Are you a young beginner guitarist or a parent looking for your child's first instrument? If so, you're in luck! In this guide, we'll discuss the best electric and acoustic guitars for younger students just getting started and players with smaller hands.
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There are many types of guitars available today, but electric guitars can be a great choice for kids or players with smaller hands since they tend to be smaller, lighter, and easier to play than acoustic guitars.
Here are a few of our favorite electric guitars for young students:
Fender-Squire Mini Stratocaster:The Stratocaster is a classic electric guitar that's been used by musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and John Mayer. For students under the age of 8 or with adults with smaller hands, the Mini Strat is a great instrument to get started on!
Fender-Squire Mini Jazzmaster:The Jazzmaster is another great electric guitar for kids made by Fender-Squire. With a 3/4 scale length, comfortable slim "C" shape neck, and powerful humbucking pickups, this electric guitar has tons of Indie Rock vibes.
Ibanez GRGM: This Ibanez short-scale electric guitar packs a ton of tone into a budget-friendly price point! With 24 frets on a 22.2 inch neck length, it's great for students who have smaller hands. High output humbucking pickups make it a great choice for rock and heavier styles of music as well.
If you're interested in playing alternative, folk, country, or bluegrass music, an acoustic guitar could be the right choice for you. Another benefit is that you won't need to buy an amplifier and patch cords to get started.
Here are a few of our favorite acoustic guitars for beginner students and players with smaller hands:
Epiphone Classical E1:The Epiphone E1 classical guitar has a 3/4 size, which makes reaching the frets easier for players with smaller hands, and has nylon strings, that can be more comfortable to press down for beginners. For these reasons, classical guitars are the instrument we start all of our students on in Guitar Club.
taylor gS Mini:The Taylor GS Mini acoustic guitar is perfect for students who are looking for the brighter sound of a steel-string guitar. With 20 frets and a shorter scale length, it's great for young player who have smaller hands. While the GS Mini may be a smaller guitar, it still has the same lush and full tone of its bigger brother, the Taylor 114e Grand Auditorium.
Little martin lX1: The Martin LX1 acoustic guitar is a great choice for beginner students who want an affordable, high-quality instrument, that's amazingly light in your hands. With its thin body profile and comfortable neck, it's perfect for smaller hands and packs up easily at school or around campus. This is Ed Sheeran's go-to guitar and he has his own signature model.
Yamaha APXT2EW: This 3/4-Size Yamaha Acoustic-Electric Guitar has built in pickups so you can plug in to a PA system or an amplifier for your next rehearsal or the big gig! With its bright, crisp tone, comfortable neck, and smaller body size, it's perfect for beginners who are just starting out.
One of the best ways to get a great guitar for kids and get a deal is to buy used instruments. If a guitar has been kept in its case and only lightly played, it will still be perfect to learn with and could cost half what you might pay for a new guitar.
It's likely that you'll be able to find several used guitars at local stores or online at websites like eBay or Craigslist.
My favorite online store to find used acoustic and electric guitars is Reverb.com.
When shopping for your first guitar, be sure to consider the songs you or your child wants to play. Different guitars are better suited for different styles of music. Watch a few videos of your favorite artists to see what kind of guitars they play. It will be more fun to practice if your new guitar matches the sound of the music you like!
No matter what type of guitar you choose, be sure to take lessons from a qualified instructor. Learning how to play the guitar can be a fun and rewarding experience, but it's important to learn the right techniques from the start.
Private Lessons and our Guitar Club classes help students develop the skills they need to enjoy learning and playing the guitar for years to come!
We hope this quick guide has helped you find the perfect guitar for your needs. Thank you for reading!
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