best acoustic guitar for small hands

YOU’LL LOVE These 8 Best Acoustic Guitars For Small Hands

Updated on April 1, 2022 by Dan Harper

You choose a prefect guitar that you are happy with based on your personal preferences like size, shape, style, and genres of sound and then second comes the physical factor. Some people have small hands, typically they tend to be children, teens and women. When you have small hands, playing the guitar can be difficult and even painful.

Quick Links To Our Best Acoustic Guitar For Small Hands Recommendations

If you are worried about not making fast progress because your fingers just won’t stretch far enough or fall in the right spots, don’t be because we are here to introduce the perfect acoustic guitars just for your hands.

Our Top Acoustic Guitars For Small Hands Reviews

Here are our recommendations for the best acoustic guitar for small hands choices.

1.  Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar

This is an affordable ¾ size acoustic guitar that is not disappointing at all when it comes to delivery. The Taylor BT2 Baby Acoustic Guitar it uses mahogany laminate construction for front, sides, and back. Its tone is soft, smooth, mellow, and warm. It de-emphasizes your right-hand movement and is very chord friendly. The X-bracing used in this guitar is non-scalloped. It has a varnished bolt-on neck joint, which has two screws at the 16th fret on the African ebony fretboard that has a total of 19 medium frets.

There are two versions of this acoustic. One that uses a ES-B preamp and a pick-up system and the other is without any electronics. The preamp used is very simple with one-band EQ, volume, and an in-built die-cast chromatic tuner. If you want a smaller guitar which has a professional vibe to it, it is a good pick.

Pros

  • Suitable for beginners and children
  • Produces good sound
  • Comes with a backpack style case
  • Easy to acoustic guitar to travel with

Cons

  • The electronics used in this guitar could be better

You can also read our full Baby Taylor BT2 review here.

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar

2.  Ibanez Talman TCY10 Acoustic Guitar

If you are bored with the common acoustic electric guitars and you are in the mood for something different, the Ibanez Talman TCY10 Acoustic Guitar is a good option. It has a double-cutaway body shape. It has a mahogany neck, back and sides, and a spruce top. It is very robust with its high weight-to-strength ratio. The X-bracing adds to its sturdiness. The chrome tuner is die-cast. It has a rosewood 20-fret fretboard.

Its double-cutaway design makes it very easy to handle with small hands and you can easily reach even the last frets on the board. You can easily adjust the strings using the chrome tuner. The Ibanez bridge pins are even easier to take out. You can comfortably hold on to the pin with its bulb-shaped end. You can perform with it sitting and standing due to its light material. It sports a built-in AEQ-2T preamp.

This guitar, with its unique looks, is perfect for beginners and intermediates.

Pros

  • Double-cutaway design makes it look unique
  • Easily adjustable chrome tuners
  • Onboard preamp with tuner
  • Sounds resonant and warm

Cons

  • The finish is not very durable
  • Onboard preamp is not suitable for advanced players.

Our Rating –
4/5


Check The Latest Price On The Ibanez Talman TCY10 Acoustic Guitar

3.  Martin LX1 Little Martin Acoustic Guitar

The Martin LX1 Little Martin Acoustic Guitar should be on top of your list if you want a guitar for small hands. This surprisingly affordable acoustic guitar lets you have it all in terms of sound, build, and feel.

Its body shape is non-cut-away and has a scale length of 23 inches. Its back and sides are high pressure mahogany laminate and the top is solid Sitka spruce. The neck is rust birch laminate, which gives you a good feel when you hold it in your hand. The richlite fretboard has 20 frets.

This guitar comes without electronics but it has an electro-acoustic LX1 E which sports a Fishman mic system to amplify your tune. It features a Tusq nut, saddle, Richlite bridge, and a set of SP strings from Martin acoustic. The gig bag is a stylish addition to this instrument, which makes it easier to carry.

It might not be a competition for full-sized dreadnought but it is perfect for beginners and intermediates with small hands. It is a great instrument with quality build that is ideal acoustic guitar for travelers.

Pros

  • Is easy to tune
  • Looks stylish
  • Tone is loud and full
  • Is durable and weather resistant

Cons

  • There are no fret inlays
  • Real wood fretboard would be better

We also have a full Martin LX1 review here.

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Martin LX1 Little Martin Acoustic Guitar

4.  Fender FSR MA-1 ¾ Size Steel String Acoustic Guitar

To get a full on acoustic experience, get yourself this MA-1 Acoustic Guitar by Fender. You don’t have to be a guitar expert to know that it is good. It offers great build, sound, and style – all at a very reasonable price.

It has a very clean, ¾ size body with a 23.3-inch scale length. It is steel though; no solid wood is used. The sides and back are Sapele laminated. The agathist top has X-bracing. The look is completed with a sleek satin finish. Its neck is C-shaped, which sports a 1.69-inch wide nut.

The fretboard is rosewood with 18 frets. It is a compact little instrument with durable build meant for small hands. Its headstock features die-cast chrome tuners, which allow you with stable tuning. It also comes with a rosewood bridge, a saddle, bone nut, and light gauge strings.

This acoustic guitar sounds great for its price. Its sound is clear and crisp, with mellow warmth added to it. This sleek and stylish acoustic guitar offers a comfortable and better playing experience. It sounds nicer than many other starter guitars.

Pros

  • The satin finish on it looks attractive
  • It stays tuned for a long time
  • The gig bag makes transport easy
  • Sounds good considering its price

Cons

  • Out of box action is a bit high
  • Some components are of cheap quality

Our Rating –
4/5


Check The Latest Price On The Fender FSR MA-1 ¾ Size Steel String Acoustic Guitar

5.  Taylor GS Mini-e Solid Koa Top Acoustic Guitar

The GS mini-e by Taylor, although scaled down in size, packs the sound quality of a full size acoustic guitar. It has a 23 ½-inch scale length. It is designed to play right out of the box. It has great playability; with its narrow Sapele neck, it doesn’t fight you back when you make tunes. It is not cut-away and has matte varnish finish.

The fretboard is West African ebony and the strings are Elixir phosphor medium gauge. The ‘‘e’’ in the Mini-e stands for electronics. It has a ES-B preamp, which runs on their Expression System 2. The preamp comes with a built-in tuner. You can make creative and expressive tunes with this instrument.

This model has Koa sides and back and a solid Koa top. Koa guitars deliver a bright sound. As time passes, the sound will become warm and sweet layered with overtunes. Fingerstyles guitarists will like it more because they can play more softly with its bright sound.

Pros

  • Sounds bright and beautiful
  • Very portable with the gig bag
  • Lightweight
  • Comes with a pre-installed 9-volt battery

Cons

  • Functional control buttons on body lack description

Our Rating –
4/5


Check The Latest Price On The Taylor GS Mini-e Solid Koa Top Acoustic Guitar

6.  Eastman E10P Acoustic Guitar

If you want a small guitar without having to compromise on sound and quality, then look no further. You can tell just by looking at the tonewood, neck and body that you are dealing with a high quality instrument. The back and sides are mahogany while the top is Adriondack spruce. The neck is solid mahogany and the fingerboard ebony. If you want little fret noise and smooth performance, go for it.

It has a 24.9-inch scale length. It comes with an ebony bridge, bone saddle, and nut. The fretboard has 19 frets. It has scalloped X-bracing that is hand-carved. The strings are SP phosphor bronze.

It is easier for small-handed individuals to handle but will also surprise people with big hands. The neck and fretboard are ½-inch below the dreadnought standard length. Thus, it sounds good in hand size. It is versatile enough to not just play acoustic blues guitar as you can play jazz, folk. or even acoustic rock with this six-stringed beauty.

Pros

  • Suitable for fingerstyle playing
  • Looks stylish and expensive
  • Players with big hands can also use it
  • Highly portable

Cons

  • Doesn’t have a place for amp plug-ins
  • Might be expensive for some people

Our Rating –
4/5


Check The Latest Price On The Eastman E10P Acoustic Guitar

7.  Yamaha APXT2 Acoustic Guitar

This compact, steel-ring, electro-acoustic guitar looks stylish, has a high quality build, and feels good when you hold it in your hand. Its price also won’t crush your wallet. It is single-cutaway with a ¾ size scale body shape. The top is spruce laminated with an oval soundhole. The sides and back are meranti, which is a cost effective mahogany. It comes in a glossy black and old violin sunburst finish. The neck is small, slim, and made from nato. The fretboard is rosewood with 21 frets.

It comes with a built-in ART-based preamplifier with a System 68 pickup contact. The preamp comes with a simple control panel. There are control knobs for volume and tone, and a digital tuner. The headstock features vintage style tuners, a rosewood bridge, and a nut and saddle made of plastic. For a small and reasonably priced guitar, it sounds quite good.

Though it lacks a lot of versatility, it is a good travel companion and a better choice for children and beginner guitarists with small hands.

Pros

  • Durable build
  • Suitable for beginners
  • Good sound quality
  • Highly portable

Cons

  • The design is simple
  • Some components are made of cheap material

Our Rating –
4/5


Check The Latest Price On The Yamaha APXT2 Acoustic Guitar

8.  Alvarez AR610CEAR Acoustic Guitar

Alvarez is not a very famous brand in the acoustic business, but it has made guitars for about 50 years that are durable and reasonably priced. It is made of high quality material and the craftsmanship is decent. Although an entry-level instrument, it looks nothing like that on first look.

The Alvarez AR610CEAR Acoustic Guitar is constructed with solid book-matched Sitka spruce. The top and the back have ivory color binding, which is supplemented with black pinstripes. The heel cap and the rosewood fretboard are also bound by the same material. The back and sides are book-matched mahogany laminate. The C-shaped low profile neck on it is also mahogany.

It has FST2 bracing, which means that the X-bracing is forward shifted to give more space to the soundboard for more volume and better sound. It has bone saddle and nut and die-cast chrome-tuners. The fretboard board has 21 frets. The scale length is 25.5 inches and it has a semi-glossy finish. The bi-level bridge increases the string tension and the bone nut and saddle add to that tension. Increased string tension impacts the sound and feel.

Pros

  • Looks stylish
  • The tone is mellow and full
  • Finish is flawless
  • Quality of the components’ material is good

Cons

  • Produces noise on tightening the truss rod
  • High action

Our Rating –
4/5

Check The Latest Price On The Alvarez AR610CEAR Acoustic Guitar

How To Choose An Acoustic Guitar For Small Hands

There are a number of things that you should keep in mind when shopping for an acoustic guitar suitable for someone with small hands. First, you should think about a size. Many people assume that if they have small hands then they should go for a smaller guitar. This is not always the case.

Guitar Body Size

A full-size guitar (these are also known as dreadnought guitars) can be just as comfortable for someone with small hands to play, and in some cases even easier to play than a children’s model. These full-size guitars also sound a lot fuller and more powerful, so they may be more suitable if you’re looking for a guitar to play along with other musicians.

If you have small hands then you need to look for an acoustic guitar that is easier to play. These include dreadnought guitars which have a full sound and are heavy enough to remain stable on their own when you’re playing them in addition to being really comfortable to hold. These are generally the kind of guitars that professional musicians favor because they produce the best sound. However, if you’re only going to play for fun or practice then a smaller guitar may be more suitable.

The Neck and Fretboard Size

The neck is another important part of the guitar that you should consider when buying a guitar for someone with small hands. A good neck will be well balanced and have a diameter that suits your hand comfortably. If you have small hands then you should look for something around 40mm or smaller. The fretboard is also important because this is where your fingers will go. You should look for something that’s not too wide but not too narrow either.  Take a look at this post on fingerboard radius for small hands.

The key is to try some guitars out to see how they feel when you play them. If you can, try both full-size and smaller sized guitars out so that you can compare and find the one that feels best for you.

Check out these electric guitars for little hands too.

Final Words On The Best Small Hands Acoustic Guitars

Can I Play Guitar With Small Hands?  Having small hands doesn’t mean that you can’t strum a guitar like a pro. It is just a matter of getting the right one. Just keep an eye out for guitars with a narrow neck and lighter strings with short length so you can hone your skills. The importance of a proper setup cannot be underestimated either.

All of the best acoustic guitar for small hands listed above are of high quality. They may be small but they pack quite a punch sonically. These picks are suitable both for players on a budget and the ones who can spend some money.

We would suggest only choosing the type of acoustic guitar that fits both your preferences and budgetary limits the best.