What Size Is A 3 4 Guitar?

Guitars come in different sizes and the size of your guitar has a big impact on playability. If y'all've ever seen a immature child struggle to play a total-sized guitar, it should exist clear why matching the right size guitar to each person is important.

In this guide, I'll respond some of the most common questions well-nigh guitar sizes. You'll be able to utilize this data to choose the best-sized guitar for your needs or to notice the right size example for your guitar.

After reading this guide, have a read through my guide on How Much Electric Guitars Weigh every bit it's likewise a good idea to understand how much guitars can vary in weight. Quite often the size of a guitar doesn't give an accurate idea of how heavy the guitar is.

If you want to learn guitar, check out the viii Pace to Learn Guitar here. The guide volition take you from knowing zippo nearly guitar to playing your first full song.

How to Measure a Guitar

Let'due south showtime expect at how to mensurate a guitar. Knowing how to mensurate guitars is important so you can accurately compare different guitar sizes.

There are two main means y'all can measure out a guitar. The start way is to measure the full length of the guitar from end to end. The 2nd way is to measure something called the scale length.

While knowing the total length is handy, knowing the scale length is far more important.

Earlier we look at how to measure a guitar, it'south important to know about the dissimilar parts to measure.

Here is a quick diagram showing the main parts of the guitar:

Main guitar parts diagram for acoustic and electric

There are 3 main parts of every guitar every bit highlighted above:

The headstock (highlighted in light-green)
The neck (highlighted in red)
The body (highlighted in blueish)

Whether you lot purchase an acoustic guitar or an electrical guitar, it volition accept these 3 parts. The only exception is an uncommon type of electric guitar that doesn't have a headstock (these are chosen headless guitars).

To learn more almost the parts on audio-visual and electric guitars, read through this guide for diagrams and examples of unlike types of parts across dissimilar brands.

Measuring a Guitar'south Total Length

When we mensurate the total length of a guitar, we measure out from the top of the headstock to the bottom of the body as shown below:

Guitar Total Length

Take a tape measure and line information technology up along the strings. The total length is from the very end of the body to the tip of the headstock.

If you take a look at the earlier photo of the different types of guitars, you'll notice that every type of guitar has a different shaped body. For this reason, yous volition see wildly dissimilar measurements for total length.

The total length of a 'total size' guitar could be anywhere from 36 inches to well over forty inches. There is no standard full length for guitar considering there are many different types of guitars.

The full length of a guitar isn't a good fashion to compare guitars. Some brands have long headstocks, while other brands have brusk headstocks. The size of a headstock doesn't make a guitar feel whatever different when you play it, just differences in headstocks will throw off measurements.

I don't recommend comparing guitars based on total length. Unless y'all're comparison apples with apples, you won't learn much from the total length of a guitar.

Measuring a Guitar'southward Calibration Length

A better measurement is by looking at the scale length of a guitar.

The scale length is the most of import measure for a guitar because information technology impacts how a guitar feels when you play information technology. Even a small difference in scale length can feel completely different when playing.

You measure a guitar's scale length by measuring from the bridge to the guitar'due south nut equally shown in the below diagram:

Guitar scale length diagram

To see examples of dissimilar scale length measurements, what calibration lengths different brands employ, and why it matters, read through this guide on calibration length. You might be surprised by how calibration length can completely modify how a guitar feels to play.

What is the size of a 'full size' guitar?

The term 'full size' guitars can crusade some defoliation as each type of guitar (eg: classical, dreadnought, fender, Les Paul, etc.) has a different size considered standard. Each brand may build their guitars at a slightly different size.

A typical total-size guitar is around 38 inches long (96.5cm) with a scale length of around 25.five inches (64.8cm). This varies widely across brands and guitar types.

If yous have a guitar and you desire to find out whether it is a full-size guitar, the first thing to check is the scale length. If the calibration length is effectually 25 inches or higher (63 cm), information technology's likely to be a full-size guitar.

Even if the full length is far longer or shorter than 38 inches, if the scale length is around 25 inches or higher, it's a full-sized guitar.

If the calibration length is far below this range (eg: xx inches or 50 cm), it is likely to exist a scaled-down guitar such as a 3/4 guitar. In that location are many dissimilar types of scaled-down guitars used for unlike purposes.

Some scaled-down guitars are designed as travel guitars. The smaller length makes it easier to transport. Other scaled-down guitars are designed for people with small easily or for children. These scaled-downward guitars feel very different from a typical full-sized guitar.

The below photo compares a travel guitar against a full-sized dreadnought acoustic guitar:

Travel Guitar vs Full Size Acoustic

Every bit you can meet, not only does the travel guitar take a shorter full length, but the scale length is also shorter. Some travel guitars cut the full length down while keeping a total-sized scale length, while others cut both full length and scale length down.

The important point here is that there is no standard size for "full size" guitars. A dreadnought acoustic guitar and a Les Paul electric guitar are both full-size guitars, but they both accept different calibration lengths, different total lengths, and experience very different to play.

What are the different sizes of guitars?

As there are then many different sizes when it comes to guitars, let'due south have a await at some of the about common sizes. Knowing the typical size of dissimilar types of guitars can assistance you figure out what is right for you.

While there are many variations of sizes for acoustic guitars, the almost common organisation contains four sizes:

Acoustic Guitar Sizes

The 4/4 guitar shown above is a full-sized classical guitar. The other 3 guitars are scaled down versions.

While you would expect a 1/2 size guitar to be half the size of a full-sized guitar, y'all tin can conspicuously see in the in a higher place photo that isn't the instance. The naming organisation used with acoustic guitars can be very misleading.

A ane/iv guitar isn't really a quarter in size compared to a full-sized guitar. A typical 1/4 calibration guitar has a scale length of 19 inches (48 cm) and a full length of around 31 inches (78 cm). A 3/4 sized guitar is really effectually vii/8 in size compared to a full-sized guitar.

The bespeak to remember hither is that the names are merely trying to simplify the different options. They don't actually match the size of the guitars.

What size guitar does a kid demand?

The size of a guitar makes a huge difference to a child. A full-sized dreadnought acoustic guitar can be impossible for a small child to play. The massive bodies of acoustic guitars can be overwhelming for a immature child.

The younger a child is, the smaller the guitar needs to be to be able to comfortably play. 1/2 and 3/4 sized guitars are commonly used for children every bit they're far easier to play. The scaled downward size means a young child tin can attain over the torso and comfortably reach the fretboard.

Here are some general rules-of-thumb on what size guitar to become for children:

1/four sized or ukulele: up to 5 years old
1/2 sized: 5-7 years old
3/4 sized: 7-10 years old
Full sized: ten years and older

The higher up recommendations are quite different from typical advice you see on other websites. As I'll explain below, I recommend buying a guitar a scrap bigger than what you lot remember y'all should get.

Of import: think of buying a guitar like ownership a pair of shoes for your child. Children abound rapidly and something that looks similar a perfect fit today tin quickly go too small. When buying shoes for a child, it's a best practice to buy something bigger than needed. While information technology might non be a perfect fit today, information technology ensures your child won't immediately grow out of their shoes.

It'southward the same with buying a guitar. If you were to buy the 'perfect' size guitar for your child today, in half-dozen-12 months yous may find that it starts to feel a bit small to your child.

Purchase a guitar in the same way y'all would purchase a pair of shoes for your child. Information technology'south okay if the guitar is a flake besides big in the beginning because your child volition quickly grow into it.

Should you lot buy a total-sized guitar for your child?

While it makes perfect sense to purchase a scaled-downwardly guitar for a child, that isn't the simply option. The other option is to buy a full-sized guitar.

Some guitar teachers will insist that larger guitars will impede a child's progress. Other teachers will tell you that children can effectively learn on larger guitars.

The benefit of buying a total-sized guitar for your child is that they won't ever grow out of it. That ways you won't need to re-purchase a guitar in the time to come and your child will potentially use their first guitar for life.

Full-sized guitars also audio far better than scaled-down guitars. i/4 or 1/2 sized guitars sound quite wearisome and as your child develops their ear, they may lose inspiration due to a dull-sounding guitar.

The below video shows that pocket-size children can effectively learn on full-sized guitars:

Make no mistake, the in a higher place girl has incredible discipline, but if a 9-year-old daughter is able to play a full-sized guitar, others tin as well.

I wouldn't recommend a full-sized guitar for children under effectually vii, so if your child is around seven or older, consider a full-sized electrical guitar.

With acoustic guitars, you need to exist more than cautious that the guitar isn't going to be too large for your child. A full-sized dreadnought guitar (steel cord acoustic) has a huge torso that tin be a major obstacle for a small kid.

Classical acoustic guitars are more manageable, but they yet have a fairly large body. If your child wants to acquire on an acoustic guitar, you may want to avert getting a full-sized guitar until your child is around 10-11.

My Feel

I started learning guitar at the historic period of 7 on a total-sized electrical guitar. Looking back at photos I can see that it was too big for me at the time, but I have no memory of feeling frustrated with the size of the guitar.

I nonetheless play guitar today, so the large guitar wasn't plenty to terminate me.

I'm glad I started on a total-sized guitar as I nonetheless have it today and regularly play on information technology. That guitar is extra special to me because it's my outset guitar and I yet enjoy playing it.

If I started on a 1/2 sized guitar, there's no fashion I would still play it today.

The downside of starting a child on a total-sized guitar is that they may not be able to bargain with the larger size. If the guitar is too big for the child to manage, it can frustrate them and they may give up learning the guitar.

And so while there are benefits to starting on a full-sized guitar, y'all demand to use your judgment on whether your child will be able to manage with the size or non.

One other point to consider is that a scaled-down guitar doesn't guarantee that your child will stick with guitar. While information technology may make things easier, information technology doesn't guarantee success.

If y'all're considering getting guitar lessons for your child, have a read of this guide to run across how the historic period of your kid affects the blazon and quality of lessons they will receive. Knowing what age kids can start learning guitar tin can help you set realistic expectations.

To learn more than about guitar sizes, read through my guide on Guitar Scale Length here. If you've always wondered why different types of guitars feel and so different to play, read my guide on guitar calibration length for answers.