This is my review of the best electric guitars for small hands.

If you have small hands, it can be difficult to select the right guitar. We’d all want to have Jimi Hendrix’s huge hands and Steve Vai’s long, spidery fingers, but many people have small hands and struggle with a lot of guitar necks because they are too large for them. Kids fall into this category and women too, in the sense that they frequently have smaller hands and less powerful fretting hands, making it more fun for them to choose a guitar that is more suited to their hands. But it’s not only the size and shape of the neck that matters. Also the guitar’s body contains a lot of variance, and if it doesn’t rest properly, it will cause issues when it comes to playing feel. Therefore I have included in this post a list of various electric models with body forms that more easily fit people with smaller frames, that at the same time feel fantastic in the (smaller) hand.

I know the struggle of those that have small hands and want to play guitar. Because I started playing guitar since I was 9 and back then I had small hands. At the time I had a large Ibanez Roadstar electric guitar and a huge acoustic guitar that my brother lended to me. Both guitars were really large and made fretting difficult and a daunting task. Luckily, despite the hardships I never stopped playing and worked through the challenges.

Today, there is a wide range of electric guitars available for players with small hands, from budget and short-scale models to high-end guitars that offer all an accomplished guitarist could possibly require. The guitars on this list are all excellent options if you want to play the guitar more comfortably because they are all made for musicians with smaller hands. You don’t need to suffer because you just have small hands: you have many choices from the best guitar manufacturers. Let’s have a look at some of the greatest electric guitars for those with little hands! We’ll start off with my top picks.

Top Picks: Best Electric Guitars for Small Hands

Top 3 picks

Ibanez GRGM21M Micro

Fender Telecaster Custom FMT

Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar

Price: it’s cheap!

Perfect set up: straight out of the box you can start shredding.

Available in a variety of colors so there’s definitively a guitar of your taste in this series.

Superb quality!

Excellent playability for players with small hands.

Tremendous tone diversity: both humbucker and single-coil style tones.

Looks amazing!

You get a pleasant feel and smooth play with a contemporary C-shaped neck and a 24″ scale length.

Authentic Nirvana, grungy sound.

Let’s have a look at some of the greatest product type on the market to see which one is ideal for you!

A. Best Budget Electric Guitars for Small Hands

1 Ibanez GRGM21M Micro

Body and Neck

Check out this fantastic small body guitar from Ibanez! If you have a young aspiring rocker at home who wants to start playing the guitar this is an excellent option. But also small-handed adults can benefit from this shred monster. It has an RG-style body shape and finish and is set up exactly like a full-sized guitar.

The Mikro’s 3/4 body is constructed of basswood. It has established itself as a quality tone wood, and the Ibanez benefits greatly from its use. And it comes in so many vibrant colors! Black, blue, white metallic purple, vibrant pink, and walnut sunburst are all available. Any player will be inspired to practice more, just by the joy of playing such a fantastic looking instrument. I selected this guitar as a top pick in the budget / short scale category. It’s also important to know that Ibanez makes a left-handed version of the Ibanez Mikro GRGM 21.

This guitar has a smaller scale and is 22.2″ long but still has a full 24 (medium) frets, a very small and lightning-quick GRGM neck. The maple neck is bolted on, which is typical of most Ibanez guitars. The nut is also very narrow at only 1.614″. The the large 15.7″ radius is not constrictive when playing chords and excellent for playing fast.

Playability

The best feature of this guitar is that for players with tiny hands it plays exactly like a full size instrument. It weighs around 9 lbs and for a fairly leightweight guitar the balance is fantastic. Although the nut doesn’t provide much space between the strings, the guitar is very well set up for players with small hands. You have unfettered access to the 18th fret, making it easier for you to shred in the higher registers. For kids who still lack the power in their fretting hand, the maple neck’s low tension is ideal.

Electronics and hardware

The Ibanez GRGM21 MIKRO employs a pair of ceramic Infinity humbucking pickups to provide an excellent distorted sound. These pickups are coupled to the master volume, master tone, and five-way pickup selection switch. There are single coils at the neck in position 2 and split single coils of the neck and bridge in position 4, in addition to the conventional settings of neck, neck and bridge, and bridge humbuckers at positions 1, 3, and 5. This undoubtedly broadens the tone range’s adaptability. The controls work flawlessly, especially the volume knob, which is quite responsive. The hard tail provides great tuning stability. The bridge and tuning mechanisms are finished in chrome to reinforce a heavy metal appearance.

Sound

It belongs to the same class as the Mini Strat (see below) and offers outstanding heavy metal vibrations. But it’s not only suited for metal: it has a variety it can also play music from other genres, including hard rock, classic rock and blues. The heavy tones have lots of punch and never seemed muddy. Ibanez has gained a lot of respect and demand in the heavy metal and hard rock communities because of the superb tone and high-quality construction. Compared to high end Ibanez guitars, the Ibanez Mikro GRGM 21 has a tighter midrange and less low end.

Customer reviews

Verdict

The Ibanez Mikro GRGM 21 is a fantastic option for anyone with little hands who is trying to keep costs down. It’s about as good as electric guitars for small hands get at this price point, regardless of whether you’re an adult with smaller hands or buying it for a young shredder in your life. It’s beautiful, simple to use, and very budget friendly guitar.

Ibanez GRGM21M Micro

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2 Squier Mini Strat

Body and Neck

The Squier Mini Strat is an excellent starter guitar for persons with smaller hands. It’s relatively inexpensive and very easy to play. The guitar has a nice vintage Fender appearance and can be used in a wide variety of musical styles.

This 3/4 guitar has a scale length of 22,75″ and a C-shaped neck. The neck is quite small and the nut is only 1.6″ (40,6 mm) wide. The neck is thin all throughout. Both the scale length and the shape of the neck are ideal for small hands. Additionally, this guitar has a hardtail bridge for reliable tuning. There are 20 frets on the Indian Laurel fretboard.

Playability

Since the fretboard radius is standard (9.5 inches) for most Squier guitars, you should have no trouble reaching every fret on the fretboard, even with short fingers. The strings are much easier to press down and have far less tension than on a full-size Strat. The playability is generally improved by this. So in any position, this Mini Strat is ready to shred and rock!

Electronics and hardware

The Mini Strat has three Standard Single-Coil Strat pickups, which produce sparkling and bright tones. Of course, these are less expensive copies of the original Stratocaster pickups. Additionally, the 5-way switch on this Mini Strat lets you choose which pickup is on or off. You have good control over your tone with these five selections. It also includes a master volume knob and a master tone knob.

Sound

By combining a poplar body with a maple neck some punchy notes can be produced. If you wish, you can make this axe sound rather aggressive. The clean tones are crisp and the muddy tones have plenty of attack. The guitar does a great job with rock, jazz, and blues. However, it’s clear that this guitar wasn’t made with metal heads in mind. If metal is the music style you prefer, I’d advise you to go with the Ibanez GRGM21M Micro.

Customer reviews

Verdict

If you’re searching for a 3/4-sized guitar, this guitar is a great choice for less than 200 dollars. With the Squier Mini Strat you acquire a comfortable, simple-to-play guitar that offers a wide range of tones. It works very well with genres like jazz, blues, and rock.

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3 Squier Mini Jazzmaster

Body and Neck

Originally designed for jazz, Fender Jazzmasters were later modified and popularized by post-punk and no-wave bands. Compared to Stratocasters, Jazzmasters often have wider, longer necks with two warm humbucker pickups. The greatest guitar for little hands might not be a full-sized Jazzmaster, then. However, Squire has produced a magnificent 34 tiny replica, so they shrunk down the original to make it comfy for both young guitarists and those with small hands. 

Playability

The Mini Jazzmaster’s poplar body offers a fairly neutral sound profile that enhances the performance of your amplifier. The maple neck’s thin c shape and short 22.75″ scale feel lovely in the hand. The Nut width is extremely small at just 1.598″. Younger guitarists in particular, who have small hands, can benefit greatly from this setup of short scale, narrow neck, and slim nut. It weighs only about six and a half pounds, making it very portable. 

The fewer frets on this instrument are its main drawback. It only featured 20 narrow-tall frets, and while expert players with small hands could find themselves wishing they had more range available, beginners are unlikely to miss having the extras. The 9.5″ radius lends itself beautifully to chords and makes other soloing techniques like easy bending possible. 

Electronics and hardware

A little Jazzmaster! While lacking the original vibrato mechanism, it has the same pickup switching designs. A hardtail bridge was installed in its place, which will maintain tuning longer. It’s lightweight enough that both children and adults can use it. 

Sound

Although not as good as the original, the sound quality is still amazing for the price. You get 3 basic sounds that sound like Fender and differ enough to have fun. If you’re searching for something a little more traditional than other smaller scale length guitars, like the Ibanez Mikro, this guitar offers a fantastic alternative. 

Customer reviews

Verdict

Great sounding, fantastic entry-level guitar with stunning appearance and exceptional comfort. 

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4 Epiphone SG Special VE

Body and Neck

Epiphone guitars have excellent construction and sound quality and cost many times less than their Gibson counterpart (that they mimic in look and feel). The classic Epiphone SG can be identified by its SG body form and red finish. This model has a stylish but not tacky Vintage Worn Cherry finish. The Poplar body of the Epiphone SG Special VE sports a mahogany veneer top. They made sure to add the distinctive D shape profile with a slender 1960s taper to the Okoume wood neck. This is the most popular neck profile for Gibson and Epiphone. The fretboard is composed of rosewood with Pearloid dot inlays.

Playability

It keeps a scale length of 24.75″, only a little bit shorter than Stratocaster models. The fingerboard radius is very flat, and it features 22 extra flat Jumbo Medium frets. The neck is very slender and even young adults and children can easily grasp complete barre chords and bend the strings!

Electronics and hardware

The original Alnico V magnets were swapped out for ceramic pickups in order to keep the price of this guitar reasonable. Epiphone’s ceramic 650R is in the neck, and their ceramic 700T is in the bridge. Ceramic pickups are probably not going to produce the same precise clean sound, but you can be sure that you will be able to produce a scorching rock guitar sound with them.

The SG Special VE has a three-way pickup switch, master volume, and master tone much like the original Gibson version. Additionally, Epiphone made sure to add traditional Gibson features like Locktone tune-o-matic bridges with stop bars and chrome die-cast tuners.

Sound

The pickups of the SG model produce a loud, strong tone that is ideal for more intense musical genres including rock, metal, punk, and hardcore. They offer a full midrange for cutting through a wall of sound in an ensemble or band, and they have a solid sustain while you play.

Customer reviews

Verdict

A great guitar with an even sweeter price. Rock artists with little hands can now can shred on the Epiphone SG Special VE right away!

Epiphone SG Special VE

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5 Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster

Body and Neck

The Fender Squier CV 50s is a true classic with a slim neck, and a fantastic choice for persons with small hands. It has an alder body shape with a gloss polyester finish and an iconic design that will always be asked for. There are 4 different color possibilities for the Squier Classic Vibe ’50s Strat: 2-color sunburst, black, fiesta red, and white blonde. They all have a gorgeous appearance and feels like a high-end strat thanks to the cutaway and three pickguard pickups, which really give it a Fender feel from the 1950s.

The Squier CV 50s has a beautiful tinted maple neck. The neck has a 25.5-inch scale, and the body’s cutaway makes it simple to maneuver around the maple board’s 21 frets. It does not have a scale length that is shorter, so you’ll need to stretch your fingers a little bit. The neck has a C-shaped neck contour and a fingerboard radius of 9.5″ and the nut width is 42mm (1.65inches).

Playability

The neck is smooth, slender, and thin. When riffing and when soloing, it’s simple to reach all the frets close to the nut. Bending, pulling off, and hammering on are all made simple by the narrow-tall frets. The fret edges are rather smooth and rolled, which improves overall playing and makes moving your hand up and down quite fomfortable.

You might need to make some adjustments to the actio after purchasing this guitar (depending on your playing style and personal preferences). But that’s not a big deal. In my opinion, this axe is incredibly easy and fun to play.

Electronics and hardware

The three fantastic custom vintage-style single-coil strat “pickups” that come with this guitar are excellent. They really capture the rich, warm tone and provide the versatility that stratocasters are known for. To make the single coil pick-ups as quiet as possible, shielding paint was even applied underneath the pick guard. The instrument has one volume control, two tone controls, and a selector switch for plenty of tonal diversity. The bridge has a chrome output jack situated in the front and is your typical vintage-style synchronized vibrato.

Sound

It’s not as common to see pine used as a body wood these days. Although the tone of this guitar is not as good as that of more costly Fender Stratocasters, it is still quite decent for the price. Bright and spanky tones are ensured with 3 Fender Alnico Single-Coils, and even with distortion, the tones are articulate and clear. This Classic Vibe 50’s strat has a cool vintage-style synchronized tremolo for making special sound effect like Jimi Hendrix, or Eric Clapton-style blues licks.

Customer reviews

Verdict

If you have small hands and you’re interested if you enjoy playing traditional rock, jazz, blues, or another music where heavy distortion is not required, this is the perfect guitar for you. It’s good for smaller handed players because it has such a small neck, with the distance between the frets being the same as other guitars. The neck is C-shaped, which most people with small hands prefer. The guitar offers a pretty great sound for a surprisingly low price.

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B. Best Premium Electric Guitars for Small Hands

6 Fender Telecaster Custom FMT

Body and Neck

The Fender Special Edition Custom has a mahogany body with a stunning flame maple top. Mahony is a resonant wood with excellent melodic qualities, providing a ton of warmth and sustain. The flame maple top gives the guitar’s already excellent tone a strong bite and increases sustain.

The mahogany neck with an Indian laurel crown on this electric guitar is designed for playability (especially for players with small hands!), speed, and sustain. The neck of this electric guitar is thin (1.62″ = 41.3 mm nut) and attached to the body. This bonded neck looks beautiful and improves access to the top frets further down the fretboard. The narrow neck makes it pleasant to wrap your hands around and simple to reach every fret. It has a C-shaped neck that most players like, with jumbo frets. The frets are finished flawlessly and shine like diamonds. The graphite nut is exactly angled toward the tuning pegs, and the neck has the ideal radius for small hands. All of the metal hardware has a gorgeous darker chrome (almost stone grey) finish.

Playability

Only a small amount of string pressure is required to produce the desired note with the proper setup and low motion. As a result, pressing the strings is simple, and you have easy access to the fretboard. The torso and neck are noticeably much thinner than they would be with standard teles. Additionally, this Telecaster features a curved archtop rather than a flat one. All of this feels very comfortable to players with small hands.

Electronics and hardware

The Custom Telecaster is supercharged with Seymour Duncan humbuckers, which give it enough vintage-inspired output to blast your amp into overdrive. A nice ’59 neck pickup resembles a PAF-style humbucker from the 1950s. This retro recreation has vacuum wax potting for squeal-free performance and softly scooped mids. The Pearly Gates bridge pickup smolders with a rich, harmonic-filled tone that is both sweet and slightly coarse, giving your amp a ton of sustain. For snazzy single-coil tones, this Custom Tele has a push-pull coil tap and 3-way pickup switching.

Sound

What a beauty, both in terms of appearance and sound quality. The Custom Telecaster produces a resonant bite with a strong tone. The Seymour Duncan humbuckers that can handle everything from jazz to metal while offering deep, rich tones. For snazzy single-coil tones, use 3-way pickup switching and a push-pull coil tap. Maximum sustain is guaranteed by the graphite nut and 6-saddle strings-through-body hardtail bridge.

Customer reviews

Verdict

This is a Tele with a mean streak. It looks, feels, and sounds every bit as good as a Fender custom-shop level guitar. Really slim body, excellent playability for players with small hands, a variety of tones, beautiful appearance and excellent price.

Fender Telecaster Custom FMT

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7 Fender Duo-Sonic HS 

Body and Neck

The Duo Sonic from Fender is a fantastic small-handed players’ guitar. Alder wood makes up the body, while the fingerboard is composed of rosewood with 22 frets. Alder is renowned for being a sturdy wood and producing rich tones with excellent mids and lows, as well as consistently excellent highs. There are presently three color options for the guitar: translucent red, metallic icy blue, and sunburst. Even if your hands are small, the double cutaway makes playing the high notes quite simple. The lightweight body of the guitar and slim maple neck also make it an ideal guitar for small hands.

The Fender Duo Sonic sports a maple neck that should be very durable and a Pau Ferro fretboard with 22 frets on top of that. The Duo Sonic is unique due in part to its 24-inch scale length, which is less than the typical 25.5-inch Fender scale.

Playability

The Duo-Sonic was first created and advertised as a student guitar, but it ended up surpassing all expectations. The solid body guitar’s C-shaped maple neck’s excellent shape, ideal size, and silky satin finish make it feel very pleasant in your hands. The Fender Duo-Sonic HS weighs 9.78 pounds The 1.65-inch nut width and 9.5-inch fretboard radius combined with the contemporary C-shaped neck make this guitar one of the easiest to play instruments on the market.

Electronics and hardware

With a single coil and a humbucking pickup, this instrument has a small stature but a huge sound. The pickups have a tone, volume, and selector switch. The HS model of the Duo-Sonics has a six-saddle hardtail bridge with through-body stringing. The hardtail bridge makes replacing strings simple and prolongs the life of the strings’ tuning.

Sound

Due to its uncommon and unique tone, the Duo-Sonic, one of Fender’s lesser-known designs, is beloved in the indie, country, shoegaze, and psychedelic genres. The single-coil pickup adds the normal brightness and clarity we typically love with Fender guitars, while the humbucking pickup gives you all the grit and rumble you could ever desire. This guitar disregards any constraints and seamlessly transitions from one genre into another, whether you’re playing with riffs and chords or you’re after some mind blowing solos. This guitar is ideal for just about any style you can think of, rock, jazz, folk, country, and more.

Customer reviews

Verdict

This guitar is excellent for people who desire a touch more vintage tonality along with the traditional Tele twang. Because the scale is shorter than usual, your small hands will be more comfortable. The pickups, which sound nice together, will provide extremely good tones for you. I’d suggest this guitar to anyone looking for a quality instrument that they can carry on the road, whether they are players with small hands, beginners, experts, enthusiasts, or all of the above.

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8 Fender Player Mustang

Body and Neck

In 1964, Fenders released the Mustang model, which was positioned as a student guitar. It was a reworking of the Duo-Sonic and Musicmaster, two of their previous student models. The distinguishing characteristic of the Mustang design, in addition to its little, cool body shape, is its substantially lower scale length between 22.5″ and 24″. It’s the ideal playing surface that has been shrunk! 

Playability

The low-tension Player Series neck’s 22-fret pau-ferro-on-maple construction makes it incredibly simple to play chords, bend them, and solo on them. The Mustang stands out due to its small size and light weight handling. 

Particularly well suited with tiny palms and short fingers is the thin neck. You ought to be able to easily reach all the frets if you use the proper technique (thumb at the back of the neck). Playing this guitar doesn’t take a lot of finger strength because of the 24″ scale length’s reduction in string tension. The overall playing is smoother as a result. Last but not least, most players with tiny hands benefit from the neck’s thin, C-shaped form. 

Electronics and hardware

The pickups offer a variety of sounds, even with only two single coils. The pickups are sharp and articulate. They offer the original Fender sound with a little bit of an edge. 

Sound

In addition to providing good balanced and clear cleans, this Mustang with P90s also allows you to create some wonderful spanky funk tones. Whether they’re clean or overdriven, these MP-90 single-coils will produce some big sound!  

Customer reviews

Verdict

A fantastic lightweight guitar with a slim shape that is perfect for guitarists with tiny hands. One of the greatest guitar necks for little hands is the one on this instrument. Additionally, as this is a fender model, the materials and build quality are excellent. This guitar is a fantastic choice if you enjoy playing rock and want an easy-to-learn instrument.

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9 Epiphone 1961 Les Paul SG Standard

Body and Neck

The 1961 Les Paul SG Standard is the result of a partnership between Gibson Custom Shop and Epiphone, and it goes to great pains to reproduce Les Paul’s second most famous electric guitar style. Its sturdy two-piece mahogany body adopts the traditional double-cutaway profile, and the Custom Shop Historic bevels and delicately aged cherry red finish give it the appearance of a vintage item.

You can choose between the Aged Sixties Cherry finish we have in for evaluation and the Aged Classic White finish for this 1961 SG. Both guitars have Les Paul’s name on the truss rod plate cover, the open-book design headstock with a pineapple inlay, and the visually pleasant long pickguard.

The neck is made of one piece of mahogany, has a very adaptable medium C shape, and is topped with a bound fingerboard made of Indian laurel that has pearloid trapezoids inlaid into it.

Playability

This guitar has a one-and-a-quarter inch thick, ergonomically designed thin plank body that permits the SG to weigh under 7 lbs. In combination with its quick-playing SlimTaper C neck profile this makes for a tremendously playable instrument for guitarists with small hands.

Electronics and hardware

The two Gibson USA Burstbucker pickups, which put this at the top of the Epiphone series, are the great components. In keeping with the high-end Epiphone house style, these pickups are wired to a conventional two tone, two volume control configuration with a three-way pickup selection switch. Furthermore there’s a Graph Tech nut, the dependable Epiphone LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge, and a complementary tailpiece stop-bar.

Sound

The SG’s voice can be utilized for a wide range of blues-rock musical genres in terms of tonality. Guitarists often talk about how versatile the Les Paul is with the tone and volume controls it places at our disposal, and the same is true here. It isn’t quite as stately as a Les Paul but has plenty of midrange character and detail, whether playing clean, on the verge of breakup, or through a throttled tube combo.

Customer reviews

Verdict

The 1961 Les Paul SG Standard is a great guitar for guitarists with small hands that is just so difficult to put down. It is a convincing homage to the original 1961 model with Gibson Burstbuckers providing the tone and a neck that tempts experimentation, and the ideal premium option if you like to play on a SG model.

Verdict

Epiphone 1961 Les Paul SG Standard

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10 Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 

Body and Neck

The instrument has a fairly conventional shape and feel that appeals to both classic Stratocaster players and Super-Strat players while delivering feel and tone for both. The smaller size and deeply curved bouts of the Dinky body enable seamless technical playing, and its lighter weight permits hours of pleasant playing without shoulder soreness.

The neck with 25.5″ scale length feels quick, but it’s also ideal for chugging and heavy playing when necessary. While still maintaining the feel of maple, the caramelized maple responds with a more focused spank and assault that more closely resembles rosewood. The neck features 24 jumbo frets. Stability-enhancing graphite rods and a dual-action truss rod with an accessible wheel adjustment at the foot of the neck are concealed behind the separate fingerboard. The 24-fret fingerboard and small, S-style Dinky body are referred known as the DK24.

Playability

Once your small hands are wrapped around Charvel’s “speed neck” and chords and leads flow fluidly along the “caramelized” and seemingly unfinished neck, you’ll understand that the Charvel Pro Mod DK24 was designed with perfect playability in mind. The DK24 is seamlessly transitions between shred and chunk.

Electronics and hardware

Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro APH-1N and Seymour Duncan Custom Full Shred SH-10B pickups are installed on the guitar’s neck and bridge, respectively. A five-way pickup selector switch and a two-way micro toggle are also included. A single master volume knob and a No-Load Tone knob are located on either side of the pickup selector.

A creamy humbucker is available in the neck position, while the bridge position responds energetically without becoming overly colored. As if you’d expect anything less, the stock Seymour Duncan pickups handle volume and distortion effectively while maintaining balance, offering dynamic, and cleaning up just as well—as if swapping pickups wasn’t enough already!

On the hardware side we further have Charvel-Branded Die-Cast Locking Tuners, a GraphTech Tusq Nut that offers the tuning stability and tonal purity of bone without harming the environment, and a Gotoh Custom 510 Tremolo.

Sound

The Seymour Duncan humbuckers, which can be combined or chosen individually, provide a wide range of tonal options. In either HSH or HSS configurations, there are fantastic choices for all players. Prog, fusion, various styles of rock musicians, and the metal-cum-shred community can all crave this guitar.

Each full humbucker is located at either end, while positions 2 and 4 add the center single coil to the neck-facing single coils of each humbucker. The middle position then connects both of those ‘buckers’ inner single coils, producing some helpful Strat and Tele-like tones.

The neck humbucker has the hottest sound, with an almost cocked wah tonality that adds significant flavor and isn’t too dissimilar from the throaty rumble of a Les Paul Junior, the Full Shred at the bridge doesn’t increase in force all that much. It’s a great pickup for this mahogany platform.

Customer reviews

Verdict

With high-quality pickups that can provide tones to cover all the possible musical bases, Charvel has managed to carve out a niche that we never needed but that suits players from jazz and blues to rock and metal. The Charvel has a very clean design and is built simply and functionally, with high-quality pickups and hardware that complement the lightweight design.

Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 

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C. Best High-end Electric Guitars for Small Hands

11 Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar

Body and Neck

This limited-edition guitar features a 24-inch scale length, a sunburst color, and the iconic and timeless Jaguar body form and design. If you go a little further, you’ll find Kurt Cobain-related details. For instance, the appealing Stratocaster headstock with the Spaghetti style logo, the classic white pickup covers to finish this nostalgic package, or the engraved neck plate with a Fender logo designed by Cobain himself. Other extras include a black textured vinyl hard-shell case, a Kurt Cobain-only book from Fender, and interesting interview with Nirvana’s guitar tech, with images and comments by Charles Peterson. 

There are right- and left-handed models of the Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar. It features a 24″ scale length and a contemporary c-shaped neck. The 24″ scale length is on the shorter side and forces the 22 frets to be just millimeters apart.  The rosewood fingerboard has a ’60s vibe thanks to the addition of white binding.

Playability

The guitar is incredibly easy to play and a perfect choice for those with small hands. Despite having a 9.5″ radius, the frets are medium jumbo in size, making it easier to press down on the strings. 

Electronics and hardware

Two DiMarzio humbuckers that produce superb and potent grunge and hard rock tones are installed at the neck and bridge of the Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar. A 3-way toggle switch on the instrument offers volume settings for each pickup as well as a Master Tone control. The Lead/Rhythm Circuit control on the guitar may be turned up to allow you to use the conventional knobs to modify sound and tone. When you flip it down, you’re in the Rhythm circuit, where you adjust the level for each pickup using the thumbwheel controls.  The Adjusto-Matic Vintage-Style Floating Tremolo bridge has a locking mechanism, Gotoh sealed tuners are a nice feature, and the guitar has a synthetic bone nut.

Sound

The Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar is capable of generating a broad spectrum of tones, warm or loud, thanks to the settings and great DiMarzio pickups. When you try to cut with single-note articulation, the trebles yell, despite the fact that the bridge SuperDistortion pickup provides a fantastic mids and bass enhancer. Kick the circuitry into Lead when you want maximum output to pierce through dense mixes with your lead. The PAF pickup’s tonal spectrum is warm and vintage-sounding when it is dialed down for weaker output in rhythm. Overall, the combined pickups are effective in bringing out the highs and lows needed to play either cleanly or heavily distorted. 

Customer reviews

Verdict

This well-known guitar offers wonderful qualities that make it a fantastic instrument for those guitarists seeking that gloomy, grungy rock sound, in addition to specifications that are suited for little hands.

Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar

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12 Gibson SG Special

Body and Neck

The Gibson SG Special is one of the best guitars for small-handed persons. As soon as a lot of guitarist see it, they think this is the one. The SG Special was viewed as radical and avant-garde when it was initially released as a new and improved version of Gibson’s Les Paul in 1961. Gibson has barely changed the design in the fifty years since the original SG was released in 1961.

Both the body and the neck are crafted from mahogany. This is a plus for the build quality because this kind of wood is used in many high-end guitars. Due to its high density, the red-looking Mahogany wood has a warm tone and excellent sustain. And compared to other wood guitars, it is lightweight.

The neck is constructed of solid mahogany and has a quick rosewood fingerboard. Gibson’s thicker ’50s profile is used on the neck rather than the ’60s design featured on the SG Standard. Its scale length of 24 34 inches makes it slightly shorter than standard-sized guitars, which is advantageous if you have small hands. The neck thickness of the Gibson SG Special is roughly 0.82″ (20.8mm) at the first fret and 0.92″ (23.4mm) at the twelfth. The SG Special from Gibson features 22 frets. The frets on the Gibson SG Special are Medium Jumbo size. This is an excellent size if you want to make pushing the strings simple but also want some “input” to know when to stop pressing so the notes don’t go out of pitch.

It has a C-shaped neck. This type neck shape comfortably fits most hands. Generally speaking, the neck is narrow so that it doesn’t get in the way when playing quickly, but it still has enough heft so that, if the chords aren’t too large, your hands can still comfortably grip it.

Playability

The body’s two cutaways and beveled edges make it easy to reach the upper frets. Additionally, it weighs only approximately five and a half pounds and is thin. It’s a joy to jump around with and you can easily play it for hours.

Electronics and hardware

The Gibson SG Special has a P90-P90 arrangement. Even though they resemble humbuckers, P90 pickups are single-coils. They have a distinctively gritty sound that is employed nowadays to create a “vintage” tone. The same might be said about their output; they generate a warmer tone than the normal single-coil, but they’re not nearly as warm as humbuckers. Due to the fact that these pickups are passive, you may anticipate a moderate amount of hot output rather than the intense output that distinguishes active pickups in metal.

It has the common 3-way switch seen in the majority of guitars. Generally speaking, guitarists like a 5-way switch for greater adaptability, but it all depends on how you want to play the instrument. Unfortunately, there aren’t any more choices for coil splitting or coil tapping. Because of this, it is less adaptable than certain rivals.

As a 6-string, solid-body guitar with passive pickups and a P90-P90 setup, it is ideal for blues and other comparable genres. However, practically every instrument can be used for any genre. This is simply the style of music that goes well with this particular instrument.

Sound

The Gibson SG produces a hote tone while preserving a meaty bass. The humbuckers are great; whether you are wailing on a solo or strumming out power chords, you’ll be able to get some pretty muscular force. It has 500k CTS audio taper pots on board. This gives you the ability to modify your tone and volume controls to uncover all those amazing tones. New tones can be found here on the dial from 1 through 10. On other guitars, if there are two useful tones in subpar pots, you’re lucky.

Customer reviews

Verdict

A very comfortable, well-balanced axe made with a slender body and beveled edges. This guitar is a sure bet if you have small hands and you’re seeking for an adaptable, attractive axe with a thick, scorching tone. Especially if you enjoy blues music or other comparable genres.

Gibson SG Special

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13 Schecter C-1 Apocalypse

Body and Neck

The metal machine known as the Schecter Apocalypse has an ash body with 24 reachable frets on an ebony fretboard. It features some fashionable contours: a deep double-cutaway construction allows for complete fingerboard access. It weighs 28.2 pounds and is not a lightweight instrument because it is a solid piece of wood. The black binding contrasts beautifully with the glossy red pattern finish.

The neck has a set-in joint and a 25.5-inch scale made of maple. It features a sleek design. It features a slimline form that almost resembles a thin ‘C’, giving it the low action that most guitarists will want. The Schecter C-1 Apocalypse’s neck thickness ranges from 0.87″ (22.1mm) at the twelfth fret to around 0.79″ (20.1mm) at the first fret. An Ebony fingerboard with 24 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets sits over the Maple neck. Instead of dots, Roman numerals are inlaid in the neck. They do add to the guitar’s style, but they also give it a rather evil vibe.

Playability

The Schecter C-1 Apocalypse’s build favors those with relatively small hands after accounting for the neck shape, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width. The guitar plays superbly. It has a fast and smoothd great neck. You can reach the entire length of the fingerboard thanks to deep cutaways. Your playing arm can rest comfortably on a body with a thin line design. It is outstanding.

Electronics and hardware

You have two snarling humbuckers at your disposal. But those are two different pickups. The neck humbucker is a Sustainiac Humbucker. The notes can ring and sustain for as long as you wish thanks to this innovative design. This is made possible by a unique internal circuitry, and the feedback is generated electromagnetically. It will continue, note by note or chord by chord, until you stop it.

The Schecter machine heads are high quality. You need good tuners in a music style where there is a lot of string bending. They have closed backs and are entirely finished in black. It has a string tension bar and an adjustable Graphtech nut. The guitar features a Floyd Rose 1500 tremolo bridge, This provides great added value to the guitar’s performance and sound: One of the best vibratos is produced by it. Aggressive one second and then expressive the next.

There are volume and basic tone controls. In addition to this, there is a sustainiac control for feedback intensity, a sustainiac on/off switch, and a sustainiac three-way mode switch. A level of “wow-ness” that you most likely can’t achieve with a conventional guitar is added by the sustainiac system. You can create dive bombs that endure forever by combining the three modes (Fundamental, Harmonic, and a combination of the two).

Sound

The powerful, aggressive sound produced by the Alnico V magnets has a lot of low end and depth. They are surrounded by plenty of top end and clarity in ceramics. Given the evident high output of the Apocalypse pickup, achieving shred-tastic tone is a breeze. The most impressive aspect of this is how tight and crisp each note is throughout the full range, giving the overall tone a very clear definition. Without any mush, the chords pop out.

Customer reviews

Verdict

Schecter has come under fire for being a “one-trick pony” manufacturer: only guitars for one music style. The Apocalyse is a good illustration that Schecter is able to bridge the gap between traditional rock music and metal. If you’re a shred monster with small hands, this is your pick!

Schecter C-1 Apocalypse

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14 Ibanez RG550 Genesis

Body and Neck

The Ibanez RG’s introduction in 1987 marked a turning point in the development of rock guitars. The RG had a significant influence back then and continues to change now thanks to its austere appearance, exceptional gameplay, and versatility thanks to cutting-edge features.

The Ibanez RG550 Genesis demonstrates that this legendary guitar has always been at the forefront of the rock guitar scene. It brings back the feel of the “good old days” with its exact Japanese craftsmanship.

Ibanez’s RG550 Genesis Collection Series guitar has a Basswood body and a 5-piece Super Wizard Maple/Walnut neck. The ultra-thin Super Wizard neck, made of five solid pieces of Maple and Walnut for total rock-solid stability and extra-smooth playing, is a distinguishing feature of the original RG for players with small hands. The neck features a black dot inlay and jumbo frets.

Playability

The 2018 Japanese-made vintage is essentially a masterclass in everything that shred and metal guitars are good for. The Edge vibrato is rock firm, the neck feels slender, your hand glides rather than just moves, and the whole construction is superb. The rosewood fingerboard offers superb playability. The most daring musical manoeuvres can be confidently executed with the classic Edge tremolo bridge knowing that the guitar will simply return to proper tuning.

Electronics and hardware

The Ibanez RG 550 Genesis has V7 and V8 humbucking in the bridge and neck, S1 single coil in the middle and 5-way pickup switch. By using Gotoh machine heads, extraordinary tuning stability is accomplished.

Sound

The US-designed V7 bridge humbucker produces the razor-sharp riff platform you’d expect it would. The RG550 offers a wide range of tones, allowing you to easily stray into a variety of genres with no difficulty. Any musical style, from country to metal, can employ it. The Ibanez RG550 Genesis is capable of handling all musical genres.

Customer reviews

Verdict

The Ibanez RG550 Genesis touches the elusive sweet spot of quality and otherworldly allure, costing enough to make it lust-worthy but not too much that we’d never be able to acquire one. It has got one of the thinnest neck on the market for guitar players with small hands.

Ibanez RG550 Genesis

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15 Sterling by Music Man Majesty X 

Body and Neck

This is a less expensive option than the Majesty guitar from Music Man that costs an absurd amount of money (despite being mind-blowingly great). It has similar general design as the more expensive Music Man Majesty with quilted maple on top. The guitar has got a sleekly futuristic look with nyatoh as the body’s main material. A “set neck” structure is used to join the neck to the body. It features a ebony fingerboard with 24 medium jumbo frets.

Playability

It’s incredibly easy to handle and play the guitar when you have small hands. The guitar has excellent ergonomics: there is an indent that makes it simpler to reach those higher frets at the neck and body joint. Additionally helping you reach every single one is the fact that the cutaways extend deep into the fretboard’s end.

The Sterling’s tremolo enables simple operation in both directions and has a fantastic bridge. Despite the absence of a locking nut on the guitar, we have straightforward locking tuners. You won’t have to worry about going out of tune even while using tremolo frequently.

Electronics and hardware

The guitar features DiMarzio Crunch Lab (bridge) and DiMarzio LiquiFire (neck) humbuckers. There is a push/pull volume pot with 12dB of pure boosted heat for when your 12-minute solo needs a little extra. The company’s highly useful “6 + 2” structure is present on the headstock, allowing strings to run in a straight, uninterrupted line and enhancing the guitar’s remarkable tuning stability.

Sound

Its active pickups give the signal some much-needed heat and also add a small amount of natural compression, which nicely evens out your playing and is very helpful for jazz fusion performers. They also have an EQ sweep that is much wider than most of their passive competitors, making the instrument ideal for drop and alternate tunings, starting with C standard and going beyond.

Customer reviews

Verdict

This guitar can satisfy all players, from beginners to skilled shredders. Sterling’s Majesty X is a guitar to take into consideration if you’re a metal guitarist who primarily focuses on the “shreddier” side of the genre.

Sterling by Music Man Majesty X 

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Buying Guide: Electric Guitars for Small Hands

Factors to consider when buying an electric guitar for small hands

Scale Length

The scale length is the first factor to take into account. Different brands and models have different scale lengths: Many Gibson and Epiphone models have a 24.75″ scale length, while Fender and Ibanez use 25.5″.

Longer scale lengths having wider fret spacing, shorter scale lenghts have narrower fret spacing. Players with small hands generally find it simpler to play guitars with shorter scale lengths because these guitars require less stretching of the fingers.

String Tension

The scale length of the guitar directly influences the tension of the strings. Guitars with longer scale lengths will naturally have higher string tension, requiring more force from your fingers to play a note. So this is another factor why shorter scale lengths are preferable for players with small hands. However, there’s a disadvantage that comes with smaller guitars that we should mention: they will naturally have less sustain than regular-sized guitars because longer scale length allows the strings to resonate and sustain more.

Nut Width

The width at the nut is the measurement of the neck’s thickness at the bottom of the first fret. While it is true that the neck gets wider as you go up the fretboard, the neck will be generally narrower if the first fret is smaller. So If a guitar has a smaller nut width, then the guitar is usually more manageable for those with small hands.

Neck Profile

The guitar neck profile is another key factor to consider when looking for a guitar that will fit your small hands. The profile determines the form and thickness of the guitar neck and has a direct impact on how you hold your guitar and push onto the fretboard,

The four most popular neck profiles are the C shape, V shape, D shape, and U shape. Many vintage instruments, such as the Vintage Fender Strats and Telecasters, will have thicker neck shapes, such as the V shape or U shape, and this might be less suitable for the players with smaller hands. Many modern shredding rock guitars by companies like Ibanez or Music Man have a super-thin neck, a shape that is ideal for players with smaller hands.

Fretboard Radius

A guitar’s fretboard’s radius is calculated using the circumference of a hypothetical circle that is created around the actual fingerboard, positioning it at the top of the circle. For shorter fingers we normally like to see a shorter radius, but it’s not a deal breaker if we obtain a guitar with smaller nut width, a flatter fingerboard is absolutely fine, as you can see from the graphic, the smoother a fretboard is, the larger your radius will be.

Fret Size

A “jumbo” fret size is intended to be larger than the standard fret size. Given that most of your stretching occurs vertically (stretching from string to string), rather than horizontally, if you have shorter or larger fingers, jumbo frets are be easier to play for players with small hands. (Horizontal stretching from fret to fret on the same string, is simpler with narrow or “vintage” frets.

Body Size and Body Shape

A full-sized acoustic guitar and hollow body electric guitars will have a much larger body than solid body electric guitars, and children and even shorter adults might have trouble wrapping their arms and bodies around the guitar. If the guitar body is too big for your body, you could have some serious problems looking at the fretboard or even reaching the frets. Body size is another important consideration when choosing the right size instrument for people with small hands.

The best thing to do when buying a guitar is to test them out in person because certain guitar body shapes could suit you nicely even if you have small hands. In many circumstances, regular-sized guitars with contoured body shapes can fit comfortably to a person with a smaller body shape.

Hollowbody guitars or semi-hollow body kinds are larger and not suited for players with little hands who wish to keep things simple. Electric guitars are by their design smaller and easier to play than acoustic guitars.

Body size: 3/4 ‘mini or mikro’ guitars

Most 3/4 sized guitars don’t have as many features as full sixed guitars. These guitars can be ideal for small hands or younger players as they are more comfortable. Adults that are just learning may also find them easier to play.

Body shape: the Cutaway

Guitar bodies with a cutaway make playing more fun for players with small hands. You can hit all those high notes that you just can’t reach on other guitars! Dus als een gitaar een deep cutaway heeft, is dat een belangrijke pluspunt voor gitaristen met kleine handen.

String Gauge

You can customize the gauge as long as the G, B, and E strings are thin, playing is easier. Don’t use 010s with smaller hands unless you have been playing for a long time as they are very hard on your fingers. You should experiment with strings until you find a brand that you like.

• How to Choose Electric Guitar Strings? – Easy Guide

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Electric Guitars for Small Hands

Do I require an Electric Guitar with a 3/4 Body Size?

Most adults can play full-sized musical instruments, especially electric guitars, because they already have a thinner fingerboard than acoustic models, as opposed to medium jumbo frets.

You don’t require the 3/4 body size guitar just to compensate for size as an adult. I would especially recommend the mini size for kids. However, although a 3/4-size guitar is mainly made for children, that doesn’t mean you can’t buy one if you feel it’s more comfortable to play than a full-sized guitar.

Do I require an Electric Guitar with a Thin Neck?

Electric guitars already have narrower necks and fingerboards than acoustic guitars, so just by playing guitar, you’ve already made a solid choice for your small hands. However, if you have very small hands, obtaining a guitar with a thin neck shape would be a good idea. See in Jane Miller’s interview at how she uses a thin neck guitar to make up for her small hands.

Although most adults can play a full-sized guitar, if you’ve already tried that and feel like a smaller guitar with a thin neck profile will suit your needs better.

How do I Setup my Best Guitar for Small Hands?

Have a technician set up your guitar so they can make adjustments that will make it easier for you to play, such as adjusting the action to make it easier for you to fret complicated chords and thus lessen the stress on your fingers as you play. If the guitar plays too stiffly, the neck may be adjusted to help reduce the stress on your fingers as you bend notes. Even small adjustments to the guitar can help reduce the stress your fingers face as you play.

Conclusion

We can infer that there is a guitar for everyone, regardless of how small your hands or arms are. Even though you are looking for guitars that are comfortable to play, you should still think about all the other features you would if you were looking for a standard guitar.

Take your time learning the guitar and make sure the guitar you play is comfortable for you. Keep in mind that everyone is different, and that includes our hands. Find a guitar that matches the size of your hands and is comfortable for your needs. As a guitar player with smaller hands, you have a lot more choice in the market than ever before.

In the comments section, tell me which guitar in your opinion is best for small hands, as well as if there is one I’ve missed that you believe should have been included.