A Must-See for Beginners! Assembling an Electric Guitar Set on a 50,000 Yen Budget!

Hello! I'm Kaoru, a composer!

This time, I would like to help coordinate gear for those who are thinking about starting to play electric guitar.

If you’ve been involved in music even just a little, you’ve probably been asked, “What gear should I buy?” at least once.
With new equipment coming out every year, it’s understandable that choosing the right gear can be difficult!
Also, since it’s not exactly a cheap purchase, it makes total sense to be cautious.

So!
Drawing from my own experience, I’ll be picking out some great gear that I recommend.

Also, to make sure it’s affordable even for high schoolers using part-time wages or New Year’s money, I’ll keep the budget around 50,000 yen. Let’s get started!

■ Essential Equipment

First, let’s go over the bare minimum you’ll need to get started with electric guitar:

• Electric guitar (the instrument itself)
• Tuner
• Amplifier
• Instrument cable (also called a shield in Japanese)
• Strap
• Picks

These are the essentials you’ll definitely want to have.
If your budget allows it, it’s also a great idea to try adding an effects pedal to your setup!

○ Electric Guitar

First and foremost—the most important item is, of course, the electric guitar!
You can’t begin without it.

These days, even guitars around the ¥10,000 range are surprisingly high quality, so with so many options, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

When beginners ask me, “What kind of electric guitar should I buy?”
I always say:

“Anything’s fine. Just pick one that looks cool to you!”

Now, I know that’s a bit of a controversial take.
This is just my personal opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.

The reason I place importance on looks is simple: it boosts your excitement when practicing.
And, I believe that sticking with it is the most important factor for improvement, so keeping your motivation up is key.

That’s why I recommend this one:

PLAYTECH / TL250 Maple Green Electric Guitar

This is an ultra-budget guitar that you can get for around ¥10,000 (roughly $70).
A friend of mine actually bought this guitar, so I had the chance to take a close look—and I was genuinely surprised by how high the quality was.

With low-cost guitars, you often run into issues like:

• Rough woodwork
• Sloppy paint jobs (uneven finish, dents, etc.)
• Dirty electrical parts (wood shavings left inside, poor soldering)

However, this PLAYTECH guitar showed none of those problems. It was put together very cleanly and carefully.

What’s more, it had that crisp, sparkling sound you would expect from a Telecaster-style guitar.
As a first instrument, I’d say it offers more than enough quality, so I highly recommend it!

○ Tuner

You can’t produce the correct sound without proper tuning.
There are various types of tuners—clip-on, pedal, and card-type—but for beginners, I recommend the card-type.

KORG / CA-2 Chromatic Tuner

A simple chromatic tuner with up to 200 hours of continuous use.
Once you get used to tuning, it only takes a few minutes, so 200 hours means you likely won’t need to change the batteries for a very long time.
(That said, leaving the same battery in for extended periods can cause leakage, so be careful.)

As a beginner, you’ll probably only use standard tuning, but this tuner also supports alternate tunings.

It’s also compatible with tuning bass guitars, and not just electric guitars.

○ Amp

When choosing an amp, let’s assume you’ll be using it at home, so it’s best to go with a compact model.
Even though we just say “amp”, their features and specs can vary widely.

Here’s the one I highly recommend:

BOSS / KATANA-50 MkII Guitar Combo Amp

This is a combo amp from BOSS’s popular KATANA series.

Here are the key reasons why I recommend it:

• Equipped with five amp types: CLEAN / CRUNCH / LEAD / BROWN / ACOUSTIC
• Features five independent effects categories: BOOSTER / MOD / FX / DELAY / REVERB
• Can be connected to the dedicated software BOSS TONE STUDIO (compatible with Windows/Mac)
• Includes a POWER CONTROL function that delivers dynamic cranked-up tones even at low volume
• Comes with a variety of input/output options

With all these features, you’ll rarely feel limited or dissatisfied.

You can even connect your smartphone to the AUX input and jam along with your favorite music.
This amp truly becomes more fun the more you use it.

○ Cables (Instrument Cable)

The cable (or "shielded cable") is used to connect your guitar to an amp or effects pedals.
This cable greatly affects your sound quality.

Using a low-quality cable can introduce a lot of unwanted noise, making it hard to practice.
In fact, you could say it’s even more important than your amp.

Recommended model:

CUSTOM AUDIO JAPAN / CAJ Legacy I-I 5m

This is the latest model from Custom Audio Japan, a brand I personally trust.
I’ve been using an older model from this series for years, and I can say it’s extremely durable!

Even after about 10 years of regular use, I haven’t had a single issue.
(Of course, durability may vary depending on the individual unit and how it’s handled.)

It’s been through countless studio sessions and live shows—and it’s still going strong.

Also, the cable has just the right amount of flexibility, making it easy to handle and maneuver, which is a big plus!

○ Strap

A strap is used to hang the guitar over your shoulder when playing standing up.
If you choose a flimsy, cheap one, it can quickly become uncomfortable and cause fatigue, so it’s best to pick something reasonably sturdy!

Recommended model:

FENDER / Fender 2" Monogrammed Straps Black/Yellow/Red

This is a very popular series from Fender with various designs available.
It has a moderate thickness, making it gentle on your shoulder and less likely to slip!

Also, it holds the strap pins firmly, so it won’t come off even during intense live performances!

And the price is very reasonable!

○ Pick

The pick is used for playing the guitar.
The shape, thickness, and material all affect how it plays.

This is very much a matter of personal preference, so you’ll need to try out various types to find what suits you best.

Most picks cost around 100 yen each.

The most common shapes are probably the “teardrop” and “triangle” shapes.

Recommended model:

MASTER 8 JAPAN / INFINIX TEARDROP - 1.0mm [IF-TD100]

This is the pick I personally like to use.
It’s a bit firm and doesn’t slip easily, which I really appreciate.
(Note: It doesn’t have a grip coating.)

It works well for both single-note playing and chord strumming, making it an all-rounder!

Plus, it looks cool!

That’s it for electric guitar sets that I recommend for beginners.

I was really surprised that such high-quality gear can be put together for around 50,000 yen!

Please use this as a reference if you’re thinking of getting started!

The “sound & person” column is made up of contributions from you.
For details about contributing, click here.