Hi guys....I would like to know why short scale guitars don't get any respect on here?

Question

I see many times that young people ask what size guitar to get, and almost always the TC's will say they really need a full size guitar because short scale guitars are meant only for little children or are no better than a "toy".
Why is that?

Aside from the slightly less volume you get from the sound chamber of a 3/4 guitar and probably a slighty less deep tone, what is wrong with a 3/4 scale guitar?

They are tuned to the exact same notes. They use the same strings. They sound basically the same. Why do most of you tell some poor kid with little bitty hands to try and struggle on a full sized guitar?
True, you can avoid a bigger body by getting a parlor guitar and not a dreadnought or jumbo, but the necks are still about the same size and the frets are just as far apart.

It seems to me that a younger or smaller person would have a better experience trying to play if the guitar is more fitted to their anatomy.
Some people don't have really long fingers ( like me) Some barre chords involve a pretty hefty stretch for a small handed person and preclude playing the chord because they can't reach it.

Most of these kids want to play as a hobby or for fun. What's fun about having to struggle? I see no benefit for a young person having to play a large guitar if they are not physically suited to it.
Sure, a smaller person CAN play a full sized guitar, but it also can be a struggle and the guitar looks like it is eating them alive.
(I advised a young teen boy a few years back about what kind of guitar to get, and he bought one and sent me a picture of him playing it. This poor guy was 13 or 14, but he was a munchkin. The body of the guitar was as big as he was.)

I learned on a short scale classical guitar starting at age 9. I'm not the biggest guy and always had pretty small hands. Even my girlfriends have had hands as big or bigger than mine.

It didn't bother me at all that I was playing a short scale guitar. My father bought one at the same time, but his was a full sized classical, and it was really big to me.
True, after a couple of years, I got a little bigger, and I could play my cousin's full sized Yamaha guitar pretty well, but I still liked my little classical guitar, too.
It actually made playing electric guitar easier, because the necks were about the same size, really, so I didn't have an issue with the thinner necks.

So, what is wrong with a smaller human playing a 3/4 guitar? They aren't built with less quality. Little Martins or Baby Taylors aren't toys, are they?
I think that short scale guitars deserve a little more respect that you guys give them.

and on a side issue......If a kid doesn't have a lot of money and a $100 guitar is all the family can afford, why keep pushing $200 guitars on the poor kids.
True, I know the quality isn't the greatest, but I really got a great start on my playing career using a $20 short scale classical guitar in 1969. I think that all kids deserve to have a chance to play the easiest way they can.
I remember in 1973, I could by a Teisco electric guitar at Gemco dept. store for like $34.99 or something.
sure they weren't "great" guitars, but it was a chance to get a cheap electric guitar and start out. (my first electric was not as quality as a Teisco...I got it for $25-30 something like that)

Answer 1

Russell, I don't have a problem with short scale guitars, in fact I love my Baby Taylor. It's so much fun to play that I generally can ignore the lack of tone. The GS Mini is 3/4 scale and sweet sounding too. There are two reasons that I (we) often advise new players to go with a full scale guitar.



The first reason is that prospective players often post a link to amazon.com for the proverbial "38 inch Student Guitar package...includes strings, die cast tuners...etc" and the want to know if it's the right size for them.



The other situation is the 13yr old who is still growing. Mom and Dad have to be convinced to buy the guitar, and may not be inclined to shell out any more money next year when the growth spurt kicks in. My inclination is to recommend a small body full scale guitar. Not that there's anything wrong with a 3/4 scale, but it's easier to find an affordable full scale that's playable.



I guess I'm also guilty of pushing for the $200 guitars...although I'll readily suggest some decent ones for half the price if that's all a kid can afford. Like you, I started on a $20 Kent guitar. (with barbed wire strings) I had to work all summer to earn the money back in 1964. The guitar lasted me a couple of months, then I went through a series of electric guitars I bought at Lafayette Radio. I paid $69 for one, and then upgraded to the 4 pickup model (more is better, right?) for $89. At the same time, my local music store was selling Gibson SG's for $129. In retrospect, I wish I'd bought the SG instead of squandering my money on junk. When I push kids to spring for a better guitar, it's with that in mind.

I did learn on guitars that are probably worse quality than anything you can buy these days. OTOH, I was motivated...Beatlemania and all, you know? I worry that if a beginner has to struggle with an instrument, the failure rate goes up. It's a balance. I agree that if all a family can afford is a cheapo, it's better than nothing....but so often it's not so much a matter of money, as the parents not appreciating the value of a decent instrument.....especially a guitar.



Anyway, I respect your opinion...you've been giving some good advice here. I'm not disagreeing with you, just explaining why I *sometimes* come down on the other side. I can't speak for everyone, but I don't think we're far apart on this one.

Answer 2

Hey Russell. I agree that kids with poor families should have any guitar rather than nothing at all, even a $10 3/4 size toy is better than nothing. If the asker says they have no money I usually tell them to get anything they can afford however when they state their budget I recommend a guitar I feel would be good for them to try. To be honest the only new 3/4 size guitars I've played are the martin and Taylor you mentioned just while I was browsing in a store and I put them down after a minute but a child may find them perfect. All the other 3/4s I tried were at car boot sales and they were utter dog turd so from then on I suppose I've always thought them to be the lowest of the low, not even suitable for a child. I still have my 1st ever acoustic at work dumped in the corner,( Eastwood la125 ) or clint as I liked to call it) I just walked into a small guitar store and asked for the cheapest acoustic and they handed me that.i bought it without even playing it. it sounds woeful to me now but I didn't realise how bad it was until I played other guitars. I had that old pig for 2 years before I got the buying guitar bug but it sounded good at the time because it was all I had.i just wanted to play guitar. My old teacher had a 20 year old seagull s6 which was the 2nd acoustic guitar I ever played and I soon bought my own one after playing that. So, I don't have anything against buying cheap guitars of any size if its all that can be afforded and a few months ago I was trying to put that point across in my answers about it being their 1st guitar,they don't know any better, if playing wasnt for them they haven't spent a lot,they can learn the basics and they can get an upgrade any time. I got lots of thumbs down on my answers. I thought neck width was the key for people with long,short, thick or thin fingers and obviously a tiny person doesn't need a jumbo. Im 6ft6 with long fingers so I prefer the feel of dreadnoughts or jumbos but I think a small person would prefer an om or ooo and kids who are learning should play anything the can afford or like until they know what they want.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

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Answer 5

Short Scale Guitars

Answer 6

I see your point Russell but a lot of these so called cheap 3/4 guitars are pretty bad, So if the kids parents cant afford an Epi DR100 or similar playable entry level guitar they sure as heck ain't shelling out for a baby Taylor or little Martin, know what I mean? and the kids parents ain't you or me and can go into a store and tell the difference between a playable guitar and a turd on a budget, there trying to do this through an internet purchase, which I always try and point out as a bad idea, Go to a Music Store! I got nothing against small guitars, Heck I have an old Tacoma Papoose around here somewhere, now that you mention it I think I'll take the old girl out for a walk. Humm. if I remember correctly that things tuned in A,

Answer 7

I don't have a problem with shorter scale guitars.



The problem is, a lot of the people asking questions on here don't mention how tall they are.



If they do mention it and they are especially tiny, sometimes a 3/4 or 7/8 guitar would be the best fit for them.



I don't generally recommend them mostly because I specialize in electric guitars, and most 3/4 or 7/8 electrics are junk. If they're interested in an electric and happen to be on the smaller side, I'll usually recommend a Hagstrom Ultra Swede. Here's a video of an average sized Asian guy playing one, you can see that they have significantly smaller bodies than a lot of other electrics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie4GoD7j8E0



I believe the Ultra Swede has a 24.75" scale length to go with the smaller body and very thin neck.

Answer 8

Pretty similar. I'm primarily a bassist but I'll lend my Jaguar out sometimes to bandmates for certain songs that could really use one. I don't think anybody has even noticed that it's only a 24" scale. They just describe it as a fun guitar. There really isn't a huge difference between 24" and 25.5".

Answer 9

You raise some interesting and valid points. I have little experience of anything other than full size guitars but I have nothing at all in principle against guitars with shorter or longer scale lengths than a "normal" instrument. I'm in the UK so can't comment on what's available elsewhere.



Firstly, most of the people I've seen asking about what "size" guitar to get aren't nine year olds (who shouldn't be communicating with adults in the Internet anyway) as you were when you learnt on a three quarter size guitar. They're young adults who think guitars come in sizes the same way as, say, shoes do. They'll list their height and sometimes even the length of their fingers. They'll provide a link to Amazon and ask if this, "38" beginners guitar" is the right size for them. Some of them seem to expect to go to be "fitted" for a guitar. Other people complain that their guitar is "too big" for them and they find it hard to even reach over the top to strum the strings. They wonder if they should get a three quarter size guitar instead - then it turns out they are small and have a jumbo which are big guitars by anyone's standards. I think these people need to understand that "full size" relates to scale length, not body size, and that if they go for anything other than a "full size" guitar, they are buying something different, not an "ordinary" guitar. I think most of the people posting questions about full size or three quarter size guitars have no reason not to buy a full size guitar, they just don't understand what the terms mean. Digressing slightly, there's a question somewhere from a person with a "Les Paul (junior size)" guitar!



In the case of a young child or someone older who is the same size, then a full size guitar is probably going to be too big for them. I certainly see lots of disadvantages in such a person wrestling with an instrument too big for them. It's that type of person who three quarter size guitars were originally meant for (same as smaller size violins, 'cellos etc.).



In the UK I have seen some three quarter size classical guitars that, I guess, were as good as their full size counterparts but, until very recently, I have never seen a three quarter size steel string guitar that appeared to be anything else than rubbish. I have played several of these "instruments" and they are dreadful things. They are, basically, toys, something confirmed by their price (perhaps £25 to £40). I have never actually seen a Little Martin but I have, twice, seen a Baby Taylor in a music store - it looked a fine guitar. Both of these are freely available in the UK but the Martin has a RRP of £329 whilst the Taylor's RRP is £322. This is many times what people posting this type of question can afford. For less than £100, a careful, well-advised person can easily pick up a new, playable full size acoustic guitar. They would really struggle to find an equivalent three quarter size instrument. A music store might be able to order one for them or they could resort to the Internet.



I have no problems with anyone using a three quarter size guitar if they need one because of their size, or even if just because they want one. I know the are some excellent three quarter size instruments available but, here at least, they are expensive and not commonly available. But I would never recommend that an "ordinary" full size person get anything other than an "ordinary" full size guitar without there being exceptional circumstances that I knew of.



Regarding your second point - I think that buying a guitar with a solid top, spending a little more etc. etc. is all well and good but some people simply can't afford it. About 17 years ago I bought (for less than £100) a new Westone plywood acoustic to use at work. It had no "tone" to speak of but sounded fine, was tunable, stayed and played in tune and had a reasonable action. It never let me down and all it had was the occasional new set of strings. Last year I sold it for £40. There was nothing wrong with it and it was a fine beginner's guitar - far better than the guitar I learnt on years ago. People criticise Fender acoustics, Squier and Epiphone and numerous other "brands", but, to me, many of these instruments do fine to learn on.



Of course, many of the "price" questions posted contain links to Amazon for these, "full size beginners guitars with die cast tuners and strings" selling for twenty quid or whatever - things that really are rubbish. I usually say look to spend about £100 on a new acoustic but I know that, with care, you can get a new playable guitar for less than that.

Answer 10

I own a short-scale that I need to repair for my little son. It was fun for travel, and you could--theoritically--perform some things on that guitar that you couldn't on a full-scale model (smaller neck = greater, crazier sounds with the same finger stretches). I had tuning problems with mine, but could seem some interesting possiblities. Back in the day, Vai (with Alcatrazz at the time) had some cool things he did on a song called 'Painted Lover'...and Van Halen used one on 'Little Guitars'.



If I spent enough time with one that stayed in tune, I'd likely have some fun...

Answer 11

Hi. RE. Simple - you have more empathy and real care for younger musicians than many. Reading your thoughtful post, 'ain't no doubt. The rest of the answers are a pretty good primer on the guitars, too. Anyone thinking about getting one of these little guys should bookmark this...