Short scale guitar options?

I have a mini R
It's play fine. Strings spacing are like typical classical guitar. However, strings response is not the best.
I am looking for a better quality small size guitar around $1,200 but not much available on the market.
Any recommendations?


There's gotta be like 900 different sets of classical guitar strings available from stringsbymail.com in all different materials, and all different tensions...

IMHO, on the Cordoba Mini, body resonance in the bass is just dead anything lower than a G2 note, so I have mine in Terz tuning using high tension Thomastik-Infeld chrome flatwound bass strings from the CF128 set, and then using the 3 (C,E,A) strings from a set of D'Addarion T2 Titanium nylon treble strings and for me it works great and sounds great.

If you want the E tuning on 21" scale with classical strings, you're going to have to build your own set from single strings, and your E string is going to need to be very fat, like 0.054"-0.056" in order to the the required 16 lbs of tension for the E2 string to NOT sound dead like a rubber band and ALSO be able to intonate properly.

I tried it and the body resonance was just not there and it sounded choked and like no volume on that string tuned down to E, but in Terz tuning, which is a MINOR THIRD up to G on the 6th string it sounds, plays and intonates much better.

See here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terz_guitar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_tunings
 
Booli
I did experiment with classical guitar strings. Too flappy!
Back to using Aquila E tuning that is designed for the mini R
 
I am looking for a better quality small size guitar around $1,200 but not much available on the market. Any recommendations?

I have been looking long and hard for a high quality small guitar, and checked pretty much every option I could find. My preference would be 21 inch scale or shorter (and not paying more than 3K for a custom Kiku). I have finally settled for a Pono UL Uku Li'i which should arrive in about a month. This one has a small parlor body, what Martin called a size 5, and a 21 inch scale that should work well with Terz tuning (starting at G instead of E), which was very popular a century ago. This one is made for steel strings, but Pono also makes the same model for Nylon strings (ULN); that one will have a 23 inch scale, though. The nut width is 46 or 47 mm, so it's not like a 1/4 sized guitar scaled down for kids, which is what we usually see, as Booli pointed out.
 
I have been looking long and hard for a high quality small guitar, and checked pretty much every option I could find. My preference would be 21 inch scale or shorter (and not paying more than 3K for a custom Kiku). I have finally settled for a Pono UL Uku Li'i which should arrive in about a month. This one has a small parlor body, what Martin called a size 5, and a 21 inch scale that should work well with Terz tuning (starting at G instead of E), which was very popular a century ago. This one is made for steel strings, but Pono also makes the same model for Nylon strings (ULN); that one will have a 23 inch scale, though. The nut width is 46 or 47 mm, so it's not like a 1/4 sized guitar scaled down for kids, which is what we usually see, as Booli pointed out.

Please write a review
I own a couple of Pono tenor. They are very heavy in weight . Kind of turn me off so I didnt consider a Pono guitar. This is great news that you are getting one ! Looking forward to hearing all about it.
 
Please write a Review. I own a couple of Pono tenor. They are very heavy in weight. Kind of turn me off so I never consider a Pono guitar

Yes, I will write a review when it gets here.

In the world of Guitars, Pono instruments are considered to be very light weight. Check the reviews over at Acoustic Guitar Forum about that.
 
The Pono UL30/40SP have a nut width around 1.8125", so a little wider than standard acoustics, but narrower than classical.
 
I personally use the Ibanez Micro a lot while on the move. There are quite a few other good options among short-scale electrics that are quite compact. Couple one with an acoustic simulator pedal and you'll have the added option of an acoustic sound as well without having to carry a bulky acoustic guitar. Just my two cents.
 
Going back to the OP's request of a baritone sized solid body short scale guitar: looks like Pono is prototyping something that might fit those specs exactly, based on their thinbody BE models with a scale length of about 20", and what looks to be nylon strings:

Pono_BED-6.jpg
 
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