Thoughts on short scale guitars?

[I.R.Brainiac]

if the nut width is the problem, then try another guitar.
If it's just a matter of scale length....then do what i recommend to all beginners ( especially children ) and put a CAPO on it !
cheap...easy...adjustable...problem solved.

Brilliant...thats what I used to do when switching from guitar to bass.

 

[nopedals]

You are getting a lot of bad advice here. Just find a guitar with great playability. At a beginners level, you are basically playing cowboy chords in the first couple of positions, none of which are particularly stretchy. As you move up the neck, the scale gets shorter. In any event, you should be trying out all kinds of styles, including classical guitars with wide boards, and the electric bass, which has a long scale. You adjust for the different scale size the same way you adjust while you play up and down the neck, with very slight adjustments of your hand. This comes with practice.

I switch back and forth between a very small necked Byrdland and a long scale Telecaster, and never really think about it. Buying a cheesy guitar because the neck is small is unnecessary for a beginner. As you get more experienced and proficient, you will know what you are really looking at in a guitar neck; you will just pick it up and know that it feels right.

 

[ken kantor]

Just started and picked up a Peavey Raptor Exp (used) a week ago but finding some chords are hard for my small fingers (guitars certainly weren't made for Asians). Anything which reaches four frets is hand/finger contortion. Should I scrap the Peavey and go with a 3/4 size guitar or should I stick with it and try to learn on a full size?

My goal is too learn to play only for myself. I now have a lot of time on my hands and feel this would be something to keep finger/hand/mind dexterity, coordination, etc. and it's something I've always wanted to learn.

I have tiny hands, and have been through many guitars looking for the best solution.

The problem with many short scale guitars is that the neck remains standard size. See if you can find an old Fender "Strat Squire" from the US or Japan to try out. A friend of mine who is a retired Fender designer turned me on to them, and I am hooked. They are wonderful guitars; look good, sound nice, play well. In addition to a somewhat shortened scale, they have a comfortable, small neck. They don't at all feel like a student guitar, yet are cheap compared to other vintage Fender axes. Not always easy to find, though.

The only easier neck I have tried was on an ancient and rare Framus "Hollywood," and the rest of that guitar was poorly made.

-k

 

[ampegdan]

You are getting a lot of bad advice here. Just find a guitar with great playability.

Bad advice? Really? Seems to me the fact that someone asked for people's thoughts on shorty guitars and got a lot of input. More information to work with. Of course you want a guitar with good playability but if it doesn't fit your body it's going to make the learning process that much more difficult.
I will however, go on record about the Squier line (sorry Ken-I work with this stuff daily). Most have exactly the same scale length as their upmarket brethren. There may be slight differences in neck width, but except for a couple Tele models with Gibson (24.75") scales they're all directly comparable. Most are made in Indonesia today, with the cheaper ones made in China. I'd stay away from the Chinese ones; with the exception of the Classic Vibe series they are awful. The Japanese ones were made back in the mid '80s and the prices have gone nuts on them the last few years.
Proper left hand position goes a long way too. Try not to wrap your thumb around the top of the fretboard; anchor the ball of the thumb on the BACK of the bass side of the neck, allowing a proper fulcrum from which chord shapes can be changed more efficiently, and without radical repositioning of the hand.

 

[kneeOhFight]

They can be cute suckers, esp. the little Ricks.

A good friend of mine, who was a smallish guy (like 5' 4" tall at most, with proportional hand size) had been playing a standard P Bass, and he special ordered a short scale Rickenbaker 4001 (back in 1970). Not long after he received it, his playing went from good to amazing. It was a beautiful bass guitar, and it seemed to better fit him in all aspects, which truly seemed to accelerate his enthusiasm and development as a player. I have no idea how many in his situation tried this and found it a good solution, but, it sure worked for him.