When someone is just starting their journey with the guitar, the possibilities for gifts are vast. There are lots of beginner-focused products available—whether you’re seeking guitars, amps or pedals—and the number of fun and inexpensive accessories are practically limitless.

Best of all, as a player is initially establishing their style, tone and approach, almost anything associated with guitar is a learning opportunity. In other words, you almost can’t go wrong. That said, we’ve chosen some popular top-sellers in a few different categories to help you get off to a great start on your gift quest. Of course, your desire to provide a new player of any age with gear and goodies that inspire and challenge them is perhaps the nicest gift of all. Bravo!  

Table of Contents

Best Electric Guitar Packs for Beginners
   Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar Player Pack
   Squier Sonic Stratocaster Limited-Edition Electric Guitar Pack
Top Gifts in Acoustic Guitars
   Mitchell D120 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar
   Yamaha F335 Acoustic Guitar
Popular Gifts in Pedals
   BOSS RC-1 Ultimate Looper Kit
   GAMMA Cumulus 3-Way Reverb
   Line 6 POD Express Guitar Effects Pedal
   Walrus Audio Fundamental Series Ambient Reverb
Awesome Amp and Headphone Amp for Beginners
   Fender Mustang Micro Plus Headphone Amplifier
   Positive Grid Spark 2 50W Guitar Combo Amp
Beginner Gifts in Guitar Accessories
   Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings
   Fender Leather Amp Coasters 4-Pack
   Fender Assorted Pattern Celluloid Guitar Picks 24-Pack
   Kyser Quick-Change Capo
   Perri's 2" Nylon Guitar Strap
   Snark Super Snark 3 Clip-on Tuner
Gifting Guitar Gear

Best Electric Guitar Packs for Beginners

Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar Player Pack

What Makes This a Great Gift: It’s a true “everything you need to get started” bundle with guitar, amp, gig bag and accessories.

Things to Consider: The Les Paul Special is an iconic rock and blues guitar.

Pictured: Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar Player Pack

The Les Paul Special II is Epiphone’s best-selling guitar, and it’s easy to see why. It puts Les Paul power at a beginner’s fingertips without breaking the bank. It boasts a mahogany body and neck, and two humbucker pickups. The Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar Player Pack also includes an Electar 10-watt practice amp with overdrive, plus all the gear they'll need to rock it, including a strap, gig bag, tuner, cable, picks and free online lessons.

Explore More: Epiphone Slash Les Paul Performance Pack, Epiphone Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior Player Pack.

Squier Sonic Stratocaster Limited-Edition Electric Guitar Pack

What Makes This a Great Gift: It’s a true “everything you need to get started” bundle with guitar, amp, gig bag and accessories.

Things to Consider: Stratocasters are legendarily versatile guitars that are used by players of just about every style of music.

Pictured: Squier Sonic Stratocaster Limited-Edition Electric Guitar Pack With Fender Frontman 10G Amp

The Stratocaster is an iconic electric guitar, and the Squier Strat is a perfect choice for beginners. It’s lightweight and features three selectable single-coil pickups to provide a range of tones for any style of music. The Squier Sonic Stratocaster Limited-Edition Electric Guitar Pack includes an excellent practice amp—the Squier Frontman 10G, which has a headphone jack to give the rest of the house a break. A gig bag, strap, cable and picks round out this gift pack.

Explore More: Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster HSS Guitar Pack.

Top Gifts in Acoustic Guitars

Mitchell D120 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar

What Makes This a Great Gift: It’s an easy-to-play acoustic that is set up and quality checked in the USA.

Things to Consider: Spruce top for rich sound, mahogany back and sides for added warm tones, scalloped “X” bracing (forward shifted) for increased resonance.

Pictured: Mitchell D120 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar

With a slim, easy-playing neck and scalloped bracing for a lighter body without sacrificing resonance, the Mitchell D120 is ideal for beginners and young players. Its mahogany body, thin finish and spruce top provide a bright tone and plenty of projection. Body and neck binding—as well as an eye-catching rosette—lend this guitar the look of a luxury instrument.

Explore More: Mitchell O120CESB Auditorium acoustic-electric guitar.

Yamaha F335 Acoustic Guitar

What Makes This a Great Gift: It provides comfy playability and full sound.

Things to Consider: Laminated spruce top for full bass and crisp highs, meranti back and sides for good projection, classic dreadnought body shape.

Pictured: Yamaha F335 Acoustic Guitar

Guitarists have loved Yamaha acoustics for more than 50 years for their craftsmanship. The Yamaha F335 is a great entry point for new guitarists, with a laminate spruce top, and meranti back and sides for bright, clear tone. Details such as the tortoiseshell pickguard, gold die-cast tuners and F Series headstock logo give it a classic touch.

Explore More: Yamaha FX335C dreadnought acoustic-electric guitar.

Popular Gifts in Pedals

BOSS RC-1 Ultimate Looper Kit

What Makes This a Great Gift: It’s an easy and fun introduction to looping.

Things to Consider: Simple-to-understand loop indicator, mono or stereo operation, comes with two 6" patch cables.

Pictured: BOSS RC-1 Ultimate Looper Kit

The art of looping has been growing exponentially—especially with popular artists such as Elise Trouw creating songs with just themselves, a looping device and a collection of their favorite instruments. No band needed! The BOSS RC-1 Looper Kit is an excellent way to get started making your own loops. The RC-1 is compact, simple to operate, has a maximum recording time of 12 minutes and gives players a handy loop indicator on the top panel for managing your layers of sound.

Explore More: BOSS RC-10R Rhythm Loop Station.

GAMMA Cumulus 3-Way Reverb

What Makes This a Great Gift: Reverb is perhaps the most used guitar effect, and with just three control knobs and a reverb-type selector switch, the Cumulus is an easy pedal to learn.

Things to Consider: Metal chassis for toughness, operates on 9V battery power or optional 9V DC adapter (sold separately), includes Barefoot button for easy pedal control (as well as shoeless comfort).

Pictured: GAMMA Cumulus 3-Way Reverb Pedal

The GAMMA Cumulus 3-Way Reverb provides a trio of perhaps the most fundamental and useable ambiences for guitar and just about anything else. Studio emulates a crafted recording studio space, with a well-controlled decay that avoids muddying up your sound. Spring emulates the splash and bounce of the spring reverb found in vintage guitar amps. Plate emulates the sound of a classic studio plate reverb, for smooth, mellow ambience.

Explore More: GAMMA Atlas Boosted Overdrive, GAMMA Bacchus Dynamic Driver, GAMMA Eros Clean Chorus, GAMMA Hades Metal Distortion and GAMMA Narcissus Warm Delay.

Line 6 POD Express Guitar Effects Pedal

What Makes This a Great Gift: It’s an incredible educational tool for learning guitar sound construction.

Things to Consider: Includes digital models of seven amps, seven speaker cabinets and 17 effects—there’s even a built-in looper.

Pictured: Line 6 POD Express Guitar Effects Processor

The Line 6 POD Express shrinks a full-on digital rig machine into a chassis the size of a conventional stompbox. You can practically drop the POD Express into the pocket of an overcoat. In addition to the portability and sonic power, one of the major benefits of the POD Express for a beginner is that it’s a tone seminar in a box. Players can explore different amps, cabinets and effects, and experience in real time how their choices create distinctive guitar sounds, vibes and atmospheres.

Explore More: Line 6 Pocket POD Guitar multi-effects processor.

Walrus Audio Fundamental Series Ambient Reverb

What Makes This a Great Gift: Three simple parameters on sliders make tone crafting fast and easy.

Things to Consider: Intuitive controls, true-bypass circuit ensures transparent sound, made in the USA.

Pictured: Walrus Audio Fundamental Series Ambient Reverb Effects Pedal

The Walrus Audio Fundamental Series Ambient reverb is a no-fuss, quick and easy effects option from a boutique pedal builder that provides hall, spring and ambient reverbs to suit any style. The hall reverb emulates the rich, expansive reverberation of a concert hall for big, dramatic sounds. Spring recreates the iconic twang of an analog spring reverb tank for vintage vibes. Ambient drenches your tone in a swirling, unending reverb tail ideal for atmospheric and post-rock styles. Each reverb has a natural, uncolored tone that complements your guitar without masking its inherent character.

Explore More: Walrus Audio Fundamental Distortion, Walrus Audio Fundamental Delay, Walrus Audio Fundamental Drive, Walrus Audio Fundamental Phaser, Walrus Audio Fundamental Fuzz, Walrus Audio Fundamental Reverb, Walrus Audio Fundamental Chorus, Walrus Audio Fundamental Tremolo.

Awesome Amp and Headphone Amp for Beginners

Fender Mustang Micro Plus Headphone Amplifier

What Makes This a Great Gift: It allows silent, super personal practicing with authentic sounds via headphones.

Things to Consider: Bluetooth audio connectivity, 25 amp models, 25 effect models and an onboard tuner.

Pictured: Fender Mustang Micro Plus Headphone Amp

The upgraded Fender Mustang Micro Plus headphone amplifier lets guitarists play and practice in private with 25 amp models, 25 effects, 100 preset slots, onboard tuner, adjustable global EQ and an integrated display. You get four hours of continuous play time and the rechargeable lithium-ion battery is charged via USB.

Explore More: Learn all about Fender amplifiers.

Positive Grid Spark 2 50W Guitar Combo Amp

What Makes This a Great Gift: You can learn about tone crafting via the Spark 2’s digital amps, speakers and effect, and also play live with friends.

Things to Consider: Bluetooth compatibility, USB-C connectivity, speakers are two 4" angled FRFR horns.

Pictured: Positive Grid Spark 2 50W Guitar Combo Amp

The Positive Grid Spark 2 is a high-tech “smart amp” that’s also a smart choice for beginning players. There are a ton of sounds to play with as your favorite guitarist experiments with tone crafting, and the Spark 2 integrates all of that sonic power into a 50-watt combo that they can take to rehearsals and even gigs. In addition, Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity lets you jam to tracks, so your Spark 2-equipped player can even bring—and amplify—the backing music to a jam session with other musicians.

Explore More: Positive Grid Spark GO battery-powered combo.

Beginner Gifts in Guitar Accessories

Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings

What Makes This a Great Gift: Slinkys are renowned strings that have been trusted by guitar greats since the 1960s.

Things to Consider: Nickel-plated steel wrapped around a hexagon core for tonal balance, tapered design for enhanced resonance and vibration, corrosion resistant.

Pictured: Ernie Ball Regular Slinky .10-.46 Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings

Ernie Ball Regular Slinky electric guitar strings are gauged .010, .013, .017, .026, .036 and .046 to produce a comfy feel and tuning stability. Players can pummel Regular Slinkys for punk-style aggressive rhythms or zoom around for shred-approved licks without feeling as if the strings are fighting them. To keep unused strings as fresh as possible, the environmentally friendly packaging is sealed airtight.

Explore More: Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky electric guitar strings, Ernie Ball Super Slinky electric guitar strings.

Fender Leather Amp Coasters 4-Pack

What Makes This a Great Gift: C’mon—coasters posing as Fender Twin Reverb amps.

Things to Consider: Coaster material is leather.

Pictured: Fender Leather Amp Coasters 4-Pack

Some guitarists can get mighty cranky if you try to put a drink atop their amps, but you can safely plop hot or cold beverages onto these Fender leather amp coasters. Designed to look like a Fender Twin Reverb, these coasters will rage loud and proud while protecting the surfaces in your home. 

Explore More: Fender leather pick coasters 4-pack, Fender classic guitars coasters.

Fender Assorted Pattern Celluloid Guitar Picks 24-Pack

What Makes This a Great Gift: Everyone needs guitar picks.

Things to Consider: Classic 351 pick shape (Fender’s most popular), celluloid picks offer a smooth attack and warm tone, rounded tip with wide body for picking options.

Pictured: Fender Assorted Pattern Celluloid Guitar Picks 24-Pack

With an array of colors and patterns, the Fender assorted pattern celluloid guitar pick 24-pack is an entertaining and quite useful gift for players of all skill levels and musical styles. Anyone who lives with a guitar player has likely found picks in the washer or dryer, and/or scattered under desks and chairs. Guitarists constantly lose them, break them and wear them out. So, give your player a colorful 24-pack that will keep them in picks for at least a little while.

Explore More: Fender all shapes celluloid medley medium guitar picks.

Kyser Quick-Change Capo

What Makes This a Great Gift: Capos let guitarists change keys almost instantly without the need to retune their guitars. Capos are popular with fingerstyle players to evoke varied melodic and harmonic feels, and they also help when backing up singers who may need a key change to better accommodate their vocal range.

Things to Consider: Trigger-release mechanism for rapid on/off, dual-action clamping system ensures even pressure across the strings, aircraft-grade aluminum construction.

Pictured: Kyser Quick-Change Capo

The innovative trigger-release mechanism of the Kyser Quick-Change capo lets players switch between keys like lightning—without retuning. Admittedly, beginners may not need to change keys so quickly, but the other features of the Kyser Quick-Change capo are definitely beneficial. The dual-action clamping system keeps intonation sweet and eliminates buzzing by keeping even pressure across every string. They’re built tough with aircraft-grade aluminum—a necessity for a piece of gear that is constantly being clamped on and off an instrument—and a padded clamp keeps the guitar neck undamaged.

Explore More: Kyser Guitars for Vets Quick-Change capo (for acoustic guitars), Kyser Quick-Change capo in Fender classic colors.

Perri's 2" Nylon Guitar Strap

What Makes This a Great Gift: It’s a comfortable, resilient guitar strap.

Things to Consider: Durable nylon stands up to frequent practice sessions and performances, adjusts from 41" to 72", nylon ends with reinforced stitching.

Pictured: Perri's 2" Nylon Guitar Strap

Don't underestimate the importance of having a good strap. The Perri’s 2" nylon guitar strap keeps acoustic and electric guitars secure and in proper playing position. Fully adjustable, they fit guitarists off all sizes. Each strap is made in North America, and if “none more black” isn’t your favorite player’s thing, these straps come in a variety of colors.

Explore More: Perri’s 2" basic leather guitar strap.

Snark Super Snark 3 Clip-on Tuner

What Makes This a Great Gift: It makes tuning easily visible by clipping on the guitar’s headstock—no need to look down at the floor to check a pedal tuner.

Things to Consider: Rotates 360 degrees, super bright display, padded clamp for secure attachment.

Pictured: Snark Super Snark 3 Clip-on Tuner

The Snark Super Snark 3 clip-on tuner has a vivid color display that ensures you can tune up on dark stages or in bright sunlight (if you’re busking al fresco or playing an outdoor festival). The round display swivels 360 degrees, so however you position the Snark Super 3 on your headstock (or elsewhere), you’ll be able to see what you’re doing. The Super Snark 3 offers several tuning modes (chromatic, violin, ukulele and mandolin), as well as alternate tunings such as Eb, D, G, C and F.

Explore More: Snark Super Snark Rechargeable Tuner.

Gifting Guitar Gear

It’s hard to go wrong if you’re gifting a guitarist with gear, but we also know you want to do something wonderful for the player in your life. So, if you’re in any way concerned or confused about the selections in this guide, we can offer another option to get some assistance. Simply call our friendly Guitar Center Gear Advisers at 855-697-0864, or chat with one of them right here on our website. A Gear Adviser can provide personal, concierge-style expert advice to ensure you get just the right gift for your favorite guitarist. There’s one more option—you can let the guitarist decide what they want by giving them a Guitar Center gift card.