I bought this for my nephew, with the cheapest Jackson RR mini, he is 6, and I was blown away by the sound when everything is full on. Any quieting down is bad sounding, but full on, man, with this mini Jackson, you can get a true bedroom RR sound. Don't believe it will survive in his hands for very long but for a total beginner, it's a banger. His dad is a metalhead, so he also likes Randy, Vai and that type of sound.