Buying Your Child's
First Guitar

There are loads of ways to introduce your child to the guitar. But what do you get for them? Even the youngest budding rockers probably want a badass guitar with a high price-tag, but that's sadly not realistic for a 6-year-old! What you’ll be happy to know is that there are lots of great beginner instruments out there, and getting an inspiring guitar for your kid is just as much about finding something that is as comfortable as it is affordable.

We’ve therefore recommended a few different guitar types, from traditional classical and acoustic guitars to rock-ready electrics and basses. Before you start looking at the options though, it’s worth remembering that we sell many guitars separately; meaning that you can cherry-pick cool accessories to go with one, like a colourful strap or cable. However, we do of course offer starter packs and bundles too — which include the instrument and a curated selection of beginner essentials!

For a lot of younger students and beginners, it's often recommended to start with a nylon string guitar. These instruments are ideal for new players as their soft strings are less abrasive on the fingers than the steel strings you’d find on conventional acoustic guitars, meaning that your child won’t be put off by pain while they learn. Classical guitars also have wider string spacing, which helps with handling the neck and learning how to accurately fret notes.

There’s also a lot of variety when it comes to classical guitar proportions, with ½, ¾ and full-sized options. This means that they cater nicely for different ages. We’d advise the following guitar sizes for these age groups:

• Ages 4-7: 1/2 Size
• Ages 8-11: 3/4 Size
• Ages 12+: Full Size

While the softer strings on classical guitars are better-suited for young fingers, we can understand how some children may not be interested in those instruments — especially as they’re more synonymous with older styles of music. Acoustic guitars will probably resonate better with aspiring players, as they can be heard in all kinds of contemporary music!

Although the somewhat abrasive metal strings can make the first couple of weeks of playing quite uncomfortable, your child will start to develop calluses on their fingertips with practice, and eventually gain more finger strength and confidence. Acoustic guitars can also come in different sizes, with mini/travel-sized acoustics particularly popular — even with adults.

There are lots of reputable brands that make affordable beginner acoustic guitars. EastCoast instruments are particularly good, offering incredible value for money. Fender and Epiphone also produce a variety of starter acoustic guitars — with cool finishes to boot! Some entry-level acoustic guitars can also feature electronics which allow you to amplify them through speaker systems. These are known as 'electro-acoustic guitars', and they're great if your child wants to perform at school recitals.

Not many parents are keen for their child to learn on an electric guitar, mostly for fear of the noise! However, there are many reasons why it can be a good idea. For example, if your child is getting into rock and metal music then an electric guitar will allow them to emulate their musical heroes much better than on a classical or acoustic guitar. This could be the difference between keeping them engaged with learning guitar or becoming quickly disinterested.

Like with classicals and acoustics though, there are lots of fantastic beginner electric guitars out there from some very respected brands. EastCoast are a solid choice, with their guitars boasting a mix of classic and modern shapes and featuring versatile electronics. This means that your child can get a range of different sounds from their guitar, allowing them to explore various musical genres.

Bass guitars are also viable for beginners and children — especially if they’re keen to learn something a bit different! Basses are tuned an ‘octave’ lower than guitars, meaning that they produce a cool, deep sound that pairs well with drums to form a rhythm section. Most basses feature only 4 strings too, so they can be slightly easier to get to grips with.

The only drawback with bass guitars is that they feature a longer neck ‘scale length’, to compensate for their strings that are tuned much lower than regular guitars. This means that their frets are spaced further apart, which can make stretches more difficult. We’d therefore recommend basses for older children, but you can buy ‘short-scale’ basses that are more suitable for smaller hands.

Yes, ukuleles! These are particularly great for younger children as they’re very small and feature only 4 strings. Their strings are also made from nylon, meaning that they’re very soft and forgiving on the fingers. Another great thing about Ukuleles is that they’re really affordable, so can be great for gauging whether your child will be interested in learning on a bigger classical, acoustic, electric or bass guitar at a later stage.

There are a lot of cool options to choose from too, with many brands painting their ukuleles with vibrant colours that’ll appeal more strongly to children! Mahalo make some of the best entry-level ukuleles on the market and are very inexpensive, but Fender make ukes too — so you know that they’ll be well-made!

While the guitar is the most important part to consider, it's worth thinking about what accessories your kid may need. To begin with — a tuner, a gig bag and a spare set of strings are vital!

A tuner, as the name suggests, will help your child keep their instrument in tune, while a gig bag will keep their guitar safe when taking it to school or lessons. Finally, a spare set of strings can be useful as after a while strings become stretched out and dull, and either need tuning more frequently or just sound bad. Strings can also snap if overturned or bent too far, so being able to switch a string out without a trip to your local music store is always handy!