This pink, toy-like guitar with its own built-in amplifier and speaker was rescued from the trash. While it’s definitely not a professional instrument, the question is: can a First Act Discovery Guitar actually serve as a starting point for a young musician? Before dismissing it outright, consider that many smaller-scale guitars are sold each year specifically for children. The goal here was to see if this discarded guitar could be made playable and enjoyable enough to inspire a child to learn music. Let’s dive into the inspection and surprising potential of this budget-friendly find.
Close-up of the First Act Discovery Guitar headstock showing mushroom-shaped string covers, designed for child safety, and basic plastic nut.
The First Act Discovery Guitar prioritizes safety for young players. The mushroom-shaped plastic covers on the headstock are a clear example, designed to protect little fingers from sharp string ends. While the plastic nut with its wide slots is typical of inexpensive guitars, the overall design seems geared towards beginners.
Image highlighting the open-gear tuners of the First Act Discovery Guitar, questioning their safety for children due to potential pinch hazard.
The inclusion of open-gear tuners on a child’s guitar like this First Act Discovery Guitar raises some eyebrows. One might wonder if these pose a pinch hazard for small fingers, a potential concern for product safety standards in toys for children.
Back view of the pink First Act Discovery Guitar showing battery compartment for the built-in amplifier, emphasizing its portable and kid-friendly design.
Powering the built-in amplifier of this First Act Discovery Guitar is a battery, neatly tucked away under a back cover. This feature adds to the guitar’s toy-like appeal and portability, making it easy for kids to play anywhere. Durability-wise, there’s no worry of “buckle rash” – perhaps more like “safety pin rash” considering the target demographic!
Control knobs and headphone jack of the First Act Discovery Guitar, demonstrating the built-in amplifier and speaker functionality for practice.
Functionality is key, even in a toy guitar. The amplifier on this First Act Discovery Guitar actually works! A practical feature for quiet practice is the headphone jack, which mutes the built-in speaker when headphones are plugged in.
Close-up of the bridge and saddle of the First Act Discovery Guitar, showing a basic, non-adjustable design common in toy guitars.
The bridge and saddle setup on the First Act Discovery Guitar is as basic as it gets – a single piece with no adjustability for string height. Similarly, the pickup height is fixed. While understandable for a toy, this lack of setup options initially raised concerns about playability and intonation.
Headstock of the First Act Discovery Guitar with tuner covers removed, revealing the tuner mechanism and highlighting the need for cleaning and maintenance.
Moving to the headstock, removing the protective covers of this First Act Discovery Guitar reveals the tuner mechanisms. These plastic covers also act as bushings, and the headstock clearly needed some cleaning and attention.
Detailed view of the stamped steel tuners on the First Act Discovery Guitar, emphasizing their budget construction but functional design.
The tuners on this First Act Discovery Guitar are stamped steel, a cost-saving measure typical of toy guitars. Despite their basic construction, they are functional, which is crucial for tuning and playability, even on a beginner instrument.
Close-up showing the plastic bushings around the tuner capstans of the First Act Discovery Guitar, ready for cleaning and restoration.
Here’s a closer look at what serves as bushings around the tuner capstans of the First Act Discovery Guitar. These parts, along with the rest of the guitar, were definitely ready for a good cleaning to remove grime and potential hazards.
Headstock of the First Act Discovery Guitar covered in dried ketchup, illustrating the condition it was found in and the need for thorough cleaning.
Upon closer inspection, the headstock revealed a sticky surprise – possibly dried ketchup! This First Act Discovery Guitar had definitely seen better days and highlighted the “trash-find” origin story, emphasizing the need for restoration.
Cleaning process of the First Act Discovery Guitar headstock, showing ketchup being scraped off, a common cleanup task for parents.
Luckily, dried ketchup is manageable. As any parent knows, a scraper makes quick work of removing such messes, bringing the First Act Discovery Guitar headstock closer to a playable condition.
Sanding down the damaged headstock of the First Act Discovery Guitar, showing repair work to address damage from being discarded.
The very tip of the First Act Discovery Guitar headstock was damaged, likely from its journey through the dumpster. Since vintage originality wasn’t a concern, sanding down the damaged area with 80 grit sandpaper was a practical solution to smooth out the dings.
Applying clear polyurethane to the repaired headstock of the First Act Discovery Guitar, sealing the sanded wood and improving its appearance.
To protect the sanded wood and improve the look, a bit of clear polyurethane was applied to the headstock of the First Act Discovery Guitar. This simple step helps seal the “wound” and prevent further damage.
Cleaned guitar body of the First Act Discovery Guitar, highlighting the surprisingly good condition of the finish after cleaning, aside from the ketchup.
Aside from the ketchup incident, the finish on the First Act Discovery Guitar was in surprisingly good shape. A testament to the durability of even budget instruments, once cleaned up, it looked quite presentable.
Close-up of the fretboard of the First Act Discovery Guitar after cleaning, showing polished frets and removal of dried ketchup from the fingerboard.
The fretboard, also a ketchup victim, cleaned up nicely. A bit of fret polish further enhanced the playability of this First Act Discovery Guitar, making it more comfortable for little fingers.
Disassembled and cleaned tuners of the First Act Discovery Guitar, showing individual components after lubrication and reassembly for smooth tuning action.
The tuners of the First Act Discovery Guitar were disassembled, cleaned, lubricated, and reassembled. This maintenance ensured smoother tuning action, quite impressive for stamped steel tuners.
Reassembled tuners of the First Act Discovery Guitar, ready to be installed back on the headstock, highlighting successful restoration and improved functionality.
Surprisingly, the gear lash and tooth mesh of these budget tuners were decent. A touch of LokTite added to their reliability, and they were ready to be reinstalled on the First Act Discovery Guitar, functioning much better than expected.
Finished and restrung First Act Discovery Guitar, showcasing its surprisingly good setup and playability after restoration.
Fully strung and set up, the First Act Discovery Guitar was surprisingly playable. While further refinement, like adjusting the nut, could improve it, it was left in its original “factory” setup for this test. Everyone who tried this little guitar found themselves smiling while playing it. This rescued First Act Discovery Guitar proves that even a discarded toy can become a fun and potentially inspiring musical instrument for a child, offering an accessible entry point into the world of guitar playing.
