cafe member with guitar question

[craig]

[place mandolin content here]

my niece wants a (uh, hum) guitar for her birthday. she's going to be 8 (a small 8). can anyone offer advice as to a quality starter for her?

i looked in some guitar forums, but the topic doesn't seem to come up. so i turned to the community i'm most familiar with, you guys.

craig

[Steve Hinde]

I would take a look at a baby Taylor, Baby Martin, or about any Parlor size guitar for her. All depends on the $$. I would not suggest a cheap $100 Walmart guitar. You need stuctural integrity, accuracy in intonation and something that will stay is tune. This is a must if learning is serious. Expect some bumps and dings.

Steve

[mr51]

There are quite a few smaller size guitars out there to choose from, but like mandolins, they vary in overall quality and sound. #

As someone who enjoys plinking on a guitar, I really like the small size guitars. #Most major builders offer student or travel size guitars, but prices vary greatly. #

Martin makes a small travel guitar, not the "backpacker", but a regular guitar. #The model is the LX series. #There are 4 or 5 models to choose from, starting at $249 (street price) which includes a nice TKL gig bag. #I have the LMX model. #It has the great Martin quality, but the sound is a little disappointing. But it is great for beginners.

You may want to look at a Seagull Grand Parlor. #It is a little bigger than the 3/4 size student guitar, but still a good size for child. #Seagull guitars are excellent instruments. #Well made, and great tone/sound. #With case, you are looking at around $380.

Another small 3/4 size guitar that I highly recommend is the Greg Bennett Signature line from Samick. #I recently bought one for myself to play some blues licks on, and love it. #It is a well made little guitar, with solid spruce top. #The sound/tone equals that of many $500 to $600 guitars that I have played. #There are 3 or 4 in the Samick line, but the TT-65 is what I have and would recommend. #I think I paid around $200 for it, which includes the case. #

Below are a few links for you to look at.

http://www.seagullguitars.com/productgrand.htm
#
http://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/choosing/size.php?z=p

http://www.samickguitar.com/tt65.html

[Jim Broyles]

This (http://www.thatllteachyou.com/smallsizeguitars/) might help.

[Santiago]

How about a Uke for starters?

[steve in tampa]

The Martin LMX is a nice guitar for under 300. Made in Mexico from composites/laminates it sounds suprisingly good, and is durable. Comes with a nice gigbag.

The Taylor Baby series are nice also, but don't have the bottom end the Martin does.

[Steve L]

I like the Seagull Grand myself, but even it may be too much for an 8 year old. When I worked in music retail, we would sometimes buy Lone Star requintos and use them as small guitars for kids. Just stay with nylon strings and they would work and be relatively cheap.

[elvisdog]

yeah, or the $99 mini-strat with some horrible little modeling amp like the Vox pathfinder (actually, people claim to like these) may set her on the path to perdition. my daughter just turned 13 & she's loved hers, though she graduated to electric bass when she went to the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls.

[mandogrrl]

I got my daughter a baby Ovation. She graduated to an electric. I think the baby Taylors are nice.

[ShaneJ]

My daughter has a Baby Taylor. It's a decent guitar. I liked its sound and playablility better than a couple of Martins I played. Not a great deal of difference really. Probably was just set up better in the store. I've since adjusted the nut and saddle a bit more. Put light guage strings on it, and it's very easy to fret.

[otterly2k]

Baby Taylors are pretty good, but I'd go with that little Martin LMX. It has an excellent gigbag, and because it's made of laminates, it is virtually indestructable, doesn't scratch, etc. It sounds surprisingly good for being a laminate and would make a great starter guitar. I'd also highly recommend the L'arrivee parlour guitar...it costs a bit more, and is a little bigger, but is all solid wood (spruce/mahogany)... Either of those or the Baby Taylor would make an excellent starter, depending on whatever your other considerations are.
KE

[mario515]

I'd go with the the Martin LXM, I bought one for my daughter and I looked at the Taylor's and the Larrivee Parlors, those parlors are sweet but definatly not for inexperienced little ones(way too fragile) and the taylors are good but I liked the tank like qualities of the LXM and they sound good enough and thats my 2 cents

[Dennis Schubert]

Besides what's already been mentioned...

I played a Canadian-made parlor guitar by "Art & Lutherie" that was quite nice for the price. Had a black top, but they come in different colors. Went back to buy it the next day and it was already gone. Around $250 as as I recall, and made primarily from cherry wood.

May not be small enough, but the Blueridge OOO/OM knockoffs (the models that end in "3") are awfully nice. For a small-sized beginner, I would probably tune it 2 frets low, and slap on a capo at the 2nd fret to reduce the scale length & string tension.

[Tom C]

Get her a mandolin and tell her it's a guitar. Usually people that age will believe what I say. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[mr51]

Besides what's already been mentioned...

I played a Canadian-made parlor guitar by "Art & Lutherie" that was quite nice for the price. Had a black top, but they come in different colors. Went back to buy it the next day and it was already gone. Around $250 as as I recall, and made primarily from cherry wood.
Art and Lutherie guitars are built by the same company who produces Seagull, Godin, and Simon & Patrick guitars. #They all are very nice quality guitars for the money. #The only down side to them, if there is one, if the cedar top. #They produce a nice warm mellow tone, but cedar wood is soft so it can't be beat around like a spruce top guitar. #But, you won't find a better guitar for the money. #

In an earlier post, in mentioned the Seagull Grand Parlor. #Last night I compaired the parlor sized guitar to a 3/4 size student size guitar. #The bodies are almost identical in size, the neck on the Seagull is about three inches longer. #

One thing I have noticed over at that auction site; Seagull guitars seem to carry a good resale value should the guitar not work out for her.

Just ran across this, great price.

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Art-Lutherie-New-Ami-Solid-Cedar-Top-Black-Parlor_W0QQitemZ7393351461QQcategoryZ2385QQrdZ1
QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/Art-Lut....iewItem</a>

[tremolo jones]

I would echo the endorsement of the Little Martin and add the following -

I used to work for the laminate company that makes the material for these guitars. I got to know several folks at Martin in the development of the product, and they are fine people and very, very, good at what they do. There is a lot of sound research behind those guitars, and it shows in the product quality and the price point. A lot of folks think that because the guitar is made from laminate, a "man-made" material, that inconsistency caused by materials will be eliminated. While this material is more uniform than, say wood, I found that these instruments can vary. There are some good ones, and there are some better ones. There is no substitute for trying out a few before you purchase.

For the record, other than staying in touch on a personal level with a few folks from my past, I have no business or financial interest in Martin, the laminate company, or any venture in the music industry. I take that back - I have developed MAS and seem to be supporting a few businesses in the music industry.

[rlw]

The Martin LMX is a nice guitar for under 300. Made in Mexico from composites/laminates it sounds suprisingly good, and is durable. Comes with a nice gigbag.

The Taylor Baby series are nice also, but don't have the bottom end the Martin does.
I've got to second this vote for the little Martin. A great little 3/4. Great to use anywhere since it is mostly plastic
and it sounds better than the baby Taylor better bass response. I keep one on my sailboat all summer long the moisture has never effected it.

[mandroid]

finger friendly nylon string, classical guitars are made in in fractions
like violins. 1/2, 3/4,7/8 etc.
may be better to start on than steel strings.
heck, I know adults that quit, stop playing before the fingertips adapt to steel strings..
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[otterly2k]

should be ok if you use light strings...

[epicentre]

Yamaha Jr.

Small enough, good quality, adjustable truss rod,(you will probably never use it) spruce top, neck not too wide for little hands,

About $150.00. She will pass it down to her kids. They are good quality. Lifetime warranty. Yammie dealers are not hard to find.

OK,,,,,,,,soon as those shares go up another $5.00, I'm sellin http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif