The Best Guitars for Absolute Beginners: An Australian Guide to Your First Six-String

“What’s the best guitar to start learning on?” Whether you’re eyeing up an acoustic for campfire sessions or dreaming of shredding on an electric, choosing your first guitar can make or break your musical journey.

Let me share some of my ideas about picking the right axe to start your guitar adventure, with a focus on what’s actually available here in Australia without breaking the bank.

Why Your First Guitar Actually Matters More Than You Think

Here’s the thing – Too many people give up on guitar because they started with a piece of junk that was harder to play than a rusty gate is to open. Your first guitar doesn’t need to be a vintage Fender or Martin, but it absolutely needs to be playable. What do I mean by playable? Low action (string height), decent intonation, and tuning stability that won’t drive you mental.

The biggest mistake I see beginners make is grabbing the cheapest guitar they can find at Cash Converters or getting gifted some ancient acoustic that’s been sitting in someone’s garage for twenty years. Trust me, learning on a guitar that fights you every step of the way is just not the way to committing to a lifetime of playing.

A decent starter guitar will stay in tune, won’t require superhuman finger strength to fret notes, and won’t have you constantly fighting buzzing strings. This means you’ll spend more time actually learning music and less time getting frustrated with your instrument.

Best Acoustic Guitars for Australian Beginners

For acoustic guitars, you’ve got some ripper options that won’t have you eating two-minute noodles for months. The Yamaha FG800 is an absolute weapon for beginners – solid spruce top, decent build quality, and it’s readily available at most music shops across Australia for around $300-400 usually with a gig bag and tuner. I’ve known plenty of owners of these and they often hang around for a lifetime, for the money they are very hard to beat.

Another solid choice is the Fender CD-60S. It’s got that classic dreadnought sound, plays nicely, and you can usually snag one for under $400, with a range of left/right hand and wood types. The neck feels comfortable for smaller hands too, which is crucial when you’re starting out.

Don’t overlook Cort guitars either – they offer fantastic value. The Cort AD810 is a great choice for a beginner acoustic guitar and is similar to one that I personally started out on. Quality construction and probably a bit cheaper than most of the other guitars here – looking at less than $300 for this one.

If you can stretch the budget a bit further, want to treat yourself, or looking for a gift, the team at Guitar Brothers recommended me the following –

The Eastman 122CE – Beautiful solid top, with cutaway and Fishman electronics. I highly recommend the Eastman brand, owning one of their 335s myself.

Alvarez AD 30 – A beautiful cutaway body with solid Spruce top which is also available in a smaller body.

Electric Guitar Recommendations That Won’t Break the Bank

So I’ve previously looked at Budget Electric Guitars in Australia previously, however I will reiterate a few picks.

The Yamaha Pacifica range is hands down one of the best beginner electrics you can buy in Australia – again, Yamaha hitting in out of the park for a guitar that will most probably stay with you for life. You can usually pick these ones up for under $400.

Squier Sonic series are another great option – several different setup options and shapes and some great colours – check out the purple! Again these come in around the $400 mark.

Similar in price and quality is the Jet JT series, again a bunch of different setups and colours with the classic T and S shapes.

The Essential Extras You’ll Actually Need

Right, so you’ve picked your guitar – job done, right? There are a few extras you’ll need to consider, especially if you’re going electric.

Get a tuner, or a tuner app. If you use an app and someone says you’re out of tune, then get the physical tuner. A cheap clip on from a reputable brand (D’Addario, Snark, Boss) should only cost around $30-40.

Get some picks and a strap (if you want to play while standing, always good to mix it up).

Electric players need a bit more gear…

You’ll obviously need an amp – but nothing extravagant, a Mini Katana, a Positive Grid Spark, a Vox Pathfinder, anything that you can plug into to start out. Here is my article on amps for small spaces.

Don’t forget a guitar cable – get whatever you can find, we’re not in ‘I can tell the difference between cables’ yet. One caveat, try to get something from a brand name you recognise, so that you aren’t left dealing with a lack of support should solder points come unstuck.

Guitar Stand – not even, just find somewhere safe where there isn’t a likelihood of it getting knocked over or sat on. In a corner, on the lounge, preferably somewhere that is accessible and easy for you to pick up and play.

Final Thoughts

Here’s the thing that I read on forums and hear in person all the time..If you don’t like the look of the guitar and it doesn’t appeal to you, feels weird in your hands or just not enjoyable to play – then it isn’t worth buying at any price. For me, the first electric I picked up was an Epiphone Les Paul Studio and I just never picked it up as much as I would have wanted, it weighed too much and just didn’t feel right AND I got impatient and bought it because other things I liked were out of stock.

My advice? Set a realistic budget, buy from a reputable music shop where you can try before you buy, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Most guitar shop staff are musos themselves and genuinely want to help you find the right instrument.