Boys almost always know what kind of guitar they want. Whether they want a Fender Stratocaster, a flying V, or an acoustic to play Wonderwall, they'll know exactly what their favorite guitarist uses.
Girls tend to have less-defined choices.This is undoubtedly influenced by the lack of famous female guitarists, making it harder for girls to choose a role model to copy.
Less preference isn't always a good thing, especially when you're trying to get a kid interested in music.
Making the right choice of guitar type can make a world of difference.
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1. GROWING PAINS
Regardless of which type of guitar you end up choosing, it's important to understand that playing the guitar is painful for the first few days.The mechanical actions involved in playing both types of guitars require new students to build muscle and calluses in their hands and fingers. Pressing down on a hard string with a soft finger for more than a few seconds will quickly become unpleasant. After a few days or weeks, muscles will grow and skin will harden, making the whole experience much more bearable.
Different guitars will change how this easing-in period functions. If you can, try to go to a guitar store and get a feel for how stiff different strings are on different guitars. You can get softer strings with a bit more bend to them to help the starting process.
Electric guitars tend to have softer strings than acoustic guitars. Overall though, if you want to get the guitar that's most comfortable to play out of the box, you'll want to use an electric.
An acoustic guitar with soft strings isn't too far behind, but it'll be slightly less comfortable overall. After a few weeks of playing, most musicians will be used to their instrument. While it's important to understand how difficult a guitar will be for an absolute beginner to play, it shouldn't be the only factor you look at in your decision.
2. DIFFERENT TOOLS for the JOB
Different guitars are more suited for different types of music. There are a lot of techniques that are much easier or more musical on an electric guitar than an acoustic one.
Similarly, while you can play certain kinds of music on an electric guitar, it sounds much more honest and charming on an acoustic.
Consider the kind of music the girl who will play the guitar wants to play. This might be different than what you'd like them to play if you're their parent. Enough of the skill set transfers that it's usually a better idea to have a kid who wants to be a rock star and practices every day than a kid who doesn't want to play their acoustic guitar.
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3. NOISE and EQUIPMENT
An acoustic guitar is feature complete out of the box. You can play it immediately with no additional cables, boxes, or doohickeys. It's not going to blow your ears out.
An electric guitar, on the other hand, is almost too quiet to hear unless it's plugged into something. Amps, cables, and equipment can quickly become much more expensive than the guitar itself.
Getting a very small portable amp and a cable won't break the bank, but if your guitarist becomes serious, they'll want to get more accessories. While electric guitars can be very loud if they're turned up, you can turn them down, too. Many guitarists do some amount of practice without an amp at all.
Consider finding a setup that allows headphones to be used for the best of both worlds. You'll still get a cool electric guitar tone, but people in the other room won't be able to hear it.
4. COST
When it comes to the guitar itself, both electric and acoustic guitars tend to be about the same price. There's a lot of variances when it comes to the cost of musical instruments, but guitars of similar durability and quality tend to cost about the same.
Strings, picks, and stands all cost about the same for electric and acoustic models. In other words, there's not a big cost difference.
5. WHICH is BEST?
The best guitar for a girl is the one that she'll enjoy playing. If she likes crazy technical metal, she'll probably learn best on an electric guitar. If she likes country ballads or classical music, an acoustic guitar is probably more appropriate.
This is absolutely the most important consideration when choosing the right guitar. It is worth noting, however, that acoustic guitars are a bit harder on students' hands for the first week or two. Especially if you're choosing an acoustic guitar for a girl, make sure she understands that it'll take a bit of time to get used to playing a guitar.
After a month, she'll be able to play it without any problems. Getting some softer strings can help make the first few lessons go easier, and will give you a chance to learn how to change strings!
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