First of all, I just need to say that I absolutely love the people who work at Sam Ash in Springfield, NJ. They are helpful, considerate, and never ever tried to upsell me or got pushy. Shopping there for my kids is an absolute pleasure. My 10YO wanted to start learning bass guitar, so after I lamented to a bass-playing friend of mine that even the used ones seemed pricey, he directed me to the Squier brand from Fender. After doing my research, I found this set for just $100 more than buying the guitar alone. I figured it was a good deal because even the cheapest amps go for around $100, and with this we got a gig bag, cord, and strap, too. The guitar is fine. My child's teacher is impressed by it and my kid is having a great time learning on it. Because bass guitars have such long necks they can be hard for kids to play, but my 10YO (who is a little bit tall for his age) can reach all the frets on this one just fine. Within the first few weeks, though, we wound up replacing the cord, strap, and gig bag. The cord broke almost right away; my kid's teacher suggested I get a right-angle cord since the plug on the guitar is in kind of an awkward place. The cheap cord broke the outlet on the guitar, which we had to get fixed, and Sam Ash did at no charge under warranty. The gig bag is awkward for a 10YO to carry around, so I replaced it with a $30 backpack style bag instead. The strap hurt his shoulder even when he played sitting down, so we got him a shorter and more padded strap. He also needed a tuner and a guitar stand, so that extra $100 I thought was such a deal really wasn't. My recommendation is to buy the guitar by itself and invest in better quality accessories.

Roadie Mom

Glen Ridge, NJ