Best ¾ Guitar For Kids and Small Hands

In most cases, kids and folks with smaller hands don’t always get to play conventional size guitars. The reason for this is very obvious, and it is because their hands are not just big enough. This is where the popular and not very popular ¾ guitar comes in. ¾ guitars are perfect for kids and folks with small hands. They don’t have to give up on their dreams of playing the guitar because of the size of their hands. All they have to do is get a good-sounding ¾ guitar.

Here I present to you six of my favorite ¾ guitars brands. These are brands that I would recommend because of my personal experience with each of them:

• Best ¾ Guitar Overall: Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar
• Best ¾ Guitar for Kids: Yamaha JR1 FG Junior 3/4 Size Acoustic Guitar
• Best ¾ Size Acoustic Guitar: Yamaha JR2TBS 3/4 Acoustic Tobacco Sunburst Guitar
• Best ¾ Size Electric Guitar: Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar NOS – 3-Tone Sunburs
• Best ¾ Size Guitar for Beginners: Yamaha Student Series CGS103AII Classical Guitar
• Best ¾ Size Guitar for the Money: Fender FA-15 3/4 Scale Kids Steel String Guitar

Reviews

Best ¾ Guitar Overall: Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar

Without some bias, I would say that with acoustic guitars, the brand name Taylor always makes it to the list. Taylor guitars are not only popular because of some very elaborate marketing campaigns. They are also great because they have been living up to their name and reputation. This beautiful ¾ guitar comes with a tropical mahogany top, layered Sapele, no electronic components, and non-cutaway.

The tropical Mahogany top Woods helps the guitar to produce very strong fundamentals with extreme clarity and focus, while the layered Sapele body is used to give it an aesthetic edge over other brands. Also, without the electronic components, there is that traditional acoustic guitar appeal. For lovers of that traditional acoustic guitar appeal, this brand is something to consider. The non-cutaway gives it the clean, symmetrical look of a traditional acoustic guitar.

Best ¾ Guitar for Kids: Yamaha JR1 FG Junior 3/4 Size Acoustic Guitar

Yamaha specifically made the JR 1 FG Junior ¾ for the younger player. Also, it is great for small hands and frequent travelers. This guitar made it to my list because of its popularity and brand reputation. And also because I have had some personal experience with it. I had a student who was just 11, and we bought this particular guitar for her. I remember my first impression after touching the guitar. It felt so small and light, but surprisingly comfortable and professional. The tone wasn’t what I would call superb, but it was still good, especially when compared to other ¾ guitars out there. I wanted to get one for myself. The features include a spruce top, nato neck, rosewood fingerboard, and chrome hardware. It also comes with a gig bag for easy carriage and storage.

The spruce top gives this guitar a more professional look and tops some points to its aesthetic design. Also, it will contribute to the longevity and sound of the guitar. On the other end, the Rosewood fingerboard is an amazing addition to a ¾ sized guitar. Improves ergonomics and playability to some extent. The gig bag is awesome for easy carriage and storage. Especially great for guitar players who are always on the road but need a ¾ sized guitar. Also helps you save that extra bucks you would spend on a gig bag.

Best ¾ Size Electric Guitar: Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar NOS – 3-Tone Sunburst

Fender Kurt comes with dual humbucking pickups and unique electronics and controls. This guitar also comes with some special features. It comes with a bound fingerboard and Pearloid dot markers. It is completed with a Stratocaster headstock shape. It comes with a 1950s-style “spaghetti” logo for some authenticity.

Features

The Dual Humbucking Pickups and Unique Electronics and Controls give the Fender Kurt some versatility and uniqueness in terms of tone and control – a somewhat of an edge over other electric ¾ guitars out there. The Bound Fingerboard is quite necessary for aesthetic reasons, ergonomics, and general playability, this adds some points to the Fender Kurts. Lastly, the Pearloid Dot Markers add an extra level of shine and aesthetics to the Fender Kurt.

Best ¾ Size Guitar for Beginners: Yamaha Student Series CGS103AII Classical Guitar

The Yamaha CGS Classical Guitar is one guitar I would recommend to students of classical guitar. The guitar comes with a spruce top, meranti back and sides, and a nato neck. Also, with a UTF natural finish, Pearloid tuners, and a rosewood bridge and fingerboard. Generally, Yamaha is known for producing nice-sounding and good guitars.

The Spruce top gives the guitar a more professional look. It also tops some points to its aesthetic design. Also, it will contribute to the longevity and sound of the guitar. The Rosewood Fingerboard is an amazing addition to a ¾ sized guitar. Improves ergonomics and playability to some extent. Lastly, UTF Natural Finish is just perfect for a classical guitar. It adds to its longevity and general classic look.

Best ¾ Size Guitar for the Money: Fender FA-15 3/4 Scale Kids Steel String Guitar

The FA-15 3/4-size steel-string guitar is beautifully made and budget-friendly. It comes with a laminate construction and a modern Fender 3+3 headstock. I would say that this instrument is easy to play and also sounds quite good. This would be a nice fit for beginner and developing players. They will appreciate the feel and look of this guitar, which also comes with a nato neck.

The Nato Neck gives the guitar quite a lively tone and feel. The beginner bundle includes the actual Fender FA-15 ¾, Gig Bag, and Tuner. Comes with Strap, Picks, Fender Play Online Lessons, and Austin Bazaar Instructional DVD. Lastly, the modern Fender 3+3 headstock and Walnut Bridge contribute a great deal to the feel and playability of the guitar. It helps give it a more modern look and sound.

Buying Guide for ¾ Guitars

Who Should Get A ¾ Guitar?

One common misconception and wrong answer for the above question is that “¾ guitars are specifically for kids.” Although ¾ guitars are relatively smaller guitars in comparison to the conventional sizes, it is not specifically designed for kids. Professional and beginner adult players can still and still do play ¾ guitars. Although ¾ guitars are somewhat a perfect fit for young players between the age range of 7 and 12, adult players can also find playing these smaller guitars very comfortable.

It can be just the perfect guitar for beginner adults. Especially those who have trouble extending their fingers to lower notes or upper frets on conventional size guitars. Although these kinds of guitars are often marketed and advertised as alien kinds of guitars, the ¾ guitar has exactly the same parts as a full-size guitar. That being said, getting this smaller-sized guitar won’t affect your guitar playing experience. Same as playing on a smaller size piano will not affect a pianist’s playing experience. If only he knows exactly what he is doing.

How Does A ¾ Guitar Sound?

¾ guitars have low string tension, and this comes with one major downside. The strings of ¾ guitars are a bit loose when compared to the strings on conventional guitars. Because of this, they tend to go out of tune quicker than their full-size counterparts. The fact that ¾ guitars are not quite hard on your fingertips comes with a minor price to pay. And that is more frequent tuning.

Although this might not be the case with every ¾ guitar brand out there, most of these ¾ guitars should be primarily regarded as practice guitars. Because their sound is often not quite good enough for major gigs and live performances. Another determining factor in regards to the sound of your ¾ guitar is your choice of guitar strings. When you can afford them, buy only the best quality strings for your ¾ guitar to get the best possible sound out of it. Even at this minor setback, the ¾ guitar is still good for any genre of music. The right brand, with the right strings and in the right hands, will produce remarkable results.

Classical, Steel or Electric ¾?

Often when beginners want to buy their first guitar they always ask this question. It is a complex but also simple question to answer. But I would take the simple path and give you the simplest possible answer. Choosing between a classical, steel, and an electric ¾ guitar depends on a couple of factors. Factors like the style of music you wish to play and which guitar is simpler for you. Also, which type will inspire you. And also knowing that to enjoy an electric guitar, you will need a guitar amp and power supply.

Classical (nylon string) guitars as the name suggests are mainly used in classical music. It also used in some flamenco styles. But this is not a hard and fast rule as some pop, rock, and country players always do experiment with it in their sounds. Steel-string acoustic guitars are the normal acoustic guitars you will most times come across. They are suitable for a wide range of music. Classical strings are softer to the fingertips than their more rugged steel counterpart. This is the reason a lot of beginner players will always prefer the nylon string classical guitar.

Electric guitars are physically less tough on the fingertips than the steel-string acoustic guitar. Also, it feels a little smaller in comparison to its acoustic counterpart. Beginners prefer this kind of guitar too because they are relatively easier to play. But, this comes not without a price. To fully enjoy the electric guitar, you will need an amplifier and a steady source of power supply. So, answering the question of which to choose, I would say that is left for only you and you alone to choose.

Key Features of ¾ Guitars

• Most of them come with a mahogany body
• Length varies from 20 to 24 inches
• They all have 18 frets or fewer on the neck
• Necks are often made of materials like okoume, rosewood, or maple
• They all have headstocks that house their tuning pegs

Conclusion – Who’s the Winner?

By carefully analyzing all the guitars I have listed here, I have come to a conclusion of which I would label the winner. I did put a lot of things into consideration. Things like tonal quality, playability, price, intonation, and every other important factor. But I did take one thing seriously. And that is the simple fact that although ¾ guitars are suitable for every kind of player, regardless of age or skill level, the truth remains that a vast majority of players who would use these types of guitars are kids of age 7 – 12 and beginner players. Putting this into consideration, I give the winning trophy to the Fender FA-15 3/4 Scale Kids Steel String guitar. This guitar wins because it comes with everything a beginner player would need to kick start playing. It also has a pretty decent tone considering the price. Also, considering the fact that others might want a ¾ guitar for quite some different reasons, I would also recommend and give a medal to the Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar NOS – 3-Tone Sunburst. This also is quite an amazing ¾ guitar that suits all kinds of needs. It doesn’t matter if you have small hands or want to get one for your kid or just wish to get a ¾ guitar, the Fender Kurt Cobain will also get you covered.