Forget plucking your eyebrows and pluck some strings instead. JO HAYWOOD reports on the growing band of 'Guitar Girlz'.

WHEN Chloe McLaren and her band are filling Wembley Stadium, just remember you saw her here first.

She may only be 15 and not actually have a band, but at least she's got her first guitar.

It's a black Westfield with a pink strap and a pink amp lead... and Chloe loves it.

"I really do," she said. "I can understand now why people get so obsessed with their guitars.

"I'm not completely mad about them like my brother, Ol, but I understand now how amazing it feels to play one.

"It makes you feel involved in something and completely in control of what you are doing."

Ol, who works at the Rock-Ola guitar shop in Walmgate, York, bought his little sister her Westfield for Christmas.

"He really got me into music," said Chloe. "I've seen loads of bands at Fibbers and Ol has been in plenty himself.

"I'd wanted to get involved for a long time and now Ol has made it happen."

Chloe is one of a growing number of girls picking up a guitar - and playing it, rather than passing it swiftly on to the nearest boy.

Ol estimates that about 20 per cent of Rock-Ola customers are female, a rising trend reflected in the products on offer.

Manufacturers are now producing scaled-down ranges of guitars specifically aimed at girls.

One of the most popular is Daisy Rock, which sells gorgeous guitars for aspiring rock goddesses in cool girlie colours and all manner of shapes including daisies (obviously), hearts and butterflies.

They are the creation of Tish Ciravola, a female bassist entrenched in the US club scene for many years.

Her experience was that young girls are often inhibited from picking up the instrument because traditional guitars are bulky and physically awkward for them to hold.

Chloe's Westfield is not a scaled-down guitar, but she certainly appreciates the girlie versions.

"They're great," she said. "They mean you can play like a boy but still feel like a girl. I wouldn't swap mine though."

Ol admires the aesthetics of Daisy Rock instruments but thinks the philosophy behind them is a fallacy.

"If a skinny 14 year old boy can pick up a guitar and play it, so can a girl," he said. "You get used to the weight. Anyway, an average guitar is no heavier than a handbag full of lipsticks."

While older women tend to go for acoustics, young girls want the power of an electric guitar.

"Girls tend to be influenced by the same bands as boys, stuff like Blink 182 and Green Day," said Ol. "Avril Lavigne is a bit lightweight; a bit pop for girls into guitars. Serious guitar girls are influenced by the same bands as serious guitar boys."

Girls, again like boys, are drawn to recognisable shapes, most notably classic rock designs. And Fenders, it seems, never go out of fashion.

If you are looking for a cheap and cheerful beginner's instrument for a would-be rock chick, you can get a Squire (part of the Fender stable) guitar and amp for as little as £149, including a tuition book and a plectrum.

At the other end of the spectrum (or should that be plectrum?), you could try and prise the 1957 Gretsch off the wall at Rock-Ola - and out of its weeping owner's hands - for somewhere in the region of £8,000.

"People who know about guitars know everything about guitars," said Ol. "They know that the '56 and '58 Gretsch are not as good as the '57. They even know whether early or late '57 is best.

"It's full-on geeky, but they know their stuff."

Chloe has yet to reach the full-on geeky stage. But she's practising hard.

"My friends think I'm going through a phase and will get bored soon, but I don't think so," she said. "I've got a long summer off school this year so I'll be able to do lots of practice. I might be ready to join a band this time next year.

"I would love to be in a band like Elastica or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. They have great guitarists who just happen to be girls."

Chloe plays bass, which is unusual for a girl and makes practice more difficult because the bass doesn't generally carry the tune.

Once again, however, it's Ol to the rescue. He happily cranks out a tune if it helps his sister get the practice she needs.

"He sort of gives me lessons," said Chloe. "But it's really just an excuse for him to play even more."

But could he ever be tempted by a girly guitar?

"They are superb, but they're not for me," said Ol. "Funnily enough though, I do know quite a few blokes who like to play Daisies."

Updated: 10:49 Tuesday, April 19, 2005