Well it’s that time of year again, hopefully you’ve landed on this page looking for a good value Electric Guitar or Starter pack.
I’ll be honest, as a guitar teacher I’m always asked what’s the best guitar to start on and how much should I spend.
I always respond that you pay what you can afford but be wary that some products are just not up to snuff.
Call up a guitar teacher and ask his/her advice – they should have a good idea of what’s available and should point you in the right direction. That said not all will agree with my advice and not all will agree on how much you should spend.
It’s a difficult thing to price, for example if your son or daughter is looking to take up guitar you’ve got to be careful, on one hand you don’t want to fork out a big splash of cash for something that will potentially end up in a cupboard or attic – alternatively you don’t want to spend so little that the bad state of the guitar puts off your child completely.
So here is my advice, if it’s for yourself then spend £160 on the Squire Pack – if you were looking to spend more save it until you can play. Unless you’re absolutely intent on spending £1000 on that dream setup.
For a child/teenager – ask yourself is this a recent interest or a long term one – do they flit between different hobbies?
If it’s a recent interest and they flit between hobbies get the Rockburn pack below. You can always upgrade when they get into it.
If it’s a long term interest and they have a tendency to stick at things then splash the cash if you can, if not then go cheap with an eye on upgrading.
Also bare in mind the cost of guitar lessons, you may have to factor this in to your budget – I personally charge £14 per 45 minute lesson. You could call a teacher before and ask about bulk lessons.
Below the Fender Starter pack £159 @ Gear4Music contains the guitar itself, the 10-watt Squier SP-10 amp, guitar strap, tuner, stand and gig bag.
Available in: Sunburst, White and Black(costs extra £3.99?)
If you price all these items seperately you’ll get,
(note the following items are examples of the items included and not actually the items included in the pack, Just the cheapest comparable items)
10-watt Squier SP-10 amp £39.72 @ Dolphin Music
Guitar Tuner £7.99 @ Gear 4 Music
Guitar Bag £6.99 @ Dolphin Music
Add these up and you get £76.96 of accessories -0 giving you a price of £82.04 on the guitar itself
The closest I can find in that price range for a good beginners electric guitar is the the Squier Bullet guitar
£89 @ Dolphin Music, so what does that mean then?
Well you could get all the items separately but you’d just under £7 down on the deal and it would mean a lot more hassle,
Alternatively you could go much cheaper and get the Rockburn Electric Guitar Pack for £79.99 @ Toys R Us
So what does the Rockburn pack include?
- Nevada Electric Guitar
- 10 Watt Nevada amp with headphone output
- Adjustable black webbing strap
- 10ft, black guitar lead
- Black gig bag
- Set of nickel, flatwound strings
Squire Guitar Pack – Sunburst – £159 @ Gear4Music