Choosing An Instrument: Kids

Taylor Guitars' BT-1, the "Baby Taylor." Brooklyn Guitar Lessons' favorite instrument for kids.

Welcome to the first installment of Brooklyn Guitar Lessons' Choosing An Instrument series!

While there are a wide array of factors to consider when selecting your first guitar, my aim is to present a few easy recommendations which I feel are the best balance of playability, quality construction, and affordability.

In this post, I'll be discussing my favorite guitar for kids, Taylor Guitars' "Baby Taylor."

When it comes to picking the right axe for a young shredder, there are several factors to consider:

1. Instrument Size/Shape - Many standard-sized electric & acoustic guitars are made with adults in mind. The length of the neck, dimensions of the body, and width of the fretboard can all be challenging (& even discouraging!) for a still-growing youngster to navigate. As a result, the ideal kid's guitar should be constructed with scaled-down dimensions.
    
2. Playability - Small fingers don't have the same pressing power/leverage as those of adults, so playability is an important consideration. The strings need to be close to the fretboard (referred to in guitar lingo as "low action"), and the string tension needs to be lessened by way of string gauge or scale length.
    
3. Quality - This is a big one! Many of the child-sized guitars available are inexpensive, and could be tempting to a parent looking for a cheap way to let their son or daughter "test the waters." Unfortunately, these inexpensive acoustic guitars are almost always poorly made, and are generally more "toy" than "instrument." If the guitar is even playable or tuneable to begin with, it will very quickly warp/crack/degrade to the point of being a frustrating & useless hunk of plywood. In this case, the ideal kid's guitar will be made to exacting standards, with quality woods and hardware, and will last them for many years to come.
    

Taylor Guitars, based in El Cajon, California, makes top-quality acoustic guitars played by professionals around the world. And luckily for your budding guitar-slinger, they also make a very affordable mini-guitar that hits all of the criteria above!

The Taylor BT-1, commonly known as the "Baby Taylor" is a 3/4-size guitar (kid-sized!). It's highly playable off the rack, has a shorter neck/scale-length (which means lower string tension & easier note fretting!), and is built to the same exacting standards as their full-sized models. They also sound very nice for their size, and if properly cared for could last a lifetime.

They generally run a bit north of $300, but can often be found used for around $200.

I've had many young students start with these guitars over the years, and the results are always spectacular!

So there we have it, my top recommendation for a kid's starter guitar: The Taylor BT-1.

Honorable Mentions: (Two other kid-sized options worth checking out)
1. In the acoustic realm, Martin Guitars makes a comparable model called the Little Martin, with similar features & pricing.
2. In the electric realm, Squier (Fender Guitars' budget line) offers a scaled-down version of the Stratocaster called the Squier Mini. 

If you have any questions about picking the best guitar for your child, please feel free to comment or reach out via the Brooklyn Guitar Lessons contact page!

Thanks for reading, and happy shredding!

- Chris