Small Acoustic Guitars

Types of Small Acoustic Guitars

Whether you're a parent looking for a beginning guitar for your child or a professional musician in search of a more travel friendly instrument, the following information should begin to help you find what you're looking for.

Beginning Guitars for Children

The small guitar niche was traditionally geared towards children who required a beginning instrument that they could wrap their hands around. Mail order companies, department stores and toy stores were the first producers of these guitars. While they served parent's needs to put an instrument in their children's hands, in reality, these instruments were guitars in name only. Cheaply made and often constructed of plastic parts, these early products didn't stay in tune, sounded terrible and were really little more than toys.

Eventually, more musically minded parents realized that young people have ears too, and these low-quality instruments were not inspiring them to continue to play. Reputable guitar companies began to offer small guitars that were both affordable and musical. These models allow children to experience the process of learning to play a real instrument rather than simply playing with a toy that looks like a guitar.

• Yamaha CGS102: The CGS102 is a 1/2 size classical guitar, and it's the smallest instrument Yamaha makes. The instrument is designed and priced for the beginner, but is constructed with quality parts. It features a spruce top and is manufactured to Yamaha's respected standards. Also available is the CGS103; it's essentially the same instrument in a bigger 3/4 size.

• Aria AK-20: The AK-20 series is a classical guitar that is also available in both 1/2 and 3/4 sizes. Aria designed this line to have a sound that encourages the beginning guitarist. This attractive instrument has a maple bridge and fingerboard, and a spruce top.

Travel Guitars

Some of the more interesting small acoustic guitars to hit the markets in recent years are travel guitars. Designed by some of the biggest names in the acoustic guitar business, these clever inventions make bringing your guitar along for the ride easier than ever. Travel guitars typically feature a shorter scale and a very narrow body which results in an instrument so small it easily fits in the overhead compartment on an airplane. Check out some of these modern marvels, and think again the next time you don't think you have enough room to bring your guitar.

• Martin Backpacker: The Backpacker is the model that started the travel guitar craze. This ultra-portable, durable and very playable travel guitar from the revered Martin Guitar Company brought guitars to places they were never able to go before.

• Traveler Guitar: For 15 years, Traveler Guitar has manufactured some of the most beautiful and functional travel guitars on earth. In addition to both steel and nylon string acoustic models, Traveler also features electric and bass guitars for the guitarist who needs to be amplified.

• Washburn Rover: Washburn entered the travel guitar market with the Rover RO10, an all-in-one travel guitar package complete with case, instructional CD-ROM, strap and picks.

Small Scale Models for the Advanced Player

Smaller acoustic guitars that are manufactured to very high standards are more available today than ever before. Their reduced size leads to a different sound than the standard dreadnaught size guitar, and this change has been embraced by professional players looking to create something new.

• Tacoma Papoose: The Tacoma P1 Papoose is one of the most fascinating small acoustic guitars around. The guitar is tuned to "A", so it plays like a normal guitar capoed at the 5th fret. This tonal variation makes the instrument a beautiful compliment to the lower registers of a standard guitar. The Papoose is also available in a 12-string model.

• Baby Taylor: The Baby Taylor is a beautiful smaller instrument with a rich tone and excellent construction. The guitar is available with either a solid spruce or solid mahogany top to meet your tonal tastes.

Not Just For Kids Anymore

With the number of high quality instruments available today, there is a small acoustic guitar for any occasion. Small hands can now experience how a real instrument feels, traveling musicians never have to leave home without their guitars again, and the experienced player has plenty of options if they want to further explore the sonic potential of the acoustic guitar.