Description
Review of the ZENY 30 inch Kids Electric Guitar Combo Accessory Kit
The ZENY JACS10099 is a 30 inch right handed electric guitar sold as a complete starter combo, with a 5 watt amplifier, a nylon gig bag, a cable, a strap, a spare set of strings and picks. The body is wood with a rosewood fretboard and six steel strings, finished in pink. It is aimed squarely at a child who is starting from nothing and needs everything in one box.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The kit is genuinely complete. Guitar, 5 watt amplifier, cable, strap, spare strings, picks and a carrying bag are all listed, which removes the usual problem of a child receiving a guitar that cannot make a sound without a further purchase.
- 30 inch scale. This is a small instrument. Short scale means less distance between frets and lower string tension, which is the difference between a child forming a chord and giving up on it.
- Rosewood fretboard. Open pored and smooth, it feels better under small fingers than a heavily sealed board and needs no finishing.
- Adjustable bridge. String height can be lowered as the guitar settles, which is the single most useful adjustment on a beginner instrument.
- Nylon carrying bag, which matters more for a child’s guitar than an adult’s, since most of the damage these instruments suffer happens between the bedroom and the car.
Cons
- The woods are described inconsistently. The specification table lists the body as wood, the back as hardwood, the top as basswood and the neck simply as wood, while the description says only that the guitar is of all wood construction. None of that identifies a species, so the build cannot be judged from the data.
- The pickup configuration is listed as “1”. That is a count rather than a type, so it is not clear from the listing whether the pickup is a single coil or a humbucker, which is exactly the detail that determines the sound.
- The listed weight of 7.73 pounds covers the packed kit including the amplifier, not the guitar, so the instrument’s own weight is not stated anywhere.
- A 5 watt amplifier is small. That is appropriate for a bedroom and unhelpful anywhere else, and it is not enough to play alongside a drummer.
- No tuner is included. An untuned electric guitar teaches a child the wrong pitches, and a clip on tuner is the first thing that will need buying.
Detailed Product Description
The instrument is a 30 inch electric guitar, which places it in the smallest common size bracket sold for children. Overall length and scale length are different measurements and this listing gives 30 for both, so the figure should be read as the overall length of the guitar. Either way it is a small instrument intended for a young player, and how sizes map to ages is covered in the guide to what size guitar for a child.
The body is solid wood and the fretboard is rosewood. Beyond that the material data is vague, and the practical consequence is limited: at this size and price the body timber has far less effect on the sound than the pickup and the amplifier do. Six steel strings are fitted, which is standard, and the bridge is adjustable, meaning the height of the strings above the frets can be brought down if they arrive high.
The electronics amount to a single pickup with no type stated. A guitar with one pickup has no selector switch and therefore one basic voice, which is not a drawback for a beginner. The amplifier is rated at 5 watts, and that number is the practical limit on what this kit can do. Five watts through a small speaker is a bedroom practice volume. Why the wattage figure matters less than most buyers expect is explained in the guide to guitar amp wattage for home practice.
The finish is a smooth pink, and the guitar is built right handed only. Nothing in the listing indicates a left handed version.
What Comes with the Product
- The 30 inch electric guitar in pink
- A 5 watt amplifier
- A cable cord to connect the two
- A shoulder strap
- A set of replacement strings
- Guitar picks
- A nylon carrying case
No tuner, capo, stand, spare cable or instructional material is listed. The amplifier’s power supply or battery requirement is not stated either, which is worth checking before the box is wrapped as a gift.
Who It Suits
This suits a child of roughly six to ten who wants an electric guitar and has no equipment at all. The value here is in the completeness of the box rather than in any individual component, and for a first instrument that is a reasonable trade.
It suits less well a teenager or an adult, who will find a 30 inch instrument cramped and the 5 watt amplifier limiting within weeks. It also suits less well a child who is already having lessons, since a longer 36 inch instrument would last considerably longer. Worth comparing are the LyxPro 30 inch electric kit, the YMC 30 inch kids electric pack and the WINZZ 30 inch kids electric. The wider selection sits in the kids and junior guitars section.
How to Maintain
Wipe the strings down after every session. Steel strings on a child’s guitar corrode quickly because children’s hands are rarely washed before playing, and a cloth kept in the bag solves most of it.
Keep the guitar in the nylon bag between sessions rather than leaning it against furniture. A dropped headstock is the most common way a child’s first guitar ends its life. Keep the amplifier unplugged when not in use and keep the cable coiled loosely rather than wrapped tightly around the amp, which is what breaks cheap cables at the plug.
Tips and Recommendations
Buy a clip on tuner before the first lesson. It is the cheapest accessory that makes the largest difference, because a guitar that is out of tune sounds wrong no matter how well it is played, and a child will blame the instrument or themselves rather than the tuning. The tuning process is covered in the guide to how to tune a guitar.
Check the string height at the fifth fret when the guitar arrives. If the strings sit high, the adjustable bridge can bring them down, and lowering the action is the difference between a child practising and quietly abandoning the guitar.
If quiet practice matters in the household, note that the 5 watt amplifier’s headphone provision is not stated in this listing. Options for practising without disturbing anyone are covered in the guide to quiet guitar practice options.
Product FAQ
What size is this guitar?
Thirty inches, which is the smallest common size sold for children.
What kind of pickup does it have?
The listing records the pickup configuration only as “1”, so the number is given but not the type.
Is a tuner included?
No. The kit lists an amplifier, cable, strap, spare strings, picks and a bag, but no tuner.
Is a left handed version available?
The listing describes a right handed guitar and does not mention a left handed option.
