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Back when I was still working at the music store, kids guitars were wretched pieces of crap for the most part, usually available only around Christmas time. Electric solidbody or acoustic - the song was the same, hard to tune, hard to play, and tones that ran the gamut of tinny to scratchy to distinctly un-guitar like noises. I felt sorry for the kids, and advised parents to buy something used of quality instead of buying an overpriced plywood nightmare.
These days? There are some very good quality kids guitars - especially in the electric sections. For acoustics - some of the small imports like Luna are quite playable out of the box, easily made better with new strings and a setup by a good luthier. As for electrics - too many brands to name, but Fender's 3/4 scale Strats make a great first guitar, and for awhile Lyon (made by Washburn) were sold by Target - and they were really nice. I've had several, and currently own 3 of them. Yeah - the electronics are junky Asian stuff - but they serve to get the kids to the next level. Some of the Mitchell and Laguna kids axes are a far cry from the stuff sold in the 70's and 80's.
Which brings me to this question.... How many of you have purchased one or more of these kids guitars just for yourself? They are fun to play, and with some hardware upgrades and a little TLC - they can be played on any stage without the need to hang your head.
I've done several of the baby Strats for local clients who just dig the crap out of them. A good setup, and most are quite happy. I modded the pickups on one for a guy who plays it onstage.
Of the Lyon/Washburn - the best known are the ones associated with Disney - the purple "Secret Star" that Miley Cyrus played, the "Camp Rock" (purple & black checks) the blue & yellow "High School Musical", the red "CARS movie", and the pink "Disney Princess" version. All are short scale, with either a Tele style setup or 2 humbuckers. I've modded and sold so many of these I've lost count. New tuners, a bone nut, spot level (if needed), new pickups, a setup and they are good to go.
I can't forget to mention the Mikro series by Ibanez... GREAT stuff for the kids, and very affordable (especially used). Easy to mod, too much fun to play, and they sound good. I purchased a brand new Paul Gilbert Mikro that only needed a setup, and it's a keeper all by itself.
Here's Skot Reed playing a borrowed Hannah at rehearsal (guitar was modded with Bill Lawrence units for a jazz player). Crappy cellphone audio... sorry.
So sing out - who's joined the ranks of the toy guitar players?
These days? There are some very good quality kids guitars - especially in the electric sections. For acoustics - some of the small imports like Luna are quite playable out of the box, easily made better with new strings and a setup by a good luthier. As for electrics - too many brands to name, but Fender's 3/4 scale Strats make a great first guitar, and for awhile Lyon (made by Washburn) were sold by Target - and they were really nice. I've had several, and currently own 3 of them. Yeah - the electronics are junky Asian stuff - but they serve to get the kids to the next level. Some of the Mitchell and Laguna kids axes are a far cry from the stuff sold in the 70's and 80's.
Which brings me to this question.... How many of you have purchased one or more of these kids guitars just for yourself? They are fun to play, and with some hardware upgrades and a little TLC - they can be played on any stage without the need to hang your head.
I've done several of the baby Strats for local clients who just dig the crap out of them. A good setup, and most are quite happy. I modded the pickups on one for a guy who plays it onstage.
Of the Lyon/Washburn - the best known are the ones associated with Disney - the purple "Secret Star" that Miley Cyrus played, the "Camp Rock" (purple & black checks) the blue & yellow "High School Musical", the red "CARS movie", and the pink "Disney Princess" version. All are short scale, with either a Tele style setup or 2 humbuckers. I've modded and sold so many of these I've lost count. New tuners, a bone nut, spot level (if needed), new pickups, a setup and they are good to go.
I can't forget to mention the Mikro series by Ibanez... GREAT stuff for the kids, and very affordable (especially used). Easy to mod, too much fun to play, and they sound good. I purchased a brand new Paul Gilbert Mikro that only needed a setup, and it's a keeper all by itself.
Here's Skot Reed playing a borrowed Hannah at rehearsal (guitar was modded with Bill Lawrence units for a jazz player). Crappy cellphone audio... sorry.
So sing out - who's joined the ranks of the toy guitar players?
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