Since the invention of the modern guitar by Christian Frederick Martin, there have also been many designs that different manufacturers have created. With the different designs available, it also comes in different sizes.
So, how to know if a guitar is too big for you? It is important you should also know the design of your guitar, especially if it’s an acoustic guitar, as their sizes will also depend on the design of your acoustic guitar.
For the acoustic guitar, the smallest size that maybe you’ll see that is available in the market is called the guitarlele. It has a similar aesthetic with a ukulele, but it is slightly bigger. Its size is perfect for all little children with their tiny fingers who want to learn how to play the guitar at a very young age.
The next guitar size is the half-size guitar. As its name would suggest, it is half the size of a standard acoustic guitar. Its size is perfect for all 5-8 years old kids who will still struggle in using an adult guitar size. It will be easier for them to use a guitar with this size as it has a smaller neck and body size.
The three-quarter guitar is the best size for ages 8 to 12. It is also an excellent size for petite adults with small fingers and short arms as this size makes it easier for finger exercises, and it doesn’t cover too much space.
There are also compact adult guitar sizes that are available in the market. An example of this is a parlor design acoustic guitar. It is ideal for those trying to transition from a three quarter-size to a standard guitar size. From observations, most of the women who can play the guitar loved the size of a parlor guitar.
Parlor guitars are not too bulky and do not give you an awkward feeling when you are playing them, as they sit on the knee and are very accessible and playable guitar design.
For adult women, sometimes, the body shape and size of a parlor or auditorium-designed guitar will give them the comfortability that a dreadnought guitar cannot provide.
There are also giant-sized guitars like the Jumbo guitars that are appropriate for their size for the above-average-sized persons.
The auditorium guitar is one of the acoustic guitar designs that are perfect for adult use. It uses a standard fret scale length, but it is a bit curvier and thinner, making it easier to sit with. It is also easier to hold due to its smaller waist size.
Another standard acoustic guitar size is the dreadnought guitar. It is the most common design available in the market and is usually considered the standard design of an acoustic guitar. It has a large bulky body to allow the sound to bounce around, resulting in plenty of low notes.
Due to its size, it is not a recommended size for children, smaller people, or even some women. It would be difficult for those with shorter arms to reach around to strum, and it is also difficult to get a good position with the fretting hand to cleanly finger the notes they want to play.
Lastly, the biggest of the acoustic guitar sizes is the Jumbo. It is a big bulky thing to carry around and hold while playing. This size is appropriate for bigger and taller people, as smaller people will face problems using a guitar with this size. It is perfect for those who have longer arms and wider bodies.
For electric guitars, even though it has a lot of designs like the Stratocaster, telecaster, single cut, double cut, and many more, their sizes don’t tend to vary much beyond half-size, three-quarter size, and standard-size.
What do you do when your guitar is too big?
If you have purchased your guitar online, there is a possibility that you can return it and replace it with another guitar that will fit your body size. But there will be a limit in the number of days after the purchase date to return the guitar.
For buying a guitar in a local store, you should really try the guitar’s comfortability. Usually, the store will give you all the time to try the guitar so that you can make a decision whether to purchase the guitar or not. Having second thoughts about its comfortability means that you should not purchase it as these doubts can result in problems with your guitar in the future.
If it comes to a situation where your guitar is too big for you, and you cannot get a replacement from the store, you can still play with it by using a capo.
When your guitar is too big, it also means that its frets are longer and bigger. Using a capo on your guitar, it shortens the distance of the frets you will be hitting. The chord stretches are also reduced in size, allowing your hands to stretch into bigger chord shapes gradually. It will enable you to play the guitar comfortably.
How to know if a guitar is too big for you? Try the guitar, and if you are not comfortable playing it because of its large size, then it is too big for you. This is really important because there are only limited options to resolve the issue on what to do when your guitar is too big for you.
What guitar size should I get for my height?
There is a general rule of thumb as to what size of the guitar would be perfect for your height.
From an infant age to five years old, the perfect guitar size would be one quarter-size guitar or also known as the guitarlele. For all children older than five years old but have the height, arm size, and finger size of a five-year-old child or below, it is still recommended you use this size of the guitar.
For ages 5-8 years old, the best guitar size is a half-sized guitar. Although this is also not limited to this age bracket but also for those who have shorter height and arms. Adults can also use this guitar size as it is very easy to bring while traveling.
The three-quarter-sized guitar is the most recommended guitar size for all 8-12 years old as they will still struggle to use a standard-size acoustic guitar, but these will help them to transition into larger sizes when they grow up.
The three-quarter-sized guitar can also be the perfect size for some petite adults with short arms and small fingers.
For 12 years old and above, the standard size can already be recommended to them. The dreadnought guitar, which is the most usual design for an acoustic guitar, is an example of a standard-sized guitar. For all adults, this is the most recommended guitar size to be used.
There are also giant-sized guitars like the Jumbo guitars that are appropriate for their size for the above-average-sized persons.
All in all, you should really try to play the guitar before purchasing it to assess its comfortability which is the most important aspect of using it.
