Guitar Recommendation For 11 Yr Old

[atlantic]

Hubby and I have decided to buy our daughter an acoustic guitar for Christmas and wondered if the musically minded folk of the Dope could chime in on a recommendation. Details - she’s 11, has never played an instrument before, but has started learning guitar in music class at school. She’s also left-handed. Near our home we have Ken Stanton Music, Guitar Center & a couple of mom & pop places.

Any thoughts on brands? How much should we look to spend?

Thanks, Dopers!

[chela]

That’s a sweet idea, I would say hit up your local music shop for advice. You shouldn’t have to spend more than $150 imo. Maybe there is one that services the school band instruments that could help you out. I would consider throwing in a couple of lessons with the purchase too.

[DCnDC]

There are tons of starter guitar kits you can buy for $150 or less that come with cases, picks, extra strings, possibly some other stuff. Check out this page from Guitar Center. All but one of those are right-handed instruments but I would go down to your local Guitar Center and talk to a salesman I’m sure they can either find or order something for you.

[Gary_T]

First, she should decide if she’s going to play a left-handed guitar or a right-handed one. If she’s going to play a lefty guitar, she might have to provide her own instrument for music class, as I’d be surprised – astounded, actually – if the school has even one left-handed guitar. However, if the school has classical guitars, those can typically be converted to left-handed by simply switching the strings around. Whether or not to play a lefty instrument is a subject that can be discussed at length, and there are some threads here on the Dope about it.

Cheap guitars (<$200-300) have a tendency to be…cheap. Sometimes they have playability issues that can present extra challenges (read discouragement) for beginners. My suggestion is a Baby Taylor or a Little Martin. These are good-quality instruments from two of the most respected guitar factories in the country. They are available left-handed. They sell for about 300 new, and will retain some value both in resale price and in usability. In my opinion, you’ll get more for your money going this route than by getting a low-priced “starter” guitar.

[WordMan]

@Gary_T

First, she should decide if she’s going to play a left-handed guitar or a right-handed one. If she’s going to play a lefty guitar, she might have to provide her own instrument for music class, as I’d be surprised – astounded, actually – if the school has even one left-handed guitar. However, if the school has classical guitars, those can typically be converted to left-handed by simply switching the strings around. Whether or not to play a lefty instrument is a subject that can be discussed at length, and there are some threads here on the Dope about it.

Cheap guitars (<$200-300) have a tendency to be…cheap. Sometimes they have playability issues that can present extra challenges (read discouragement) for beginners. My suggestion is a Baby Taylor or a Little Martin. These are good-quality instruments from two of the most respected guitar factories in the country. They are available left-handed. They sell for about 300 new, and will retain some value both in resale price and in usability. In my opinion, you’ll get more for your money going this route than by getting a low-priced “starter” guitar.

This is a very smart post.