Right Way to Select a Guitar for Kids

If your kids are mature enough and have shown interest in playing guitar, then it is your duty as a parent to research and find out the one which will perfectly fit as per the age of your child. For children, one of the most essential requisitions when it comes to guitar selection is the comfort during playing. If your child isn’t comfortable while playing guitar, then he/ she will not be able to learn it properly, or develop right techniques. Thus, this is the reason why selecting a guitar for a child isn’t that simple.

As per the general rule of thumb, the age of your child can help you in deciding which guitar size is perfect for them. We will discuss about it in detail below. When people look out to purchase guitar for their kids, they usually wish to buy cheap instruments which has a bad sound and a worse performance. But, you shouldn’t be doing it. As a number of reputed guitar brands offer models which are recommended for kids and offer a decent performance. You should go for the best beginner guitar for kids so that your kid start playing with the right guitar and do not practice wrong.

And, if you wish to delve correctly in the deal, then it is suggest that you check out the list of best guitar for kids available in the market today online. You should also check out our findings her, as it will definitely make a difference in choosing the right and avoiding the wrong one.

How to select a guitar for kids?

Before moving any further you should know about the fact whether your kids has more interest in acoustic guitar or an electric one. Usually it is suggested to go for acoustic guitar for kids. They are easier to use and more unforgiving meaning that every fretboard mistake is quite loud and clear. However, on the contrary, some kids just want to choose electric guitar from the beginning and that is also fine. You can check out for some cheap guitars for kids and get one for your kid so that they can play and learn easily and at the same time you will not burn a hole in your pocket. We will talk about electric guitars in a while, for now we will discuss about acoustic guitars.

Acoustic Guitars

These guitars are available in plethora of shapes and sizes. Some of them are pretty big even for a full-grown up guitarist to play, leave the children aside. So, when you think of buying an acoustic guitar for your child, then there are some special considerations. A simple thumb rule here is to purchase standard size guitars for kids more than 12 years of age and travel style acoustic guitars for those less than 12 years of age.

The lower bout size on a standard acoustic guitar is way more for a 7-year old to manage. This is why we recommend travel guitars. Parlor and travel guitars are around three-fourth scale guitars. They are pretty small but give a good performance. Though these guitars weren’t made for kids, but they definitely serve the purpose pretty well.

A lot of big brands today produce parlor and travel guitars. And, the collection include some which sound incredible which is surely a great way to give your kid a good start in their guitar playing career.

Another option you can go for is ukuleles. But, you definitely need to keep a lot of things in mind. Ukuleles have a fully unique neck and intonation. If your child has a problem with travel guitar, then ukuleles is the best option to go for. However, if your child can handle a parlor guitar, then you should pick that route to give your child the best start.

Electric guitars

Though electric guitars are available in just a few sizes, they are naturally simpler for the kids to play. You don’t have any soundbox to come in the way and the flat body of the electric guitar is easily handled by the young ones. However, what majorly creates problems here is the size of the fretboard. But, you do have smaller electric guitars which are specifically made for kids and people of short heights.

These guitars may prove to be a great option if your child is facing issues with a regular size electric guitar. If you choose to go for an electric guitar, right from the beginning, then we recommend you to get a small amp too. As your kids begin practicing, they will require some type of feedback. And, when your kid plays an electric guitar, an amp is the only way to acquire the feedback.

Without the amp, your child will develop wrong techniques and you literally don’t want it. A lot of stores usually offer a starter pack of some type which features a guitar, an amp along with a gig bag and something more. These packs are highly recommended for you as you get all you need to get your kid started and the price is comparatively low when you are going to buy each of above mentioned things separately.

Now, it is important to mention bass guitars here. Even though only a small group of kids are interested in playing bass guitars, but it is important to have some info on this topic too. A simple problem with bass guitar is the thickness of the strings which may become too much to handle for a kid. If you have a child who wants to play bass, then you should choose a model that has a shorter scale and very light gauge strings.

Verdict

If you want to know a single piece of advice from here, then it is going to be this. Playing comfortably should be your priority. It doesn’t matter if you own a Taylor model flagship and your kid fails to play it comfortably. So, comfort should be your top notch priority. Listen to your kid’s opinion too.

If they have some recommendations in their mind, but you don’t like it for obvious reasons, then they should find a similar model which suits the requirement. If you need more information on this subject, then you should check out the things to avoid when purchasing a guitar for your kid.

After all, you are buying the guitar for your kid and so it is very important for them to like it because the first guitar will always have a very special place in your kid’s life.