Best guitars for kids 2022: top electric and acoustic guitars for children

Buying or receiving your very first guitar as a child is a core memory for us guitarists. Yeah, it sounds a little over the top, but we’re speaking from experience here. The moment we held our first guitar was the moment we knew it was something we were destined to play – and from then on, it changed everything for us. That’s the reason why making sure you buy one of the best guitars for kids is so crucially important.

Playing the guitar is a fantastic way for a creative child to channel their energy and passion into something truly universal, and also helps to boost their self-confidence through the roof. Playing any musical instrument is a surefire way to make friends and learn audible and visual communication skills, and with the guitar being one of the coolest instruments around? Well, we needn’t say any more. So, if you have a little one who is looking to master the six-string, then you’ve come to the right place, as you’ll find our pick of the best guitars for kids right here. 

As a child adds to their knowledge base and builds on their abilities, it’s not just musical possibilities that open up. Not only is there the numerous social benefits, but also the academic ones which are definitely worth considering. There’s a particular discipline involved in chasing that next level of ability that helps show kids that if they work hard, they’ll achieve whatever they set their mind to.

Unlike some other instruments that can prove to be more difficult, the guitar is relatively easy to pick up. This quick progression means that with your first few chords under your belt, you’re more or less a functioning guitarist!

In this guide, we’ve hand-picked five electric guitars and five acoustic guitars that we found to be ideal for young players just starting out.

We’ve also included some expert buying advice at the end of this guide, so if you’d like to read more about the best guitars for kids, then click the link. If you’d rather get to the products, keep scrolling.

Best guitars for kids: Our top picks

While any of the entries in this guide would serve as brilliant first guitars for your child, there are a couple of options we’d point you towards without question. Our top acoustic recommendation is the Fender CC-60S (opens in new tab). Not only is it an excellent starter instrument with a compact and comfortable Concert-sized body, but younger players won’t find themselves outgrowing it as quickly as they may with other entry-level guitars.

If your child wants to plug in straight away, the electric guitar go-to is the Yamaha Pacifica PAC112J (opens in new tab). For us, in terms of build quality and tone, there’s no better value kid’s guitar around right now – not only will it be a solid instrument on which to learn the ropes, but the versatile HSS pickup configuration will help them to explore different sounds, too. We wish a guitar like this had existed when we were first learning to play…

Best guitars for kids: Acoustic guitars

The Fender CC-60S is one of the most popular kid-friendly guitars on the market, and it’s easy to see why. Boasting an impressive solid top, the Fender CC-60S offers genuinely unbeatable value for money while also being built to last them to the intermediate stage. 

We found that the concert-sized body is small enough for most new players, but as it isn’t a ¾ size guitar, it won’t feel like a toy when they are grown. The tone is rather impressive here as well – a lot of that is due to the top – it is full and rich, with plenty of bottom end. 

So, if you are looking for a well-built instrument from the biggest name in guitar, then look no further than the Fender CC-60S.

With its onboard preamp and tuner, the PN12E electro-acoustic offers a quick route to the stage for any young player. Just having the option of plugging in and delivering a performance on a guitar at this price is incredible.

Now, the pickup/preamp might not deliver the sound quality of a professional pickup such as the LR Baggs, but that’s not an issue for beginners. The main thing is they can be amplified should they wish. The onboard tuner is also hugely valuable, as learning how to tune and (stay in tune) is one of the most important lessons a young guitarist can learn.

We feel the PN12E has a warm and inviting tone when unplugged, while the ever-so-slightly shorter scale and a parlor-sized body are perfect for children to get to grips with.

We love the fact that the JR1 manages to provide some of a dreadnought’s famous booming mids without the significant bulk of the body. We also adore that this short-scale version is far less intimidating for beginners.

The build is pretty great too. There is a classic spruce top with Yamaha opting for meranti – a cheaper material – on the back and sides. Meranti might not be as desirable as mahogany but it’s hard-wearing and helps give the JR1 its incredibly attractive looks. Besides, the spruce top is resonant enough to get some good tones from the guitar.

Elsewhere, you’ve got a sturdy nato (eastern mahogany) neck, a rosewood fingerboard, and an all-important gigbag included.

We’ve always been advocates of the parlor-style acoustic guitars. For some, particularly kids, a regular dreadnought style can be a tad overwhelming in size, so the slightly shrunken body of the parlor guitar is ideal for playing both standing or sitting down.

The Fender CP-60S is a superb option, impressing us with its stellar build quality and tonal richness – not that we’d expect any less from a Fender. The CP-60S also has a form factor that is easy to come to terms with, as it isn’t too large for youngsters. For folk and country players, in particular, the CP-60S is a great first choice to learn on.

The Little Martin is a little pricier but in our view, you are getting an exceptional build and a superior instrument. Despite its short 23” scale and compact Modified O-14 body it has a bold, punchy and well-balanced voice.

The playability is stellar, too. It’s a guitar that adults would embrace as a great travel guitar, and that kids wouldn’t grow out of.

The fingerboard is made out of Richlite – a sustainable synthesis of resins and pulps that behaves a bit like ebony – while the top is made from a high-pressure Sitka spruce pattern laminate. Meanwhile, the back and sides are made from HPL mahogany, which can – with its resistance to temperature changes – definitely make for a more consistent, reliable instrument.

Read our full Martin LX1E Little Martin review

Best guitars for kids: Electric guitars

The Yamaha Pacifica is a guitar that enters the conversation when talking about the pound-for-pound, dollar-for-dollar best guitar of all time. When you factor in the price, the build, the variety of finish options, and the quality of the tone, it’s easy to see why it’s a ubiquitous presence in school music departments.

We love its HSS pickup configuration, especially for new players. With a humbucker in the bridge position, they’ll have access to thicker, higher-output tones that are ideal for rock and metal, while the two single coils offer some trebly snap and precision for cleaner styles of music.

This is a guitar to learn on, but not only to learn to play. With the HSS pickup configuration, players can learn about tone, too, and learn what type of player they might like to be. A tremolo bar is always a good option, too – nothing like a bit of wobble to show off once you’ve learned a piece.

There are guitars that are used to evoke a certain tonal memory. There are guitars that provide versatility across a range of genres. And, there are guitars that are just plain, simple fun to play. The Squier Bullet Mustang is one such guitar and is almost the perfect guitar for any child or beginner. 

Its slightly shorter scale length makes it easier for small hands to play, and in our tests, we found that the two humbuckers sound fantastic for the price – and are ideal for rockier and louder styles. The Bullet Mustang may not have the prestige of a Stratocaster or Les Paul, but for anyone who just wants to enjoy their first steps on the guitar, there are few better options.

Read the full Squier Bullet Mustang review

There’s a lot to be said for wanting to emulate your heroes. And, in the guitar world, heroes don’t come much bigger than Slash. The former Guns N’ Roses guitarist has a great track record of collaborating on signature instruments with Gibson’s sister company, Epiphone, encouraging plenty of younger players to start their guitar journey.

The Epiphone Slash AFD Les Paul Special package includes an amazing Epiphone Les Paul Special guitar, with two humbuckers which really help dial in that iconic, raw tone. We also like the fact the bridge humbucker has a tuner built into it so you can ensure you’re always battle-ready. Throw in a few essential accessories and you have a complete package for the little rocker in your life.

The miKro GRGM21 is a serious choice for aspiring young shredders with a bit of growing yet to do. It’s a small-bodied, short-scale guitar with a thin neck and smooth feel, that we found to be very forgiving for small hands. 

With two humbucking pickups, it’s ideal for those whose interest in the electric guitar was piqued by heavy metal. 

While the MiKro comes loaded with a dual set of humbuckers, they’re not super high-output – they do, however, offer plenty of crunch. You can also play a wide variety of other styles on the miKro GRGM21, so it shouldn’t inhibit a diverse musical curriculum for wide-eyed novices just starting to make their way in the six-string world.

Read the full Ibanez miKro GRGM21 review

Looking for the iconic sound of the SG, but you don’t get on with the cumbersome nature of a full-size guitar? Well, the newly released Epiphone Power Player might be the best guitar for you.

Coming in at a little over 3/4 of the original size, this SG is designed with young beginners in mind, giving them a much more accessible instrument without compromising on tone and feel. Featuring a mahogany body and neck as well as Epiphone 650R and 700T humbuckers, this tiny axe certainly lives up to its powerful name, delivering a well-rounded, warm tone that will suit almost any style.

It’s worth noting that if you aren’t taken with the SG shape, the Les Paul is available and both guitars come in three distinct finish options, Lava Red, Dark Matter Ebony and Ice Blue.

Best guitars for kids: Buying advice

What makes a good guitar for kids?

To put it simply, any guitar which keeps your child excited, enthused and passionate about the instrument is a good guitar. In reality, what that looks like will vary depending on a number of factors worth considering. How old is your child? How much growing have they still got to do? Have they played before or have they been playing for a while now? Do they seem serious about the instrument? What inspires them to play guitar?

What’s a good age for my child to start playing guitar?

Your child is never too young to be introduced to the concept of the guitar and exposed to guitar music, however we’d suggest around 6 as a good age to introduce them to playing. Any younger than this and the concepts of chords, strumming, picking, rhythm etc may be too advanced and put them off before they’ve given it a good go. Of course, every child develops at a different rate and if they show an interest there’s no harm in showing them the basics.

The size of the instrument is also a consideration when it comes to age. The guitar’s body may feel too large and unwieldy for smaller children, while a standard neck could be a stretch for smaller hands. ¾ size and shorter scale guitars are a good option here – like the Squier Bullet Mustang and Yamaha JR1 3/4-Size Dreadnought featured in this guide – if you’re keen to get them started and size is an issue, but your child could potentially outgrow the guitar in a shorter time. More on this below…

What size guitar is right for a child?

One of the biggest challenges when playing guitar as a kid is dealing with sore fingertips and wrestling with full-size, full-scale guitars. Young hands with some growing to do might benefit from a shorter-scale guitar – that means that the length from the guitar’s nut to the bridge is shorter, typically below 25”, and even as low as 21.25”, making the upper frets easier to reach.

One of the many benefits of a short-scale guitar is that the string tension is looser, making the strings easier to bend. The ergonomics of the instrument might be more suited to smaller frames, too. For the under 12s, a short-scale guitar, and one with maybe a 3/4-sized body would be more appropriate.

But you certainly shouldn’t rule out a full-scale guitar for your child. There’s no age minimum for a full-scale guitar – what’s most important is that it feels right. One big benefit of starting out with a full-scale guitar is that there’s no sizing up after they’re grown. If budget is tight, this should definitely be a consideration.

Many of us learned on full-scale instruments in our early teens, and if there was a struggle it was more that those instruments were not that playable in the first place – even as adults we’d find some of those hand-me-down firewood acoustics intimidating!

Is an electric or acoustic guitar better for kids?

This is a difficult one, but ultimately it comes back to what we are looking for in any instrument for children: what’s going to keep them enthused and keep them playing the longest.

If your child’s interest in guitar was sparked by heavy metal or rock, it’s best to lead them down the path of least resistance and straight towards an electric guitar. The answer would be the same if it was funk, blues, punk or whatever. It’s vital that the guitar inspires the player to do what inspired them in the first place.

There are, however, practical considerations to take into account. The acoustic guitar is the most immediate and portable guitar. You don’t need a guitar amp and cable, just a guitar pick – or even your fingers. Indeed, your child might be inspired by someone like Ed Sheeran, and you don’t need an electric guitar for that. Far better to pick one of the smaller-bodied acoustics we recommend in this guide.

And if your child is yet to really form any strong opinions on musical taste, the acoustic guitar’s immediacy makes it an ideal blank-slate for budding young players to find their feet and develop their tastes alongside. You can play any genre on an acoustic guitar.

How much should you pay for a kid’s guitar?

The biggest fear most parents face is that their child will fall out of love with the guitar and pick up something else. It happens. There is so much else to attract their attention! If you’re unsure that your child will stick it out – and only you know best – we would advise against spending anything north of 200 bucks. As this guide demonstrates, for that money you can certainly get a more than decent entry-level guitar, but it won’t be such a huge loss if it’s ultimately a short-lived hobby.

But say they’ve had a few lessons on an old guitar, and their passion is evident, we’d maybe push the budget to $350 or thereabouts. For that money, you’ll be getting a guitar that will definitely last them through to adulthood, and one that will offer a better playing experience overall.

There’s an economic trade-off here. With a guitar such as the Epiphone SG in our list, you won’t be under pressure to upgrade it a few years later, but it does cost a little more.

What else do I need to get them started?

Once you’ve chosen the right guitar, you’re going to need some guitar picks, a spare set of acoustic guitar strings, a guitar strap, a guitar tuner, a gig-bag for carrying it around, and if you get an electric guitar you’ll need an amplifier and a guitar cable, too. 

For those crucial items, we’ve included links to some handy buying guides below. As with electric guitars, there is a huge array of beginner guitar amps – many with a host of smart tech features – at a similar $200 price point. The other essentials will set you back around $50 to $70.

Does my child need guitar lessons?

Lessons are another consideration. Good guitar teachers are hard to find, but there is no substitute for excellent one-on-one tuition. That said, there is a wealth of online guitar lessons platforms to help steer your child in the right direction. The likes of Fender Play (opens in new tab), Guitar Tricks (opens in new tab) and Justin Guitar (opens in new tab) offer excellent, affordable tuition for beginners. Of course, if you’re a player yourself, the bonding experience of passing on your skills can be just as fulfilling for the parent as it is the child. But remember, keep things light and fun initially at the start. They’ll thank you for it later.

If you’re thinking of trying an online lesson provider, check out some of the Guitar World exclusive offers currently available…

Read more about our rating system, how we choose the gear we feature, and exactly how we test each product.  

More beginner guitar gear guides

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• And the best electric guitar strings
• The best guitar cables
• Downsize to one of the best 3/4 acoustic guitars
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Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to publications including Guitar World, MusicRadar and Total Guitar. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.