3/4 guitar recommendations

plunker

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Wife looking at starting with a 3/4 guitar. Any input on beginner models? When she get good at 6 strings, i'll have her try 4 strings.
 
I have had them them all at one time or a another. The Taylor mini, Alvarez, Recording King, china Guild, Pono, compact small travel 3/4 guitar models...and so on.

NOTHING BEATS....the Martin Drednaught JR. for sound and playability

Thats my go to guitar.
its all solid wood, 1.75 nut for easy playing, compact, but sounds like a full size guitar.
 
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Classical or acoustic, i.e. nylon or steel strings?
 
Nylon. That claasical, right.

Corboda and Yamaha both make good 1/2 & 3/4 size classical guitars. They are sometimes referred to as student or small bodied guitars on their websites.
 
Are you looking for 3/4 size mainly for a smaller body size? Or are you also considering smaller for scale length or even nut width. If the player has larger or smaller hands, then a little smaller or larger size in these areas may be better. Longer scale length means a longer stretch between frets, but also more room. And same thing for nut width. I see some mention of the Taylor GS mini, which I think has a 23.5 in scale length. The Martin DN Jr. has a 24" scale length. You can find even shorter scale lengths in the baby taylor (22.75) or Martin LX1 (23), or even the Pono UL40 is a really high quality guitar with a 21.4 in scale length. Nut width on the Pono is slightly wider than the Martins or Taylors, but less than most nylon/classical guitars.

If you want to go really small for nylon, even smaller than 3/4, can look at guileles, e.g. Cordoba or Yamaha, which I think are closer to Tenor uke scale length or even the Kiku (Lichty or Kinnard), which I think are closer to baritone uke scale lengths. But these all generally have wider nut/neck widths, closer to classical guitar widths.
 
Although I’ve never tried one, the La Mancha guitars at seem to get decent reviews in Europe for the smaller size beginner guitars. Strings by mail has started to carry them. https://www.stringsbymail.com/manufacturers/lamanchaguitars-372/
Anyone try one?
Depending on your budget, Alhambra has smaller classical size guitarsor the cordoba c9/10 parlor. These will be much more expensive.
 
Thanks to all for their suggestions and replies. Went out to look, landed a Lucero thin line classical with pick up. $ 300.00. I think the thin line gets her where she wanted to be with the 3/4. Or close to it.
 
Although I’ve never tried one, the La Mancha guitars at seem to get decent reviews in Europe for the smaller size beginner guitars. Strings by mail has started to carry them. https://www.stringsbymail.com/manufacturers/lamanchaguitars-372/
Anyone try one?
Depending on your budget, Alhambra has smaller classical size guitarsor the cordoba c9/10 parlor. These will be much more expensive.

Never tried those, but did check out the link. Pretty small scale 18-19", puts it even a bit smaller than most baritone ukes.
 
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To me, the problem with this fractional guitars like the ones from La Mancha is that they also reduce the nut width substantially (43 mm instead of 50 mm) which makes it very hard for me to fret certain chords. I guess they are really proportioned for children's hands.
 
The 3/4 size has different nut sizes (43 & 48) depending on the model, and the 630mm is 51mm. I agree though, I wouldn’t want anything under 50mm personally.

The scale of the 3/4 is 23+” (595mm) not 18”. But yes, there are some small ones. I would be concerned about string tension under 615mm.

Like I said, I haven’t tried them, but it was interesting to read the Los Angles Guitar Quartet endorsement of the Rubi. These guys are great, so it made me curious. I haven’t met anyone who has tried them though.

Adam
 
I have had them them all at one time or a another. The Taylor mini, Alvarez, Recording King, china Guild, Pono, compact small travel 3/4 guitar models...and so on.

NOTHING BEATS....the Martin Drednaught JR. for sound and playability

Thats my go to guitar.
its all solid wood, 1.75 nut for easy playing, compact, but sounds like a full size guitar.

A bit late to the party, but I just want to say +1 on the Martin Dreadnought Junior. It's probably the best value in small "travel" guitars, and it's my go-to guitar as well. I also have a full-size Martin D-18, which I'll probably sell because I never play it since I got the D-Jr! :cool:

Since I began playing ukulele and guitar, I tend to prefer tenor scale ukes and smaller short-scale guitars. Makes it much easier for switching back and forth.
 
Hello,

These days I'm also looking for a good and not too expensive 3/4 guitar. I tested a few ones in shops and from my point of view, you can't go wrong with a Yamaha CS 40. It's about 120 bucks and for that price the instrument is perfectly finished, the intonation is good, the playability is OK and — more important — you can really get a true dynamic range depsite the laminate top.

Fender also sells a popular 3/4 classical, even cheaper (less than 100$) but the neck is narrower and the instrument seems rather designed towards fusion/bossa/acoustic. The Yamaha is not in the same league, it's a serious classical instrument you can keep for years before getting rid of it.

just my 2 cents.
regards,

Gilles
 
The 3/4 size has different nut sizes (43 & 48) depending on the model.

Thanks for pointing this out, I didn't realize there was a model with a nut width of 48 mm. To me, this a pretty ideal compromise between the wide neck of a classical guitar and the narrow neck of a steel string guitar.
 
I don’t know if it’s a 3/4 guitar but... Kanile’a makes an Islander steel string guitar that’s small. Best part is the built-in arm rest and cutaway. Comfortable. Mine is spruce top with rosewood sides and back — I Think. Bought it last year at the LA International Uke Festival.
 
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