Members tosky Posted August 9, 2005 Members Share Posted August 9, 2005 i am a very beginer. i only played 10 days with my roomate's guitar, which is rebuilt from a very old gibson folk one. the problem for me is that i am very short (5'), so you can imagine how short my arms are and small my hands lol now i'm looking for an acoustic guitar about 100~300(used is fine too). i read some threads here and got interested in like seagull s6+, washburnD10s, and art & lutherie, or little martin? but i have no idea how big they will be. which one is better for me? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JasmineTea Posted August 9, 2005 Members Share Posted August 9, 2005 Well, the usual response is: Head out and play as many as you can. The Seaguls and Art and Luthiers I've played all had big necks. But I don't hangout in that part of the store too much. Welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members peppy Posted August 9, 2005 Members Share Posted August 9, 2005 Taylor Big Baby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members egordon99 Posted August 9, 2005 Members Share Posted August 9, 2005 Don't let your size dissuade you! I'm 5'1" with small hands and I have NO problems playing a full sized dreadnaught, or even wide (1 3/4" at the nut) fingerboards. With that said, I do prefer playing smaller bodied guitars, such as Martin's 00 or 000/OM sized. Honestly, I would try to get started on a "full sized" guitar rather than a Baby guitar (little Martin/Baby Taylor/etc...) because you don't want to learn on a little guitar and then have problems moving up. If you learn on a full size guitar, you'll be able to play on pretty much anything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zookie Posted August 9, 2005 Members Share Posted August 9, 2005 Agree you shouldn't assume anything based on your height. I'm 5'3" and play a Takamine 12-string. For open position chording on most acoustics you don't need large hands. Chords are, generally, grouped in one area of the fretboard or they make use of open string sounds to bridge the gap between fingered positions. While neck length and width are something to consider, or more importance will be body style. I find that after playing a dreadnought for a couple of hours while gigging my arms are aching. Go with a slimmer body and you should be fine. The trade-off is the guitar won't be as loud as, say, a dread. Just head to your local store and try out all the guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UGB Posted August 9, 2005 Members Share Posted August 9, 2005 From Alvarez the RF series. From Art & Lutherie check out the Folk model and the Ami model. From Blueridge look into a BR-43 or a BR-63. From Cort the Earth 73. From Taylor the Big Baby Taylor. From Walden the G570. From Washburn the F-10S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John Bartus Posted August 9, 2005 Members Share Posted August 9, 2005 The Breedlove Atlas concert size 6-strings have a small body and narrow nut width, and they're great guitars at a real reasonable price. Personally, I like their dreads and jumbos, but then I'm a big guy with short fingers... YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members peppy Posted August 9, 2005 Members Share Posted August 9, 2005 Originally posted by peppy Taylor Big Baby. Which is not as small as people think. Many people think it's a 3/4 size guitar... not...it's 15/16 size. Decent, fairly big sound too for what it is and its price. I'm not a Taylor fan, I'm a Santa Cruz player, so I really do like the Big Baby if I am recommending it....normally I don't recommend Taylor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeGreatOne Posted August 10, 2005 Members Share Posted August 10, 2005 As others have suggested, try a lot of guitars at guitar stores.That's the best way to find one that fits you!Get one with a narrow neck if you have a small hand, as it will allow you to form chords easier.Also consider a narrower bodied guitar for comfort.Ovation makes some neat 3/4 sized nylon string guitars that sound terrific.Sometimes the shape of the guitar can make a difference.A relatively small upper bout (body near the neck) can make a big bottomed guitar much easier to hold.You can play any guitar you want to play, but some WILL FEEL better, so try a number of guitars before you buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members marekk Posted August 10, 2005 Members Share Posted August 10, 2005 there are alot of decent to great starter type guitars out there now a days. usually starter/beginner instruments are made "almost like" their more expensive family members, but with less of their appointments and features. i have found taylors and martins necks great for smaller hands/fingers. especially the 100 & 200 series taylors have 1 11/16 nut widths and many martins too. i recently shopped for an under $1000 flattop. There were so many nice instruments it was hard to decide. Even the real low ends had good playable actions, and sounded okay. someone listed above the brands to check out, so i will not repeat. mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tosky Posted August 11, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 11, 2005 Thanks a lot for all you guys! so many nice advices:) the first thing i'll do is going into a guitar store and trying all models you guys mentioned... hope i'll find oen suitable to me^_^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 35fingerpicker Posted August 12, 2005 Members Share Posted August 12, 2005 "... If you learn on a full size guitar, you'll be able to play on pretty much anything!" Excellent advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tony Burns Posted August 12, 2005 Members Share Posted August 12, 2005 Got an old Gibson ES-125 ( think thats the model ) its a 3/4 scale and it is a sweet guitar, been in the case a while-- but a fantastic guitar for a woman or child with small hands -- if your serious about playing, look for a 3/4 scale ( buy something decent- not a Walmart POS ) its really not that hard to adjust to a full scale latter, and the small guitar will be fun to take on trips or camping-- If your lucky you might find an old gibson etc.-- dont be turned off by a big instrument especially for a small child-( or someone with small hands )- a quality instrument is the key - especially if you want them to stick with it ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UGB Posted August 12, 2005 Members Share Posted August 12, 2005 as someone who sells guitars to first time players for a living, playing comfort is second only to desired playing style in proper guitar selection. If the guitar is too big, too small, too wide, too heavy, etc, if it's too uncomfortable to hold, it will NOT get played regardless of how good it sounds, how well it looks, and how great the action is. Learning guitar already requires the new player to subject parts of their body to experience physical discomfort and even with a perfectly comfortable guitar this alone is enough to push many of the newest players to quit. Toss a poor fitting guitar on top of that and the odds are even more against them. Sure, a handful will succeed, but even more will fail. I dont' want anyone to fail when they decide to learn guitar. Guitar has enriched my life beyond words and I do all I can do to try and pass that experience on to the newest players so they can have a life of enriched experiences as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitar-fish Posted August 12, 2005 Members Share Posted August 12, 2005 Originally posted by tosky what's good for those with short arms and small hands? A 3 string maybe? OK, that was mean. Sorry. Just ignore me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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