How to choose a guitar for your kid.

It’s one of the most common questions we get. For good reason too. Instruments are expensive, and the last thing you want is to spring for this beautiful instrument only to have your kid lose interest in three months. So for that reason, we decided to write up a short checklist that should make your time at the music store a little easier.

Denver Guitars DD34S-NAT

Don’t Worry About the Brand.

Fender, Art & Lutherie, Martin, Taylor- don’t go crazy about what the sales guy tells you. If you’re buying a guitar for your kid, aim for a price between $100-$200 and let your kid fool around with it for a few minutes.

The Denver DD34S-NAT is a 3/4 size guitar that is very popular amongst our students. It comes in multiple colours, sounds good enough for what you’re doing, and its size makes it great for younger children.

As of August 2019, the DD34S-NAT is $149.99 on www.long-mcquade.com.

Stay Away from Starter Packs.

You’ll see these packages in music stores all the time. They’ll usually be marketed to beginners and they’ll include a guitar, picks, a stand, strap, and a magical unicorn that teaches you how to play like John Mayer.

And the best part? They’re cheap.

The catch is that nothing they include even comes close to being good quality. The stand won’t hold the guitar properly, the strap will be itchy and stiff, and the guitar will last you about 3 minutes before you’re forced to buy a new one because your kid is pulling their hair out trying to keep the thing in tune.

The point is, it is much better to spend the same amount of money on a good quality guitar that’ll last. We’ll provide the magical unicorn.

Play the guitar.

This is the most important tip. Just play the guitar. Even if they don’t know how to play yet, have your kid hold the guitar and make sure that the size is right. The quickest way to turn a child off to an instrument is if their arm aches every time they play.

Have them rest their right arm on the body of the guitar, as if they were going to play it. If their elbow is pointing up, the guitar is too big.

Yes, they will grow into it. But don’t buy a full-size for a 5 year old. Please.

References

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