Guitars for Girls: They are not only gifts for him, but now better than before, they are unique gifts for her too!

Interview with Tara Low who supplies guitars for Girls and owns Guitar it Up for Girls, and Guitar Girls On-Line Magazine There are companies that manufacture and/or sell guitars for girls only. In the past, most of the guitars are built for men and most guitar stardom is given to the men. It is high time we start encouraging and rewarding girls on guitar, girls in engineering, girls to do everything! They can wear pink if they want, but girls can achieve like never before, and we need to teach them that!Violettes recently met with Tara Low in Chattanooga, TN for an InterviewCreative, talented, and passionate about music, Tara Low created Guitar It Up for Girls (www.guitaritupforgirls.com), an innovative company that sells guitars and accessories that are made just with girls and young women in mind.As part of this venture, she has also started an ezine, Guitar Girl Magazine (www.guitargirlmag.com), which shares the latest and greatest news on everything a rock n’ roll girl would want to know.1. Violettes: Why do you sell guitars only for girls/women? Tara: When we first started the business, it was a general online retail music store selling many different brands of guitars. We ran across Daisy Rock Guitars at NAMM and started carrying their line of girl guitars. What we discovered was that we had a great deal of interest among women, especially younger girls, in the Daisy Rock Brand with its sleek designs and features which are better suited for young girls and adult women with smaller hands because it can be difficult for these artists to get their hands around the thicker neck of a regular guitar. Once we realized that this was an underserved market, we shifted our focus to this emerging market and started Guitar It Up for Girls, which focuses on the female who loves to play guitar. We eventually branched out and started carrying Luna Guitars, which also features guitars for females. It is our goal to encourage girls to pursue their musical dream.2. Violettes: What should one look for when buying a first time guitar for a girl, maybe as a surprise gift?Tara: Most importantly, consider the age and size of the player. There are short scale guitars designed specifically for younger children. Look for a guitar with a thin neck and smaller body. Also, remember that ‘you get what you pay for,’ so avoid cheap toy guitars as the child may think of it more as a toy as opposed to a musical instrument that is to be respected and cared for. The construction of the guitar is important, as well. Remember, the cheaper the guitar, the cheaper the wood (many times laminates vs solid wood) and electronics, and the more likely you will be to find flaws in the finishes and general craftsmanship. The type of wood will affect the sound of the guitar as well as the trueness on critical parts of the guitar such as the neck. More on this topic can be found in this article. http://www.guitargirlmag.com/beginners/how-to-choose-a-guitar-for-your-daughter3. Violettes: How many and which companies design or manufacture guitars for girls?Tara: There are quite a few guitar manufacturers out there that design guitars with smaller, lightweight bodies and thin and narrow necks. Daisy Rock was one of the first companies to focus on this market. Other brands include Luna Guitars, Darling Divas, and the Fender beginner line of guitars, Squire, has a Hello Kitty pink short scale electric guitar. But we like Daisy and Luna because they the only manufacturers who set out to build a guitar especially for females, both young and adult, and while Luna has done a great job incorporating more gender generic designs into their lineup, Luna Guitars remains very female friendly.  The others have proven to be “me too” players in the female niche and it is seems to me that they are not deeply committed to the female market.4. Violettes: Is there a difference in the guitars from the different manufacturers?Tara: It all depends on the quality and price of the guitars and where the guitars are made. Some of the less expensive guitars use laminate versus solid wood, have different types of wood for the fret board, heavier bodies and less expensive strings. As I mentioned earlier, the cheaper the guitar, the lower quality of wood, guitar parts, strings, etc.5. Violettes: You have an on-line magazine "Guitar Girl Magazine" with featured guitar players. You introduce some fabulous artists. What criteria do you use to choose the guitarists that you feature, and do you get to meet with most of them in person?Tara: First off, they need to play guitar! The artists come from all different genres; country, rock, pop, folk, classical and blues. We’ve interviewed guitarists from Germany, Spain, the UK and all across the US. Some of them will even admit that they are not the best guitar player, but they know enough chords to write their music, even though these are being modest because they have mastered their instruments and what they don’t bring in technical ability on the guitar, lyrics and powerful voices, and awesome musicians in their bands make all the difference in these first class acts. As far as meeting them in person, it varies. Some of the interviews are conducted in person if they are coming through Atlanta on tour, while others are conducted over the phone. Also when living in LA, we had the chance to meet many great artists at NAMM and other local venues, and now that we’re in Atlanta, we’re meeting many new artists at local venues like Eddie’s Attic , Terminal West and The Tabernacle.  It’s really inspiring to meet them and learn about what inspired them to pick up the guitar and play and to hear about their musical inspirations.