Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Producer Week 25
  • Artist news
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Adele at 17
  • 'Miserable' Green Day
  • 'Looser, jazzier' Billie Eilish
  • Play like David Gilmour
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Guitars
  2. Electric Guitars

The 10 coolest electric guitars in the world today

News
By Chris Vinnicombe published 6 June 2011

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The 10 coolest electric guitars in the world today

The 10 coolest electric guitars in the world today

As Kurt Cobain once sang, "I'd rather be dead than cool." Ironically, this was one of numerous contributing factors that made him the coolest man on the planet in 1991. And yet there's a fine line between the dangerous allure of true outsider cool and just being, y' know, popular.

Of course, cool is both a received and subjective notion, and by attempting to be arbiters of cool, we're in danger of getting sucked into Top Gear Cool Wall territory. "You're telling me that car is cool? In that shirt?!"

Nevertheless, safe in the knowledge that our shirt is considerably less catastrophic than Clarkson's, here is our unapologetic rundown of what MusicRadar considers to be the 10 coolest guitars in the world today.

As far as possible, we've stuck to current production models, and the pricing ranges from the affordable to the downright terrifying. Click onwards and then voice your rabid disagreement in the comments section below...

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
Kauer Daylighter Junior

Kauer Daylighter Junior

Based in Elk Grove, just south of Sacramento, CA, Kauer Guitars is a family run boutique guitar business on the rise. The Daylighter Junior is a balls to the wall electric that combines the offset lines of a Jaguar with the stripped-down rock 'n' roll attitude of a '50s Les Paul Junior to killer effect.


Find out more about Kauer Guitars.

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
Gibson Les Paul Traditional Bigsby

Gibson Les Paul Traditional Bigsby

Despite the controversy caused by rare 'birds like the Firebird X, every so often Gibson hits the nail squarely on the head. This Les Paul Traditional Bigsby has a hefty slice of Neil Young's Old Black in its DNA and just begs to be played long, hard and loud. That roller bridge should help with tuning stability too.


Find out more about the Les Paul Traditional Bigsby.

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
Danelectro Wild Thing

Danelectro Wild Thing

Super cool doesn't necessarily have to mean super expensive. Based on a one-off mid-'60s prototype, the Wild Thing turned heads at NAMM 2011 and while it's comfortably the cheapest guitar in this rundown, it punches well above its weight in the tone stakes, especially for raunchy rock 'n' roll and trashy garage blues.


Visit Danelectro for more.

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
Gibson Custom Don Felder 'Hotel California' EDS-1275

Gibson Custom Don Felder 'Hotel California' EDS-1275

It's fitting that strapping on the guitar synonymous with live performances of The Eagles' hymn to excess is still one of the most outrageous visual statements that a guitarist can make. Ask not whether this guitar is cool; ask whether you are cool enough to pull it off. Go on, we dare ya.


Find out more from Gibson here.

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
Gretsch G6128T-GH George Harrison Tribute Custom Shop Duo Jet

Gretsch G6128T-GH George Harrison Tribute Custom Shop Duo Jet

Limited to just 60 pieces worldwide, this breathtaking recreation of George Harrison's main Cavern Club and Please Please Me guitar is for the most well-heeled Beatles fans only. Like everyone else at NAMM 2011, we peered through the glass case and imagined ripping through those twang-tastic I Saw Her Standing There lead lines in front of legions of screaming girls. Then we checked our bank balances...


Visit Gretsch for more.

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition Relic La Cabronita 'Boracha' Jazzmaster

Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition Relic La Cabronita 'Boracha' Jazzmaster

A very late entry in our rundown, this new-for-2011 gem sees the Fender Custom Shop expand the La Cabronita ranks with a reverse-body Jazzmaster take on one of its most popular and sought-after guitars in recent years. With just 30 examples heading to select retailers, expect this to show up in the hands of A-listers and collectors only. Dear Fender, will there be a mass-market version available soon? Pretty please?


Check out the full spec from the Fender Custom Shop.

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
Fano Alt De Facto PX6

Fano Alt De Facto PX6

The Non-Reverse Firebird has always been one of our favourite Gibsons, and Fano's PX6 takes that blueprint and adds a plethora of finish and configuration options alongside some subtle twists. We were first blown away by a distressed Sherwood Green model with mini-humbuckers, but this Bigsby-equipped Blue Boy is a real looker too.


Visit Fano and prepare to drool.

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
James Trussart Deluxe SteelCaster

James Trussart Deluxe SteelCaster

When a James Trussart guitar arrives in the MusicRadar office, all work is guaranteed to stop. With necks that feel like they were carved by God's own hand, we really can't say enough good things about how wonderful these guitars feel. And then there's the small matter of each guitar looking like an individual work of art and sounding magnificent into the bargain. Credit cards everywhere are twitching nervously as you read this.


Find out more about the Deluxe Steelcaster here.

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
Fender Custom Shop La Cabronita Especial

Fender Custom Shop La Cabronita Especial

Fender's La Cabronita Especial is probably the company's most sought-after 'new' instrument in decades. We certainly haven't spoken to a guitarist who doesn't want one, and online forums throughout the guitar universe (including our own) are buzzing with players bolting their own homebrew versions together in tribute. 2011 sees a more affordable model on the way, but it's this single-pickup Custom Shop beauty that remains close to the very top of our most-wanted list.


As if that wasn't cool enough, the Custom Shop recently announced an ultra-limited thinline version.

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
Cobra Guitars Cavehound

Cobra Guitars Cavehound

Ladies and gentlemen, this is it. Right at the top of our chart is this incredibly limited, distressed-to-hell-and-back thinline bombshell. Lovingly handcrafted in NYC, we honestly can't think of another guitar on the market that we'd rather turn up to a show with. A little bit Trini Lopez, a little bit ES-335 and a whole lot of hotrod cool, the Cavehound absolutely demands that it is accompanied by Ray-Bans, tight trousers, cowboy boots and hard liquor. Worth sacrificing an internal organ for.


Visit Cobra Guitars and weep.

Did we get it wrong? What have we missed? Let us know in the comments section below or on Facebook or Twitter.

Liked this? Now read:

51 great guitar FX moments

The 42 best overdrive, distortion and fuzz pedals of all time

The 50 greatest guitar tones of all time... ever!

Connect with MusicRadar: via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube

Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
Chris Vinnicombe

Chris Vinnicombe worked with us here on the MusicRadar team from the site's initial launch way back in 2007, and also contributed to Guitarist magazine as Features Editor until 2014, as well as Total Guitar magazine, amongst others. These days he can be found at Gibson Guitars, where he is editor-in-chief.

More about electric guitars

“This beast of a guitar is built for speed, equipped for domination”: Jackson refreshes three classics as stripped down single-pickup shred machines – meet the limited edition Pro Plus Pure Metal range

“This isn’t just an Artist Signature model – it’s a glimpse into what could have been, had this concept made it to production”: Fender and Brad Paisley introduce the 1967 ‘Lost Paisley’ Telecaster

Latest

“The neck is carved and rolled to Eddie Van Halen’s exacting specifications”: An EVH electric guitar with fixed bridge and fine tuners? The Wolfgang Special TOM is one classy no-fuss speed machine

See more latest
More about electric guitars

“This beast of a guitar is built for speed, equipped for domination”: Jackson refreshes three classics as stripped down single-pickup shred machines – meet the limited edition Pro Plus Pure Metal range

“This isn’t just an Artist Signature model – it’s a glimpse into what could have been, had this concept made it to production”: Fender and Brad Paisley introduce the 1967 ‘Lost Paisley’ Telecaster

Latest

“The neck is carved and rolled to Eddie Van Halen’s exacting specifications”: An EVH electric guitar with fixed bridge and fine tuners? The Wolfgang Special TOM is one classy no-fuss speed machine

See more latest
Most Popular
EVH Gear Wolfgang Special TOM: featuring an EVH compensated bridge and tailpeice w/ fine tuners – and gold hardware – this Special offers a fuss-free and stable twist on Eddie Van Halen's electric guitar design
“The neck is carved and rolled to Eddie Van Halen’s exacting specifications”: An EVH electric guitar with fixed bridge and fine tuners? The Wolfgang Special TOM is one classy no-fuss speed machine
Lemmy Kilmister
"He’s still in my dreams two or three times a week, getting on my case about something": Motörhead’s Phil Campbell prepares to unveil an 8ft bronze of his bandmate, Lemmy Kilmister
1010music Bento
“Designed to replace your laptop and become the brain of your setup”: Bento is an all-in-one DAW in a box that does 'everything 1010music users have been asking for'
Jackson Pro Plus Pure Metal Series: the new limited range strips the Soloist, Rhoads and Kelly down with a single Fishman bridge humbucker, Floyd Rose and black finishes as standard
“This beast of a guitar is built for speed, equipped for domination”: Jackson refreshes three classics as stripped down single-pickup shred machines – meet the limited edition Pro Plus Pure Metal range
Victory The Deputy Lunchbox Head: the British amp company has made its portable 25W head even more portable/
“Why is there no amp that can do a really nice clean, and a really nice gain-y tone, with a reverb on it?”: Victory satisfies Pete Honore’s tone cravings and rehouses his Deputy tube amp in a portable lunchbox format
Polyend Mess
“Not another multi-effect for your dentist,” but Polyend’s Mess looks like an FX sequencing powerhouse that you can really get your teeth into
Native Instruments/iZotope
“It replaced three plugins on my vocal bus - I love it!ˮ: Meet Velvet, iZotope’s new smart vocal smoothing tool
Arturia Keystep
Arturia embraces NKS - and offers hardware owners free access to Native Instruments' Komplete 15 Select
PPG 1002
The ultra-rare PPG 1002 has been rebuilt for the 21st century - and it comes with a jaw-dropping price tag
ThorpyFX Hanami
“We were able to up the gain and the volume on tap way past the levels we would normally get”: ThorpyFX’s Hanami fuzz pedal is packing NOS germanium, dynamic, and blooming lovely

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...