Most people who start the guitar stop within the first months, and the reason is rarely talent. Practice gets boring and fingers hurt. The best gifts for a beginner guitarist make playing more fun and easier. Every pick comes from our rankings, with tonight's Thomann price. For players past the first year, see our Christmas gifts for guitar players.
Gifts for beginner guitarists under $200
Nux MG-101, $111
A multi-effect pedal with 25 amp models, about 50 effects, a drum machine and a phrase looper, plus a headphone output. Practicing with a beat is more fun than alone. #7 of 110 guitar multi effects.
Nux Mighty 8BT MKII, $150
A battery-powered 8-watt modeling amp with a built-in drum machine, small enough for a bedroom or a park bench. #6 of 19 battery operated amplifiers.
Fender CA STD Redondo Mini, $160
A smaller dreadnought with a spruce top: easier to hold for teens and smaller players, and good for travel. #3 of 387 miscellaneous acoustic guitars.
Squier Sonic Mustang, $176
An electric guitar with a short 24-inch scale, so stretches are smaller and string tension is lower: easier on new fingers. #6 of 28 shortscale guitars.
A bigger gift
Positive Grid Spark Mini, $200
A battery amp with up to 8 hours of play and an app that shows the chords of YouTube videos and generates backing tracks to jam with. Works with electric, acoustic and bass. #3 of 97 modelling guitar combos.
Boss Katana Mini X, $179
A 10-watt battery amp with a 5-inch speaker and three amp sounds: clean, crunch and Boss's high-gain Brown. The highest-ranked portable guitar amp we track: #1 of 19 battery operated amplifiers.
Questions
What is the best gift for a beginner guitarist?
Something that makes practice fun, like an amp or pedal with a drum machine. The Nux MG-101 ($111) has a drum machine and a looper.
Should a beginner start on a short-scale guitar?
It helps players with smaller hands: the Squier Sonic Mustang's 24-inch scale makes chords easier to reach.
How we picked. Every product comes from an AudioFu ranking, scored on demand, price, specs and brand; specs from Thomann's product data. Prices are converted from euros at the European Central Bank rate and updated every night, as are the ranks.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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