbo frets on an Ebony fingerboard for extremely fast playability and effortless string-bending. Finally, the Black Hardware hardware includes an ESP-designed EverTune bridge that will stabilize tuning and withstand anything you can dish out. The EverTune is equipped with small springs that keep constant tension on your strings, allowing the guitar to hold its tune for longer durations of time. That;s why this ESP Guitars review puts it in the top metal guitars.
Customer Rating:
Best Metal Guitar #9
I’m generally not a Dean guitar guy, but Dean is known for making good metal guitars. They tend to specialize in the crazy body shape guitars, and that just never appealed to me. However, they did get my attention with this guitar. Dean only has a handful of artist models. Rusty Cooley is one of those Artists, and for good reason. He is well known for his impressive guitar feats and he would settle for nothing less than the best. If he designed this guitar, you can rest assured it is well suited to the metal genre.
The Dean Rusty Cooley 7-String Exotic Electric Guitar will instantly breathe new life and depth into your playing. This signature 7-string features a mahogany body with a flame maple top and finish that lets the wood grain shine through. The bolt-on maple neck is custom shaped to Rusty’s playing style and has an ebony fingerboard with 24 frets and Cooley inlays. Black hardware includes Grover tuners and a Floyd Rose FRTS2000 7-string bridge. Electronics consist of Dual EMG 707 humbuckers wired to a 3-way switch a single Volume control for ultra rapid sonic adjustments.
Specs:
- Body Material: Mahogany
- Neck Material: Maple
- Scale Length: 25 1/2″ (648mm)
- Construction: Bolt-On Neck
- Neck Shape: Rusty Cooley Spec. Slim D Shaped
- Fretboard Material: Ebony
- Inlays: Pearl Xenocide
- # of Frets: 25 1/2 Jumbo
- Fretboard Radius: 16″ (406mm)
- Bridge: Floyd Rose Pro 2000 7-String (Korean)
- Pickup (Neck): EMG 707
- Pickup (Bridge): EMG 707
- Country of Origin: Republic of Korea
- Truss Rod: Dual Action
- Controls: One Volume / 3-Way Blade
Best Metal Guitar #8
Jackson Guitars have been a tradition in the heavy metal genre. They have a menacing look to them, and guitarists worldwide recognize their value when it comes to shredding. If you haven’t considered a Jackson yet…perhaps its time you do?
Shred in comfort and style with the innovative Jackson Pro Soloist SL2Q MAH, the final word in high-tech guitar design. A high performance evolution of the electric guitar, this instrument opens up new horizons of playability, resetting the bar of what’s possible in guitar design. Unlock your full potential as a player and realize your musical dreams.
Who’s It For:
Guitarists who prefer Floyd Rose Trems, 24 fret necks, and passive seymour duncan pickups.
Who’s Its Not For:
Hardtail lovers, active pickup lovers.
Customer Rating:
Fretboard
Material: Ebony
Radius: Compound
Fret size: Jumbo
Number of frets: 24
Inlays: Piranha tooth
Nut width: 1.69 in. (43 mm)
Pickups
Configuration: HH
Neck: SH-6N Distortion
Middle: Not applicable
Bridge: TB-6 Distortion
Brand: Seymour Duncan
Active or passive pickups: Passive
Best Metal Guitar #7
What does it take to make good metal guitars? As you know, I’m a huge fan of this brand, and that’s reflected in almost any ESP Guitars review. What does this legend need in a guitar? I have the answer. Just look to the ESP-LTD KH-602. This axe has everything a guitarist needs in order to achieve full shred.
Thru-body neck for more sustain and tone. The ESP LTD KH-602 Kirk Hammett Signature Guitar is great for lightning fast leads. With the KH body style and Kirk’s trademark skull-and-crossbones inlays, this ESP guitar steps up with an alder body, rock-solid maple neck-thru construction, a rosewood fingerboard, EMG-81/60 active humbuckers, and a Floyd Rose 1000 Series tremolo. Extra-jumbo frets. Any good ESP Guitars review should take this model into serious consideration. Black hardware. 2 volume, tone, and 3-way switching controls.
Kirk Hammett is the lead guitarist for the biggest heavy metal band of all time: Metallica. Over the past thirty years Kirk and Metallica have single-handedly changed the face of music, sold more albums than any metal band in history, and continue to inspire new generations of musicians. Kirk’s solos are a crucial part of Metallica’s dominating sound, and he has relied on ESP for more than two decades to make him guitars that meet his every need.
Who’s It For:
Metallica Fans with appreciation for EMG pickups.
Who’s Its Not For:
People who prefer Bolt On Necks, thick neck profiles, and passive pickups.
Customer Rating:
Best Metal Guitar #6
Guitars in the LTD 1000 Series are designed to offer the tone, feel, looks and quality that working professional musicians need in an instrument, along with the pricing that typical musicians can still afford. Having read every ESP Guitars review available, I comfortable placing this model at #6 on the list.
The MH-1001NT includes premier-class components like LTD locking tuners, a Tonepros locking TOM bridge with string-thru-body, and EMG 81/85 Metalworks active pickups. Its set-thru 3 pc. maple neck has a rosewood fingerboard with 24XJ frets.
Who’s It For:
Guitarists who like fast necks and smaller sized guitars.
Who Its Not For:
Guitarists who don’t play much metal and prefer passive pickups. Guitarist who can’t appreciate good metal guitars.
Customer Rating:
Best Metal Guitar #5
The ESP LTD James Hetfield Signature Iron Cross Electric Guitar is designed to the meet the performance demands of its namesake. Any good ESP guitars review cannot leave out the fact that this guitar has kickass pickups. It features a mahogany body with a maple top, distinctive graphics and set-neck construction. The mahogany neck has a thin U-shape profile and smooth ebony fretboard.
Black hardware is used throughout, including the TonePros tune-o-matic bridge and LTD locking tuners, all signs of good metal guitars. A JH signature set of EMG humbuckers provides all the killer tones that metal players seek. Any ESP guitars review will place this Hetfield model high on the best guitars for metal list.
Who’s It For:
Metallica Fans. Hybrid Pickups Players.
Who Its Not For:
Guitarists who don’t play much metal and prefer classic features.
Customer Rating:
Best Metal Guitar #4
For almost 20 years now, Munky and Ibanez have been designing good metal guitars that constantly challenged the idea of what the 7-string guitar could (and should) be. That amazing legacy continues with the Ibanez APEX30. As a recording and performing artist in the band Korn for nearly 30 years, Munky’s Ibanez signature models have adapted and evolved along with him and Korn’s music. The APEX30 personifies that next stage in the evolution. The first Ibanez signature model to feature the Evertune tuning system, Munky’s APEX can withstand with the beating that he puts on it night in and out, remaining perfectly in tune throughout the performance.
Who’s It For:
Korn Fans who loved detuned metal.
Who Its Not For:
First time 7 string owners. Anyone who hasn’t confirmed that 7 string guitars are suitable to their playing style.
Specs:
- Nyatoh Body w/ Maple Top
- 3-piece Maple “APEX30” Neck w/ Ebony Fretboard
- Luminescent Side Dots
- Dual DiMarzio Blaze (H) Pickups
- EverTune Bridge
- Black Hardware
Best Metal Guitar #3
One of the best features on this guitar is the Dimarzio Titan Pickups. I searched for weeks before I found these pickups. I needed a set of decent pickups for an Active to Passive conversion on one of my guitars. These Titans fit the bill, and I’m super impressed with their power.
The Ibanez JBM10FX solidbody electric guitar is a more affordable version of Periphery guitarist Jake Bowen’s cutting-edge 6-string signature model. Though it carries a lower price tag, the JBM10FX cuts no corners. It offers a powerful, cutting duet of Bowen’s signature DiMarzio Titan humbucking pickups. The nyatoh body is outfitted with a Gibraltar Standard II bridge for maximum sustain and spot-on intonation. And the maple neck is carved to Ibanez’s sleek Wizard III profile. The JBM10FX is a devastating instrument without a devastating price.
Customer Rating:
Best Metal Guitar #2
This is a special guitar! Brian Head Welch from KORN designed this axe. If I could have one guitar from this list it would be this one, the ESP LTD SH-7 Evertune Signature Series Brian “Head” Welch. This axe has all the bells and whistles, and scores high in almost every ESP guitars review out there. Like the James Hetfield signature series, this axe sports a very specialized set of pickups. They offer the best of passive pickups and active pickups…combined but you can switch between the two distinct voices. This is a truly purpose built metal guitar!
The ESP SH-7ET Brian “Sir Headly” Welch Head-7 solidbody electric guitar is a unique seven-string guitar designed for a unique guitarist. At its core, you have a resonant basswood body, a three-piece maple neck with Thin U profile, and a sleek ebony fretboard with 24 extra-jumbo frets. But what really sets this guitar apart, and puts it in the top 3 of this ESP guitars review, is a pair of Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucking pickups, offering two distinct voicings for massive humbucker tone with extreme fidelity. Good metal guitars often have active pickups, incapable of passive tone. Finally, the Evertune bridge maintains seemingly-impossible tuning stability, no matter how aggressively you play the ESP SH-7ET Brian “Sir Headly” Welch Head-7.
Customer Rating:
Best Metal Guitar #1 AND
Best Ibanez Guitar for Metal
When it came down to the number one spot, I was torn between Schecter vs Ibanez. Which brand has the best track record? How many metal players choose Schecter vs Ibanez? Ultimately I believe Ibanez has the better track record having been founded back in 1935. Schecter guitars rock, no doubt, but technically they are the younger brand being that they were founded in 1976.
One of my absolute favorite metal bands OF ALL TIME is August Burns Red. One of the best metal guitars, maybe even the Best IBANEZ Guitar for Metal too is from my favorite metal guitarist. They have created some of the most uniquely brutal music in the metal genre. I have yet to find another band that sounds anything like them. When I found out their guitarist JB Brubaker had a signature guitar, I had to include it in this list. How could I not?
Since their formation in 2003, August Burns Red, the local upstart from Lancaster, PA has evolved into one of the biggest names worldwide in the modern metal scene, continually growing and connecting fiercely with a colossal legion of fans.
Ibanez JBBM20 GR JB Brubaker Signature Electric Guitar
EMG pickups effectively produce a distinctive tone with quick, complex distortion and plenty of depth to ensure a lasting impression. The Gibraltar Standard II is a simple fixed bridge that was designed to unify with the guitar’s body and provide optimal transfer of each string’s vibration. Smooth surface is designed to maximize playing comfort. Ibanez is well known for it’s good metal guitars.
Customer Rating:
Conclusion:
Well, I hope this has been of some help to you. This list is a collection of the best selling and highest rated metal guitars I could find. I recommend these guitars based on my hands on experiences. The Metal Genre is incredibly demanding on it’s guitar players.Therefore, you must have the right tool for the job. The competition among players is astounding to me at times. You have to be at the top of your game to get noticed.
These guitars can be excellent foundations on which you can build your speed, agility, and stamina. Half the battle in this genre is being able to play quickly and accurately. You can’t expect a Gretsch Hollow Body to facilitate your sweep picking skills. Your axe needs to be purpose built for metal. If you have any questions or comments, please use the comment section below. You can also contact me personally at kelsey@AxeDr.com if you need to.
If you enjoyed this article be sure to check out these ones too:
9 Best Custom Electric Guitar Brands You’ve Never Heard Of (2020)
Best Guitar Amps Under 1000 (2020)
7 Crazy Boutique Guitar Builders You Should Be Following in 2020
Humbuckers vs Single Coil: Ultimate Electric Guitar Pickups Guide
I wish you the best of luck in your pursuit of tone.
Sincerely,
The Axe Dr.
1. Are Humbucker Pickups Active or Passive?
Humbuckers are one of just two configurations of guitar pickup. Humbuckers are basically just two single coil pickups pushed together. The overwhelming majority of Humbuckers are Passive. Active pickups are not that common in comparison. They are used by guitarists in the metal genre; Some, but not all.
2. What's the difference between Active and Passive Pickups?
The main difference is Active Pickups have a built in Pre Amp that requires a 9v battery to work. Passive pickups do not.
Active pickups are reserved for the Metal Genre, and they suffer from dull inconsistent tone. Passive Pickups are much more versatile, and have richer more dynamic tone.
3. Are Active Pickups better for Metal?
Although Active Pickups are often times found on "Metal" guitars, that doesn't mean they are better than passive. It is more a question of personal preference. Active pickups are favorable for high gain because they limit feedback and noise. That being said, they have ample weaknesses such as flat, dull tone, inconsistent output when the 9v battery drops below 90%, and they are often more expensive.
4. What are EMG pickups?
EMG Pickups are the most popular brand of Active Guitar Pickups. They come stock on many guitar models from Ibanez, Schecter, ESP-LTD, Jackson, Charvel, and many more. They can be used as a custom upgrade to your own electric guitar.
5. What are the best Metal Guitar Brands?
- Ibanez
- Schecter
- ESP-LTD
- Jackson
- Dean
- Kiesel
- Epiphone
- Gibson
- B.C. Rich
- Charvel
- Fender
6. Which brands make the fastest playing guitars?
When it comes to any kind of metal, hardcore, black metal, deathcore...players always want the Fastest Playing Guitars possible. Ibanez has certainly highlighted this issue by introducing a number of fast playing neck profiles.
Some of the fastest playing guitars I've personally played came from brands like Ibanez, Schecter, and Jackson (Dinky).
Ibanez have developed several iterations of the Wizard Neck over the years. It has undoubtedly been a huge selling point for Ibanez Guitars. I'd even venture to say its a huge reason why many players stick with Ibanez rather than another brand.
What metal player in the world would dare take a chance of POTENTIALLY LOSING SPEED because they chose a brand without speed optimized necks?
