Beginner Guitars - The best sets for beginners

Guitars are ideal for teaching children more about music and notes in a playful way. A guitar is a multifaceted instrument that can become a lifelong companion. But which guitar is best for beginners? Basically, there are two types of acoustic guitars, depending on the string material: Classical guitars and Western guitars. In addition, guitars can be classified into several sub-categories based on their shape and size.

Adults are always spoilt for choice. Is it western or concert guitar? If you don’t explicitly want to play classical and quiet music, you should start with a Western guitar. Although the pain and frustration factor is higher at the beginning, the instrument is more versatile. And if you have learned to play on a Western guitar, you shouldn’t have any problems on a concert guitar. On the other hand the change is more difficult.

Children, on the other hand, are recommended to start with a concert guitar. Its nylon strings are not as hard and strong as the steel strings of a Western guitar. In the beginning, injuries and pain can occur if the playing technique is not yet so clean. This can quickly destroy motivation, especially with children. Ideally, however, you will have the opportunity to test both variants in advance and select the right model for your needs.

In addition to the question of whether western or concert guitar, the question of shape and construction also plays a role. Basically, one can say that the larger the body, the louder and more powerful the sound of a guitar is. The most popular and widespread form nowadays is the dreadnought form. It is named after a number of British battleships, the largest in the world at the time. They are called the all-rounders and are characterized by deep bass and louder sounds.

• Dreadnought form as a popular all-rounder

Somewhat smaller are the more classic Grand Auditorium and Grand Concert shapes. The filigree Grand Auditorium is often used for finger picking. For some time now, guitar builders have also been offering a jumbo shape. It resembles a Grand Auditorium, but has an even larger resonating body than the Dreadnought. As a rule of thumb, guitars gain in volume and depth with their size, whilst their playing comfort suffers.

• Often used for finger picking

There are many guitars on the market that are specially designed for children. But not all of them are real instruments. Many of them are toys rather than instruments. Such toy instruments are cheaply produced, cannot be tuned and leave a lot to be desired in terms of sound.

But there are also high-quality acoustic guitars, which are adapted to children’s size. They are available in different sizes. The individual size can be determined by a rule of thumb, which calculates the optimal size ratio to a standard guitar. For orientation you can see in our size chart which guitar size is best suited to your age and body size.

In general, it is up to you and your child to decide whether you prefer a Western or a concert guitar. For children, however, it is recommended to choose a classical guitar.

The steel strings of a Western guitar require more power when playing and make practicing more complex. In addition, the strings are harder, which can lead to minor injuries and pain, especially for beginners. This can quickly reduce the motivation to learn.

At the end of this section we show you good guitar sets for beginners.

• Classical guitars are ideal for children

Western guitars with their loud and bright sound are universally applicable. They are often used for modern types of music such as pop and rock. In addition, an electric amplifier can be more easily connected to a Western guitar. They are used wherever it is important to generate clean and powerful sounds.

Classical guitars, on the other hand, with their somewhat softer sound, are mainly used for classical music. The choice of wood also has a decisive influence on the tone.

• Classical guitars for classical guitar music
• Western guitars for modern pieces

The choice of wood has a decisive influence on the sound quality, especially on the soundboard of the guitar. It is usually made of cedar wood or spruce. On cheap models, however, the soundboard can also be made of a simple plywood plate.

Also more exotic woods like mahogany, cedar or koa, from which traditional Hawaiian ukuleles are made, are imaginable. All woods differ in their sound types. For the beginner this may still be secondary, professionals however attach much importance to the choice of the wood fitting to their music. But: The more exotic and unusual the woods are, the more money the guitars cost.

• Elasticity and hardness determine the sound
• For beginners the wood is secondary

More power is needed to play the steel strings of a Western guitar. In addition, steel strings often cause pain for beginners and can lead to frustration especially in the beginning. A plectrum is therefore mandatory. However, sooner or later most people will want to switch to a Western guitar anyway, as it is more versatile. By the way, it is much easier to switch from an acoustic guitar to a concert guitar than the other way around. We therefore recommend that children start with a concert guitar, while young people and adults can try their hand at a Western guitar.

• Steel strings are harder, stronger and thinner
• Steel strings are mainly played with a plectrum

Similar to violin making, guitar manufacturers prefer to use slow-grown wood with narrow annual rings. This so-called tonewood is first stored for several years before processing and then air-dried to generate optimal vibration characteristics. Each type of wood throws back the vibrations in the sound body in a different way, which is why the material used for the guitar body is decisive for the later timbre of the instrument. Which type of wood you prefer depends more on your personal taste than on qualitative differences. Nevertheless, there are some popular types of wood that are often used because of their good and special sound characteristics.

Mahogany, for example, is not only inexpensive, but also very versatile and produces a warm and balanced sound. Rosewood is available in different types such as Rio Rosewood or Cocobolo and is often used in the production of bottoms, bridges, fretboards and sides. The classic maple is also very popular in acoustic guitar making due to its clear sound. Spruce, on the other hand, is often used as a guitar soundboard. But whether standard woods such as maple and spruce or exotic woods such as koa or rosewood: what counts is the timbre, which should ideally suit your own playing and taste. Cheap woods can be the right choice as well as expensive rarities.