Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
Kids hands on a beginner keyboard
Keyboards & Pianos Best keyboards for beginners 2025: Get started with our expert pick of beginner keyboards for all ages
A Boss RC-10R looper pedal on a wooden floor
Guitar Pedals Best looper pedals 2025: My favourite loop stations for every budget
Sennheiser in ear monitors on a lit up dj controller
Studio Monitors Best budget in-ear monitors 2025: My pick of cheap in-ears for every type of musician
Close up of a Taylor GS Mini acoustic guitar lying on a wooden floor
Acoustic Guitars Best acoustic guitars 2025: Super steel string acoustics for all players and budgets
Man holding acoustic guitar in front of a silver laptop
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials What are the best online guitar lessons in 2025? I review guitar gear for a living and these are my favourite lessons platforms
Man in orange shirt playing drums with a guitar player
Drum Gear Best drum thrones 2025: my pick of budget-spanning stools for comfort behind the kit
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars 2025: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
Survey promobanner
Music Industry Take MusicRadar's quick music survey to win £200/$200 in Amazon Vouchers
Craig 'Goonzi' Gowans and Steven Jones from Scottish metalcore heavyweights Bleed From Within pose with their weapons of choice: Goonzi [left] has an ESP LTD M1000, while Jones has a Caparison TAT Special
Artists Bleed From Within’s Craig ‘Goonzi’ Gowans and Steven Jones on the high-performance shred machines behind their heavyweight metalcore sound 
A Yamaha Revstar electric guitar on a blue background
Electric Guitars Thomann's Guitar Days sale just hit up to 70% off with £474 off an Epiphone semi-hollow, £132 off a Death By Audio pedal, plus loads more massive savings
Close up of Squier Classic Vibe '50s Telecaster
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars under $500/£500 in 2025: Affordable electrics
Harley Benton ST-80 FR MN
Electric Guitars “Some might say a guitar at this kind of price point has no business resonating so well”: Harley Benton ST-80 FR MN review
A Fender Player II Stratocaster and Telecaster on a white piece of wood with lots of holes in it
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars under $1,000/£1,000 in 2025: My top picks for players of all styles
Orbit Culture's guitarists
Electric Guitars Orbit Culture show us their ESP guitars – and tell us why the EverTune bridge is a game-changer
Harley Benton Halloween raffle
Guitars If you could have €500 worth of Harley Benton gear, what would you choose?
More
  • Radiohead's secret code
  • Blackbird
  • Spooky samples - free
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Captain Fantastic
  1. Guitars
  2. Acoustic Guitars

Total Guitar 2015 readers' poll

News
By Total Guitar ( Total Guitar ) published 25 November 2015

Vote now for your favourite gear and guitarists of the year

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

Best electric guitar

Best electric guitar

It's been a great year for the electric guitar, with plenty of instruments offering outrageous value for money and killer spec for ever-lower prices.

But which of these fine axes spanning jazz to metal will take the prize? Only you can decide…

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
Best signature guitar

Best signature guitar

No longer simply a case of slapping an artist's name on the headstock, the signature guitar is now something that's honed over years of collaboration between artist and manufacturer.

These six guitars are testament to that development, and their appeal extends well beyond their immediate fanbase. Which takes your fancy?

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
Best acoustic guitar

Best acoustic guitar

The acoustic guitar continues its unstoppable rise in 2015, thanks to a bevy of high-profile stars and their strummers.

We've seen some cracking instruments come through our doors this year, from downsized dreadnoughts to USB-equipped electros – but only one can win…

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
Best guitar amp

Best guitar amp

Innovation was the name of the amplifier game this year, with modelling and new tonal territories high on the agenda.

But which of these nine powerhouses would win a place in your rig?

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
Best guitar effects pedal

Best guitar effects pedal

Every year, best pedal is the most hotly contested category, and 2015 is no different.

From budget to boutique, some phenomenal stompboxes have landed at our feet, but which takes the prize?

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
Best guitar innovation

Best guitar innovation

Oh, the sights we have seen, the sounds we have heard! Innovation is very much alive and well in the guitar world, as these pedals, amps, interfaces and accessories attest.

But tell us, which was best?

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
Best rock guitarist

Best rock guitarist

A whole host of heavy hitters were back in force this year with new albums and world tours, but we've seen some monster riffs and solos across the board.

Who ticks your rock box?

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
Best prog guitarist

Best prog guitarist

Prog is becoming an increasingly broad church, and we're pleased to be able to include such a diverse range of players in this category.

From sonic trickery to technical perfection, which of these players lights your fire?

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
Best metal guitarist

Best metal guitarist

The heavy was strong this year, with returning champs unleashing new releases and accompanying tours, as well as bright young talents blazing new trails.

There are a lot of guitar partnerships on our list, but it seems unfair to choose between them, doesn't it?

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
Guitar personality

Guitar personality

These are the players who keep us entertained, whether that's through snappy soundbites in the press or insightful – and occasionally hilarious – videos.

Who had you enthralled this year?

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
Best new guitarist

Best new guitarist

The new blood was flowing this year, with everything from blues to alt-rock and metal getting a swift kick up the backside from these upstarts.

But who is the future star?

Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
Total Guitar
Total Guitar
Social Links Navigation

Total Guitar is Europe's best-selling guitar magazine.

Every month we feature interviews with the biggest names and hottest new acts in guitar land, plus Guest Lessons from the stars.

Finally, our Rocked & Rated section is the place to go for reviews, round-ups and help setting up your guitars and gear.

Subscribe: http://bit.ly/totalguitar

Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition. image
Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition.
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Best electric guitars 2025: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
 
 
Survey promobanner
Take MusicRadar's quick music survey to win £200/$200 in Amazon Vouchers
 
 
Craig 'Goonzi' Gowans and Steven Jones from Scottish metalcore heavyweights Bleed From Within pose with their weapons of choice: Goonzi [left] has an ESP LTD M1000, while Jones has a Caparison TAT Special
Bleed From Within’s Craig ‘Goonzi’ Gowans and Steven Jones on the high-performance shred machines behind their heavyweight metalcore sound 
 
 
A Yamaha Revstar electric guitar on a blue background
Thomann's Guitar Days sale just hit up to 70% off with £474 off an Epiphone semi-hollow, £132 off a Death By Audio pedal, plus loads more massive savings
 
 
Close up of a Taylor GS Mini acoustic guitar lying on a wooden floor
Best acoustic guitars 2025: Super steel string acoustics for all players and budgets
 
 
Close up of Squier Classic Vibe '50s Telecaster
Best electric guitars under $500/£500 in 2025: Affordable electrics
 
 
Latest in Acoustic Guitars
Jason Isbell with his two new signature acoustics from Martin, the 0-17, a high-end replica of his 1940 model, and the 0-10E Retro, a more affordable version.
Jason Isbell shares unorthodox tone tip for new acoustics as he reveals not one but two signature Martins – and a set of strings
 
 
Gibson Custom Kirk Hammett Raven: the Metallica lead guitarist's new signature acoustic is a Halloween-friendly take on the Hummingbird that's limited to 100 units worldwide.
Enter, the Raven: Kirk Hammett’s Custom Shop Gibson acoustic dresses up the Hummingbird for Halloween
 
 
Loog Hello Kitty Fender Stratocaster
Fender x Loog’s Hello Kitty Stratocaster it might be the cutest beginner guitar of all time
 
 
Harley Benton CLG-650SM-CE Black: the handsome but affordable cutaway acoustic isd photographed against a patterned rug on a wooden floor.
“If you're looking for a do-it-all acoustic guitar for well under $500, then there really aren't many better options”: Harley Benton CLG-650SM-CE review
 
 
Harley Benton CLF-50E Parlor Metallic: the compact-bodied acoustic has been launched with a range of metallic finishes.
Harley Benton’s new acoustic is a compact parlour with a solid top and metallic colour finish – and it is just $250
 
 
Jacob Collier
Jacob Collier says that the problem with using AI for music making is that “it’s almost too perfect”
 
 
Latest in News
Lily Allen
"OK, let’s have some backstory”: The group songwriting sessions that yielded Lily Allen’s West End Girl
 
 
Neal Schon
“I love John McLaughlin’s stuff. I admire real musicians”: Journey guitarist Neal Schon on the players who inspire him
 
 
Charli XCX and John Cale
"It made me cry”: Charli XCX on how she ended up collaborating with the Velvet Underground’s John Cale
 
 
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: The early Black Friday sales continue at Guitar Center, Sweetwater, Musician's Friend, Reverb and more
 
 
sessiondock
Struggling to keep track of your DAW projects? This free app can help
 
 
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 12: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Drake performs live on stage during day two of Wireless Festival 2025 at Finsbury Park on July 12, 2025 in London, England. Drake is headlining an unprecedented all three nights of Wireless Festival. (Photo by Simone Joyner/Getty Images for ABA)
Drake’s live sound engineer on why he has to be at the top of his game from first song to last
 
 

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

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • 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...