Buying a guitar for a child can be confusing. That’s why I put together my top five tips to help you buy the first guitar for your child. As a bonus, I’ll provide you with a free guitar mini-course to help your child start playing guitar the right way.
1. Electric Guitar vs Acoustic
I recommend a nylon string acoustic guitar for children between the ages of five and seven-years-old because they’re easier to play than their heavier steel-stringed cousins, which tend to hurt sensitive fingers.
My students have had a lot of success with the Amigo AM15 Nylon String Acoustic Guitar
2. Invest in a Quality Guitar
A bad guitar is one of the top reasons why most kids quit playing, so purchase the best guitar you can comfortably afford. Keep in mind your child will be playing guitar a little bit every day for the instrument’s life. Plus, cheap guitars often come with a host of problems that cost more to fix than the instrument itself.
3. Choose the Right Size
Use the following chart to help you buy the perfect guitar for your child.
Ages 5-7: 34″ (also known as 1/2 Sized Guitar)
Ages 7-10: 36″ (also known as 3/4 Sized Guitar)
Ages 11+: Full-Sized Guitar
4. Get a Design you Like
If your son or daughter is a Hendrix or Page fan, get a Fender Standard Stratocaster
If you decide to go electric, don’t forget to get an amp! Roland MICRO CUBE GX Portable 3-Watt Guitar Amplifier, Black“> Roland Micro Cube GX
As an added bonus, your child can also plug an iPhone into a MicroCube and jam along with his/her favorite tunes.
5. Purchase a Guitar Tuner
Few things sound worse than an out-of-tune guitar, no matter how good you are. There are a ton of clip-on tuners available now, but I recommend the Guitar Tuna. It’s easy enough for any kid to use, and it’s free.
If you don’t know how to tune a guitar, then this FREE guitar lesson should be perfect for you!
FREE Guitar Mini-Course for Kids
Now that you know how to choose the perfect guitar for your kid, it’s time to crank up the volume with a FREE guitar mini-course for kids. Your kid can start playing the guitar the right way with Rock Dojo, an award-winning guitar program for kids.
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