Beginner Electric Guitar Packs
Published on 09 October 2024
Are you looking to buy someone a beginner’s electric guitar this year? If you’re a little unsure on what to go for, help is at hand! I’ve put together this blog today to give you some excellent options on guitar packs, each of which will contain everything that’s needed to get playing straight away!
Guitar packs take the hassle and stress out of buying an electric guitar. You won’t have to start
I’ve included only packs that I personally think represent a great all round purchase: value for whomever is buying it and a great experience for the person receiving it. I’ve included left-handed variations too, along with some advice on left-handed guitars, so make sure you check that out if your giftee is a southpaw!
Have a read through this article and you’ll know everything you need to make an informed decision about which guitar pack to buy!
Contents
Why Start on an Electric Guitar?
Squier Sonic Stratocaster Pack
Why Start on an Electric Guitar?
Lots of people start learning to play on acoustic guitars, and I understand why (they amplify themselves and don’t need any further equipment in order to make a sound), but I actually think an electric guitar is a better shout for beginners. Why?
Electric guitars are generally easier to play than acoustics because their bodies and necks are smaller, plus there is less tension on the strings, so they are softer on the fingers.
Also, a lot of guitar music that people enjoy features electric guitars, and so a big part of actually wanting to play the instrument in the first place is to recreate the cool bits from those well-loved songs, right? Most often, those parts are electric guitar parts, so it’s more encouraging to actually have something capable of making a similar sound. It can be awkward and off putting to have to imagine a big distorted rock guitar sound when all there is to play on is an acoustic guitar.
So, I feel that an electric guitar is easier to play, meets expectations more and is easily a cooler gift. What else is there?
A lot of beginner guitars are based on the Fender Stratocaster guitar, which is the world’s most popular style of electric guitar. All three of my recommendations today will be based on this style, including one by Squier who are Fender’s official sub brand.
EastCoast Pack
First, let me show you the EastCoast ST1 pack. As a company, we got behind EastCoast because they display particularly good bang-for-buck: they feel solid and well made, they operate well and they sound how we expect them to sound, which isn’t always the case with beginner guitars!
The EastCoast ST1 is a perfect beginner electric guitar: it’s comfortable and easy to play. Because it’s based on the Fender Stratocaster, it has timeless good looks and is very much an iconic electric guitar. Lots of companies offer a ‘Strat-style’ or ‘S-style’ guitar, so you will see loads or similar looking guitars out there at different prices. I think that the EastCoast ST1 is a good approximation of the style, especially for the price.
We offer a pack featuring the EastCoast ST1 in a range of colours, and the pack also includes the following:
- Amplifier
- Cable (to plug the guitar into the amplifier)
- Guitar strap
- Guitar stand
- Guitar tuner (which clips on to the guitar’s head)
- Pack of Jim Dunlop plectrums (also called picks)
This pack has been specially put together in order to provide excellent value to you, without skimping on quality. It’s all good quality stuff that’ll provide a great intro to the world of guitar playing. A left-handed EastCoast pack is available too!
A Tip for Lefties
Here’s a little tip that I learned from my years on the shop floor, selling countless guitars to beginners and pros alike. When it comes to left-handed people, my advice is to actually try both a left-handed and a right-handed guitar. If you’re buying for someone else (if it’s not a surprise gift), then I massively recommend they even sit down with both types of guitar, even if they can’t play a note. This simple activity will inform the player about what feels naturally correct for them: lots of left-handed people (myself included) actually feel more comfortable handling a right-handed guitar, even at the very beginning. There’s just something right or wrong about each way, and very few players will be equally comfortable both ways.
Left-handed guitars are less numerous than right-handed models, and are usually a bit more expensive too, so it’s worth taking a trip to your local guitarguitar and finding out for sure.
Squier Sonic Stratocaster Pack
This next pack is a ‘real’ Stratocaster, since it’s by Squier, the affordable subsidiary of Fender. The Squier Sonic Strat is their most affordable take on this iconic electric guitar, and therefore comes with considerable heritage. This means that the guitar’s shape (outline/silhouette) is ‘correct’, rather than a version of the Strat. It is a Strat, made to a very competitive price.
Pack wise, you get all this:
- Squier amplifier
- Fender strap
- Guitar cable
- Guitar plectrums/picks
- Fender soft case
- Fender ‘Play’ online guitar lessons
The big things here that aren’t in the other packs are the soft case (also called ‘gig bags’) and the online lessons. I can’t personally comment on the lessons, but they are certainly popular, and I think everything that can potentially help a player get going should be considered. If you want that famous name attached to the guitar, this is the one to go for!
Ibanez GRX40 Pack
This next pack is more expensive, but it’s also a step up in quality for both the guitar and the amplifier.
The guitar - an Ibanez GRX40 - is a slightly sharper and meaner take on the classic Stratocaster we’ve seen so far. Ibanez are one of the biggest brands on the planet, and their success is built largely on quality: they are well known for creating sturdy and elegant instruments, even at beginner levels. So it is with this GRX40 model, (available in three different colours) which has a powerful humbucking pickup (it’s the one that looks like two pickups stuck side-by-side) for chunkier, more rock/metal tones.
The other major upgrade here is the inclusion of a Line 6 Spider 20 amp. This is a fantastic sounding digital amp with loads and loads of sounds built into it. This is waaaay better than the beginner amps that were around when I was a beginner!
I feel that this pack actually goes beyond the status of ‘beginner’, despite the very reasonable price: this is a good setup for any guitarist! Aside from these changes, this pack contains the same accessories as the EastCoast pack. The increase in price is for the improved guitar and amp, and I think it’s money well spent!
Time to Play
These three packs are pretty similar in a lot of ways, but then that’s pretty much by design. The Stratocaster design is an excellent one to begin on, and these three variations illustrate the range of choice available out there. Each of these will be great, so buy according to budget and don’t leave it too late: these packs sell through very quickly - particularly around Christmas time - so buy early to get the colour you want!
We actually have a large selection of electric guitar packs available on the site, so click the link below and browse everything we currently have, including the ones I’ve specially selected for you too.
Click to View our Electric Guitar Starter Packs
