Instruments
Pick up an instrument.
The first instrument decides whether you keep going. These guides gather what makers publish, what specialist reviewers agree on and what players keep telling each other, so you can buy the right one once.
If you only take one line
“The Fender CD-60S is the best beginner guitar for a typical first-time player: a solid spruce top, an easy-playing neck, and no amp needed, for about $230. If the music you love is electric, start on the Yamaha Pacifica PAC112V instead.”
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At a glance — best beginner guitars
Fender CD-60S Dreadnought Acoustic GuitarOur pick
Most beginners who want to strum and sing
$230
Yamaha Pacifica PAC112V Electric Guitar
Beginners drawn to rock, blues, indie or pop
$380
Squier Sonic Stratocaster Electric Guitar Pack with Frontman 10G Amp
Plugging in on day one with no research
$370
| Pick | Best for | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
Fender CD-60S Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar· our pick | Most beginners who want to strum and sing | $230 | Buy on Amazon → |
Yamaha Pacifica PAC112V Electric Guitar | Beginners drawn to rock, blues, indie or pop | $380 | Buy on Amazon → |
Squier Sonic Stratocaster Electric Guitar Pack with Frontman 10G Amp | Plugging in on day one with no research | $370 | Buy on Amazon → |
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Buying guides
The Best Acoustic Guitars
From a solid-top Fender at about $230 to a Yamaha LL6 ARE near $700, six acoustics worth owning, and the few details that truly separate them.
6 picks →
The Best Digital Pianos
Five 88-key weighted pianos from $500 to about $1,100, chosen for the things that last: the feel of the keys, the piano sound, and a sensible fit for the room.
5 picks →
The Best Violins for Beginners
Many cheap violins are violin-shaped objects that will not hold a tune. Here is how to avoid them, and four outfits that give a beginner a fair start.
4 picks →
The Best Beginner Guitars
A first guitar should stay in tune, feel kind to your hands and suit the music you love. Six researched picks, acoustic and electric, from about $230.
6 picks →
The Best Electric Guitars for Beginners
Five first electrics that play easily and hold their tuning, and a plain answer to the question that follows every one of them: what about the amp?
5 picks →
The Best Keyboard Pianos for Beginners
Five keyboards for a first-time player, from a light 61-key starter to full 88-key hammer action, and the plain rules for choosing between them.
5 picks →
The Best Electronic Drum Sets
Headphones keep the sound in your ears. The harder problem is the floor. Six kits, chosen for how they play and how much of them reaches the room below.
6 picks →
The Best Guitar Tuners
Being in tune is the cheapest improvement in music. Four tuners, from a $20 clip-on to a stage pedal, and how to choose between clip-on, pedal and app.
4 picks →
The Best Bass Guitars for Beginners
Six first basses, four full-size and two short-scale, and the one decision that shapes how the instrument will feel in your hands: scale length.
6 picks →
The Best Guitar Amps
Seven amps built for bedrooms and small apartments, chosen for quiet-hours wattage, honest headphone tone, and app control worth using.
7 picks →
The Best Drum Sets for Beginners
Six real drum kits for beginners, from complete acoustic sets to a junior kit and a quiet electronic option, chosen for what's actually in the box.
6 picks →
The Best Guitar Pedals
Six pedal types, one honest pick each, chosen for what a beginner should actually buy first, not what looks best in a pedalboard photo.
6 picks →
The Best Acoustic-Electric Guitars
A guide to guitars that sound like themselves plugged in, not like a microphone fighting feedback.
6 picks →
The Best Harmonicas
Diatonic in the key of C is where almost every beginner should start — here's what comb material and reed type actually change, plus 5 real picks.
5 picks →
The Best Guitar Strings
Six string sets covering acoustic and electric, budget to step-up, plus what phosphor bronze, 80/20 bronze, coated, and gauge actually mean.
6 picks →
The Best Ukuleles
Soprano, concert, tenor, or baritone — and why the cheapest ukulele on the page might need a $10 fix before it sounds right.
6 picks →
The Best Mandolins
A-style or F-style, carved or pressed top, oval hole or f-holes — what actually changes the sound, and where a beginner's money is best spent.
5 picks →
The Best Travel Guitars
Five travel guitars that trade full size for a case that fits in a car, a closet, or a bag, without giving up the feel of a real instrument.
5 picks →
The Best Guitar Capos
Six capos, chosen for how well each one solves a specific problem instead of just clamping down.
6 picks →
The Best Saxophones for Beginners
Alto or tenor, Yamaha or budget brand: what specialist reviewers and band directors actually recommend, and when renting from a local shop is the smarter first move.
5 picks →
The Best Trumpets for Beginners
A first trumpet is one of the clearest cases where community consensus and specialist advice line up: buy a name brand, or rent, and be careful with anything else.
6 picks →
The Best Flutes for Beginners
Closed hole, offset G, and a name brand: what flute teachers actually look for in a first instrument, and where a curved headjoint helps small hands.
6 picks →
The Best Cajons
Six real cajons for beginners: snare vs. no-snare, adjustable wires, and which ones are actually comfortable to sit on for a full set.
6 picks →
The Best Steel Tongue Drums
A steel tongue drum has no wrong notes to hit - here's how tongue count, scale, and size decide which one actually fits your hands and your room.
6 picks →
The Best Singing Bowls
Most bowls sold as Tibetan are made in Nepal or India, hand-hammered ones sound different from cast ones, and the healing claims are mostly unsourced - here's what actually matters.
5 picks →
From the archive
Start a world instrument
How to Start the Lyre Harp
If the kora pulled you in, a small lyre harp is the most approachable way to begin with plucked strings, resonance, and slow pattern-making.
How to Start the Duduk
The duduk is close to the human voice because it asks for breath, patience, and a reed that actually works. Here is the honest beginner path.
How to Start the Oud
The oud is fretless, warm, and intimate. A good beginner path is less about ornament and more about setup, tuning, and one clean phrase.
How to Start the Kalimba
The mbira's gentle modern descendant is the easiest first instrument there is. Here's how to choose one that lasts, and what to play in your first week.
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