Short scale guitars that don't suck.

[Zerberus]

those would suck for a child's hands. those necks are too wide.

for kids, i've found that the scale length doesn't matter much for open chords and stuff. it's the neck thickness and width and the body size that matters most.

I think that VERY much depends on the child. While a 3/4 scale is generally recommended, a Friend´s 7 year old has no problems whatsoever taking one of my axes and playing cleanly and comfortably, including my fullsize classicals.

BTW even a 3/4 scale classical (aka. Kiddie Classic) has a wider neck than any 6 string electric... usually a thicker profile as well. Yet that´s what most shops have been recommending for HOW long now? And still the problems are minimal, at least I don´t know of any disgruntled classes of kids complaining about the wide necks.....

If I knew whether his son was 5 or 15, and whether 2'8", 4'9" or 7'4" I could make a more professional recommendation. I work with what I get. Her I got "Need a good short scale electric, good quality, for a child." Child is a spongy term at best, a recommendation for a Les Paul would have been just as legit in this situation... ask too general a question, and you usually get too general an answer