Posts Tagged ‘under £200’
Getting ready for this years Christmas? Looking for the ideal guitar for the complete beginner?
Hopefully this article on what is available this year and what I personally recommend will help point you in the right direction.
The guitars in this article will be budget/beginners style guitars so the scores out of 10 will reflect that.
I’ll be looking at Electric Guitars in this article, I’ll also in future articles be writing about Acoustic guitars, Bass guitars, Guitar Gadgets and Software. Hopefully just in time for the Christmas season.
So let’s look at what’s available for between £100 and £250
Because this website is worldwide I’ll try and find links for USA and Europe for each item.
I’ll also try and get more than one link for each of my recommendations along with pros and cons and prices.
Electric Guitars Under £100
Nevada Stratocaster: During my teaching career I’ve seen a lot of guitars come through and none have suprised me more than Nevada. The Les Paul which used to be available at ToysRus was amazing in it’s build, tone and playability. The Stratocaster version is no different. Not in the same class as most guitars but in it’s price bracket you can’t go far wrong. Also the below price of £99 inclues an amp!!!
‘The Nevada Electric Strat Sunburst Guitar package includes everything an aspiring enthusiast needs to start playing electric guitar. The Nevada sunburst guitar is an awesome looking, high-quality instrument with great sound and playability, featuring three single coil pickups, 5-way pick-up switch,1 volume and 2 tone controls plus a tremolo arm for those classic electric guitar sounds!
The pack also contains a Nevada 10 watt practice amp featuring master volume, treble and bass controls, plus a handy headphone socket. Together with the included guitar lead, strap, plectrums and even a beginner’s DVD showing you how to get started, you have everything you need all in one box and at a great value price!’
6/10
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Squire Bullet Stratocaster: I’ve had a few bullets as stand by guitars and they’ve generally been of good quality. That said I’ve not seen an awful lot of them around over the last few years so picking one up may be difficult.
7/10
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Electric Guitars Under £150
Squire Stratocaster: The Affinity Stratocaster from squire is a well built guitar that is ideal for the beginner as it is about the right price and is functional.
Dressed in new eye-popping finishes, these Fender®-designed Stratocaster guitars have a great look and feel. With a contoured alder body, bolt-on maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard (and a late ‘60s headstock), three single coils and a standard tremolo system – the Affinity Series® Strat® guitar has all the vintage vibe at a fraction of the price.
7/10
£129 @ Dolphin Music + £6.99 postage
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Affinity Squire Telecaster: Telecasters are my guitar of choice, they’re a workhorse guitar with a real twang to them. Plus they look cool.
More practical than the stratocaster they stay in tune better and don’t have a tremelo bar.
Great for chords and rhythm playing. The affinity also comes with a maple neck with will give you a faster playing surface and is great for lead playing as well.
Fender Squire Affinity Telecaster MN MR electric guitar – solid alder body, maple neck, maple fretboard, 21 frets, 2 single coils and chrome hardware. Colour: Metallic Red.
8/10
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Ashton Electric Guitars: Ashton are a strange one, I first came across them as acoustics which were very well made indeed.
Their electrics are very playable but feel really light weight. Especially the strat versions although the ‘Rocker’ feels and looks heavy duty.
Value for money especially the Guitar pack itself. Although experience tells me don’t expect wonderful things from the amps in any package.
Turn up Ashton The Rocker and crank out a rocking sound, live or in the studio. From the classic double cutaway shape of the Basswood body, to the high output Wilkinson pickups, Ashton The Rocker is one guitar thats made to be played loud!
Ashton guitar pack includes guitar, amp, case, plectrums and book.
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Under £200
Yamaha Pacifica: Yamaha’s guitars have also been my recommendation for a beginners electric guitar pricewise they are much more expensive but from a build, playability point of view they’re as good as it can get. Comes in lots of different colours.
When the Pacifica 112 was launched in 1993, it turned the entry-level guitar market on its head. At the time, most guitars in its price-range featured low-grade appointments, often including cheap hardware, low quality pickups and plywood bodies.
The Pacifica 112′s quality hardware, custom wound pickups and consistently good setup said that this was a serious instrument built to sound great and play just as well. The striking natural finish gave away one more crucial feature – that this guitar had a solid body. In one move Yamaha had wiped away the certainty that your guitar would be made from cheap, heavy, bad-sounding plywood if your budget only stretched to £200.
9/10
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Pack containing a Pacifica 012 Electric Guitar with a Yamaha GA15 amplifier, cable, instructional CD, Strap and bag.
Modelled on the best-selling Pacifica 112, the new, even cheaper 012 has a similarly contoured double-cutaway body, and the firepower of a raunchy bridge-position humbucker plus two clear-toned single-coil pickups. The five-position pickup switch permits selection of those classic in-between sounds, while the vibrato bridge is a well-proven vintage design with six individually adjustable saddles for accurate intonation and a slinky set-up.
For an inexpensive yet high-quality introduction to the world of rock guitar, you ll not find better value than the Pacifica 012.
9/10
Thomann do a bundle package at £226 but what a bundle,
Pack Includes:
1 piece(s) DADDARIO EXL110
1 piece(s) GHS FAST FRET
1 piece(s) THOMANN GURT6,4B
1 piece(s) MILLENIUM GS-2001 E
1 piece(s) YAMAHA PACIFICA 112 BL
1 piece(s) KORG GA30
1 piece(s) THE SSSNAKE GKP6
1 piece(s) THOMANN ELITE GIGBAG E-GUITAR
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Electric Guitars Under £250
Squire Telecaster Deluxe: So ok it’s just over £200 but there’s an awful lot of bang for your buck, plus ain’t she a beauty…
The Tele® Custom is an affordable hybrid of two popular Telecaster® designs. Fusing a ?72 Tele Custom with a Tele Deluxe, this guitar has two high-output humbuckers, a three-way pickup selector switch and independent volume and tone controls. The Squier Tele Custom also features a solid agathis body and bolt-on maple neck with maple fingerboard.
9/10
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Related Links:
Buying Advice: Electric Guitar
Guitar Accesories Under £10: Capos
Guitar Accessories Under £20: Tuners
Related Reading:
Buying your first acoustic guitar can be quite a daunting task.
Especially as a birthday or christmas present.
As a guitar teacher I get asked a lot about the best acoustic guitar to start on.
My advice goes like so,
Spend no more than £150-£200 and no less than you can afford.
The Guitars listed here are Under £150
But be aware a steel string acoustic guitar that costs around £50 – £60 brand new is more than likely not going to be very well made. The ‘action’ – the height of the strings on the guitar will be suspect – this is the main consideration for kids and absolute beginners.
Nylon string guitars are great.
Little fingers tend to get sore. It’s a fact also kids tend to lose interest in things pretty quickly.
In my experience as a guitar teacher it is best to (1) get a guitar suitable for kids fingers and (2) not break the bank.
The following guitar is a 3/4 size nylon strung guitar and it’s ideal for kids.
It’s also a cheap travel guitar for adults!
At £32.99 it’s a no-brainer really.
Acoustic Nylon Guitar@Amazon £32.99
You should also look at the Elevation Junior,
3/4 size junior classic guitar.Natural finish.Plywood fretboard.Fitted with nylon strings.
Half price tuner, stand and 1/3 off starter pack with guitar.
Under £100
A 3/4 size guitar is perfect for kids but think about it – how big are you.
Might sound strange but I know plenty of people who love playing 3/4 size acoustic guitars. They’re not just for kids.
If you are on the small size or find full size guitars too big then this might be the solution for you.
Remember t’s to learn with…
Squire 3/4 size steel string acoustic
The Squier MA-1 3/4-Size Steel String Acoustic Guitar is a fitting choice for the beginning player who needs the MA-1′s smaller profile to play comfortably. Built with an agathis body, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, chromeplated machine heads, and 22 frets, this acoustic is a remarkable value!
The Ibanez V50MJPNT JamPack Quick Start is fantastically low-priced package with everything for the beginning guitarist. The V50 natural-finish acoustic guitar features a spruce top for fantastic tone. The package also includes an accurate electronic tuner, gig bag, guitar strap, and accessory pouch…everything you need! THIS IS OUR BEST VALUE STARTER PACK – BUY TODAY!
The package also includes an accurate electronic tuner, gig bag, guitar strap, and accessory pouch
Ibanez 3/4 @Dolphin Music £77.31
A full-size instrument is too big for very young learners of the guitar, and the little JR1, modelled on the dreadnought lines of Yamaha’s famous FG design, is the perfect answer. Its short, 540mm scale length is easy to play for even the smallest hands, while the compact body depth feels comfortable on the lap.
Despite its size, the JR1 has an authentic and enthusiastic acoustic sound, which has also made the instrument popular as a go-anywhere strumming companion. For this purpose it comes fitted with two strap buttons and is supplied complete with a gig bag.
Yamaha JR1 3/4-sized Dreadnought 3/4 @Dolphin Music £99
Epiphone DR-100 @ Gear 4 Music £89
The Epiphone DR100 6-String Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar, Natural Finish. Affordable dreadnought with a select spruce top for sweet tone and projection.
The Epiphone DR100 acoustic guitar builds on Epiphone’s great tradition of affordable acoustic guitars. A select spruce top for sweet tone and projection is the hallmark of the DR-100. The Epiphone DR-100 features a select spruce top, mahogany body and a set mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard. The neck profile is comfortable with dot inlays, while the bound body, plus chrome hardware make this guitar a comfort to play and watch. The Epiphone DR-100 provides affordable sweet tone and style to inspire all musicians.
The main features of the Epiphone DR100 include:
Affordable dreadnought with a select spruce top for sweet tone and projection
Under £150
Vintage V400:
The Vintage acoustic dreadnought guitars offer an open and expansive acoustic sound with crisp definition from their brightly-toned spruce tops.
DR-90S ACOUSTIC PLAYER PACK – Player Pack Collection:
A great value on a classic, the DR-90S Acoustic Player Pack features a dreadnaught acoustic guitar with Mahogany back and sides with a Solid Spruce top for superior tone. Included are a gigbag, pitch pipe, strap, picks and Instructional DVD. [Also available- DR-90 with Select Spruce top
Under £200 and over budget but worth it…
Recommended buys
Epiphone Hummingbird:
Epiphone Hummingbird Artist Limited Edition VS Acoustic Steel Guitar, Spruce Top, Back & Sides Mahogany, Rosewood Fretboard Splitt Inlays, Plain Tortoise Pickguard, Limited Edition Logo on back of headstock, Kluson Style Tuners, Finish Vintage Sunburst
The Bright, crisp sound of the Dove has been beloved for years, and the trademark dove on the pickguard has been the companion of countless legendry artists.
All of these guitars are totally suitable to learn on.
Save your money and get a few months and lessons in before you think about parting with lumps of cash on something that could potentally end up being an expensive ornament.
Remember, guitars are made to be played not viewed…
Related Articles:
Buying Advice: Electric Guitar
Budget And Beginners Guitars Under £200
Guitar Accesories Under £10: Capos