After the Flood

So you’ve seen videos of your favorite musicians jamming, heard shredding solos and decided you want in on the action by learning to play the guitar for yourself. Good for you! To learn the basics of guitar isn’t too difficult, but mastering the instrument is a-whole-nother story. Learning chords and strumming patterns and other the other nuances takes time, patience and discipline. Plenty of would-be guitarists give up the dream when they decide the instrument is too difficult (but we’re sure you’re not one of those).

Since you’re just starting out, the best way to get into guitar is to purchase a cheap beginner guitar. While not the best quality, these guitars are perfect for beginners, and you’ll get everything you need out one until you decide you’re ready to take to the stage. Here’s a mix of electric and acoustic guitars perfect for beginners.

1. Squier by Fender Strat HSS Electric Guitar Pack

Fender is primarily known for making excellent basses, but this beginner guitar by sub-company Squier is worth a look for those looking to learn the instrument. The guitar itself is of good quality; it features an Agathis body with polyurethane finish, maple neck, 21-fret rosewood fingerboard, and two single-coil and one humbucking coil strat pickups with five-way switching. The candy apple red finish is appealing to the eye, too. This bundle comes with a Frontman 15G amplifier, electronic tuner, instructional DVD, gig bag, cable, strap and picks, which means you’ll have everything you need to rock out in your garage or basement right out of the box.

Price: $249.99 (44 percent off MSRP)

Pros:

• Solid and pretty guitar
• Included extras provide everything you need
• Worth the extra price
• Nearly half off

Cons:

• Not ideal for performance
• Amp only good for practice
• Epiphone might be preferred beginner guitar brand
• Somewhat pricey

2. Epiphone Slash AFD Les Paul Special-II Guitar Package

If you’re looking for a great beginner guitar kit, it doesn’t get much better than the Epiphone Slash AFD Les Paul Special-II guitar bundle. I mean, it’s promoted and endorsed by Guns ‘n’ Roses’ legendary guitarist Slash himself. If that’s not an amazing selling point, I don’t know what it is. Like the other bundles here, this baby comes with a strap, picks and custom gig bag, and the guitar features a built-in tuner, which is great. The guitar comes with new ceramic plus humbucking pickups and a flame maple top with cherry mahogany back. Plus, I really like the amber color.

Price: $199 (40 percent off MSRP)

Pros:

• Promoted by the legendary Slash
• Cool custom gig bag
• Sweet amber color
• Good deal

Cons:

• No hard case
• You probably won’t ever be as good as Slash
• Color unappealing to some

3. Yamaha FG700S Folk Acoustic Guitar Bundle

This Yamaha FG700S acoustic guitar bundle comes with everything you’ll need to pick up and learn the guitar. Besides the guitar itself — which comes with a slick rosewood neck, spruce top and nato back and sides — you’ll get a bunch of extra doodads right out of the box, including a solid guitar case, guitar stand, strap, tuner, extra strings, picks, capo, cleaning cloth and beginners guide DVD. That’s right: This bundle comes with not only all the extra things you need to make your guitar work the way you want, but a DVD to learn the basics, too. It’s all that that makes this bundle well worth the price if you want to dive into beginner guitar-playing.

Price: $259.99 (48 percent off MSRP)

Pros:

• Comes with tons of extra accessories
• Beginners guide DVD included
• Guitar sounds beautiful
• Half off

Cons:

• Doesn’t include polish
• Uses reported receiving poor-fitting cases
• Included items may be different brands than pictured

4. Epiphone Les Paul Special II Guitar Player Pack

For the aspiring soloists and lead guitarist wannabes out there, the Epiphone Les Paul Special II guitar player pack is the perfect beginner guitar bundle. This package includes a gorgeous Epiphone Les Paul Special II with vintage sunburst coloring, 10-watt amp ideal for practice, 10-foot cable, chromatic tuner, strap, medium picks and soft gig bag. As a bonus, this player pack comes with free downloadable guitar lessons from eMedia so you can start shredding right away. At 43 percent off, it’s hard to beat the price tag of only $199, too.

Price: $199 (43 percent off MSRP)

Pros:

• Includes amp
• Beautiful sunburst design
• Strap is good quality
• Nearly half off

Cons:

• Case is soft
• Included amp only good for practice
• Some guitars shipped with issues
• Included picks are weak

5. Fender Squier Acoustic Guitar Bundle

This Fender Squier acoustic guitar kit comes with not only a quality acoustic guitar great for beginners, but a bunch of other equipment that makes separate purchases unnecessary. Besides the instructional DVD, guitar stand, clip-on tuner, extra strings, strap, picks, string winder and polishing cloth, this pack comes with a solid case that’s durable, strong and will keep your guitar safe. The guitar itself features a spruce top, Agathis neck and back, and ebony fretboard, giving it a crisp sound perfect for practicing or playing around the campfire.

Price: $189.82 (62 percent off MSRP)

Pros:

• Durable and sturdy case
• Quality instrument for small audiences
• Everything you need to start playing
• Huge savings

Cons:

• Some may prefer Epiphone
• Can fall out of tune quickly
• Cheaper feel
• Some users report wonky sound