Also See: Guitar Gift Ideas:
Is Buying A Beginner Guitar Bundle Pack A Good Idea?
So your favorite guitar player
wanna-be has asked for a new guitar and you aren’t sure
exactly what to do. This article will discuss the pros and
cons of buying beginner guitars that are bundled with all of
the equipment needed to get started.
Electric Guitars Bundles For
Beginners: ($150 - $350) These are designed to supply a
rank beginner with all of the items they will need to get
started in learning to play the electric guitar. These kits
generally include the guitar, amplifier, guitar-to-amp cord,
padded guitar bag, a tuner, strings, strap to support the
guitar while standing, picks (plectrums), instruction book
and or a limited set of beginner lessons on dvd.
The guitars in these bundles are
usually very low end versions of some of the famous classic
designs like the Gibson Les Paul or Fender Stratocaster for
example. These guitars look great and are fun but, are not
designed to last a long time. Also, they do not have many of
the adjustments that more expensive guitars have which means
that they can be difficult to keep in tune.
One major word of caution is to
not purchase a kit that has a guitar with a Wammy Bar (also
referred to as a Vibrato Bar). This Bar is located low on
the body of the guitar and is used to loosen all 6 strings
at once then theoretically return them back to their
original tension while strumming. This raises and lowers the
pitch of all the strings simultaneously and produces a great
effect.
The problem with a low end
guitar model is that just one touch of the Wammy Bar and the
guitar is completely out of tune and unplayable. This an
obvious problem while in the middle of a song because it
becomes necessarily to stop and re-tune before continuing
the song. More expensive guitars have complete string
locking systems built right for preventing this problem.
Electric Guitar Bundle Packages
Acoustic Guitar Bundles For
Beginners: ( $100-$200) These bundles are usually less
expensive than their electric guitar cousins because they do
not require an amplifier. Again, these are low grade models
that will not sound nearly as good as more expensive guitars
but can be passable for learning. Guitars that cost about
$200 and up by themselves are usually much better sounding
guitars for beginners.
Acoustic Guitar Bundle Packages
A word of caution about buying
guitars for very tiny hands.
Young children, under 10 or 12
may be too small for a full sized guitar. Guitars are also
available in a 7/8, ¾ and ½ size. To help a beginner get
over the initial awkwardness and discouragement of learning
to play, it is important that the guitar both fits them and
sounds as good as possible. Remember that the better the
experience the more likely a young student will not quit.
Small Acoustic Guitars
Acoustic Guitar Humidifiers:
($10-$20) A small inexpensive humidifier is not usually
included in these bundles but really should be. In extremely
dry climates (a sustained humidity of below 40%), acoustic
guitars can easily dry out and warp. Many guitars have been
completely and irreversibly ruined this way. These simple
humidifiers are usually clipped over the sound hole when the
guitar is in its case.
Acoustic
Guitar Humidifiers (Type "humidifiers" in the search
box).
Consider buying a spare set of
strings for the new guitar because the higher pitched
ones break regularly. Over time all metal strings corrode
and begin to sound lifeless and need to be replaced anyway.
Acoustic Guitar Strings
Electric Guitar Strings
The Most Important Guitar
Accessory
One important gift idea is to
purchase a complete and thorough guitar lesson dvd set.
There are some amazing video courses out there that are
taught by some of the top guitarist / teachers in the world.
These is available for a fraction of the price of a randomly
selected local instructor. The current generation of
beginner guitar players is so accustomed to using computers,
watching TV and recorded dvds that this method of learning
can be a natural fit. Since not all guitar lesson dvds are
crated equal consider checking with websites that compare
guitar lessons.
Guitar Lessons Reviews List
Beginner - Intermediate All Around
Guitar Lessons
Acoustic Guitar
Lessons
Bass
Guitar Lessons
Blues
Guitar Lessons
Electric
Guitar Lessons
Jazz
Guitar Lessons
Lead /
Soloing / Improvisation
Metal / Rock
Guitar Lessons
Speed
Technique
Guitar Lessons
