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Guitar World’s pick of the best acoustic guitars from Fender, Gibson, Martin, Taylor, Epiphone and more spanish guitars
1. The list in brief 2. Best beginner 3. Best on a budget 4. Best for small hands 5. Best for travel 6. Best all-solid 7. Best pickup 8. More options 9. Expert buying advice 10. How we test
It may sound bold, but we genuinely believe there's never been a better time to buy an acoustic guitar. The sheer volume of guitars on the market at the moment is exhilarating, with many companies producing the best acoustic guitars they have ever made. Now, with so many instruments from an incredibly diverse group of manufacturers, it's easy to get overwhelmed - we call it 'option paralysis' - but don't worry, we are here to help.
Whatever your budget - and playing style - we guarantee one of these top acoustic guitars will be perfect for you, and this guide is here to help you pick your favorite. With entry-level acoustics from the likes of Epiphone, Yamaha, Martin, and Taylor, through to high-end heavyweights from Gibson and Fender, we've got you covered.
Our choices are presented in price order so you can easily find the right one for your budget. Of course, we've also scoured the web to find the best prices, saving you any legwork in that department, too.
Chris Corfield is a journalist with over 12 years of experience writing for some of the music world's biggest brands including Orange Amplification, MusicRadar, Guitar World, Total Guitar and Dawsons Music. Chris loves getting nerdy about all aspects of guitar gear from electric and acoustic guitars to pedals, amps and more.
When it comes to the best acoustic guitar for beginners, we always recommend the Fender CD-60S. This affordable guitar has it all. It is well-made, easy to play and sounds superb!
The Yamaha FG800 is one of the best budget acoustic guitars ever. A solid top at this price point is astounding, and the tone produced is outstanding.
Best for small hands
Considering the size, this compact Martin guitar is loud, delivering a tone that larger guitars could only dream of. Better yet, the sound is warm and mellow. Read more below
Best for travel acoustic
The GS Mini is essentially a scaled-down version of the favored Taylor Grand Symphony-shaped acoustic. Like other Taylor guitars, the GS Mini has a bright, clear tone.
Featuring an all-solid-wood construction, quarter-sawn spruce bracing, and tapered dovetail neck joint, Epiphone has nailed every detail of this incredibly famous flat-top acoustic guitar.
Sitting in the bracket between first guitars and professional heavyweights, the 110e is the ultimate second guitar - delivering the signature tone and feel Taylor is known for.
08/03/24: We have recently made a few changes to this guide. The Fender CD-60S is now our top choice for the best acoustic guitar for beginners. 31/10/23: As well as auditing the products to make sure the list is up to date with the very best acoustic guitars around, we've also given this page a fresh new look, tweaking the format to make it easier to navigate and find the right model for you.
When it comes to the best acoustic guitar for beginners, we always recommend the Fender CD-60S. This affordable guitar has it all. It is well-made, easy to play and sounds superb!
As you'd expect, the beginner acoustic space is rather competitive, but for our money, this humble Fender dreadnought offers the most bang for your buck. In our tests, we found the sound to be full, rounded, and with plenty of volume. The hardware is pretty reliable, too. The tuners feel fairly robust, and the bridge is solid.
So, if you're in the market for your first acoustic guitar, we highly recommend checking this one out.
Read the full Fender CD-60S All-Mahogany review
The Yamaha FG800 is probably one of the best budget acoustic guitars of all time. The FG series of guitars goes way back to 1966 when the first instrument was introduced and the fact they're still making 'best of' lists today says something about the quality of these guitars.
A solid spruce top at this price point is frankly astounding, we're more used to all-laminate guitars at this budget. It lends this guitar a powerful voice that combined with the dreadnought body shape gives it some serious volume with a rich, and warm tonality.
A smooth, well-finished neck with a nice round profile encourages many styles of play. It's hefty enough for experienced players to enjoy, whilst simultaneously being comfortable for the less-seasoned strummer to pick up their first chords on. A truly great acoustic guitar that over-delivers for the money.
Read the full Yamaha FG800 review
The Martin LX1E is a small-sized dreadnought with bags of appeal. It's marketed as a travel acoustic guitar, which can be thrown in the (included) gig bag to accompany you anywhere. Spend a bit of time with one, however, and you'll see it has more to offer than as a mere travel companion.
It's a compact guitar but it's loud considering the size - certainly louder than other small-body acoustics we've reviewed. There's a smattering of low end but where it really cuts through is the mids and highs, responding really well to your playing dynamics too.
The onboard Fishman Sonitone electronics make it ideal for hooking up to an acoustic guitar amp, with the controls hidden away in the soundhole to keep the exterior of the guitar looking clean. It means this guitar can easily compete with larger acoustics tonally when plugged in, making it a great option for the gigging guitar player.
Read the full Martin LX1E Little Martin review
Next up is something approaching bona fide classic status in the acoustic guitar world. The Taylor GS Mini was launched in 2011 and bridged the gap between travel guitars and fully-fledged workhorse acoustics wonderfully.
The GS Mini is essentially a scaled-down version of the popular Taylor Grand Symphony-shaped acoustic. During testing, we loved its smaller size, as it makes it ideal for leaving around the house ready to pick up and play while you're waiting for the microwave to ping. Despite the shorter scale, the string spacing is still that of a regular-size guitar, so it feels great for fingerpicking.
It's got that very bright and clear tone that's a signature of most Taylor guitars. Whilst lacking slightly in the volume department unplugged, you can more than make up for it with the onboard ES-B acoustic guitar pickup, which allows this great guitar to compete with its full-sized siblings when playing live.
Read the full Taylor GS Mini review
The J-45 has been spotted slung around the shoulders of many notable players new and old through the years, from Bob Dylan to Billie Joe Armstrong, Woody Guthrie, and Myles Kennedy. Favored for its understated looks and folksy charm, the guitar would go on to get the nickname “The Workhorse”, as it was seen as the working man’s flattop. The loud, attention-grabbing tone contrasts its subtle beauty, with a rich low-end and singing mid-range means it’s always heard, no matter the situation.
If you’ve been following the prices of the Gibson J-45 over the last few years, then you’ll have noticed a rather sizable increase - you won’t get much change back from $/£2500 right now - and it’s looking like the prices won’t be coming down anytime soon.
Luckily Epiphone has been busy meticulously recreating the iconic sloped shoulder dreadnought - and at a far more affordable price! Featuring an all solid-wood construction, quarter-sawn spruce bracing, and tapered dovetail neck joint, we feel that Epiphone really has gone out of its way to nail every detail and pay tribute to the famous acoustic.
Every element has been carefully considered, even down to the finish. Gone is the thick plastic-feeling lacquer, in favor of a soft and supple aged finish that we found a delight to play with during our testing. So if you are looking for those classic acoustic sounds of yesteryear, but don’t want to fork out a small fortune, it’s definitely worth considering this fantastic guitar.
expensive acoustic guitars Read our full Epiphone Inspired By Gibson J-45 review