OT good 3/4 size guitar for kids?

[jimcav]

my 2nd grader is interested (via school of rock groupon) in guitar. anyone know if the yamaha junior is decent? i've only played a baby taylor and the comparable martin offering and both were nice but seem too pricey--the yamaha is much more affordable on ebay.
thanks
jim

[fuzzalow]

Don't be the least bit concerned about good. The criteria for desirability, as viewed by an adult, doesn't enter into the picture with a kid. You could give a kid a Gibson Byrdland, which is a short scale guitar suitable for kid fingering, and it won't amount to anything to a kid. But send it to me and I'd be overjoyed!

Find any range of kid-sized guitars and let him/her pick from what you say is OK to have. Any guitar sized that a 2nd grader can finger won't be around long anyway. Ordering online is OK and probably more to pick from than the local Guitar Center B&M (which is kinda shoddy because I think they are having corporate debt problems).

Having something they think is cool is more motivating for them to play. All you want is that they stick with the instrument.

[93legendti]

I play electric guitar. Wen my nephew was learning, he wanted to pay electric, so I bought him a travel guitar that was easy to hold and play and he still has. I also have a travel guitar - speedster and it has served me well for over 10 years.

Take your child to the local Guitar Center and/or local guitar store with a healthy choice of guitars and play as many guitars as possible. Buying a guitar online can be tricky as there can be a problem with the neck and/or action that makes it difficult and painful to play. If you buy the guitar from a local store that adjustment in the first 30 days will most likely be free.

Rather than buying crap and later upgrading to a better guitar, better to buy something reasonable but of quality so your child can grow with the guitar.

There are lots of things I buy online, including amps and effects, but not guitars. And buying crap? That's just stupid.

[Duende]

Personally, I don't really care for short scale acoustics. Electrics on the other hand are great.

How about searching for a parlor guitar or concert guitar? Many of those have near electric size necks but on an acoustic with a smaller body.

[djg]

A decent local music store should have some reasonable offerings that are competitive with on-line -- when my twins were a little younger we bought one nylon string guitar for the twins to share. I don't think I paid more than 150 bucks for the 3/4 scale guitar and it was surprisingly decent. You don't need a fine instrument for most second graders, but you do want something that will stay in tune, and the neck should be pretty straight (or adjustable to it). Yamaha is probably fine, but there are all sorts of brands -- Washburn, Cordoba -- my son sorta needed to move up to a full sized guitar within a year and we found a solid top guitar with pretty good tone for a couple hundred bucks. And there are used versions of most things for less, as well.

[Villgaxx]

ibanez mikro. a billion times better than the squier 3/4 scale. the squier actually sounds okay, but feels soooo cheap that it'll drive you nuts. the ibanez is wicked solid.

[enr1co]

Taylor GS Mini- buy a pre owned one on ebay for ~$350- $400.

Most all are set up to play easy on the fingers and the solid wood top (instead of laminated wood) the tone can be comparable to guitars costing up to $1K.

An easier playing guitar with pleasing tone encourages development and learning more than a crappy sounding instrument.

Should interest in guitar wane down the road, you can easily resell for
the same as the pre owned purchase price as long you dont abuse it.

[cmbicycles]

I don't know that model specifically, but I bought a cheap used Yamaha to use at my school. I teach elementary music, and I wanted something I didn't have to worry about leaving in the classroom. It sounds good enough, and plays well for what it is, but it doesn't hold a candle to my nice guitars. Yamaha makes pretty solid basic instruments in most categories. If you are able to buy a nicer instrument, then do it, as a better instrument sounds better and is easier to play.

That said, I was watching an interview w/ Phil Keaggy (one of my favorite guitarists, check out you tube vids here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q647jGWWeM) or there (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T3to3DHLIE) if curious) and he was saying he learned to play on a guitar that was not tuned correctly (he had no clue at the time how a guitar was supposed to be tuned) until someone corrected the tuning, then he had to relearn everything he taught himself, so I wouldn't be terribly concerned with concert quality instruments, didn't seem to hurt PK's development... but you know your 2nd grader the best so do what seems right for them. are they easily discouraged, maybe slightly better quality... are they a trooper no matter what, then get something that fits and they'll make it work.

Try checking out local music stores (in addition to national chains if nearby), most carry used instruments, and like mentioned earlier these are usually outgrown within a few years so plenty are out there. Online can be ok too, but anything you order may need to have some setup work done. Having a relationship with a local music store (like a good local bike shop) is a good thing as they can give service if/when you need it, though their prices may be slightly higher. The SoR may be able to give some leads on used instruments as well.