Top Keyboards and Guitars for Your Young Musician

Readers asked us: Which keyboard or guitar should I buy for my child?

It seems like there are so many options out there, but if you’re not a player yourself, how does a parent even begin to choose which instrument is best for their child that’s starting to play?

We asked Bassline Pro’s Shmuel Bassman and Yisroel Meir Rowner what they recommend their beginner keyboard and guitar students buy.

They filled us in on the great choices in different price ranges, along with the pros and cons of each pick. So, whether your child is just trying music out or is in it for the long run, there’s a good option below. 

All the guitars below are full size guitars. This is the general rule for what size guitar to choose:

  • 1/2 sized: 5-7 years old.
  • 3/4 sized: 7-9 years old.
  • Full sized: 10 years and older.

For the best prices and more guidance, Shmuel recommends buying your instruments from David Hopstein from Keynote Music Tel. (800) 666-2024 music.keynotemusic@gmail.com For the smaller guitars, please be in touch with Keynote for options.

Good to Know: Guitars from Keynote Music come complete in a package with: Rechargeable Snark Tuner + Kyser Capo + Picks + Extra set of strings

Other items recommended to stay organized:

Other recommended items for guitar players include:

  • A guitar case
  • A guitar stand

Beginner Option 1:

Yamaha F325 guitar

$199.99

The F325 has a laminate top. It’s great for someone just starting out. It comes in 2 colors – natural or tobacco brown sunburst.

Beginner Option 2:

Yamaha FG800 guitar

$229.99

The FG800 has a solid wood top so the build quality is stronger than the F325. Of course the sound is nicer and it has scalloped rosewood fingerboard so it’s easier for the fingers to press on the guitar. The FG800 only comes in natural color.

Intermediate Option:

Yamaha Apx600 Guitar

$339.99

The Apx600 is significantly better than the lower 2 models. This guitar has a cutaway which means that you can play high notes more easily. It also has a built-in pickup which means that you can connect this guitar to a speaker just by plugging in a wire. Additionally, it comes with a built-in tuner, and is made of a better quality wood than the lower models so the sound is better, and it comes with a screw on top and on bottom to connect a strap. This guitar comes in 5 colors.

Yamaha PSR E473

$369.99

This one is the best value for the money and will take you the furthest (Note: This is a NEW RELEASE and replaces the PSR E463).

Yamaha PSR E373

$199.99

Also a good choice but with less features than the 473. You will need to upgrade sooner, but it will still last you awhile.

Yamaha PSR E273

$139.99

This will do the job. It’s good for someone who’s not sure if they are fully ready to jump in

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4 responses to “Top Keyboards and Guitars for Your Young Musician”

  1. Leah Avatar
    Leah

    What left handed guitar do you reccomend for an adult who is just starting to learn? He will probably not take it super far but needs nice sound (preferrably lower priced)

    1. Elky Langer Avatar
      Elky Langer

      Try Orangewood guitars. The prices are great and they have suprisingly good sound. They may not be a famous name like Yamaha but they are perfect for a beginner with room to grow.
      If you are buying a guitar for a woman or a girl or someone more petite, be aware that the first two beginner models recommended here are dreadnaughts. They are much harder to play when you have smaller hands. Men often don’t think of this and when you give a guitar to a child that’s hard to handle and wrap their hands around, they’ll find it difficult and give up more easily. Get a smaller bodied guitar (such as a grand concert body) and avoid the dreadnaughts for children and more petite women/girls, they’ll find them much easier to play. I switched and my playing really improved.

      1. Leah Avatar
        Leah

        They don’t have any left handed guitars

  2. Music maven Avatar
    Music maven

    Epiphone is also a great beginners brand…

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