Looking for left handed 1/2 size guitars for children, or perhaps for use as a handy travel-sized instrument? You’re in the right place!
Half-sized guitars are difficult to find in general, so as you can imagine, left handed options aren’t exactly a dime a dozen! However, there are some great options available which I have listed throughout this guide.
Best Left Handed 1/2 Size Guitar
As a general rule of thumb, 1/2 size guitars are the correct size for kids aged around 4-8, or from roughly 3’5″ and over. For older children, head over to my guide for 3/4-sized lefty guitars.
Disclosure: If you decide to purchase a guitar using the links in this article I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
You will find separate sections for classical, acoustic, and electric left handed 1/2 size guitars below. Click one of the links below to go straight to the instruments that you are interested in.
Left Handed 1/2 Size Classical Guitars
These classical guitars all feature soft nylon strings that should be much gentler on fresh and uncalloused fingers.
Master Play Package
Best Budget Classical
On a budget, this handy little package from Master Play will be a great choice for budding young guitarists. Everything needed to start with guitar is bundled in, including a gig bag, capo, tuner, strap, spare strings, and a selection of picks.
To sweeten the deal even further, the Master Play package is available in eight different colors! So there should be a choice for all tastes here.
The instrument itself has a basswood body and neck for a warm sound as well as a child-friendly light overall weight.
Interestingly, Master Play has supplied this guitar with steel strings for the thicker strings, and nylon for the three thinnest. As a result, the guitar should be able to handle classical styles of music as well as more modern genres whilst still remaining easy on the fingers.
This will make an excellent budget half-size left-handed guitar for a child. The only choice you have to make is, what color? Check them all out at the link above.
Cordoba R121 & R122
Top Premium Choice
For a more premium option, you can check out the Ortega R121 (shown above), or the R122 (displayed below). There is obviously a steeper price tag compared to the Master Play package above, but these come with much-improved build quality and playability.
These two left handed 1/2 size guitars are exactly the same, with the only difference being that the R121 has a spruce top, and the R22 has cedar. Cedar is the most commonly used top wood on a classical guitar thanks to its warmer tone. Spruce will offer a brighter, punchier sound. However, it’s unlikely your child will notice any difference, so personally, I would choose whichever you think looks best!
Aside from the tops, the main features include a mahogany body and neck for a nice warm sound, an 18-fret walnut fingerboard, a walnut bridge, and stable classical-style tuners.
Another upgrade over the Master Play package above is the inclusion of a two-way truss rod inside the neck. This is used to reverse the warping effects that changes in humidity and temperature might have on the guitar’s neck over time.
Aside from the higher price, the only real downside to the two Ortegas is that they do not come bundled with any accessories such as a handy tuner, or even some spare strings. However, it does ship with a super high-quality gig bag to protect the instrument.
For those after a real quality left handed 1/2 size classical guitar, one of these two Ortegas is going to be very hard to beat!
Left Handed 1/2 Size Acoustic Guitars
Oscar Schmidt OGHS Package
Steel-string left handed 1/2 size acoustic guitars are truly a niche within a niche. As a result, I wasn’t able to find any options available at the time of writing. Even right-handed models are few and far between!
The reason for this is that the majority of 1/2-size acoustics will come with nylon strings as these are easier on young, soft fingers.
The Master Play package mentioned in the previous section actually comes with a mix of nylon and steel strings, so this would be a good option that will offer the best of both worlds.
Otherwise, I would recommend checking out other nylon string options until your child is old enough to progress to a 3/4-size steel string model. The Ortegas in the previous section are superb choices.
If you absolutely need steel strings, then there is always the option of flipping a right-handed model upside down for left-handed play. I recommend the Oscar Schmidt OGHS shown above, as its symmetrical design makes it a great candidate for stringing upside down.
Left Handed 1/2 Size Electric Guitars
SX RST Package
There aren’t a ton of options when it comes to 1/2 size left handed electric guitars, so the choice here is fairly straightforward! The SX RST bundle from RondoMusic offers almost everything your child will need to get started with electric guitar.
This 1/2 size left handed guitar package includes a pocket amp with headphones, a cable, a strap, and a handy gigbag. So, the only accessory you will need to source yourself is a guitar tuner.
The SX RSTs come with a handy headphone amp for quiet practice, but if you’d like to rock out loud then check out our guide to beginner guitar amps.
The guitars themselves are your classic Fender Stratocaster style models, which are a great choice for almost any genre of music. Three single-coil pickups paired with a 5-way selector switch offer up a huge variety of different tones.
The main features include a lightweight basswood body, maple neck and full 21-fret rosewood fingerboard, and a vintage-style tremolo system. The entire guitar weighs in at a paltry 7 pounds.
The shorter 23″ scale length makes it ideal for small hands, or it would also be an excellent travel-sized guitar.
Of course, electric guitars are already way more compact than an acoustic model. So, if the purple finish of the SX RST doesn’t float your boat, make sure to also check out my guide to 3/4-size lefties for tons more choices!
1/2 Sized Left Handed Bass Guitars
Don’t even waste your time. Check out my three-quarter size article for some short scale left handed bass options.
Final Thoughts
Of course, depending on where you live you may not be able to find any guitars at all. After all, the ½ sized market is incredibly niche already, and it can be hard enough finding a right handed guitar in this size bracket.
So if you can’t find what you need, you may want to consider moving up to a ¾ sized guitar, as these are much more readily available and are generally no more expensive than their ½ sized counterparts.
A ¾ sized guitar may be slightly more of a handful for younger kids, but it will make the transition to full-size guitars that much easier later on. Take a look at this video of some children playing guitars that are bigger than they are! After watching that a 3/4-sized model might not seem too big after all…
Check out my 3/4 Sized Left Handed Guitars Guide as well! A fun and even smaller option for a child would be a lefty ukulele!
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