In-person Guitar lessons can be costly, so we checked out some alternatives. The most exciting option we came across was a relatively new company called Loog Guitars, which makes three-string learner guitars and an accompanying mobile app for beginners. We recently released an unboxing video for two styles of their learner guitars, the Loog Mini and the Loog Pro. Here’s what we learned. 

First Impression

First, these guitars are gorgeous. It was the first thing we noticed when we took them out of their packages. The smaller of the two had a glossy red finish, and the larger one was glossy white. Both styles are smaller than a standard guitar. The Loog Mini is about the size of a ukulele, and the strings feel relatively soft on your fingers. The Loog Pro is slightly larger. It’s still smaller than a normal electric guitar, but the metal strings feel just like the real thing. Best of all, both styles were already fully assembled when we took them out of their boxes.

We shouldn’t have been surprised by any of this. Loog’s website describes these details pretty well. They recommend the mini guitar for kids as young as three and the pro for beginners as young as eight. You can choose from a bunch of colors in both styles.

The Sound

It took us much longer than expected to tune the Loog mini guitar. The included app has its own tuner, but the needle wasn’t recognizing our notes. We didn’t realize we were a whole octave off until we pulled out an off-brand tuning app. Looking back, we should have realized the strings were loosened so they wouldn’t snap during shipment. There’s a pretty simple remedy to this issue. Loog covers tuning in the first guitar lesson they offer. Watch that and you should be able to avoid any trouble.

Once we had the guitars tuned, we started making music in minutes. The Loog Mini and the Loog Pro each only have three strings, but they’re tuned the same as a full-size guitar. This made it easy to start playing chords and songs right away (even for a total beginner). The Mini is acoustic, and the sound resonated well enough to fill our conference room. The Pro was much quieter, but it’s designed to be hooked up to something for amplification. Loog sells a mini Fender amp that should do the job just fine.

The Extras

Both guitars came with a few extras. My favorite was the pack of illustrated cards, which show where to put your fingers to create certain cords. The guitars also work with the free Loog mobile app, which includes the same information as the cards plus a tuner, song instructions, and videos of guitar lessons. The app was easy to understand. Both of us downloaded the Android version and quickly found the cord instructions. It was surprising to see the full song guides in the app. The user interface was intuitive. It was easy to find lessons, songs, and specific cords.

The Verdict

While we had some trouble tuning the first guitar we unboxed, we could have sped up the process if we just followed along with the lessons. The Loog Mini had a great sound, right out of the box. The Loog Pro needs amplification to enjoy the full experience. Both of the styles we tested are pretty rad for learner guitars. Learning with three strings makes things easy, and the free app is entirely interactive. If you’re looking for an all-in-one gift for a kids who likes music, these learner guitars could be exactly what you need.

Related Deals:
Loog Pro Learner Guitars $169 Shipped