Description
Review of the Best Choice Products 41in Full Size Beginner All Wood Acoustic Guitar Starter Set in Sunburst
This is a 41 inch full size steel string acoustic sold as a ready to play starter set in a sunburst finish, with a foam padded nylon gig bag, a capo, a strap, a pick, an adhesive pickguard, spare strings and a cleaning rag. The listing states it arrives assembled and requires nothing beyond tuning. It sits across the beginner starter kits and acoustic guitars categories.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- A capo is included. Most bundles at this level leave it out, and it is the accessory that lets a beginner play a wide range of songs using only the handful of chord shapes they have learned, rather than stalling on barre chords.
- The bag is foam padded rather than plain nylon. Padding is the difference between a bag that prevents scuffs and one that also absorbs a knock.
- A full 41 inch body gives real volume. A larger air chamber moves more air, so an unamplified guitar this size projects better than a three quarter or travel body, which matters when playing alongside other people.
- Twenty one frets, steel strings and factory assembly. That is a standard full size arrangement, so any conventional steel string set and any standard capo will fit, and no build step stands between unboxing and the first practice session.
Cons
- The scale length is listed as 41 inches. That is the overall length of the instrument, not the scale. Scale length is measured from the nut to the saddle and on a full size acoustic sits near 25.5 inches. Anyone comparing this listing against a correctly specified guitar will be comparing two different measurements.
- Every wood field in the spec table simply reads “Wood”. Top, back, body, neck and fretboard are all given the same non answer, and the description only says all wood design. No species is named anywhere, which means there is no information about tone, hardness or durability, and no way to know whether the top is solid or laminated.
- The dimensions disagree between the two places they are stated. The spec table gives 15.75 by 4.25 by 41 inches and the description gives 16 by 4.25 by 41 inches. The difference is small but it shows the data is not being checked.
- The pickguard is adhesive and supplied loose. The guitar therefore ships without a fitted pickguard, and the buyer has to position and stick it themselves. A misaligned adhesive pickguard is difficult to remove cleanly from a gloss finish.
- No truss rod is mentioned. Without one there may be no way to correct the neck if it bows under string tension, which is the usual failure mode on inexpensive full size acoustics.
- No tuner is included. The bundle covers several accessories but omits the one that a beginner needs from the first minute.
Detailed Product Description
The body is a full size 41 inch acoustic in a sunburst finish, described as having detailed markings for visual appeal. Sunburst is a sprayed graduated finish, darker at the edges and lighter at the centre, and on an inexpensive guitar it has the practical advantage of hiding grain variation that a natural finish would show.
Wood species are the significant gap. Every material field reads simply wood, which tells a buyer nothing. On an acoustic guitar the top does most of the tonal work, since it is the surface the strings drive through the bridge, and different top woods behave very differently. Whether that top is a single solid piece or a laminate of thin layers matters even more, because a laminate top is stiffer, quieter and does not open up over years of playing. The guide on solid top versus laminate acoustic guitars explains why listings at this price often avoid the question.
The fingerboard carries 21 frets, which is standard for a full size steel string. The strings are alloy steel, meaning normal tension and a bright attack, so a beginner should expect sore fingertips for the first fortnight until calluses form. The bridge is fixed, and the stated weight of 7.7 pounds is on the lighter side for a full size dreadnought.
What Comes with the Product
The listing states the set includes the guitar, a guitar pick, an adhesive pickguard, a capo, a shoulder strap, a replacement set of guitar strings, a cleaning rag and a foam padded nylon gig bag.
Not included and not mentioned anywhere: a tuner, a stand, a string winder, a hard case and any printed or online lesson material. The tuner is the one worth correcting immediately. There is no amplifier and none is required, since no electronics are documented. Note also that the pickguard is supplied as a separate adhesive item rather than fitted at the factory.
Who It Suits
This fits an adult or older teenager starting from scratch who wants a full size acoustic with the basic accessories covered in one purchase, and who is willing to accept that the listing does not disclose what the guitar is made of. The capo and padded bag are the two items that make the bundle better value than the accessories suggest.
It does not suit a child or anyone with a small frame, since a 41 inch dreadnought is a large instrument to hold. It does not suit a player who wants to know exactly what they are buying, given every material field is blank in substance. Anyone weighing how much to commit at this stage should read the guide on how much to spend on a first guitar. Comparable bundles include the Best Choice Products 41 inch beginner kit, the Best Choice Products 38 inch starter kit for smaller players, and the RockJam acoustic superkit, which adds a stand and a tuner.
How to Maintain
Wipe the strings with the supplied rag after each session. Steel strings dull mostly because of skin oils rather than playing wear, and a short wipe roughly doubles their useful life. Store the guitar in the padded bag rather than leaning it against furniture, and keep it away from radiators and sunny windows. Since the wood species are undisclosed, assume the construction is sensitive to humidity and keep it in a room with stable conditions rather than a garage or loft.
Because no truss rod is documented, prevention matters more than correction. If the guitar will sit unplayed for months, slacken the strings a little to reduce sustained tension. Watch the string height at the twelfth fret over the first few months, since a rising action with no adjustment available is the point at which an inexpensive acoustic stops being worth restringing.
Tips and Recommendations
Buy a clip on tuner before the first session. A contact tuner clamped to the headstock reads the string through the wood and works even in a noisy room, unlike a phone microphone app.
Take time positioning the adhesive pickguard. Mark the position with low tack tape first, check it against the strings, and only then remove the backing, because repositioning an adhesive panel on a gloss finish rarely goes well. Expect to retune several times a day for the first fortnight while the strings stretch, and leave the spare set sealed until the originals sound dull.
Product FAQ
What wood is the guitar made from?
The listing does not say. Every material field in the spec table reads simply wood, and the description only mentions an all wood design without naming any species.
Is the scale length really 41 inches?
No. Forty one inches is the overall length of the instrument. The scale length of a full size acoustic is measured from the nut to the saddle and is far shorter.
Does the pickguard come fitted?
No. The pickguard is supplied as a separate adhesive item that the buyer positions and applies.
Is a tuner included?
No. The bundle lists a pick, adhesive pickguard, capo, strap, spare strings, cleaning rag and gig bag. A tuner must be bought separately.
