Best Guitar for Kids?

Hello! 

My 10 years old son is stubborn to get an electric guitar. I showed him some little guitars, but he wants the regular one that artists use. I found these electric guitars, but their price is near $500. Is there any Yamaha regular size guitar or Fender that would be available at $300? 

Or any other place where I will able to buy used guitars?

This message was last edited by CodyCobey on 12/01/2019.

Are there any Pawn Shops near you

Try car boot sale, but don't expect original purchase receipt.

electric guitars are easier to play but you're tied to an amp then. There's a music shop in Murcia who have a yamaha section...I'm sure you'll find on google. Profonic in Cartagena doesn't have yamaha section but they buid and repair guitars so might be worth a shot (it's next to the railway station) I'd go for an easy to play acoustic like the yamaha fg700...about 200 euros

I bought an electric guitar to give my nephew on his birthday. It's excellent and soft to play.

If your boy wants to learn it's far better to use a cheap "Spanish" guitar so he can learn a full range of chords.  If he learns on an electric guitar he is likely to be limited to bar cords and be distracted by all the gadgets, amplification, distortion etc rather that learn the basics.

You can pick up a good Spanish acoustic for £50 - offer him a Fender Strat or whatever in a year, once he's proved it's not just a phase!

If you go that route make sure that the neck is not bent.  Some warp so that the gap between the frets and the strings is too large and difficult to play.

Probably not the advice sought, but you might save yourself £500 or more!  And a Spanish acoustic is likely to be more acceptable to your neighbours.

A good quality electric guitar is always saleable.   If he does not take to it you can sell it on.  

Of course, but with an electric guitar you need a lot of kit also - amp, speakers, pedals with a few boxes of tricks.   This all adds up to many hundreds of pounds and you'll likely to lose a bit on what may be a fad. 

However if you buy a simple acoustic for £50 your maximum loss is £50.

To all replying to the original poster. This was put on in January.....adamhenry always keeps replying to random posts for some peculiar reason, probably long after the original poster has sorted their issues....

I would disagree about getting a spanish guitar for a beginner. Fretboard is wider and you have to stretch your fingers more. Holding down the chords on a spanish takes much more effort. You have to press harder.  Also strumming on plastic strings does not produce the sound that you get on a steel stringed acoustic or electric and a learner is going to do more strumming than picking. Finally any guitar that costs 50 euros will be pretty crap.

It's very sad when folk resort to using bad language to try to make a point, an erroneous one at that.

One of the joys of every parent is that their kid asks for a musical instrument, most especially if the parent is musically inclined. If you don't want to pass through the stress of testing waters I would advise you to check this post for the best beginner guitar for kids here

I would only get a fender and I would love this one -  https://www.bestfreestuff.co.uk/free-fender-electric-guitar/

This message was last edited by meanjean on 5/5/2022.

I think the best guitar for a kid would be a 3/4 one, not too big and good to keep after when grown up

Out of curiosity I looked in on this post, the oringinal poster asked the question in 2019, newest post May 2022, and to make it even more laughable that person is asking from Miami Florida, plus talking in Dollars, so it seems, personally I would think if you cant buy a decent known make of guitar in the U.S of A, no chance anywhere else.

Cheaper the better and maybe 3/4 size if you can find it. Smaller fret is easier to learn on probably for a kid and you don't want to spend a lot of somethng that may just be a passing fancy. If they stick to it, then you can upgrade. 

I agree with Acer. But, if only an electric one will do, then that is what he must have. Have a look on ebay. you might be able to pick up both!

Having destroyed my mothers portable radio using it as an amp I soon got an acoustic one when I was young.

Be careful about what music you buy if you are tempted. Someone bought me Bert Weedon and nearly put me off for ever. (Not that there was anything wrong with Bert but I would not have been seen dead with his music!).

Bert Weedon!  A blast from the past!  Never quite sure why his stuff was so popular - I think my Mum gave me one of his tutorials which I've probably still got amongst the far more used sheet music from the Stones, Beatles, Black Sabbath et al.

You're right tteedd, after learning the basics on a Spanish acoustic I bought an electric which was a lot more fun and spent many happy Sunday afternoons upsetting the neighbours with a few friends.  We tried to mask the lack of musical talent by being loud with extreme levels of distortion - Bert Weedon would have also been appalled.

For sure it's "horses for course" it doesn't do any harm to learn the chords to a few tunes.  In my mind this is best done on an acoustic.  But you soon find out if you have any musical ability, perhaps enough to spend larger amounts of money to go electric.   I did anyway and don't begrudge that, it was good fun.

Bert Weedon.....John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Brian May, Pete Townshend, Sting, Mike Oldfield, Mike Read, John Miles, Steve Hillage, plus many more, all learnt from him........Bit like Marmite I suppose, 'Love it or Hate it.

I don't think Bert Weedon did tab. I learnt from Stefan Grossman. "How to Play blues guitar!  It was originally an LP with a tab book but that later became a video with same. I would recommend it