Best Les Paul style electric guitars under $150

Top pick: the dual-humbucker electric guitar kit with amp. It's the only thing I found that actually lands under your cap, and it's a sensible first guitar: two humbuckers for that thick Les Paul voice, a maple neck, and an amp in the box so you can plug in the day it arrives. The trade-off is the body shape — it's a double-cutaway, not a true single-cut Les Paul outline.

If the shape matters more than the budget: the Epiphone Les Paul 100 is the real thing in miniature — proper Les Paul body, two humbuckers, and the name that holds resale value. It sits above your cap, so it's a stretch pick.

For a serious step up: the Vintage V100 is the closest to a genuine Les Paul feel and tone of the three, and it's the one to save for if you want something you'll keep. A pre-owned one is the cheaper route in.

Honestly, under this cap there's no true single-cut Les Paul copy with good pickups — the kit is the only one that fits, and the other two are worth the wait.