Choosing the Best Guitar for you can be a challenge. So many types and styles can get you lost in confusion. I touched on the subject of size in a previous post about How to Get Started and I would like to expand on that a bit.
I’m a big guy. My wife is…not so big. When I first started to teach her to play, I gave her my acoustic and she couldn’t even get her arms around it comfortably. The search for a guitar for her was on.
Being a big guy, I like larger guitars that I can pin to my body with my forearm. Dreadnought acoustics are perfect that way for me. A recent video by Rhett Schull about his favorite guitar, mentions the fact that the size is something he really likes about it. Rhett is a bit taller than me and he tends to prefer larger body guitars, too. One thing he mentions, though, is sitting versus standing with his instrument.
Choosing the Best Guitar: Sitting Versus Standing
So, can you play your guitar comfortably sitting as well as standing? A smaller body may cause you to hunch over and that can lead to physical stress in your back, arms, even legs. One solution is to use your guitar strap to put the instrument into a higher playing position and avoid the hunch. Another is to force yourself to have good posture even if the guitar is low when you sit. A final tip is to have your guitar on your strap but let it hang more against your hip beside you. I do that with my Strat as it is a small body for me. The obvious solution is simply to play a larger guitar which is something that appeals to him about his favorite axe.
Getting Your Arms Around the Problem
As in my wife’s case, the typical acoustic is just too darn big. Besides the body being bulky, the scale length was a bit out of reach. How your arm is positioned to the neck is a significant factor in playing comfort and ability. Don’t overlook this! I spend some time in the Complete Beginner course explaining proper arm and hand positioning both for fretting and for strumming. From being able to properly fret a chord to avoiding things like carpal tunnel syndrome and fatigue, hand position is extremely important. Start out right and play worry free your entire life!
The Selection is Endless When Choosing the Best Guitar
Now you want to find the right guitar but there are so many to choose from! Narrow down first by your style and favorite type of music. That can eliminate a lot of noise for you. Be careful about falling in love at first sight with a guitar. Try before you buy both sitting and standing. Bring your own strap with you or borrow one from the store. Can you get it into a position that makes you want to play?
I mentioned scale length earlier. The body size can influence that. While a dreadnought size feels huge to some in every way, a thinline acoustic can be just the thing. The scale will be the same as any other but the body dimensions make it much easier to get your arms around. You may need an amp for playing out but they are plenty loud for personal practice. Going with a short scale guitar is always a viable option. Remember to lighten up on the string gauge, though. What feels fine on a full scale guitar will feel stiff on a shorter scale.
Choose your best guitar keeping in mind the size may vary according to taste and playing style! Get what is right for you and you will enjoy will enjoy it all the more.