[guitarman2]

I bought a Taylor GS Mini for my grand daughter when she was 7. I realized it was too big for her and I was hoping by now she'd be big enough for it. She is really eager but she's still too small. I just tried to show her some things but she still cant get her hands around the neck and the lower bout is too big for her arm to come around. She's 8 years old and not small for her age. She's actually taller than most in her class.
So looking for advice on a decent guitar thats half the size of the GS Mini. Does Martin have anything? I was hoping I could get something with decent quality. Not a toy. Although I certainly wouldn't want to spend anymore than half of what I paid for the GS Mini.

 

[Robert1950]

Little Martin .... Little Martin Guitar | C.F. Martin & Co.

Baby Taylor .... Baby Taylor

Yamaha APXT2 .... APXT2 - Overview - Yamaha - Canada - English

I'm least impressed with the acoustic sound of the Yamaha. The Taylor sounds the best, but is the largest of the three.

 

[jdto]

Also, keep in mind that steel strings can be hard on little fingers. My daughter is 12 and she plays my Art & Lutherie Roadhouse Parlour sometimes, but she says she likes the guitar at school better, which is a nylon-string classical.

 

[luker0]

Get a 3/4 sized nylon string acoustic. That's what we got our 11 year old when we got him lessons as a starting point.

Sent from my SM-T813 using Tapatalk

 

[Adcandour]

I have a baby taylor. Very nice starter guitar.

 

[knight_yyz]

Doesn't seem to bug these kids. LOL, I am joking I know the guitar has to be comfortable to play or it won't get played.

 

[bw66]

The 3/4 size Yamahas are decent. You could also look at a used Ami (replaced by the Roadhouse) or a Gretsch Jim Dandy - both good value, though not in the same ballpark for quality as the Taylor or Martin guitars. Have a look at Tanglewood too - I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality of some of their parlour sized instruments.

 

[dcole]

I think this is a good idea for kids: Products

And their Canadian!

 

[Blind Dog]

Guitalele are readily available, $129, and kids love em.

I'm more a Martin guy, but I had both (Baby Taylor & Martin LX1 -- up until yesterday) and I thought the Taylor tone so superior to the Martin's I didn't consider it the same caliber. I think possibly there's more inconsistency as the guitars get smaller. Parlor's imo seem to have the same issue if produced in large numbers. Guess I'm saying, I would play several of both before choosing. I think the best of either may underwhelm you after a GS Mini.

I wanted a used Mini, for a twelve year old boy, but they seem to hold their value better. I got the Baby Taylor for $200 cdn, the Martin for $150, and people wanted retail, less tax, for their Minis. No real comparison imo -- quality or sound wise.

I'm still kinda puzzled about just how intimidated(?) the boy was by even a Big Baby Taylor, or small Yamaha FG-331. Size was paramount to his instrument approval. Not sure there's enough size difference (Mini to Baby/LX1) to satisfy a child. Might want to check with her before purchase.

Best of luck. The efforts well worth it. Awesome smile's headed your way. Keep the camera handy.

Edit: I've always wanted to try a JR1, like tonewoody suggests. Just never ran across one. And now I want to check out the APXT2 that Robert1950 suggested. I tend to be a (hardcore) Yamaha fan.

 

[tonewoody]

My Yamaha JR1 is a fun little guitar. Easy for little hands to play, and it sounds pretty sweet. For bigger hands, the small scale length has it's advantages too.

 

[tonewoody]

Scale length specs comparison:

Yamaha JR1 : 21 1/4"
Baby Taylor : 22 3/4"
Martin LX1 : 23"
Taylor GS Mini : 23 1/2"

A new players first experiences should be good ones. Make the physical hurdles as easy as possible. Try tuning the guitar down a couple of steps, less string tension.

 

[Alan Jackman]

I bought a Taylor GS Mini for my grand daughter when she was 7. I realized it was too big for her and I was hoping by now she'd be big enough for it. She is really eager but she's still too small. I just tried to show her some things but she still cant get her hands around the neck and the lower bout is too big for her arm to come around. She's 8 years old and not small for her age. She's actually taller than most in her class.
So looking for advice on a decent guitar thats half the size of the GS Mini. Does Martin have anything? I was hoping I could get something with decent quality. Not a toy. Although I certainly wouldn't want to spend anymore than half of what I paid for the GS Mini.

Hi, that's too bad to hear. I had a similar problem with my 10 y.o nephew. I did some research and it turns out the 2 most common models that work nice for kids are actually baby taylor (bt1) and little martin lx1. Martin lx1 seems to be much more suited for little children with only having 23' scale length. I highly recommend to check out this model, at least to watch some youtube recommendations or read reviews on the web.

here is a youtube comparison of the guitar you bought, taylor gs mini and martin lx1 -

here you can read the review of the two guitars I recommend for you - baby taylor avs martin lx1 Baby Taylor VS Little Martin - Which Is The Best Concert Acoustic Guitar?

Hope you find the gutiar that your kid will love

 

[knight_yyz]

Any time I hear, hands are too small I think of this video....

 

[Budda]

Art and luthrie?

 

[sambonee]

I believe in teaching the bass before guitar as it’s easier and most always one note. The Ibanez mikro is a good start. I know it’s jot what you wanted to hear.

Also the daisy rock electrics are good. The flower and butterfly. I have the later. It’s good for the value.

 

[bw66]

Zombie thread, but as @knight_yyz's video demonstrates, sitting in the "classical" position makes a larger guitar more manageable (among other things).

And capoing at the 4th fret brings the frets closer together.

 

[knight_yyz]

Aria STG mini 22-1/2" scale. Xmas Guitar Mersey (fugigen) I know you said acoustic but electric has more choices. Aria ASA 18hn. Yamaha APXT2

 

[knight_yyz]

 

[High/Deaf]

Some guy brought a 6 string ukelele to work last week. The frets were so tight as to make it unnatural for a guitar player to easily adapt to, but for kids, maybe a good starting point.

Personally, I think kids should work in the coal mines till, I dunno, 25 or so (they can take up a guitar on their one day off per week, once they reach that age). But I've been over-ruled in the last 100 years - and look where that's got us.