Today’s blog post will be perfect for everyone who’s looking for the best guitar with whammy bar! If you’re a frequent visitor of my site, you probably remember my latest guide on guitars with Bigsby. In fact, some of you asked me about the recommendations for other guitars with tremolo bars – so here they are.
As a massive fan of Stratocasters and Jazzmasters with whammy bars, I feel obliged to share my experience with you. What’s more, I used a few of these models during live gigs. All of them offer a great sound quality and they are perfect for all-level guitarists. Whether you’re a beginner or a more advanced player, you will be able to find something for yourself. Also, I included a few really affordable models which are perfect for anyone on a low budget.
We will start with a short list and then we’ll move on to more detailed descriptions of all guitars. Ready? Let’s go!
| 1. | Fender Vintera Stratocaster | See on Amazon |
| 2. | Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster | See on Amazon |
| 3. | Fender Player Jaguar | See on Amazon |
| 4. | Ibanez JEM | See on Amazon |
| 5. | Jackson Dinky | See on Amazon |
| 6. | Fender American Ultra Stratocaster | See on Amazon |
| 7. | Squier Affinity Stratocaster | See on Amazon |
| 8. | ESP LTD Kirk Hammett | See on Amazon |
| 9. | Schecter C-1 | See on Amazon |
| 10. | Fender Vintera Jaguar | See on Amazon |
Fender Vintera Stratocaster
Absolutely amazing guitar with a whammy bar, perfect for both beginner and more advanced players. To be honest, I’m a massive fan of Vintera Series. I think that the quality of these guitars can easily be comparable with more expensive American Fenders. If you’re looking for a classic Stratocaster with a bit of a vintage vibe, you should totally check out one of the Vintera models. This model sounds fantastic! In fact, it’s a result of three 60’s Strat single-coil pickups. In addition, the C-shaped neck features a great playability and comfort. Undoubtedly, it will be a perfect choice for a lot of guitarists. So if you’re looking for an awesome guitar with a whammy bar, this one’s definitely one of the best!
Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster
For those who don’t know, Squier is a brand owned by Fender – one of the most famous manufacturer of guitars in the world. The Squier guitars feature great playability, solid tone and really affordable prices. What’s more, the Classic Vibe Series is extremely popular due to its amazing quality. In my opinion, the attention to detail and overall enjoyment of this guitar is comparable with more expensive Fenders. Of course, some people prefer to have a Fender logo on the headstock, but still – it’s just a logo. The Jazzmaster features a whammy bar and it’s often considered as one of the best offset guitars and it’s a really popular choice among professional guitarists. For example, Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) uses a Jazzmaster on a daily basis. Other players include John Frusciante, Johnny Marr and many, many more. That’s a great recommendation! Here’s a sound sample in case you’re interested.
Fender Player Jaguar
Another absolutely amazing guitar! This Jaguar features a humbucking bridge pickup and a single-coil neck pickup. As a result, the guitar offers a really versatile landscape of interesting sounds. Whether you’re into clean tones or more distorted riffs, this Jaguar will definitely be perfect. In fact, this is one of the lowest models of Fender guitars. As I mentioned before, I think that the overall quality of this series is comparable with Squier Classic Vibe series. Nevertheless, these guitars are a bit more expensive, so if you’re on a tight budget, stick with the Squier! Still, at this price level, it’s one of the best guitars in the game. I highly recommend checking it out further!
Ibanez JEM
Whether you like pink color or not, this Steve Vai signature guitar is one of the best guitars with a whammy bar! If you’re looking for something really special that offers a lot in terms of sound versatility, you should totally give this JEM model a chance. In fact, these guitars have been introduced in 1987 and even today they’re still a really popular choice among guitarists of all levels. The HSH pickup setup will definitely be enough for the most demanding guitarists. And if you’re not into that color version, there is also a white model available too! I highly recommend this guitar for players who are mainly going to play rock and metal music. Undoubtedly, this guitar is made for fat riffs and super-fast solos. Great guitar and it’s not that expensive at all!
Jackson Dinky
The Dinky is actually one of the cheapest guitars on my today’s list. Again, it’s made for people who are in love with rock and heavy metal! At this price level, it’s definitely one of the best guitars with a whammy bar – it will be difficult to find a better guitar. What I also like about this model is the natural color. It’s really nice to see the actual wood instead of paint! I think that the Dinky will be perfect for beginner players. Still, even more advanced guitarists will have a lot of fun with that guitar. Great tone, comfortable neck and a really cheap price – who needs anything else? I highly recommend checking it out!
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster
Something for the most demanding players! This is a guitar for professional players – that’s for sure. If you’re looking for one of the best guitars available on the market right now, the Fender American Ultra Stratocaster has absolutely everything. This series of guitars is manufactured in Corona, California and it features the best quality out of all Fender guitars. In fact, the guitar is equipped with three Ultra Noiseless single-coil pickups that offer an exceptional tone. Nevertheless, the guitar is quite expensive. On the other hand, the best guitars in the game have to cost more, right? If you’d like to learn more about the American Ultra Series, I included a video below that covers this topic in depth. If you have a spare 30 minutes, I highly recommend checking it out!
Squier Affinity Stratocaster
Although this Squier is significantly less expensive than a previous Fender, it actually features a really good sound! In fact, if you’re a beginner, you will totally be satisfied with its tone and overall quality. And to be honest, more intermediate players will love it too. I personally have a Squier Affinity Jazzmaster and I can definitely confirm that the Affinity Series is absolutely amazing. I have no idea how they manage to do it at this price level, but these guitars are super comfortable to play, they sound awesome and they are cheap in comparison with other models on the market. What’s important, it’s not only my opinion – multiple reviews online confirm that statement. Have a look on the sound demo below and see how it sounds live. Amazing, right? At this price it will be difficult to find something better, that’s for sure.
ESP LTD Kirk Hammett
Any fans of Metallica out there? This ESP will be perfect for you! Similarly as Fender American Ultra, this guitar is from the higher shelf. It’s a bit expensive, but it’s an ideal choice for more intermediate musicians who are into metal. Why is it the best guitar with a whammy bar? Well, it features a super-slim neck, a set of EMG Kirk Hammett Signature pickups, a Floyd Rose bridge and a stunning look! What’s more, instead of regular dots on the fretboard, there are actually little white skulls. This pair of pickups is really powerful and it will allow you to play a lot of tasty metal riffs and fast solos. I highly recommend it to any lover of heavier tones!
Schecter C-1
Another absolutely great guitar for lovers of heavy and death metal. This satanic-looking Schecter guitar with a whammy bar is definitely one of the best choices out there! The guitar features a swamp ash body and a maple neck with the ebony fretboard. What’s important, it’s equipped with the Schecter USA Apocalypse-VI pickups set. It’s not the cheapest guitar on today’s list but it’s definitely something special. In my opinion, it will be perfect for intermediate and professional players who are into metal. I highly recommend checking it out further!
Fender Vintera Jaguar
We already covered the Fender Vintera Series and you probably remember that these guitars offer an exceptional tonal quality. Personally, this is my favorite guitar on today’s list and I gladly call it as the best guitar with a whammy bar. If you’re into indie or surf rock, this model will be ideal for you. On top of that, the appearance of this guitar and that matching blue headstock is just incredible. If you’re interested, here’s a quick sound demo of this amazing jaguar.
Summary
As you can see, there are a lot of great guitars with a whammy bar and some of them can be considered as the best. Which guitar would I choose? Well, it’s a tough choice, because all of these models feature great quality. If you’re on a low budget, I’d recommend something by Squier. Their cheap models are comparable with mid-level Mexican Fender guitars. Although if you’re a more advanced player, you can aim for the Vintera or American Professional Series. Nevertheless, I guarantee that any guitar from this list will give you a lot of joy!
Thanks for checking out Best Guitars Now, it means a lot! Which guitar would you choose? Let me know in the comment section below, I’m really curious! In addition, if you liked today’s blog post, you may also like:
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