smallish hands- buying a guitar- points to remember

rafapak

hi guys

Are there any important details that should be taken into account when somebody who has smallish hands is going to buy gypsy guitar? What are these details?

crookedpinky

The thing is to try out different guitars if you can - I know it's not easy as many shops dont have gyspy guitars. But dont think becuase you have small hands you need a small guitar - I've seen big men with big hands sturggle on lonegr scale guitars but be totally comfortable on short scale ones. I have small hands and a small crooked pinky ( bent little finger ) and I find it easier to play on bigger longer scale guitars.

Dont get hung up on the hand size thing - at the end of the day you will develop whatever technique you need to to play well. Two things which may be important than the scale length or wether or not it's a 12 or 14 fret are a) the depth of the neck and b) the widths at the nut and the join.

Alan

djangology

Also, the width (more important than depth if you have a small hand issue) of the neck varies on many models. They are harder to find, but some gypsy guitars have narrower necks. You should try to identify one by trying out a lot of guitars.

Steveareno

I have smallish hands, but they are wide across the palm and I love GJ guitar necks. The first one I played, I thought: finally a decent size neck...feels so roomy and comfortable. 1 3/4" wide at the nut is what I prefer. Had a Gibson J-45 flat top "pencil neck" 1 9/16" for a few years. Drove my crazy trying to fit my fingers in between the strings. They must have gone thru a ultra-narrow, fast action, speed neck fetish in the 60's. So don't go too narrow. You need some space for tight fisted chords.
Swang on,

rafapak

thanks guys!