Description
Review of the Pyle PEAG91 30 Inch Acoustic Electric Guitar Kit
The Pyle PEAG91 is a 30 inch steel string acoustic electric guitar sold as a starter kit with a gig bag, tuner, strap, picks and spare strings. Pyle aims it at very young children, and it is unusual in this size bracket for carrying a full four band preamp with an onboard tuner.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- A four band equaliser with an onboard digital tuner on a child sized guitar. Volume, bass, middle, treble and presence controls plus a low battery display is a specification usually found on full size instruments.
- The scale length is actually published in the description at 20.3 inches, along with body length and total length. Very few listings at this size give the number that determines fret spacing.
- A two way truss rod, meaning the neck relief can be corrected in both directions as the instrument ages. Many child sized guitars have no adjustable rod at all.
- X shaped bracing, the conventional pattern for a steel string top, rather than the simpler ladder bracing sometimes used on cheap small bodies.
- Steel strings, which give a brighter and louder voice than the nylon usually fitted to guitars this size, and prepare a child for a full size steel string later.
Cons
- The scale length is stated twice and the two do not agree. The spec table says 30 while the description says the scale length is 20.3 inches and 30 inches is the total length. The 20.3 figure is the credible one, and using 30 to buy strings would produce a set that does not fit.
- The finish contradicts itself. The table says Natural Gloss and the description says natural matte finish. Those look completely different in a room.
- The proficiency level is recorded as Intermediate while the description says the guitar is best for students up to six years old. Those two statements describe entirely different buyers.
- The body wood is given three ways: the table says basswood for the body, spruce for the top and linden for the back, while the description says spruce plywood with linden plywood back and sides. Plywood means laminated, which the table never says.
- The title calls it a quarter scale guitar. That is not a standard guitar size designation. A 30 inch instrument is normally sold as half size.
- The preamp requires power and no battery is listed in the kit contents.
Detailed Product Description
Construction is spruce plywood for the top with linden plywood back and sides. Plywood, or laminate, is thin sheets glued in alternating grain directions. It is stable, resists humidity swings and survives being knocked about, which is exactly right for an instrument that will be handled by a young child. It does not vibrate as freely as a solid top, so the sound is even rather than resonant, and it will not open up with playing the way a solid top does. That distinction is set out in the guide to solid top versus laminate acoustic guitars.
The neck is maple with a fingerboard the description calls high density man made wood, carrying 20 frets. At a 20.3 inch scale the frets sit close together, which is the point: a six year old’s fingers can reach a first position chord without stretching. Steel strings at that short scale also sit at lower tension than the same gauge on a full size guitar, which makes them easier to press than the numbers suggest.
The electronics are the standout feature. A four band equaliser with a built in tuner and a low battery indicator, fed through a quarter inch output, means the guitar can go into an amplifier or a PA for a school recital. In practice the onboard tuner is the part a parent will use most, since it removes the need to remember a clip on device. White ABS and celluloid binding and a full die cast machine head round out the specification, and die cast tuners hold pitch far better than the open gear type often fitted at this size.
What Comes with the Product
- The 30 inch acoustic electric guitar
- A travel and storage gig bag
- A digital tuner
- A shoulder strap
- Guitar picks
- An extra set of strings
Not included: a battery for the onboard preamp, an amplifier, an instrument cable, a capo or a stand. Both the battery and a cable are needed before the electronics are usable, so they should be added to the order.
Who It Suits
This suits a child of roughly four to seven who is starting lessons, particularly where a school or a teacher expects the instrument to be plugged in for a recital. The short scale, the light body and the onboard tuner remove most of the practical obstacles that stop young beginners. Choosing between sizes is covered in the guide to what size guitar to buy for a child.
It suits less well an older child or a teenager, who will outgrow a 20.3 inch scale quickly and would be better served by a three quarter or full size instrument. It also suits less well a household that will never plug the guitar in, since the preamp adds a battery dependency for no benefit. Whether the electronics earn their place is discussed in the guide to amplifying an acoustic electric guitar. Comparable small instruments include the Vangoa three quarter acoustic electric bundle, the Yamaha APXT2 three quarter acoustic electric and the Pyle PGACLS30 30 inch acoustic kit. The wider range sits in kids and junior guitars and acoustic electric guitars.
How to Maintain
Wipe the strings after every session. Steel strings corrode from skin acid and children’s hands are worse for this than adults’.
Take the battery out if the guitar will sit unused for weeks, and unplug the cable when finished, since on most acoustic electric systems the jack socket doubles as the power switch.
Tips and Recommendations
Buy short scale strings, not standard acoustic sets. Measure from the nut to the twelfth fret and double it to confirm the scale before ordering, because the spec table’s 30 inch figure is wrong.
Use the onboard tuner before every practice. New steel strings stretch for a week or so and drift constantly, which a child will read as the guitar being broken rather than normal.
Product FAQ
What is the scale length?
The description says 20.3 inches, with 30 inches being the total length. The spec table’s figure of 30 for scale length is incorrect and should not be used for buying strings.
Is the finish gloss or matte?
The data says both. The spec table records natural gloss and the description says natural matte.
Does a battery come with it?
No battery appears in the kit contents, and the preamp, equaliser and onboard tuner will not work without one.
