This is a list in the making of all short scale guitars from 1960 to the present.
Currently we have 31.
For this list we consider anything under 24 3/4” to be short scale.
MANY guitars on this list are WAY shorter than 24 3/4” however.
Thanks for reading!!
Brian Mays Red Special (Replica)
For those that don’t now, Brian may of queen built a guitar along time ago with his dad and that’s what he plays with. People became so obsessed with a guitar that eventually there were copies, and eventually Brian may just started his own company to make them for people. They are a pretty cool little instrument.
Lotus Mini
At first glance you’re probably thinking this is one of those guitars from the knock off era. Well, you’re probably right…….. but this wasn’t meant to be a knock off guitar. In fact, Lotis was a brand all on their own that simply didn’t pan out. I was fortunate enough wants to be able to play one of these and it was a stupid amount of fun.
Ibanez Mikro GRGM21M
People rip on these guitars way too hard, considering the fact they are just really really inexpensive. A lot of people don’t like them, but the truth is if you’re looking for something that is a short scale guitar and you can shred on it……. this is what you’re gonna want to get. Granted, the pick ups are the greatest but again it’s an expensive guitar. Get the guitar replace the pick ups and you’re all good.
Ibanez mikro RGM55
The Ibanez my groceries is pretty cool, and I really enjoy this one in particular. All-around good parts, that you’d find on a normal Ibanez guitar, this one is just smaller. The wizard style neck on these micro guitars really make it shreddable.
Ibanez Destroyer Micro
Honestly, I’ve always just based on the luxe alone… maybe it’s the van Halen fan in me……
But I really just like the look of a destroyer.
What’s really interesting to me about this guitar and I’ve been as micro guitars in general… Is that I have an ass really put together quality micro instruments. In the review below you’ll find he shows you how even the small parts are branded, so you know that They did it just grab some random junk parts from China and throw it on there, they actually had these manufactured themselves.
Ibanez ICEMAN
This is honestly a very interesting guitar to have made micro. Nothing wrong with it, but it doesn’t seem to be as high-quality as other Ibanez micro models. Still, a pretty interesting piece and there’s nothing really bad to say about it at all considering the price Price of these, if you can find one.
Squier Mini
There’s really not much at all to say about these. What you’re probably thinking is the truth………. these are literally just like normal Squire Strat’s………just small. It does feel a lot better in the hand however, compared to a normal strat. Which is surprising, because I’ve always felt like Stratz feel best in my hand compared to any other type of guitar. I think it’s the fretboard radius combined with a medium size snack that makes it feel this way.
Fender Music Master
These guitars are absolutely sick, they are a starter guitar from back in the day but still… They are so so cool to play on. And honestly… Not very hard to find surprisingly, and affordable. these are a fun little guitar, and I bet Fender will eventually do a rerun of it. It looks a lot like a jaguar, but in a weird way slightly better. Overall very cool guitar.
Durango Guitar Works
I’m on the fence about these, they really seem like the company is putting SO much effort and care into their instruments…….but I’m still not entirely sold on them. Tons of people online seem to absolutely adore them however. I wish I could try one! But I’m not prepared to shell out the cash just to try it. I’ve got to have a feel for the guitar (physically) before I purchase it……and since my local stores don’t have them, guess I’m out of luck for now.
Fender Super Sonic
This guitar was also discontinued just like the squier super sonic. Like the other one, I really just don’t like how these look at all……apparently some people do since they are a collectors item nowadays. At the very least, this one does sound better than the squier version. Man, I really just don’t like the look of these.
Video below is an interesting review, tells you a little more about them and their history.
Squier bullet mustang HH
These guitars are really really cool. What’s most shocking about these though is the value. I can’t think of but a handful of guitars that have the same amount of value for the money these have. The tone is so buttery and smooth. This is probably one that most guitarists would enjoy.
Also, you’ll love watching this review. These dudes are absurdly entertaining and do really in depth reviews.
Rickenbacker 325
Good heaven this is a gem sent to us from God himself. I honestly cannot get over how pretty these are. I especially love the vintage looking single coils. Ugh. I’d imagine this isn’t what most people are looking for, but it’s at least worth checking out 100%.
Taylor GS Mini
I’m honestly so confused about this model, because I’ve always preferred that large full body dreadknaught sound when it comes to acoustics……. but Taylor guitars, being the incredible guitar makers they are have just blown me out of the water with this model. Absolutely nobody could tell you that any amount of tone was sacrificed when they made this guitar. It sounds just as good if not better than many of the highest end acoustic guitar models out there.
Squier SS
Discontinued nowadays as far as I can tell. Honestly, even though they look super unique, I just don’t like anything about them at all. I usually like strange and unique guitars, but the tone to me sounds way off (because it’s older maybe?) and it just looks strange for some reason. Just not a huge fan.
Jackson Minion
Man, when I was younger this would’ve been the absolute perfect guitar for me. I absolutely loved the Jackson look, and was really struggling because my hands weren’t really big enough yet to play……
Honestly, this guitar is perfect for anyone who is a metalhead. Nowadays, the EMG pick ups aren’t that popular anymore for metal…… but I still have an inch to buy one of these and put one in and relive my post hard-core wannabe days.
These guitars can get some GREAT tones that aren’t just geared toward metal btw. So if you’re interested in them, definitely check them out.
Fender Mini Strat
Honestly, this is basically just a normal fender Strat……… just small. There really isn’t much to say about it at all, if you know what a fender Strat sounds like…….. then you know what a fender mini Strat sounds like…..pretty much. There is a tiny tiny difference in tone. But it’s just so so small that it really makes no difference.
Big thing to note about these, is the price. Great value.
Ibanez Paul Gilbert PGMM31
Man, out of all the micro Guitar is out there…… this one stands out pretty significantly. If you just take one look at it, you’ll notice it looks so much different than other micro guitars. Since it’s modeled after Paul Gilbert‘s guitar. Who is an absolute beast by the way, even though his shredding style is slightly mechanical. what’s most interesting about this guitar in particular is that the tone is really really good, not something I’ve come to expect from most micro guitars.
Peavey T15
A real cool, older very pretty guitar. Lot of people played these as their first guitar. First time I got to play one was actually after digging through a bunch of stuff a guy was trying to get rid of at a yard sale. Real cool unique older guitar. Probably hard to find one nowadays in nice shape. Probably check Craigslist and the local pawn to see if they have one. You might have to search for awhile.
Fender Modern Player Short Scale Stratocaster
This guitar seemed very nice, but I was surprised to find out people were saying the specs made it feel similar to a normal strat (because of the string spacing, etc). Not saying this is a bad thing, but I assume most people looking for short scale guitars are needing everything to be closer together so they don’t have to stretch their hands as much. They’re discontinued as far as I can tell, but I hope to eventually be able to play one and see if I can update this on how it actually felt for me.
Fender mustang (American performer)
Very cool guitar, with a lot of unique features. Rather than list them all out (btw there’s jumbo frets for those of you that love those) check out the video below. What’s most interesting to me is that that the tone knob allows you to cut treble out without losing gain. You can get some very unique tones this way. Overall pretty cool instrument.
Fender Vintera Series 60s Mustang
Number one thing about these to me is their look. They look absolutely phenomenal. Absolutely beautiful guitars, and the lake placid blue on the body is gorgeous. If you’re looking to buy a fender mustang this is definitely a cool one to check out.
Squier Jaguar
At first glance, you’ll notice there’s a lot going on with this guitar. It’s got four switches a tremolo, A very unique and iconic body shape…… not to mention the inlaychoice is interesting as well. these are pretty cool guitars, but I’ll save the Best for last… I really enjoyed the tone on these guitars. The tone is surprisingly nice.
Squier Mustang
Much like the fender mustang, this guitar has an absolutely insane value. That’s the main thing that’s interesting about this guitar. Honestly, the two are very similar in many ways…..but the fender does seem to bebetter built.
Here’s a decent review I found of it after unboxing, he notices some small flaws and plays it a little so you can hear the tone.
Fender Duo-Sonic
Incredible guitar, and honestly the number ONE thing I love about this is obvious most likely……..having a humbucker in bridge position is just fantastic for me. I’m not into having both of my positions be single coils. Being able to switch to a humbucker is awesome. Good guitar, well built, and sounds great. A+ all around.
Fender Jazzmaster
Straight up addictive and versatile. Known for that surf style sound, you’d think that they wouldn’t be good for many other things……but they’re seriously incredible incredibly versatile and are addictive to play once you really get the feel for them. Lots of stuff to tinker around with on these. Check out the video below for sure.
Fender Cobain Jaguar
If you’re a fan of grunge, no doubt you recognize this guitar. it would be absolutely awesome to have for somebody who’s really into that style of music, but don’t look at this guitar as only a guitar for grunt style you can definitely play other styles on this guitar and you’ll love the tone. However, I couldn’t blame you if every time you picked up this guitar you felt inspired to play some iconic Cobain riff…..I know I would…..
Epiphone les Paul Express
For some reason, I’ve always been slightly obsessed with how epiphones feel in my hand. It’s very unique and very nice. Even nicer in this short scale model. You can find these at just about any large guitar store if you want to check them out. Personally, I like this one….but if I decided to get it I’d change the pickups. Wasn’t crazy about this tone. Still cool though!
Gretsch Pro Jet and the Gretsch Duo Jet
These are EXTRMELY nice guitars. They’re super similar to the les Paul in a lot of ways. Not extremely short scale, but DEFINITELY still short. These are another guitar that has been around forever. Since the 50s. You’re going to get a ton out of this guitar if you choose to get it. There are a lot of small, but significant features.
Check out this tone comparison between the two btw:
Gibson Melody Maker
Man, if you don’t love the sound of a p90 pickup……..I just don’t understand you. To me, that’s the HUGE appeal to these. These have been around absolutely FOREVER. Not much changes on them over the decades, the main change was from a single to a double cutaway. Check em out, you’ll love em.
Fender Swinger
Super ridiculously rare guitar, probably not gonna find another one out there just sitting around. These were literally made out of unused parts from other failed fender models. Pretty wild, but I wish more people had bought them. They’re pretty cool.