What are the best electric guitars for women?

What electrics do women really like to use and why?

Gibsons because they have the 24 3/4 scale neck? Better for smaller hands?

Fender because of contoured body? Is the 25 1/2 scale really a problem?

Not all people with small hands are female. I'm a guy and I have small hands with short stubby fingers. I also own a Les Paul and a Strat. The scale length actually affects the tone more than the feel.

Are Daily Rock guitars JUST for girls? Would a serious woman really play one?

Hey - the Daisy Rocks are serious guitars and a decent value for the money. I've played 'em and they're quite nice. I almost bought the heart shaped jobbie for myself - but figured I really didn't need guitar number 8 yet.... :shock:

What electrics do women really like to use and why?

Gibsons because they have the 24 3/4 scale neck? Better for smaller hands?

Fender because of contoured body? Is the 25 1/2 scale really a problem?

Others because of light weight?

Are Daily Rock guitars JUST for girls? Would a serious woman really play one?

OK... let me start off by answering your last question first. Are Daisy Rock guitars just for girls? NO! Would a serious woman really play one? YES! I am a 48 year old woman (definitely NOT a girl!), and a serious guitar player, and I have and play and love a Daisy Rock Retro H 12-string. Not all of them are shaped like flowers and hearts and butterflies and not all of them are pink, either. Mine happens to be pink, but I like that in a guitar! It has a bolt-on construction, it's got a semi-hollow body made of basswood, the neck is rock maple, and the fretboard is rosewood. It has 22 Medium frets with an overall scale of 24-3/4". It has a combination bridge, chrome hardware, Grover tuners, Vintage Mini-Humbuckers, Master Volume, Master Tone and 3-way selector. This guitar kicks butt! I highly recommend them (all but the flowers, hearts and butterflies!) to any woman wanting a quality guitar. One thing that most people don't know about Daisy Rock is the fact that they are the ladies line of Schecter guitars. So, in effect, they're just scaled down Schecters in pastel colors. Here's mine.........

On the other hand, though, I also play and love my full sized Washburn electric 6-string. It is a solid body, also with Grovers, dual humbuckers, etc... and it also rocks! (Here it is........)

In all honesty, I don't believe that you are going to find a general consensus on one particular guitar being the best for a woman. All guitars are different and so are all women. What I like and find important in a guitar might not matter at all to the next woman player and vice versa. I know a tiny, little woman who plays a Fender Stratocaster that is nearly as big as she is, but that's her guitar of preference (and an American Strat is going to be the next one I add to my collection). Gibson's are wonderful guitars, too.

So, I guess I need to ask you a question or two.....

Are you going to buy an electric for a particular woman? And, does she already play or is she learning? And, if you are going to buy it for her, is it going to be a surprise? And, if you do buy one for her, will you get your feelings hurt if she wants to exchange it for a different one? The reason I am asking these questions is because, even though I personally would LOVE it if someone bought me a guitar, I would want to be able to give my input about which one it was to be since I'm the one who would be playing it. Even though another person might have the best intentions, to a guitar player, that guitar is a VERY personal thing. It has to fit in your arms right and feel good when it's there. You have to like the way it feels to run your hand up and down the neck and across the strings. It has to bring a smile to your face the first time you hear it strummed.

For example, I inherited a classical guitar when my sister passed away. It is my most prized guitar because it belonged to her, but I rarely play it. And that's because it doesn't "fit" me. It "fit" my sister, but it's wrong for me. The body is too round, the neck is too thick and I don't like playing with nylon strings. My sister, on the other hand, would have said that the body was perfect, the neck was perfect and the tone was perfect and she just couldn't understand why anyone prefered those steel strings.

I wish I could just say "Go out and buy her an XYZ guitar because it's the best one for women", but I can't. She really has to decide which one is best for her. IMHO :D

Yup, there is no simple answer. My wife is quite short, but she loves dreadnaughts - she has this huge Guild 6-string that you could park your Baby Taylor inside.

-Laz

I have no new thoughts to add to this discussion...I just wanted to mention how awesome that 12 string looks, Elecktrablue! If only the pink acoustics looked as cool as the pink electrics. :wink:

I just wanted to mention how awesome that 12 string looks, Elecktrablue!

It really does, doesn't it? :D (I have to wear my pink cowboy hat when I play it onstage!) You ought to play one! It's amazing! And, did you notice the mother of pearl estrogen symbol at the 12th fret? LOL!

OK, all women have different tastes and different reasons for liking different guitars. However, women clearly are different, in general, from men at least physically (smaller hands and bodies, less upper body strength, larger hips). Are we saying that the qualities that Daisy Rock guitars advertise (lighter weight, smaller neck scale and more feminine colors and designs) mean NOTHING?

I guess what I'm saying is if you could have, for example, an American-made Fender Stratocastor that had a smaller neck scale, perhaps was painted pink with a really cool magenta sun burst, and weighed only 6 or 7 lbs would you choose that instead of a standard model? Also assuming that the tone was exactly the same (may not be possible, but lets just say What If).

OR... is this an area where women simply don't have ANY different preferences over men?

Thanks again for all your great thoughts!

Jim

OR... is this an area where women simply don't have ANY different preferences over men?

Honestly, I think your last question is also your answer. Yes, most women are physically smaller than men, but we can play a full sized guitar equally as well as a man, if we choose to do so. I stand 5 feet tall, am small framed and have small hands, even for a woman, and I can pretty much handle any guitar you put in my hands. It all boils down to personal preference. Daisy Rock/Schecter, IMHO, is catering to an up-to-now-uncatered-to demographic. Up until Schecter began making Daisy Rock specifically geared toward women (and young girls), there were NO OTHER guitar manufacturers who offered anything that wasn't geared toward men, who are the vast majority of guitar players, so women had no options BUT to play either a full sized or 3/4 sized guitar. I may be wrong, but I believe that Gibson was one of the first manufacturers to offer a scaled down guitar without going all the way down to the 3/4 size, but, they didn't market them directly to women/girls like Daisy Rock. As far as weight goes, the difference in weight between my Daisy Rock and my Washburn is negligible. I can't tell much, if any, difference once it's strapped on. Boiled down, most women look for the exact same things in a guitar as a man does (well, that, and, how well it goes with our shoes! :D )

Boiled down, most women look for the exact same things in a guitar as a man does (well, that, and, how well it goes with our shoes! :D )

Aha, so what you are saying is that the scale and weight options don't make much difference and even if they did, options for lighter weight guitars and smaller scale necks have always been available, they just weren't targeted toward women. However, your last comment in parenthesis may be one area where men and women differ a little - you want the instrument to match your outfit and perhaps have a bit and may a more feminine design/color????

Thanks again for the thoughts - hope you don't think I am beating a dead horse!

LOL! I just made that last comment because at the time I went to buy my pink guitar I just happened to look down at my feet and I was wearing pink sandals that matched the guitar perfectly! :D And, when I got home I realized that my pink cowboy hat matched it perfectly, too! Got a whole freakin' ensemble going on! :lol:

But, yeah, I think that women appreciate having a line of guitars made specifically for them, but, I don't believe that it will totally influence the purchases of serious female players. If they find one in pastel colors that "speaks" to them, then you can bet that that's the one they're probably going to go for. BUT! If a woman finds a better quality guitar for a similar price, that just happens to be full sized, full weight, in a tobacco sunburst, that "speaks" to her more loudly than the pastel one, she's liable to walk out of the store with that one.

I don't mind beating dead horses! :D

Thanks for the insight, this has been enjoyable! :D

And, did you notice the mother of pearl estrogen symbol at the 12th fret?

I didn't notice that at first glance. I don't think I would be able to play that guitar without giggling! Pink and an estrogen symbol?!? Some female designer at Schecter was smiling on the inside when she talked the big boys into putting this guitar on the market!

And, did you notice the mother of pearl estrogen symbol at the 12th fret?

I didn't notice that at first glance. I don't think I would be able to play that guitar without giggling! Pink and an estrogen symbol?!? Some female designer at Schecter was smiling on the inside when she talked the big boys into putting this guitar on the market!

I know what you mean! LOL! And, to top it all off.... there's a flower inside the estrogen symbol!

I get more positive comments on this guitar, from both men and women. Had one man ask where he could get a testosterone symbol put on his guitar........ told him "I don't know, mine came this way!"

Some female designer at Schecter was smiling on the inside when she talked the big boys into putting this guitar on the market!

It is my understanding that this would be Mrs Schecter.

-Laz

Hi Jim and everyone else!

I don't post here often, but couldn't resist getting in on this one! Can't speak for all girls, of course, but if it's personal opinion you're after, I'm happy to oblige! :)
What electrics do women really like to use and why?

Gibsons because they have the 24 3/4 scale neck? Better for smaller hands?

I like superstrat types with locking trems. Humbucker in the bridge, stacked single coil in the neck. 24+ fret necks that are relatively flat and thin. I've never played anything but normal standard and Gibson scale, and both of those work fine. It would be nice to experiment with a smaller scale necks because despite being fairly tall, I have tiny hands. I think the fact that women tend to be smaller than men is the only real difference that a woman might need to consider when choosing a guitar. For example, if you are only five feet tall, a Gibson Explorer would look (and feel) enormous!
Fender because of contoured body? Is the 25 1/2 scale really a problem?
I like the contours of a Strat type body, particularly the curvy 70s Fenders. If the edges are too pointy (like on many modern superstrats), the body digs into my ribs, and that is not comfortable at all. Plus most of my guitar heroes (all men) play strat types. ;)

Even for my tiny hands, 25 1/2 is not a problem as long as the construction allows easy access to the upper registers. The access on my ESP M II is perfect, surprising for a bolt-on.
Others because of light weight?
I've had heavy and lighter guitars -- lighter is better, especially for playing live. Heavy is OK for playing in the studio, when you're likely to be sitting down anyway.
Are Daily Rock guitars JUST for girls? Would a serious woman really play one?

Well, their normal Les Paul types look OK, but I am a trem user so none of thier guitars would work for me. I sure wouldn't be caught dead holding one of those flower- or heart-shaped ones, but if it makes someone else happy, more power to her.

What about guys? Well, I doubt any normal macho dude would be so keen on playing any kind of guitar that was marketed as being specially for girls. If he did, he'd be doing it to make some kind of statement. A guy goes and buys a Jem because Steve Vai plays one, that's "normal," unmarked behavior. A guy buys a pink, flowerey Daisy Rock? That's a "marked" behavior for sure.
I would include a poll, but I really want to hear more of a discussion about these things.

Discussion is always more fun than polls! :)
In general, I look for a guitar that will do the job - it's got to feel good to play, sound the way I want, and STAY IN TUNE. Looks are decidedly of secondary importance, though I do have some preferences I won't bore you all with here. I can say that none of 'em are specifically "girly" though. ;)

My dream guitar would be either a Caparison Horus or a Tagima K1 model, preferably with a custom paint job. One can dream, can't she? *sigh*

Cheers,
Lori