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Top-tier tones and build quality from the best metal guitars that are tailor-made for world-conquering heaviness Ashtray
The best metal guitars cover a huge array of sub-genres, styles and overall vibes, but they've all got one thing in common - they're all made for world-ending amounts of heaviness. From thrash and grindcore to djent and everything in between, there's something in this list for you.
The world of metal guitars is awash with a vast array of different options - 6, 7 and 8-string models, baritones, multi-scales, different neck profiles, active pickups, high-output passive pickups and more. It has to look the part too. Pointy headstocks and bodies are typically metal, but sometimes a more understated body shape with a cool finish can do the job nicely too. There’s a lot to consider when trying to find the best metal guitar for you.
Since its gradual inception in the '60s and '70s, metal has been constantly evolving. As such, the guitar industry has done its best to keep up by modifying and building on previous designs, or starting anew and taking a completely different approach.
Below, you’ll find a selection of the best metal guitars available right now, covering a range of budgets and features.
We’ve included some in-depth buying advice at the end of this guide, so if you'd like to read more about the best metal guitars then click the link. If you'd rather just get straight to the products, keep scrolling.
Choosing the very best metal guitars is a tough one. As you'll see from the upcoming list, many of the guitars we've included in this guide have five star ratings - and as such, it's a bit like having to choose between our favourite children.
But, we've all got a favourite. Our number one choice is the PRS SE Mark Holcomb . It's the perfect blend of calmness and insanity, with the Seymour Duncan Alpha/Omega pickup set onboard capable of sparkly cleans and stomach-churning levels of gain, all while delivering a tone with almost endless clarity. It's comfortable to play, looks awesome and is well priced too. Win win.
A close second is the Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster V4 . The Fender Jazzmaster is already a total classic, but doesn't scream metal - so the opportunity to get your hands on a metal-friendly JM shouldn't be passed up. The V4 is a little less metal looking than its predecessors, and realistically it's capable of any musical scenario you throw at it. It handles gain like a champ though, naturally. If it's good enough for Jim Root, it's probably good enough for you too.
While there is certainly no shortage of metal players who have been seen with a PRS in their hands, it would be fair to say the brand is more associated with vintage class and PAF-style pickups than anything too modern. Which is exactly why this signature was such a welcome addition to their collection, bringing more metallic power to the PRS catalogue without straying too far from what they’re famous for.
Firstly you’ll notice the signature Mark Holcomb pickups made by Seymour Duncan bring plenty of ceramic roar, with a considerable increase in output compared to most PRS models. That said, this set is still passive and can also be split by pulling out the tone knob – which means you’re getting a whole host of tones out of just two humbuckers.
And though these models ship tuned to Drop C, with a Fender-style 25.5” scale length they work just as well in standard – unlike baritone guitars, which are made with longer scale lengths to facilitate thicker strings at lower tunings. If you’re looking for a PRS that can chug with the best of them and still retain the versatility the brand built its name on, this guitar might just be it.
Read the full PRS SE Mark Holcomb review
The Jim Root Jazzmaster is the first of the Slipknot axe-slinger’s signature models to feature his own set of customised EMG pickups. The Jim Root Daemonum humbuckers were designed to give him everything he loved about the classic EMG 81/60 combo, with the added benefits of more vintage-flavoured Retro Active pickups.
With a body made from mahogany, and simple but effective hardware, the Jim Root Jazzmaster is built like a tank and so is ready for all the chuggy metal riffs you can throw at it. It’s also not obviously somebody’s signature guitar, so if you’re not a Slipknot fan, but you want something reliable that looks simple and classic, can handle incredibly heavy tones and will play beautifully, then the Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster is one of the best metal guitars out there.
The Jackson Rhoads V-style is about as pointy as guitars get, and Jackson hasn't made any health-and-safety concessions with the JS32T: it can still pierce skin if deployed with sufficient force.
The Rhoads is a sharp player, too. The tune-o-matic-style bridge makes low action a cinch, and the almost waxy feel of the satin neck finish is a dream to speed up and down. The high-output own-brand humbuckers offer plenty of snap and presence, providing the definition to handle distorted playing of all styles.
Dial in a Marshall-y distortion and bust out Crazy Train, and we dare you to stop grinning: the JS32T just nails that sound. It's also cheaper than rival Vs, plays like a dream, delivers classic tones and even functions as a weapon off stage. A winner.
Read the full Jackson JS32T Rhoads review
The EC-1000ET is an all-mahogany single-cut loaded with an set of EMG 81 and 60 active humbuckers, a comfortably modern neck and a high level of construction quality.
Its key selling point, however, is a fitted EverTune bridge – unlike other tuning systems, it doesn't tune your guitar for you or offer altered tunings. Instead, once set and tuned, it simply aims to stay there, thanks to a series of tension-calibrated springs and levers. We tried everything we could to knock it out of whack: huge, three-step bends, wildly exaggerated string stretching... we even put the guitar into a freezer. It came back perfectly in tune every single time.
What's more, a guitar that's perfectly tuned and intonated up and down the neck seems to play much more musically. We're not aware of any tone compromises, either. The EC sounds as full and aggressive as ever, with the more mellow tones of the neck EMG being pleasantly rounded, and all bereft of any metallic spring clank. If never going out of tune is important to you, this is one of the best guitars for metal going.
Read the full LTD EC-1000 EverTune review
Murray's Strat has an air of refinement; a sober, classy aesthetic complementing a nuanced, classic rock tone. But make no mistake: with two Seymour Duncan Hot Rails stacked humbuckers in neck and bridge, and a JB Jr in the middle, there's plenty of firepower on offer.
Given that Iron Maiden's increasingly progressive sound makes all sorts of demands on Murray's gear, we're not surprised by the harmonically rich bark of the bridge 'bucker through an all-valve head, lending a fiery heat and squeal to solos. That said, it also has some unexpected sweet spots when the signal is just pushed to breaking point.
Ultimately, the Dave Murray Stratocaster is one of the best options at this price for metal, with plenty of crunch and scream and a top quality vibrato, arguably trumping Murray's US-built signature model (retailing at more than twice the price) with regards functionality and versatility – if not outright quality.
Custom Bottle Opener Read the full Fender Dave Murray Stratocaster review