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What You Need to Start Playing Electric Guitar
The Full Beginners Guitar Setup Guide: Everything You Need to Start Playing Electric Guitar for Under $400
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Starting out playing guitar is one of the best decisions someone can make. It's also one of the easiest decisions to make expensively and incorrectly if nobody gives you an honest idea of what you actually need versus what the music store wants to sell you.
This is that breakdown.
The Guitar
Your first electric guitar should cost between $200 and $350. Below that threshold the manufacturing quality creates playability problems that make learning harder than it has to be — fret ends that catch your hand, tuning instability, electronics that crackle and cut out. Above that threshold you are paying for things that don't matter until you're a better player.
The two guitars that dominate this price range for a good reason are the Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster https://amzn.to/4vF1py4 and the Epiphone Les Paul Standard. https://amzn.to/3Qltj39 Both are made by the subsidiary brands of Fender and Gibson respectively, use better components than their price suggests, and are genuinely excellent instruments that professional musicians use as backups and travel guitars.
The Squier Stratocaster has three single-coil pickups, a longer 25.5" scale length, and a bright, articulate tone that suits clean playing, blues, funk, and classic rock. The Epiphone Les Paul has two humbuckers, a shorter 24.75" scale length, and a warmer, thicker tone that suits rock, hard rock, and anything with gain.
If you don't know which sounds you want yet, buy the Squier. It is more versatile in the hands of a beginner.
The Amplifier
A beginner amplifier should cost between $60 and $150. You are not looking for the amp that defines your sound — you are looking for a clean, functional platform that lets you hear what you're playing without adding noise or coloring your tone in ways that build bad habits.
The Boss Katana Mini https://amzn.to/3QFIIeU and the Fender Frontman 10G https://amzn.to/4e9KVZb both accomplish this at opposite ends of the price range. The Katana Mini is battery-powered, portable, has three amp character modes, and sounds significantly better than its size and price suggest. The Frontman 10G is a basic 10-watt practice amp that does its job without drama.
Do not buy a large amp for home practice. A 30-watt amp in a bedroom is a bad amp for a bedroom — too loud at the volumes where it sounds good, too quiet and thin at the volumes where it's tolerable.
The Essential Accessories
These are non-negotiable and frequently forgotten in the excitement of buying the guitar and amp:
Tuner: A clip-on tuner like the D'Addario NS Micro costs under $20 and keeps your guitar in tune, which is the single most important factor in how your playing sounds to other people.
Picks: Buy a variety pack. You won't know what gauge you prefer until you've played for a few weeks.
Cable: A 10-foot instrument cable from Hosa or Planet Waves is enough for home practice.
Strap: Any basic guitar strap. Strap locks are worth adding immediately — they prevent your guitar from falling when the strap slips off the button.
Extra strings: Strings break without warning. Keep a spare set of the same gauge you're playing.
The Complete Setup Cost Breakdown
Item
Approximate Cost
Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster
$400–$500
Boss Katana Mini or Fender Frontman
$60–$100
$12
$18
$8
Guitar strap
$15
Extra string set
$10
Total
$403–$483
All of these items are available on Amazon with Prime shipping. Several are available as bundled starter packs that reduce the total cost further.
What to Skip
Do not buy a guitar stand until you have a dedicated space to leave your guitar out. Do not buy a capo until you have been playing for at least a month. Do not buy effects pedals until you can play clean. Do not buy new pickups for a $300 guitar. Do not buy a guitar case for home practice — a gig bag is sufficient and far cheaper.
Every dollar you don't spend on accessories you don't need yet is a dollar available for lessons, which return more value per dollar than any piece of gear.
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