The Best Beginner Electric Guitar Packages to Help You Start Your Guitar Journey

Guitar players have a lot of issues to contend with, and none of them is more crucial to learning to play than selecting your first instrument.

That's where the best beginner electric guitar packages come in handy.

A proper guitar to begin your musical journey with is vital to success but so is choosing all the right accessories and accouterments a student will need to make practice sessions meaningful and productive.

This is especially important for students choosing to start on the electric guitar because electrics require guitar amps and cables to be fully functional, along with the standard items we all use like picks, strings and cases.  

Today, we’re here to examine some of the best beginner electric guitar packages that manufacturers have put together to make getting started on the instrument easy and convenient.

Soon, you’ll have a good idea of just what you need and if buying it all in one box feels right to you.

Let’s dive in!

Quick Top Beginner Electric Guitar Packages:​

Keep reading for the full reviews!

The Best Best Beginner Electric Guitar Packages

An Epiphone Les Paul is an amazing first guitar for any new player.

So, you know that any package including one would have to be one of the best beginner electric guitar packages.

Les Pauls are the symbol of rock and roll for many people, and they give off inspiration on every possible level.

The Epiphone Les Paul Player Pack is a cool bundle that gives the new guitar slinger everything needed to hit the ground strumming.

The Pack is built around an Epi Les Paul Special II guitar, which is a fine instrument suitable for any level of guitarist.

It’s a solid body ax made of Mahogany that, of course, is crafted into the familiar LP single-cutaway shape connected to a Mahogany neck with a Rosewood fretboard and a 60’s Slim Taper D carve.

It’s the kind of neck that will be immediately comfortable with most new students.

Like most Les Pauls, the Special II features two humbucking pickups.

The control layout is nice and simple, just a Master Volume, Tone and three-way pickup selector switch.

You also get an Epiphone Electar-10 amp with overdrive, which is plenty for any beginner and makes this a true plug-and-play starter outfit.

The amp has a two-band EQ section and jacks for connecting headphones as well as an MP3 or CD player.

Also included in the Player Pack are an Epiphone gig bag, a clip-on tuner, a shoulder strap, an instrument cable, picks and some free eMedia online guitar lessons.

Only a Les Paul will do for some guitar students, and this package of gear is for them.

It will get them off the ground in style and not leave any vital accessory out, which can sometimes be discouraging.

This Epiphone outfit is a perfect electric guitar jump start and should be given serious consideration by anyone looking to learn to play.

Yamaha is one of the biggest producers of musical instruments in the world and makes every instrument you can think of from guitars to drums to grand pianos.

Yamaha guitars are fine choices that often fly under the radar of many inexperienced players.

The Yamaha Gigmaker Electric Guitar Package is an excellent all-in-one solution to any new picker’s gear situation.

This set is based around the Yamaha PAC012 guitar, one of the company’s Pacifica Series that’s been around since 1990.

It’s a guitar inspired by the old-school California studio scene, a place where versatility and high performance meant everything.

The PAC012 sports a double-cutaway Agathis body beautifully done in a finish called Old Violin Sunburst, which is classy and traditional.

The neck is Maple with a Rosewood fingerboard and six-in-line sealed-back tuners.

The 012 comes loaded with one humbucking pickup in the Bridge position and two single coils in the Neck and Middle slots.

Controls are a simple Master Volume and Tone arrangement.

A five-way pickup selector is also standard.

This HSS pickup configuration gives the PAC012 the capability to play styles ranging from Metal to Jazz to Country with ease.

The Package also comes with a 15-watt solid-state Yamaha amp suitable for any practicing or learning scenario.

Buyers also get some picks, a strap, extra strings, a tuner and a Quickstart DVD.

This makes it super easy to start playing straight away.

The Yamaha Gigmaker Package is an awesome way to start learning guitar and will put students into an instrument they may never truly outgrow right from the jump.

Nothing is more elemental than a Stratocaster done in Basic Black.

The Squire Strat Pack from Fender scratches that itch very nicely, and a lot of new guitarists will dig this gear bundle as soon as they see it.

The coolest thing about this package is that the guitar is not an ordinary Strat but a smaller 24-inch scale version (the normal Fender scale is 25.5 inches) that will fit smaller and less-skilled hands extremely well.

The guitar features a solid Poplar wood double cutaway body covered in a Gloss Black finish and packed with the expected trio of single coil pickups and the usual Volume, Tone, Tone control configuration.

The neck is made of Maple and has a Rosewood fretboard with a 9.5” radius and 20 medium jumbo frets.

A six-saddle tremolo bridge completes the picture.

This thing is every inch a Strat.

Also included is a Squier Frontman 10G amplifier, which is one of the better-sounding amps of its size available.

The amp produces quality clean and distorted tones, looks cool and has an Aux Input for your MP3 or CD player.

A Headphone Jack for silent practicing is also standard, a feature that the folks you live with will appreciate.

You also get a guitar strap, guitar cable, and an assortment of picks.

No case is included.

The big advantage with this bundle is the shorter-scale guitar.

It’s often tough for kids or even small adults to learn on a full-size instrument, which makes this Squier a prime consideration for anyone who might be in one of those categories.

Squier guitars are well-made instruments that will work for beginners and more experienced guitarists, alike.

This particular Squier is just about the perfect first guitar and will make a lot of students Strat people for life.

Ibanez is the more new-school guitar company for those beginners inspired by modern rock and metal music.

Its guitars are seen and heard in the hands of some of the world’s best players and are an essential part of the sound of modern rock.

The Ibanez IJRG220Z Electric Guitar Package is an ideal first guitar for anyone who wants to rock hard and make things happen.

It’s built on the classic double cutaway Ibanez body shape and six-in-line headstock, all done in full metal black.

The body is Poplar, and the neck is Maple with a Rosewood fingerboard, white dot inlays, and jumbo frets.

The  IJRG220Z also features a standard tremolo bridge and Ibanez’s own Infinity R humbucking pickups.

Like the other gear bundles we’re looking at today, a suitable practice amp is included, which puts out a mighty ten watts.

You also get a tuner, a strap, some picks, a cable, an accessory pouch and a card good for some online lessons.

This package would make an amazing launching pad for any teenage player longing to rock out and make serious waves.

The sound and styling here are clearly aimed at fans of heavy music, and both hit that target directly.

Though it’s an entry-level guitar, the Ibanez IJRG220Z will get anyone through their first years of playing, lessons and gigs.

It’s a fine instrument that features everything you need and nothing you don’t.

Sometimes, simple is best.

If you aspire to take the heavy metal stage, this is one of those times.

Here is a quick demo video you can enjoy!

The Rogue Rocketeer Electric Guitar Pack is designed for the beginner on a tight budget.

It’s a high-value and crazy-affordable way to become an electric guitarist without skimping on anything.

The Rogue Rocketeer RR100 guitar is an updated take on the now-classic Super Strat design.

It has a uniquely-shaped double cutaway body that offers up a Bridge humbucking pickup and Neck and Middle single coils connected to a five-way switch.

This is the most versatile pickup configuration a guitar can have, and it leaves no sound out of reach.

It lets the RR100 go from screaming metal to sweet country in an instant and will keep most students content for a long time.

The body is made of ultra-lightweight paulownia wood to ease those long practice sessions, and the neck is a thin-profile affair that makes speedy playing as simple as possible.

The bridge is a six-screw vintage-type unit that allows all the whammy bar action a beginner could ever need.

Die-cast tuning gears keep you in tune when all the action is going down.

The included Rogue G10 Solid State Amplifier delivers a lot of bang for the buck and features one input with Volume, Gain, Treble and Bass controls, a Power Boost button and a Headphone Jack.

For accessories, you get picks, a shoulder strap and a gig bag.

This is a budget-minded package, to be sure, but it’s perfectly fine as a place to start playing guitar without laying out a pile of cash.

If you want to jam, but funds are tight, this may well be your new ride.

Here’s a user review video clip to show you what this Rogue is all about!

Are Starter Kits Worth the Money?

The true value contained in starter guitar kits is always a hot topic for discussion.

The modern beginner outfit is often a sleek and seductive package of gear in a big shiny box covered in inspirational slogans aimed at getting new guitar students pumped up and ready to learn.

It also promises to deliver all the accessories required to begin studying and playing guitar, items such as an amp, shoulder straps, picks, cables, tuners, and even some online lessons.

The whole idea is to put a turnkey student rig in a cool box suitable for Christmas or any other gift-giving occasion.

This is a fine concept, and it provides what most people need to start playing with a minimum of fuss.

To make these things worth selling, however, companies often cut certain corners on some of the included equipment.

The Quality of Most Guitar Starter Kits

The guitar, itself, might be a lower-end version of a company’s normal entry-level instrument produced specifically for the box package and unavailable on its own.

It’s still a good beginner’s guitar but costs less than the regular production model.

The amp is almost always an inexpensive-but-functional model made for the box.

Neither of these are inherently bad things, as a guitar student mostly needs an instrument and time to practice.

It does, however, help to explain the pricing you’ll encounter when comparison shopping.

Cost reduction is also seen in the included accessories in most box packages.

Molded-end cables that can’t be repaired, basic nylon straps and lightweight gig bags are what you can expect to find.

Again, they aren’t altogether bad and will work but don’t count on getting years of heavy use out of any of them.

A box package is designed to maximize musical fun and minimize financial risk because, honestly, not every new student sticks with their program long enough to lean to truly play.

Build Your Own Package vs. Buying a Beginner Guitar Package

An alternative to the best beginner electric guitar packages is to put your own starter kit together with the help of an online or brick-and-mortar local guitar shop made up of the items they normally sell.

Pick out a basic guitar, small amp, tuner, cable, case, strap and picks of your own, and you are far more likely to end up with a better-quality version of each item than you'd get in a box package.

It will cost you more, of course, but you’ll get gear that will work better and last longer than you would doing the all-in-one thing.

Which approach is better? Only you can decide that.

We all have budgets that must be lived by, and music can be an expensive hobby.

The thing to remember here is that more expensive equipment isn’t going to help you learn to play any faster.

You’re still going to have to hunker down in the woodshed for a good long while to make any guitar sound good.

For a lot of people, the box package is the perfect thing.

If the intended student is still a child, it’s hard to consider anything else.

Kids are notoriously hard on their instruments and, if Little Johnny/Jenny heaves the guitar out of a window or something, not much will be lost.

The first years of playing any instrument are tough and full of challenges, so it makes sense for most people to get an affordable guitar to start with and upgrade to something better once reasonable progress has been made.

Best Brands of Beginner’s Guitars

Most major guitar companies make excellent starter guitars these days.

You have a much wider choice now than students did a few decades ago.

Great entry-level guitar brands include Fender, Squier, Epiphone, Ibanez, Jackson, Gretsch and a ton of others.

Compare guitars in the same price range to see which one fits you the best.

The brand of your guitar is less important than making sure it has had a good set up recently, has fresh strings and is in its most playable state.

With a decent ax that’s been dialed in, the learning world is your oyster.

Now you just have to do the work!

If you stay frosty and practice hard for a couple of years, however, you'll make that starter guitar sound like a million bucks and blow people's minds.

Focus on making that happen, and all your musical goals will become a reality.

Then, it won’t matter what brand of guitar you play because people will be hearing you!

Conclusion

I hope this discussion of the best beginner electric guitar packages has been interesting and informative for you.

The guitar world is full of choices at every price range, and it's easy to get overwhelmed.

The most important thing you can do is get an instrument, practice diligently, and give whatever guitar you have your honest best.

Nobody starts out on their dream guitar so you shouldn’t even worry about things like that.

Keep jamming daily, though, and you’ll get it eventually.

By the time you get it, you’ll be ready for it and appreciate it that much more.

See you again soon with another lesson!