Recommendations for beginner electric for 12 yr. old girl

[pirana]

I was visiting my brother the other day to show him my almost complete tele project & my niece thought it was really cool as she just started taking guitar lessons. My brother bought her a cheap acoustic that was recommended by the teacher I think. I can't remember what brand it is but the action is about a mile high which explains, at least partly, why her mother told me my niece doesn't practice on it much. She has taken piano lessons for a couple of years & enjoys that & that shows me she has an interest in learning to play a musical instrument. I'm thinking a squier tele woud be a good choice for a young beginner. Something fairly cheap that would be easy enough to play on that it might keep her interested. Any recommendations?

[maestrovert]

Squier's making a smaller Strat that might be a good fit if she's smaller statured....it's called the Mini Strat...
Musician's Friend carries 'em and the price listed is $99.99 (pg #8 in the spring 2005 Buyer's Guide catalog....)
or www.musiciansfriend.com

[JohnK24]

a Standard Squire Strat. It was a very nicely made guitar. I did a few tweaks on the setup and it's a fine playing axe (.09 strings). She played an Olympia Parlor acoustic prior to that. We got the guitar through MF, it came with a nice quality Fender gig bag (free) and I bought a Fender Frontman amp and strap. All these purchased separately where cheapier than the Squire Strat pack (which has an a cheaper Squire strat).

hth,

J

[e-merlin]

I bought my girls Peavey T-15s. They are 23" scale guitars so they aren't as small as those tiny "kids" guitars, but they are small enough to be usable. And they are very good, rock solid guitars that sound great. You may find yourself wanting one. My girls are on the small side because they are half Philippine, so your niece should be able to handle one.

[flyingb54]

I got my boy a Squier Tom DeLonge Strat when he first started and it was a great guitar for the money. He still plays it after 3 years... Squier is the perfect line of guitars for beginers and a great way to introduce them to the world of Fender.
JB
www.johnbeland.com

[flyingb54]

I got my boy a Squier Tom DeLonge Strat when he first started and it was a great guitar for the money. He still plays it after 3 years... Squier is the perfect line of guitars for beginers and a great way to introduce them to the world of Fender.
JB
www.johnbeland.com

[Johnny Isaacs]

I was at a local store and they had the Squier Standard Tele for $149 and the Squier Custom (P90 version and Hum version) both for $219. Great deals and more importantly ~ great guitars!

Johnny Isaacs

[kp8]

i don't think you should get a full Fender 25 inch scale guitar. You should try to find a 24 or even a 22 inch scale guitar that is comfortable to play. If playing is a chore they are less likely to pick up and play. If they are comfortable they will enjoy it more and will make more music. Don't get a big heavy clunker with a long scale and high tension.

I grew up playing a 24 inch scale 70's MusicMaster, which i loved and graduated to a tele when i was ready.

:D

My 2 ¢...

-kp8--

[pirana]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I'll run the info. by my brother & niece. Also I was thinking if I could find an old mustang that would probably be a good one. If I remember they were a 24" scale & decent guitars.

[maestrovert]

the Squire Mini Strat's scale length is 20 3/4" ....
that scale length in "standard " tuning would have quite a bit less tension, which would be ideal for a younger beginner....
Fender is also making a "Strat Jr." with a scale length of 22 3/4".....
one of the thinner lighter "Affinity" models (Strat or Tele) might be better IF your young one is approaching 5' in height....

[J-man]

Originally Posted by pirana

Thanks for all the replies guys. I'll run the info. by my brother & niece. Also I was thinking if I could find an old mustang that would probably be a good one. If I remember they were a 24" scale & decent guitars.

An old mustang would be a great beginner guitar! Shorter scale than a regular Fender built with the quality of an MIJ Fender.

[jwells393]

............ both the Fender Strat JR and the Squier Mini-Strat have a 22 3/4 inch scale length. With the Fender at around $350 and the Squier around $100, I think the Squier is the way to go. I think she could learn faster on a smaller guitar. When she outgrows it or if she loses interest, you could sell it without much of a loss.
Strat JR link
http://www.fender.com/products/view_...ast er+Junior

Mini-Strat link
http://www.squierguitars.com/gear/sh...feature_id=0:1

I have a real-mini Strat . A MIJ mini Strat from the early 90's. This thing has an 18 1/2 inch scale length. This thing was unplayable with 9s. The strings were just too slack. I put 12's on it and now it plays pretty well and stays in tune much better.

[maestrovert]

i was quoting scale lengths from the Fender 2005 "Frontline" catalog....pg 101 for the Squier mini strat and page 81 for the stratocaster jr.
if the specs i quoted are in error please don't shoot me !!
;-)

[jwells393]

No harm ..............no foul.

[Aen]

Get a jaguar, duh. Kids love jaguars.

[d. meyers]

Insert the usual brand loyalty appologies here, but you can't beat an es125 3/4t as a beginning guitar. The combination of short scale length, small body, and semi-acoustic qualities for practicing (plus gen-u-wine p-90 tone for rockin' out) make it an especially good guitar for starting out. I know, it's a really expensive beginner guitar, but the right kid could appreciate the investment, and take it as a sign that the purchaser(s) beleives he or she can handle it.

[Durtdog]

My daughter is 12 and is also a beginner. She is playing my Teles Strats and my dreadnought acoustic. She's tall for her age, but the guitars seem to fit her pretty well.

[Seminole90]

I've got an 11 year old and who has no problems playing on a 24.75" scale. My oldest son started on a regular sized strat at age 10 and never had a problem either. The guy in the office next to mine just bought a squier bullet (25.5' scale) for his 10 year old who it fits quite well. It may be best to have your niece try out a few guitars for size. If she is average size or larger then perhaps a regular sized guitar won't be a problem and you'll have more options to choose from. :)

Good luck!

RJH

[jwells393]

Just my opinion............. Others have said that their 10 to 12 year old kids had no problem with a full size guitars. I can't help thinking they might have progressed a little faster in the beginning with a smaller guitar.

[Hey Joe]

I would avoid the squire mini strat unless you wanted to put some work into it. At the very least it would need new saddles and Im not talking from a gear snob standpoint Im talking about keeping string height where you set it for a whole song. They also dont sound good at standard tuning.

[pirana]

Originally Posted by Hey Joe

I would avoid the squire mini strat unless you wanted to put some work into it. At the very least it would need new saddles and Im not talking from a gear snob standpoint Im talking about keeping string height where you set it for a whole song. They also dont sound good at standard tuning.

Lees Summit huh? I hear the town is trying to put together some sort of tribute to honor my favorite musician & a helluva guitar player, Pat Metheny.

[Hey Joe]

Its good hes finally geting some recognition here. I lived in Lees Summit for 3 years before I knew he was from here.

[jwells393]

Musician's Friend has 39 reviews of the Squier Mini-Strat. In general, most of the reviews are favorable. Here's the link

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...510421/rpp=10/

[bo]

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...%3D%26sa %3DG