The best guitar under $250 (are they any good?!)

Product reviewed

The video tests nine electric guitars priced under €250 and ranks them from worst to best to identify the best budget option. (It’s an overall comparison of multiple guitars rather than a single “product” review.)

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Key features / what the reviewer evaluates

• Setup quality Playability out of the box, including truss rod, action, and intonation.

• Feel & ergonomics Neck thickness/comfort, weight, balance, and resonance.

• Tuning/intonation reliability Especially on higher frets.

• Tone Pickup performance across bridge/neck; suitability for clean, drive, and high gain.

• Build/finishing issues Examples include slipping pots/controls, missing parts, or weird finishing (not considered a major theme overall).

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Main issues / cons called out

1. Ibanes Geo (iZ? “ianz goo”)

   • Missing pickup selector: arrived without the selector; a piece was found in the box (likely shipping damage).
   • After adjustment, it’s unclear how well it performed, but it’s ranked worst—effectively a failure of the test.

2. Harley Benton S-style Strat

   • Uncomfortable massive neck for a Strat-like guitar.
   • Setup problems: tuners very stiff and felt painful to use.
   • Very heavy and less resonant than expected.
   • Tone issues:
     • Bridge pickup shrill/thin
     • Neck pickup low output
     • Overall Strat tone felt dull/lifeless

3. iZ? (same “ianz …” model)

   • Severe neck upbow due to little/no truss rod tension.
   • Needed truss rod fix and action lowering; still only a mediocre result.
   • Neck feels thin/slim but “wider to my hands”; not super comfortable.
   • Tonally, the maple neck/body pairing didn’t provide good resonance/balance (“didn’t feel like friends”).

4. Epiphone Les Paul (epone L PA)

   • Severe intonation issues: high notes sounded out of tune.
   • Volume/tone knob slipping, including failure on both controls.
   • Fix noted: nut underneath the volume knob helped (suggesting reliability/fit problems).
   • Tone:
     • Bridge better than neck
     • Neck pickup too woolly/boomy
     • Lacking articulation

5. Chord Classic Rock C100

   • Intonation issues (especially higher up).
   • Tone/build generally OK aside from that.

6. Les Paul–type “Epiphone SG” competitor

   • No major mechanical faults cited; it impressed in tone.

7. Finishing problems

   • Reviewer says most looked decent.
   • Finishing issues were not a widespread theme.

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Pros / strengths mentioned (unique highlights)

1. Yamaha Pacifica

   • Great feel and balance; unplugged it is resonant.
   • Versatile tone: neck pickup full/rich and balanced.
   • Ranked tied for first with 8.0.

2. Epiphone SG

   • Lightweight, comfortable feel, no neck dive.
   • “Mojo” tone: both neck and bridge pickups were well balanced across clean → drive → high gain.
   • Fun guitar that delivers “everything you want from an SG.”
   • Ranked tied for first with 8.0.

3. Squier Affinity Strat

   • Plays comfortably with few major downsides.
   • Looks good and sounds decent.
   • Tone note: less depth/fatness than ideal Strat sound.
   • Ranked 7.0.

4. Squier Bullet Telecaster

   • “Just works” feeling: feels and sounds like a Tele despite basic looks.
   • Ranked 7.3.

5. Harley Benton (earlier) has some positives

   • Good-looking neck/finish (e.g., “neck looks killer,” lacquer feels nice).
   • But overall playability/resonance/tone issues outweighed the positives.

6. Good setup is a big deal

   • Most guitars arrived playable, making them more beginner-friendly.

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Tone comparisons made (important)

Strat-style group (Strats/S-style) compared as “how a good Strat should sound”

• Winner (within Strat-style expectations): Yamaha Pacifica
  • Neck pickup: full/rich and balanced.
• Squier Strat: sounds Strat-like but thin; bridge shrill/thin; neck pickup lacks creamy “spank.”
• Harley Benton Strat: most disappointing Strat tone—bridge shrill/thin, neck low output, overall dull/lifeless.
• Ibanes super-Strat-ish model: pickup response sounded “weird”; neck hollow/out of phase; bridge okay but neck poor.

Les Paul / SG-style comparison

• The reviewer felt Classic Rock C100 did Les Paul-style better than the Epiphone Les Paul:
  • more beef on the bridge
  • neck more articulate
  • better output
• The Epiphone SG beat other SG/LP-style choices in “mojo” and versatility, especially through pedals.

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Ratings / ranking (explicit)

• #8 — iZ? / Ibanes Geo (no rating given; effectively worst / “didn’t pass a test”)
• #7 — Harley Benton S-style (S-style): 6.2
• #6 — Epiphone Les Paul: 6.8
• #5 — Squier Affinity Strat: 7.0
• #4 — Cort / Port Classic Rock (Port Classic Rock): 7.2
• #3 — Squier Bullet Telecaster: 7.3
• #2 (tie) — Epiphone SG: 8.0
• #2 (tie) — Yamaha Pacifica: 8.0 (The text implies they share the top spot, both getting “eight.”)

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User experience / ownership practicality

• Most guitars are beginner-oriented because they were generally playable out of the box.
• However, several required major setup fixes, including:
  • serious truss rod/neck alignment (iZ?)
  • action/intonation repairs (Epiphone LP, Classic Rock C100)
  • shipping damage / missing hardware (Ibanes Geo missing selector)
• Tone quality varied, but the top two felt the most “finished” overall.

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Overall verdict / recommendation

Best under €250 picks

• Yamaha Pacifica and Epiphone SG (8.0 each): best combination of playability + tone + value.

Avoid / be cautious

• Ibanes Geo (worst): missing part and overall failure.
• Harley Benton S-style: too heavy, uncomfortable neck, weak resonance, and shrill tone.
• Epiphone Les Paul: expect problems with intonation and slipping controls, and a disappointing neck pickup tone.

Bottom line

You can buy a great guitar under €250, but expect some units to need a setup or repairs. For the safest “plug in and enjoy” experience, start with the Pacifica or Epiphone SG.

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Speakers / perspectives

Only one primary speaker (the reviewer) is present, and their perspective covers setup, feel, tone, and the final ranking.