When some ask what the best acoustic guitar is, they're really looking for the absolute best guitar, regardless of budget.
Others are looking for the best guitar they can get with a particular budget in mind.
Whatever the case, "best" is a very subjective term. Ask any guitarist what the best guitar is, and you'll get many different opinions.
This can make it difficult for those who are looking to buy a new guitar. With many different subjective viewpoints creating a crowd of recommendations for you, making a decision becomes harder and harder.
This is why it's important to choose the best guitar for you
Let's dive in.
Quick links
- Best acoustic guitars for any budget
- How we created this list
- Acoustic guitar terminology
- How to find and choose the best acoustic guitar
- Conclusion
Best acoustic guitars for any budget
Best acoustic guitars under $2000
Taylor 312ce
Overview
This guitar is constructed with a Sitka Spruce top and Sapele body and sides, giving it the crisp, clear, bright tone that Taylor guitars are known for. In the construction of this guitar, Taylor has given each curve extreme attention to detail, giving this guitar a very comfortable body, and a neck that makes the guitar easily playable all the way up and down the fretboard.
This guitar is relatively small - it's 24 7/8 inches, versus the standard 25 1/2 inch length of most other acoustic guitars. If you've played a Les Paul guitar before, that's what this guitar will feel like - making it a great choice for players moving over from previously playing an electric guitar.
This guitar also features Taylor's Expression System 2 electronics, which are designed to capture the natural vibrations of the guitar in a way that makes it sound great when plugged in.
Reviews online have mentioned that this guitar is great for fingerstyle playing, but guitarists of all styles use and love this guitar. In some cases, looks may be offputting - some players did mention that the guitar looked cheap due to being constructed with black binding, but this doesn't seem to be a common concern.
Full Specifications
- Body Type/Shape: Grand Concert
- Top: Sitka Spruce
- Back/Sides: Sapele
- Neck Wood: Tropical Mahogany
- Fretboard Wood: Ebony
- Fretboard Width at Nut: 1.75"
- Fretboard Inlay: Small Diamonds
- Headstock Overlay: Ebony
- Binding: Black
- Bridge Material: Ebony
- Nut/Saddle Material: Tusq/Micarta
- Tuning Pegs: Taylor Nickel, 17:1 ratio
- Stock Strings: Elixir Phosphor Bronze Light
- Scale Length: 24.875"
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Bracing: Performance bracing
- Available Finishes: Gloss
- Color Options: Natural
- Number of Frets: 20
- Electronics: ES2
- Left-Handed Version Available: Yes, at no additional cost.
Martin D-16RGT
Overview
The Martin D-15RGT acoustic guitar features solid East Indian rosewood back and sides, complemented by the solid Sitka spruce top finished in a polished gloss. Together, this combination gives the guitar a very rich low end and clear, crisp single notes.
This guitar will give you the sound of a Martin with none of the bells and whistles - so no electronics or fancy tuning pegs. With all solid wood construction for the top, back, and sides, and a comfortable, playable neck and fretboard, this guitar will shine live and in the studio.
While this guitar shines best when used by fingerstyle players, it's praised by many guitarists of different styles.
Full Specifications
- Body Type/Shape: Dreadnought
- Top: Sitka Spruce
- Back/Sides: East Indian Rosewood
- Neck Wood: Select Hardwood
- Fretboard Wood: FSC® Certified Richlite
- Fretboard Width at Nut: 1 11/16''
- Fretboard Width at 12th fret: 2 1/8''
- Fretboard Inlay: Style 28
- Headstock Overlay: East Indian Rosewood
- Binding: White
- Bridge Material: FSC® Certified Richlite
- Nut/Saddle Material: White Corian
- Tuning Pegs: Chrome Enclosed Gear
- Stock Strings: SP ACOUSTIC 92/8 PHOSPHOR BRONZE MEDIUM (MSP4200)
- Scale Length: 25.4"
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Bracing: X Brace
- Available Finishes: Gloss for the top, andes Satin for the back and sides.
- Color Options: Natural
- Number of Frets: 20
- Electronics: None/Optional
- Left-Handed Version Available: Yes
Takamine EF360S TT
Overview
Guitarists of all types praise the sound and build quality of this guitar. With rosewood back and sides and a solid spruce top, this guitar yields a very balanced sound with powerful bass frequencies and a clean, crisp high-end.
With great action and neck construction, this guitar is easy to play for experienced acoustic guitar players all up and down the neck, but due to the classic nut width of this guitar, players that are used to the feel of an electric guitar may need time to get used to it.
According to players of this guitar, the electronics sound great when plugged in. This guitar features a TLD-2 Line Driver preamp with a Palathetic pickup that uses six individually shielded piezo-electric elements - one for each string - with a casing that's mechanically attached to the guitar's top and bridge to capture the sound and resonance of the guitar's strings and soundboard.
Full Specifications
- Body Type/Shape: Dreadnought
- Top: Solid Thermal Spruce
- Back/Sides: Solid Rosewood
- Neck Wood: Mahogany
- Fretboard Wood: Ebony
- Fretboard Width at Nut: 1.772"
- Fretboard Radius: 15"
- Nut/Saddle Material: Bone
- Tuning Pegs: Open back 15:1 Gotoh nickel butter-bean tuners
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Available Finishes: Gloss
- Color Options: Natural
- Number of Frets: 20
- Electronics: TLD-2 Line Driver preamp with a Palathetic pickup
- Left-Handed Version Available: No
Best acoustic guitars under $1500
Taylor 314ce
Overview
The Taylor 314ce features an all solid wood construction with a Sitka Spruce top and solid Sapele for the back and sides. This gives the guitar the bright, crisp high-end tone that Taylor is known for. Combined with the Grand Auditorium Cutaway body style, this allows for great levels of projection - even with finger picking.
Players of this guitar praise its playability. The guitar is constructed with a solid wood neck with action that makes the guitar easily playable all along the fretboard.
Like the 312ce, this guitar features Taylor's Expression System 2 electronics. This system is designed to capture the natural vibrations of the guitar, making it sound great even when plugged in.
Full Specifications
- Body Type/Shape: Grand Auditorium
- Top: Sitka Spruce
- Back/Sides: Sapele
- Neck Wood: Tropical Mahogany
- Fretboard Wood: West African Ebony
- Fretboard Width: 1-3/4"
- Fretboard Inlay: Gemstone, Italian Acrylic
- Headstock Overlay: West African Ebony
- Binding: Black
- Bridge Material: West African Ebony
- Nut/Saddle Material: Black Graphite, Micarta saddle
- Tuning Pegs: Taylor Nickel
- Stock Strings: Elixir Phosphor Bronze Light
- Scale Length: 25-1/2"
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Bracing: V-Class with Relief Rout
- Available Finishes: Gloss top, and Satin back and sides
- Color Options: Natural
- Number of Frets: 20
- Electronics: ES2
- Left-Handed Version Available: Yes
Martin D-15M
Overview
Another great option for all solid wood guitars is the Martin D-15M. This guitar is built with all solid mahogany on the top, back, sides, and neck - giving it a bright, crisp tone for leads and gritty punching tones on the lower frets. This guitar has plenty of the warmth, sustain, and resonance that solid wood construction has to offer.
Due to the high-quality neck construction and low action, good playability and action are among the best features of this guitar. During an analysis of hundreds of reviews online, players often complimented the playability and action of this guitar - even on the higher frets.
This guitar doesn't have any electronics, meaning this guitar will give you the sound of a Martin with none of the bells and whistles that add to the cost of the guitar.
Full Specifications
- Body Type/Shape: Dreadnaught
- Top: Mahogany
- Back/Sides: Mahogany
- Neck Wood: Mahogany
- Fretboard Wood: East Indian Rosewood
- Fretboard Width at Nut: 1 11/16''
- Fretboard Width at 12th Fret: 2 1/8''
- Fretboard Inlay: Diamonds and Squares Short Pattern
- Headstock Material: East Indian Rosewood
- Binding: N/A
- Bridge Material: East Indian Rosewood
- Nut/Saddle Material: Bone
- Tuning Pegs: Nickel Open Gear
- Stock Strings: SP ACOUSTIC 92/8 PHOSPHOR BRONZE MEDIUM (MSP4200)
- Scale Length: 25.4"
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Bracing: X Brace
- Available Finishes: Satin
- Color Options: Dark Mahogany
- Number of Frets: 20
- Electronics: None/Optional
- Left-Handed Version Available: Yes
Blueridge BR-160
Overview
The Blueridge BR-160 features a Dreadnaught style body built with a solid Sitka Spruce top, solid Indian Rosewood back and sides, and slim mahogany neck giving it a tight, bright, and loud tone and awesome playability.
In an analysis of reviews online, guitarists have praised the action, intonation, and playability of this guitar, saying it's great right out of the box. With a slim mahogany neck, guitarists used to playing an electric guitar will find this one easy to adapt to.
This guitar doesn't have any electronics, so for studio sessions or live performances, it will require an acoustic guitar microphone. Keep in mind, you can always install acoustic guitar electronics later on.
Full Specifications
- Body Type/Shape: Dreadnaught
- Top: Select Solid Sitka Spruce
- Back/Sides: Select Solid Rosewood
- Neck Wood: Select Mahogany
- Fretboard Wood: Rosewood
- Fretboard Width at Nut: 1 11/16"
- Fretboard Inlay: Prewar Split Diamond Abalone Snowflake Markers
- Binding: White ABS
- Bridge Material: Rosewood
- Nut/Saddle Material: Bone
- Tuning Pegs: Gotoh Vintage-style / Open-back / Butterbean Buttons
- Scale Length: 25.6"
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Bracing: Pre-war-style Forward Shifted X-Bracing
- Available Finishes: Vintage-Toned High Gloss
- Color Options: Natural
- Number of Frets: 20
- Electronics: None
- Left-Handed Version Available: No
Best acoustic guitars under $1000
Taylor 214ce
Overview
The Taylor 214ce has been described as having a crisp, bright tone that contains distinctive characteristics that are unique to Taylor brand guitars. While this guitar uses a laminate wood construction of layered Koa for the body, it features solid Sitka spruce for the top, a Sapele neck, and an ebony fingerboard. The Grand Auditorium body style gives the guitar the perfect blend of feel, projection, and comfort that many guitarists go for.
In an analysis of multiple reviews online, while most guitarists complimented the action and intonation of the guitar, a few mentioned that it was a bit too high for their liking, making it difficult to play things higher up the neck of the guitar. If this is something that concerns you, take the guitar to a local repair shop to get this fixed.
This guitar features Taylor's Expression System 2 electronics. This system is designed to capture the natural vibrations of the guitar, making it sound great even when plugged in.
Full Specifications
- Body Type/Shape: Grand Auditorium cutaway
- Top: Sitka Spruce
- Back/Sides: Layered Koa Laminate
- Fretboard Wood: Ebony
- Fretboard Width at 12th Fret: 1-11/16"
- Fretboard Width at Nut: 1.6875"
- Fretboard Inlay: Dots
- Headstock Material: Ebony
- Binding: White
- Bridge Material: Ebony
- Nut/Saddle Material: Tusq Nut/Micarta Saddle
- Tuning Pegs: Chrome (100/200)
- Stock Strings: Elixir Phosphor Bronze Light
- Scale Length: 25-1/2"
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Bracing: Forward Shifted Pattern
- Available Finishes: Gloss
- Color Options: Natural
- Number of Frets: 20
- Electronics: ES2
- Left-Handed Version Available: Yes
Seagull Maritime SWS
Overview
What makes this guitar special is its all solid-wood construction. It features a solid Spruce top and Mahogany back and sides, giving a sound that's described by players of this guitar as very open, warm, loud. This guitar also features a Mahogany neck with a Rosewood fretboard. All of this includes extreme attention to detail in the construction that leads to excellent overall build quality.
Many reviewers of this guitar have described the action and intonation as perfect right out of the box, with no need for adjustments. However, if you do need to make adjustments, this guitar does feature an adjustable truss rod.
What's common among Seagull guitars is that players often recommend them even above guitars at higher price ranges because of their build and sound quality. This guitar will give you sound quality that's mainly found in guitars way above its price range, with crisp highs, filling low end, and great volume and projection.
This guitar comes with the Quantum One electronics system which features bass, volume, and treble controls.
Full Specifications
- Body Type/Shape: Dreadnaught
- Top: Solid Spruce
- Back/Sides: Mahogany
- Neck Wood: Mahogany
- Fretboard Wood: Rosewood
- Fretboard Width at Nut: 1.72"
- Fretboard Radius: 16"
- Fretboard Inlay: Dots
- Bridge Material: Ebony
- Nut/Saddle Material: Tusq nut/Compensated saddle
- Scale Length: 25.5"
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Available Finishes: Gloss
- Color Options: Dark Mahogany
- Number of Frets: 21
- Electronics: Quantum One electronics system
- Left-Handed Version Available: No
Blueridge BR-140
Overview
The Blueridge BR-140 is constructed with all solid wood, including a solid spruce top, solid Honduras mahogany back and sides, and a mahogany neck with an Indian rosewood fretboard and bridge that gives the guitar a big, open, natural tone with clear bass, even mids, and shimmering top-end treble response.
This guitar features a slim neck with low, fast action that has no significant fret buzz, even with guitarists that play with a tight grip, making this guitar a great choice for guitarists coming into the acoustic world having previous experience on electric guitars.
This guitar has no electronics, which means you're getting the best bang-for-your-buck on the guitar itself. To capture this guitar live or in the studio, you'll need an acoustic guitar microphone, or you can install an electronics system later when needed.
Full Specifications
- Body Type/Shape: Dreadnaught
- Top: Sitka Spruce
- Back/Sides: Solid Mahogany
- Neck Wood: Mahogany
- Fretboard Wood: East Indian Rosewood
- Fretboard Width at Nut: 1 11/16"
- Fretboard Inlay: Dots
- Binding: Black ABS
- Bridge Material: East Indian Rosewood
- Nut/Saddle Material: Bone
- Tuning Pegs: Gotoh Vintage-style / Open-back / Butterbean Buttons
- Scale Length: 25.6"
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Bracing: Traditional
- Available Finishes: Vintage-Toned High Gloss
- Color Options: Natural
- Number of Frets: 20
- Electronics: None
- Left-Handed Version Available: No
Best acoustic guitars under $500
Seagull S6
Overview
Because of its tone and construction, this is one of the most recommended guitars in any price range. Many guitarists argue that this guitar sounds as if they're playing a $1000 guitar.
Built with a solid cedar top with a laminated cherry back and sides, a maple neck, and a glossy finish, this guitar sports a crisp midrange and tight bottom end that many players crave, giving clarity and definition to chords and individual notes.
The only complaint we saw about this guitar was its high action, which can make it difficult to play for beginners, but you can easily take this guitar to a repair shop to get this fixed if it's a problem for you.
If you're a beginner guitarist, this is definitely a guitar that will grow with you as a player. Purchase this one as your first guitar, and even as your ears mature into craving better tonality from your guitar, you may not need to buy another one again for a long time.
Full Specifications
- **Body Type/Shape:**Dreadnaught
- Top: Solid Cedar
- Back/Sides: Wild Cherry
- Neck Wood: Silver Leaf Maple
- Fretboard Wood: Rosewood
- Nut/Saddle Material: Tusq nut/Compensated saddle
- Scale Length: 25.5"
- Truss Rod: Double Action - Adjustable
- Available Finishes: Gloss
- Color Options: Natural
- Number of Frets: 21
- Electronics: None
- Left-Handed Version Available: Yes
Taylor Big Baby
Overview
For newer guitarists seeking out the signature Taylor tone that sports a bright, crisp high end, this is the guitar for you. This is the biggest small-body guitar Taylor makes.
Unfortunately, like most guitars in this price range, this guitar doesn't feature all solid wood. While the top is a solid Sitka Spruce, the back and sides are constructed with layered Sapele laminate. However, this doesn't seem to have a negative or even noticeable effect on the tone. From the reviews we researched online, this guitar delivers the warm lows and crisp highs of other Taylor guitars, but with a fair budget.
If you're looking for the sound of a Taylor on a budget, this is the guitar for you. Some guitarists mentioned that the action was too high for their liking, but making moderate adjustments to the truss rod or taking the guitar to a repair shop can fix this.
Full Specifications
- Body Type/Shape: 15/16-scale Dreadnought
- Top: Solid Sitka Spruce
- Back/Sides: Layered Sapele Laminate
- Neck Wood: Tropical American Mahogany
- Fretboard Wood: Ebony
- Fretboard Width: 1-11/16"
- Fretboard Inlay: 4mm Dot Italian Acrylic
- Binding: None
- Bridge Material: Ebony
- Nut/Saddle Material: Tusq Nut/Micarta Saddle
- Tuning Pegs: Enclosed, Die-Cast Chrome Plated
- Stock Strings: Elixir NANOWEB Medium Gauge (.013-.056)
- Body Length: 19.5"
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Bracing: X Brace
- Available Finishes: Varnish
- Color Options: Natural
- Number of Frets: 20
- Electronics: None
- Left-Handed Version Available:
Blueridge BR-43
Overview
Among guitarists online, Blueridge is said to have very consistent quality in this price range. Because of the guitar's construction, the guitar is great for fingerstyle guitar playing.
The guitar includes a solid spruce top, and mahogany back and sides with vintage-style scalloped braces usually found on more expensive guitars, giving it a bright, midrange-focused sound.
Online reviews have praised this guitar's action. and the thin, fast neck. These features make the guitar comfortable to grip at any spot on the neck and ensure ease of reach - even high up on the fretboard. It's a great selection for guitarists interested in playing all along the fretboard.
This guitar is a perfect match for experienced guitarists on a budget, or beginners who are looking for their first guitar.
Full Specifications
- Body Type/Shape: Dreadnaught
- Top: Select Solid Sitka Spruce
- Back/Sides: Select Mahogany
- Neck Wood: Select Mahogany
- Fretboard Wood: Rosewood
- Fretboard Width at Nut: 1 11/16"
- Fretboard Inlay: Pearl dots
- Binding: Black ABS
- Bridge Material: Rosewood
- Nut/Saddle Material: Bone
- Tuning Pegs: Gotoh Vintage-style / Open-back / Butterbean Buttons
- Scale Length: 25.6"
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Bracing: Pre-war-style Forward Shifted X-Bracing
- Available Finishes: Natural High Gloss
- Color Options: Natural
- Number of Frets: 20
- Electronics: None
- Left-Handed Version Available: No
Best acoustic guitars under $200
Yamaha FG800
Overview
Everywhere we looked, Yamaha was the most recommended guitar brand for guitarists with a budget of $200. Within Yamaha recommendations, this is by far the most recommended guitar within this price range.
This guitar features a solid Sitka spruce top and laminated nato (an eastern mahogany) on the back and sides, with a traditional Dreadnaught shape that is very comfortable to hold and has a great feel for beginners. For guitarists with smaller hands, this guitar is also available in a concert size.
This guitar offers the same components as its higher-priced version, the FG830 including sealed die-cast chrome tuners that keep the guitar in tune very effectively. Some have complained about the high action on this guitar, which can be fixed by taking it to a guitar repair shop.
With great volume and resonance, and a tone that features warmth with a good balance of brightness, this is one of the best sounding and most playable guitars you'll find in this budget range.
Full Specifications
- Body Type/Shape: Dreadnaught, Concert
- Top: Spruce
- Back/Sides: Laminate Nato
- Neck Wood: Laminated Nato
- Fretboard Wood: Rosewood
- Fretboard Width at Nut: 43 mm
- Fretboard Inlay: Dots
- Binding: Black
- Bridge Material: Rosewood
- Nut/Saddle Material: Urea/Urea
- Tuning Pegs: Die-cast Chrome
- Scale Length: 25.6"
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Bracing: Scalloped
- Available Finishes: Gloss
- Color Options: Natural, and Ruby Red for an additional cost.
- Number of Frets: 20
- Electronics: Available at an additional cost.
- Left-Handed Version Available: No
Yamaha F325D
Overview
Similar to the FG800, this guitar features a Dreadnaught body type, only smaller - making this guitar slightly less expensive.
While the previously mentioned FG800 has a solid wood top, this guitar features a laminated Spruce top, so it may not last as long and definitely won't have the same tonal characteristics as the FG800.
In addition to the laminated Spruce top, this guitar features a laminated Sapele back and sides and a laminated nato (an eastern mahogany) neck. Because of the heavy use of laminates instead of solid wood, the guitar will be limited in its tonal capabilities and won't last as long as its solid wood counterparts.
However, if you're on a tight budget, or are simply looking for a guitar to learn on and plan to purchase a better guitar later down your road to musicianship, this guitar is a great buy.
Full Specifications
- Body Type/Shape: Dreadnaught
- Top: Laminated Spruce
- Back/Sides: Laminated Sapele back and sides
- Neck Wood: Laminated Nato
- Fretboard Wood: Rosewood
- Fretboard Width at Nut: 1 11/16"
- Fretboard Inlay: Dots
- Bridge Material: Rosewood
- Tuning Pegs: Die-cast Chrome
- Scale Length: 25.5"
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Available Finishes: Gloss
- Color Options: Natural, Sunburst
- Number of Frets: 20
- Electronics: Available for an additional cost
- Left-Handed Version Available: No
Epiphone DR-100
Overview
Ask any experienced guitarist, and they'll tell you that this is Epiphone's best-selling guitar. With its small size, a combination of select spruce for the top and mahogany for the body, and the slim neck design, this is a great selection for beginner guitarists.
For this guitar, beginners, experts using this guitar for practice, and guitar teachers recommending guitars to their students praised the playability and construction as being on par with guitars quite a few brackets above this price range.
If you dry climates, this guitar might not be the best pick for you, since the neck may out and warped due to its construction, causing it to develop a problem of fret buzz.
Full Specifications
- Body Type/Shape: Dreadnaught
- Top: Select Spruce
- Back/Sides: Mahogany
- Neck Wood: Okoume, glued
- Fretboard Wood: Rosewood
- Fretboard Width at Nut: 1.69"
- Fretboard Inlay: Dots
- Bridge Material: Rosewood
- Tuning Pegs: Premium Nickel
- Scale Length: 25.5”
- Stock Strings: D’Addario® 12, 16, 25, 34, 41, 53
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Color Options: Natural, Ebony, and Vintage Sunburst
- Number of Frets: 20
- Electronics: None
- Left-Handed Version Available: No
How we created this list
As mentioned before, what makes an acoustic guitar the "best" is entirely subjective. If you ask 10 guitar players, you'll most likely end up with 10 different answers.
Because of this, rather than relying on our opinions, this list was built by compiling a list of every guitar mentioned on forums like gear sluts, Reddit, Seymour Duncan's user group forum, and Quora - where people are seeking out the best acoustic guitar.
After reading through these forums, we tally up how many times each guitar was recommended by an owner of that guitar.
To make sure we ended up with a high-quality list of the best acoustic guitars, we also checked a number of online retailers to see what kind of reviews each guitar was getting from buyers.
With this process, we arrive at the results below - an organized list of highly reviewed guitars that are most recommended by people who actually own and play them.
So instead of relying on our opinions, you're putting your trust in other musicians who spend their time online helping others find the best gear they can get.
For your benefit, each guitar includes a list of features, pros and cons, and video demos.
Acoustic guitar terminology
For beginners shopping for their first guitar, or those of you who are shopping for a gift, it's not expected for you to understand guitar terminology.
Having a general understanding of the terminology describing an acoustic guitar can help you make a better selection since reviewers and other guitarists will often use these terms when describing the quality of a guitar.
To help you make a more informed selection on a guitar for you or someone you love, here are some of the key terms used in relation to the construction of acoustic guitars.
Body - The body of the guitar is the main part of the guitar where a player will strum. This is the section with the hole in it that many guitarists drop their pick into then struggle to get it out. The body of a guitar is made up of a top, back, and sides. Self-explanatory, I know, but each section of the body often consists of different types of woods.
Soundboard (top wood) - The "top" of the guitar is the piece of wood that has the hole in it. Most high-quality acoustic guitars have a top that is constructed with solid wood like Mahogany or Rosewood, but many beginners or budget guitars use a laminate instead. For experienced players, the sound quality difference is very noticeable, but for beginners or players that are just starting to learn guitar, the noticeable difference between a laminate and solid wood is minimal at best.
Back and sides - Again, self-explanatory, I know, but this is another piece of the guitar that is often constructed using separate types of wood than the top. Sometimes, the top of the guitar will use a solid wood, while the back and sides will be constructed with a laminate.
Bridge - The bridge if a guitar is where the strings meet the body.
Saddle - The saddle is the piece of plastic on the bridge that the strings sit on. This can help determine string height.
Piezo pickup - Pickups in electric guitars sense the vibrations of the strings and send those out to an amp. Piezo pickups are unique to acoustic guitars in that they instead sense the vibrations of the body, convert those to an electronic signal, and send them to the preamp. This allows an acoustic guitar to be plugged into a PA system. Sometimes, this is best saved for later.
Preamp - A preamp (short for pre-amplifier) processes the signal coming from the acoustic guitar's pickup to be sent out to an amplifier. These often come equipped with three-band EQs, phase switches, and notch controls, and are often powered by a replaceable battery.
Neck - The neck is the skinny part of the guitar where a guitarist will press down on the strings. Guitarists often have a preference for neck thickness - thin necks are great for people with smaller hands or those who want to play faster lead parts, but some players have a preference for thick necks, especially if their hands are bigger. The neck will often be constructed with solid wood - sometimes different than that of the body.
Fret - The frets are the lines you see on the neck of a guitar. Each of these represents a different note that can be played on the neck of the guitar. Fret can also be used as a verb - for example, when a guitarist is "fretting" a note, he's pressing down on the string at a specific fret to play that note. Guitarists often refer to the hand that they use to do this as their "fretting hand." Acoustic guitars normally come with 20 frets, with the body connecting at the 12th or 14th fret.
Fretboard - This is the top, thin layer of wood on the neck that the frets are on. It's often a different type of wood than the neck itself.
Tuning peg - These are the metal pieces on the guitar that a player will use to tune the guitar.
Nut - This is the piece that is placed at the end of the fretboard near the tuning pegs that control the spacing of the strings, the distance from the side edges of the fretboard, and the string height above the first fret.
Action - This is how high up the strings are from the neck of the guitar. If strings are farther away from the neck, they can be much harder to press down. For this reason, many guitarists prefer low action. Low action is definitely ideal for players who are new to playing the guitar because if the guitar is too difficult to play, they're more likely to form bad habits that can hurt their progress later on.
String gauge - This is how big around the guitar strings are and determines how "light" or "heavy" the strings are. Light strings are often easier to play, but some guitarists prefer the tone of heavier gauged strings. New guitar players should go with light strings since heavier gauged strings are harder to press down and can cause bad habits later on.
Scale length - The scale length of a guitar is calculated by measuring the distance from the front end of the nut to the 12th fret, and doubling that measurement. Scale length preference depends on taste but can influence the tone of the guitar. A longer scale length requires higher tension in the strings, which can make them more difficult to press down, but results in a brighter tone.
Truss rod - The truss rod is a bar (usually steel, sometimes carbon fiber) that runs inside the neck under the fretboard that stabilizes the neck, keeping the wood from bending under the tension of the strings. Sometimes, these metal bars do bend slightly out of shape which results in inconsistent string height across the fretboard. Fortunately, they can be adjusted back into place.
How to find and choose the best acoustic guitar
When choosing an acoustic guitar, it's important to consider a number of things before making a purchase.
Some of what makes a guitar good is more objective, like playable action and overall build quality, while other things are subjective, like the type of wood used to build the guitar, the type of electronics used, and whether the strings are nylon or steel.
Here are some things to look out for when choosing a guitar.
Overall sound - Check video demos of the guitar on YouTube, or better yet, go to a store and play the guitar. How does it sound? This is an entirely subjective element of choosing a guitar. It's best to check out multiple demos or play multiple guitars to get a sense of what you like and dislike in a guitar's sound. To make this easier for you, we've included video demos with each guitar in our list!
Type of wood used - Different woods have different tonal elements. Mahogany is very bright, while Rosewood has a more emphasized midrange.
It's generally accepted that solid wood (as opposed to a laminate or non-wood composite) is what produces the best results Many guitar manufacturers, however, are having a great level of success using non-wood composites.
The most important place to have solid wood is the top because this part of the guitar has the biggest effect on the projection of the sound.
We've outlined the basics of acoustic guitar tonewoods here, but if you'd like to read more about this, check out this awesome, detailed guide.
- Rosewood - Rosewood is one the most popular woods used in acoustic guitar construction. This wood is highly sought-after for its crystal-clear high-end and complex overtones.
- Mahogany - Mahogany was traditionally used on the back and sides of the guitar, but many manufacturers have started using it to construct the entire guitar. This stiff, hard, and dense wood is popular for its warm tone and great projection.
- Spruce - This is one of the most common woods used in acoustic guitar construction, and is often described as having a tone that isn't all that bright, warm, or bassy. The sound is very consistent without a lot of harmonic complexity. This wood does change color over the years, resulting in the guitar taking on a yellowish hue.
- Cedar - This wood was mainly used on classical guitars, but is becoming increasingly common on steel string guitars. Cedar is less dense than Spruce which results in a slightly darker tone. This wood is usually a great fit for fingerstyle guitar players.
- Sapele - This wood is very closely related to mahogany, being similar in look and sound, but with a more defined high-end.
- Maple - This is a very hard and dense wood often used on the back and sides of acoustic guitars. It has a very bright, immediate tone that has great projection and sustain. For some players, the emphasized midrange is too much for their taste.
- Koa - Koa features a very bright tone right out of the box. However, as it ages, the sound will become more mellow. It's very sought-after because of this, as well as its appearance. Because of the cost, this wood is often used on very high-end acoustic guitars.
Shape and size - The shape and size of an acoustic guitar is a preference both because of playability and sound. As far as sound goes, smaller acoustic guitars, like the Concert style, often have more emphasized high-end, while larger guitars, like as Jumbo style, have an emphasized low end. In terms of playability, some people prefer smaller guitars for their ease of reach while playing. Most acoustic guitars feature a dreadnaught style body, many of which include a cutaway for easier access to higher frets.
Action (string height) and playability - It's incredibly important that the action is comfortable on your acoustic guitar. If the action is too high, the guitar will be difficult to play - especially higher up on the fretboard. Good action is especially important for beginners to take note of since bad action can result in the development of improper technique.
Electronics - If you want to plug your guitar into a PA system or directly into a venue's sound system, you need to make sure the guitar has both a pickup and a preamp. Many acoustic guitars that feature built-in electronics also have a tuner. If you don't want to spend the extra money on electronics built into the guitar, you can always use a microphone for recording and live performances, or install electronics later on.
Nut width - The width of the nut determines how far apart the strings are on the fretboard. If you're used to playing on an electric guitar, look for a guitar with the strings set closer together. If you're used to it, more space between the strings won't be a hindrance.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this list was helpful in your search for the best acoustic guitar for your budget, level of experience, and preferences.
Keep in mind that the guitars on this page are only a small number of the guitars that exist out there. There are hundreds of guitars that exist from many different manufacturers.
With dedication and practice, any guitar can sound good in your hands. Because of this, you can definitely find something good for you - whatever your budget.
Best of luck, and enjoy your new guitar!