Best Acoustic Guitar for Small Female Hands [Review for 2022]

Female hands generally tend to be smaller than male hands, and if you’re a small-handed female, chances are you’re having trouble finding a suitable guitar.

But short fingers or small hands don’t necessarily mean you can’t or won’t be able to play well. It’s not a physical limitation, neither is it going to stop you from playing guitar. Sure, the market is full of regular full-sized acoustic guitars, but there are also small body acoustics available. A guitar with a small body and a slim neck will solve your problem of having small hands.

So, for your convenience, we have compiled the reviews of the best acoustic guitar for small female hands. Among these models, hopefully, you’ll find the one you’re looking for. Here, let’s look at them first.

Related Read: Best Acoustic Guitar for Beginners

7 Best Acoustic Guitar for Small Female Hands

Oscar Schmidt OG1FYS-A-U 3/4 Size Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar

Amazon

The Oscar Schmidt OG1FYS-A-U is an exotic-looking acoustic guitar popular with beginners. Whether you are an adult woman with small hands or a young girl, you’ll love the OG1FYS-A-U.

The guitar is constructed from a laminated spruce top with a layered catalpa used on the back and sides. This combination gives the OG1FYS-A-U good durability, resonance, and sustain.

It comes in two models: a rosewood fretboard or an engineered wood fretboard, with the fully adjustable truss rod and chrome die-cast tuners. The slim mahogany neck and shorter scale make playing comfortable and learning new chords easier. The affordable price and lifetime warranty it comes with make it a more lucrative choice.

Pros

• Great Aesthetic with Affordable Price
• Balanced Bass and Treble
• Classic Dreadnaught Sound
• Decent Tension and Intonation

Cons

• Initial Adjustment May Be Required for Some

Martin LX1 Little Martin Acoustic Guitar

Amazon

Martin’s little martin line is popular for portable, small-size quality guitars, and the LX1 model is no exception. Martin LX1 has the typical Martin style and quality, just in a little package.

The guitar features a 3/4-size concert body with 23 inches scale length and a solid Sitka spruce top with mahogany pattern high-pressure laminate finish on the back and sides. It also sports a rosewood fretboard, sealed chrome tuners, a Tusq nut, and compensated saddle, and a richlite bridge.

The LX1 stays in tune for a long time, and the well-balanced sound is great for practice and performance either way. Undoubtedly, the sound isn’t the same as of a full-size dreadnought, but it’s a rich, warm tone nonetheless. The padded gig bag helps protect and transport the guitar easily. No wonder, Martin LX1 is a popular choice among musicians as a travel companion.

Pros

• Solid and Sturdy Construction
• Functional Tuners
• Excellent for Travel
• Great for Beginners and Advanced Players Both

Cons

• Preinstalled Strings May Need to Be Changed

Yamaha APXT2 3/4-Size Acoustic-Electric Guitar

Amazon

If you want an acoustic guitar with more diverse options, check out this electro-acoustic Yamaha APXT2. This is the smaller-scale version of Yamaha’s best-selling APX500II, specially geared towards musicians with small hands.

The guitar features ¾ sized body with a single-cutaway, a spruce top with meranti back and sides, rosewood fretboard, and bridge. The additional electric features include an ART pickup system, a built-in digital tuner, and a master volume and tone control knob.

The sound created by APXT2 is loud and bright enough for home practice and small performance. Having a sturdy and functional design, the Yamaha APXT2 is great as a travel guitar as well.

Pros

• Quick and Accurate Tuning
• Padded Gig Bag Included
• Compact and Well-Constructed
• Simple Controls Suitable for Beginners

Cons

• Experience Musicians May Find It Too Simple

Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar

Amazon

The BT2 Baby Taylor is one of the best mid-range acoustic guitars out there. Along with affordability, add its light build, shorter scale, and easy playability – baam! You have a perfect option for people with small hands.

With a well-finished mahogany top, layered Sapele back, sides, and neck, and an ebony fingerboard, the BT2 Baby Taylor is made of premium quality tonewood.

No wonder, it produces the full true Taylor tone despite being smaller than the regular Taylor models. The better sound projection and sustain come in handy during the performance, which makes it great for your travel entertainment.

Pros

• Great Size Even for Kids
• Simple and User-Friendly Design
• Good Resonance and Sustain
• Perfect for Parlor and Folk Style

Cons

• Frequent Need for Tuning

Jasmine S34C NEX Acoustic Guitar

Amazon

Despite having a full-size dreadnaught body, the Jasmine S34C NEX is on this list. Why? Because the design makes it highly comfortable to play even with smaller hands.

The Venetian-style cutaway, the slim neck, and full 25 1/2″ scale length provide a comfortable feel and excellent playability. People with a petite figure and small fingers greatly benefit from the easy playability of the guitar.

The laminated spruce tops, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, and the smooth satin finish maximize resonance for optimal sound quality. Also, the low price doesn’t compromise the quality and features it comes with. You can hardly find another top-quality model at such a low price range.

Pros

• Well-Built and Easy-Playing
• Rich and Well-Balanced Sound
• Full Body Binding and Chrome Tuners
• Jasmine Advanced “X” Bracing

Cons

• Poor Quality Packaging

Yamaha JR1 FG Junior 3/4 Size Acoustic Guitar

Amazon

The Yamaha JR1 is a great starter kit for young girls wanting to play guitar. Even if you’re a grown woman, the mini ¾ size is suitable for small fingers, and you can easily take up playing this guitar.

The best part is the legacy accessory bundle it comes with. The bundle includes a guitar strap, peg winder, Yamaha folk guitar strings, clip tuner, capo, and an instructional DVD. So you have everything you need to start playing.

The guitar itself has a spruce top with satin finish and rosewood fingerboard and bridge with 23.3 inches short scale length. The C shaped guitar is a compact folk guitar offering an authentic acoustic sound.

Pros

• Top Quality Construction
• Gig Bag Included
• Beautiful Quality Sound
• Great for Learning and Practice

Cons

• Only Right Handed Option Available

Fender MA-1 ¾ Acoustic Guitar

Amazon

Want a Fender but don’t have the budget? Then Fender MA-1 ¾ Acoustic Guitar is perfect for you. It’s made especially for beginners and kids so that you won’t have any problem playing guitars with smaller hands.

The guitar comes with a comfortable size, satin body and neck finish, a shorter 23.3 string scale length, and a full tone. The sound may not be too big, but it’s crisp, clear, and balanced.

The Agathis top and the Sapele used on the back and sides give it a warm and mellow tone. The tuners are stable and easy to use, and the light gauge strings are suitable for people with small hands. The Fender MA-1 comes with a gig bag so that you can use it a travel guitar too.

Pros

• Decent Build Quality
• Pretty Affordable
• C Shape Neck Profile
• Great for Travel

Cons

• Beginners Need to Change the Strings to Nylon for Easy Playing

Update: This model has a newer version, the previous one is outdated and often not available in the market, here are the details for the newer model:

Cordoba Mini M Travel Acoustic Nylon String Guitar

Amazon

With the Cordoba Mini M, you’ll be getting an ultra-compact body but the impressive loud sound of a full-size nylon-string guitar. This classical acoustic guitar is not only the ultimate travel instrument but also makes an excellent guitar for young players, females with smaller hands, and smaller statures.

This 6-string mini acoustic guitar features a solid spruce top with a mahogany back and sides. It has a lightweight body, a comfortable, thin U-shaped neck, and a rosewood fingerboard. The neck and nut width offers the feel and string spacing of a full-size guitar, despite being a miniature. The Mini M provides a bright, complex tone and amazing sustain. Also, it’s available in three different wood combinations: spruce/mahogany, spruce/Indian rosewood, and ovangkol – all producing diverse quality sound. In general, considering the quality and sound it produces, the Cordoba Mini M comes with an inexpensive price range.

Pros

• Excellent Sound Projection with Elegant Design
• Can Be Tuned to Standard E Tuning
• Nylon Strings More Gentle and Comfortable to Play
• Perfect Companion for Road Trips and Vacations

Cons

• Body And Strings Not Waterproof

Taylor GS Mini-e Solid Koa Top ESB

Amazon

Previously we mentioned mid-range options from Taylor; now, let’s talk about their high-range options. Taylor GS Mini-e is one of the best high-end mini guitars around in terms of size, playability, and sound.

The GS Mini-e Guitar is a scaled-down version of Taylor’s Grand Symphony guitar, but with a full guitar sound. It features a solid Hawaiian koa top and layered koa back and sides. Along with a natural, smooth look, the stable and playable neck and the shorter scale length is comfortable enough to play even with shorter fingers. The layered wood creates a loud sound with vibrating energy, and it’s less viable to changes in temperature and humidity. As a result, this guitar is a durable and travel-friendly choice. The unique feature is the built-in ES-B pickup system, which lets you connect to an amp, without the guitar being an electric one. There is also a built-in digital chromatic tuner, a low-battery indicator, an LED display for tuning, and Tone and Volume controls.

Pros

• Natural Acoustic Sound with Dynamic Range
• Layered Wood Giving Excellent Tone and Structural Integrity
• Tuners Reducing Friction Between Strings and Guitar’s Neck
• Simple Design and Concept Built for Comfort

Cons

• Manufactured for Right-Handed People Only

Buying Guide

Being a small-handed female guitarist can already be a hassle. And if you’re just trying to learn guitar or practice, it’s even more important you look for a guitar suitable for your needs. The best acoustic guitar for small female hands is not a myth only. Surely there are more than enough guitars out there ready for you. You just need to consider some factors while shopping for them, and you’re set to go.

Smaller Body

Generally, acoustic guitars have a rather bulky body. So if you have smaller hands than average, a small-sized guitar will be more comfortable to play and hold. ¾-size, parlor, baby, and concert – these are some of the smaller alternatives to regular-sized acoustic guitars. Not just for small hands, these options work great for anyone with overall small stature. Smaller-sized guitars may not produce the same volume as regular-sized guitars, but they come with the same design and quality just in a smaller version.

Slender Neck

The shorter the neck, the easier it is to grab and hold on to. With a slender neck, you can reach the strings properly and don’t have to put that much effort or feel pain while playing. Along with neck length, the thickness and shape of the neck should also be considered. Acoustic guitars mostly come in C, D, U, and V neck shapes, and D, U, and V shapes tend to be thicker and chunkier, making it more difficult for smaller hands to hold. C shapes are most suitable for players with small hands.

The neck shape or thickness doesn’t make much difference to the sound or tone of the guitar. Rather, it helps you play faster and without much discomfort. So, better look for a guitar with a thin, easy to play, and C-shaped neck.

Light Strings

The lighter the strings, the easier they will be to press down on the fretboard and play.  For fretboard, the ideal string length is between 22 inches and 24.6 inches. Small scale length requires less power and less finger length, making the playing easier for small-handed people.

As said earlier, thinner strings with a smaller gauge are easier to press and play in general. Nylon strings are lighter than steel strings and offer more playability. That’s why many small-handed acoustic guitar players switch to nylon strings from steel strings.

Value and Quality

You should also consider the price, features, and quality of the guitar presented. Pay attention to the construction quality of the guitar. Look for comfort and playability, go for well-tested quality, and don’t compromise on the sound. Before buying, try testing and playing the guitar to see which fits your overall requirements the best.

Final Verdict

There are so many great models out there; it’s truly a struggle to pick the best acoustic guitar for small female hands. Still, we tried to cover the best of the best models and mentioned some pointers you need to consider before buying.

We recommend the Martin LX1 Little Martin or the Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor as our top pick. However, if you have budget constraints, then go for the Oscar Schmidt OG1FYS-A-U. It’s the best budget option on our list.

FAQs

Are small guitars easier to play?

Yes! And No! Well, Maybe a small guitar can help you to learn to play.

But once you get used to it and know the basics, it will not matter, and you will not be bothered with the size. So, yes, a small guitar can help you to learn to play as a beginner.

Last update on 2023-03-23 at 07:09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API