The best beginner guitars for small hands

Small hands are two different problems

The first is reach: can the hand span far enough along the neck to hold a first-position chord without the wrist collapsing? This is the problem children have, and it is almost entirely solved by a shorter scale length.

The second is stretch between fingers, which is what most adults mean. Adult hands are usually big enough to reach; what they struggle with is the finger independence a barre chord or a wide-fret stretch needs, and that is partly a technique problem rather than a size problem. A shorter scale still helps, because every fret is closer to the next one, but it helps less than people hope and it is not the only lever.

Knowing which of the two you are solving decides what to buy, so this page separates them rather than treating “small hands” as one category.

Scale length is the specification. Body size is not.

Scale length is the distance from the nut to the bridge saddle, and it sets how far apart the frets are. Shorten it and every chord shape gets closer together. Body size affects how the guitar feels against the chest and how loud it is; it barely affects the left hand at all. A guitar advertised as compact with a full-scale neck has solved the wrong problem.

The test that tells you whether hands are the problem

Before buying anything, try this on whatever guitar is to hand. Fret the fourth fret of the low E string with the index finger and, without moving the hand, reach the sixth fret of the D string with the ring finger. If the wrist has to bend sharply or the hand slides, the scale is too long for that player right now.

Do the same test in first position, which is where a beginner actually lives. A first-position chord that requires the thumb to come over the top of the neck to reach is a chord that will be played wrong for a year. Our guitar sizing guide gives the measurement version of this for children, using arm length rather than age, because two nine-year-olds routinely need different sizes.

Nylon strings and neck width: the trade nobody explains

A classical guitar has nylon strings, which are far gentler on new fingertips, and that makes it a popular recommendation for small hands. The catch is that classical necks are notably wider than steel-string necks, so a classical guitar simultaneously makes pressing easier and reaching harder. For a player whose problem is reach, that is a bad trade.

A short-scale steel-string with light-gauge strings is usually the better compromise, and light-gauge strings do most of the comfort work nylon was being bought for. If the player is very young or the fingertip pain is the dominant complaint, a ukulele solves both at once and the chord shapes transfer — see ukulele versus guitar.

For adults with small hands

Start with an electric. A 24.75-inch scale is roughly three-quarters of an inch shorter than a Stratocaster across the whole neck, the string tension is lower at the same tuning, and electric strings are the lightest of the three families to press. That combination is a bigger practical improvement than the numbers suggest.

If it has to be acoustic, look for a concert or grand-concert body rather than a dreadnought — not because the body affects reach, but because a smaller body lets a shorter player get their forearm over the instrument without hunching, and posture affects reach more than most people credit. The full set of options is on the acoustic guitar roundup, and the adult-specific picks are on best beginner guitar for adults.

For children

Buy the size, then the model. A 3/4 instrument built properly beats a better full-size one every time, and the resale on a well-known 3/4 is good enough that outgrowing it is not the loss it looks like. Both acoustics above are genuine small-scale instruments rather than shrunken toys, and the short-scale Stratocaster is the default first electric for this age for the same reason.

Below about six, a guitar of any size is the wrong instrument — see the best first instrument for a five-year-old for what works instead. Around ten, sizing and model advice converge; the guitar for a ten-year-old page covers that specific year.

Bass, where small hands are a real obstacle

A standard bass scale is 34 inches, and there is no polite way around how much of a stretch that is. Two things help. A slim neck profile reduces how far the thumb has to travel around the back, which is why the Ibanez above is the pick here rather than a Precision-style bass. And short-scale basses exist at around 30 inches if the stretch is genuinely unmanageable. The broader options are on the bass roundup.

One thing that is not a size problem

Chords buzzing in the first month is almost never hand size. It is fingertip pressure in the wrong place, string height that is too high, or strings that are past their life. The first is time, the second is a setup, and the third is the cheapest fix on this site — see when to change guitar strings. We would exhaust all three before concluding the guitar is too big, and if none of them is the problem, the main guitar roundup starts from sizing rather than from brands.