If you’re trying to find some of the best electric guitars for funk, don’t worry – you’ve come to the right place! In today’s article, I’m going to highlight 10 cool guitars that are suitable for that genre of music. Just watch out – there will be a lot of Stratocasters!
Finding the right funk guitar isn’t that easy. In the end, the market is full of different guitars! It’s really easy to get lost, especially if you don’t know what to search for. But once you find out what instruments work really well in funk music, it all becomes much easier.
That’s why I decided to create a list of 10 best electric guitars for funk music. Feel free to check it out below and scroll down to the next section if you want to read more details about each of these models.
10 Best Guitars For Funk – List
| Fender Player Stratocaster | See on Amazon | Thomann |
| Squier Classic Vibe ’60s Stratocaster | See on Amazon | Thomann |
| Fender Vintera ’50s Telecaster | See on Amazon | Thomann |
| Squier Affinity Jazzmaster | See on Amazon | Thomann |
| Yamaha Pacifica PAC112V | See on Amazon | Thomann |
| Fender American Professional II Stratocaster | See on Amazon | Thomann |
| Squier Bullet Stratocaster | See on Amazon | Thomann |
| Fender American Performer Stratocaster | See on Amazon | Thomann |
| Ibanez AX120 | See on Amazon | – |
| Fender Special Edition Custom Telecaster | See on Amazon | Thomann |
1. Fender Player Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster is one of the most popular guitars used in funk music. This particular model is actually one of the cheapest Fender Strats that you can possibly find on the market right now!
What makes it so cool? Well, it’s a classic Strat! It has an alder body, a comfortable maple neck with maple fretboard and it features three really good single-coil pickups which offer a lot of versatility when it comes to tone. Surely, all lovers of funk will be satisfied with that legendary, bright sound.
Although it’s not the cheapest guitar on today’s list, it definitely deserves a lot of attention. That’s why I have no hesitation in recommending it all guitar players out there!
Here’s the sound demo.
2. Squier Classic Vibe ’60s Stratocaster
Squier Classic Vibe ’60s Stratocaster is an another excellent guitar suitable for playing funk music. This particular model features a really unique vintage vibe, so it’s perfect for anyone who love’s the oldschool funk tunes from the ’60s and ’70s.
The guitar features a Nato body and a comfortable maple neck with Indian laurel fretboard. Of course, there are also three single-coil pickups which are crucial for everyone who’s looking for that classic and bright Strat tone.
It is also worth mentioning that in comparison with Fender guitars, this Squier is actually really affordable. Although it’s not a high-end model, it definitely deserves a lot of attention.
Here’s the sound demo.
3. Fender Vintera ’50s Telecaster
Fender Vintera ’50s Telecaster is an another high quality guitar suitable not only for funk but also for other genres such as rock, blues and indie. This is a fantastic piece of gear and it’s recommended for both amateur and more advanced players.
What makes it so cool? Well, all instruments from the Vintera Series offer a really unique, oldschool vibe. If you enjoy vintage guitars, you will most definitely appreciate this Tele. It has an alder body and a comfortable early ’50s U-shaped maple neck with maple fretboard.
What’s important, the manufacturer decided to equip this model with a pair of vintage-style single-coils. These pickups are extremely versatile, so they should be more than enough for the vast majority of guitar players.
Here’s the sound demo.
4. Squier Affinity Jazzmaster
You may think that Squier Affinity Jazzmaster is designed for jazz music, but it’s not exactly true. The truth is that Jazzmasters are generally really versatile – just like Stratocasters and Telecasters.
The Squier Affinity Jazzmaster offers a great value for the money and it’s great for funk music. It features a lightweight poplar body and a comfortable maple neck with laurel fretboard. On top of that, there also two really good single-coil pickups.
Although this is a pretty cheap guitar, it can easily compete with much more expensive gear. It certainly looks and feels like a guitar from the higher shelf. That’s why I highly encourage you to check it out!
Here’s the demo.
5. Yamaha Pacifica PAC112V
Yamaha Pacifica PAC112V is one of the most popular electric guitars among the beginners. This particular model reminds of a classic Stratocaster, but it has a few extra features that make it even more versatile.
Most importantly, the guitar features the HSS pickup setting, which gives you access to even more tones. At the same time, thanks to the single-coil pickups on the neck and middle positions, it can certainly sound like a real Strat. Surely, it’s one of the best cheap guitars for funk music!
Considering how inexpensive and popular this guitar is, there’s not much to complain about. I’m sure that a lot of you are going to love it.
6. Fender American Professional II Stratocaster
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster is one of the best and most expensive guitars mentioned on today’s list. It’s not cheap, but it’s definitely one of the best guitars that you can possibly choose for funk music.
What makes it so special? Well, the guitar features an alder body with a comfortable maple neck with the Deep C profile. It’s has a very nice feel and it allows you to practice for hours without any discomfort.
What’s important, the manufacturer equipped this Strat with three high quality pickups – V-Mod II Single-coils. These pickups are perfect for funk, blues, rock, indie and all other genres. Their versatility is absolutely amazing!
Overall, it will be really difficult to find a better Strat than the Fender American Professional II Stratocaster. It’s an expensive guitar, but it’s worth the money. Surely, a lot of you will consider it as a dream guitar!
Here’s the sound demo.
7. Squier Bullet Stratocaster
Squier Bullet Stratocaster is one of the cheapest guitars mentioned on today’s list. It’s not an ideal instrument, but it’s perfect for every beginner who wants to start their musical journey and play funk music.
What’s interesting, this is one of the most popular cheap electric guitars in the world! Thousands of guitarists play on that model all around the world. It has a thin poplar body and a comfortable maple neck with laurel fretboard.
Although it’s a pretty basic guitar and it has its own disadvantages, it gets the job done. Surely, it’s one of the best entry level guitars for funk that you can find on the market right now. That’s why I highly recommend checking it out!
Here’s the demo.
8. Fender American Performer Stratocaster
Fender American Performer Stratocaster is an another high quality American-made Strat that exceeds all the expectations. I’m positive that this is one of the best Strats that you can potentially find on the market right now.
The guitar features a solid alder body and a comfortable C-shaped maple neck with a smooth maple fretboard. There’s also a large headstock which has really cool, ’70s vibe. Of course, there are also three really good single-coil pickups which offer a lot of versatility when it comes to sound.
Undoubtedly, this is one of the best electric guitars for funk music. I have no hesitation in recommending this model to all musicians who are searching for a high quality axe suitable for that genre!
Here’s the demo – feel free to check out how it sounds.
9. Ibanez AX120
Ibanez AX120 is an another interesting electric guitar suitable for guitarists with a limited budget. This particular model is not too expensive, but it offers an excellent value for the money.
The guitar features a lightweight basswood body and a comfortable maple neck with. It also has a pair of Classic Elite Humbuckers which offer a lot of versatility when it comes to tone. Although it’s not a Strat, it’s still a great option for such genres as blues, rock, country, grunge and funk.
If you’re on a really tight budget, you should definitely consider adding this guitar to your own collection. I’m sure that you won’t be disappointed!
Here’s the demo.
10. Fender Special Edition Custom Telecaster
Fender Special Edition Custom Telecaster is one of the most underrated Teles made by this legendary manufacturer. Not many guitarists are aware that this model actually exists!
What makes it so cool? Well, it’s pretty different than any other Fender Telecaster. This particular model has a mahogany body with carved flame maple top and a comfortable C-shaped mahogany neck with smooth laurel fretboard. On top of that, it has two really good Seymour Duncan pickups.
Undoubtedly, the vast majority of guitarists will appreciate the high quality of that model. It’s a perfect choice for rock, blues and funk!
Here’s the demo.
Summary
As you can see, there’s a lot of of guitars that are made for playing funk music! I’m sure that if you decide to stick to one of the options mentioned above, you won’t be disappointed. These guitars will definitely be a great fit for that genre.
What do you think of these guitars? Would you pick any of these models? Leave a comment down below and let me know what you think, I’m really interested to hear your thoughts!
Thanks for checking out today’s review, hopefully it was helpful. If you enjoyed this article, you may also like:
Comments
2 responses to “10 Best Guitars For Funk [2022]”
Hello,quite a selection of fine guitars here and I’m not surprised there are no LesPauls lol.
My main point is I really that I find it pretty hard to justify the significant jump in price from the Player Strat and the cheapest American Strat.
I understand the picks up are better and there will be more ‘care and attention’ taken while doing the final finishing and set up on the US models but in the UK they are nearly double the price of the basic Player model.
You are getting nowhere close to double the quality and value for the extra cost.
I own 2 basic 3 single coil Player Strats. A Fiesta Red one with Pau Ferro board and a Pacific White with a maple board. They are both truly fantastic guitars and I have sat an played a number of US Fenders. Don’t get me wrong the US made Strats are magnificent guitars but the difference in quality between the Mexican made and US made is now so close that really it seems the real reason for buying the US model is because it’s a US model.
I’ve also got an early 90s Japanese Squier which is also really well made,it still plays and sounds great even after owning nearly 29 years.
I went an bought a Player Tele,just the basic one and it’s as great as the strat in terms of build,quality,construction etc but where it loses out to the Strat is in not being a Strat…biased ?? mmm definitely 👍
I totally agree! Mexican-made Fenders are awesome. Same with Japanese models – in my opinion they’re pretty much on the same level as American-made guitars.
The only issue I have with the MIM Fenders is the fact that sometimes their factory setup isn’t the best. I’ve seen quite a few of these brand new Strats and Teles that had a weird fret buzz, unpolished frets and uncomfortable string action. It’s not a big problem and it can be easily fixed, but it can be annoying if it’s your first guitar. But again, it doesn’t happen all the time – some models aren’t flawed at all.
But yeah, the Player Series offers a fantastic value for the money.. I’m not surprised that these guitars are so popular 🙂