For kids aged 9-12, the ideal guitar size is ¾. A three quarters guitar measures in at around 36’’-39’’ in length, with a 22’’-24’’ scale length, which makes it a bit easier to play for children before they move on to a full-sized instrument.
That being said, finding just the right guitar for a kid can be pretty tough, especially with all the options out there. So to make things easier for you, I’ve compiled reviews of the best three quarter size electric guitars on the market today.
Some of the items on the list come from more affordable brands and are designed for beginners, but there are also a couple of more premium options for experienced players.
You’ll be able to find a guitar for just about any child in this article, so read on to learn more.
Quick Summary
Last update on 2023-03-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Top 6 Best Three Quarter Size Electric Guitars Reviews
#1, LyxPro 30 Inch Guitar Starter Kit – The Best Starter Package
- BOYS & GIRLS BEGINNER GUITAR SET | Ultimate Starter Package Includes 3/4 Child’s Size Guitar & All the Parts & Equipment They Need to Rock Straight Out the Box | Perfect Choice for Novice & Intermediate Players Aged 9 to 13
- REAL 30 INCH ELECTRIC GUITAR | Plug In Guitar Features the Same Scale & High- Quality Materials as an Adult’s Full Size Instrument Including Premium Rosewood Fingerboard, Canadian Maple Neck, Volume/Tone Knobs & More
- 20 WATT AMPLIFIER WITH CABLE | Pack Includes 20W Amp with Built In Speaker, Headphone Jack & AUX Input for Playing Along to Music on Phone or MP3 Player | Integrated Controls Include Gain, Bass, Treble, Volume & Grind
- DIGITAL TUNER & ACCESSORIES | Battery-Operated Mini Clip-On Tuner & Instruction Book Teaches Kids to Tune Their Guitar for Best Sound Quality | Kit Also Comes with [6] Strings, [2] Picks & Comfortable Shoulder Strap
- GIVE THE GIFT OF BEAUTIFUL MUSIC | All-in-One Set for Dummies is a Budding Musician’s Dream | From Home to School to Lessons, Learning the Guitar Has Never Been So Easy! | Perfect Present for Christmas, Birthday & Beyond
Last update on 2023-03-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Kicking off our list is one of the best options out there for beginners. This is because of how complete the package is and how little it costs.
In this bundle, you’ll get a 30’’ electric guitar with a phoenix wood top, a 20W amplifier, a tuner, a spare set of strings, a cable, a strap, two picks, and an instructional book designed to teach children how to play guitar.
The size of the guitar makes it ideal for beginners between the ages of 6-8 and would be very comfortable for a beginner to play. All the accessories that come in this bundle would be essential for any student of the instrument, and a 20W amplifier will produce a sound loud enough to allow a child to practice and rehearse.
It only has a single pickup, which can reduce the number of options you have when it comes to sound, but beginners won’t need all of that to learn the basics anyway.
So if you’ve been on the hunt for a complete guitar package made for beginners, then this might be your best bet.
#2, Rise By Sawtooth ST-RISE-ST-3/4-BLK-KIT-1 Electric Guitar Pack – The Best Option Under $100
- Basswood Body, Maple Neck
- Maple Fretboard with Dot Inlays
- 24" Scale Length, Fixed Bridge
- Chrome Hardware
- Kit Includes: Electric Guitar, 5W Amp, Guitar Strap, Guitar Cable, Gig Bag, Pitch Pipe, & 3 Pick Sampler
Last update on 2023-03-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Next up, we have a guitar coming from Rise, which is a company under the Sawtooth brand, which is one of the more-respected ones in the market. This pack comes with a ¾ size electric guitar, a gig bag, a battery-powered amp, a pitch pipe, picks, a cable, and a strap.
These are all things a beginner would need when they start their guitar lessons, and you can get all of these things for under $100. Normally, packages like this in this price range would have lousy guitars that can’t stay in tune. That isn’t the case with this one though.
Rise made sure that the guitar included in this kit is a real instrument that sounds proper and can be played by about anyone. It has a single humbucker pickup, which can help guitarists achieve that signature rock and roll sound.
So if you’ve been looking for a guitar your child can really rock out with that comes with useful accessories, this might be the one for you.
#3, SX ¾ Size Guitar Package – The Best Guitar For Children Below 5 Feet
- A Great 3/4 Size Guitar Package at an unbelievable price!
- Package includes everything you need to start playing: Guitar, Guitar Amp, Lessons, Guitar Bag, Strap, and Cable!
- Scaled down guitar is about 3" shorter and 2" narrower than a full size guitar. Great for travel! Guitar is 36 3/4" in overall length.
- Dual cutaway allows access to the highest frets.
- SX RST 3/4 size guitars come in sunburst, black, red, and blue, and we have lefty models, too!
Last update on 2023-03-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Next up, we have a guitar that is ideal for smaller children because of its scale length. This guitar from SX features a design reminiscent of Fender’s classic Stratocaster, with single-coil pickups that emulate the tone fairly well.
The guitar is made of basswood and maple, which is about expected in this price range. The package comes with an amplifier, cable, tuner, picks, a gig bag, and a strap. It’s a fairly complete package, though it isn’t exactly the best one you can find.
One of the best parts about this SX model is that it comes in multiple colors. You can either get it in sunburst, white, red, in three-tones, black, and purple. On top of that, there are also left-handed versions of this guitar available, which is a huge plus if you’re shopping for lefties.
The guitar has a dual cutaway, which will allow players to reach the higher frets with ease. This feature won’t be used too much when a person is starting out, but once more advanced techniques are learned, it will make things much easier if the higher frets can be easily reached.
It has a 24’’ scale length and a light body, making it one of the best options out there for children below five feet tall.
#4, Squier By Fender Mini Stratocaster – The Best Stratocaster Option
- 100% designed by Fender
- Thin and lightweight body
- 22.75" scale length
- Three single-coil pickups
- Sealed die-cast tuning machines
Last update on 2023-03-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Moving on, we have a guitar that comes from Squier, which is a company owned by Fender, one of the most popular guitar brands out there. The instrument was designed by Fender, so you can rest assured that all the high-quality standards of the brand are met with this instrument.
It has a 22.5’’ scale length and is very lightweight. This makes it ideal for children, and since it’s so light, they can go on practicing for hours without feeling too fatigued by the weight. The guitar has three single-coil pickups, which is about expected from a Stratocaster model, and since it comes from the company that invented the Strat, there aren’t too many instruments out there that can come closer to the sound.
This guitar comes in a classic black and white finish, with poplar wood on the body and a laurel wood neck, which makes it look like a very classic electric guitar. It also has very high-quality tuning machine heads, so you won’t have to worry about constantly tuning the guitar.
This is one of the more expensive options, and it doesn’t even come with any accessories. However, it’s one of the best sounding ones out there, making it well worth the investment. If you think your child is going to start taking the guitar a bit more seriously and believe they need to use higher-quality instruments, then this Stratocaster would make a very good choice.
#5, Epiphone Les Paul Special II – The Best ¾ Size Electric Guitar For Rock And Roll
- Mahogany body
- 700T Humbucker pickups
- Rosewood fretboard
- 24.75 Scale
Last update on 2023-03-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Next up, we have a guitar that played a big part in the history of rock and roll. It comes from Epiphone, which is a company owned by Gibson, which is the brand responsible for the Les Paul.
Les Paul guitars are synonymous with rock gods like Slash and Jimmy Page, and this Epiphone model aims to deliver that same sound and feel, but at a cheaper price. That being said, this is still a fairly pricey guitar as compared to others on this list.
This is because of the attention to detail paid when making a Les Paul as well as the high-quality materials that were used in constructing the guitar.
This instrument has two humbucker pickups, which give it a very bright and crunchy tone. This guitar is a bit heavy, which is expected from Les Pauls, but if you have a child that wants to get into playing heavier rock music, then this model might be your best bet.
#6, Ibanez GRGM21BKN ¾ Size Micro Electric Guitar – The Best Option For Lead Guitarists
- The first Ibanez compact guitar
- 22" scale Maple neck offers low tension and small size
- Perfect for beginners
- Set-up like the full-size GRG models
- Left-handed model available model (GRGM21BKNL)
Last update on 2023-03-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Capping off our list is a model from Ibanez, a Japanese brand of guitars known for producing high-quality instruments. Despite this only being a ¾ sized guitar, it packs a real punch when it comes to tone.
It’s modeled after the Superstrats of the 80s’ that was commonly seen used by hair metal bands, and that’s exactly the type of tone you can achieve with this guitar. It has two humbucker pickups which are loud and ideal for lead guitar, and it also has a pickguard to keep the top of the guitar safe while your kid shreds away.
It has an all-black finish and a sharp design, which makes it a great pick for kids who like the rock and roll aesthetic. And while it may be pretty expensive, it will all be worth it once you hear how good this guitar actually sounds.
What To Consider When Buying A ¾ Size Electric Guitar?
- Price
When buying a ¾ size electric guitar, one of the first things you have to decide on is the price you’re willing to pay. This is because these guitars can range anywhere from $80 to $800, and figuring out your price range will greatly help you narrow down your options.
Just because a guitar is affordable, that doesn’t mean the sound is top-tier. There are a lot of guitars out there that you can get for a cheap price and still have a great sound. Once you figure out how much you’re willing to invest, the next thing to look at is which brand of guitar you’ll get.
- Brand
While the brand of an instrument shouldn’t be the sole basis as to whether or not it’s good, buying from trusted and respected brands is a way of getting some sort of assurance of quality.
And if you do your research, you’ll find that there are so many brands out there that are really good but not as popular as Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, and the like. The right brand of guitar to get will largely depend on how much you’re willing to spend and what kind of music the child is aiming to play or learn.
- Sound
Next, you have to check out how the guitar sounds. After all, the sound or timbre is arguably the most important aspect of any instrument. This is also a largely subjective area, as different people will prefer different tones.
The best way to check this out is to hear the guitar for yourself. If you’re shopping for someone else, it might also be ideal for you to bring the person so they can listen to the guitar and determine for themselves if it’s the right sound and tone for them.
- Playability
Lastly, you would want to make sure that the guitar feels comfortable in your hand. You wouldn’t want to get a guitar that would be hard to play for one reason or another.
Typically, a guitar that was shipped over long distances won’t be in the best condition. The strings will be high up and hard to press down, the neck won’t be properly adjusted, and the intonation will be off. But if you make sure to get a guitar with a truss rod, then it can always be adjusted by a professional to get the best feel possible.
Again, everyone has different preferences when it comes to the feel of a guitar, so make sure to try it out before buying to make sure the instrument feels right in the hands.
FAQ’s
What Size Is A ¾ Guitar?
Technically, a ¾ size guitar is around ⅞ the size of a regular one. That means that it is around 36’’-39’’ long. This is significantly shorter, especially the scale length, which usually measures below 24’’.
The size difference can make it easier to play for children and even adults with smaller hands, too!
Can Adults Use A ¾ Size Guitar?
If you find that a ¾ size guitar is more comfortable for you, then there’s no reason not to use one. A lot of successful artists such as Ed Sheeran are usually seen playing with a simple and small ¾ size guitar.
Is It Easier To Learn On A ¾ Size Guitar?
It’s only easier to learn on these instruments if it fits your hand right. If your hands are too large for a ¾ size guitar, you might have a tough time learning how to move between positions.
However, if you find that jumbo and dreadnought size guitars are too big for you to learn properly, then maybe you might want to consider downsizing to give yourself an easier time.
How Many Frets Does A ¾ Size Guitar Have?
Typically, these guitars will have 19 frets on them, however, you can still find models that have 20-22 frets on them. However, guitars with more frets also tend to be a bit more expensive, so that is something to prepare for if you’re looking for more range on your guitar.
Can A Guitar Be Too Big?
A guitar can certainly be too big for a player. And when that happens, playing the instrument can be pretty tough. The only real way to find out whether or not the guitar you’re playing is the right size is to try it out yourself.
If you find that it feels uncomfortable when playing for some reason, it might be because the size is wrong for you. Sometimes they can be too big, and other times, they can be much too small.
Conclusion
Three quarters size electric guitars are some of the best instruments for children to learn on. Not only do they fit the hands and fingers better, but they also give students a wide range of sounds to experiment with and discover.
These are also great tools that can get a child started on their musical journey. So if you think you’ve found the right ¾ size electric guitar for you or your child on this list, then the only thing left to do is to get your hands on one and start rocking out!
My name is Demarcus M. Greiner and I was born and raised in the mid-seventies on the flat country near Stamford.
From the age of twelve, I received classical lessons from the guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Two years later, I work on playing the electric guitar on the side and self-taught and is part of various rock band constellations.
Since 2004 I have been giving private guitar lessons and since 2005 I have been a lecturer for classical and electric guitar at the New York Guitar Academy. In the years 2006-2010, I study at the New York City Guitar School in the subject “classical guitar”.
After completing studies and obtaining a diploma as an instrumental teacher, I completed a further training course in the field of jazz guitar, similar to a course of studies, with the – beyond this scene – renowned guitarist Chuck Berry.
Later I was addicted to dark metal. Years later Carter USM, Pop Will Eat Itself, Jesus Jones followed. Then the electronic stuff. Techno, Warp stuff, Ambient. Today I listen mainly to Indie, Shoegaze, Dream-Pop, Folk, Post-Rock and Electronica.