Newbie needs advice

[criminalmags]

Now I'm going to sound immesly stupid in the next few paragraphs but I am in need of some advice on buying my first guitar.

 

I want to be at least partially informed before I make a fool out of myself at a music shop.

 

Now I'm a small person about 5ft 1' with tiny little hands. I mean really tiny, people joke about how small they are. I've lifted a few friends guitars before but find it hard to to hold the guitar and even more difficult to play a chord.

Now I think you all know what I'm about to ask but should I buy a 3/4 or 7/8 size guitar or should I just buy the full size?

I don't want to waste money on something I can't play be it too big or too small for me. Are these guitars just for children? Will the people in the shop just laugh at me if I ask to hold one?

This is what is worrying me about buying my first guitar. I can't really play a chord so I can't just pick up a guitar and strum it to test the size.

Does anyone have any advice on this?

I would be grateful for any response. Thank you

[A String]

A lot of my students are children. They use regular sized guitars. I think that, once you get used to it, you will have no problems with a regular sized guitar. Go into the store and ask to try out anything that catches your fancy.

 

At the same time, I'm sure no one will mind if you ask for a smaller guitar if that's what suits you.

 

Be sure to let us know what you wind up with!

 

Welcome to the forum!

[Noodlesbad]

I wouldn't feel bad about buying a 3/4 or 7/8 size guitar if that's what you're comfortable with.

Ask a store staffer to point you in the direction of a guitar with a thin neck, try whatever you can, and buy what you like, be it full size or not.

[Bluesape]

Welcome to the Forum. I dare say you have come to the right place. Most of us are seasoned players, and will be happy to assist you.

 

Many great guitarists have been diminutive, if I may use that word. Some larger adults also use shorter scale instruments, the Gibson Byrdland pretty much being the ultimate short scale guitar, and coveted by all knowledgeable collectors, including myself. Ted Nugent for years was the most visible proponent of that model, and he's quite tall and athletic. He now uses Paul Reed Smiths a lot, but still has his Byrdland handy. The Fender Jaguar is another short scale guitar that once was the flagship model for Fender.

 

Seeing how you don't play yet, I'm not going to advise you to mortgage your soul for a Byrdland, but a well worn Jaguar might be do-able for under a grand, pehaps even way under. You haven't disclosed a budget, nor your gender, and I only wonder about gender in terms of hand strength, since you find holding a guitar difficult. You are an adult, I presume, just not a large one. I was roughly your height in my early teens, but still managed to work out on full sized guitars. My first wife is shorter and tinier than you are and can play a normal sized classical guitar.

 

A Fender Mustang is another valid choice. Fernandez also makes worthy short scale instruments, as do other manufacturers. I've seen a small solid body Tacoma that I damn near bought - very impressive. To avoid the pitfalls you may encounter in a store, take one your guitarist friends with you. The problem with many 3/4 ot 7/8 size guitars is that they tend to be made with the growing player in mind, and will be set aside when a more adult stature is reached. In other words, many are not particularly well built. Good Luck.

[revorhythm]

Even though you dont know a chord, your best bet is to just try something you like, by holdin it and just reachin your hand across to see what it may feel like. Or take a friend with you, have em teach you an easy chord like E minor. As stated before, its probably just something you need to get used to.

 

More so, if you need a smaller guitar, don't be ashamed, whatever lets you play. If someone laughs at you, then that shop is worthless to you. Find some place that the people make you feel comfortable. However, honestly, I doubt anyone would laugh at you.

[Dr. Ellwood]

Welcome! they will NOT laugh at you guaranteed! If you are going to have a guitar instructor take them with you to help you pick an instrument. Take a guitar player that you trust with you. Or go look at instruments, take a pad of paper with you, make notes as to what feel right to your hands and write some good notes about the instrument and the brand name and model and come back here and ASK US!! you will get the straight scoop here for sure!!! Wait a couple of days and read this thread and see what the different guys say. We will fix you up right!! and remember to go to the beginning of the Forum page and put all the facts about yourself there and introduce yourself to everyone....Lee, near Detroit Michigan. Glad to have you aboard the Forum!!!!

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

I think one very important question is: "Are you looking at an acoustic guitar, a solid-body electric or a hollow-body electric?"

 

If you are looking at solid-body electrics, then it's not nearly as much of an issue.

 

If you are looking at hollow body electrics, then you might want to avoid big old jazz boxes like ES-335's and such. If you are looking at acoustics, you might want to avoid dreadnaughts in favor of something like a 000, 00, or OM model. I think you'll actually encounter more problems reaching around the body of the big jazz boxes and dreadnaughts than you will with the necks once you get used to it. A big wide flat neck, such as you find on a classical guitar or 12-string, might give you some problems but I don't think the size of the neck in most cases is going to be much problem.

[Warthog]

Great words from ellwood and Bluesape. Both fellas are well more experienced than me.

 

I would bet more often than not a salesman would not find it amusing if that's what you were looking for. Probably a lot out of a beginner's price range, but I play a Taylor T5 whnich is a thinlie hollowbody and a shortscale to boot. I find it very easy to play and have to force myself to play a giant flattop any more. Lots of models like the ones Bluesape mentioned would give a similar feel. Even a full-sized strat would feel easy to play alongside my T5, so maybe an electric would fit your bill. Have you thought about a Gretsch or similar? Solid as a rock and relatively large but with nice necks and very sweet sounding.

[criminalmags]

Thanks all for your responses you have been extermly helpful to me.

I went into my local music shops today to try a few of the guitars and at least see what size fits me. The people were friendly and accomedating which was fantastic.

So I tried the full size to see if I could play it but it was obvious that I was having difficulty with it. I kept hitting the curve on the body with my arm and had to reach round to play the strings. It was far too bulky and I felt that I was about to drop it.

The salesman in the store then suggested that I should try a parlour guitar because he didn't have a 7/8 and the 3/4 was too small. That worked perfectly I finally felt comfortable with the guitar.

Would any of you be able to recommend a reasonably priced parlour guitar? I want to spend about £100 ($172 USA) I could stretch to £130 ($220 USA)but that would be a a major stretch.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by criminalmags:

The salesman in the store then suggested that I should try a parlour guitar because he didn't have a 7/8 and the 3/4 was too small.

I don't know about that price. A parlour guitar sounds a bit specialized and "specialized" can mean costly.

 

Are you dead set on an acoustic? If not, Fender at least makes "junior" models of its electric guitars. There's a thread here on a guitar called a Squier (that's entry level Fender) Mini

 

http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/ubb/get_topic/f/19/t/013290.html#000000

 

You could also check out travel or backpacker guitars. They have a regular neck but smaller bodies, which could solve the discomfort you feel from the guitar body.

 

Bear in mind two things: many of us have started playing as children (ie with smaller hands) on normal guitars and have simply gotten used to the stretching. Same as kids that took up piano.

 

Secondly, I think the stretching is a very useful thing to develop because then you are not tied down to a specific guitar size.

[Warthog]

How about a Baby Taylor? I like the backpacker idea...except it'd look kind of funny gigging with it unless you're at Mountain Stage or something like that.

 

I would try to stick it out with a full-sized guitar first. If you learn on a parlour guitar or a 3/4 you'll have a tough time Super-sizing. I'd take what the other guys said seriously, about trying a full-sized guitar first taht is. Lots of kids play them so I'd bet you can too.

[fogman]

I don't know how much you're looking to spend but Music Man guitars are really easy to play and they're a little smaller than average too.

They beautiful guitars.

[rw2003]

Regarding solid body electrics..

 

Bluesape already mentioned the Fender Mustang and Jaguar models and there is a hy-brid model known as the Fender Jag-Stang that is also a shortscale guitar. I have one and like it. Not too expensive either. Fender may not be making these anymore but I'm sure you can find 'em used pretty easy.

[Ricochet]

Originally posted by criminalmags:

Would any of you be able to recommend a reasonably priced parlour guitar? I want to spend about £100 ($172 USA) I could stretch to £130 ($220 USA)but that would be a a major stretch.

Unfortunately, "reasonably priced" and "parlour guitar" don't go together well in today's market. The demand for parlour guitars (which I happen to like, I've got an Epiphone Blues Master that I love) is a niche market, and there aren't a lot of bargain priced ones. Can't think of any, actually. Most of the cheap guitars these days are big boomy dreadnaughts that are a stretch to reach around.

 

Have you looked into classic guitars? (Most folks call 'em "classical" guitars, but the pedants will get you for that.) They're generally sized like parlour guitars. Both will have very wide necks.

 

That Baby Taylor is a great little guitar, but it's not that cheap.

[Ricochet]

Hey, here's a cheap parlour guitar I'd completely forgotten about: http://www.johnsongtr.com/L-Style.154.0.html

 

A friend on another board tried one recently. He liked it.

 

It'll be a lower end Chinese guitar with a laminated wood body. Nothing inherently wrong with that, if it comes well set up and has decent frets. You can get it with a solid spruce top for $30 extra. If you have to order one without trying it, make sure they've got a liberal return policy and get a friend who knows guitars to look it over.

 

Johnson is a brand name used in the U.S. by Music Link, Inc. for the instruments they import from AXL. They may be sold under another name in the UK.

[Ricochet]

Hmm, look here: http://www.highlystrung.co.uk/acatalog/Acoustic_guitars.html

 

Scroll down the page and check out the Ozark parlour guitar.

[Ricochet]

And here's someone in the UK selling Johnsons: http://www.instrumentpro.co.uk/Johnson-Acoustic-Guitars

[Bluesape]

Girlfriend's dad has a Johnson single cutaway acoustic. Plays OK. Sounds decent with its materials in mind. Nothing exceptional, but neither is the price.