electric guitar players HELP (NEED ADVICE ON WHAT KIND OF GUITAR TO BUY CHILD)

EDDIEisMINE

Any help would be appreciated. My son is a big 8 year old. He wants an electric guitar for his bday, and has specified a red and white one we saw on amazon. However, I am scared to buy it because I know nothing about guitars. He is as tall as about a 12 year old, about 4 ft 9 I think. The one on Amazon is 39". Is that too big or big enough? Plus, is the guitar all we'll need, or will I end up having to go out and buy other things before he can even play it? I know NOTHING about electric guitars, so , if someone could help me out here, I would really appreciate it. It has to be a red or red and white one, so any links to one would be great, or just advice in general.

Thanks.

dirtyfrankdahmer

first of all, don't by him an electric for his first guitar. by him an acoustic. acoustics are harder to play and will develope his hands faster. also, electrics are easier to pick up bad habits on in my opinion. you have to be precise on an acoustic. about the size, as long as he can get his arms around it and hands in a comfortable position, i wouldn't worry about it. if he can't, by him a 3/4 size.

EDDIEisMINE

dirtyfrankdahmer wrote:

first of all, don't by him an electric for his first guitar. by him an acoustic. acoustics are harder to play and will develope his hands faster. also, electrics are easier to pick up bad habits on in my opinion. you have to be precise on an acoustic. about the size, as long as he can get his arms around it and hands in a comfortable position, i wouldn't worry about it. if he can't, by him a 3/4 size.

Well, he's got his heart set on an electric guitar. I promised him I would get him an electric guitar.

dirtyfrankdahmer

so tell him tough cookies! if you want a guitar, this is what you get! once you learn how to play and show an interest, i will buy you an electric. haha!! no seriously man, it will do him good to start him out on an acoustic, but.... i guess you are seeing it differently. starting out at 8 years old is very cool. i hope he sticks with it. good luck man!!

gobrowns19

It is important to start on an acoustic, like dirtyfrankdahmer said, but an acoustic might not keep your kid entertained or be "cool enough." With that said......

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Strat-Pak-with-Frontman-15G-Electric-Guitar?sku=519633

That's a starter pack, which comes with a strap, picks, extra set of strings, a tuner, and an amp [which you'll need for an electric.] I believe in comes in the Red color, with the white pickguard too. It's a good guitar for the price too.

If you're afraid of his hands being to small, there's always the mini strat....

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Mini-Strat-Electric-Guitar?sku=510421

That's the red w/ white pickguard you can get for the starter pack. If you go that route, chances are it will be comfortable for him to play, but you'll need to get an amp seperatly.

Hope this helps you. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

EDDIEisMINE

well, I was really hoping to get some help here on what kind of electric guitar would be good. Maybe I should of just asked for one for an expert or a 20 year old. Thanks.

keeponrockin

What's your budget? You need to tell us this then we can get a good idea of what would be best. A starter pack would be good. Ibanez, Squier, and Epiphone all make them. Go to musiciansfriend.com.... Don't bag the other people here, this part of the forum is the most helpful and nicest, honestly, everyone here is just trying to help. And honestly, a decent acoustic would be better.

dirtyfrankdahmer

EDDIEisMINE wrote:

well, I was really hoping to get some help here on what kind of electric guitar would be good. Maybe I should of just asked for one for an expert or a 20 year old. Thanks.

for an 8 year old that does not know how to play a note? the cheapest guitar you can find. a piece of wood with strings. our advice about the acoustic is not directed for an expert or a 20 year old. it was directed at an 8 year old just getting started. unless you are refering to the price of the package that go browns referred you to. you can get used for cheaper then that, but for new, that is a good deal. a guitar for an expert or a 20 year old that started when he was 8 could cost you several thousand dollors. my most expensive amp and guitar cost me almost $6,000.00.

sennin

I'm on a flip side of the coin.

If a kid has his eyes on the new super duper transformer and you give him a hunk of melted plastic with a face painted on it....he'll hardly be motivated to play with it.

Same goes for a guitar. If he see's a cool ass electric guitar....wants it....and you get him a hunk of wood with 5 strings (2 of which are just bungee cords)....he'll hardly be motivated to play it. We aren't talking about getting the kid a Vintage Bassman with a 59 Strat, here.

Find a decent guitar/amp/accessory combo kit. I'm sure you can find one in the $100-$150 range. Try http://www.guitarcenter.com or http://www.musciansfriend.com.

Good luck!

keeponrockin

sennin wrote:

I'm on a flip side of the coin.

If a kid has his eyes on the new super duper transformer and you give him a hunk of melted plastic with a face painted on it....he'll hardly be motivated to play with it.

Same goes for a guitar. If he see's a cool ass electric guitar....wants it....and you get him a hunk of wood with 5 strings (2 of which are just bungee cords)....he'll hardly be motivated to play it. We aren't talking about getting the kid a Vintage Bassman with a 59 Strat, here.

Find a decent guitar/amp/accessory combo kit. I'm sure you can find one in the $100-$150 range. Try http://www.guitarcenter.com or http://www.musciansfriend.com.

Good luck!

It's why I reccomended a Starter pack of some sort!

Novawind

keeponrockin wrote:

What's your budget? You need to tell us this then we can get a good idea of what would be best. A starter pack would be good. Ibanez, Squier, and Epiphone all make them. Go to musiciansfriend.com.... Don't bag the other people here, this part of the forum is the most helpful and nicest, honestly, everyone here is just trying to help. And honestly, a decent acoustic would be better.

Total agreement. I would lean towards a Fender Squier or Epiphone Les Paul Special II starter pack. Both are (in all honesty) low-end electric guitars (and amps), but if he's starting he won't know the difference. The packs have everything he needs to start. Don't fuss with accessories. Lessons would be more important for him in the long run, invest in those first, then if he wants to upgrade or whatever, let him.

EDDIEisMINE

I have set aside 150.00 for this guitar. It doesn't have to be perfect, but, something that will get him started. Children that age are basically into pretending, so, he just wants to play rock star, but, later on when he's a bit older may become more serious. Thanks for all the help. I REALLY appreciate it!!! : )

keeponrockin

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-SE100-Electric-Pack?sku=511681

Doesn't come in red. I know it says $200, but you could probably work the guys a bit lower. For guitar and amp, that'll be the best if you want that shape. Cheers!

OR (although the tuning is funky)

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-Flying-VeeWee-Guitar-Package?sku=518339

gobrowns19

EDDIEisMINE wrote:

well, I was really hoping to get some help here on what kind of electric guitar would be good. Maybe I should of just asked for one for an expert or a 20 year old. Thanks.

Again, I would personally recommend the starter squier pack I first suggested. I am 17, and I have to collect change I find in the couch just to make it to school, so I can't afford some guitars that I would someday like to, but right now I have that very same starter pack. I have had it for about a year and a half, and done a few gigs with it. It's really a great guitar for the price. I have it in black, but I also KNOW it comes in red. Good luck.

Boom The Cat

Get him on acoustic and give him a Taylor Baby

One Song Glory

My first guitar was an acoustic and it really did work wonders when I got my Squier Strat. Everything seemed a billion times easier and I became so much better with the precision I had learned from the acoustic. You CAN get red acoustics, and half the time coloured ones are cheaper, and if you go into a fair-sized guitar store, they usually have some on sale. Squiers are fairly cheap electrics and they definitely come in red with a white pickguard, and Iwould probably get him the full size one if you think he'll stick with it. If he can reach everything okay, he should be fine, cuz a little guitar won't last him very long. If he started at 6, then obviously you would go for a smaller one, but I think the regular would be good for your son. I just got a Fender Tele a couple months ago, but I still like the Squier a lot, and it's very reliable. It also looks like a real Fender strat (they are backed by Fender anyway), which is probably a big part of the appeal for a little kid. There is no cooler looking, more classic guitar than a Strat. And if he's gonna take lessons, I would take him to someone who's going to teach him real songs, not from one of those bloody books. All the technical stuff is really important, but you want to make it fun as well, and you can teach it all through real songs anyway. Anything he needs to know can be taught in a much cooler approach that will make him want to keep doing it. Anyway, good luck with everything and I hope he has a blast.

keeponrockin

One Song Glory wrote:

My first guitar was an acoustic and it really did work wonders when I got my Squier Strat. Everything seemed a billion times easier and I became so much better with the precision I had learned from the acoustic. You CAN get red acoustics, and half the time coloured ones are cheaper, and if you go into a fair-sized guitar store, they usually have some on sale. Squiers are fairly cheap electrics and they definitely come in red with a white pickguard, and Iwould probably get him the full size one if you think he'll stick with it. If he can reach everything okay, he should be fine, cuz a little guitar won't last him very long. If he started at 6, then obviously you would go for a smaller one, but I think the regular would be good for your son. I just got a Fender Tele a couple months ago, but I still like the Squier a lot, and it's very reliable. It also looks like a real Fender strat (they are backed by Fender anyway), which is probably a big part of the appeal for a little kid. There is no cooler looking, more classic guitar than a Strat. And if he's gonna take lessons, I would take him to someone who's going to teach him real songs, not from one of those bloody books. All the technical stuff is really important, but you want to make it fun as well, and you can teach it all through real songs anyway. Anything he needs to know can be taught in a much cooler approach that will make him want to keep doing it. Anyway, good luck with everything and I hope he has a blast.

+1

harrisonmerwin

$150 (american im assuming) is not alot, but could most likely buy a starter pack. Again i suggest the acoustic, with lessons, i have THOUSANDS of dollars worth of electric equipment, and play it all for shows and what not, but 80% of the time i play the acoustic, which never sees the stage, or the light of day from my basement.

EDDIEisMINE

gobrowns19 wrote:

It is important to start on an acoustic, like dirtyfrankdahmer said, but an acoustic might not keep your kid entertained or be "cool enough." With that said......

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Strat-Pak-with-Frontman-15G-Electric-Guitar?sku=519633

That's a starter pack, which comes with a strap, picks, extra set of strings, a tuner, and an amp [which you'll need for an electric.] I believe in comes in the Red color, with the white pickguard too. It's a good guitar for the price too.

If you're afraid of his hands being to small, there's always the mini strat....

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Mini-Strat-Electric-Guitar?sku=510421

That's the red w/ white pickguard you can get for the starter pack. If you go that route, chances are it will be comfortable for him to play, but you'll need to get an amp seperatly.

Hope this helps you. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

Thank you. This really does help, but, that's more like a Christmas price gift than a birthday. What about the Target.com guitars? Would they be okay for a nine year old?

Thanks.

EDDIEisMINE

harrisonmerwin wrote:

$150 (american im assuming) is not alot, but could most likely buy a starter pack. Again i suggest the acoustic, with lessons, i have THOUSANDS of dollars worth of electric equipment, and play it all for shows and what not, but 80% of the time i play the acoustic, which never sees the stage, or the light of day from my basement.

yuppers I'm an American. : )

keeponrockin

EDDIEisMINE wrote:

Thank you. This really does help, but, that's more like a Christmas price gift than a birthday. What about the Target.com guitars? Would they be okay for a nine year old?

Thanks.

Well, IMO, no. It's worth spending the money up front because if he sticks with it, those guitars will last him some time, where as the Target ones may last a year.

seanw1010

keeponrockin wrote:

Well, IMO, no. It's worth spending the money up front because if he sticks with it, those guitars will last him some time, where as the Target ones may last a year.

same here, IMO, you really should buy him an acoustic to start, thats how i started, and it helps greatly when getting an electric. but, as you said earlier, you wont get him an acoustic, so just get him a squier. if e truely sticks to it, than upgrade in a year. but, as you said as well, he just wants to pretend to be a rockstar, go ahead and buy him the cheapest electric guitar you can find, with horrible tone, action, and hardware. than he will get discouraged because his guitar is unplayable, and he will lose interest(not meaning to be an ass, but if you bought him a cheap guitar, that is most likely to happen). my parents spent quite a lot of money for a starter guitar(750$) but my uncle(been playing for 35 yrs) aadvised them to, and even gave them 150 towards it, cause he said if you get a child a horrible sounding guitar, with horrid action, the child will not like to playit.

btw, my first guitar was a takamine eg531sc, and i play it more than my fender deluxe ash tele.

EDDIEisMINE

seanw1010 wrote:

same here, IMO, you really should buy him an acoustic to start, thats how i started, and it helps greatly when getting an electric. but, as you said earlier, you wont get him an acoustic, so just get him a squier. if e truely sticks to it, than upgrade in a year. but, as you said as well, he just wants to pretend to be a rockstar, go ahead and buy him the cheapest electric guitar you can find, with horrible tone, action, and hardware. than he will get discouraged because his guitar is unplayable, and he will lose interest(not meaning to be an ass, but if you bought him a cheap guitar, that is most likely to happen). my parents spent quite a lot of money for a starter guitar(750$) but my uncle(been playing for 35 yrs) aadvised them to, and even gave them 150 towards it, cause he said if you get a child a horrible sounding guitar, with horrid action, the child will not like to playit.

btw, my first guitar was a takamine eg531sc, and i play it more than my fender deluxe ash tele.

okay, gotcha. So, what kind of store would I find these guitars in say, In Atlanta?

I don't have time to order it online.

hendrix78

A Squier Strat is a good beginner guitar. It's what I started with (actually, I started on acoustic as well, but got the Squier about a month after the acoustic and played both ALOT as I was learning). Good tone for a cheaper guitar. My only problem with it was it didn't stay in tune well. You should be able to get one at just about any guitar shop.

EDDIEisMINE

Thanks everyone. Lots of great advice here. I read everything, so, now I should be able to go out and buy a great guitar!

keeponrockin

Ya man! Go with the Squier Strat pack. Um, Paco would know Atlanta better than most, but check Guitar Center or Sam Ash.

seanw1010

EDDIEisMINE wrote:

Thanks everyone. Lots of great advice here. I read everything, so, now I should be able to go out and buy a great guitar!

if you do decide to get an acoustic for him(which i strongly suggest you do), takamines are great guitars. they arent super expensive, and they are great.

keeponrockin

seanw1010 wrote:

if you do decide to get an acoustic for him(which i strongly suggest you do), takamines are great guitars. they arent super expensive, and they are great.

I would go with Art and Lutherie for acoustic.

seanw1010

oh, and if he has to have a red and white guitar, buy him the takamine 12 string johnson model(joke)

who's_pearljam?

I wouldn't be afraid to get an 8 year old a short scale little Fender Strat or an off brand. He IS 8, and there's no use buying something that's too big for his hands to start with.

I wouldn't buy one online, but go to Guitar Center or Sam Ash, or a local store if you can find one, and ask about whether to get a full scale guitar, or a short scale.
It all depends on how big his hands are. If he's got short fingers, then he'll struggle with a full sized guitar, especially a Stratocaster style guitar, because they have a longer string length which puts the frets farther apart, thus a bit harder to finger.
That's an important question for the person in the store!

The short scale guitar is a LOT easier to finger. He's just in the size range that may warrant a shorter scale, but it depends on his fingers.
After all, if he wants to play, he wants to have fun, and if the first time out isn't fun, then he'll put it aside.
If he takes it up and gets serious about it, then you can always upgrade in a year or two, or when he gets bigger, but there's no use getting something that he can grow into if he isn't going to play it!

It is great to play acoustic, and that's a great thing to have, but at that age, he wants something that'll rock out! He doesn't want to play Bob Dylan songs just yet!
Going from electric to acoustic isn't really that hard, just a bit of extra exercise for the fingers.

Good luck.

Ok, well, you might have one already!

seanw1010

who's_pearljam? wrote:

I wouldn't be afraid to get an 8 year old a short scale little Fender Strat or an off brand. He IS 8, and there's no use buying something that's too big for his hands to start with.

I wouldn't buy one online, but go to Guitar Center or Sam Ash, or a local store if you can find one, and ask about whether to get a full scale guitar, or a short scale.
It all depends on how big his hands are. If he's got short fingers, then he'll struggle with a full sized guitar, especially a Stratocaster style guitar, because they have a longer string length which puts the frets farther apart, thus a bit harder to finger.
That's an important question for the person in the store!

The short scale guitar is a LOT easier to finger. He's just in the size range that may warrant a shorter scale, but it depends on his fingers.
After all, if he wants to play, he wants to have fun, and if the first time out isn't fun, then he'll put it aside.
If he takes it up and gets serious about it, then you can always upgrade in a year or two, or when he gets bigger, but there's no use getting something that he can grow into if he isn't going to play it!

It is great to play acoustic, and that's a great thing to have, but at that age, he wants something that'll rock out! He doesn't want to play Bob Dylan songs just yet!
Going from electric to acoustic isn't really that hard, just a bit of extra exercise for the fingers.

Good luck.

Ok, well, you might have one already!

hey, bob dylan does rock lol!