FINAL VERDICT

Which single cutaway is the one for you?

Those of you that didn’t nod off in history class might recall the old Harold Macmillan quote, “you’ve never had it so good...” Our old Prime Minister uttered those words back in 1957, and he certainly wasn’t referring to guitar players. In those days, if you wanted to play electric guitar your options for a great playing and sounding affordable six-string amounted to the square root of bugger all.

Sixty odd years on, you can’t move for great affordable electric guitars. Just look at the Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet BT. The build quality would be considered excellent on a guitar at twice the price. We also like the tonal variety offered by the Epiphone, and the addictive playability of the PRS SE and the Hamer Monaco. No other sector of the guitar market has seen the vast improvements in build quality and spec that you’ll find in mid-priced Les Paul style stuff. The emphasis these days is on performance as opposed to the bling we used to see on guitars like these.

Just like the original model that inspired them, the four subjects of our test offer a level of versatility that will endear them to most of us. Yes, the Gretsch might appeal best to classic rockers, the Hamer to shredders, and the PRS and Epiphone to the blues crowd but, the point is, if you’re looking for a new Lp-inspired squeeze, you need to try all these guitars. You really haven’t had it so good.