The Cook Trio

6 Best Acoustic Guitar Starter Kits for 2022

Are you looking for the best acoustic guitar starter kit? Are you a beginner guitarist? Maybe you want to start but don’t know where to begin or what gear to buy, and you want everything in one convenient package. Maybe you’re an experienced guitarist and just want a new guitar with all the complementary accessories already included. Whatever the case may be, we have prepared for you a list of the best acoustic guitar starter pack you can buy today.

 There are many benefits to playing an acoustic guitar. For starters, it’s much easier on your fingers than most other stringed musical instruments. It also has a nice sound quality and is easy for beginners because you don’t need any additional equipment- just your best acoustic guitar kits. With that being said, there are some things you will need before starting out on this journey.

buying your first acoustic guitar

Once, there was a time when figuring out what gear to buy and which accessories to get way too confusing for beginner or aspiring guitarists, causing many to get turned off. Now, there are many companies that are catering to consumers who don’t want to bother with so much excessive research by simply offering a guitar along with essential accessories all in one convenient package.

Starter kits ideally provide guitarists with guitar stands, strings, truss rod wrenches etc., that can all be used to maintain the guitar.

Keep reading to find out the best acoustic guitar starter kits available on the market.
Check out our top picks for the best carbon fiber acoustic guitar.

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    Acoustic Guitar Starter Kits Reviewed In This Guide

    This bundle has been made available by the well-known brand Fender. Fender is a tenured and respected guitar manufacturing company that has been in the business for years and has thrived off of catering to beginners and experts alike. This kit is definitely one of the best acoustic guitar starter packs you can buy for the new year.

    This bundle contains a classic acoustic Fender guitar, along with essentials such as a tuner, a strap and a hard case, among others.

    It also contains an educational DVD that will be even more appealing for beginners since it contains a curated series of video lessons from the seasoned guitar experts working at Fender. This solves the need to look for a teacher to learn the basics or a suitable video course online. It’s all provided in this bundle.

    The guitar included in the bundle is the Fender FA-115 acoustic guitar. It is a lower-end guitar but is still high quality, with solid spruce wood covers on the body which is unheard of at this price point.

    It also has a dreadnought body, which gives it impressive range and a high quality overall sonic experienced, outperforming guitars in the same price range and far pricier guitars. Fender, as ever, places an emphasis on customer experience, which is why they spared no expense to make the FA-115 as playable and durable as possible. This isn’t a guitar that will only last 2 months of solid use.

    Pros
    • The bundle contains a high-quality guitar for the price point
    • Instructional DVD comes included
    • The bundle is sold by a solid and well-respected brand
    • The bundle contains everything a beginner will want for the first several months/years of their learning experience
    • Price is very reasonable, coming in at $200
    Cons
    • The guitar may need to be set up and adjusted out of the box, requiring a technician or at least several videos to watch

    Next up on the list, we have an acoustic guitar starter pack featuring an excellent selection of accessories, and a solid guitar put together by Yamaha. Yamaha is one of the world’s leading manufacturers in just about everything, but especially in guitars. You may catch musicians using their electric guitars and amps at concerts.

    Yamaha has bundled together some essential items beginner, and intermediate guitarists need when buying a new decent guitar. This saves the hassle of continuously researching more and more accessories and repeatedly going to the guitar shop.

    This bundle includes the Yamaha FD01S Guitar, which it claims is usable even for intermediate and advanced players, though it is mainly aimed at beginners.

    Reviewers note its beautiful spruce wood top and elegant presentation rarely seen in beginner guitars. Its tone is clear, and the sound produced is rich and accurate. The NATO neck is smooth and easy to play on.

    The FD01S is durable, easily playable, and fun to learn guitar. This acoustic guitar bundle also includes a guitar tuner to help set up the guitar out of the box. Overall, the Yamaha acoustic guitar starter kit seems to be an excellent deal everyone should consider. It’s another excellent acoustic travel guitar starter kit for the new year.

    Pros
    • The included guitar is well made, durable and easy to use
    • Essentials like a traveling bag, picks, and a tuner are included
    Cons
    • This acoustic guitar bundle contains fewer accessories than the Fender bundle
    • This bundle is more expensive than the Fender bundle, sitting at roughly $332

    This acoustic guitar from Donner Acoustic Guitar for Beginners Kit is highly affordable and convenient. It contains most of the important accessories beginners will need to learn the guitar, as well as a fully functioning and well-made acoustic guitar.

    This kit also contains some advanced-level accessories, such as a capo and digital tuner, so there is something here for intermediate and advanced players too.

    Since Donner is a lesser-known brand, their main selling point seems to be the excellent value for money their products bring, and this kit is no exception.

    The guitar included in the kit is the Donner DAG 1-C Acoustic Guitar. It features laminate mahogany and laminate spruce along the body and neck and a dreadnought body with a cutaway. Though the overall product is stylish, it is unfortunate that the material used is not as refined as others in this list.

    The sound is warm and bright, even if it does not reach the same levels as a professional level guitar. The sound is perfectly suitable for all beginners and most intermediates. Add the low cost and the excellent variety of accessories, and it’s not difficult to see why this kit is such a popular choice among customers.

    Pros
    • Excellent value for money
    • Useful accessories like the capo are included
    • Guitar sounds good for the price range
    Cons
    • Lesser known brand
    • Sound quality of guitar does not stack up to more expensive guitars of a higher price range

    Our next entry on this list is the popular and extremely cheap Best Choice Products 4 in 1 Beginner Acoustic Guitar Starter Kit, available on Amazon.

    This kit includes all the basic accessories beginners will need for the early stages of their playing life at a shockingly low price point.

    Some of the included accessories are a capo, a tuner, some extra strings and several picks. There is also a guitar strap and a travel bag. These are all essential items and are well-made, so you can expect them to last a very long time.

    The included guitar is also excellent, especially for the price. It is lightweight, easy to hold and play and will be very convenient for younger players to learn on. The sound quality is good, if not great, but will carry you through the beginner and maybe even the intermediate stages of the guitar learning process.

    The guitar itself is also well made. Despite its low weight, it is sturdy and elegant, with an all-wood body. However, reviewers mention the need to constantly tune the strings on this guitar, which can be very inconvenient, especially for beginners. The presence of a tuner in this kit will likely offset some of these issues.

    Pros
    • Extremely well priced at $95
    • Contains a wide range of accessories
    • Guitar is light and easy to play for young beginners
    Cons
    • Guitar sound is serviceable but only at the beginner/intermediate level
    • 2. Guitar needs tuning often
    • 3. Manufacturer is lesser-known

    This is another dirt-cheap acoustic guitar starter kit from a band known as Guitar for Dummies. As the name suggests, they specialize in making products and kits that are extremely approachable for “dummies” or people that don’t know much about guitars.

    Sometimes you simply don’t have the time, energy or money to invest in a higher-end guitar or a guitar kit. Guitar for Dummies understands this, and for just $117, you can get a kit that comes with a good quality guitar, essential accessories, and a how-to guide that teaches the entire setup process and the guitar learning process extensively.

    At the heart of this kit is the Kona Deluxe Acoustic Guitar. This guitar is extremely well-made, almost shockingly so if you consider its price. It is aesthetically pleasing, with a body made of spruce wood, and sounds excellent. The sound quality you will get from this instrument will likely be unmatched by others at a similar price. You can use the tuner that comes bundled in whenever you need to tune it.

    This beginner kit offers incredible value for money and should be a very serious consideration for those who want to start learning guitar.

    Pros
    • Extremely low price of $117
    • Excellent quality guitar
    • Wide range of accessories, all well made
    • 110-page beginner guide with an audio CD
    Cons
    • None

    This beginner kit from Ashthorpe is the cheapest entry on this list yet. That low price reflects what the focus of this kit is: it’s strictly for beginners. You won’t be finding an expert or even intermediate-level gear here.

    But that’s not always a bad thing. Most beginners will often go for a dirt-cheap guitar package, get a guitar that is barely playable just to learn on, and once they are experienced and can justify the purchase, they buy a more expensive guitar.

    For those kinds of people, this package is ideal. The guitar included in this package is very playable, offering a very pleasant and accurate sound that is head and shoulders above others in its class. It is very light and just 38 inches, so young players will find this guitar easy to learn.

    The included guitar has a clear, loud sound with great projection. It won’t carry you to the upper levels of guitar playing, but it is great for the price, and when you decide to upgrade, you wouldn’t have spent too much money on this kit in the first place.

    The kit also includes staples such as a tuner, extra strings, and a strap, but it also contains a pitch pipe which musicians use to determine the pitch of particular sounds. This can be a useful tool for many beginners and is scarcely found in competing kits.

    Pros
    • Very low price of $54
    • Excellent range of accessories including a pitch pipe
    Cons
    • Guitar does not have the best quality of the ones on this list
    • Ashthrope is a lesser-known brand

    Acoustic Guitar Starter Kit Buyer’s Guide

    Just as there are a lot of beginners and aspiring guitarists out there, there are a lot of acoustic guitar starter kits too. An almost countless number of them, in fact. In this article, we have tried to determine the best beginner guitar kit for you.

    But many will be wondering if there are any benefits of buying a beginner guitar kit in the first place. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits and potential drawbacks, if any, of investing in a kit.

    Why you should buy a beginner acoustic guitar kits?

    Why you should buy a beginner guitar kit

    The concept behind the existence of the beginner guitar kit is simple: they exist as a simple, convenient package for beginners and are often very affordable.

    The alternative to buying an acoustic guitar starter packs is to individually research different guitars and accessories, find the correct brands, the kind of strings that work best with your specific guitar, go on repeat visits to the guitar shop, buy accessories that are too expensive, etc. And these are just the beginning of the inconveniences.

    Compare this with the experience of owning a guitar kit. Everything included in the kit is curated by the manufacturer of the guitar itself, so all the accessories are specially designed to be fully compatible with the accompanying guitar and can be used with as little hassle as possible.

    Kits usually contain all the essential accessories, so the customer barely has to do any research beyond placing an order for the kit. Learning a guitar is difficult enough as it is, so if you have an opportunity to save energy by not having to research parts and guitars, you should take that opportunity.

    Deciding between best acoustic guitar kit

    The next main concern of many potential customers is this: which best acoustic guitar kit should I buy?

    It all depends on your preferences. Increase your budget by a bit, and you can buy a kit from an established manufacturer that will have a higher quality guitar and some better parts and could be used for a longer time.

    Go a little slower, and you’ll find kits from lesser-known brands that are still great value for the money but may not be as useable down the line as your experience increases. Of course, when you do eventually upgrade, you can relax knowing you barely spent anything on your first guitar and still got a lot out of it.

    Like the Fender acoustic guitar kit from earlier, some kits also have special DVDs and books for beginners to help them along. This is by no means a staple in all kits, but, just to streamline the process a bit, you can opt for the kits that bundle in beginner classes like these.

    How to weigh price vs quality

    As previously mentioned, perhaps the most difficult consideration is to decide how much to spend on a kit.

    Lower-priced kits are excellent value for money while not being as useable/viable for the long term for most guitarists, though the guitars included are still excellent ones to learn on. Slightly more expensive guitar kits contain guitars that sound better and have a better build quality but still may not stack up at the higher levels.

    If you are a beginner and your only preference is to have a cheap and playable guitar, you can opt for the cheaper kits. Many of these guitars are designed to be easy to learn and are supposed to be replaced down the road, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

    If you want a higher-quality guitar manufactured by a recognizable brand that will last a long period, you’ll need to increase your budget a bit. In return, you will get a wider range of accessories that are all good quality, and a well-made guitar with a very accurate sound that most intermediates and maybe even some experts will be comfortable playing. This option will appeal to customers looking for long-term investment and don’t want to replace any guitar that they buy for a very long time.

    FAQs about Best Acoustic Guitar Starter Kits

    What can I expect from a typical beginner guitar kit?

    There are a few items to expect from typical acoustic guitars starter kits. Besides the guitar itself, the best beginner acoustic guitar kits usually have strings, a gig bag, a guitar strap, some picks, and a tuner. Keep a special eye out for kits containing truss rod wrenches, capos, and pitch pipes, as these accessories can be valuable to the right player.
    Do you want the best carbon fiber guitar instead or the best acoustic blues guitar?

    How much should I be willing to pay for a acoustic guitar beginner kits?

    acoustic guitar beginner kits

    Beginner guitar kits have a wide range of prices but rarely exceed $250.

    If you want a kit from a popular brand, expect needing to shell out anywhere from $150-250.

    Lesser-known brands, however, usually focus on low cost and good value for money. These kits range from $80-120, with some as low as $50.

    Which companies make the best acoustic guitar starter kits?

    If you’re in the market for the best acoustic guitar starter kits, you’ll hear a few names: Fender, Yamaha, Donner, and Guitars for Dummies, among others.

    These are some of the most known brands making guitar kits for beginners and are tried and tested. If you come across any kit with the name of one of these brands attached, you can rest assured that the kit and its contents will be a good value for money.

    Should I buy a acoustic guitar kit or buy the parts individually?

    Should I buy a kit or buy the parts individually

    This is a question many people ask when they’re deciding if acoustic guitar kits are a good fit for them.

    The simple answer is that the only people who should buy parts individually are people who are either already experienced with guitars or people who have done meticulous research beforehand. For all others, buying a kit is the best way to go.

    You don’t want to spring for a fancy new accessory only to find it doesn’t work as advertised. Guitar kits typically contain accessories that work perfectly and are specially designed to complement the accompanying guitar.

    Often buying the accessories individually does not save a substantial amount of money, making the time investment less justifiable. You also don’t want to buy a guitar on its own, so a kit is the best way to go for most people. Kits are also great gifts to give the aspiring musician in your life.

    Should I buy a beginner kit even if I’m not a beginner?

    acoustic guitar kit

    Yes, you can buy a beginner guitar kit even if you’re not a complete beginner.

    Guitars that are packaged in with kits are usually very high quality, and kits contain a full suite of accessories along with that guitar. That means people who want to buy a new guitar can instead buy a guitar kit featuring that guitar so that they get all of the accessories they were going to get anyway in one convenient package.

    Enjoy Your New Acoustic Guitar Starter Kits

    As you can see, there are a lot of advantages when it comes to investing in an acoustic guitar starter kit. Whether it’s the value for money, the convenience factor, or the excellent quality guitars that come bundled in with the higher-end kits, they appeal to all musicians, starter or not.

    Our pick would have to go to the Fender Acoustic Guitar Bundle. It lies in the sweet spot between saving costs and providing value for money. Though it’s not the cheapest kit on this list, it provides a guitar that is very playable and can be used by intermediates and experts too. It contains the full range of accessories any beginner guitar player would want and even comes with a beginner DVD. It’s also a recognizable brand name which is always important.

    A close second is the Guitar for Dummies Acoustic Guitar Kit, which does many of the same things the Fender kit does for a lower price. It misses out on the top spot due to having less brand recognition and a slightly worse guitar.

    That being said, all of the options on this list are excellent. If you’re in the market for an Acoustic Guitar Starter Kit or have been curious about learning for some time, then you should look into buying one of these.

    Simon Mattav

    I am the owner of The Cook Trio, a three-piece band that has been performing in the Chicago area for over 10 years. I have a passion for music – everything from guitar to songs. I graduated from the music University of Chicago! My passion is writing songs about my life experiences, feelings and emotions through different genres. My inspirations are some of today’s popular songwriters such as Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Selena Gomez among others.

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