A beginner guitar kit is the ideal first purchase for any learner because it ensures you have everything you need to start playing in one box.
Sure you can go to the store and pick up a guitar and amp, but every few months you’ll find yourself going back to the store for a tuner, and then a strap, and then a capo, and on and on.
Buying a beginner guitar pack means you get everything you need to start playing electric guitar in one go – and in most cases, you save a ton of money over buying things one at a time. As a bonus, many also include things like instructional guitar books or online lessons that will get you up and running in no time.
We’ve picked out seven of the best Electric Guitar Starter packs on the market for you. Since most of the accessories are identical in terms of quality and construction, we won’t feature detailed reviews of paraphernalia such as the gig bag or guitar strap unless there is something compelling to report.
Instead, our evaluation will focus mainly on the performance of the electric guitar and amplifier – the two important components of the kit.
Our Top 3 Picks for Best Beginner Electric Guitar Starter Kit
Our top recommendation for the best beginner electric guitar kit is the Fender Squire Stratocaster Pack – every component of this guitar bundle ticks all the boxes of performance, durability, and construction. The Fender Squire electric guitar kit is a great ‘first-guitar’ purchase that will last well past the beginner phase of your musical journey. In addition, Fender has thrown in some free online lessons to sweeten the deal.
If you’re on a tight budget, we recommend the Donner DST-1S Electric Guitar Starter Kit. It’s high on performance, low on cost, and is available in four finish options. The above-average components (including best in class gig bag) make it the best electric guitar starter pack for the money. The good news for our southpaw friends out there is that Donner offers a left-handed option as well. The only drawback is that the amplifier taps out at 3watts, but you can write that off as being kind to your neighbors.
Finally, the Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar Player Pack earns the (virtual) badge for KGR Editor’s Choice. It’s hard to go wrong with this classic Les Paul shaped guitar, with its vintage sunburst finish and great sounding mini guitar amp. The product is backed by a big name brand that abides by strict Q&A and offers a first-rate all-purpose guitar kit for beginner to intermediate guitar players (especially for those who dream of a Les Paul).
Best Electric Guitar Starter Kits – Individual Reviews
Fender Squire Stratocaster Pack
An iconic guitar in an affordable, beginner-friendly package!
One of the world’s best selling guitars, this Stratocaster gets bundled with everything you’ll need to get started on your music journey at an extremely attractive price.
Fender is a monumental brand when it comes to all things guitar. There is no end to the number of legendary guitar players who play a Fender Stratocaster. It has an instantly recognizable tone that you have heard on countless hit records. Squire is their budget-friendly product line and owning this kit is the first step to joining the Fender family.
The construction and finish of the guitar are as good as it can get at this price point. The guitar plays great right out of the box. The slim neck is beginner-friendly and easy on the hands; it will make life easy when you first encounter barre chords. The fit/finish of the guitar is on point and the three single coil pickups and tremolo bridge add a lot of tonal depth, with more high end than you’d get from a Les Paul style guitar. The guitar control panel has three tone knobs – one for master volume and two for tone selection. When you combine this with the 3-way pickup selector, you can dial in a wide variety of tones to suit most genres.
The Frontman 10G is a great guitar amp with excellent tone and sufficient volume for beginners. The flexible 4-knob EQ panel has master volume, treble, bass, and gain. It also sports a clean/drive attenuator button and power on/off switch with an LED indicator. The aux-in allows you to connect your music-playing device (like a cellphone) to jam with backing tracks or listen to music through the amp. The headphone-in will also come in handy when you want to keep it down. The included accessories such as the gig bag, guitar strap, capo etc are all of above-average quality.
If you have small hands or are looking for an electric guitar starter pack for your child, you can opt for the short-scale version of this product. Left-handed guitarists can opt for the lefty version of this model.
Verdict: Any way you look at it, the Fender Squire electric guitar starter kit is just a notch above the rest. All the ten items in the starter pack add immense value to the product and justify the price-tag. It’s quite inexpensive in our opinion if you consider the brand recognition, reliability and iconic tone that are the hallmark of Fender-made guitars.
Donner DST-1S Electric Guitar Starter Kit
Quality surpasses cost in this high-on-value version of the classic kit!
A stylish kit that looks the part, and offers a versatile range of tones to satisfy just about any budding guitarist.
Donner does a good job with the three main components of the pack – the electric guitar, the amplifier and the gig bag. Of these, the 3watt MINI is slightly underwhelming compared to the 10w or 15w amps included in most starter packs. The amp control panel just has a clean master volume knob without any EQ options. It has three knobs for distortion (volume, tone and gain). The tone is reasonable and the volume is sufficient for individual practice but it isn’t as loud and powerful as other amps in this list. Overall, it’s a simple amp that gets the job done.
The strat-inspired guitar is a full-sized instrument with a solid basswood body, maple neck and ebony fretboard; impressive for the price tag. The pickup configuration is S-S-H (meaning two single coil pickups and a humbucker) and the control panel is a combination of the usual three knobs (two tone knobs + master volume) alongside a 3-way pickup selector. Head-to-head it isn’t as impressive as the Squire but the tone is versatile, and playability and construction are great for the price.
Despite the humble price tag, none of the accessories feel cheap or sub-standard. As a matter of fact, the sleek black soft-case gig bag has a reliable 5mm padding and the soft nylon fabric is water-resistant. The cable, tuner, guitar strap and capo (all black) are also well-constructed and should pose no problems for beginners or intermediate players. At the time of this review, the Donner DST-1S Electric Guitar Kit was rated as Amazon’s Top Choice with over 600 customer reviews. Our first impressions also echo those flattering sentiments.
Verdict: This affordable kit can appease all the needs of any student or beginner looking for a complete bundle that has good playability right of out of the box. Also, props to Donner for offering a Left-Handed version for the southpaws, which as any left-handed guitarist will tell you, is rarer than you think.
Read our full review of the Donner DST-102 here.
Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar Player Pack
The stuff rock ‘n’ roll dreams are made of!
Classic Les Paul styling at an unbeatable price, with quality to go the extra mile.
Epiphone, owned by Gibson Guitars, is one of the top brands when it comes to the electric guitar. The Les Paul electric guitar pack they offer for beginners and students is a high-quality collection of all the essentials. However, they do not offer as many items as other packs. For instance – despite being priced $100 more than the Donner bundle, they don’t offer any capo but they do offer free downloadable guitar lessons from eMedia. Nevertheless, they have not cut any corners in the two main components of the bundle – the guitar and the amplifier.
The Les Paul sports a very different look compared to the bulk of strat-shaped guitars in our list. It’s well-crafted and looks gorgeous in Vintage Sunburst, if you’re into that styling (and what Les Paul fan isn’t). As for the sound, it’s hard to compare the double humbucker pickups to the single coil pups of a Fender Squire. The Les Paul Special is known to be chunkier in construction and sound with more mid presence and less of the high end sparkle you get with a single coil pickup. The body is compact & curvaceous, the pickups sound dark and warm, and maple neck profile of the guitar is broader. Overall, it’s a very different experience and the Gibson/Epiphone QA is evident in the top-notch craftsmanship and finish.
Similarly, the mini amplifier is meaty and clear. The clean tones sound great and the distortion, though a tad muddy, sounds robust and energetic. It has more power than any student or beginner will need to start playing at home, and the headphone input will come in handy when you want to practice quietly. The guitar and amp combination sounds great right out of the box. The all-black Epiphone gig bag is well-padded and feels durable enough for transport and storage. It may see some wear and tear on the handles with some rough use over time. The other accessories in the bundle like the cable, tuner, strap and plectrums are all standard quality.
Verdict: The Epiphone Les Paul Special Starter kit is KGR Editor’s Recommendation for Best Electric Guitar Starter Pack on the market today – it’s decidedly better in component quality and will last well beyond the initial phase of your musical journey.
LyxPro Electric Guitar Kit Bundle
A Pocket-friendly option, also available in left-handed version!
Product Highlights:
- Strat-styled Electric Guitar
- Comprehensive bundle with 20w amp
- 4 finish options
- Good Value for Money
- Over 1200 Amazon reviews averaging 4.4
- Available in left-handed version
LyxPro may not have the brand recognition of Fender or Epiphone, but they offer a highly affordable all-in-one electric guitar starter pack. Head-to-head, the LyxPro bundle felt slightly inferior to the Donner DST-1S bundle in terms of construction and durability, which is why we decided to recommend Donner as our Best Budget Option. This doesn’t imply that there is anything wrong with the product. For the most part, the quality is at par with the Donner electric guitar but the DST1 edges out the LyxPro in tone and clarity.
The LyxPro 39” electric guitar has a Canadian maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard and standard dot inlays. The slim neck profile makes it easy to play barre chords and the rosewood fretboard is fast and playable. The fret finish and construction is good for the price but the guitar may need a setup to suit your preferences. The electronics feature three single coil pickups with the volume/tone knobs and a 3-way pickup selector. Overall, this is a versatile guitar with medium-high action and good playability out of the box.
The AGL-20 amplifier is the loudest among the products in our list. The control panel has master volume, gain, bass and treble knobs with a button to activate overdrive. It also has an input for headphones but you will need a 6.5mm convertor to plug in standard 3.5 mm headphones jacks.
However, louder doesn’t always mean better. The amp tones are reasonable when clean, but the distortion sounds strident and muddy at higher volumes. The LyxPro clip-on tuner and gig bag felt a little underwhelming and flimsy compared to other products that we reviewed.
Verdict: The LyxPro is a good second option for those on a tight budget if the Donner DST1 doesn’t appeal to you. The good news is that all variants of the LyxPro electric guitar starter bundle are available in left-handed models. The bad news is that one of them is pink.
Pyle PEGT14R – Electric Guitar Beginner Starter Package
Reasonable quality for the price, I guess we can say ‘it fits the bill’.
Product Highlights:
- 22-fret Strat-style
