Before you set off down the perilous road to rock stardom, make sure you’re packed for the journey. Of course, you’ll need a musical vision, an iron will, a high tolerance to liquor and a relaxed attitude to personal hygiene. But for your more tangible requirements - electric guitar, amp, strap, pick, lead, tuner - there’s the starter pack.

The concept of a catch-all bundle might not seem too rock ’n’ roll: it doesn’t exactly match the outlaw cool of stealing your first Les Paul. But screw that, ’cos there’s nothing more rock than getting home, plugging in, priming your chops, forming a band and getting your first gig.

We’ve lined up four big-name packs: first, there’s the Yamaha pack (£239), pairing the popular Pacifica 012 model with an amp we’ve frankly never heard of. Then there’s the Ibanez Jumpstart pack (£225), including the GRX70DX electric and GTA-10 combo, followed by Squier’s ‘Stop Dreaming, Start Playing’ set (£319) with its Affinity Strat and Fender G-DEC Junior amp.

Finally, we’ve thrown a bone to cartoon fans with the Encore SpongeBob SquarePants pack (£159), which includes a traditional doublecut electric, 10-watt amp and trimmings a-go-go. Well, he is Liam Gallagher’s favourite cartoon character…

First up: Yamaha Pacifica 012 Starter Pack price and spec