I found out that to get a great electric guitar pack for a beginning guitarist, it has to include everything they need to get started right out of the box. In addition to a well made guitar, they will also need an amplifier, a guitar strap, a cable to hook the electric guitar to the amplifier, and also an instructional DVD to get them playing quickly.
If any one of these components are missing from their musical equipment, they will not be able to get off to a quick start. I really hate to see a beginner lose interest in something as fun as playing guitar.
The guitar itself should be well made and durable so that they can use it and enjoy playing it for several years. I have owned some really poorly made electric guitars myself, and let me tell you, nothing is more frustrating than to be learning to play only to have some part of an instrument fail. Electric guitar repairs are costly and time consuming, so there is a chance that once this happens, a beginner will not be as enthused to start again.
Some things to look out for when buying an electric guitar pack:
Poor construction in the neck or body, or poor quality woods used.
I had one guitar that was made out of particle board that was painted over with a high gloss paint. It actually sounded good and played great for awhile. The first problem I noticed was that the tiny screws that held on the plates and hardware started working themselves out while I was playing. I tried replacing the screws with bigger ones, but this looked ugly and eventually, they also started coming loose from the body. What really ruined the guitar was the large screws that held the neck on started coming out and the neck was no longer held straight to the body. A friend of mine salvaged the neck and hardware, but the body was toast.
Low quality hardware:
Another thing to look out for is guitar hardware that is made out of low quality metals, (called potmetal by some) that can easily break. I have even had a guitar that had an adjustable bridge that was made of plastic. Although it looked like metal, the peices broke whe I tried to adjust the saddles to get better string intonation. I hated it because it was a really cool looking electric guitar.
Cheap electronics:
This cant be something that is easily detected until you actually plug in the electric guitar. if it sounds bad, switches cracle and pop, or sometimes does not get any sound at all, this is a problem. Hum is usually not a problem if it comes from a guitar with single coil pickups, but is if it comes with humbuckers.
As far as amplifiers, smaller is usually better for beginners just for the fact that before learning to play well, the sounds that an electric can produce can be high pitched, full of feedback, and carry a long way. Large amps can also cause hearing damage when used in small spaces such as a bedroom.
A good instructional video is also great to have to get a beginner playing quickly. A beginner can do it at their own pace, watch what the instructor is doing, rewind it to get it right, and advance quickly. It is really important to get off on the right foot, and an instructional electric guitar dvd will do just that while helping them learn the basics so that they get really interested in learning how to play really well. This is also a very affordable alternative to formal lessons, although I do recommend guitar lessons if you can tell that this is something a beginner is going to stick with for the long term.
The ability to have everything a beginner needs at the start of their learning is the best way to get them highly interested in playing and can lead to a long lasting and enjoyable skill that will provide a lifetime of enjoyment. having it all together in a convenient electric guitar pack is the way to go.
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-Mac
