Decent kid's electric?

[FrankenFretter]

I plan on getting my fiancee's daughter an electric guitar in the near future, and I'd like to get her something that doesn't suck. Her Luna acoustic leaves a lot to be desired, and I think I'll avoid that brand in the future.

Who here has experience with some kid sized guitars and would like to share good or bad experiences? Your input, as always, is appreciated.

I'd like to avoid paying more that about $150, since she'll outgrow it in a few years anyway. Hey, I'm not cheap, I'm frugal. ;-)

[Eric]

I don't have much experience with anything good, but I will say to stay away from the 36" mail-order guitar I had when I was younger. Let's just say it wasn't the best ever.

[Jx2]

I bought my son a Majesto V in school bus yellow. Doesnt sound that bad when you can keep it in tune. He doesnt play it much but then again he's only 4. He will plug into his amp from time to time and jam along with me though.

Ive thought if I was to get him another if he took more of a intrest Id look into a ministrat.
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Mini-Strat-Electric-Guitar?sku=510421

If you want a acoustic how about......
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Martin-LXM-Little-Martin-Acoustic-Guitar?sku=515880
Little more money but its not just a beginner its a traveler.

[Bloozcat]

Just how old is she, FrankenFretter?

Would it be worth it to buy her a full size guitar so that she doesn't outgrow it in a couple of years? Or, is she so small that she couldn't handle a full size?

Try looking into some of the SX guitars at Rondo. The $100.00 SST with 2-P90's I got from them is way more than just a crappy $100.00 guitar.

Edit to add: Ok, here's a 3/4 scale guitar/amp package that even a cheapskate like you can afford @ $99.95...:poke
http://www.rondomusic.com/rst34bk.html

**Or**

If you wanted to go just guitar @ $79.95:
http://www.rondomusic.com/hawkse3ts.html

[aeolian]

Several years ago I bought a Jay Jr (made by Jay Turser) which is a 3/4 size guitar hoping my children would be interested in learning, but they never did. I did, however, found the guitar to be very nice to play. When I first got it the neck angle was a bit off. I shimmed it with a thin pick in the neck pocket and then the guitar had excellent action. The guitar was intonable, and the tuning keys actually held tune very well, and the maple neck was very nice to play on. Although my kids did not play it I actually played it quite often. The negative on my guitar was the pickup, which sounded muddy. I sold off this guitar earlier this year since my children are big enough to play a regular guitar (if they even want to). The Jay Jr I sold is this one:

http://home.comcast.net/~kitn13/photos/jr_mini.jpg

I looked for Jay Jr on the web and after some effort found this:

http://www.musiclandcentral.com/jaytu34siste.html

I don't know if this has the same neck or tuners, and this has 3 single coils versus my old one with a humbucker. All I can say is that my experience with the Jay Jr is positive.

[Heywood Jablomie]

I'm continually pleased with my Squier Affinity Strat, and they're often available used for as little as $75 (Mine was approximately $50, but I had to replace the pots and switch). Nicely made, comfortable to hold, easy to play, not too heavy.

[Duffy]

It matters how old and how big the kid is as to what guitar to recommend or get.

A lot of people think that if the kid is like 10 or a larger kid at a younger age, that you should avoid so called, "kid" sized guitars. Obviously if the kid is five years old a small sized guitar would be good.

The reason many say you should get a kid a full sized guitar if the kid is of the right age, size, is that the necks are standard size the fret hand coordination and muscle memory develops correctly. When a kid starts out on a small guitar the coordination and muscle memory will not transfer directly over to a full sized guitar and this can make for a new learning curve and be a stumbling block, but not insurmountable. The kid can still learn basic chords and scales, but will have to adapt them to a full sized guitar later.

I would say that a Squire mini strat would be a very good guitar and not too expensive from MF, no affln, or elsewhere, if you want a small guitar. Another child's guitar is the Epiphone Les Paul Junior, now popularly used by many adults but originally designed as a Gibson student guitar. The Les Paul Jr. is a single humbucker equipped guitar in its present Epiphone form available from any of the online retailers and would probably make a great kids guitar.

If the kid is large enough to handle a full sized guitar, rondomusic.com, no affln., has a couple black Agile AL 2000 Les Paul copies of excellent construction currently on sale for 175 dollars. One has a slim neck profile that might be good for a kid but a regular neck profile has plenty of room on the fretboard for finger placement without your fingers getting in the way of each other. These are excellent guitars and are probably better built than most of the Les Paul copy immitations costing two or three times as much. These Agile AL 2000's have dual chrome covered humbuckers of good quality and are layed out like a Gibson Les Paul with controls and general layout, with some minor design differences, mostly imperceptible to the average person.

Then of course is the amp. For around a hundred dollars you can get a real good amp, like the VOX Pathfinder 15R for 119 at places like musciansfriend.com. Or a really cool battery or wall current operated VOX DA5 small modeling amp with lots of great amp models and great effects that are highly adjustable, plus it has a microphone input with a separate volume control so your kid can sing along or someone else can sing along while the kid plays. Very cool for 139 dollars at MF or elsewhere. Uses 6 "C" cell batteries for 30 hours on a camping trip or whatever and has a switch to change the power output from 5 watts, to 2.5 or 0.5 watts. It is a super great amp.

These are just some of my ideas and hopefully you will find them of some use in making your decision as to what is best.

I would avoid really low quality off brand name guitars and amps that will probably cost you as much as a Squire or Agile, or even a Vox. This is the golden age of guitars and amps and there are great inexpensive ones available, as was never before possible historically; because these excellently made guitars are mass produced in modern factories using robotics and computer controlled machine tools. Very consistent and high quality guitars are continuously turned out and competition among companies is very strong, keeping the quality high and the prices low, in most cases.

[FrankenFretter]

Thanks, folks. She's nine, and small for her age. I think it's going to have to be a smaller guitar for her. The mini-Strat gets consistently good reviews, although I was kind of hoping for something really simple (one pickup, one volume). She saw the Daisy Rock kids' guitars and is now almost obsessed with them. If the mini Strat is going to be a better guitar (or an SX for that matter), then she'll just have to live without a butterfly guitar.

I own two SXs, a Douglas, and an Agile AL3000, so I'm quite familiar with Rondo, and had in fact thought of them first when I was starting to seriously look for a smaller electric.

Amphs: I have several small amps that she can use, so that's not an issue. I'm thinking about giving her my Vox Pathfinder 10 for her starter amph.

[Bloozcat]

Ding, ding, ding, ding....

We could have a winner here, folks!

The features you asked for, a fantastic price @ $69.95, and it looks like it comes with the old, more attractive headstock!

Well, what do you think?
http://www.rondomusic.net/photos/electric/sst34sewhite1.jpg

http://www.rondomusic.com/product2202.html

[FrankenFretter]

Ding, ding, ding, ding....

We could have a winner here, folks!

The features you asked for, a fantastic price @ $69.95, and it looks like it comes with the old, more attractive headstock!

Well, what do you think?
http://www.rondomusic.net/photos/electric/sst34sewhite1.jpg

http://www.rondomusic.com/product2202.html

That's actually the one that caught my eye, BC. I just wish it was a hardtail, but I guess I can just not tell her about the whammy until she gets the hang of playing. Too bad Kurt doesn't have one in purple...

[NWBasser]

The kid that I'm teaching has a Laguna. I'm not impressed with it.

The intonation is more than a bit funky.

SX is probably a good choice as you well know.

[marnold]

Another idea is to get a regular sized guitar and a capo. Use the capo (say, on the sixth fret) to eliminate the long reach to fret a chord. As the child grows, move or remove the capo. I suggested the sixth fret because then there's still going to be a fret marker at the ninth fret like there would normally be at the third fret.

[syo]

I've seen (but not played) the Daisy Rocks at trade shows. They looked pretty good. Decent hardware and all. Looked on ebay and saw some new short scale models that fit the high end of your budget (buterfly model included). Probably with any guitar of this level though, you should play it before buying. Although if you are adept at doing fairly simple fretwork (leveling primarily) you'd probably be ok buying onlne. Guitars on this level seem to most often suffer from unleveled, poorly dressed frets.

[FrankenFretter]

I've seen (but not played) the Daisy Rocks at trade shows. They looked pretty good. Decent hardware and all. Looked on ebay and saw some new short scale models that fit the high end of your budget (buterfly model included). Probably with any guitar of this level though, you should play it before buying. Although if you are adept at doing fairly simple fretwork (leveling primarily) you'd probably be ok buying onlne. Guitars on this level seem to most often suffer from unleveled, poorly dressed frets.

Thanks for the advice, Syo. I've never done any fret work. I'm not saying that I can't learn it, but that would mean more tools...

I've had pretty good luck with the stuff from Rondo. Leaning that way at the moment, but it's still going to be a while before I'm ready to buy.

[deeaa]

The kid that I'm teaching has a Laguna. I'm not impressed with it.

The intonation is more than a bit funky.

SX is probably a good choice as you well know.

Why not fix the intonation, then? Takes 10 minutes?

[Duffy]

I like that strat copy from Rondo with one humbucker.

Why not tape it off and spray paint it purple? Sand it with some very fine fine sandpaper or steel wool and just spray it with some cans of spray paint from an auto paint store. It would be high quality spray paint, maybe even urethane spray or something like that that will dry hard, designed for touching up cars. Very durable. Go slow, several thin coats. Avoid orange peel and drip.

I like hot rodded guitars but haven't painted any yet. I've relic'd one; never thought I'd do that but my son's friends scratched and dinged up my cherry burst Squier strat deluxe and I decided to use my palm sander to sand out the dents and ugly scratches. Now it has sanded off patches that look real good and I have given the bare wood patches coats of linseed oil to seal the body from moisture, wiping off all the excess oil. Looks great and I then put in a set of "Fat 50's" Fender pickups and it sounds really great. I really like the fat fifties. Next some EMG active single coil noiseless or some other strat noiseless in another strat.

[ZMAN]

With all that extra pickguard she could put lots of colorful stickers on it. To personalize it. The white is a good choice. What are you going to do about the rest of the gear she will need. Like an amp etc.?

[FrankenFretter]

With all that extra pickguard she could put lots of colorful stickers on it. To personalize it. The white is a good choice. What are you going to do about the rest of the gear she will need. Like an amp etc.?

Yeah, she does love putting stickers on things. Had to tell her not to put them on walls and doors just this weekend.

I have all the other stuff she needs: I have a Vox Pathfinder 10, and also a Peavey Royal 8, if she feels the need for a tube amph. I have tons of picks, and enough cords to go around. All I need is a kid-sized guitar. It might end up being her Christmas present.

[Katastrophe]

My stepdaughter (13), every once and a while, will ask me to show her some stuff on guitar. We got to talking about her likes / dislikes in music, and it looks like she wants to learn bass.

Took her to a couple music stores in my area and let her try a few out. She loved it. Big grin on her face when I showed her a simple I - IV - V bass line and played a rhythm over it. It took all of ten minutes to get her playing.

Long story short, she'll be getting a bass this Christmas, a short scale one, from Rondo. They have bass packs really cheap.

Hopefully, this'll start a lifetime of learning on an instrument that is easy to get started on, but takes a lifetime to master!

So, the moral of this multiparagraph tale is, don't count out bass guitar, too!

[FrankenFretter]

My stepdaughter (13), every once and a while, will ask me to show her some stuff on guitar. We got to talking about her likes / dislikes in music, and it looks like she wants to learn bass.

Took her to a couple music stores in my area and let her try a few out. She loved it. Big grin on her face when I showed her a simple I - IV - V bass line and played a rhythm over it. It took all of ten minutes to get her playing.

Long story short, she'll be getting a bass this Christmas, a short scale one, from Rondo. They have bass packs really cheap.

Hopefully, this'll start a lifetime of learning on an instrument that is easy to get started on, but takes a lifetime to master!

So, the moral of this multiparagraph tale is, don't count out bass guitar, too!

I'd love for her to play bass. Unfortunately, she has these tiny little hands, and not a whole lot of finger strength (yet). Maybe in a couple years, though.

[syo]

Hey Sean, If you'd like, I would be happy to do a little looking around for you at the Shanghai Music Fair next week. I can't guarantee anything but chances are pretty good that I could find you something decent for considerably less than you'd pay over there. Most of the middle to top Chinese manufacturers will be there along with some from Korea. I can get you pictures, prices (manufacturer's sample prices) and even try some out for you. I know most of the makers so I have a good idea of who to visit. Just let me know.

[FrankenFretter]

Hey Sean, If you'd like, I would be happy to do a little looking around for you at the Shanghai Music Fair next week. I can't guarantee anything but chances are pretty good that I could find you something decent for considerably less than you'd pay over there. Most of the middle to top Chinese manufacturers will be there along with some from Korea. I can get you pictures, prices (manufacturer's sample prices) and even try some out for you. I know most of the makers so I have a good idea of who to visit. Just let me know.

Syo, you are far too kind. That would be awesome, if you don't mind. At least I'd have a better idea of what's available.

Thank you!

[syo]

No problem at all Sean. I've picked up a cello for my daughter and violins for a niece and nephew over there. All excellent instruments. I'll see if I can't find something suitable for your daughter.

[NWBasser]

I'd love for her to play bass. Unfortunately, she has these tiny little hands, and not a whole lot of finger strength (yet). Maybe in a couple years, though.

The Ibanez short-scale micro bass would probably be pretty easy to play if set up right. I'm not sure that bass takes any more finger strength than guitar. I think the main ergonomic consideration is that even a short-scale bass is longer than a comparable guitar.

I'd think that playing notes on a bass would require less strength than chords on a guitar.

Unfortunately, if you went with a bass, then you'd have to get an amph for it.

Hmmm, that may be a good thing though since you'd have a bass amph around if you ever got a bass for yourself.

Maybe play some bass-heavy recordings to see if she likes the sound of it.

[FrankenFretter]

The Ibanez short-scale micro bass would probably be pretty easy to play if set up right. I'm not sure that bass takes any more finger strength than guitar. I think the main ergonomic consideration is that even a short-scale bass is longer than a comparable guitar.

I'd think that playing notes on a bass would require less strength than chords on a guitar.

Unfortunately, if you went with a bass, then you'd have to get an amph for it.

Hmmm, that may be a good thing though since you'd have a bass amph around if you ever got a bass for yourself.

Maybe play some bass-heavy recordings to see if she likes the sound of it.

I'll play her the intro from Barney Miller...

[sunvalleylaw]

Late to this thread, and from skimming, it looks like you made your decision. I will just throw in that Santa picked up one of those "Fullerton ST-3" Strat copies http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?t=2957 that got sold inexpensively a couple years ago for my son, who was then 10. He was not a big kid, and it worked for him. He already had a smaller scale S-101 acoustic at that time.

[FrankenFretter]

Late to this thread, and from skimming, it looks like you made your decision. I will just throw in that Santa picked up one of those "Fullerton ST-3" Strat copies http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?t=2957 that got sold inexpensively a couple years ago for my son, who was then 10. He was not a big kid, and it worked for him. He already had a smaller scale S-101 acoustic at that time.

It looks like nobody carries those anymore. Thanks anyway, Steve. I'm still open minded about choices. So far the SX seems to be the best choice, but I still have time to do some looking around.

[sunvalleylaw]

Yeah, you would have to find a used one. But basically, it is a strat. An SX will be fine, and I would not worry about getting a full size. They grow quickly!

Here Derek is rocking his Fullerton two summers ago.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w92/sunvalleylaw/P1010374.jpg

[Jx2]

I dont think they are available yet, but I got a email from Epiphone Blog yesterday showing the soon to be released Epiphone Zakk Wylde "Zakk Pakk"

Here's a link, depending on the price point I might try to pick one of these up for my 4 year old.

http://epiphone.com/blog/

[FrankenFretter]

I dont think they are available yet, but I got a email from Epiphone Blog yesterday showing the soon to be released Epiphone Zakk Wylde "Zakk Pakk"

Here's a link, depending on the price point I might try to pick one of these up for my 4 year old.

http://epiphone.com/blog/

Interesting. She loves my LPs, so that might be an option, depending on the price point. She's a sucker for the cherry burst, though.

[syo]

Hey Sean.
Today was the first day of the Music China Fair in Shanghai. I spent a bit of time walking the floor looking for things on my list and came across a few child-sized guitars. There were actually not as many options as I thought I might see but then it is not something I usually deal with.

I did check out three from three different makers. All were strat patterns and only one had just one pickup. The other two were 3 single coils. Prices ranged from $24-$57. The $57 is from a maker I know and his instruments are pretty reliable. I should imagine that shipping to the states would run another $50 or so.

I having seen everything yet, so I'll send you specific info of what I found after the show. Is it alright if I email you?

[FrankenFretter]

Hey Sean.
Today was the first day of the Music China Fair in Shanghai. I spent a bit of time walking the floor looking for things on my list and came across a few child-sized guitars. There were actually not as many options as I thought I might see but then it is not something I usually deal with.

I did check out three from three different makers. All were strat patterns and only one had just one pickup. The other two were 3 single coils. Prices ranged from $24-$57. The $57 is from a maker I know and his instruments are pretty reliable. I should imagine that shipping to the states would run another $50 or so.

I having seen everything yet, so I'll send you specific info of what I found after the show. Is it alright if I email you?


Thank you, Syo.

Yes, email would be great. I'll PM you with info.

[NWBasser]

Yeah, you would have to find a used one. But basically, it is a strat. An SX will be fine, and I would not worry about getting a full size. They grow quickly!

Here Derek is rocking his Fullerton two summers ago.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w92/sunvalleylaw/P1010374.jpg

That's a pretty cool guitar SVL. I wish my son had some interest in music.

I see a Darkstar'd jazz bass, but what bass is he playing?

It looks like a sweet one.

[sunvalleylaw]

Hey NW, your son may come around to in interest in time. As far as the bass, that was being played by the instructor at the camp my son had attended. He is no longer around. I am not sure what bass that is he is playing.

[SemiHollow]

Craigslist is my personal go-to for cheap deals. I've bought and sold a ton on there.