- Six picks for the new term, across three levels: on the electric guitar side the EKO ST 300, the Cort G110 and the Squier Classic Vibe ’70s HSS; on the amp side the Woodbrass GE820, the NUX Mighty 60 MK2 and the Fender Blues Junior.
- The sound is built by two: the guitar gives you the notes, the amp gives you the grain. Budget for both in the same order.
- Under the fingers, an electric has three things going for it: a light string gauge (usually .009-.042), a slim neck and a solid body. The first riff comes early.
- How you move from one level to the next: pickups (three single-coils, then S/S/H, then HSS), nut and frets on the guitar side; solid state, then modelling, then all-valve on the amp side.
A riff played on loop all summer, guitar lessons signed up for in September, a budget to split between the instrument and its amp. It is the most common conversation in the electric department at back-to-school time, and it always lands on the same question: which electric guitar should you choose to start out? We plug in and set up these models in the workshop all year round, so here are the six that come up most often in our advice.
The logic runs in two columns: three guitars on one side, three amps on the other, each one pitched for starting out, for stepping up and for going further. For every pick, what it gives a student, and the detail to check before you order.
Electric guitar: the way in to the riff
This is often the instrument that sparks the urge to learn. A solid body, a slim neck, a light string gauge: an electric answers quickly under the fingers, and the first riff comes early. The three models below share the same ST body shape, with a tonal palette that widens at each level.
The ST300 takes up the Type S silhouette made popular from the 1950s onwards, the one that became a standard for its ergonomics. The poplar body stays light, which counts when you play standing up through a lesson, and the gloss finish with its aged white pickguard leans right into the retro look.
On the electronics side, everything is there to train your ear: 3 Eko single-coils, a 5-way selector, one volume and two tone controls. The individual pickup positions give clean, articulate tones; the in-between positions bring that velvety scoop that works so well for arpeggios and funk rhythm work.
The maple neck is 4-bolt with a low C profile, a laurel fingerboard, 22 frets and a 355.6 mm radius, a direct feel with clear access to the upper frets. The vibrato's individual saddles let you set action and intonation string by string, so you can fine-tune the playability month after month.
Highlights
- 3 single-coils + 5-way selector
- Low C profile, 22 frets, 355.6 mm radius
- Vibrato with adjustable individual saddles
- Light poplar body, 650 mm scale
Worth noting
- No humbucker at the bridge
- Standard die-cast tuners
Cort's G series revisits the double-cutaway look with more contemporary choices. The G110 sits as the versatile entry point of the range, with its red open-pore finish and tortoiseshell pickguard.
The draw here is the S/S/H Powersound layout: two single-coils for clarity and articulation, a humbucker at the bridge for body and density through the mids. So the 5-way selector covers a wide range, pop, rock, funk, blues, and beefier gain at the bridge. The electronics stay direct: 1 volume, 1 tone.
Playing comfort is immediate. The poplar body balances the weight, the maple neck adds precision, and the jatoba fingerboard with its 240 mm radius gives that fast-response feel that helps you move between chords and solos. 22 frets, a 42 mm nut, sealed oil-bath tuners and a vintage 6-screw vibrato round the package off.
Highlights
- Powersound S/S/H pickups, 5 positions
- Jatoba fingerboard, comfortable 240 mm radius
- Sealed oil-bath tuners, tuning stability
- Expressive vintage 6-screw vibrato
Worth noting
- A single master tone control
- Open-pore finish marks more easily
The Classic Vibe '70s Stratocaster HSS draws on the large-headstock Strats of the 1970s. The look is instantly recognisable: nickel hardware, black 3-ply pickguard, aged white plastic knobs, Walnut finish over a poplar body.
At the heart of the model sit its Fender-Designed Alnico-magnet pickups in an HSS layout. The two single-coils, neck and middle, bring sparkle, snap and precision. The bridge humbucker adds output and a denser attack for riffs and leads. Clever detail: the second tone control is dedicated to the bridge pickup, so you can round off the gain without touching anything else.
On playability, this is gig-ready kit: bolt-on maple neck with a C profile, Indian laurel fingerboard, narrow-tall frets, 241 mm radius, 647.7 mm scale, bone nut and a vintage-style 6-saddle synchronised tremolo. Strung with .009-.042.
Highlights
- Fender-Designed Alnico pickups, HSS layout
- Bone nut and narrow-tall frets
- Dedicated tone control for the bridge pickup
- Large '70s headstock, nickel hardware
Worth noting
- 21 frets
- Vintage vibrato: keep an eye on the tuning
The 5-way selector is not a gimmick: it is your first ear-training exercise. Play the same chord in all five positions, at a constant volume. Bridge position for attack and riffs, neck position for round tones, in-between positions for that slightly nasal scoop you hear in funk rhythm parts. Ten minutes is enough to understand what each pickup is for.
The guitar amp: half the sound of an electric
An electric without an amp is barely audible. The combo shapes half the tone, and it is what makes daily practice possible: a headphone output to work without waking the house, an auxiliary input to play over tracks. Three guitar combos, three ways to practise.
The GE820 gets straight to the point: a proper 20 W solid-state guitar combo with an 8-inch speaker (20 cm) at 8 ohms. Plug in, pick your channel, set the EQ and play.
The two channels, Clean and Overdrive, each have their own volume, Clean Volume on one side, Gain and Drive Volume on the other. A small thing, but it saves resetting everything each time you switch sounds. The 3-band EQ, Bass / Middle / Treble, matches the amp to the guitar and the room, and the built-in spring reverb adds that organic ambience that gives arpeggios room to breathe.
The connections are built for everyday practice: a 3.5 mm mini-jack Aux input for playing along to backing tracks (it is not affected by the amp settings), a headphone output that mutes the speaker automatically for silent practice, and a Line Out for recording or feeding a PA. All of it in 6.6 kg and 38 × 33.5 × 18 cm.
Highlights
- 2 channels, Clean / Drive with separate volumes
- Built-in spring reverb
- Aux in and headphones with speaker mute
- Line Out for recording, 6.6 kg
Worth noting
- No effects loop
- No footswitch input
The Mighty 60 MK2 is the flagship of the Mighty MK2 series, and its case comes down to three figures: 60 W / 5 W / 0.5 W. The output is switchable, so the same presets serve for bedroom practice on a Tuesday night and rehearsal on Saturday. The custom-tuned 12-inch speaker takes care of the presence.
It is laid out like a built-in pedalboard: 7 editable presets, each with 3 scenes (Pro Scene function) to change gain, EQ, amp type or effects without leaving the preset. The chain runs 8 reorderable blocks, Gate, EFX, AMP, EQ, MOD, DLY, RVB, drawn from 21 amps, 13 overdrives, 13 modulations, 5 delays, 5 reverbs and 3 compressors. Patch Level balances the volumes between clean, crunch and lead.
For everyday practice: drum machine, backing tracks and a 30-second looper with tempo detection through the Mighty Amp app, an effects loop for external pedals, and a USB-B port that doubles as an audio interface (cab sim, reamping, loop back). The Bluetooth NBT-1 module is included. 48 kHz / 32 bit, 1.42 ms latency.
Highlights
- Switchable 60 / 5 / 0.5 W output
- 7 presets × 3 scenes, 8 reorderable blocks
- USB audio interface with cab sim and reamping
- Bluetooth NBT-1 included, Mighty Amp app
Worth noting
- NMP-2 footswitches not included
The Blues Junior is one of the most played Fender combos of the last three decades. The Lacquered Tweed version pays tribute to the 1950s models: lacquered tweed, chrome control panel, vintage leather handle.
Under the hood, all-valve: three 12AX7s in the preamp and two EL84s in the power stage, for 15 W. This is where it gets interesting from a teaching point of view: a valve amp responds to your attack. Play harder and the grain changes, not just the volume. The student learns to meter the picking hand because the amp answers back straight away.
The 12-inch Jensen C12N speaker at 8 ohms delivers present mids and sparkling highs. One channel, a 3-band EQ, Volume, Master, a genuine spring reverb and a FAT switch that works as a mid boost to thicken solos or wake up single-coils. Works with a 1-button footswitch (ref. 0994054000, not included). 14.06 kg, 406 × 249 × 457 mm.
Highlights
- All-valve: 2× EL84, 3× 12AX7, 15 W
- 12-inch Jensen C12N
- Genuine spring reverb
- FAT switch to thicken leads
Worth noting
- 14.06 kg
- Footswitch not included
On a first amp, start with everything at noon, EQ flat, reverb at zero, and play for five minutes. Then adjust one control at a time. It is the only way to hear what each knob actually does. And keep the volume sensible: on a combo, the tone opens up well before you reach the level that upsets the neighbours.
Which electric guitar to choose to start out, criterion by criterion
Three parameters decide how comfortable an electric feels to play. Worth having them in mind before you settle on a colour or a finish.
- String gauge: electrics usually come strung with .009-.042. Low tension, so the fretting hand tires slowly and bends are playable within the first few weeks.
- Neck profile: a C or low C profile, as on the three models here, lets the thumb sit behind the neck without tensing up. That is what you feel after twenty minutes of playing.
- Pickup layout: three single-coils give snappy, articulate clean tones. A humbucker at the bridge raises the output and thickens overdriven riffs. An HSS layout (humbucker at the bridge, two single-coils in front) opens up both territories.
The style you are after does the rest. Pop, funk, blues, indie and classic rock all sit very well on three single-coils. For heavier rock and thick overdriven rhythm parts, the bridge humbucker takes over. That is exactly the progression across the three models above, all in the Type S format, a body shape that invites exploration.
On an electric, two adjustments often go unnoticed and change a great deal: pickup height under the strings, which sets the output level and the balance between positions, and intonation at the vibrato saddles, which keeps you in tune high up the neck.
Choosing your amp for the room it will live in
A guitar travels anywhere. The amp, on the other hand, is chosen around the size of the room and how you play, and that is where the real decision sits.
How many watts for which setting
- Bedroom, flat, daily practice: 15 to 20 W and an 8-inch speaker cover the need, as on the Woodbrass GE820. The headphone output quickly becomes the most used socket in the house.
- Lessons, workshop, light rehearsal: around 40 to 60 W with a 12-inch speaker to stay audible next to a drum kit. The NUX Mighty 60 MK2 handles both jobs thanks to its switchable 60 / 5 / 0.5 W output.
- Small stage, club: a 15 W all-valve amp such as the Fender Blues Junior carries a long way, because the watts of a valve stage translate into perceived loudness in their own way.
Weight comes into the equation too, as soon as the amp makes the round trip to the lesson room: 6.6 kg for the GE820, 14.06 kg for the Blues Junior, which is happier living in one place. The rest of the guitar amp range spreads across these three logics.
What is still missing from the basket
A guitar and an amp are not quite enough to play on the first evening. Here is the rest of the list, gathered as standard in our electric guitar packs for anyone who would rather take it all in one go:
- A 6.35 mm jack cable. Without it, no sound comes out: it is the number one thing forgotten on the first evening.
- A strap for playing standing up and a padded gig bag for the trips to lessons.
- A clip-on tuner, a few euros for an immediate effect on tuning.
- Picks in several thicknesses: alternating between them is how you find your attack.
- Headphones if you are in a flat, and a guitar stand to keep the instrument within reach.
- Later on, a multi-effects pedal to explore delay, reverb and overdrive without changing amp.
The vibrato on all three guitars in this selection asks for one small habit: after a session of heavy bends, check the tuning again. A pass of graphite pencil in the nut slots cuts the friction noticeably, and the tuning holds much better. Two minutes of maintenance, and the playing comfort changes.
FAQ: which electric guitar to choose to start out this September?
Three single-coils or an HSS layout, how do you decide?
Three single-coils, as on the EKO ST 300, cover pop, funk, blues, indie and classic rock, with snappy, articulate clean tones. An S/S/H or HSS layout, meaning a humbucker at the bridge and two single-coils in front, adds output and density for overdriven riffs: that is the case with the Cort G110 and the Squier Classic Vibe ’70s. If the style you are after leans towards heavier rock, the bridge humbucker is the right instinct.
Should you buy the amp at the same time as the electric guitar?
Yes. Without an amp, an electric is barely audible, and practising on an instrument you cannot hear gets discouraging fast. A 20 W combo with an 8-inch speaker, like the Woodbrass GE820, comfortably covers the house and a light rehearsal. Above all, check two things: a headphone output for silent practice and an auxiliary input for playing along to tracks.
Which amp for playing in a flat without disturbing anyone?
Look for a headphone output that mutes the speaker: the solid-state and modelling amps in this selection all have one. The NUX Mighty 60 MK2 goes further with its switchable 60 / 5 / 0.5 W output: the same settings work at bedroom volume and at rehearsal. Its USB port also turns it into an audio interface for recording straight to a computer.
Which string gauge for a first electric guitar?
Keep the factory set, usually .009-.042. That is the gauge that makes bends and barre chords accessible within the first few weeks. Moving up to .010 later, once the hand has toughened up, is worth a trip to the workshop: the tension changes, so the neck relief and the intonation follow.
What else should you plan for beyond the guitar and the amp?
A 6.35 mm jack cable first of all, it is the most frequently forgotten item on the first evening. Then a strap, a padded gig bag, a clip-on tuner, picks in several thicknesses, headphones for flat living and a guitar stand. A pickup and intonation check at the workshop before the first lesson rounds the kit off nicely.
Two instruments rather than one
On an electric, the sound is built by two: the guitar gives the notes, the amp gives the grain. Setting them up together from the first evening saves weeks. And the right instrument is still the one the student wants to plug in on a Tuesday night, after the homework.
Three habits for the first few weeks: bring up the gain before the volume, test every pickup position on the same chord, keep a spare cable in the gig bag.
After that, an overdrive pedal or recording over USB extends the playground. The full selection is over in electric guitars and guitar amps. And if nylon or steel strings tempt the student, that is over in acoustic guitars.
