A full sized acoustic guitar is called a dreadnought. From the nut to the bridge, the scale is generally 24 to 26 inches. Fourteen frets are reachable in the space from the body to the nut. At its widest point, it is about 16 inches wide.

Slightly smaller than a dreadnought is a folk guitar. It also has a 24 to 26 inch scale and fourteen frets. It is a bit less wide, however, being only about 14 1/2 inches wide at the widest point.

A classical guitar has a slightly wider fingerboard. Twelve frets are accessible from the body to the nut, and the scale is 24 to 26 inches. As with the folk, it is about 14 1/2 inches wide at its widest point. A 3/4-sized guitar is often popular with younger players. It has twelve frets from the body to the nut, and a slightly shorter scale of 23 to 24 inches. At its widest point, it is about 13 1/4 inches wide.

A 1/2-sized guitar is strictly for much smaller players. It has 12 frets from the body to the nut, and a 21 to 23 inch scale. It is about 12 to 13 inches wide at its widest point. The Size of Your Guitar...

A full sized acoustic guitar is called a dreadnought. From the nut to the bridge, the scale is generally 24 to 26 inches. Fourteen frets are reachable in the space from the body to the nut. At its widest point, it is about 16 inches wide.

Slightly smaller than a dreadnought is a folk guitar. It also has a 24 to 26 inch scale and fourteen frets. It is a bit less wide, however, being only about 14 1/2 inches wide at the widest point.

A classical guitar has a slightly wider fingerboard. Twelve frets are accessible from the body to the nut, and the scale is 24 to 26 inches. As with the folk, it is about 14 1/2 inches wide at its widest point. A 3/4-sized guitar is often popular with younger players. It has twelve frets from the body to the nut, and a slightly shorter scale of 23 to 24 inches. At its widest point, it is about 13 1/4 inches wide.

A 1/2-sized guitar is strictly for much smaller players. It has 12 frets from the body to the nut, and a 21 to 23 inch scale. It is about 12 to 13 inches wide at its widest point.

This article first appeared in Acoustic Guitar Review, July 2000 A production of The Acoustic Guitar Workshop
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