guitar3world

[menkent]

Starting to shop for small scale (22.x") for the kid. He's been learning on a half scale classical guitar (Cordoba) but I made a deal that if/when he leveled up he could have an electric. Been looking at squier mini strat and ibanez mikro and I know some guys here play and know way more about gear than i do. Learn me up!

[PhoeniX]

Would he be better off learning on a full scale? Apparently the mini strat is only 2.75" smaller then a full size anyway?

I thought the Squier's were ultra cheap and rubbish, though I guess they've changed a lot in the last ~18 years since I looked at them though. Yamaha Pacifica's used to always get a great review for their price vs the cheaper Fenders.

Or what about an Epiphone Les Paul? Stick some Seymour Duncan or equivalent pickups in and you're good to go.

[menkent]

He's only 5 so it's as much about the weight etc, but it does make a surprising difference on fret spacing for small hands.

[Eraser]

Les Paul is a terrible idea. Those weigh a ton.

I wouldn't worry too much if you buy a small sized guitar. Just get something cheap and he'll be ready to swap out for something better in a year or two.

He won't know the difference between a $200 and a $1200 guitar and if it turns out he gets bored by it in 2 months, you'll be stuck with an expensive piece of kit.

[Κracus]

Yeah this is the truth, I bought my son an electric and he got bored of it within a few weeks. Seems like he's got a different interest every other week. Can't wait to get him started on the dirt bikes.

[mrd]

Yamaha Pacifica is a good pick. I have one, I still use it every so often. I've had it for like 15 years so I can't remember exactly how much it costs but it was something like $150 or so. Les Paul is nice, way too heavy though, and even an Epi is pretty high-end for a 5 year old. Yamaha is cheap enough and decent enough build quality that it will actually be properly intonated, etc. Not sure if they do junior guitars though. You could also look at a junior Martin acoustic, unless you are definitely hard-set on an electric. I played one of those the other day, it was actually really nice, great quality, just small. Easy as hell to play :olo:

[menkent]

The junior Martin is supposed to be really good, but we already have a half scale acoustic. Mostly just wondering if anyone has experience with ibanez.

[Eraser]

I own two full size Ibanez guitars, an RG and a JEM. They are really easy to play. Great for shredding Top level quality. Can't go wrong with Ibanez. Just don't know anything about small size guitars.

[menkent]

I've fiddled with a couple in shops and the build quality seems better than the mini squiers... I'm just not a guitar player myself so it's tough to judge more esoteric things like pickups so appreciate the more expert advice, particularly from people who aren't actively trying to sell me shit. Tried out a Mitchell (house brand of Guitar Center, likely not available outside the US) and it was awful. The fret ends actually cut my fingers.

[raw]

The Squire isn't a bad starter guitar and as Eraser and Phoenix nailed it that the Les Paul is heavy (I own a 1992 Les Paul - it's great but is heavy).

If your son stays with guitar, it'd be worth a better investment but if you're looking to keep the costs low and performance ok, stick with a lower-end name brand.

The Mexican and cheap Fenders are decent for the price and the Gibson Ephiphone's aren't bad either.

There's quite a few out there and while Guitar Center sucks they do have a good return policy. I just hate dealing with the sales kids. It's like game stop for music.

[menkent]

We go there to play with equipment because they don't care, but I'll probably buy from a local place. There are plenty around Austin.
My current plan is Ibanez GRGM21M and Fender Champion 20 (though the built in FX might end up being more of a distraction than a benefit).

[Scourge]

I own two full size Ibanez guitars, an RG and a JEM. They are really easy to play. Great for shredding Top level quality. Can't go wrong with Ibanez. Just don't know anything about small size guitars.

I've had an RG and have an S series and I agree. But I am also unfamiliar with smaller scale guitars. I would assume the smaller Ibanez would be of similar quality to the full size. If so, I would definitely put it on the radar.