Having smaller hands should never be a barrier to a comfortable guitar playing experience, no matter what genres of music you prefer. In years gone by, many guitarists have had to make do with uncomfortable guitars that hindered progress, and in countless cases, frustration with that lack of progress resulted in players simply quitting.
So, if you’re looking to find a guitar that’s better suited to smaller hands, you’re in the right place. In this Guide we’ll be reviewing the best guitars for players with smaller hands across three categories – electric, acoustic, and classical.
During each test we were looking primarily at comfort for players with small hands, with overall ergonomics being a factor, too. Of course, the quality of the instrument and its tone were also a big part of our test. For consistency, the electric guitars on test were both played through a Monoprice Stage Right 5w tube amp.
Best Guitars For Small Hands (acoustic & Electric) In 2023
A fantastic acoustic guitar that works as well as a primary instrument as it does for travel. It’s compact, looks great, and offers excellent playability.
The Fender Sonoran Mini has become a fast favorite in the relatively short time since its release, and it’s not hard to see why. For an absolute bargain price, Fender have come up with a great looking, reduced scale guitar that is ideal for the smaller handed player.
The neck is one of the smallest we’ve tested at KGR, with a nut width of just 1.615”. This made it very easy to get fingers wrapped around into barre chord patterns, which is something players with small hands tend to struggle with most on full size and wide necked guitars.
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The Sonoran has a Fender “Modern C” neck profile, which is one of their shallower styles. It’s ideal for getting a neutral grip on the neck, which will keep your hand more comfortable for longer.
It also features a reduced scale length (24.1”), which was extremely comfortable – not only did it make stretching out for chords and runs easier, but it also resulted in lower string tension, which made depressing notes much easier than it is on the majority of acoustic guitars.
Looks wise, this guitar is an absolute winner. We loved the caramel pickguard on the solid spruce top – it’s such a different combination, and it brings a great retro feel. Also adding to the retro aesthetic, are the vintage style tuning pegs, which suit this guitar perfectly. The spruce top had a nice grain to it, and it was nicely complemented by the bound mahogany back, and sides, and the Nato neck. It comes with a Stratocaster style headstock, which we always think looks great on acoustic models.
The Best Acoustic Guitars For Small Hands
Tonally speaking, the Sonoran was bright and snappy, features typical of spruce-topped guitars. It also had a depth of sound that isn’t overly common on reduced-scale models, this was probably the biggest surprise that this guitar had in store for us.
The gig bag that was bundled with this guitar was a nice bonus. We don’t always expect to get a gig bag at this price point, so while it isn’t the most luxurious case, the fact that it came with one at all was still great.
Verdict: The Fender Sonoran Mini is a solid choice for guitarists with smaller hands. The neck was comfortable, and the short scale length suited it well. The smaller body makes it comfortable for kids as well as adults. It’s well built, and Fender has chosen some quality woods and components, resulting in a guitar that far outperforms its low price point.
Best Martin Guitars For Beginners
This comfortable Martin strikes a balance between booming presence when strummed hard and a delicate intricacy when played with a softer touch.
Martin is one of the oldest names in the guitar business, and with so much experience, it’s not hard to understand why the Martin D Jr-10E made it on to our top guitars for small hands list. With their vast experience, Martin has crafted a true dreadnought guitar that is actually comfortable for smaller handed guitarists, which in and of itself is rare.
We found it to be extremely comfortable right out of the box. The nut width was amongst the widest of any of the models we tested at 1.75”, but the neck profile, which is a Martin Performance Taper, compensated well for that. We were able to comfortably grip the neck, and barre chords were easy to play up and down the fretboard.
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Also helping playability for guitarists with small hands was the short scale, which measured in at 24”. This reduced length made it easy to stretch out for chords, and kept us comfortable during extended scales practice sessions. The body is close to full size at 15/16ths, so it feels similar to a full size model, but thanks to the slim neck and shorter scale, it’s much more comfortable.
Being a Martin, you’re getting exactly what you’d expect as far as quality is concerned. Fit and finish were superb – far beyond what the majority of instruments at this price point. The top is solid Sitka spruce, and the back and sides are sapele. Both a basic, but high quality tone woods that lend a great bite to the tone, keeping things bright without ever sounding shrill.
The overall presence of the sound was classic Martin, with a big mid range, and plenty of punch. It did lose out a little bit when it comes to volume when compared to a full size guitar, but that’s to be expected. It didn’t detract from the sound, and if you truly need the guitar to be louder, you can plug into an amp, thanks to the built in Fishman Sonitone pickups and electronics. When plugged in the D Jr-10E still kept its punch without losing any of its acoustic character, so we’ve no doubt it would be a great companion for gigging.
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This is by no means a cheap guitar, but it’s far from expensive in the scheme of things with acoustic guitars, so to get a high quality hybrid gig bag/hard case as we did with this model was fantastic. It’s sturdy enough to deal with transport and storage, perfect for keeping your new Martin in pristine condition.
Verdict: The Martin D Jr-10E is the perfect starting point into the Martin brand if you’re yet to own one of these wonderful guitars. The neck has great ergonomics, and felt comfortable enough to play all day without fatigue. You’ll get high end components, and genuine Martin tones, a recipe for a great sounding guitar that will last a lifetime.
A true classical with a contemporary twist. This guitar comes with the winning combination of a neck that’s suitable for players with smaller hands, and the quality assurance that comes from a well known brand.
Best Guitars For Kids And Players With Smaller Hands
The Epiphone PRO-1 Classic is a phenomenal choice for players with smaller hands looking to get into their first classical guitar. Epiphone isn’t necessarily the first name that most people think of when it comes to classical instruments, but, when it comes to high quality, great value guitars for beginners, it’s one of the go to brands.
Unlike steel string acoustics, classical guitars almost always conform to a uniform 2” nut width, which for the majority of players with small hands is prohibitively wide. This Epiphone, however, breaks that rule with a relatively slim 1.89” nut width. The difference in comparison to a full size classical guitar was extremely noticeable – we were able to play much more smoothly than we thought was possible.
It has an Epiphone D profile neck, which is nice and shallow, and again, comfortable for extended use. The body is a ¾ size, making it a comfortable choice for kids and smaller adults alike, and the scale length is very short at just 22.8”, which made fast runs up and down the neck really easy to play.
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Despite breaking from tradition when it comes to nut width, almost everything else about this Epiphone is pretty standard for a classical guitar. It’s made with a cedar top and mahogany back, sides, and neck. The resulting tone was warm and surprisingly rich for such a small guitar. It had a lot of bite, and considering the extremely low price, sounded excellent. We liked the rosette design, and found that the binding was well applied.
Another nice touch on this guitar was the inclusion of top and bottom strap buttons. Many classical guitars have no means of attaching a strap, but as many beginners rely on them for support, it’s great to have the option.
Verdict: Overall, the Epiphone PRO-1 Classic was a great guitar that we felt performed as well as instruments twice its price. It looks great, and thanks to the slim neck and narrow nut, it was extremely comfortable, with chords easily reached – despite the wide string spacing. It’s a well appointed guitar for the money, and will serve a player with small hands, looking to learn on a classical guitar well.
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You can amplify your classical tones to the masses with this electric-acoustic Ovation, a guitar that breaks from tradition and brings nylon strings into
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