Which small scale guitar?

[cranker90]

Hi all. I have a question i'd like to throw out there to the knowledgable folk on this forum.

Ive recently got back into playing acoustic guitar again and ended up purchasing a Taylor BT2. I've found the neck scale and nut width wonderful for my playing as I have quite small hands so getting round the guitar playing fingerstyle has been a lot easier for me.

Now obviously this guitar's sound is fairly limited acoustically... I want to get a richer fuller sound and understand this can only really be achieved through scaling up however I'd like to try and keep close to that smaller scale neck and smaller nut width (if possible)

I have around £1700 to play with so am looking at a higher end instrument.

The overwhelming amount of models and brands is quite daunting so am really looking to try and narrow it down to some models which you may think fits my criteria above.

Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated

Thanks

[RalphH]

How small do we need to go on scale length? Technically the Gibson 24.75" is referred to as 'short scale', but that's a LOT longer than your 22.75" Taylor.

Really small scale (<24") normally = small guitar = somewhat limited acoustically.

A GS Mini (23.5" Scale) might be a step up for you. My Koa GS mini is very, very good for it's size and was my main guitar until I got a high-end gibson. I've played some of the small martins and they sound pretty boxy to me.

If you can manage 24.75 then pretty much all of the gibson and most of the epiphone range opens up to you and you can get some first-class sounding guitars. Many have pretty slim necks.

You are going to get this answer over and over again, but especially when it comes to playability fit, there really is nothing that can substitute a trip to a large guitar store (andertons, GAK, guitar guitar) to try out everything, and their staff should be knowledgable enough to advice.

This isn't exactly what you asked for, but electronics tend to be a big equliser (in that the body size has much less of an impact on tone once plugged in). If you want your guitar to sound bigger and louder then plugging in might be a good option and pretty much any guitar amp you can think of is within your budget. I know the BT2 doesn't have electronics, but the GS mini and some of the small martins do. A GS Mini + a really good amp will be around £1000.

That said, the nut width and neck profile have at least as much to do with how 'big' it all feels in your hands. Most modern acoustics are very different to the cricket-bat necked monsters I tried when I was young.. My hummingbird is a pretty large guitar and the nut is only very marginally wider than your BT2 and probably doesn't have a hugely thicker neck (My GS mini has the same nut width as the BT2 and I don't really feel a lot of difference going backwards and forwards between it and my hummingbird)

[jaymarsch]

I find that I prefer a scale length of 25" as it hits a nice balance between playability and tone but it can depend, as RalphH said, on other factors like nut width, neck shape, neck taper and string spacing. My parlor guitar that I use for travel happens to have a scale length of 24.2" and I also have a couple of guitars that are 25.4" For a short time, I owned a guitar that had a 25.6" scale length and I found that it was too much for my hands to get used to.

I think that if you are able to go to a guitar shop and play a number of guitars with different specs, you will begin to feel and hear where your sweet spot is.

Best,
Jayne

[Steve DeRosa]

Another vote for the koa GS Mini - haven't played the Sheeran/Lowdens yet, but IME the koa Mini is as good as it gets in a reasonably-priced shorty...

[RalphH]

Just to add - it's not even really a matter of just throwing more money at the problem - a Taylor GS Mini Koa at £800 is about the top end price for a mass-production (very)short-scale guitar; Gibson simply don't make anything shorter than 24.75, and Martins top out about about the £700-£800 price point too. Unless you get something custom made there just aren't a lot of really high end, really short scale length guitars around. Probably because body size is the limiting factor here, not workmanship and materials.

[AndrewG]

Yamaha CSF3M:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZzX0Ps6ARs
Eastman ACTG-1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_dTGKzC2Qc
Guild Jumbo Junior, (my choice):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnsaMO086PE&t=141s

All are very well built, sound and play great, are of all-solid construction (except the Guild which has an arched laminate back), and all come supplied with sturdy semi-rigid cases.

[Glennm]

Another big GS Mini fan here (23.5” scale), but have played some wonderfully balanced Larravée shortscale parlors in exotic wood combos that can be had for your budget, especially used. I’m interested in the new 000-Jr from Martin with its 24” scale, but haven’t yet ran into one yet. I looked at the BTs and chose a solid top LX1 solid top Little Martin (23” scale); but like your BT, you Likely yearn for some more tone in that comfort package...but I later acquired the LXB Black Little Martin (all hpl) just due to its ruggedness and small size for outdoor trips, and for others and kids to scratch and dent passing around a campfire instead of the GS Mini. Try a few Minis! They have a bunch of flavors.

[cranker90]

Some great advice. Thank you all. I think it sounds like my best bet is to just get to a warehouse style guitar shop to try out a bunch.

I was just more concerned with finding something that fits in my fingering hand as nicely as the BT2 does due to my smaller hands. I've played large dreadnaughts and I just do not feel comfortable at all, but the sound is incredible in comparison.

Small people problems ha

[fuman]

The CA Cargo is marketed as a "travel guitar," but it sounds a lot bigger than it is, is practically indestructible, and is very playable. You should see if you can check one of those out before committing to a GS Mini (which is also a great guitar for the money and would be cheaper than the cargo).

[Guildman]

[QUOTE=cranker90;6222868]Some great advice. Thank you all. I think it sounds like my best bet is to just get to a warehouse style guitar shop to try out a bunch.

I was just more concerned with finding something that fits in my fingering hand as nicely as the BT2 does due to my smaller hands. I've played large dreadnaughts and I just do not feel comfortable at all, but the sound is incredible in comparison.

Small people problems ha[/QUOTE

Are u ok with 1 3/4 nut? A lot of folks including myself find the 000-18 to be hard to beat for a short scale.

[roylor4]

Alvarez makes some nice 00 sized guitars (they call them both 00 or Parlor, depending on the series). Some of them have a 24" scale and many members here (including me) have either an Artist or Masterworks series. They are incredible bargains in a small bodied guitar but they do have a 1.75 nut width.

Ibanez also offers many small bodied guitars w/short scales and both 1 11/16 and 1.75" nut widths. They are an excellent bargain brand IMO.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by cranker90

Some great advice. Thank you all. I think it sounds like my best bet is to just get to a warehouse style guitar shop to try out a bunch.

I was just more concerned with finding something that fits in my fingering hand as nicely as the BT2 does due to my smaller hands. I've played large dreadnaughts and I just do not feel comfortable at all, but the sound is incredible in comparison.

Small people problems ha

As per previous recommendation, GS Mini. I prefer the mahogany version, but the difference in sound is slight between the various wood choices. I purchased a GS Mini mahogany to allow me to play while I nursed a pulverized collarbone injury and was very impressed by what this little wonder did vs. it's small size.

Don't underestimate the sound quality of the GS Mini, it has some unique construction features that put it in a league of it's own among short scale acoustics.

When you get a chance to preview some instruments also try out the Taylor academy series, available in Grand Concert, dreadnaught, or nylon-strung versions.

[Red_Label]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

Yamaha CSF3M:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZzX0Ps6ARs
Eastman ACTG-1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_dTGKzC2Qc
Guild Jumbo Junior, (my choice):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnsaMO086PE&t=141s

All are very well built, sound and play great, are of all-solid construction (except the Guild which has an arched laminate back), and all come supplied with sturdy semi-rigid cases.

Yup. I dunno why the Yamaha doesn't get more love here. When I went searching for a short-scale travel/couch guitar, I tried the Taylor GS Mini, the Martin Mini, the Guild mini, and every other mini I could get my hands on. And then a light beam shown-down from the heavens, upon a lone Yamaha CSF1M on the rack. I liked the rounded classical look. I picked it up and it simply blew every other guitar that I'd played out of the water for acoustic sound/tone for such a small instrument.

If I was looking now, I'd try to find a Sheeran W and S model to play to see if those floated my boat. I've wanted a Wee Lowden ever since I first became aware of their existence, so the Sheeran seems to be the next best thing. If you can find a Sheeran or a Wee Lowden to try, I'd definitely do that.

[paymerick]

As a small-er handed player myself, the Taylor Big Baby is a very comfortable guitar to play, with a surprisingly robust sound (to me, anyway).

I was trying out guitars at a Guitar Center, and was on kind of a budget ($500 or less), so I stayed out of the Taylor/Martin/Gibson room. Played nearly every other guitar and finally found one I kinda liked. Did my research, went back to Guitar Center to pick that one up but for some reason walked into the Taylor room just to poke around. Picked up the Big Baby, not even realizing it was a smaller-scale (15/16, I believe), and it felt so right. Saw the $500 price tag and that was it. I enjoy playing it.

Now of course I don't have near the experience most people who answer you will, not sure if that's the size you're looking for and plus you may have a larger budget, just giving my limited opinion.

[gmel555]

I'll give another vote for a gs-mini, and suggest you try versions with different tops. The body and sides are "layered/laminated" but the tops are solid and can make a real difference in tone IMHO. I tried mini's topped with Spruce, Mahogany and Koa and walked out with the mahogany topped version as I preferred that tone. You might find a different top sounds best to your ears.

A second choice I'd say is the all mahogany Fender Paramount PM-TE. It can sometimes be found NEW for $299 with a nice hard shell case. I have one. While I'd still give the "tone nod" to the mini, the PM-Te is really attractive with excellent fit-n-finish, and playability/tone beyond their size and price, again just IMO.

Good luck, lots of good choices out there