Geni Swing Guitars

Lefty Electric

If you are thinking of getting your child his or her first guitar, how do you know if you're choosing the right one? As a professional guitar instructor, I've taught many kids to play the guitar. Some have started as young as 4, while other beginners have gotten started while in the tweens and teens range.

Parents and teachers often have questions about how to make the right choice when buying their child's first guitar. I have collected the questions I have been asked the most, and created the following guide. For each question below, there is also link to a video you may watch for more information at the end of the article.

In this article, we'll cover these important questions:

• Is my child ready for a real guitar?
• What size should the guitar be?
• Acoustic, or electric? Which is best to start with?
• What price range should I be looking in?
• What brands are best?
• What if my kid is left-handed?

Is my child ready for a real guitar?

Some kids make it obvious: they love music, and they are genuinely interested in learning to play the guitar.

But for other kids, the guitar may be more of a toy or a prop for pretending to be a rock star. There's nothing wrong with this, but if you suspect your kid is not especially serious about actually buckling down and learning to make music, then you may wish to save your pennies and skip buying a real guitar for right now.

If your child shows genuine interest in music, then a real guitar is the way to go.

Even if they are very young, a real guitar, properly sized, will be capable of making sounds that they will be able to manipulate and learn from in a real way.

What size should the guitar be?

There are essentially 3 categories of guitar size, with some variation within each class. Basically, you want the player's right arm and shoulder to fit comfortably around the guitar, without causing shoulder strain. And you want the left hand to be able to reach to the end of the neck comfortably, so the child can easily make notes and chords.

To keep it simple, follow these guidelines:

For a small child, (ages 3 to 6) look for a 1/2 size guitar, or even a ukulele.

For a medium-sized kid (ages 7 to 12), look for a 3/4 size guitar.

And for a big kid (13 and up) or an adult, a full-size guitar is probably the best choice.

Acoustic, or electric: which is best to start with?

Opinions vary on whether beginners should start with an acoustic or an electric guitar.

My personal experience as a guitar instructor has convinced me that the best indicator of which kind of guitar to start with comes directly from the child.

Has he or she shown a strong interest in a particular style of music? Does he or she ask for a particular kind of guitar?

In my experience, the kids who are learning on the kind of guitar they are most personally excited about are the kids who are the most motivated to practice and to learn more.

If you opt for an electric guitar, I would suggest getting a starter package, which includes a small amp and cable. That way you don't have to worry about picking out the necessary accessories for your child to start playing.

If your child has not expressed a preference as to whether he or she would like an acoustic or electric guitar, a, I would suggest starting them on an acoustic guitar.

What price range should I be looking in? What brands are best?

You don't have to spend an arm and a leg on the first guitar. In fact, you really shouldn't spend an arm and a leg on the first guitar, in case it turns out to be only a passing interest.

That said, look for starter guitars that are real guitars, made by real guitar manufacturers. Avoid cheap guitars that have been cranked out by a generic factory someplace.

Why? If the guitar does not function well at a basic level, it will lead to frustration and discouragement on the part of the learner.

You should be able to get set up for a maximum of $200. In many cases you can do just fine for a lot less.

What if my kid is left-handed?

I recommend that all beginners learn on a standard guitar, whether the player is left-handed or right-handed.

When learning guitar, just like most any other musical instrument, both hands have plenty to learn how to do. Both hands will be developing strength, skills, and coordination. No significant advantage is achieved by using a lefty guitar. In fact, I believe it presents a disadvantage.

Learning on a standard (as opposed to a lefty) guitar insures your child will be able to access 95% of the guitars he or she comes across in life. Playing spontaneously at a friend's house or party, trying out the shiny new guitars in a guitar shop; these activities are open to those who play standard guitar.

Left-handed students who learn on left-handed guitars are dependent on finding these guitars, which are a rarity.

5-Part Video Tutorial: Choosing Your Child's First Guitar

1. Is My Child Ready for a Real Guitar?
2. What Size Guitar is Right for my Child?
3. Should my Child Start with an Acoustic, or Electric Guitar?
4. What Price Range Should I Be In? Which Brands Are Best?
5. What if my Child is Left-Handed?

By Lisa McCormick
Guitar Instructor / Performing Songwriter
http://www.GettingStartedWithGuitar.net

Breedlove Passport PLUS C250/SB Lefty Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural $599 Breedlove Passport PLUS C250/SB Lefty Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural

Breedlove Passport Plus C250/Sb Lefty Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural $599 Breedlove Passport PLUS C250/SB Lefty Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural

Takamine G Dreadnought EG530SC-LH Solid Top Lefty Acoustic-Electric Guitar Gloss Natural $599 Takamine G Dreadnought EG530SC-LH Solid Top Lefty Acoustic-Electric Guitar Gloss Natural

G&L LegacyLefty Electric Guitar 3-Tone Sunburst $499.99 The G&L Legacy"Lefty" Electric Guitar is one of the original designs for which G&L's founder Leo Fender is world renowned. This Left Handed, Double Cutaway instrument features a Hard Rock Maple neck with Fully Enclosed, 18:1 ratio, Tuning Machines and a Rosewood fingerboard mounted to a solid Swamp Ash body with a classic 3 Tone Sunburst finish and a Tortoise pickguard.The Legacy"Lefty" comes equipped with 3 Patented, USA Made, G&L vintage style Alnico V single coil pickups controlled by the Patented G&L Passive Treble/Bass (PTB) system which includes a single Volume Control combined with separate Treble and Bass Controls and a 5 Position Pickup Selector Switch. Hardware includes a Patented G&L Dual Fulcrum Vibrato which pivots on two hardened posts for perfect return to pitch and maximum sustain. G&L Deluxe gig bag included.

Takamine G Dreadnought Eg530sc-Lh Solid Top Lefty A/E Guitar $599 Takamine G Dreadnought EG530SC-LH Solid Top Lefty Acoustic-Electric Guitar Gloss Natural

Oscar Schmidt Acoustic/Electric Lefty Natural $183.78 The OG10CE is a concert size cutaway acoustic/electric guitar perfect for live performance. Strumming and fingerstyle both sound good on this guitar and singer/songwriters will appriciate the built in tuner that's part of the WT92 preamp system. A nice selection of colors are available to suit all personalities. Height: 6 Width: 0 Weight: 6

Oscar Schmidt Lefty Acoustic/Electric Natural $189.3 The OG2CE is a deep dreadnought cutaway with a full acoustic resonance. It features the WT92 Preamp with digital tuner built in. Height: 6 Width: 0 Weight: 16

Badaax ST1 3 Tone Sunburst Lefty Electric Guitar with Case $182 For limited time, receive a FREE Vento Digital Tuner (a $29.99 value)with purchase! The BadAax ST1GT is a left handed, Strat style guitar in a beautiful 3 tone sunburst. Hi John Boles here, Manager of Music Factory Direct and a fellow lefty. Ive been blessed in my life with having worked in several high end and custom guitar shops and Im really proud to help bring to market this great left handed guitar. Nothing new or fancy about this guitar but its the craftsmanship of the construction that separates it from the competition. This is really a solidly built guitar but priced very reasonably. Every guitar Ive seen has been perfect right out of the box, from nice tight neck pockets to low string action. The BadAax ST1GT features a solid alder body, 1 piece maple neck with a hand rubbed Å“bowlÂ? finish (so sweaty hands dont stick), a dark rosewood fingerboard, 3 single coil pick-ups, 1 volume, 2 tone controls, a 5-way selector switch, die-cast metal tuners and as with ALL BadAax guitars, a

Schecter Guitar Research Damien Elite Avenger-Fr Lefty Electric Guitar $599 Schecter Guitar Research Damien Elite Avenger-FR Left-Handed Electric Guitar See-thru Black

Schecter Guitar Research Raiden Deluxe 4 Lefty Electric Bass Guitar $349 Schecter Guitar Research Raiden Deluxe 4 Left-Handed Electric Bass Guitar Black

Fender Dick Dale Signature Malibu Sce Lefty Acoustic-Electric Guitar $699.99 Fender Dick Dale Signature Malibu SCE Left-Handed Acoustic-Electric Guitar Surfin' Red

Taylor 214-Ce-G-L Grand Auditorium Lefty Acoustic-Electric Guitar $999 Taylor 214-CE-G-L Grand Auditorium Left-Handed Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural

Fender American Vintage '52 Telecaster Lefty Electric Guitar $1699.99 Fender American Vintage Series '52 Telecaster Left-Handed Electric Guitar Butterscotch Blonde

Schecter Guitar Research Raiden Special-4 Lefty Electric Bass Guitar $399 Schecter Guitar Research Raiden Special-4 Left-Handed Electric Bass Guitar Black Cherry

Esp Ltd. Kh-202 Lefty Kirk Hammett Signature Series Electric Guitar $499 ESP LTD KH-202 Left-Handed Kirk Hammett Signature Series Electric Guitar Black

Famous Lefty Flynn's, The $11.49 Famous Lefty Flynn's, The

Lefty's Old Guitar $11.49 Lefty's Old Guitar

Takamine G Dreadnought EG530SC-LH Solid Top Lefty Acoustic-Electric Guitar Gloss Natural 886830179129 $251.58 Built on the popular dreadnought design, the Takamine EG530SC-LH solid top lefty acoustic-electric guitar is a louder, more powerful sounding guitar. The dreadnought has been the most popular and widely recognized acoustic guitar since its creation in the 1920s. Its broad top and deep body create a large resonant chamber that emphasizes bass response and provides a great deal of volume. This design excels in ensemble playing and is heavily favored by flatpickers. The left-handed guitar's solid spruce top offers balanced tone, while the strong nato body brings out plenty of projection. The dovetail neck joint, rosewood bridge and fretboard, and mahogany neck offer sustain, and the asymmetrical neck and 1-5/8" nut width provide comfort for intricate fretboard movements. At the heart of this Takamine dreadnought guitar is an impressive electronics system, letting you amplify your sound with intuitive frequency controls. The CP-100 pickup is an innovative pickup design over the conventional under the saddle piezo design. It utilizes a U-shaped aluminum rail, securing the pickup and saddle for a snug fit and balanced response from the instrument, not just pressure on the strings. The Takamine TK40 preamplifier features volume control, bass, middle and treble frequency slider controls, EQ bypass, a notch filter, tuner and a mid contour switch.The lefty Takamine EG530SC-LH's chrome hardware, chrome tuners, and gloss finish adds a striking touch to this already beautiful guitar.

Takamine G Dreadnought Eg530sc-Lh Solid Top Lefty Acoustic-Electric Guitar Gloss Natural $599 Built on the popular dreadnought design, the Takamine EG530SC-LH solid top lefty acoustic-electric guitar is a louder, more powerful sounding guitar. The dreadnought has been the most popular and widely recognized acoustic guitar since its creation in the 1920s. Its broad top and deep body create a large resonant chamber that emphasizes bass response and provides a great deal of volume. This design excels in ensemble playing and is heavily favored by flatpickers. The left-handed guitar's solid spruce top offers balanced tone, while the strong nato body brings out plenty of projection. The dovetail neck joint, rosewood bridge and fretboard, and mahogany neck offer sustain, and the asymmetrical neck and 1-5/8" nut width provide comfort for intricate fretboard movements. At the heart of this Takamine dreadnought guitar is an impressive electronics system, letting you amplify your sound with intuitive frequency controls. The CP-100 pickup is an innovative pickup design over the conventional under the saddle piezo design. It utilizes a U-shaped aluminum rail, securing the pickup and saddle for a snug fit and balanced response from the instrument, not just pressure on the strings. The Takamine TK40 preamplifier features volume control, bass, middle and treble frequency slider controls, EQ bypass, a notch filter, tuner and a mid contour switch.The lefty Takamine EG530SC-LH's chrome hardware, chrome tuners, and gloss finish adds a striking touch to this already beautiful guitar.Left-handed6-stringDreadnought guitar bodyNato bodySolid spruce top25-5/16" scaleDovetail neck jointMahogany neckRosewood bridge and fretboardAsymmetrical neck shape20 frets1-5/8" nut widthCP 100 bridge pickupTK40 controlschrome tunersChrome hardwareGloss finish

Gibson Custom ES-335 Dot Left-Handed Electric Guitar with Satin Finish Vintage Sunburst Nickel Hardware $2699 A lefty version of one of the world's greatest guitars.

Gibson Custom ES-335 Dot Left-Handed Electric Guitar with Satin Finish 10491708 $3188.99 A lefty version of one of the world's greatest guitars.

Gibson Custom ES-335 Dot Left-Handed Electric Guitar with Satin Finish 13420703 $3188.99 A lefty version of one of the world's greatest guitars.

Gibson Custom ES-335 Dot Left-Handed Electric Guitar with Satin Finish 10671720 $3188.99 A lefty version of one of the world's greatest guitars.

Gibson Custom ES-335 Dot Left-Handed Electric Guitar with Satin Finish Faded Cherry Chrome Hardware $2699 A lefty version of one of the world's greatest guitars.

Gibson Custom ES-335 Dot Left-Handed Electric Guitar with Satin Finish Ebony Nickel Hardware $2699 A lefty version of one of the world's greatest guitars.

Gibson Custom ES-335 Dot Left-Handed Electric Guitar with Satin Finish 01699740 $2699 A lefty version of one of the world's greatest guitars.

Used Ibanez Ael10 Lefty $229.99 In Store Used USED IBANEZ AEL10 LEFTY

Used Traben Phoenix Lefty $249.99 In Store Used USED TRABEN PHOENIX LEFTY

Used Yamaha Fg420la Lefty $169.99 In Store Used USED YAMAHA FG420LA LEFTY

Used Fender Cd100lh Lefty $179.99 In Store Used USED FENDER CD100LH LEFTY

Badaax LP1 Cherry Burst Lefty Electric Guitar with Case $149 Music Factory Direct is proud to introduce the all NEW line of our own BadAax guitars! The LP1GT is similar in so many ways to its famous cousin but we had a maple neck put on it to brighten the tone just a bit. Dont be fooled by the other makes of guitars out there, the LP1GT is made of only the most select quality of wood and hardware. So many of the other guys make theirs from cheaper, lighter, less dense wood like Basswood or Poplar and they just do not have that big, meaty tone that a LP style guitar should have. The LP1GT has a solid mahogany body with a lightly flamed maple top, a rock hard maple neck with a œrounded� neck profile, rosewood fingerboard, acrylic trapezoid inlay and a Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece. Other features include 2 humbucker pickups, die-cast metal tuners, 22 frets, 24 ¾� scale, 1 5/8� nut, 2 volume, 2 tone controls, 3 way selector switch and ivory binding on the body and the neck. Also comes with a hardshell œAlligator� style, plush lined ca

Badaax LP1 Antique Burst Lefty Electric Guitar with Case $149 Music Factory Direct is proud to introduce the all NEW line of our own BadAax guitars! The LP1GT is similar in so many ways to its famous cousin but we had a maple neck put on it to brighten the tone just a bit. Dont be fooled by the other makes of guitars out there, the LP1GT is made of only the most select quality of wood and hardware. So many of the other guys make theirs from cheaper, lighter, less dense wood like Basswood or Poplar and they just do not have that big, meaty tone that a LP style guitar should have. The LP1GT has a solid mahogany body with a lightly flamed maple top, a rock hard maple neck with a œrounded� neck profile, rosewood fingerboard, acrylic trapezoid inlay and a Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece. Other features include 2 humbucker pickups, die-cast metal tuners, 22 frets, 24 ¾� scale, 1 5/8� nut, 2 volume, 2 tone controls, 3 way selector switch and ivory binding on the body and the neck. Also comes with a hardshell œAlligator� style, plush lined ca

Lefty Gomez Autographed Baseball $2023.88 Lefty Gomez Autographed Baseball Official baseball autographed by Lefty Gomez New York Yankees Hall of Famer

Used Fender Mexican Stratocaster Lefty $299.99 In Store Used USED FENDER MEXICAN STRATOCASTER LEFTY