ShakeNBake wrote:
First off - I'm not the petite lady ?
You should have left that out - you'd have had a million responses in no time. ?
Firstly, on steel or nylon string, it's 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Either way is gonna hurt if she puts any time into it (and does she know she'll have to cut her left hand nails short? ...it's an issue for some), but steels hurt sooner and more... Between the two, I'd say nylon, as it's easier these days to find a nylon with a more modern, slimmer neck and they are generally less expensive.
Steel strings are harder on the fingers and the boxes are bigger but steel guitars generally have smaller necks. For a smaller woman you'll probably want to try and find a parlour or concert size steel (which have classic-sized boxes and usually have very small necks). Problem is there are not many around to choose from and many are in the higher price bracket. The little Baby steels are an option - like the Baby Taylor or Cort Earth Mini, but also not real cheap unless you find a good s/h bargain.
Nylons have much softer strings and smaller boxes, but often have the traditional wide, thick necks. Still, as mentioned there are many these days that have smaller necks than the concert classics - especially among the "student" bracket.
The other option is an electric - most have small, thin necks compared to any acoustic and a relatively soft touch compared to any steel string. Smaller, usually contoured bodies and easy to find a Strat knock off at a low price or second hand. They also allow for relatively quiet, unplugged practice. Downside is they do weigh more...
Hope that helps...
