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March 18, 2024
All-Star Beginner Gear
The best gear to get started on
We all start somewhere. But as musicians, the gear we start on makes a big difference. Whether you aspire to be a festival-rocking DJ or a worshiped drum virtuoso, it's crucial to start out with gear that will inspire you to go further and develop your talents.
We've put together a list of great gear to get started on, complete with quotes from happy owners. With so many affordable, feature-packed picks for any musician, you're sure to find some great starter gear for yourself or the young musician in your life!
See more All-Star Gear Guides »
We've put together a list of great gear to get started on, complete with quotes from happy owners. With so many affordable, feature-packed picks for any musician, you're sure to find some great starter gear for yourself or the young musician in your life!
Beginner Electric Guitar: Jackson JS Series Dinky JS11
Our Customers Say...
"I am impressed with the quality and sound for a lower priced model...I am just learning how to check and set intonation but from what i could tell it was almost spot on. Neck is comfortable for me. I really like the fingerboard radius. Frets are dressed well. The pups sound good both clean and distorted."
- Brian P in Riverton, UT
"Really nice entry level guitar...Quality is excellent; arrived with no issues at all...Playable out of the box, holds tuning well. Neck is comfortable; easy to play."
- James C in Streetsboro, OH
"This guitar is a steal for the price and feels amazing in the hand. Amazing quality!"
- A Happy Customer
"I am impressed with the quality and sound for a lower priced model...I am just learning how to check and set intonation but from what i could tell it was almost spot on. Neck is comfortable for me. I really like the fingerboard radius. Frets are dressed well. The pups sound good both clean and distorted."
- Brian P in Riverton, UT
"Really nice entry level guitar...Quality is excellent; arrived with no issues at all...Playable out of the box, holds tuning well. Neck is comfortable; easy to play."
- James C in Streetsboro, OH
"This guitar is a steal for the price and feels amazing in the hand. Amazing quality!"
- A Happy Customer
Beginner Bass: Gretsch G2220 Electromatic Jr Jet
Our Customers Say...
"This bass is amazing for the price. Build quality, playability and sound are top notch."
- A Happy Customer
"Nice little bass for the money...The short scale is much easier on my arms and wrists than my long scale fretless. It plays nice, stays in tune, and has pretty good tonal adjustments."
- Anne W. in Santa Barbara, CA
"I was blown away by this bass. The feel of the neck, weight and balance, quality of the electronics, and caliber and variety of tones produced are really impressive at this price point...It's super easy and fun to play, and the mini humbuckers provide a little more punch than something like a PJ configuration. The icing on the cake is that it's very good looking too. I'm in love!"
- Bruce D. in Clayton, GA
"This bass is amazing for the price. Build quality, playability and sound are top notch."
- A Happy Customer
"Nice little bass for the money...The short scale is much easier on my arms and wrists than my long scale fretless. It plays nice, stays in tune, and has pretty good tonal adjustments."
- Anne W. in Santa Barbara, CA
"I was blown away by this bass. The feel of the neck, weight and balance, quality of the electronics, and caliber and variety of tones produced are really impressive at this price point...It's super easy and fun to play, and the mini humbuckers provide a little more punch than something like a PJ configuration. The icing on the cake is that it's very good looking too. I'm in love!"
- Bruce D. in Clayton, GA
Beginner Acoustic-Electric Guitar: Epiphone J-15 EC Cutaway
Our Customers Say...
"I got my son the Epiphone for a starter guitar and just hoped it had decent playability...the way it looked and played was unreal. I wanted to keep it for myself. For the money, best acoustic guitar I've ever played."
- Ernie T. in Fair Oaks, CA
"I expect to use this guitar for many years and for recording...good quality, sounds great...for the price you can't beat it...I'm going to buy this guitar again."
- A Happy Customer
"Nice sound for the price, great starter guitar...The solid top is what makes this guitar!"
- A Happy Customer
"I got my son the Epiphone for a starter guitar and just hoped it had decent playability...the way it looked and played was unreal. I wanted to keep it for myself. For the money, best acoustic guitar I've ever played."
- Ernie T. in Fair Oaks, CA
"I expect to use this guitar for many years and for recording...good quality, sounds great...for the price you can't beat it...I'm going to buy this guitar again."
- A Happy Customer
"Nice sound for the price, great starter guitar...The solid top is what makes this guitar!"
- A Happy Customer
Beginner Personal Keyboard: Yamaha NP12 Piaggero Digital Piano
Our Customers Say...
"Bought this for my son, who is 11, as he's learning piano at school. He loves it, as do I. Don't let the price fool you, this is a GREAT digital piano!! Nice and ez effects, keys are very responsive, and not a ton of useless sounds you'll never use, like most keyboards. Always been a Yamaha fan, and they hit a home run with this. Very ez to use, normal size keys, great for a beginner to a pro. Sounds VERY VERY close to a real piano."
- Lewis B. in Decter, MO
"Bought this for my son, who is 11, as he's learning piano at school. He loves it, as do I. Don't let the price fool you, this is a GREAT digital piano!! Nice and ez effects, keys are very responsive, and not a ton of useless sounds you'll never use, like most keyboards. Always been a Yamaha fan, and they hit a home run with this. Very ez to use, normal size keys, great for a beginner to a pro. Sounds VERY VERY close to a real piano."
- Lewis B. in Decter, MO
Beginner Mini Synth: Korg MicroKorg Analog-Modeling Synth/Vocoder
Our Customers Say...
"This synth is very powerful...I didn't know anything when I bought it and I learned a lot from it. It is such a great buy for beginners or maybe a pro who wants to expand their library. It also has a built in vocoder which just sends its value through the roof."
- A Happy Customer
"My kids are learning keyboards and they are fascinated with this instrument, as am I...no problems with the mini-keys...an incredible lead instrument, once the basic concepts of sound production are learned...a little hard work at learning the ins and outs of this instrument make it a pleasure to use."
- Tony P. in Alhambra, CA
"This synth is very powerful...I didn't know anything when I bought it and I learned a lot from it. It is such a great buy for beginners or maybe a pro who wants to expand their library. It also has a built in vocoder which just sends its value through the roof."
- A Happy Customer
"My kids are learning keyboards and they are fascinated with this instrument, as am I...no problems with the mini-keys...an incredible lead instrument, once the basic concepts of sound production are learned...a little hard work at learning the ins and outs of this instrument make it a pleasure to use."
- Tony P. in Alhambra, CA
Beginner Drum Set: Pearl RSJ465CC Roadshow Junior Complete 5-Piece Drum Set
Our Customers Say...
"The Mini Kit that Can...This is a real drumset!...I was looking for a small kit to suit my living in a very small space. And this is perfect! Suitable for beginners and those with experience. Very good build quality! Hardware is light but well made."
- Ron B.
"It’s made extremely well, high-quality all the way around. I’ve owned a lot of drum sets over the decades. Some cost 10 times as much and they still weren’t any better than this...Well worth it!"
- RLee B.
"The Mini Kit that Can...This is a real drumset!...I was looking for a small kit to suit my living in a very small space. And this is perfect! Suitable for beginners and those with experience. Very good build quality! Hardware is light but well made."
- Ron B.
"It’s made extremely well, high-quality all the way around. I’ve owned a lot of drum sets over the decades. Some cost 10 times as much and they still weren’t any better than this...Well worth it!"
- RLee B.
Beginner Audio Interface: MOTU M2 USB Interface
Our Customers Say...
"I believe this is leagues ahead of most interfaces in terms of sound quality...The dynamic range is amazing."
- A Happy Customer
"You have your visual eye candy to see your levels...and the sound is so so pleasing!...I have to tell you, I can work this thing like I had it for many years. I'm a fan for life, and take away the price, and compare it to other units, MOTU will still have more value hands down!"
- Hurvey J. in San Diego, CA
"The best audio interface at its price range."
- A Happy Customer
"I believe this is leagues ahead of most interfaces in terms of sound quality...The dynamic range is amazing."
- A Happy Customer
"You have your visual eye candy to see your levels...and the sound is so so pleasing!...I have to tell you, I can work this thing like I had it for many years. I'm a fan for life, and take away the price, and compare it to other units, MOTU will still have more value hands down!"
- Hurvey J. in San Diego, CA
"The best audio interface at its price range."
- A Happy Customer
Beginner Studio Condenser Mic: Audio-Technica AT2035
Our Customers Say...
"A great sounding large-diaphragm condenser mic for a very reasonable price...I use it on acoustic guitar and vocals...It has a very open and natural sound...Sounds great with practically no EQ or processing...This is the most mic for the money I have seen in a large-diaphragm mic."
- A Happy Customer
"In the budget mic category you can't go wrong with an AT2035...Plug it in and start recording."
- A Happy Customer
"Wow! That was the first word that came to mind after listening to this mic. I am a professional voice over artist, and I have recorded at some great studios with great mics...I can safely say this one is in my top 3...Tremendous value. You'll think you paid hundreds for this mic!"
- Joseph A.
"A great sounding large-diaphragm condenser mic for a very reasonable price...I use it on acoustic guitar and vocals...It has a very open and natural sound...Sounds great with practically no EQ or processing...This is the most mic for the money I have seen in a large-diaphragm mic."
- A Happy Customer
"In the budget mic category you can't go wrong with an AT2035...Plug it in and start recording."
- A Happy Customer
"Wow! That was the first word that came to mind after listening to this mic. I am a professional voice over artist, and I have recorded at some great studios with great mics...I can safely say this one is in my top 3...Tremendous value. You'll think you paid hundreds for this mic!"
- Joseph A.
Beginner DJ Controller: Pioneer DJ DDJ-200 DJ Controller
Our Customers Say...
"A great MIDI controller to start DJing...I seriously wish this had come out a very long time ago, when I got into DJing. Portable, easy to use, and it has all of the basics that you need and more. Hands down, you won't regret buying this small controller...I don't see it as a toy and it doesn't feel like one...it's a Pioneer and I can see why so many people gravitate and are very loyal to the brand...If you are looking into DJing, but don't want to spend money on a laptop and an expensive controller while using your Spotify account, this is the best option to go with, as it will allow you to learn the basics."
- Alex R. in New York, NY
"A great MIDI controller to start DJing...I seriously wish this had come out a very long time ago, when I got into DJing. Portable, easy to use, and it has all of the basics that you need and more. Hands down, you won't regret buying this small controller...I don't see it as a toy and it doesn't feel like one...it's a Pioneer and I can see why so many people gravitate and are very loyal to the brand...If you are looking into DJing, but don't want to spend money on a laptop and an expensive controller while using your Spotify account, this is the best option to go with, as it will allow you to learn the basics."
- Alex R. in New York, NY
