Reposting from Team forum

I played a little when I was young. Never got very proficient. I'm old now with more time and less distractions. Maybe too old (63) to learn Anyway my hands aren't very big, is there a guitar that is better for smaller hands. I'd prefer electric. Budget maybe $500.

I had a Peavy T60 back then.

Why not a Squier Strat mini?

Ibanez Mikro

They also make a non Gilbert version for a little less money but it's not quite as cool/nice.

Mustang Bullet

24" scale with a slightly smaller body.
I own one in white, it's a BLAST to play.
It has a somewhat chunkier neck, especially compared to the super thin wizard necks most Ibanez guitars have.

Too old?
I don't think so. I am 70, and have a year of lessons in classical guitar in my wake.
Added electrics to my repertoire about 3 months ago.
For your price range, you should be able to find a decent guitar.
A Squier Classic Vibe is a pretty good build under that price range.
Ibanez and Schecter both offer decent models in that price slot too.
If you can go in a store and fondle a few, that might go a long way towards finding something that fits your hand.
Just my 2 cents.

You can learn to play phrases differently. Being able to hit 5, 6, 7, and 8 note stretches on one string is very helpful at times, but you can also get good at string skipping to avoid the stretches. You won't be a bad player because you have small hands. You will be a bad player if you don't practice.

You are really going to need to go into a guitar store... You should be able to plug into some good amps also for your tone...

Don't worry about it.  Just get a guitar and start learning.

Look up Juliana Vieria on Youtube.  She has small hands and does well.  A few issues on guitar solo due to her small reach, but ask yourself are you anywhere near her level.

What you are probably experiencing is hand dexterity, not hand size. That will go away with practice.  One does not need an insane reach like Steve Via to become good at guitar.  A male guitar player in one of my worship bands is 5'5".

EVH was a short guy at 5'8" as well.

This is what I'm am realizing. I have been doing alot of hand stretching and specifically working on my pinky finger as it doesn't  work as independently as the rest (at least for me).


Also you are not to old! Carpe Diem!

I think the Strat Mini is more of a kid's guitar. It's pretty small.

I regular Strat neck profile should work fine. If you prefer the Les Paul style, look at the 60s model. I've been dealing with arthritis since last year and playing my 59 is difficult. I just bought a Gibson 60s since it has a slim taper profile which felt really good. You can get an Epiphone 60s LP close to your price range.

Best to visit a store, though, to see what feels right to you. As a guide, I decided to measure some of mine for you.

Strat
Nut: 1.652"
12th Fret: 2.012"

Tele
Nut: 1.653"
12th Fret: 2.059"

'59 Les Paul
Nut: 1.684"
12th Fret: 2.072"

ES-339
Nut: 1.684"
12th Fret: 2.091"

Some things just sound better with the stretch so the timbre of the notes match. The phrase below just sounds better with the 1st -> 6th fret stretch. If you opt for a higher string, it doesn't have a unified sound to my ears.
Attached File



When you get to the lighter gauge strings, I tend to do more string skipping as the timbre of the notes isn't too far apart. The riff below I play with my change in red.
Attached File



Aside from being picky about the timbre of the notes, you can easily convert big stretches to string skipping with a little pre-planning on your fretting hand to avoid big stretches for most phrases. Practice, practice, practice. Don't worry if you don't think you aren't anatomically correct.

All Greek to me

FYI, you have listed width, whereas profile normally refers to the shape of the neck in profile (cross-section) as well as the thickness. It is common for the same profile to be offered on guitars of different widths, with the necks still having the same thickness profile and a similar overall shape. Width is a separate attribute to profile.

My FR Schecters have the same profile as my non-FR Schecters despite having different widths - the FR models having 1.625" nuts while the non-FR models have 1.653". But my Blackjack SLS FR has the same profile as my SLS Elite, and my Omen Extreme FR has the same profile as my Hellraiser. And then there's my JL-7, which of course is way wider, being a seven-string (1.889"), but still provides a similar feel - and the same thickness - as the SLS models, as it sports an equivalent profile.

Various thickness profiles, 1st fret to 12th fret:

Schecter 'Thin C' = 0.787" to 0.866"
Schecter 'Ultra-Thin C' = 0.748" to 0.787"
Fender 'Modern C' = 0.820" to 0.870"
Fender 'Deep C' = 0.820" to 0.920"
Fender 'Flat Oval' = 0.752" to 0.830"
Fender 'Soft V' = 0.850" to 0.890"
Ibanez 'Wizard III' = 0.748" to 0.827"

And of course each of these profiles also specifies the general shape - is it more rounded (C), sharper (V), or flattened (D/U).

ETA - Width is still another attribute to consider, absolutely, but just pointing out that width is not normally a component of "profile". Different widths can indeed result in different feel - consider the Jazz vs Precision bass necks - but it is separate from profile, as you can have the same width with many different profiles.

isn't this guy like 4' tall?  small hands for a 7 string but shows there is a technique component..

There's the new guitarist in Frozen Crown as well...

I wonder what happened to the black girl?

Thalia was one of several band members who left to pursue other projects. (The bassist and drummer also left.)

Though this is just speculation, I would not be surprised if part of her reason for leaving was that she was mostly just a touring musician. Her only studio contribution to the first two albums were the solos on Kings. It's always been Jade and Federico's band, really, as they write all of the music and lyrics, and Federico performs almost all of the guitars in the studio. Which is also why despite losing several band members, they still very much sound like themselves - they've still got the same songwriters, vocalists, and studio guitar work even with the lineup change.

Unless you have REALLY small hands, like freakishly small hands, I can't see it being a factor.  

Flexibility and making your fingers do the right things is the hard part when you're getting started (or if you take a bunch of time off from playing).
By the time you're really good at playing, you may have trouble with specific chord shapes or steps in a solo, but you'll also be good enough to work around it by that point too.

Small like this would be a problem:

5'2" and his guitar is the same scale length as a Strat.

I have short fingers, but I've played guitar long enough if I stretch my fingers apart with my hands held together my middle finger on my fretting hand lines up with my ring finger on my other hand. The only time I've really had problems with stretches is on my bass.

I played violin and upright bass when I was younger, and my instructor was a tiny woman with tiny hands and she killed it on a full size bass.