#1
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Guitar for 6 year old child
I'm betting that some of you have had to answer this question for yourself. What would be a good guitar for a 6 year old boy who has shown sustained interest in learning to play, but up until now has only had a toy guitar?
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RM ----------------------------------------------------- Taylor 856, Taylor GC7, Martin 00-28, Breedlove Oregon Concertina, Breedlove Jeff Bridges Signature, Guild JF55-12, Guild D212, Larrivee OM3, Eastman E20 OM, Farida OT22w, Cordoba Fusion 12 Orchestra, Blueridge BR-361, Pono 0-15 mango, Journey OF-660, Tanglewood TWJP parlor (Nashville tuned), Paul Reed Smith SE Custom. |
#2
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Im recent to guitar myself. Started learning with my son who is 7. I got a Yamaha fs830 and a Fender CP-60s and was letting him use the Fender parlor but its a bit too big. I found a used Yamaha apxt2 and it is awesom for him. I use it from time to time. We dont plug it in but can in the future.
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#3
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I can give you two possible paths to take on this one, I have taken both of them and been happy with both results.
1 "the responsible path": 90% of the students in my kid's guitar lessons start out with this https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-JR1-Ju.../dp/B00009J580 Ours made it about 8 years before one of screws holding the tuner in came out and I had to repair. It's not a bad guitar, lots of hours of playing on it and we'll actually be bringing it with us camping this weekend 2 "the irresponsible guitar addict path": If this is going to be in the house with you and lying around for you to play as well as your kid (and you have some extra cash to burn) then you could look at stepping up to a nicer 3/4 guitar. When my son was 8 we moved him from the yamaha to a little martin because he was practicing on a daily basis. The little martin is built SOLID and we both felt that it would be more durable. We looked at the taylor Minis also, which sound and play great, but they just seemed more breakable...this was confirmed for me when I was at a friends house and saw a taylor mini with a hole busted in the back. |
#4
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Some of the 3/4 size Yamaha guitars sound O.K. and can be made to play well.
They can be used as campfire and traveling companions when he "out grows" them. It could probably be strung as a terz guitar if one was so inclined. |
#5
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I would start him with a ukulele. It's small, easy to finger, easy to learn, popular right now, and makes for an easy transition to guitar when he is ready.
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#6
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"I would start him with a ukulele. It's small, easy to finger, easy to learn, popular right now, and makes for an easy transition to guitar when he is ready."
This is a good suggestion... |
#7
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THere is a great non-profit called Guitars in the Classroom that has a mission to teach young children to make music and learn to play an instrument.
https://www.guitarsintheclassroom.org/ They have a method that they have used to teach tens of thousands of young children to play. In a nutshell, the formula is to keep things simple, and make it fun. They start kids as young as preschool off on a ukulele tuned to open C. Within a matter of an hour or two they have the kids strumming and singing easy childhood songs. Once the kids feel comfortable with the concept of strumming and playing a few one and two finger chords, they migrate them to standard tuning on the uke, followed by migrating up to a guitar when they feel comfortable. It may be a bit unorthodox, but it works.
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It never moves any faster than it's supposed to go - Taj Mahal Last edited by pszy22; 08-08-2020 at 03:26 PM. |
#8
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Bought my niece a Luna Safari. 3/4 sized guitar that sounds good for the price $200 and under. She loves it.
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Martin GP 35E 2017 Gibson J-45 Standard 2019 Martin OM15 Custom 2019 |
#9
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Pop the extra bucks for a Taylor GS Mini - koa if you can afford it, all-hog if you can't: play it often to break it in (takes a bit longer for hardwood tops - 4-6 months of hard use to get the ball rolling), keep it in the case unless it's in immediate use (minimizes the breakage potential), take good care of it, and he'll never outgrow it...
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) |
#10
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This is a really good suggestion
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#11
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My son got his first guitar last year when he was 5. It's a 3/4 size Fender and it plays well. Nothing fancy, but it does play well and he has come many miles since then with his playing. I just bought him a Yamaha Jr 2 and it sounds a bit better to my ears, and it also plays very well.
6 is not too young. Not at all. My son is playing and singing many different songs on guitar and mandolin. He is also learning banjo and is making progress. He cannot get enough. I do not push him in any way. That's the best part. My son is 100% in size for his age. He has big hands for such a young one as well and he will require a wider neck and string spacing sooner rather than later, I have noticed. Be careful. My 6 year old already has GAS. He is playing my full size guitars and wants my Gibson AJ. He has been GASing for a Gibson for a few weeks now and wants one for Christmas! I'm not even kidding either...Smh... |
#12
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The LX1 Little Martin Acoustic is a decent guitar. I have one for a travel guitar.
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#13
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I'd recommend a Fender California Series Malibu Player.
They're compact dreadnaught sized and comes on all sorts of colors. Your son would have to enjoy it! That's if you're willing to shell $429 on one for him. Oh, the neck I believe is also not as big as a normal acoustic guitar, it's more of a "electric guitar" type. Here's what they look like from a video I YouTube'd.
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Martin D-13E (2021 MiM) Last edited by LeDave; 08-08-2020 at 05:19 PM. |
#14
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My recommendation for acoustic is the Baby Taylor. It's a good size for kids and in my experience, the Taylor has better tone and playability than the other 3/4-size acoustics from Martin, Yamaha, and others. The Baby Taylor also comes with a best-in-class gig bag.
Another idea is to go with an electric guitar. The thinner neck size and lighter strings are a little easier for little kids to manage. Fender makes a 3/4 size Squier Mini Strat that is perfect for kids who want to rock. I ended up getting both of the above for my daughter a couple years ago the acoustic for her birthday and the electric in the pink color she fell in love with for Christmas a few months later. It turns out when you show interest in Dad's hobbies you're more likely to get spoiled! Both guitars have been fun enough for my daughter that (shhhhhhh) I have a second Mini Strat this one in Dakota red waiting under my bed for her six-year-old little brother. I thought I'd start him out on the electric this Christmas and see if he takes to it like his sister. If all goes well we'll have a family band rocking out in the living room before too long! For a starter amp, I highly recommend the Fender Champion 20 I got that for my daughter the following Christmas and I have borrowed it a few times for my Telecaster because it sounds way better than I expected at that price point. The Fender tweed and blackface clean tones are surprisingly good and the reverb is convincing enough. There are lots of amp models and effects that kids would enjoy playing around with. Another option that a friend of mine got for his boy who I think was a bit younger at the time, maybe four is the Loog guitar. It's kind of more in the ukulele realm but is kind of a cool take on guitars for kids. Check those out too. |
#15
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I started my son out on a Baby Taylor at age 10.
He took 4 years of private lesson using the Taylor for 2 of those years, and then I got him a full size classical. I got the Baby because it stayed in tune and it sounded good for a little guitars. My son then went on to Jazz band in 6th & 7th grade, and then 2 more years of Classical guitar in high school. He never lost interest and is now a MONSTER guitar player who can play jazz, classical, rock, funk, or just about any genre of music. I think if's VERY important that the 1st guitar he starts on is comfortable to play, stays in tune, has low string action ,and sounds good. It made all the difference in the world for keeping my son interested in staying with the guitar.
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'49 Martin A Style Mandolin '76 S.L. Mossman Great Plains '78 Gibson Gospel '81 Martin 7-28 7/8 D-28 '03 Taylor Jumbo Custom '04 Ramirez 1-E Classical '09 Breedlove Roots OM/SR acoustic/electric 15 Martin Centennial DC - 28E |