Searching for the best mini acoustic guitar that is small but still sounds good can be quite difficult. Most of the time acoustic guitars tend to lose a lot of their tone and sound quality as they get smaller. This doesn’t have to be the case though. You don’t have to sacrifice tone for size.
There are a number of miniature acoustic guitars out there that are made from real tonewoods and have exceptional tone for their size. These 3/4 scale acoustic guitars are small, but they pack a pretty big punch. I like them because they play great and don’t take up much room in my car when I go places.
Time to review some small acoustic guitars to see if you need to add one to your collection.
Top 3 Mini Acoustic Guitars
Contents
- 1 Top 3 Mini Acoustic Guitars
- 2 Top Small 3/4 Scale Miniature Acoustic Guitars
- 3 Our Opinion
| Best Mini Acoustic Guitars | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
 |
Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor | CURRENT PRICE |
 |
Martin LX Little Martin | CURRENT PRICE |
 |
Takamine GX18CE Taka-mini | CURRENT PRICE |
Top Small 3/4 Scale Miniature Acoustic Guitars
Below is a list of the best mini acoustic guitars with 3/4 scale length necks that are small enough to take anywhere you want to go.
- Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor
- Martin LXM Little Martin
- Takamine GX18CE Taka-mini
- Luna Dragonfly Travel Guitar
- Oscar Schmidt Miniature
Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar
When we talk about high-end acoustic guitar brands, Taylor ranks up there with the best of them. The brand has remained true to its vision of offering top quality guitars to discerning musicians.
One of the products from this brand is the BT2 from the Baby Taylor Series, a series which offers guitars designed for junior players, small sized adults and for use as a travel guitar. Like the name will suggest, this is a smaller sized guitar than the regular sized guitars.
This is a 3/4 size guitar with a scale length of 22.3/4 inches and features a dreadnought body style. It is made of a mahogany top, while the rest of the body is made of layered sapele. The neck is also made of mahogany while the fretboard which plays host to 19 frets is made of West African ebony.
This guitar is designed to offer a highly focused and clear tone. While it may not have as much depth as larger models, it sure offers a volume that may surprise you with how loud it is.
This guitar is well built and looks really lovely. The all-round varnish finish adds to its matured natural look while also aiding playability in the neck.
Pros
- Size – 3/4, 22.3/4inches scale length.
- Material – Mahogany top, layered sapele sides and back.
- Tone – Clear and focused.
Cons
It has no cutaway so some frets will basically not be accessible.
Recommendation
This is a lovely guitar for anyone looking for a combination of small size and good quality production.
Martin LXM Little Martin Acoustic Guitar
Martin Guitars, a brand owned by C.F. Martin & Company, is easily the oldest and one of the most prestigious manufacturers of acoustic guitars. That it was established in 1833 and is still going strong after more than a decade and half says a lot about the quality it offers.
Here we are looking at the LXM from the brand’s Little Martin Series. This guitar is touted to be the brand’s smallest guitar. Though it has now been discontinued by Martin, it still does offer so much.
It features a modified 0-14 body size made all-round from HPL and a 23 inch scale length. The neck is made of rust birch laminate while the fretboard is made of richlite.
With a spruce top pattern and mahogany pattern for the sides and back, the guitar has a natural wood look though it is finished in black. The herringbone ink rosette adds a lovely highlight that contrasts well with the black background. The same can be said of the Gotoh nickel-plated tuners.
Overall, we have a guitar that is simply designed, looks matured and offers a full and well balanced tone for its size.
Pros
- Size – Modified 0-14 Fret, 23 inch scale length.
- Materials – HPL (High Pressure Laminate).
- Tone – Full and well-balanced.
Cons
The entire body is made of laminates which is something that purists will not appreciate.
Recommendation
Being a product from Martin, one can only expect that it will deliver as promised. This is just right for a beginner guitar or for use as a travel guitar.
Takamine GX18CE Taka-mini Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Takamine is a Japanese guitar brand that has found its way to the top of the list of guitar manufacturers. This is brand offers guitars that are ranked among the best quality products out there.
A good example from this brand is the GX18CE Taka-mini, an acoustic-electric guitar designed for beginners, small sized adults and for use as a travel guitar. Basically, a 3/4 of a regular size acoustic guitar, it is easier for most beginners to play. The same goes for adults with small hands.
This guitar is built in the NEX body style for which Takamine is so popular. This of course is a scaled down version. It features a solid spruce top, back and sides made of mahogany and a rosewood fretboard that holds 21 frets. Because of the cutaway in the body, all 21 frets are very accessible.
Takamine added another dimension to this guitar with the addition of the TP-4T electronics. Having this preamp and tuner adds a new level of versatility to this guitar. It can now be just as easily used for live performances on stage.
This can serve way more than just a beginner guitar.
Pros
- Size – 3/4-size.
- Material – Solid spruce top, mahogany sides and back.
- Performance – Includes pickup for easy amplification.
Cons
- Tone – Tends to sound better when played through an amp.
Recommendation
More than just a small size, or travel guitar, this Taka-mini offers added possibilities with its electronics section. You can easily use this for performance on the road.
Luna Dragonfly Travel Acoustic Guitar
We’ve seen established and long standing guitar brands so far and this came as no surprise. Luna however does not belong to this group. It was established just a few years ago, 2015 to be precise. It is therefore somewhat a feat for this brand to have made it into our list. It’s something it can be proud of.
Luna is offering us here the Dragonfly from the brand’s Safari Series. This series offers guitars that are perfect for traveling because of their compact design.
The Dragonfly is a 3/4-Size guitar with a 22 inch scale length. The top is made of select spruce while the sides and back are made of mahogany.
One of its most distinguishing features is the Dragonfly rosette inlay. It certainly makes the guitar stand out.
Aside from its obviously lovely look, it also offers a full tone that you may not expect from this size of guitar. This is a guitar you will feel comfortable taking on a trip or getting for your young one. Best of all, it is very affordable.
Pros
- Size – 3/4-size, 22 inch scale length.
- Material – select spruce top, mahogany back and sides.
- Tone – Quite loud.
Cons
- Strings – The included strings may be of low quality.
Recommendation
This guitar is just right for anyone who does not want to spend so much on a travel guitar or one for a beginner. It is will also serve a small sized adult and is well-priced, offering good all-round value for the money.
Oscar Schmidt Miniature Acoustic Guitar
Oscar Schmidt is one of those brands that have been around for quite some time. This brand was established in 1871 as a manufacturer of all kinds of string instruments. It is currently owned by the U.S Music Corporation and it is still producing good quality instruments that are pocket friendly.
One of such instruments is the OG1FYS-A-U. This is a 3/4-size acoustic guitar that will work well as a travel guitar or one for a beginner and even an adult with small hands. The scaled down dreadnought body features a select spruce top, catalpa back and sides, a mahogany neck and a fretboard made of engineered wood.
This guitar has a fully adjustable truss rod so you can make any necessary adjustments to the neck with ease. It also comes with other good quality hardware, like the chrome die-cast tuning machines.
The high gloss finish on the flame yellow sunburst color really makes it pop.
Now, it’s not all about looks. This compact guitar delivers a sound you may find richer and fuller than you may have expected from something this size. For a beginner or travel guitar, this is more than suitable.
Pros
- Size – 3/4-size.
- Material – Select spruce top, catalpa sides and back.
- Tone – Rich and full for its size.
Cons
For the price, you can have no complains.
Recommendation
If you are on a really tight budget and really want to spend as little as possible without compromising terribly on quality, then you may find it hard to do better than this.
Our Opinion
It’s really been an exciting time reviewing these lovely mini acoustic guitars. We really had fun looking through their qualities. It’s the moment of truth and we must now choose one guitar as our pick from this list.
This was a tough one considering the quality that was offered by many of these brands. The factors we took into consideration were mainly the quality of the build, materials, playability and tone. Remember that this review is for mini acoustic guitars and not necessarily beginner guitars. Based on these, we chose the Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor as our Top Miniature Acoustic Guitar. We believe that this guitar offers the most value across all our points of consideration.
