The Best Electric Guitars for Kids - Ultimate Guide for Parents
Have you got a little budding rockstar at home, ready to take on the world with a brand new electric guitar? If you’re in this position, you’ll be wondering what the best guitar for a young musical prodigy might look like. Our guide to the best electric guitars for kids will help you identify the features of a great child-friendly guitar. We’ll also be sharing some great guitars for kids that are available for purchase on our online guitar store. Here’s to bringing up the next generation of guitarists!
At What Age Can Your Child Start Playing Guitar?
Children as young as 5 years old can start learning to play guitar. However, this doesn’t mean that children younger than this cannot. If your child shows an interest in playing guitar, you can always accommodate this interest by providing an age-appropriate guitar for them to strum on!
The earlier one starts playing guitar, the more they’ll be able to learn and eventually master. Giving your child an early start is a great way to support their passion and build their confidence and musical abilities. But before you get carried away by all that your mini guitarist can achieve, you need to find a great guitar that they’ll enjoy playing!
How to Identify a Good Guitar for Kids
The hallmarks of a good guitar might not be obvious to the untrained eye but we’ll let you in on the secrets of identifying a well-made guitar. Firstly, let's discuss the price of a high quality guitar. A premium, brand-name guitar can easily set you back thousands of dirhams but we have found that for a first guitar for young kids, you do not need to shell out so much.
Your child will eventually outgrow whichever beginner guitar you get them so it makes more sense to invest in a premium instrument further down the line. During the early stages of learning, we recommend getting an affordably priced guitar.
A great guitar will also be one that is constructed well. No visible gaps between components, no loose hardware and most importantly, you need to check whether the guitar stays in tune. A poorly made guitar can hinder your child's progress so we recommend paying close attention to the build quality and functionality.
What Guitar Size is Best for a Child?
While average sized guitars can be perfectly fine for children over 10 or 12, we do recommend sizing down for younger kids. Younger children will find it hard to get all the frets or reach over to strum. In this case, we recommend smaller 3/4 guitars as opposed to the full-scale 4/4 guitars. Toddlers can further size down to a 1/2 or a 1/4.
Are Electric Guitars a Good Choice for Kids?
The popular notion that electric guitars can be an excellent choice for kids boils down to many different reasons. For one, the steel strings on an electric guitar tend to be thinner and easier to pluck than the strings on an acoustic guitar. This makes it easier for kids to play without hurting their fingers too much.
When it comes to learning how to play, electric guitars and acoustic guitars are fairly comparable in terms of difficulty and skills learned on one can be transferred to another. However there are some playing techniques that are unique to electric guitars. While there are techniques like strumming and finger-picking that are common to both guitars, electric guitar players also use techniques like palm muting, vibrato and string bending.
Furthermore, if your child has shown a keen interest in electric guitars, then it is absolutely worth it to encourage their interest by getting them an electric guitar. While electric guitars do require a few more accessories than their acoustic counterparts, you’ll be able to find affordable ones that do the job quite well.
Best Electric Guitars for Kids - Our Recommendations
The Warbler
The Warbler is a stratocaster electric guitar with SS pickups and a solid, single-cut body. This high quality electric guitar is an excellent choice of full-scale guitar for kids over the age of 12. With an attractive design and ergonomic design, this guitar will make learning a pure joy!
The Sparrow
The Sparrow is a striking Les Paul electric guitar with a unique single-cut design. This Les Paul guitar is both stunning and well-crafted, featuring humbucking pickups. An excellent guitar for kids over 12, this instrument has a comfortable body shape, ideal for young learners.
Want to Find More Child-Friendly Electric Guitars?
Our selection of high quality electric guitars doesn’t end here; at Blackbird Guitars, we have a ton of different electric guitars including the famed stratocasters, telecasters, Les Paul and SG models available for purchase in the UAE. Enjoy free delivery on order over AED500 when you order an electric guitar from our online guitar store! Shred away!
