Shopping for your first or next electric guitar in the UK? The sub-£500 bracket is absolutely brilliant right now. Manufacturers like Yamaha, Ibanez, and Cort are packing serious hardware into guitars at prices that would have been unthinkable ten years ago. We've pulled live pricing data across Thomann, Gear4music, and Bax to find the best deals available today.
Quick Comparison Table
| Guitar | Brand | Best Price | Stores | Price Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamaha Pacifica 120H BK | Yamaha | £299 | 3 | 6.7% |
| Ibanez RG421S-SEM | Ibanez | £334 | 3 | 3.3% |
| Cort KX307MS | Cort | £375 | 3 | 0% |
| Yamaha Pacifica 212V FM TBL | Yamaha | £377 | 3 | 0% |
| Yamaha Revstar RSE20 Black | Yamaha | £384 | 3 | 8.1% |
Prices verified today. Compare more on our live deals page.
The Guitars in Detail
1. Yamaha Pacifica 120H BK: The Reliable All-Rounder
The Pacifica line has been a UK guitar-lesson staple for decades, and for good reason. The 120H swaps the usual pickup layout for a humbucker in the bridge, which gives you a thicker, warmer tone that suits rock and blues players nicely. The build quality for £299 is genuinely impressive: solid alder body, maple neck, and Yamaha's typically excellent factory setup.
Best price today: £299 at Bax and Thomann. Also available at Gear4music for £319.
2. Ibanez RG421S-SEM: The Metal-Ready Shredder
If you're after something a bit more aggressive, the RG421S is one of the best value metal guitars in this price bracket. It has a mahogany body with a maple top, a fixed bridge for rock-solid tuning stability, and Ibanez's fast, slim Wizard III neck profile. The Sea Shore Matte finish looks stunning in person.
Best price today: £334 at Bax. Also at Gear4music and Thomann for £345.
3. Cort KX307MS: The Multi-Scale 7-String Bargain
A 7-string multi-scale (fan-fret) guitar for £375? In 2026 that's remarkable. The KX307MS features an open-pore mahogany body, a multi-scale neck that improves string tension consistency across all seven strings, and Fishman Fluence Modern pickups which are genuinely high-end. This is a specialist guitar but if you're into extended range playing, it's extraordinary value.
Best price today: £375 - same across all three stores. Check at Bax, Gear4music, or Thomann.
4. Yamaha Pacifica 212V FM TBL: The Step-Up Choice
The 212V FM is the Pacifica that serious players graduate to. The flamed maple top over an alder body looks genuinely beautiful, the coil-splittable humbucker gives you versatility from clean to crunch, and the Translucent Black finish shows off the wood grain nicely. At £377 you're getting a guitar that punches well above its price class.
Best price today: £377 at Bax, Gear4music, and Thomann.
5. Yamaha Revstar RSE20 Black: Retro Cool with Modern Guts
The Revstar Element series was Yamaha's attempt to create a guitar with genuine character and personality, and they nailed it. The RSE20 has a chambered mahogany body that gives it a slightly hollow resonance, Yamaha's own Power Tap pickups that split for single-coil sounds, and that gorgeous motorcycle-inspired body shape. It's unlike anything else at this price point.
Best price today: £384 at Thomann. Also at Bax and Gear4music for £415.
How to Choose
If you're a beginner or returning player wanting the safest bet, the Yamaha Pacifica 120H at £299 is hard to argue with. For versatility with a step up in quality, the Pacifica 212V FM at £377 is worth the extra spend. Metal players should look seriously at the Ibanez RG421S, and if you want something genuinely different with bags of character, the Revstar RSE20 is brilliant.
Track live prices and set drop alerts on all these guitars at GearDeals.