If you have a small hand size, you may find it difficult to find a guitar to fit your hands in the right way. It can be frustrating searching for instruments that are comfortable enough for you to play. Thankfully, you’ll find a wide range of instruments on the market that are easy for you to play even if you have small hands. Here are the best guitars for small hands.
In a Hurry? Here the Best Guitars for Small Hands
Are There Guitars for Small Hands?
Yes. You’ll find a wide range of instruments that are designed for those that have a smaller hand size. While you can still play full-size instruments with small hands, you may struggle if you are a beginner. I’ve been playing guitar for many years. Even though I have a small hand size, I can still play full-size guitars. For beginners, it will be easier to start with guitar design for your smaller hands than trying to play on a full-size instrument.
The reason why you’ll probably want to start on a guitar that is designed for a smaller hand is that your hands may get fatigued at a faster rate if you’re trying to learn on a full-size instrument. Playing difficult chords such as barre chords, for example, May tire out your and if you try them on a full-size guitar. You’ll find them easier to play on a smaller-sized instrumental. Here are some guitar styles you may want to consider.
Student Guitar
The guitar is typically 3/4 in size. You can get acoustic guitars and electric guitars in this size. They’re also 1/2 size guitars but these are generally designed for children. The 3/4 guitar will be quite comfortable in your hands. You will find a wide range of these instruments on the market. Many top manufacturers such as Gibson, Taylor, Fender, Ibanez, and so on make smaller sized instruments.
For example, one guitar in the Gibson lineup that is easy to play for small hands is the Gibson SG. This is a lot smaller than a regular Gibson Les Paul and many people enjoy playing the SG. This really isn’t a student size guitar, but the design of the instrument makes it easy to play for those that have small hands. Fender makes the Mini Strat. This is a small size guitar based upon the same design as Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. It’s an excellent instrument and comfortable to play. Taylor makes the Baby Taylor and it’s one of the best guitars for smaller hands if you want an acoustic.
Travel Guitar
When it comes to small guitars, you can’t go wrong with the travel guitar. These guitars are normally 3/4 in size or they might be a bit smaller. They are typically small enough to fit in the overhead compartment in an airplane or other areas where storage is limited. They’re great choices if you have an apartment for example and don’t have a lot of room. There are a lot of excellent travel guitar instruments on the market so you should check them out. These are easy to play if you have small hands.
Does Hand Size Matter in Guitar?
The best guitar for small hands is determined by your comfort level with the guitar. Your hand size doesn’t matter that much when you play the guitar in most cases. You will find you can play most chords, solo effectively, and do almost everything else that other players can do when you have smaller hands. You may have problems playing chords with your thumb. In other cases, you might not be able to stretch your hand as far as other players. You should not see this as being limiting. You can still make excellent music and be proficient on guitar Even though you might not have an extended reach. One of the most famous guitar players is Angus Young of AC/DC. He has a small hand size but is able to play quite proficiently.
What Guitar Neck is Best for Small Hands?
Regular guitars can be a bit too wide if you have a smaller hand size. You might not be able to stretch your fingers effectively across the strings. You will notice this more is a beginner because your hands are not used to stretching yet. You may get discouraged because your fingers can’t stretch as you would like them.
As you get better, you will find that your hand size won’t matter as much as it does when you were first starting out. To make it easier as a beginner you can get a guitar neck that has a shorter scale. The frets are closer together when there is a shorter scale length. These instruments have a 24 3/4 inch scale. A long scale guitar is 25 inches and larger. If you struggle with a full-size guitar, you should look for a short scale guitar. The shorter scale length is easier on your hands.
Is it Harder to Play Guitar with Smaller Hands?
It isn’t all that harder to play guitar if you have small hands. What you want to do is to use a guitar that is designed for you and you’re smaller hand size. You may struggle with larger sized instruments. This is pretty normal and you shouldn’t see it as a limitation. They make smaller versions of them almost every guitar.
As you get better, you may find that you can still play full-size instruments. I have found this myself. My hand size is extremely small compared to normal, yet I can still play both acoustic and electric guitar quite proficiently. You should not see your hand size is a limitation to your playing abilities. Below are some top tips to help you play guitar If you happen to have a smaller hand size.
Top Tips for Those With Small Hands
People with small hands need to realize that they are not alone, there are other players that have a smaller than normal hand size. These tips should help you overcome any difficulties you have with the guitar.
Use the Pinky
Many guitar players with larger hands don’t use their pinky. If you have a smaller hand size, try to incorporate the pinky as much as possible. This will help you reach frets and notes that you might not otherwise be able to hit. if you use your pinky a lot, you’re going to strengthen it. This will help you down the road and make you a better guitar player. It will take you a while to develop your pinky so you’ll have to do a lot of practicing.
Use the Higher Frets
When you have a larger hand size, you may find yourself cramped at the higher frets because your larger fingers get in the way. With small fingers, you may find solos easier at the higher locations on your fretboard. This will all depend on how your hand is shaped. For me, I find the higher frets to be a little bit harder to play than the ones closer to the neck. You’ll have to experiment to see where the sweet spot is on the fretboard where you’re the most comfortable. Take some time to practice at the higher fret locations as it can take some getting used to.
Use Other Tunings
Try to incorporate other tunings. you don’t necessarily have to play the guitar in standard pitch. When you play the guitar up to pitch it takes a lot more finger strength to move the strings. By playing in a lower pitch or a different tuning, you’ll find it easier on your fingers. This will put less pressure on your fingers and allow you to play more freely. You could even incorporate things such as a slide to make it more interesting.
Use a Capo
One of the hardest things to play for any player is barre chords. with a smaller than normal and size, you may find bar chords extremely frustrating. One way you can get around this is to use a guitar capo. This will allow you to play a normal position guitar chords up and down the fretboard. All you need to do to change the key is to move the capo up and down to the key that you want. This will eliminate the need to play Barre chords which tend to tire out your hand quickly.
Light Strings
One way to save yourself a lot of frustration with your small hand size is to change the gauge of your strings. A lot of electric guitars, for example, have 10s on the guitar. you’ll find that 009s are easier to play when you have smaller hands. If you have an acoustic guitar, try changing the medium strings to a light gauge or custom light gauge. This is one of the simplest and easiest ways to make your guitar easier to play
Practice
All guitar players no matter their hand size will get better with practice. You may have small hands but they will stretch a lot if you keep practicing the guitar. You will find that you can hit a lot of notes that you might not think you could play with constant and diligent practice. You need to dedicate yourself to the instrument. By practicing your going to unlock your potential to play guitar. It really won’t matter your hand size. Think about players such as the Django Reinhardt. He became proficient at jazz guitar even with crippled fingers.
Best Guitar for Small Hands Reviews
1. Martin LXK2 Little Martin – Best Professional Acoustic For Small Hands
Martin Guitars make excellent acoustic instruments. most of their acoustic instruments are quite large, but they also offer instruments for those that have shorter fingers. The Little Martin acoustic guitar is perfect for those that want a smaller guitar to fit their hands.
This instrument is excellent for beginner students, practice, travel, or for those with smaller hand size. The back of the instrument is made out of coal wood. The body is made with Sitka Spruce. The fretboard is comfortable to play and made with Richlite. It comes with nickel-plated Gotoh tuners which helps stabilize the tuning.
The inside of the instrument is braced with Sitka Spruce. It has a 23-inch scale so it’s shorter than normal. you get a padded gig bag when you order this guitar. No matter what your hand size, you can’t go wrong with this Martin.
Pros:
- Made with solid wood
- Sounds amazing
- Comes with a padded gig bag
Cons:
- Lacks the punch of a full-sized Martin
- Some users had to adjust the action
2. Baby Taylor Acoustic-Electric – Best Acoustic-Electric for Small Fingers
If you’re looking for a Dreadnought style guitar the baby Taylor is an excellent option. Not only is this the famous Dreadnought style it’s also an acoustic-electric and has a pickup system. This is an excellent option for any guitar player that has small hands. I have seen this instrument on television as its often used by Taylor Swift.
This instrument is made out of a solid Sitka spruce. It features a Sapelle bracing pattern that is layered. inside the instrument is X bracing which helps to stabilize the guitar. The neck is made out of African ebony. The scale length is 22 and 3/4. It has 19 Frets and the neck itself is easy to play. It’s the perfect instrument for children but it’s also suitable for teenagers or adults that have a smaller hand size.
This guitar has excellent sound and you can plug it in thanks to the Expression System pickup system. It comes with a built-in preamp and a chromatic tuner with the system. You get a tone, volume, and a battery low indicator light on the LED display. When you order you’ll get a gig bag to help protect your investment. You’ll get excellent sound out of the Bay Taylor. This is one of the better acoustic guitars for smaller hands.
Pros:
- Professional looking instrument
- EQ system and pickup
- Ships with a gig bag
Cons:
- May be too small for some players
- EQ may confuse some beginners
3. Traveler Guitar, 6-String Ultra-Light Acoustic – Best Traveler Style Acoustic Guitar for Small Hands
A travel-size eye travel-size guitar can be excellent if you have smaller hands. This instrument is a 3/4 scale acoustic-electric travel guitar. It’s only 28 inches long, and it’s perfect for airline overhead bins or other areas where you have limited storage such as a dorm room.
The instrument is made with Eastern American hard maple. The pickup system provides volume, tone, and a blend control. This allows you to create a wide range of sounds with the instrument. The pickup is a piezo style. The tuning machines are in the body so you don’t need a headstock.
The guitar is 43% lighter than a regular full-size acoustic and 31% shorter. It only weighs 3 pounds so it is simple to transport and take with you wherever you want to go. This makes it ideal for the traveler or anyone that has a smaller hand size.
Pros:
- Easy to transport
- Has a pickup
- Comfortable to play
Cons:
- Tuning peg design s a bit cumbersome
- May be awkward for some to learn on
4. Vangoa Electric Acoustic Guitar – Best Small-Sized Acoustic Guitar for Limited Budgets
If you want a guitar design for small hands you may not have a lot of money to spend. This guitar is an excellent option because you get a full guitar kit. it has everything that you need to begin playing right away.
The guitar is a cutaway dreadnought style design. The top is made out of spruce. The sides and back are made with Sapele wood. You get a well-balanced and a nice loud sound out of this instrument. The guitar is smooth and comfortable for your hands. It is equipped with a pickup and it has an equalizer system. Controls include treble and bass. You also get a built-in tuner. in the guitar kit, you get a padded bag, guitar picks, strap, strings, capo, and an Allen wrench to adjust your truss rod.
Pros:
- Perfect for those on Budgets
- Full guitar kit
- Sound great
Cons:
- No amp included
- May need some adjustment out of the box
5. Fender Player Jaguar – Best Electric Guitar Kit
One of the better guitars for those that have small hands is the fender player Jaguar. This guitar is quite comfortable and if you struggled with full-sized Fender guitars before, this is the one that you want to buy. The guitar itself is quite famous because Kurt Cobain from Nirvana used to play the Jaguar.
The instrument features an alder body and it has a gloss finish. You get a single-coil Jaguar neck pickup and a player Series humbucking pickup in the bridge position. You can coil split the humbucking pickup to make it sound like a single-coil. The guitar neck is easy to play and it’s comfortable as it’s a modern C shape. It has a 9.5 radius fingerboard. The scale length of this particular guitar is 24 in so it’s shorter than normal. This makes it easier for your fingers and this is why it’s recommended for smaller hand sizes.
The fender Jaguar produces an excellent tone that is warm and rich. You can cover a lot of guitar Styles since it has both a single coil and a humbucking pickup. This model ships in a nice kit so you get a case, picks, strings, and other accessories so you can begin to play right away.
Pros:
- Easy to play
- Comes with plenty of accessories
- Features both humbucking and single-coil pickups
Cons:
- May be too small for some players
- Some users had missing items in their kit
6. Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Electric – Best Travel Size Electric Guitar
One of the better guitars for people that have smaller fingers is a travel-size guitar. These guitars have most of the features of regular full-size instruments, but they are a lot smaller. The company Traveler makes a wide range of travel-size guitars.
With this instrument, you get a full 3/4 size electric guitar. The instrument is only 28 in long. It’s perfect to take with you on any trip or just a plain whenever you feel like it. It’s made with one piece of Eastern American hard maple. It has a neck-through-body design. There is no headstock with the instrument, and the tuning pegs are in the middle of the guitar. You get a dual-rail humbucker pickup. The guitar sounds excellent, and it’s a great option for those that want an easy instrument to play.
Pros:
- Nice humbucker pickup
- Easy to take with you
- Great sound
Cons:
- Location of tuning pegs is cumbersome
- May be too small for some players
7. Fender Squier Short Scale Strat Pack with Amp, Cable, Tuner, Strap, Picks, Lessons, DVD - Transparent Red – Best Strat Style Guitar for Shorter Fingers
The Fender Stratocaster is an excellent guitar. The problem for those that have shorter fingers is that they can be hard to play. Squier is a lower-cost Fender product line. They make a short scale 24 in Stratocaster, which is suitable for smaller fingers.
You get a guitar that is made with poplar wood. The neck is made out of maple and C-shaped. You get a 20 fret fingerboard that is easy on your hands. The bridge is a hardtail six-saddle, which keeps the instrument in tune. It comes with regular Stratocaster style single-coil pickups. Get a tone control, volume knob, and a pickup selector switch. this is everything you need to start playing, yet the instrument has a shorter scale. It includes an amplifier and other accessories.
Pros:
- Lots of accessories in the kit
- A short scale for your fingers
- Low Cost
Cons:
- Doesn’t have a tremolo or extra knobs like other Fenders
- Some quality control issues
8. Jackson JS Series Dinky JS11 Electric Guitar
It can be difficult to find a hard rock guitar suitable for short fingers. Jackson makes an excellent series called the Dinky guitar. There are quite a few different models that you can choose from. The JS Series is an excellent option.
This instrument has a popular body and a double cutaway. It’s easy to access all the Frets on the 22 fret bolt-on Maple neck. It has a fingerboard made with amaranth. the pickup sare high output dual Jackson humbuckers. This makes them perfect for hard rock or heavy metal playing. You get a 2-point fulcrum tremolo system. The tuners are diecast and sealed, which help stabilize the guitar tuning. this guitar will help you rock out in style.
Pros:
- High output pickups
- Has a tremolo
- Easy to play
Cons:
- No case included
- Tremolo can put the guitar out of tune
Conclusion
For those with shorter digits that want to play a good acoustic guitar, the best guitar is the Little Martin Guitar. This instrument is of high quality and made by Martin Guitars, which is a well-known acoustic instrument manufacturer. The Baby Taylor is another good option as an alternative. These are both well-built guitars.
In terms of electric guitars, the Fender Jaguar is a good option if you love Fender guitars but can’t play a full-sized Stratocaster. The Fender Squier ¾ size is another great guitar as its smaller than a regular Strat. For a hard-rock style electric look at the Jackson Dinky.
Don’t worry too much about your shorter fingers. They will stretch a lot as you practice. I’ve got short fingers too, and I know it can be a bit frustrating. These guitars are all great options to help you learn as your fingers adjust to playing guitar. Pick up a new axe today and start playing.