Guitar Size Guide

Choosing the right size of guitar for your child can be a daunting task for most parents but fear not - we've put together a little guide to help you choose the best guitar for your budding lil' rocker so they can get the most out of their lessons!

First we should talk about why it's important to make sure your child is playing an appropriate size of guitar for their age and height. If a guitar is too big for the student then they will stuggle to play simple chords because their fingers will be too small to reach the frets comfortably. The will also struggle with holding the guitar, and will often have to alter the position of their guitar frequently to reach to the first few frets. This will quickly become frustrating for any student, as it will hinder their progress and leave them struggle just to play their instrument.

So we know that it's important to purchase an appropriate size of guitar but how do you figure out what size to get? Guitars usually come in four sizes: full, 3/4, 1/2, and 1/4. Which size you pick depends on your child's age, which you can see in this chart:

An important thing to note is that if your child is above or below average height for their age you will have to choose a slightly different sized guitar. The height averages for each age group look roughly like this:

2-5 year olds - 2'8" to 3'9" - 1/4 size

5-8 year olds - 3'10" to 4'5" - 1/2 size

8-12 year olds - 4'6" to 5' - 3/4 size

12 and above - 5'1" and up - Full size

In terms of what kind of guitar to buy we usually recommend an acoustic, either nylon or steel string (nylon will be easier on their fingers at the beginning) if they're taking part in group classes to avoid the need for amplification. If they're taking private lessons we recommend talking with your child about what they'd like, kids are much more likely to continue learning on an instrument that they're excited about and that, most importantly, fits them well and allows them to learn.

Feel free to leave a comment below and always feel free to get in contact with us if you have any questions about buying a guitar.

#buyingaguitar #guitarsizeguide #kidsguitars #studentguitars #musiclessons #instrumentallessons