When you visit a guitar store to browse the instruments with the intention to buy an electric guitar, most of the options you see will be full-sized guitars. You will, however, also see a select number of smaller guitars, which are commonly known as 3/4 size instruments. This term indicates that this guitar is three-fourths the size of a regular guitar. While most people buy full-sized instruments, there are several scenarios in which buying a 3/4 size guitar can be a good choice. Here are some reasons to choose this smaller instrument.

Child

If you're shopping for an electric guitar for your child, you may wish to consider buying them a 3/4 size guitar. There are a number of factors that can influence which size of guitar you choose for your child, but their age is important to consider. In general, this size of instrument can be a good choice if your child is between the ages of 8 and 11. If you visit the guitar store with a child of this age, you can have them handle a regular electric guitar and a 3/4 size model. In most cases, you can expect that they'll find the latter size to be considerably more comfortable in their hands.

Travel

Some people buy 3/4 size electric guitars if they do a lot of traveling and they know that they'll want to occasionally take the instrument with them. A full-sized guitar case can be cumbersome in some small vehicles and when traveling by airplane, but a 3/4 size case — which you can also buy at the guitar store — will be a lot more manageable. There are several amplifiers that are extremely small in size, making them easy to fit in your luggage and use with the guitar when you're away from home.

Body Considerations

There are various body-related considerations that may prompt you to choose a 3/4 size electric guitar. If your hands are significantly smaller than average, you may find that the smaller neck and the shorter distance between the frets of a 3/4 size guitar make it easier for you to play. These instruments are also lighter than their full-sized counterparts, with the difference in weight varying from model to model. If you want to play your new guitar standing up but you have a bad back and don't want to handle too much weight, a 3/4 size guitar can be a good choice.

Visit a guitar store to learn more about electric guitars.