Christmas is sorted for one of my children, courtesy of these wonderful classic mini Vox guitars. Yes, small versions of timeless designs.
Not that they are strictly designed for kids. This ‘compact’ version of a vintage classic is about portability. If you are a musician who needs something smaller on the go, then this might be right up your street.
But for me, the concept comes into its own for little hands. My children are still primary school age, and I have tried them with full-size guitars, but they’re just too big. There are alternatives. The Loog guitars with built-in amps are the most obvious ones. But they are harder to find in the UK and can be quite pricey too.
With this, you get a guitar with an iconic look (yes, I am thinking about the interior design element, too) and essentially a ‘proper’ guitar that’s been scaled down. As a bonus, your child also gets to look like a young Brian Jones, which is no bad thing. You can’t put a price on cool.
Note also that each has the sound and feel of a full-sized instrument described as ‘unmistakably Vox’. And each one features the same tuning and tension as a standard guitar but with a 476mm scale.
To me, it’s a great starting point and something that will get some use even when the hands get bigger. And as I said, it’s also a good-looking thing to have in the kid’s bedroom, regardless of which of the two styles or whatever colour option you go for.
As for price, a small guitar means a smaller price tag. Right now, you can pick up a Mark III Mini (the one that looks like a Teardrop) or the SDC-1 Mini for a smaller £129.