Choosing the right guitar for your child is an exciting step in their musical journey. But with so many options available, understanding the Guitar Cost Price and what you get at each price point is crucial. This guide, drawing on years of experience teaching children guitar, will break down the different price ranges for kids’ guitars, helping you make an informed decision that fits your budget and sets your young musician up for success.
While you can find guitars at very low prices, a minimally functional instrument that will encourage learning generally starts around $150. For a truly high-quality guitar, crafted with excellent materials and proportions specifically for children, you might expect to invest up to $650. Remember, purchasing the best instrument you can afford is an investment in your child’s musical development and enjoyment. A poorly made, cheap guitar can be frustrating and even discourage a child, making them think their struggles are due to a lack of talent, rather than the instrument itself.
I’ve seen this firsthand throughout my career. Even as an experienced guitarist, I’ve been tripped up by subpar equipment. I recall a time when I constantly questioned my playing, only to realize after too long that my old guitar strings were the culprit – they sounded dull and lifeless, not my playing! Don’t let a low-quality instrument demoralize your child before they even get started. Investing in a better guitar from the outset can make all the difference.
Guitars Under $100: Entry-Level Challenges
What You Get
From my extensive experience teaching guitar to kids, recommending guitars in this price range is something I actively avoid. The reality is that at this guitar cost price point, significant compromises are made. Manufacturers simply cannot include quality components, especially tuners, while keeping the price this low. The result? Guitars that struggle to stay in tune. Beyond tuning instability, the overall tone is often lackluster, and quality control issues are common.
For a child, this translates to a frustrating experience. Imagine trying to learn an instrument that constantly sounds out of tune, even moments after tuning it. Coupled with a weak, uninspiring tone, it becomes incredibly difficult for a child to engage with the music and find joy in playing. These guitars can quickly become obstacles rather than tools for learning.
Guitars in the $100-$200 Range: Minimally Functional Instruments
What You Get
Stepping up to the $100-$200 guitar cost price range brings you into the realm of minimally functional instruments. While still mass-produced, these guitars benefit from slightly improved quality control due to the increased budget. The tone, often produced from plywood soundboards and untuned bracing, remains unremarkable but is generally acceptable for a beginner. However, quality control issues, particularly with the tuners, can still occur.
Fractional size guitars, designed for children, are prevalent in this category. However, some manufacturers make questionable proportion choices in their scaling efforts. You might encounter guitars with bodies that are disproportionately deep or wide, or fretboards that are too wide for small hands. These adjustments are often misguided attempts to compensate for the reduced volume that naturally comes with a smaller guitar body. A skilled luthier can create a correctly proportioned smaller guitar without sacrificing tone, but that level of craftsmanship comes at a higher guitar cost price.
While the sound quality might be passable, these guitars often lack volume and may omit features like protective binding around the edges, which is both decorative and structurally beneficial. In my experience, students who start with guitars in this range frequently encounter minor issues. Strings sticking in the nut, causing tuning difficulties, or buzzing issues requiring setup adjustments that parents are often unsure how to handle are common complaints. While playable, these guitars often present enough small hurdles that I usually advise parents to consider spending a little more if possible.
Guitars in the $200-$500 Range: Solid Sound Improvement
What You Get
The $200-$500 guitar cost price range marks a significant leap in quality, most notably with the inclusion of a solid wood soundboard and better quality tuners. A solid wood soundboard is a game-changer for tone. Solid wood vibrates much more responsively to the strings than plywood, resulting in a richer, more resonant sound and greater volume. This upgrade alone makes a noticeable difference in the instrument’s overall quality and the player’s experience.
While you’ll still typically find plywood used for the back and sides in this range (slightly impacting the overall tonal depth), the solid wood top provides a substantial improvement. However, some scaled-down proportions issues can persist. Manufacturers might still exaggerate the upper and lower bouts or waist of the guitar body, and fretboard widths can still be wider than ideal for smaller hands. These factors can make finding a comfortable and well-fitting guitar for a child a bit more challenging and can hinder playability.
To manage costs at this price point, manufacturers often utilize less common wood choices for the back, sides, neck, and fretboard, while the soundboard is usually a more standard tonewood. Aesthetic upgrades also start to appear in this range, such as decorative rosettes around the soundhole. These rosettes, beyond their visual appeal, also offer structural reinforcement to the soundhole area.
Guitars at $500 and Above: Professional Quality for Young Players
What You Get
For truly exceptional instruments designed for children, the guitar cost price starts at $500 and goes up. In this premium range, you enter the world of luthier-crafted guitars, and the difference in quality is immediately apparent. The sound produced by these instruments is breathtaking – rich, resonant, and with a volume and tonal complexity that far surpasses cheaper guitars.
Visually, these guitars are stunning. They often feature handcrafted rosettes and elegant binding that highlights the richness of the wood and finish. Crucially, these guitars are meticulously scaled down in every dimension, ensuring correct proportions for a child’s body.
Many of these top-tier children’s guitars are handmade by experienced luthiers, such as those in Mexico who bring decades of expertise to their craft. These luthiers often employ techniques like “tuning” the guitar top by tapping and listening, then carefully shaving braces to optimize resonance and volume. This meticulous process is repeated until the guitar truly “sings.”
The use of solid wood throughout the entire guitar construction is another hallmark of this price range, maximizing tonal potential. Larger student models often utilize the most sought-after tonewoods. The accurate scaling and high-quality construction ensure optimal playability and make it easier to determine the right size instrument for your child. Furthermore, these high-quality instruments hold their value well. If you are connected with a Suzuki guitar teacher, you’ll find that these guitars are highly desirable in the Suzuki method community and can be resold when your child outgrows them.
Factors Affecting Guitar Cost Price
Beyond the general price ranges, several factors influence the guitar cost price:
- Materials: Solid woods are more expensive than laminates (plywood). The type of wood also matters; for example, spruce and cedar are common soundboard woods, while rosewood and mahogany are often used for backs and sides, each with varying costs.
- Craftsmanship: Hand-crafted guitars from experienced luthiers command a higher price than mass-produced instruments due to the labor and skill involved.
- Brand Reputation: Established and reputable brands often have higher prices due to perceived quality and demand.
- Hardware Quality: Tuners, bridges, and other hardware components vary in quality and cost. Higher quality hardware improves tuning stability and overall instrument longevity.
- Finish and Aesthetics: Intricate finishes, inlays, and decorative elements can increase the guitar cost price.
Conclusion
Understanding the guitar cost price and what it reflects in terms of quality and features is essential for making the right choice for your child. While budget is a factor, remember that investing in a better quality instrument within your means can significantly enhance your child’s learning experience and foster a lifelong love of music. A guitar that stays in tune, sounds good, and is comfortable to play will be a source of inspiration and encouragement, not frustration.
To ensure your child has the right sized guitar, be sure to use a Guitar Sizing Calculator for Kids. And don’t forget to consider the other essential items needed for starting guitar lessons, which you can learn about in Essential Items for Your Kids First Guitar Lesson.
