Many times, you find cute petite people struggle with large dreadnought guitars and you wonder “why?”… Why do they struggle with these beasts?
Many people don’t know it but when it comes to getting a guitar, especially as a beginner, sizing is important. If a guitar is improperly sized for you, learning to play it will be super difficult and frustrating.
And that’s why our reviews today specially go out to those who need guitars for small hands. We’ve got 6 of the best guitars for small hands right here.
So sit back and relax cos we’ve done the hard work.
Get ready to meet our favorite guitars for small hands!
Contents
- Top 6 Best Guitars For Small Hands On The Market 2023 Reviews
- 1 Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar – Amazing Starter Guitar For Kids and Beginners
- 2 Martin LX1 Little Martin Acoustic Guitar – Sturdy Guitar Made For The Road
- 3 Fender MA-1 ¾ Size Steel String Acoustic Guitar – Affordable Fender Guitar For Kids And Beginners
- 4 Yamaha APXT2 ¾-Size Acoustic-Electric Guitars – Entry-Level Acoustic-Electric Guitar
- 5 Squier By Fender Mini Strat Electric Guitar – Best Bang For Your Buck With Legendary Fender Quality
- 6 Squier By Fender 0302000500 Vintage Modified Jaguar Electric Guitar – Affordable Vintage Style Axe!
- Best Guitars For Small Hands Buying Guide
Top 6 Best Guitars For Small Hands On The Market 2023 Reviews
| Name | Strings | Top | Back/Sides | Neck width | Finish | Scale length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Strings 6 | Top Mahogany | Features Layered Sapele | Dimensions 1 11/16 inches | Weight Natural Matte | Weight 22 3/4 inches | |
Strings 6 | Top Stika Spruce | Features Mahogany/Spruce | Dimensions Not specified | Weight Natural | Weight 23 inches | |
Strings 6 | Top Agathis | Features Sapele | Dimensions 1.69 inches | Weight Natural | Weight 23.3 inches | |
Strings 6 | Top Spruce | Features Meranti | Dimensions Not specified | Weight Black | Weight Not specified | |
Strings 6 | Top Not specified | Features Laminate hardwood | Dimensions Not specified | Weight Black | Weight 22.75 | |
Strings 6 | Top Not specified | Features Not specified | Dimensions Not specified | Weight Candy Apple Red | Weight Not specified |
1 Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar – Amazing Starter Guitar For Kids and Beginners
Everyone loves a Taylor and their Baby guitars are absolutely incredible. They may look small but these guys show know how to produce a mean tone!
This is a super portable guitar with a super mean performance and that’s why it is number one on our review for best guitars for smaller hands.
Made of mahogany wood at the top, this guitar gives an extra punch around the mid-range. And you know what this does? It gives your tone that bluesy edge that you’d love.
Now, this might not sound like a full-fledged dreadnought. Nonetheless, it does have a rather warm, pleasant sound that we love.
One thing is for sure, this is one guitar that would easily find its place among the other big boy guitars, thanks to its tone.
This guitar comes at ¾ the size of a regular Taylor Dreadnought. So, you can see that it is pretty compact and yet it delivers a really full tone.
And now to the finish…
It comes in a beautiful, natural shade with a durable varnish coating. This not only gives the guitar its good looks. It also protects the guitar and gives it that smooth feel that makes the guitar completely wonderful to hold.
Furthermore, this is a 6 string guitar. And the tuning machines are plated with die-cast chrome. Plus they are pretty easy to use as well.
They even threw in a nice gig bag in the package too! And no, it isn’t flimsy. It’s absolutely high quality and very travel-worthy.
(4.4 / 5)- Great size even for kids.
- Warm, rich tone.
- Correctly placed action.
- Beautiful finish.
- Comes with a gig bag.
- Functional, easy-to-use tuners.
- The strings tend to get off tune every so often.
- Seems to be lacking a bit on the low end notes.
2 Martin LX1 Little Martin Acoustic Guitar – Sturdy Guitar Made For The Road
Okay, are you ready for our thoughts on the Little Martin? Great.
Let’s get right to it.
First off, the fingerboard and bridge are made of Richlite which is a laminate material. Also, the back and sides are made of laminate materials. These add up to make this guitar super sturdy and the reason it’s a fantastic choice if you need a guitar for the road.
Plus, it comes with this awesome gig bag as well. Permit us to say that we are mind-blown that Martin would throw in such a well-made gig bag.
Not like you don’t deserve it. But at this price point, it’s quite generous of them, you must agree.
The top is made of solid spruce, though and that gives this guitar is amazing sound. Trust us, it will blow your mind the quality of sound you can get from a Little Martin.
It kinda makes you wonder what a full sized Martin would sound like (of course that would be if you’ve never heard it before).
Now, how about holding a tune? Well, yes the Little Martin does hold its tune pretty well and for quite a while too.
It might never sound or project like a regular Martin but then again that’s not its niche.
We are simply really impressed that Martin could deliver on quality instrument with a properly balanced, warm tone and a sturdy build.
(4 / 5)- Laminate body and sides give the guitar sturdiness.
- Comes with quality gig bag.
- Solid spruce top for amazingly warm sound.
- 23 inch scale length.
- Functional tuners.
- You’d have to change out the preinstalled strings for lighter ones.
3 Fender MA-1 ¾ Size Steel String Acoustic Guitar – Affordable Fender Guitar For Kids And Beginners
You know the legendary Fender and their legendary guitars. You probably also know that you’d have to pay top dollar to get their guitars… especially if you’re buying from its P series.
But hey, that’s the beautiful thing about this particular model. It is quite affordable but still comes with impressive features that you can only expect from a Fender guitar.
The body of the Fender MA1 isn’t something you fall in love with at first sight. Well, except you’re a no-nonsense minimalist. There’s simply nothing to love or hate about it. It’s simply what it is.
Altogether though, the build quality is decent and looks like it will last a while.
Now, let’s talk hardware.
We love the tuners on this baby, they are stable and easy to use. And the strings are light gauge which is super important for someone with smaller hands, whether kid or adult.
To move your guitar around whether for practice or jamming sessions, we are happy to announce that there is a gig bag included.
The resonance and tone of this Fender acoustic is also pretty good. Plus, the sound is crisp, clear, and balanced. It’s also kind of warm and mellow because of the sapele used to make the back and sides.
NB: Sapele makes a great alternative for mahogany.
It might not make a big sound, but in all, the volume is quite good enough for us, coming from a ¾ sized guitar.
(4.3 / 5)- Pretty affordable Fender guitar.
- Warm, mellow tone.
- Gig bag included.
- Decent build quality.
- Light gauge strings.
- Great for travel.
- Steel strings might be a bit tough for beginners.
4 Yamaha APXT2 ¾-Size Acoustic-Electric Guitars – Entry-Level Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Alright! Here’s our acoustic-electric baby. Get ready to crank up the sound something awesome!
Ever heard of the Yamaha APX500II? Well, it’s only one the best selling acoustic-electric guitar from Yamaha. Every single person who has tried this guitar absolutely loves it. Okay, that might be a teeny exaggeration but you get the point.
So, seeing the rousing applause the AX500II received, Yamaha thought it only fair not to leave those of us with smaller hands out. And so, viola, they introduced the APXT2. Thank you, Yamaha!
This guitar sports the slim profile as the AX500II with the familiar single cut-away body shape as well. The materials used to make this guitar are also pretty sturdy with spruce at the top and meranti at the back and sides.
So, if you’re thinking you want to make this your travel buddy, you’re absolutely welcome to. It’s the right size and the right quality.
Alright, let’s move on to other details…
The preamp here is ART-based, fitted with a System 68 contact pickup. While advanced players might want something more from the controls, beginners would love it. Since the preamp control is pretty basic, beginners won’t find it difficult to use at all.
All you have going on there are: a master volume, a built-in digital tuner, and a tone control knob. We told you it was pretty basic over there.
This guitar produces a bright sound that’s sufficiently loud. And even when plugged in, the ART-based preamp keeps the bright sound from sounding unnatural.
(4.2 / 5)- Great aesthetics.
- Slim profile.
- Sturdy profile.
- Bright, warm sound.
- Sufficiently loud volume.
- Simple controls great for beginners.
- Padded gig bag included.
- Limited controls might be stifling for advanced players.
5 Squier By Fender Mini Strat Electric Guitar – Best Bang For Your Buck With Legendary Fender Quality
You won’t be off course by a long shot to begin your guitar journey with a Stratocaster. The Fender Stratocasters are simply some of the best guitars to grace the musical space. And loads of people love them for their versatility and reliability.
So, for those with smaller hands who can’t do a regular Strat, here is a mini Strat for you, courtesy Fender.
This is made from basswood and we love that the scale length is just perfect for the average petite person.
The build quality is also great. It will last, and that’s for sure. And yeah, it does look good too. So, that’s a definite score in our books. No one says you must play an ugly guitar to get great delivery.
Altogether, we love the brilliant vibe this Strat gives us thanks to the basswood/maple blend on the guitar.
So, on to the electronics department next!
Like we said, Strats are known for their versatility. And you can confirm that from the 5-way EQ switch that enables you to switch styles instantly as well as the single-coil pickups included.
The tuners are great too. There are six of them, all die-cast and super functional.
Plus, this is a bundle which makes us really excited!
You’d find other stuff like a strap, some picks, polishing cloth, clip-on tuner, and even an instructional book! Talk about value for money and such little money at that.
Finally, the sound… it’s light and punchy and all frequencies are well covered. In essence, your basses are warm and your highs are crystal.
(4 / 5)- Excellent value purchase.
- Sturdy guitar.
- Extremely versatile with 5-way EQ switch and 3 single-coil pickups.
- Sound is light, bright, and punchy.
- Ideal scale length.
- Strings could be better.
6 Squier By Fender 0302000500 Vintage Modified Jaguar Electric Guitar – Affordable Vintage Style Axe!
Okay, we round this off with a pretty interesting axe from Fender. We’ll be upfront with you. This isn’t a guitar for everybody. Its design is a bit complicated but it is affordable and it is vintage.
So, let’s see what it brings to the table.
Alright, the first thing you’ll probably notice about this guitar is its asymmetry. The upper and lower parts of this guitar are not quite symmetrical.
While some might be worried, this shape does not affect sound at all. It’s still pretty awesome.
The neck is short scale and tonewood of choice is basswood. So, all in all, it’s an easy guitar for smaller hands. Jazz players will also definitely love the Squier by Fender Vintage Modified Jaguar.
In the hardware department, things are a bit different from the norm. Instead of a fixed tail bridge like you get in regular guitars, this one sits around the pickups.
And the tremolo sits like a tailpiece way behind instead of the usual synchronized fashion you might be used to.
Alright, that said, the electronics of this dude is crazy! This comes with dual circuits and each circuit comes with its own controls. So, on this guitar, you get two modes – lead and rhythm.
If you’re already impressed, tell us how you feel about this. You still get your regular volume and tone knob too! How versatile can this get!
(4.1 / 5)- Great for achieving a wide range of vintage genres thanks to the dual circuits.
- Short scale length.
- Impressive versatility.
- Quite affordable.
- Tends to buzz a bit.
Best Guitars For Small Hands Buying Guide
Here are a number of things you need to look out for if you have small hands and need a guitar for you.
Body Size
The first thing you need to consider when looking for a small guitar for smaller hands is obviously the guitar’s anatomy.
If you get a regular sized guitar, you’d have trouble playing it. Of course you already know that and that’s why you’re here for a smaller one.
But then again, in trying to strum on a regular guitar with small hands, you’d have to hold the guitar at an unfriendly angle. This, in turn, makes it difficult for you to get to the neck so you can form chords.
You should try to opt for a smaller sized guitar if you want to deal with this problem.
Scale Length
Now, the next thing you want to look out for is the neck of your preferred guitar. The length of the scale of your guitar will determine the length of your guitar’s neck.
If the scale is long, the neck will also be long. And if the scale is short, the neck will also be short.
Aside the length of the neck, the thickness and shape of the neck are also important factors to consider as well.
A person with smaller hands should be thinking of getting a guitar with a slim neck. It will make it much easier for you to grab on the guitar, and, in turn, make it easier to play chords.
Guitarists that love to play at really fast tempos or shred will also need slim guitar necks.
The Weight Of The Strings
The first time you get your guitar, especially as a beginner, you’d need professional help to set it up properly.
A professional will help you set up your guitar correctly and precisely. Plus, they could also help you take out preinstalled strings and install lighter ones.
Lighter strings generally make guitars a lot easier to play for people with smaller hands. So, generally, think nylon instead of steel.
String Length
Okay, so let’s talk about the fingerboard for a bit. You need something with a string length of between 22 and 24.6 inches at the absolute max.
This will make it significantly easier for you to play your guitar. You’ll be able to grab onto all your chords well since you won’t require so much strength and power to play.
You can also totally try a 6-string guitar. As long as its string length falls between the range we mentioned above, it will definitely always have a slim neck.
Something To Note…
A guitar with a smaller anatomy is very different from a regular sized in performance.
- For one, a smaller guitar will not have the same resonance as a dreadnaught.
- Two, a slim neck will sure not produce those fat sonic attacks you get from full sized guitars.
- And lastly, the strings matter as well. Light and heavy strings very differently as do different materials as well.
Conclusion
And our winning guitar for today is the Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar. Taylor is well known for making excellent guitars. And its Baby series is no exception.
This BT2 Baby Taylor is specially made with smaller people in mind. It’s compact and feels super incredible to hold.
Plus, it doesn’t compromise in the sound department too. What else could we ask for?