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Best Semi Hollow Body Guitars Under $1000
In the under $1000 category, you really start to hit the sweet spot of the best semi hollow body guitars.
These are professional grade semi hollows with the features you need to sound your best from the studio to the stage and everywhere in between.
Some of my favorite instruments of all time are on this list, and I’m excited to show you the best semi hollow body electric guitars for under $1000. If you’re looking for something a little less expensive, check out our list of the best semi hollow guitars for the money.
Our Recommendation
Growing up, one of my favorite bands was Shinedown, and it was a real pleasure to check out the PRS guitar co-designed by their guitarist Zach Myers.
The PRS SE Zach Myers is a semi hollow electric more closely related to solid body models in all levels of performance. Its versatility, fat tone, and deluxe playability earn it the number one spot in this review.
By no means a loser, the last place of this article goes to the Epiphone Wildkat Royale. Borrowing the gold and white good looks of the high end Gretsch models, this Epiphone delivers classic semi hollow sound, though you’ll need to upgrade its pickups to take it to the level of true greatness.
The 5 Best Semi Hollow Body Guitars Under $1000 – Overview
#5 Epiphone Wildkat Royale
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Specs
Top – Maple
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Okoume
Electronics – Dual P-90R Dogear Classic single coils
Pros
Great looks at a good price
Bigsby vibrato tailpiece for funky tone modulation
Dependable Grover 18:1 tuning machines
Cons
Single coil pickups that produce a lot of feedback
Sub-par fingerboard material
Epiphone is better known for their low price beginner instruments, but they’ve got a nice lineup of more expensive axes as well, such as this Epiphone Wildkat model.
Construction
The Wildkat is a sturdily built electric, with none of the lightweight flimsy feeling present in the cheaper Epiphone offerings.
Its made with high quality mahogany and maple for the body, with a thick maple neck set in a glued joint that keeps your rig solid no matter how hard you play.
My one qualm with their design choice is opting for an okoume fingerboard rather than a more traditional tonewood, but to keep their prices competitive they had to cut corners somewhere.
Sound
With a mahogany body reverberating warm, woody tones and a maple top that reins it in with a tight crisp, the voice of the Wildkat is centered and snappy.
The Wildkat’s major drawback are its single coil pickups. Semi hollow electrics are best suited with double coil electronics to help punch up the tone and cut down on feedback, and this was a poor choice on Epiphone’s part in my opinion.
Nevertheless, the P-90s it’s equipped with are good as far as single-coils go, and send forth a bright, jazzy song that works well in a lot of applications.
Playability
In all ways, the Epiphone Wildkat is fun and nice to play. Despite its okoume fingerboard, you can still feel like your getting your money’s worth the moment you pick it up.
It uses the SlimTaper D neck profile, giving you enough back-of-the-neck room for strong chord grip while keeping things slim enough to let your fingers fly.
#4 Ibanez Artcore Expressionist AM93ME
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Specs
Top – Macassar ebony
Body – Macassar ebony
Neck – Nyatoh/Maple
Fingerboard – Ebony
Electronics – Dual Super 58 humbuckers
Pros
Beautiful natural ebony finish
Great sustain, fantastic lead guitar
Versatile Super 58 pickups for a wide range of tones
Cons
Super bright, crisp tone lacks in the bass end
Construction
I love Ibanez’s Artcore series; not only are they solid performers, but they’re downright beautiful as well.
The Ibanez Artcore Expressionist AM93ME is the first guitar I’ve ever seen with an all-ebony body, making it one of the most unusual guitars I’ve had the chance to check out.
Ebony is a very dense wood, and you can feel the heft the moment you pick this puppy up. It’s heavy duty — not the kind of guitar you want to try swinging around your neck.
It’s got attractive gold hardware with Ibanez dependability and an adjustable ART-1 Bridge with a Quik Change III Tailpiece built to keep you in tune through your sessions.
Sound
While the natural ebony finish might look amazing, it leaves a bit to be desired in terms of tone.
The AM93ME doesn’t sound bad, but it is a bit flat through your standard amp. A tube amp with the bottom end opened up will help you to get the bass boost this guitar needs, but otherwise you’re stuck in the land of high end snap and sparkle.
Its Super 58 pickups do a good job of projection though, and you can open the tone knobs to full throttle to fill out your mid range enough for a tone that’s swell for blues and rockabilly. Keep it clean, and you’ve got a nice spanky jazz guitar on your hands.
Playability
If Ibanez is best known for anything, it’s their fast playing necks.
While the Expressionist AM93ME doesn’t have anything like the Wizard profiles you can find on solid body Ibanezes, the AM Expressionist neck shape is still a speedy design.
The ebony fingerboard is crisp and springy, with natural oils that keep your fingers easily flying over the frets.
#3 Guild Starfire II ST
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Specs
Top – Mahogany
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Ebony
Electronics – Dual Guild LB-1 Nickel humbuckers
Pros
Soft U-shaped neck for vintage playing feel
All-mahogany build delivers rich overtones
Ebony fretboard offers sharp attack and quick response
Cons
No main center-block increases chances of feedback
Construction
Guild is a child-company of Cordoba, famed for the quality handcraftsmanship of each of their models. The Starfire II is a handmade vintage-style semi hollow dating back to the 1960s, with an all-mahogany body in a single-cutaway design.
The woods and hardware of this guitar are top tier, each piece assembled with great attention to detail.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, it lacks a pickguard, making its natural finish susceptible to scratches from overzealous strumming.
Sound
With all but the ebony fingerboard made of mahogany, you can expect tons of tonal complexity from the Starfire II, and an all-around mid-range heavy, generally creamy tone. Its highs don’t squawk and its lows aren’t feeble, staying pretty well balanced in every range.
Its got great Guild humbuckers, unusually sized a bit smaller than the standard double coil but larger than a mini. They sing out with ringing cleans and pack the grit you want for when its time to get dirty. Read more about these pickups and their unique design here.
Due to the lack of the solid middle block that is typical of semi hollow body guitars, the Starfire II may give you some feedback issues at high volumes, but this is tamed a bit by the design of the nickel-plated pickups.
Playability
The Starfire II is meant to both sound and play like a vintage model. With its “Soft U” shaped neck profile and medium sized frets, it accomplishes this feel quite well. A single cutaway gives you good access to the highest frets, and the ebony fretboard responds with a snappy comeback to any playing style.
#2 Hagstrom Tremar Viking Deluxe
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Specs
Top – Maple
Body – Maple
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – “Resinator”
Electronics – Dual Hagstrom HJ-50 humbuckers
Pros
Tremar vibrato system with increased tuning stability
Powerful, crunchy pickups
Sparkling clean tones in every register
Cons
All-maple build sounds twangy and treble-heavy
Synthetic fingerboard can turn off guitar purists
Construction
Hagstrom’s Tremar Viking Deluxe is one sleek-looking axe, truly an instrument that calls to mind Vikings of old. This isn’t the first time their guitars have landed in our top choices for semi hollows; another Hagstrom model nearly nabbed the number one spot in this review.
It’s an all-maple build, ply on top, back and sides, and solid hard maple for the neck, and feels robust in my hands. It’s quite heavy, but this heaviness makes it seem solid and well-constructed.
Outfitted with a Tremar vibrato system paired with a Tune-o-Matic bridge, a Hagstrom-designed set neck, and a synthetic bridge engineered for durability, this is a semi hollow worthy of hours-long battle.
Sound
The Tremar Viking Deluxe is a great guitar for classic rock and blues, with a bright twang attributable to its all-maple build. The Resinator fingerboard doesn’t have a huge influence on its tone aside from adding to the already abundant sparkle.
Its pickups are Hagstrom HJ-50s which do a great job of eliminating feedback problems you might otherwise experience in such a treble-laden semi hollow. They provide a boost to the bass and mid ranges, filling out the tone whether distorted or clean.
Playability
Hagstrom uses a specially-designed truss rod called the H-Expander that applies tension to the neck at both the body and head ends. This added tension keeps the neck stiff and allows them to use an extra-thin profile in the neck design.
The H-Expander system also allows the action of this guitar to be set super low, so you can fly through your licks like Zoran, the Norse God of Speed.
Normally I complain a lot about synthetic materials like their Resinator fingerboard, but in the Tremar Viking Deluxe, it has a bouncy playability that seems to add quickness to the attack without being altogether detrimental to the feel.
#1 PRS SE Zach Myers
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Specs
Top – Maple
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – 245 “S” Treble neck humbucker + 245 “S” bridge humbucker
Pros
Chambered body design eliminates feedback problems
Mahogany + maple body provides superb semi hollow tone
Wide flat neck profile gives a feeling of rock’n’roll power
Cons
Wide neck may be difficult for short-finger players
Construction
Zach Myers of Shinedown partnered with PRS to design this signature semi hollow electric, aiming to craft a guitar capable of extreme versatility.
The result is this SE with a chambered mahogany body capped with a maple top that showcases the best aspects of semi hollows while terminating their usual impairments. You can read more about how chambered bodies affect guitar performance here.
It’s a guitar that feels as strong as it sounds, and carries the PRS markers of quality with little to no downsides.
Sound
Semi hollow guitars aren’t usually thought of as good for hard rock, but this Zach Myers model can do all that and more.
Its mahogany body transmits a depth of harmonic tone that is full of open bass and mids, while the maple top pops the treble and gives it the perfect amount of high end to elevate it from the usual muddiness of semi hollow designs.
The PRS-designed 245 humbuckers carry powerful clean notes just as well as they crush through overdriven breakdowns, and can be played to great effect anywhere in between, making this a truly adaptable axe and the hands-down best semi hollow body guitar under $1000.
Playability
Wide thin neck profiles may scare away the timid player, but the grip behind this model gives you a strong base for chords and a needle-narrow radius for lightning-quick licks.
The neck’s smooth satin finish glides like silk and feels like velvet, so as you jam along the rosewood fingerboard you’ll soon forget the extra neck width.
The Final Word
Semi hollow body guitars are great for their intended purposes, being the model instrument for blues, rock, rockabilly, outlaw country, etc. They’re almost as iconic to blues music as hollow body guitars, the best of which you can see in this review.
They might be a bit limiting, but with the right amp setup you can get a huge array of tones that fit tons of different genres.
Of all these semi hollow bodies, the PRS SE Zach Myers is by far the most versatile, opening up your playing field to pretty much any genre you desire to jam in.
At this price point, you’re in the realm of stage-ready instruments that will meet your every demand, so however you choose, you’ll be sure to be getting one of the best semi hollow body guitars around.
The post Best Semi Hollow Body Guitars Under $1000 appeared first on Beginnerguitar.
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Best Acoustic Guitars Under $100 Reviewed
After one particularly difficult and hasty move across country, I found myself for the first time in ten years without a guitar and barely any extra cash.
I wish I knew then what I knew now — that there are tons of great acoustic guitars under $100. In my ignorance, I bought a horribly used 3/4 size piece of junk off Craigslist for $60.
Although it kept me playing, I would have been much better off with one of the new guitars from this list.
If you’re in a similar pinch of needing a super low cost acoustic fast, take it from me and choose from among these top 7 best acoustic guitars under $100.
Our Recommendation
The Rogue Starter is going to be my best recommendation for when you’re really in a financial bind.
With $100 you can get this guitar and still have money to spare, so although it may not be the best in terms of sound or playability, it’s a great bargain, earning it our #7 spot.
When your budget truly maxes out at $100, you can upgrade all the way up to a beginner’s acoustic-electric such as our #1 choice in this category, the Jasmine S35. It’s pretty decent all around and comes with a bundle of accessories meant to kickstart your musical adventures.
The Top 7 Best Acoustic Guitars Under $100 – Overview
#7 Rogue Starter Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Spruce
Body – Unknown Tonewood
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Pros
Pinless bridge for easy string changes
Smooth-playing rosewood fingerboard
7/8 size great for kids or smaller players
Cons
Can have sharp fret edges that need filed down
Tinny sound, weak low-end
Review
There aren’t many acoustics at a lower price than the Rogue Starter, and those that you find for cheaper will be of significantly lower quality.
We’ll take a look at it’s better points before I tell you what’s wrong with it…
First, the Rogue Starter is a 7/8 size guitar, bringing it right between the 3/4 kids size and a full-scale dreadnought. This is a perfect design for smaller bodied adults or for kids around the age of 10 and up.
It’s not very loud, so parent won’t be driven nuts by their children’s lack of skill. A big point in its favor, it has proper intonation, so every fret sounds like it should.
The few weak points of the Rogue Starter are pretty common issues in guitars at this price point.
Its most grievous problem are its fret edges that can snag and nick your fingers as you move up the neck. This is fixable by taking a file to these overhangs and (gently) grinding them down. There are detailed instructions on how to do this here.
It’s a bright guitar with a pretty weak low-range and highs that can sound glassy and harsh when you play them loud.
Despite this, it’s a fun little guitar to play and will definitely hold you over while you save up for a better acoustic. We have a full review of the Rogue Starter you can read here.
#6 Rogue RA-090 Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Whitewood (basswood or poplar) Laminate
Body – Whitewood (basswood or poplar) Laminate
Neck – Nato
Fingerboard – Maple
Pros
Lightweight construction reduces player fatigue
Comfortable C-shape neck profile
Strong mid-range
Cons
Sharp fret edges
Extra-bright tone
Review
I used to be fully anti-Rogue, but after playing a few of their models and comparing them to my own emergency-purchase acoustic, I’ve come to admire them in a way.
Rather than the Starter’s rosewood fingerboard, the RA-090 is equipped with a maple piece, which, somewhat unfortunately, adds extra brightness to the tone.
This overabundance of high-end isn’t all bad, as the crispness really lets you hear where your technique is going wrong so you can learn to adjust your mistakes.
Judging by its lightweight build and full mid-range tonality, I’d guess its generic “whitewood” build is actually basswood. This tonewood choice keeps it low in cost and in weight, adding to its benefit for beginner players.
Like the Rogue Starter, the RA-090’s frets need filed, but aside from this there are no major problems to talk about.
All in all, not a bad guitar for the price.
#5 Martin Smith W-101-BK Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Unknown tonewood
Body – Unknown tonewood
Neck – Unknown tonewood
Fingerboard – Unknown tonewood
Bonus – Gig bag, guitar stand, tuner, picks, strap, extra strings
Pros
Great accessory bundle
Loud, full-size dreadnought
Available in different finishes
Cons
Completely unknown tonewood composition
Unstable tuning machines
Review
Martin Smith makes an array of entry-level instruments, but there’s not a lot of information available about what they’re made from.
Without an official company website and extremely vague specs listed in their sales pages, I can only guess at the tonewood combination based on feel and sound.
So, after a bit of time with Martin Smith’s W-101, I can tell you that, like most guitars in this category, it’s made of laminate basswood.
Its tone is very “basic acoustic,” with not a lot of special points to mention, but totally pleasant and not too tinny like guitars in this price point tend to be.
It has good action, a standard neck, and fine intonation.
The reason the W-101 is one of the best acoustic guitars under $100 is that it comes with a great beginner bundle of accessories. This includes a strap, a gig bag for transporting your instrument, a digital tuner, picks, extra strings (always smart to have on hand), and a guitar stand.
By itself, the guitar is pretty average, but they give you everything you need to start on your way to acoustic mastery.
#4 Jasmine S-35 Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Spruce
Body – Agathis
Neck – Nato
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Pros
Easy to play slim neck with smooth rosewood fingerboard
Big, bold tone
Stable tuning machines
Cons
Flat harmonics, not very complex tone
Review
Getting into our higher-end choices in this category, we have the Jasmine S-35.
Jasmine makes finely crafted entry-level acoustics that have better attention to detail than many guitars at this price point.
They lack the problems such as sharp frets, poor intonation, and low-quality tuning machines that plague other low-cost models.
The Jasmine S-35 uses Jasmine’s “Advanced X-bracing” to boost tone and volume, and its spruce + agathis tonewood combo gives it a well-balanced sound equally powerful in all ranges.
However, it doesn’t have much in the way of overtones, so I find the tone a bit boring and basic.
It has a slim neck profile that makes playing fun and easy, reducing finger strain and allowing beginners to practice for longer stretches of time.
Overall, the S-35 is built strong and solid, making it a great low-cost beginner or travel guitar.
#3 Squier SA-150 Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Lindenwood Laminate
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Nato
Fingerboard – Maple
Pros
Squier by Fender means trusted quality
Punchy tones
Fast and fun slim neck design
Cons
Flat sound
Review
This is the steel-string cousin of the SA-150N that made our list of the best classical guitars for beginners.
Squier is a trusted name in guitars, and even though they’re not necessarily known for their acoustics, they deliver a fine model in the SA-150.
Laminate lindenwood is used for the top and paired with mahogany back and sides. The result is a tone that responds well from the low to the high end, but lacks in the complex richness you’ll find in solid top acoustics.
Nonetheless, it’s a fun guitar to play, with a Fender-slim neck profile that has enough backing for solid chord progressions but a narrow enough radius to make riffing smooth and easy.
The SA-150’s maple fingerboard makes it highly responsive and extra bright and articulate, so you can hear each note truly and really fine-tune your technique.
It’s great for all acoustic genres but really shines in flatpicked bluegrass and fingerpicked blues.
With smooth frets, a solid build, and stable tuners, the SA-150 is one of the best choices for acoustics under $100.
#2 Ashthorpe Full-Size Cutaway Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Spruce
Body – Basswood
Neck – Okoume
Fingerboard – Unknown (probably rosewood)
Bonus – pickup + preamp, padded gig bag, picks, strap, extra strings, instrument cable
Pros
Acoustic electric design allows you to plug and play with tons of extra tones
Sturdy construction is warp resistant and withstands bumps and bangs
Players pack with a great padded gig bag and other accessories
Cons
Desperately needs a good set up
Can benefit from new tuning machines
Review
Here we have the only acoustic electric on this list, and it’s a great value!
The accessories included in this pack could cost you $100 alone, but you get a ton of extras plus a good acoustic all for a very low cost.
Ashthorpe’s Full-Size Thinline is a nice sounding acoustic electric that is really comfortable to play thanks to its reduced body depth and thin neck profile.
They chose a great tonewood combo of spruce and basswood, with a tone that’s warm and pleasant and just bright enough to really shine.
It’s got a simple electronic system that includes an under-saddle piezo pickup and a basic preamp with 4-band EQ. The electronics aren’t great, but they do the job of allowing you to play through an amp and experiment with your tonal controls to find the sound that’s right for you.
Interested in more acoustic electrics? We’ve covered the best affordable models in this article.
The cutaway design means you can play in the highest regions of the fretboard with no problem and really lets you explore the whole neck comfortably.
At such a low-cost, you might have money leftover for a cheap amp and effects pedal, so you can play around with effects, looping, and more to bring your musical experience to the next level.
Like most acoustics, it needs a set up out of the box, and its tuning machines are pretty low quality, so if you don’t want to tune up every 10 minutes you will want to change these out for higher grade pieces.
#1 ARTALL 41 Check On Amazon >>
Specs
Top – Solid Linden
Body – Linden
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Maple
Bonus – Gig bag, strap, picks, extra strings
Pros
Great beginner’s bundle with extra accessories
Solid linden top for added tonal complexity
Cutaway for easy access to upper frets
Cons
Wide neck can quickly tire beginners
Review
ARTALL is an obscure Chinese company that makes a wide range of different products, from bed sets to plush toys, so it’s a bit surprising that they also make a high quality beginner guitar.
Fact is, the ARTALL 41 inch acoustic is one of the best guitars available under $100.
The thing that sticks out the most to me is that it’s a rare non-electric cutaway acoustic.
Typically, a cutaway will mean an acoustic-electric model, and on low-cost guitars this means that the manufacturer skimps on basic construction points to add low-quality electronics.
With the ARTALL 41, you get the benefits of a cutaway and the upgraded quality of a solid top, sturdy build, and dependable hardware.
Plus, it’s a beautifully finished guitar that you’ll look good playing!
Its one downfall is that its neck is on the wider end of acoustics, so beginners might experience a bit more playing fatigue than with a slim neck design, and it’s a bit too big for smaller kids.
All things considered, this is a great acoustic at an amazing price.
Buyer’s Guide
Is it Worth Buying a Guitar for Under $100?
Worth is generally a subjective idea, and you’ll have to think about what you want out of a guitar and how long you can save before making your choice.
I’m an acoustic addict, and to go without a guitar for any stretch of time makes me really uncomfortable. When I found myself without an acoustic and with barely enough money to afford rent, I had to get the first thing I could afford.
For me, my $60 Craigslist guitar was totally worth it. It kept me from boredom, depression, and songless despair, while allowing me to afford the basic necessities of life.
If you really want to play a guitar, NOW, and you don’t have much extra cash, a guitar in this price range can be 100% worth the money.
Who Should Buy a Guitar in this Price Range?
I wouldn’t recommend a guitar in this price range to a professional, but they’re perfect for beginners.
If you’re like me, that is, an upper intermediate player, and you really need an acoustic, these are all great choices in times of desperation.
Parents who want to enable their kids to explore a musical hobby can’t go wrong with these models and don’t have to worry about a sunk cost in something your kid might wind up with no interest in. You can check out more great guitars for kids in this article.
Can Acoustic Guitars for Under $100 Be Upgraded?
Some of these guitars have substandard tuning machines that almost need to be upgraded if you want to avoid the frustration of coming out of tune mid-song.
Changing your tuning machines is a great way to learn the basics of guitar maintenance and repair.
There are some other things that can cause tuning problems, so read here first to find out if it’s really your tuning machines that need replaced.
Aside from that, I wouldn’t focus too much on upgrading these guitars.
They’re meant to be entry-level guitars, and outside of changing the tuning machines I wouldn’t invest much more money in them, but rather save up your cash for your next new guitar, like something in the under $300 range that we’ve covered here.
What Are Guitars Under $100 Good For?
$100 guitars are great for when you need guitar fast. They’re playable, sound okay, and aren’t going to destroy your financial life.
When all you want to do is play at home or maybe jam around campfire, or if you’re planning a hiking trip and know you need an instrument with you, these are great models to choose from.
That being said, they do have their limiations. For sure, if you want to start playing live, you should take a look at these acoustic guitars under $500, and for any serious recording sessions you’ll want to see the best acoustic electric guitars for the money.
Guitars under $100 are intimate, personal instruments that are best suited for private practice, for students, or for throwaway instruments when you have rough travels ahead. Intersted in more travel guitars? Check out this review.
The Final Word
There’s no shame in buying a guitar for under $100, and if this is the price range you can afford, any of the models listed above are guaranteed to meet your needs.
In this category we’ve got guitars for kids, acoustics for students, and full-size acoustic electric models for when you really need to check out some amplified effects.
Whether you choose the 7/8 Rogue Starter or the full-size ARTALL 41, you’ll have a great time playing with the comforting knowledge that you can now start saving for the next instrument companion on your life-long musical journey.
The post Best Acoustic Guitars Under $100 Reviewed appeared first on Beginnerguitar.
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Best Acoustic Electric Guitars for Beginners Reviewed
I think acoustic electric guitars are one of the best choices for beginner instruments.
You can take them anywhere and play unplugged, or you can hook into an amp and exponentially increase the number of sounds to jam around with.
They’re much more versatile than regular acoustic guitars, and having the option to go electric means there’s little chance you’ll ever get bored from hearing the same old steel-string tone.
Ready to rock? You can stay inspired to keep practicing, improving, and learning new techniques with these great acoustic electric guitars for beginners.
Our Recommendation
With so many great options to choose from, it was a real task to narrow down this list to a top seven, but after a lot of consideration, I was able to pick some real winners.
In the number seven spot, you’ll find the Glen Burton GA204BCO. This is a great bundle to get you started playing electro-acoustic, but ranks at the bottom of this list because the overall quality of the guitar itself is quite basic.
Our winner is the Seagull Entourage Autumn Burst CW QIT. Its non-electric cousin made one of our top choices for the best value acoustic guitars, and though it’s on the pricier end of beginner to intermediate acoustic electrics, it’s an investment that you won’t regret.
The 7 Best Acoustic Electric Guitars for Beginners – Overview
#7 Glen Burton GA204BCO Player’s Pack Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminated Maple
Body – Basswood
Neck – Catalpa
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – Glen Burton Active 4 Band 7545 preamp + pickup
Pros
Everything you need to get plugged-in and playing right away
Well-configured electronics
Great value
Cons
Tuning machines don’t hold
Review
This great player’s pack earned the number one spot in our review of the best acoustic electric guitars under $200.
In an across the board look at the top electro-acoustics for beginners, it still ranks as one of the best.
Looking at the specs of the guitar itself, it’s not too impressive an instrument, but its sound is another story.
Despite having a laminate maple top, the GA204BCO still has a nice punchy tone that won’t leave a beginner wishing they had more.
Plugged in, it’s surprisingly good. Thanks to its 4-band EQ, you can really fine-tune your tone to bring out the well-rounded lows and mids of the basswood body and temper the brightness of the maple without losing clarity.
The amp in the player’s pack isn’t anything to blow your socks off, but it’s still an amazing value that you’ll have a tough time beating.
With the money you’ll save from this deal, you can afford to fix this guitar’s main problem, which is the unstable tuning machines. Take care of this and you’ll have an acoustic electric that will bring you happiness for years.
#6 Takamine GD11MCE-NS Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Mahogany
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Laurel
Electronics – Takamine TP-4T
Pros
All-mahogany construction for extra earthy lows and mids
Great tonal balance
Superior palathetic pickup delivers unclouded amplification
Cons
Laminate top decreases overtone capabilities
Review
This electro-acoustic by Takamine is from their more affordable G series line but comes with the perks that make high-end Takamines some of the best on the market.
I love guitars with fully mahogany bodies and find their warm earthiness to be the most pleasing acoustic tone you can find.
The only downside to this guitar is the choice of laminate rather than solid wood for the top, but it’s not a big enough downfall to discredit this model entirely.
Laminate top or not, it still sounds beautiful and resonates like a dream, with a smooth playing natural finish that makes fretwork a breeze.
Takamine’s big plus is their smart-designed palathetic pickups. In this scheme, each string is represented by an individually shielded piezo element. This transmits highly precise frequencies while picking up on the soundboard’s vibration for increased resonant performance. Read more about Takamine’s palathetic system here.
So, whether you’re playing amped-up or unplugged, the tone of the GD11MCE-NS is sweet as spring water.
#5 Fender Malibu Player Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Solid Sitka Spruce
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Walnut
Electronics – Fishman pickup + preamp
Pros
Slim-taper “C” shaped neck for comfortable chords and quick riffs
Unique small body design
Great tonewood combo for classic acoustic sounds
Cons
Not as loud and powerful as a traditional dreadnought
Review
It was big news when Fender released their California series guitars. The Fender Malibu Player from this lineup is a really interesting acoustic electric with strikingly noticeable differences from other steel-string guitars.
Most apparent are its eye-catching finish options, small body shape, and Fender-centric headstock that set this guitar apart.
Taking a closer look at the headstock, you’ll notice that it’s a 6-in-line design that reduces string tension on the neck and adds to the tuning stability, so midsong tune-ups are no worry at all.
It has Fender’s signature SlimTaper “C” shaped neck that makes playing comfortable in any position and when coupled with the ergonomic body shape allows you to go for the highest reaches on the fretboard.
The Malibu Player’s tonewood combo of solid Sitka spruce with mahogany back, sides, and neck creates a crisp, energetic tone with great sound in every acoustic genre.
Couple all of this with a Fishman pickup + preamp and you’ve got an electro-acoustic that will carry you from your beginner days all the way to the studio and stage.
#4 Oscar Schmidt OG2CESM Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Spruce
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – Barcus Berry EQ4T
Pros
Low-cost but good sound
Decent electronics
Smooth playing with full-bodied dreadnought tone
Cons
Standard dreadnought neck may be tiresome
Review
Oscar Schmidt is Washburn’s child company, specializing in entry-level acoustic guitars.
Their OG2CESM is a large dreadnought with a big tone and base-line electronic system at a price that won’t scare you away.
Like most guitars on this list, it comes with a cutaway so you can reach the highest frets, but its neck is a standard C-shape that might make high-end riffing a bit difficult.
Though the neck is a bit wide, it’s good for beginner guitars to practice on so you can build finger strength and flexibility. Get good on a guitar like this and slimmer necks will make you feel like lightning in the future.
The tone of this Oscar Schmidt is what I call basic acoustic; it’s not exactly unique or special, but it’s versatile and will allow you to play in any acoustic genre.
Its strong point is the Barcus Berry EQ4T preamp + pickup combo, which does a great job of providing a well-balanced electric tone when it’s time to plug in.
Though Oscar Schmidt has its problems, they give beginners everything needed to start down the road to guitar proficiency.
#3 Fender FA-125CE Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Spruce
Body – Basswood
Neck – Nato
Fingerboard – Walnut
Electronics – Fishman pickup + preamp
Pros
Lightweight design makes player fatigue a thing of the past
Single-cutaway dreadnought body is loud and articulate
Walnut fingerboard is smooth and responsive in all ranges
Cons
Laminate construction doesn’t improve with age
Review
Here’s a more affordable entry from Fender — the FA-125CE.
This guitar is designed for beginner players, keeping things lightweight and easily maneuverable so you don’t tire halfway through a practice session.
It has a cutaway dreadnought body that booms with a pleasant traditional acoustic tone and lets you play the highest reaches of the fretboard with ease.
Hearing the subtle changes you’ll need to make to perfect your playing is easy with the bright responsiveness of the walnut fingerboard, which adds just enough lows and mids to balance out your sound.
This is all brought together with Fender’s Fishman pickup and preamp, featuring a 2-band EQ you can use to modify your amplified tone to your liking.
#2 Yamaha APX600 Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Spruce
Body – Locally Sourced Tonewood
Neck – Locally Sourced Tonewood
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – SYSTEM65 + SRT Piezo Pickup
Pros
Sturdy construction will hold up against inevitable bumps and bangs
A great high-end student guitar
Beautiful, complex tone
Cons
No clear info on body and neck tonewoods
Review
Despite its unknowns, this is one of my favorite Yamaha guitars.
You might be turned off not knowing what woods your guitar is made from, but give the APX600 a few minute test run and you’ll see whatever secrets Yamaha is keeping doesn’t prevent them from crafting a great acoustic electric.
This model is super clean sounding and shines in every range, with a voice that works just as well in hard-stomping outlaw country as it does in fingerpicked folk.
It may be a laminate-top guitar, but the unusual oval soundhole and specially-designed non-scalloped X-bracing produce a full natural sound that is difficult to find in other beginner models.
Yamaha’s SYSTEM65 preamp brings this model to life when you hook it to an amp, delivering each range with sonic purity and never giving an unpleasant tin, even in the topmost frets.
The narrow string spacing and cutaway body allow you to take your riffs anywhere you please without sending your hand into spasms, so with the Yamaha APX600 there’s nothing preventing you from practicing any technique you please.
#1 Seagull Entourage Autumn Burst CW QIT Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Solid Spruce
Body – Wild Cherry
Neck – Silverleaf Maple
Fingerboard – Indian Rosewood
Electronics – Godin QIT preamp + pickup
Pros
Handcrafted by master luthiers
Godin-ensured quality
High-quality tonewoods for sonic superiority
Cons
A bit pricey for a beginner guitar
Review
Once you see the price, you might think “No way is this a beginner acoustic electric,” but I’ve got a counterpoint.
If you’re a serious-minded musician, no matter your current skill level you will want a guitar that will not only perform but sound and feel amazing while playing.
The Seagull Entourage Autumn Burst CW QIT is about the maximum price guitar I’d recommend for a beginner, but it won’t let you down in any way.
Seagull is a Godin family brand, and all of their guitars are handcrafted to ensure the utmost quality and attention to detail.
They factor everything into the design of their guitars, considering things like tuning stability, playability, and of course tone in every aspect of their builds.
The Seagull Entourage has the best of all worlds, with a slim neck and reduced nut width that make playing a pleasure, amazing tonewoods that only improve with age, and specially designed headstocks that keep your guitar in tune for hours upon hours.
If you plan to play for years, you will want a quality instrument, and this is a great investment in yourself and your musical well-being.
Interested in more Seagull guitars? Read our review of the Seagull S6 here.
Buyer’s Guide
Why Are These the Best Acoustic Electric Guitars for Beginners?
Saying what makes a guitar good for beginners is a bit of a fool’s errand.
I would tell you that any acoustic that has six strings is good for beginners, but you’ve come here looking for specifics so I’ll tell you what I like about these models.
First, I took into consideration the average cost a beginner will be willing to spend on a new acoustic. You might be of the fortunate few to whom money isn’t an object, and so many of these models will be beneath you.
But, if you’re like the average entry-level musician, you need to work within a certain budget, so I mostly chose guitars that you can get for under $300. We’ve got a whole list of acoustic electrics at this price range if you’d like to see more.
Outside of this, many of these models have necks with slim designs that make practicing for long amounts of time more feasible. The less you have to bend and stretch to hit the basic chords, the more likely you are to keep at this new hobby.
Of course, I chose only acoustic electrics that sound good, both unplugged and through an amp. You don’t want to play a tinny noisebox, so each of these models was selected to make your practice time as enjoyable as possible.
What Are These Guitars Good For?
The lower-priced models in this list are going to be everything and more that you need for practicing, songwriting, and novice home recording.
They sound fine and play better, but aren’t of the caliber of tone that you’ll want to play any shows with. I won’t tell you that they’re not suited for open mics, but be aware that when you make your first official stage debut that you’ll want to upgrade to a guitar like one of these models.
That being said, the Fender Malibu Player and the Seagull Entourage are both in the higher-end category of beginner to intermediate instruments, and I chose them specifically for musicians who know that their ultimate goal is to hit the stage.
Not only will these guitars be an absolute joy to practice and learn with, but they are perfectly suitable to performances big and small.
I Don’t Have an Amp, So Should I Just Buy a Regular Acoustic?
In the lower-cost price ranges, you’ll find more standard acoustics with solid tops, but that’s about the only difference in quality.
I like to recommend acoustic electrics to everyone because they have a huge potential outside of traditional acoustic music.
There will probably come a time when you grow bored of hearing the same tone every day, and if you find yourself an amp and effects pedal, a whole new universe of tonalities opens up to you.
This was what kept me interested in guitar in my early days and I attribute it to my continuing musical hobby 16+ years later.
An additional benefit of these guitars is the cutaway and slim neck designs. These features make playing a lot more fun and easy, so you’re less likely to give up due to aching hands and low-fret repetition.
What Tips Do You Have for Beginner Guitarists?
First, of course, is practice, practice, practice.
If you find yourself getting frustrated with a particular scale or chord, give it a rest and practice something else.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with new techniques.
Always challenge yourself, and don’t be content with knowing just the simple open chords.
Write songs! This is a great way to keep yourself motivated.
Pay attention to your playing posture. If you play too long with bad form, this can be a hard habit to break and can ultimately lead to preventable injuries.
Read our how-to guides. We’ve got lots of handy tips on our website that are meant to take your playing to the next level.
And finally, have fun! Guitar is a hobby, not a chore, and if you stop having fun then take a break and find a way to make it enjoyable once again.
The Final Word
I salute you on your goal of finding the best acoustic electric guitar for beginners and hope that you found these choices suitable for your needs and desires.
Finding the perfect guitar for you takes patience, research, and trying out different models, so don’t rush into anything and wait til the right guitar calls out to you.
Once you find it, I guarantee the best guitar will be worth the wait.
The post Best Acoustic Electric Guitars for Beginners Reviewed appeared first on Beginnerguitar.
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Best Cheap Classical Guitars Under $200 Reviewed
For less than the cost of your monthly utility bills, you can start playing a beautiful nylon string classical guitar and learning the compositions that brought guitar out of obscurity into mainstream popularity.
We searched through dozens of budget friendly instruments to bring you this list of expert-recommended classical guitars under $200.
These classicals are all you need to immerse yourself in the wonderful world of fingerstyle guitar playing, with dependable builds, beautiful tones, great playability, and pleasing aesthetics that bring to mind the era when guitarists first emerged into the limelight.
Our Recommendation
In a lineup of the best classical guitars in just about any price range, Cordoba will nearly always take the cake.
Their C1M is a great low-cost classical perfect for total beginners to intermediate players looking to get their hands on a new model. It sounds smooth and sweet, plays like a dream, and has a traditional classical build that can please even the strictest of guitar purists.
At the low-ranking end of this list is the Stagg C546TCE.
It’s a good guitar in all rights, but in a list of classicals it loses some points for being built with non-traditional woods, a modern cutaway body design, and compensating for its average tone with low-end electronics.
The 7 Best Classical Guitars Under $200 – Overview
#7 Stagg C546TCE Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Spruce
Body – Catalpa
Neck – Catalpa
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – Under saddle PU + CL-4
Pros
Electronics for plugged-in playing capabilities
4-band EQ to tweak your tone however you want
Cutaway for upper fret access
Cons
Non-traditional woods
Laminate top
Review
I haven’t had the chance to play many different Stagg instruments, but I like what I know of them.
The Stagg C546TCE is a good guitar for beginners with an urge to learn classical or for intermediate players looking to play with some plugged-in nylon string effects.
In all the basic ways, this is a fine guitar. It’s got a dependable build with no major flaws. Its frets are ground well so they don’t prick your fingers as you move over the neck, and its set-up is keyed in so that intonation is pretty good right out of the box.
When you’re ready to spice up your playing with some amplification and effects, the Stagg is there for you with a basic undersaddle pickup system and a 4-band EQ that allows you to fine-tune your tone. Wanna know more about how to use EQ? Check out this in depth article.
I’m not going to rag on it much, but I will say that if you’re looking for a traditional classical guitar, this Stagg model isn’t really for you.
Classical purists will want to opt for an instrument with a traditional non-cutaway body shape and hope to land a solid cedar top in lieu of this Stagg’s laminate cedar.
But, all things considered, this is a fine guitar for under $200 and can meet just about all of your at-home playing needs.
#6 Squier SA-150N Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Lindenwood laminate
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Maple
Pros
Traditional body design
Lightweight and comfortable build
Very low cost
Cons
Strange tonewood combination
Review
We took a look at this model in our review of the best classical guitars for beginners, and that about sums up what lands this guitar on our best under $200 list.
It really is a fantastic beginner model since it’s priced so cheap and can withstand some moderate bumps and bangs to its durably constructed laminate body.
Depending on how you look at it, the good points of the Squier SA-150N can also be its downfalls.
Lightweight is fine for small players and children, but the laminate woods that give it this attribute do a fairly poor job of giving you the kind of tone you’d want to perform with.
It’s got the traditional classical body design, but without superior bracing it is rather quiet and unimpressive.
Still, it plays smooth and is fully functional, and at the price it’s hard to beat.
I’d recommend this guitar if you’re on a really tight budget or just don’t want to spend more than $100 on a hobby you’re not sure you’ll stick with. It’s also a great model for music teachers who need to buy classroom instruments or an extra guitar to keep at home for students who haven’t yet purchased a guitar of their own.
#5 Fender CN-60S Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Solid Spruce
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Walnut
Pros
Thin, comfortable neck profile
Thick low-end response
Solid spruce top for tonal purity
Cons
Weak mid and high ranges
Low volume
Review
Fender’s entry on this list is the Fender CN-60S, designed with student’s in mind.
In this price range, you’re really going to want to pay attention to those guitars which feature a solid top, as they will provide you with the best music for your money.
Traditionally, classical guitars have cedar tops, but we can’t ask too much for under $200, and the solid spruce on the CN-60S does a great job of producing clear, resonant tones with a decent amount of sustain, thanks in part to the walnut fingerboard.
In terms of playability, the CN-60S really alleviates a lot of the difficulty that beginners might find with other classicals, slimming down the neck just enough to make chord work comfortable, without sacrificing the space needed to allow for the full freedom of fingerpicking.
If Fender upped their bracing pattern, this could be a top notch classical, but their standard scalloped X design doesn’t do quite enough to give you the volume you’ll want for performances.
Although it’s a little weak in the mid and treble ranges, it’s bass response is pleasantly punchy, and gives you all you need to start on your way to mastering the classical guitar.
#4 Yamaha CGS103A Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate spruce
Body – Meranti
Neck – Nato
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Pros
¾ size ideal for small-bodied players
Smooth playing rosewood fingerboard
Yamaha-dependable build
Cons
Laminate top
Review
Yamaha is great at pretty much everything they do, and making entry-level classical guitars is no exception.
I love a ¾ size guitar, even if I can comfortably play a full-size dreadnought. There’s something special about the reduced scale, and the easy access to all parts of the neck makes playing extra fun.
If you’re a parent looking to get your kid started out with a musical hobby, the ¾ size Yamaha CGS103A classical guitar is a great option. It’s small enough for children to manage comfortably, but big enough that when they’re ready to step up to a full-size instrument it won’t seem like a huge task.
Tone-wise, Yamaha could have done us better with a solid top, but with the laminate option you won’t have to worry about an accidental bump sending a hole straight through the soundboard.
Even with the laminate, the CGS103A has a pleasing sound that’s well-balanced throughout the ranges, loud enough for practice, but not so loud that those first few months of chord practice will drive parents up the wall.
With a traditional classical build in a reduced size, the Yamaha CGS103A is a perfect option for preparing to take on a long-term classical hobby.
#3 Oscar Schmidt OC11CE Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Spruce
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – OS preamp + under saddle piezo + 3-band EQ
Pros
Cutway for upper end riffing
3-band EQ for tonal control
Soft on the fingers rosewood fretboard
Cons
Non-traditional body style
Weak mid-range
Review
I’m not a huge fan of most Oscar Schmidt models, but the OC11CE classical is a great entry for under $200.
Their electronic systems are not something to brag about, but for in-home practice and experimentation, you can get a lot of enjoyment from the Oscar Schmidt pickup + preamp combo in the OC11CE.
It does a good enough job of transmitting your tone, and with a 3-band EQ you can play around with your sound until you find something that works for your style.
It’s not a really unusual guitar in the playability realm, with a standard nut width and a 4/4 sized classical body, but the cutaway in this model gives you a bit more playing freedom in the upper end of the fretboard than you’ll get with most other models.
The laminate spruce + mahogany combo produces a good balance between highs and lows, but leaves a little to be desired in the mid-range.
While not a guitar to take up on stage, the OC11CE can give you years worth of pleasurable practice until you’re ready to upgrade to a more professional model.
#2 Yamaha C40 Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Solid Spruce
Body – Meranti
Neck – Nato
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Pros
Traditional classical guitar design
Solid spruce top for clear, concise tones
Naturally oiled rosewood fingerboard
Cons
Unstable tuning machines
Review
We liked the Yamaha C40 so much that we gave it its own dedicated review.
It ranks pretty high on our list of low-cost classical guitars because it’s all around a solid performer.
The C40’s tone rivals guitars that cost up to a couple hundred dollars more, and the playability is right in line with what you’ll want for the full classical guitar experience.
Spruce and meranti certainly aren’t the traditional tonewoods of choice for classicals, but they allow beginners to hear the nuance of their playing so that necessary changes to technique can be made to really hone in on perfect performing.
It’s a full-size classical body, but has a lightweight construction that doesn’t cause playing fatigue, and the naturally-oiled rosewood fingerboard enables smooth chord transitions and painless riffing for hours.
Definitely worth the investment, but just keep in mind that the tuning machines might need upgraded to avoid needing to re-tune every few songs.
#1 Cordoba C1M Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Spruce
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Pau Ferro
Pros
High-quality Cordoba craftsmanship
Traditional Spanish-style fan bracing
Made by classical guitar experts
Cons
Laminate top doesn’t improve with age
Review
This is our number 1 choice in the under $200 category, coming from one of the best brands of classical guitars.
Cordoba is one of the leading names in classical guitars, composed of a team of expert luthiers all trained in the traditional practices.
They aim for authenticity, even in their lowest-tier instruments, and guarantee that every instrument they sell replicates the sound and experience of the historical designs they’re modeled on.
In their classical guitars, this is accomplished thanks to their carefully crafted bracing pattern. They follow the traditional Spanish style, building their guitars with fan bracing that reproduces tones with centuries-old authenticity.
Although they use a laminate spruce top for the C1M to save on production costs, the tone is remarkably warm and mellow, keeping the crispness tempered with rosewood back and sides so that the high end never comes through harsh and the low end can sing out with subtle power.
The Cordoba C1M is a high-end student model, great for those who are passionate about classical guitar and really desire to master the art of fingerstyle playing.
Buyer’s Guide
What to Look for in a Classical Guitar Under $200?
When you’re shopping in this price range, you have to be honest with yourself about your needs and expectations.
Playability and the basics of a good tone are what you most want to look for at this price point, so you’ll just need to go over a quick quality checklist.
Is the neck straight? Warped necks will ruin your intonation and destroy your experience.
Are the frets ground? Sharp frets can be at least annoying and at most a truly painful hazard.
Is the body in good condition? You don’t want to buy a new guitar with any major scratches, chips, or other damage.
Is everything attached how it’s supposed to be? Check the bridge and neck for separation from the body, and pass on any guitars that are literally falling to pieces.
Is it the right size for you? Classical guitars are all a bit smaller than dreadnoughts, but if you’re a particularly small player, make sure you get a guitar that fits your frame. ¾ sized bodies can be the perfect fit.
In terms of tone, play around with a few different models and see how they differ. Some will have strong low-ends, some will have a mid- and high-range emphasis, and others will be balanced. It’s a matter of preference, but usually I think the best tone is a balanced one.
Who Should Buy a Guitar in this Price Range?
Under $200 is a good realm for total beginners, as well as for intermediate players of other guitar types who want to branch into the nylon-string world.
There are cheaper models, but oftentimes they will have unacceptable flaws, and unless you’re buying for students or for a kid who you seriously doubt will have a sustained interest in playing, you’re better off buying at least in the $200 range.
Professional players probably will find a lot to be desired in this price range and will be better aiming to spend a bit more. We’ve reviewed the best classicals under $500 and the best for the money so you can see a range of higher quality instruments.
What are Classical Guitars Under $200 Good for?
These guitars are good for two things: practice and songwriting.
If you’re just starting out and need to learn the guitar basics, this is a great price range for your first classical guitar. They sound decent, play well, and won’t break the bank.
Looking for practice material? We’ve compiled a huge list of great classical guitar songs for beginners.
They’re good for songwriting as you typically don’t need a super high quality instrument to find the chords you’re looking for to back your lyrics. They’ve got good intonation and are comfortable to fret, so composing on them meets all the basic requirements.
Check out the tales of history’s best classical guitar composers if you need some songwriting inspiration.
Outside of that, I wouldn’t recommend them for playing out or any kind of public performance, unless your skills exceed your instrument grade and you really want to hit an open mic. Still, you’d be better looking at least in the under $300 range if you want to step on stage.
Can Classical Guitars Under $200 Be Upgraded?
Short answer: no.
Longer answer: The only thing I would consider upgrading on these guitars is the tuning gear. Guitars under $200 often have an issue of being made with cheaper hardware and might not keep their tuning as well as they could, but a quick and easy upgrade of the tuning machines can bring these classicals up to par.
Cheeky answer: Every guitar can benefit from upgrading to new strings from time to time. Here’s how.
The Final Word
For beginners, students, and intermediate players, these are great models that will show you what a classical guitar is capable of.
If you’re looking to plug-in, you can’t go wrong with the Stagg C546TCE or the Oscar Schmidt OC11CE, and if you’re looking for a truly traditional experience, the Cordoba C1M is your lowest cost genuine classical option.
We’ve covered tons of classical guitars on this site, and these are only the bottom of the price barrel.
You can check out our other reviews if you’re a more seasoned player and none of these really got you excited, but if you’re just dipping your toes in the water, I’m sure there’s a model here you can fall in love with.
The post Best Cheap Classical Guitars Under $200 Reviewed appeared first on Beginnerguitar.
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The Best Acoustic Guitars for Small Hands
Dreadnoughts can be cumbersome, and other standard sized acoustics can be a real hassle to play if you’re a player on the smaller scale.
If this is a hobby you want to love but just can’t seem to find the right sized guitar, you’ve come to the right place.
Whether you’re buying for your child or just looking to get a guitar that not only sounds good but feels great to play, this list of the best acoustics for small hands has a wide range of excellent guitars for you to choose from.
Our Recommendation
Coming in at #7 we’ve got a starter guitar from Hola! Music, the HG-36N. This guitar in itself is nothing super special, but its handy beginner’s bundle comes with picks, a strap, and two months of free live lessons, a value worth multiple times the total cost of the instrument itself.
Taking the win is the California series Fender Redondo Classic. This acoustic electric is all solid wood and features a fast-playing slim taper neck that makes riffing and throwing down chords a breeze for even the smallest hands.
The Top 7 Best Acoustic Guitars for Small Hands – Overview
#7 Hola! Music HG-36N Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Spruce
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Walnut
Bonus Feature- Starter bundle
Pros
Starter player’s pack with picks, strap, and gig bag
¾ sized body great for smaller players
Extremely low cost
Cons
Average tone
Pickguard is unattached
Review
Hola! Music specializes in instruments made to get beginners off the ground in a hurry.
The HG-36N is a ¾ sized acoustic that sits comfortably in the lap and requires no unreasonable amount of stretching to get going on.
Although its tone is just average due to its laminate top and standard bracing, it just hits the mark for what you need in a practice setting.
It’s not too loud, so parents won’t have to worry about going crazy listening to the first couple months of mis-fretted de-tuned chords.
The HG-36N is sold as part of a basic player’s pack which includes a strap to reduce playing fatigue, always useful picks, and the best addition, two months of live free online guitar lessons.
Teaching yourself any new skill or hobby can be a challenge without the proper guidance, and with these free lessons you can be sure that you or your child will quickly advance from the miserable first weeks of learning basic chords to the pleasure-filled days ahead of making real music.
#6 Martin LXK2 Little Martin Koa Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Koa
Body – Koa
Neck – Birch
Fingerboard – FSC Certified Richlite
Pros
Modified 0-14 body size gives 14 frets clear of the body
Slightly larger and louder than a ¾ sized guitar
Martin quality at a low price
Cons
Laminate woods don’t sound as pure as solid
Review
The rival short-scale guitar to Taylor’s Baby models, the LXK2 is Martin’s koa edition of their signature Little Martin series. Look here for an in-depth look at this model’s cousin, the Little Martin LX1.
The LXK2 has a modified concert style body whose size falls in between a ¾ size and a full size dreadnought, making it small enough for players with smaller hands and giving a boost to its overall tone and volume.
Like most smaller guitars it features a reduced nut width, so fretting chords and licks is painless and easy.
You won’t get the same brightness from the Little Martin as you will from the Baby Taylor, as the body is bigger and deeper and the laminate woods used in the LXK2 emphasize the bass end more than the mid and treble.
It’s put together really well, following the line of quality common to all Martin models, and its HPL construction makes it resistant to climate-induced warping, making for a great travel acoustic.
If you’ve always dreamed of playing a Martin but are hesitant to pay loads for their full-size dreadnoughts, the LXK2 is a great option.
#5 Taylor Baby Taylor BTe-Koa Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Solid Koa
Body – Koa
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – West African Crelicam Ebony
Electronics – Taylor ES-B pickup + preamp combo
Pros
Behind-the-saddle piezo picks up more tonal nuances than under saddle designs
Bright, plucky tone
Taylor branded quality
Cons
Tone can be too bright for picks at first, mellows with time
Review
If you’ve done any research into small acoustic guitars, you’ll know that Taylor’s Baby series is one of the highest ranked names in the game.
Taylor assures high quality in each of its instruments and remains one of the most sought after brands of our time thanks to the attention to detail and superior craftsmanship inherent in all of their models.
We’ve talked about the Taylor Baby guitars in other reviews, but this was our first time checking out the Taylor Baby Koa.
Koa is a wood you might know from traditional Hawaiian ukuleles and is not a very common guitar tonewood. Its main flaw is that in new instruments it can be extremely bright sounding.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you love a bright sounding instrument, but for a common acoustic tone it’s a bit of an outlier. Fortunately, koa “breaks in” over time, meaning as it ages it becomes more mellow and warm sounding but retains its punch and clarity.
The Taylor BTe-Koa is great for small hands in that it’s all around a small guitar but carries a big, professional voice that you can play anywhere from at-home to plugged-in on the stage to meet all your musical needs.
We’ve got a full breakdown of the Little Martin vs. the Baby Taylor here.
#4 Yamaha JR1 FG Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Spruce
Body – Locally sourced tonewood
Neck – Locally sourced tonewood
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Pros
The smaller version of Yamaha’s famed FG series
Clear, rich tones
Small scale and great playability
Cons
Laminate top and unknown back and sides wood make overall tone variably inconsistent with each model
Review
We love Yamaha’s FG series and were happy to try out the mini version with the JR1.
The Yamaha JR1 FG keeps all the perks of great playability and good tone that we love about the full-size FG series, while reducing the body and scale size to provide an acoustic that is great for small-handed players.
If you’ve played a Yamaha, you know that they keep their acoustics traditional, with a tone that sits slightly above average overall but is well-balanced and immensely enjoyable to riff in.
It’s bright, clear, and well articulated, and Yamaha’s scientifically designed bracing pattern maintains a solid response and decent volume for a small-sized guitar.
The JR1 FG makes a great travel instrument, a perfect student guitar, and an exceptionally well-designed affordable model for any player with small hands looking for their first instrument.
#3 Yamaha APXT2 Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Spruce
Body – Locally sourced tonewood
Neck – Locally sourced tonewood
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – System 68 preamp + ART 1-way pickup
Pros
Slim neck profile for fast, fun playing
Smooth cutaway for easy upper fret access
Yamaha’s cutting edge acoustic electronics
Cons
Laminate top reduces tonal purity
Review
Yamaha’s APXT2 is their ¾ sized edition of the popular APX500II model.
It features an extra-slim neck that is great for players with small hands or anyone who enjoys a faster acoustic neck.
With simple but powerful and clear-sounding electronic capabilities and a smooth cutaway, you can plug in and practice upper range arpeggios with no problem.
Unfortunately, the APXT2 is made with a laminate top and unknown back and sides wood, so while it still sounds alright, it lacks the premium tone of higher end Yamaha acoustics.
Despite the tonewood choices, it’s still one of my favorite smaller acoustics thanks to its great playability and comfortable design.
#2 Ovation Celebrity Standard CS28P-RG Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Laminate Quilted Maple
Body – Lyrachord
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Ovangkol
Electronics – OP-4CT preamp + CP-100 pickup
Pros
Ultra-slim neck and shallow body for maximum playing comfort
Full-size acoustic with crisp, highly articulated tones
Upper end Ovation electronics
Cons
Rounded Lyrachord body may be an unusual feel for some players
Review
The first guitar I became familiar with was an Ovation, and I’ve remained a big fan of theirs 16 years later.
I first played acoustic to prove to my parents that I had the dedication to learn an instrument so that they would buy me an electric, so I practiced rock solos and heavy metal arpeggios for hours on this Ovation.
You might think that sounds tiresome, but thanks to Ovation’s super slim neck profile and staggeringly low action, I was able to pull off arpeggios that would be impossible on most other acoustics.
Players with small hands will immediately notice the difference in playing an Ovation, as their necks are slim, with a narrow nut width, reduced string spacing, and an overall feel of an electric guitar.
The Celebrity Standard Classic has all these features and a beautiful look to top it off. Its maple and Lyrachord body form a tone that is overall heavy in the high end, but with enough bass to make rhythm work sound like a semi-chorus filled dream.
You’ll have to get used to the unusual body design, as the convex back of this guitar doesn’t sit in the lap like standard dreadnoughts. But, once you plug in and see how good it sounds thanks to the optimum design and high quality pickup + preamp combo, you’ll be more than happy to learn to adjust to the necessary posture changes.
#1 Fender Redondo Classic Check On Amazon >>
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Specs
Top – Solid Sitka Spruce
Body – Solid Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Pau Ferro
Electronics – Fender/Fishman pickup + preamp combo
Pros
All solid wood for sonic superiority
SlimTaper “C” neck profile for electric guitar playing feel
High quality Fender design
Cons
None
Review
I saved the best for last and now am pleased to introduce you to the Redondo Classic from Fender’s California series of acoustic guitars.
You’ll notice right away that this is an unusual acoustic, but in all the right ways.
Its body is designed for ultimate comfort and reduction of playing fatigue, using a slope-shouldered shape and gently curving cutaway that tops most other acoustic models in total posture support.
You’ve come looking for guitars for small hands, and you can’t get any better in a full-sized acoustic than the Redondo Classic.
Its neck is similar to those found on Stratocasters, with a vintage SlimTaper profile that gives you enough support for hours of chording but a narrow enough radius that you can solo the night away.
The all-solid wood construction gives you the purest, richest tones, and its quartersawn scalloped X bracing pattern maximizes volume and durability.
If you want a guitar for small hands that’s still big in voice and volume, the Fender Redondo Classic is the best choice available today.
Buyer’s Guide
Who Should Buy an Acoustic Guitar for Small Hands?
If you’ve tried playing a full-sized acoustic but easily tire from painful stretching and suffer from frequent hand and finger cramps, a guitar for small hands could solve your problems.
These guitars are great for petite people, whether they be women, children, or just smaller-framed guys.
You might think the best option is to struggle with a full-size acoustic for the rest of your musical journey, but you have options and there’s no need to put yourself through an unpleasant experience when you can buy a guitar that is sized to meet your needs.
Want to see some guitars we think are specifically good for girls? Take a look here.
What Makes a Guitar Good for Small Hands?
There are a few factors at play in these guitars — nut width, scale length, and fingerboard radius.
The nut width is the measurement of the guitar’s nut, the horizontal bar at the top of the neck that controls string spacing.
The narrower the nut, the closer the strings, and the less you need to stretch your fingers in order to form chords.
Scale length is the distance between the nut and the saddle.
The shorter the scale length, the closer the distance between frets, and the less you need to stretch to play complicated riffs or chords that span several frets.
Fingerboard radius refers to the profile of the neck, or how much it curves and at what angle. Larger radiuses require more of the palm of your hand against the back of the neck, while smaller radiuses allow more reach around. You can learn more about fingerboard radius from this article by Sweetwater.
Each of these guitars has been chosen by a combination of these attributes, and are all generally smaller than full-sized guitars in each area, making them the better choice for players whose hands feel overwhelmed by standard-sized acoustics.
Can People with Small Hands Play Full-Size Acoustics?
I’m a firm believer that nothing is impossible, and that if you’re determined enough you can do anything you set your mind to.
Sure, people with small hands can play standard acoustics, but when the option is available to buy a guitar of comparable tone and quality with a size that is more comfortable, I think you should take the smaller choice.
My hands are about average, and I can play a standard neck with no real problem. However, I often opt for these smaller guitars because they feel more fun and don’t require me to overexert myself for huge stretches.
I can play faster and with less effort on smaller acoustics, so I always try to get guitars with slim necks.
If for whatever reason you’re determined to play a full-size acoustic but have small hands, my advice is to take it slow, do proper warm-up exercises, and take a break if you start to feel a lot of pain or cramping.
Are you a beginner looking for a standard sized acoustic? We’ve got you covered in this list.
Can These Guitars Be Upgraded?
For most of these guitars, there’s not a lot of upgrading that can or should be done.
All except the Hola! Music HG-36N come with solid tuning machines, so there’s no need to upgrade the tuners except for on this model if you find that it keeps coming out of tune.
The main way that most acoustics can be improved is by upgrading or adding a high-quality electronics system. This can really boost your musical experience, allowing you to play with effects or increasing the quality of your sound on-stage and in-studio.
This article describes the different types of acoustic pickups you can choose from, detailing the benefits of each variety.
Are These Guitars Good for Children?
If you’re shopping for your kid’s first guitar, I would recommend any of the ¾ sized models listed here.
Children who have expressed a huge interest in playing music might be worth the investment in one of the higher end guitars such as the Baby Taylor or the Little Martin.
If you think there’s a chance they’ll soon become disinterested in this new hobby, don’t spend too much, and opt instead for something like the Hola! Music model.
The larger acoustics in this list, such as the Ovation or the Fender, have body sizes that will be too big for children younger than, let’s say, 11 years old. So for your younger and smaller kids, keep the guitar in the proper size category and get one of the ¾ sized models.
We’ve got a full review of great kid’s guitars you can check out here.
The Final Word
I love a good short scale, slim neck acoustic, and have had a great time reviewing the models in this list.
They’re all super fun to play, and most of them sound exceptionally good for guitars in this category.
If you’re tired of hurting yourself trying to hit those Satriani-style chords on a standard dreadnought, do yourself a favor and really consider getting a guitar that’s made to suit your size.
And don’t forget, there are plenty of good electric guitars for small hands, with the best models reviewed by us here.
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The Best Electric Guitars Under $100
There can be a slew of reasons that brought you to look at this list of the best electric guitars under $100, and I’ve kept those in mind while compiling my favorites.
You might be an experienced guitarist of the acoustic variety who’s looking to try your hand at electric guitar without investing too much in an instrument you won’t want.
Or perhaps you’re on the first leg of a tour and your guitars were stolen and now you’ve gotta jump on stage tonight with the cheapest axe you can buy so you can get the gas money you need to head on to Dallas.
Or maybe you’re a total beginner with a shoestring budget who just really wants to shred as soon as you possibly can.
It’s probably this, or you’re a parent looking to get your kid started with an inexpensive musical hobby.
Whatever the reason, I’m sure you’ll love these great electric guitars under $100, because I’ve only picked the best for your playing pleasure.
Our Recommendation
I’ve gotta warn you, at this price point you won’t find many name brand guitars. This list, in fact, contains one brand you will be familiar with, which is Peavey, coming in at number two.
The rest I have ranked according to sound, construction, features, and playability, and they are all from completely under the radar manufacturers.
But, just because these guitars are from unknown brands doesn’t mean they’re not worth the hundred bucks it’ll cost to bring one home.
In a pinch, or as an extremely thrifty purchase, you’ll definitely be getting your money’s worth from any of these following five.
The most unknown, thus taking last place, is the Burning Fire Style electric guitar. It looks really cool, but the pickups are a bit crackly when you turn the volume knob and I can’t say how solidly it’s put together.
In our number one spot is a really great starter pack from RockJam. This bundle includes a fun to play double cutaway electric, an amp, a gig bag, and more; basically everything you need to rock right out of the box.
The Top 5 Best Electric Guitars Under $100 – Overview
#5 (No Brand) Burning Fire Style Electric
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3.5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Basswood
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – Dual brandless humbuckers + middle position brandless single coil
Pros
Cool body style similar to B.C. Rich Warlock
3 total pickups with master tone control and 5-way selector switch
Available in 6 different finishes
Cons
No branding whatsoever — who makes this thing?!
Sounds like some loose wiring going on
Review
If I were ranking these guitars solely on looks, this electric would take the number one spot because I like guitars that look “metal”.
It’s called the Burning Flame Style electric guitar, and it’s made somewhere in China by some unknown manufacturer.
Whoever it was did a good job of putting together a pretty cool super budget instrument.
It’s got 24 frets, sawtooth fret markers, a whammy bar, and a few different pickups, and all in all it sounds pretty decent.
Its specs list the body as basswood and the neck as maple with a rosewood fingerboard, but honestly, we can’t know for sure if that’s right. Judging by the lightness of the body, I’d say basswood isn’t too far off from true, and the fretboard looks like rosewood but I have a hard time believing that quality of wood would go on a guitar so inexpensive.
Whatever the woods, it plays nice and fast and doesn’t sound half-bad either.
My only real issue with this model is that when you turn the knobs, at least on the one I checked out, there’s a bit of pop and crackle type sounds, a problem usually attributable to some loosely soldered wire connections in the guts.
I had this issue with a $700 Traben bass, and all it took was a trip to the guitar tech to have it fixed. So, if you love the looks of this electric, considering that you’re paying less than $100 for it you can probably take it to have this issue remedied.
#4 Best Choice Products Beginner Guitar Starter Kit
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4/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Hardwood
Neck – Hardwood
Fingerboard – Hardwood
Electronics – 3x brandless single-coil pickups
Pros
A great starter kit with everything you need to start jamming
Wammy bar for extra playing fun
Decent sounding double cutaway guitar
Cons
No information available on tonewoods used
Review
Starting with this guitar, we at least know who makes them.
But, we run into another unknown with this Best Choice Products electric… they list the materials simply as “hardwood.”
This can be practically anything, but I’d assume basswood based on how lightweight it is and the overall tone.
Speaking of tone, it’s really not bad for such a cheap guitar. It’s by no means a show stopper, (or show starter for that matter) but for inexperienced players just looking to practice and have fun, it’s got all the tone you need.
Its body is in the shape of a classic Fender, with double cutaways so you can shred all the way up the neck, and no matter what range you play in it sounds evenly balanced.
The real selling point of this guitar is that it’s included in a comprehensive starter kit that includes a 10 watt amp, an instrument cable, a pick, a whammy bar, a guitar strap, an extra set of strings, and a gig bag!
This would make a great gift for anyone who’s expressed interest in playing electric, or to start yourself off if you think this is where your passion lies but don’t have a ton of extra money to spend on a new hobby.
#3 Jameson RWGT280
Body – Solid Wood
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Maple
Electronics – Brandless humbucker
Check Price
Pros
Maple neck and fretboard for snappy sounding chords and riffs
Comes with a bonus instrument cable and guitar picks
Cool looking headstock
Cons
Only one pickup
Unknown body wood
Review
This 280 Series electric is the first guitar I’ve ever seen with only one pickup, and to be honest, it looks really strange.
But, once you get over the initial shock of seeing what looks like a mutilated electric, it’s a fairly good beginner guitar.
We have a little more information about what this guitar’s made of but still don’t know what the heck its body wood is. To keep the pattern going, let’s say basswood again.
Its neck and fingerboard are both made of maple, the same wood which gives Telecasters their spank, and helps this budget friendly axe along with its own bit of snappy spankiness.
One humbucker isn’t going to do a lot for you in terms of tone, but at least this one works with no loose sounding connections. It puts out a fair amount of chunk, but certainly isn’t powerful enough for any kind of performances.
As an added bonus with the Jameson RWGT280, you get an instrument cable and some guitar picks.
If you’re just starting out and you already have a bunch of picks, you might be thinking this isn’t much of a bonus. But, trust me, guitar picks are like socks, and in no time you’ll be wondering where they all disappeared to.
So to wrap this one up, sure, it’s only got one weird looking pickup, but it plays smooth with good action, its intonation is fine, its sound is good enough to get you through your practice years, and it’s a nice looking black double cutaway whose only appearance problem is the aforementioned lack of a second pickup.
#2 Peavey Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3/4 Rockmaster
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5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Basswood
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – Single Peavey humbucker
Pros
3/4 sized great for kids or small players
Radical Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles finish
Trusted quality from a well-known brand
Cons
Only one pickup, again!
TMNT theme not for everyone
Review
Now, finally, we have an addition from a brand we all know and love.
Peavey has a long history of innovation and invention which you can read about on their website. They make great guitars, they make great amps, and they make great pickups.
It’s just too bad that they only included one pickup in this electric.
So now I’ve seen two guitars with only one pickup, and… it still throws me off.
However, this Peavey humbucker is a couple magnitudes more powerful than that in the Jameson model, and actually gives enough tone to make me feel like I can pop into some decent metal riffs.
Like most Peavey guitars, this 3/4 size RockMaster has a super fast to play, slim neck profile, and if you have nothing against the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it looks darn cool.
This is a great guitar for kids, especially those who love the infamous fighting tortoises, and with only one humbucker you won’t have to worry about your child rattling the windows of your house when they practice.
#1 RockJam Electric Guitar Starter Pack
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5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Basswood
Neck – unknown
Fingerboard – unknown
Electronics – 3x brandless single-coil pickups
Pros
Awesome starter pack to get you rocking right away
Whammy bar for Hendrix-style riffs and licks
Available in several different finishes
Cons
Unknown neck and fretboard material
Review
Wrapping up this list of the best electric guitars under $100, we’ve got the RockJam Full Size Six String.
RockJam, this is a totally unknown brand to me, but I was impressed by this guitar’s sound and playability.
Like most guitars in this category, it’s got a standard Fender-esque double cutaway body, which we know is made of basswood.
It has 22 frets, but unfortunately I can’t tell you what the neck and fingerboard are made of. It sounds a bit like maple and plays like rosewood, so let’s assume it’s that and move on.
In terms of playability, this guitar is super fun to jam on. It feels solid, has a slim neck that’s just wide enough to make chording a breeze, and feels smooth and agile beneath my fingers.
There are three single coil pickups controlled by two tone controls and a 5-way selector switch, so you actually have a surprising amount of control over your sound.
The bridge isn’t locking or anything to hold your tuning stability, but if you’re willing to re-tune every once in a while you can have a great time with the included whammy bar, especially if you learn these tricks detailed by Guitar World Magazine.
Now to the real reason this guitar is number one; it’s part of a starter pack! This means you get the nice guitar, an amp, a strap, a cable, picks, truss rod tools, extra strings, and a gig bag, all for less than $100.
It’s available in blue, red, sunburst, and more finishes, so if you’re buying it as a gift you can order to suit your recipient’s favorite color.
This is a great buy for music teachers looking for an additional student guitar, for hesitant beginners unsure of their true creative passions, or for parents who want to give their kids a chance to rock!
Buyer’s Guide – How To Buy a Decent Electric Guitar Under $100
What Should I Look for in an Electric Guitar Under $100?
Now, we have to be honest with ourselves here. You can’t expect too much from a guitar that sells for under $100.
That means don’t be disappointed that there aren’t a lot of big brand names on this list. You can find those easily in guitars that sell for under $200, but under $100 is a special price point that only select budget manufacturers cater to.
In an electric guitar for under $100, you should expect decent, if not perfect intonation, and playability that functions up and down the neck. Look for dead frets or excessive buzzing. These things can all be fixed, but will bring your price by another $50-$100 or so.
Tone-wise, there’s not a ton to say. Will they sound good? Sure! Will they sound great? Absolutely not.
They key to an electric guitar’s tone, besides its tonewoods, are the pickups, and all of these guitars have extremely cheap pickups. They’re not horrible, and they work like a basic pickup should, but you’re not going to get loads of clarity or power from any of these guitars.
Just be aware of what you’re buying in this price range, which is, simply stated, a guitar specifically made for beginners.
Is It Worth Buying a Guitar in this Price Range?
If all you have is $100 and you desperately want to play guitar, then yes, it’s worth buying a guitar in this price range.
If you’ve got a kid who seems interested in playing music but you’re not sure if it’s a hobby they’ll stick with, yes, it’s worth buying a guitar for $100.
If for some reason you need a last minute emergency electric, then yes, it’s worth buying a guitar for less than a Benjamin.
However, if you’ve got the extra money to spend, I would definitely recommend looking at some higher priced models. These electrics for under $100 are very basic in every way, and while they’re fine for practicing and learning, there’s not much else they can do.
So, assuming you’ve reached this point and do indeed have more than $100 to spend on an instrument, take a look at our reviews of the best electric guitars under $200 and under $300.
Who Are Electric Guitars Under $100 Good For?
Probably the best use of these electric guitars is to give them as gifts to those who have mentioned how they’d love to learn to play. Got a classic rock fan in your life? Give them a guitar and see how happy they become.
For most very young children, all but the Peavey on this list will probably be too big to play. That’s why we’ve written this review of the the best electric guitars for small hands.
And if your daughter isn’t into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, we have a selection she might love in this list of great girls’ guitars.
As far as this list is concerned, teenage to adult beginners who are on a tight budget can find years of enjoyment in any of these models, but those looking for something they can head off to shows with should probably check out our review of the best electrics under $500.
What Are Electric Guitars Under $100 Good For?
These guitars are great for practicing and learning the foundational guitar skills.
Outside of that, they’re good for movie props, for gifts, and for smashing on stage in lieu of your $1000 Stratocaster.
Aside from these things, I can’t recommend electric guitars under $100 for much else.
If you’re looking for a guitar you can hop on stage with, these really won’t cut it. Despite a few of them having not one, not two, but three pickups, the electronics are low quality, the woods are substandard, and tuning stability is next to nil.
If you’re looking for a good performance guitar, we’ve got you covered. We’ve written reviews of the best guitars for playing in church (or church-sized shows) and for playing the blues on or off stage. And, if you can’t find what you’re looking for in either of those articles, check out our best value electric guitars here.
The Final Word
So, there it is, the top-rated electric guitars under $100. Your choices range from unbranded B.C. Rich style metal axes to Fender look-alikes in convenient combo packs.
Most guitars in this list are comparable to one another, with the Peavey being the real brand name stand out, so you can’t really go wrong with any of the choices.
And if you get it and realize you did in fact make a bad choice, you won’t have to stress too much knowing you’ve just spent less than $100 on a new electric guitar that you can re-sell, re-gift, or recycle into some trendy modern art.
Have fun!
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Best Semi Hollow Body Electric Guitars Reviews
Semi-hollow body electric guitars are versatile instruments that you can play in a huge range of genres.
If you want to rock out hard and heavy, they deliver deeply resonant tones with plenty of low end oomph to make your hair stand up.
If you’re more of a softy, they can produce beautiful clean tones bordering on acoustic aesthetic that will make your soul soar.
And if you’re somewhere in the middle or looking to try your hand at every genre, semi hollow guitars are tonally balanced in a way that lets them fit nicely in nearly every musical style.
We’ve tried out the best of the best on the market to bring you this list of some of the greatest semi hollow guitars around.
For this list, I’m keeping things around my own budget, which as a man of rather average means, should encompass the price range that the typical player will find reasonable for a guitar of good quality.
Our Recommendation
You’ll see in the last and #7 spot the Dean Boca 12-string. It hits all the quality markers of a good semi hollow, but is too susceptible to warping and feedback to rank any higher on this list of the best.
Awarded the win, the best of the best semi hollows, is the Gretsch G2662T Streamliner.
We’ve raved on this guitar before, and personally I rave on Gretsch guitars a lot, because they’re solid, dependable, sound great, and are true classics in the semi hollow category.
The Top 7 Best Semi Hollow Body Electric Guitars – Overview
#7 Dean Boca 12-String
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4/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Mahogany with Flamed Maple top
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Jatoba
Electronics – Dual DMT Design humbuckers
Pros
Beautiful Flamed Maple top adds brightness to the warm tone
12 strings for extreme chorus effect
Dependable Dean electronics
Cons
Can easily warp if kept in poor storage conditions
Review
This is the first 12 string semi hollow electric I’ve seen, and Dean did a great job of putting it together.
This Boca 12 String is an absolutely beautiful guitar, both in appearance and in tone, and it’s one I’d be happy to call my own.
12 strings on a semi hollow body guitar is rather unusual, and for good reason. Semi hollow electrics are often heavy in harmonics and overtones, and can be subject to feedback when played at high volumes.
In the Boca 12, the over-abundance of overtones is somewhat dampened by the maple neck, which is also the best would they could have chosen to prevent warping caused by the tension of 12 strings.
The DMT Design humbuckers do a good job of tamping down unwanted buzz and feedback, but you can still have a problem if you play at full volume.
Its mahogany body does what mahogany does, which is present a warm, earthy tone that is heavy in the bass and low midrange. If it weren’t for the maple, the subtleties of the 12 strings would be almost completely ignored, but this neck material brings out just enough brightness that you can value this guitar for what it was made for.
The Dean Boca 12 is great for blues and jazz, and can even hold up pretty well in some hard rock scenarios. However, I much prefer its tone clean over distored.
Despite having the hard, dense maple neck, you’ll still need to be careful about how you store this guitar, as 12 strings put excessive tension on the neck and can cause it to warp badly if subjected to high levels of humidity.
#6 Squier Affinity Starcaster
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4/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Maple
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Maple
Electronics – Dual Squier Standard humbuckers
Pros
Bright, crystalline tone
Dual humbuckers cut down on the treble of the all-maple build
Comfortably contoured body shape
Cons
Overabundant high range
Review
Another unusual semi hollow body electric, we’re following up with the Squier Affinity Series Starcaster.
This is a really unique looking semi hollow guitar, following the body shape of the original 1976 Fender Starcasters and looking like a Stratocaster molded by Salvador Dali.
It’s an all-maple guitar, which in most cases would yield a tone that I find too flat and lacking in the low end. However, thanks to its semi hollow build and dual humbuckers, the low and mid ranges are boosted just enough to keep up with the glassy highs produced by maple.
Its pickups are the Squier Standard humbuckers, which are nothing special but do a good job of cutting back the buzz and putting forth a tone with enough power to let you rock out in most genres.
I’d recommend this guitar especially for jazz, as its clean tone is super articulate and there aren’t a lot of overtones. Overdriven, it can sound a bit harsh, but with a little bit of distortion it performs well.
If you upgrade the pickups in the Squier Starcaster, you can have a really nice and interesting semi hollow electric in your collection. Otherwise, you have a decent guitar for practicing your chops.
#5 Epiphone ES-335 PRO
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4.25/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Maple
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – Dual Alnico Classic Pro
Pros
Vintage looks and tones in a modern re-issue
Classic ES sound nicely replicated by Alnico Classic Pro humbuckers
Gibson style SlimTaper “D” neck for fast licks and firm chords
Cons
Wiring can become loose if jolted too hard
Review
Gibson debuted the original ES back in the 1950s, and now Epiphone has crafted this modern remake to bring you a vintage sound at an affordable price. You can hear a full history of this famous Gibson model here.
The ES-335 PRO is so close to the original Gibson that it’s amazing they sell it at such a low cost.
The woods are virtually identical, with a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard set in to a maple body with a maple center block.
Sound-wise, this tonewood combo exudes great balance in every range, with poppy highs and cool lows and a middle range that sinks just low enough for vocals to fill the scoop.
It has two humbuckers designed in the same fashion as those that appeared in Gibson’s original ES-335, sending forth a tone that is reminiscent of classic rock and mid-century blues hits.
The Epiphone ES-335 PRO could be a near-perfect semi-hollow guitar if it were more dependably soldered. Unfortunately, due to Epiphone’s streamlined production process, the wires in the pickups are often easily bumped loose, causing crackle and static and sometimes entire loss of sound.
A quick trip to the guitar tech can remedy this issue should it arise, but as long as you take care not to knock your guitar too hard on anything (no smashing over heads), this shouldn’t be much of a problem.
#4 D’Angelico Premier SS
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4.25/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Maple
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Ovangkol
Electronics – Neck: Seymour Duncan HB-102N humbucker Bridge: Seymour Duncan HB-101B humbucker
Pros
High quality humbuckers deliver powerful semi-hollow tone
Comfortable C-shaped neck
All-maple build for highly articulated riffs and chords
Cons
Unconventional ovangkol fretboard
Review
This guitar is more on the expensive side for this list, but that’s due to the great pickups it comes with.
The D’Angelico Premier SS is a semi hollow electric in an all-maple build, similar to the Squier we looked at earlier.
If it weren’t for its pickups, it wouldn’t be on this list at all, but these are high quality Seymour Duncan humbuckers that perfectly transmit the guitar’s vibrations.
Since it is completely maple, you don’t get a lot of low end depth, but there’s enough resonance from the hollow wings that it doesn’t sound too tinny and sterile.
It’s a great jazz guitar, and if your amp has enough boost to fill out your low end it can do well in rock genres as well.
It would be a place or two higher in this review had D’Angelico opted for a higher quality fingerboard. There’s nothing particularly wrong with ovangkol, but I much prefer the smoothness of rosewood or the responsiveness of ebony over the rather standard feel of this wood.
If there’s no chance you’ll upgrade your pickups at any time and you have the cash, this is probably the best choice for you.
#3 Hagstrom VIK-SHB Viking
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4.75/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Maple
Neck – Canadian Hard Maple
Fingerboard – Resinator
Electronics – Dual Hagstrom HJ-50 humbuckers
Pros
Great tone at an affordable price
Dependable construction for years of playing pleasure
Versatile for many genres
Cons
Synthetic fingerboard material
Review
I have to start this review by saying I don’t know what Hagstrom’s secret is. Theoretically, this should be lower on the list, as I’m not super fond of all maple guitars or synthetic materials.
However, the Hagstrom Viking is an amazing sounding, super fun to play semi hollow body.
It’s probably their pickups, which though not a well-known brand, are bold and punchy without being over the top in hotness.
Hagstrom started as an accordion manufacturer, which isn’t exactly a skill I’d think would transfer to guitar craftsmanship, but whatever it is, they do a great job.
The VIK-SHB is the first guitar on this list I’d recommend for any genre. It’s not too bright, it’s not too warm; it’s in the Goldilocks zone of semi-hollow perfection.
You can crank the gain to max and play metal, or keep it clean for super funky progressions, or go somewhere in the middle for rockabilly and blues.
I had a hard time moving on from this guitar, and am seriously thinking of adding it to my personal collection.
#2 Ibanez Artcore AS53TKF
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4.75/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Sapele
Neck – Nyatoh
Fingerboard – Laurel
Electronics – Dual Infinity R Ceramic humbuckers
Pros
Unbeatable price for a quality semi hollow electric
Infinity R humbuckers good enough for small shows
Fast playing Ibanez neck profile
Cons
No traditional tonewoods
Review
Mostly, the Ibanez AS53 is in the number 2 spot for its price, which is about the lowest I’ve seen for a decent semi hollow body electric guitar.
I surprised myself by liking this guitar as much as I did. Normally, when I see that a guitar is made entirely from non-standard tonewoods, I won’t even consider it for a best of list. But, Ibanez is a big name with a lot of experience in making high quality low cost instruments, so I gave the AS53 a closer look.
In an acoustic, sapele is a fine enough wood for the back and sides, but I wouldn’t want it as my top wood. With the AS53, it’s a bit different, and seems to really put out a nice, complex tone.
It’s not a huge sounding guitar, but it does have enough force and proud enough voice that I’d play it at small gigs.
For practicing in home, yes, it’s a perfect little semi hollow. It has an undersized body which is really comfortable to hold, and a Ibanez custom Artcore AS neck profile that is sleek, slim, and speedy to play on.
Although its pickups aren’t remarkable, they’re not bad either, and I could see myself having a great time owning the Ibanez AS53.
#1 Gretsch G2622T Streamliner
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5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Maple
Neck – Nato
Fingerboard – Laurel
Electronics – BroadTron BT-2S humbuckers
Pros
Great traditional sound
High-standard Gretsch design
Bigsby vibrato tailpiece for funky tonal warping
Cons
None
Review
This isn’t the first time that we’ve awarded Gretsch first place. This same guitar is also the number 1 spot in our review of the best semi hollow body guitars for the money.
If this wasn’t a list trying to keep things within a moderate budget, most of the top spots would go to various Gretsch models, as there’s hardly any competition for them when it comes to top quality semi hollow body guitars. They’re simply one of the best, with several decades of expertise in this category.
In the Gretsch G2622T Streamliner, this expertise is apparent in the pairing of a treble-rich maple body with the warming properties of a nato neck, topped up with Gretsch’s house-brand BroadTron humbucking pickups.
The resulting tone is super versatile and can be used in blues, jazz, rock, country, pop, funk… you name it, you can probably manage it with the G2622T.
It’s the only guitar in this review with a vibrato tailpiece, which is really a shame. More semi hollow guitars should have this feature, because a little whammy goes a long way to having a fun, experimental jam session. You can just get a lot more out of your sound with this addition. It’s one of the main reasons this Gretsch is our winner in this list.
The BroadTron pickups are no joke. They’re hot, but not too hot, and really pronounce the resonance of this semi hollow with perfect boost and clarity.
It’s a joy to play, and sounds great clean or distorted.
So, once again Gretsch, my hat’s off to you for beating out the rest in the semi hollow body electric guitar category.
For more of this great brand, check out our full review of the Gretsch G5420T.
Buyer’s Guide
What Are Semi Hollow Body Electric Guitars Good For?
For the most part, these are great guitars for jazz and blues. They’re earthy sounding instruments, with a lot of resonance due to the hollow wings and usually a fairly prominent mid range.
Clean, their applications extend in just about every musical direction. You can hear them in country, pop, bluegrass, folk, jazz, blues, rockabilly, rock’n’roll, and so on and so forth.
Distorted, they make exceptional guitars for jam bands, dirty blues, rockabilly, and rock from hard to soft.
You can see them played by a wide array of artists, from Lady Gaga to Paul McCartney to Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys.
They’re extremely versatile, and probably the only exception to their capabilities is heavy metal. Though, if you’re daring, you might even venture into this territory with a semi hollow body electric guitar.
Who Should Buy a Semi Hollow Body Electric Guitar?
Normally, I’d say these are best for players with at least a little bit of experience.
If you’re just starting out, I’d recommend you think about what you want to play more, acoustic or electric, then pick one and get good at it.
Semi hollow body electric guitars have a more niche kind of sound and artist following, and are best if you really know what tone you’re aiming for.
This is hard to be sure of when you’re just beginning to play, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll vacillate over the first couple years between wanting to be the heaviest metalhead that’s ever been to only wanting to play beautiful fingerpicked folk progressions.
If you do have experience, semi hollow body guitars are great for blues and jazz, considered maybe to be the best guitar for these genres. They fit nicely into the mix of these types of bands, and are only the dominant voice when you want them to be.
Want to know some other great guitars for blues? We’ve got you covered in this review.
Of course, I can’t tell you not to buy one if you’re a beginner, but I truly think you’d be better off learning the basics on a guitar that swings either full hollow or solid body.
What’s the Difference Between a Semi Hollow Body and a Hollow Body?
In tone, semi hollow body electric guitars are less resonant than full hollow body guitars and offer less in the way of overtones and harmonics. They’re a more “closed” sound, more similar to solid body electrics than to acoustics.
Hollow body guitars have a more “open” sound, being much more resonant, more full of harmonics and overtones, and so similar to acoustics that they are often called semi-acoustic guitars.
These differences are attributable to their variations in construction.
A hollow body electric guitar started simply as an acoustic guitar with a pickup added. Over the years they became a category all their own, with slimmer body profiles, f-holes rather than round sound holes, different bracing patterns, and different choice tonewoods.
Today, they stand apart as a separate type of guitar altogether and are used largely in country-style music genres.
Semi hollow body electric guitars were designed to decrease the issue of feedback that is inherent with full hollow body guitars. They are usually constructed with a solid center block attached to two hollow wings.
Sometimes, they are simply solid body guitars that have had some of their wood routed out and covered with a solid top, giving them the appearance of a solid body electric while actually being semi hollow.
This semi hollow construction reduces feedback, while at the same time reducing resonance. They are often much slimmer than hollow body guitars, and can weigh a bit more due to this solid center block.
Interested to learn more about hollow body guitars? Check out our review of some great hollow bodies here.
What’s the Difference Between a Semi Hollow Body Electric and a Solid Body Guitar?
This question’s answer is basically in the asking.
A semi hollow body electric guitar is very similar to a solid body electric guitar; it just has less wood in certain spots.
Sometimes, they can look identical. This is the case if the semi hollow body guitar is of the type that has wood routed from its body and then covered with a solid top. It creates the appearance of a solid body guitar, while having less weight and more resonance than a solid body electric.
Solid body guitars, on the other hand, are exactly what they sound like. Their body is a solid piece of wood, with no air pockets, no holes for resonance, no gaps and spaces in which air can vibrate. Their sound is the most “closed”, and unamplified you’ll get almost no tone from them.
Solid body guitars can do a lot of the same as semi hollow electrics, but are less well-suited for genres that favor a resonant guitar tone such as country, blues, and jazz.
Solid body sounding more like your style? We’ve reviewed the best value electric guitars here.
The Final Word
If you’ve made up your mind that a semi hollow body is the right choice for you, more power to you.
There are a lot of great options out there, and I’ve barely scratched the surface with these seven more affordable models.
If none of them really speak to you, keep searching, though you’ll have a hard time finding better models of comparable cost.
When we’re talking the best guitars, we have to take cost into mind and consider what the average player will be able and willing to spend.
This cost to quality ratio turns up some good choices, and I’m confident that from among those we have chosen the best semi hollow body electric guitars in production.
Whether you go with the all-traditional Gretsch or the modernized Dean 12-string, these are guitars of great quality that will bring you joy for as many years as you play guitar.
If semi hollow doesn’t sound like your thing, keep tuned in to us at BeginnerGuitar.pro for in-depth looks at the best of the best guitars.
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Best Affordable Acoustic Electric Guitars Under $200
I think you can’t do any better for a first instrument than an acoustic electric guitar.
Not only can you take them with you anywhere, but you can plug up into an amp and effects pedal for exponentially more tones to experiment with.
Believe it or not, there are some great affordable acoustic electric guitars under $200 that will be all you need to get started with this great versatile instrument.
We’ve put this list together to show you the best options of electro acoustics under $200, outlining all their specs, pros, and cons, with a review of their sound and playability so you can make the perfect choice for you.
Our Recommendation
For under $200, your options are admittedly limited, but there are still several good choices in beginners’ realm.
Probably the best deal available today is the Glen Burton GA204BCO Player’s Pack.
For just over $100 you get everything you need to start playing electro acoustic, including a decent guitar, a fresh set of strings, several guitar picks, a strap, a gig bag, a clip-on tuner, a truss rod tool, an instrument cable, and even a 10 Watt Amplifier.
At this price, you’ll probably still have money left over for a capo and a multi-effect pedal to really take your sound variety to the next level.
Coming in at last place is the Jameson Full Size Thinline.
It plays fine, but the spruce + nato tonewood combo leaves me wanting a lot more from the tone, and the model I played had a few frets that needed grinding — a big no-no in my book.
To find out more about the Jameson Thinline, the Glen Burton GA204BCO, and all the acoustic electrics in between, read on to see why these guitars made our list of the best electro acoustics under $200.
The 5 Best Acoustic Electric Guitars Under $200 – Overview
#5 Jameson Full Size Thinline
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3.5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Laminated Spruce
Body – Nato
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – Jameson design piezo pickup
Pros
Extremely affordable
Rosewood fingerboard for smooth playing
Thin body design for comfortable performances
Cons
Bottom-line pickups for below-average electric tone
Sharp fret edges need ground down
Review
You may have never heard of R.W. Jameson Guitars Company, and you’re not alone in this.
They’re not a very big name in music, unless you’re intimately familiar with the different exclusively budget-end brands.
Nonetheless, they make some pretty decent models, and their prices are low enough for musicians on the tightest budgets.
Their Thinline Acoustic Electric is a fine model if you’re really trying to save on costs, and although it’s not exactly stage-worthy, it’s a fun acoustic to have at home.
For those just starting out, the sound quality isn’t going to be noticeably substandard.
They use a laminated spruce top paired with nato back and sides for this model, which form a tone overall in line with what you can expect from a guitar in this price range.
Acoustic pickups come in several varieties, which you can read about here.
In this Jameson model, they use a piezo pickup mounted underneath the top.
It’s enough to transmit your acoustic tone through an amp, but not much else. It’s totally fine for playing at home, but it’s not a clean enough sound for me to recommend playing any shows with.
Jameson doesn’t go into great detail about their instruments’ specs and I didn’t bring my tape measure with me, so I can’t tell you the neck radius or body length
I can tell you that the body is about 3 inches deep, which is roughly 1.25 inches thinner than the average dreadnought. This is great for small bodied players or any beginner who feels that the standard acoustic is just a bit too big for them.
#4 Jasmine S34C NEX
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3.75/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Laminated Spruce
Body – Sapele
Neck – Nato
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – KMC Music CP-100 bridge plate piezo
Pros
Slim neck profile for fast, easy playability
Grand Concert body with cutaway for easy access to upper frets
Smaller contoured body shape great for small players
Cons
No EQ controls
Review
This is another affordable acoustic electric that is great for those with strict finances.
The Jasmine S34C NEX electro acoustic is a really nice guitar in all ways related to playing comfort.
It’s got a Grand Concert style body, a bit smaller than the traditional dreadnought, with smooth contours that allow it to sit very comfortably across your thigh.
They designed it with a slim neck profile that is much easier to grip chords on than the standard dreadnought neck, so beginners who are susceptible to playing fatigue can practice for extended periods of time.
Like most guitars at this price point, its pickup system is nothing special, but gets the job done for playing at home while affording a tone that won’t burn you out.
Unfortunately, the S34C NEX lacks any kind of tone or volume controls, so all of your EQ tweaks will have to be done on the amplifier.
Unplugged, it’s got a good tone that’s fairly balanced in the low to high ranges, but can sound a bit jangly in the upper reaches.
You’ve got a cutaway for easily playing in the upper frets, which is a feature you’ll really appreciate once you start learning to run advanced scales.
Price considered, I like this guitar a lot, but again wouldn’t feel comfortable playing it for a crowd.
#3 Washburn Classical Series C5CE
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4.25/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Laminated Spruce
Body – Catalpa
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Engineered Wood
Electronics – Barcus Berry EVT preamp + pickup
Pros
Nylon strings for soft playing feel
Smooth gloss finish for easy transitions up and down the neck
Cutaway classical body shape for comfort
Cons
No EQ, but does have an on-board volume control
Engineered wood fingerboard reduces responsiveness and clarity
Review
There aren’t many affordable electric classical guitars on the market, but Washburn is filling the void with their C5CE model.
In many ways, it’s a standard classical guitar, with a 52 mm nut width, a classical body shape and size, and of course nylon strings.
However, it shakes things up a little by having a cutaway, unconventional tonewoods, and a Barcus Berry preamp + pickup system.
With a spruce top and catalpa sides, you get a clear, crisp tone, with added warmth from the mahogany neck bringing it more in line with the traditional classical guitar tone.
As a cost-saving technique, Washburn has used a rather cheap fingerboard made of engineered wood, which is the most fatal flaw of this guitar in my opinion. I just really prefer my fretboards to be rosewood or ebony, and the engineered wood make of the S5CE doesn’t cut it for me in this area.
This guitar does have more pros than cons though, and its tone is pretty truly replicated through its EVT piezo pickup.
Would I play a show with this? Maybe not a true paying gig, but I’d hit an open mic for sure.
#2 Ibanez Talman TCY10E
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4.75/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Laminated Spruce
Body – Sapele
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Purpleheart
Electronics – Ibanez AEQ-2T preamp with Ibanez under saddle piezo pickup
Pros
Super cool double cutaway body design
2 band on-board EQ controls
Slim Ibanez neck design for quick riffs and fast licks
Cons
Weak high end, not much sustain
Review
Ibanez makes some killer guitars, and this is one of the best acoustic electrics you can get for under $200.
Known for their fast playing necks, they’ve created this Talman TCY10E with comfort and playability in mind, while giving you the best tone you can expect at this price range.
It’s still not going to rock anyone’s socks off, but for super small gigs and open mics, their spruce + sapele + mahogany tonewood combo is just fine.
Being primarily an electric guitar company, Ibanez really knows its electronics, so the under saddle piezo pickup in the Talman TCY10E is the best electronics setup we have on this list.
The TCY10E is a really unique looking electro acoustic, with a smooth double cutaway body that feels as cool as it looks.
This is my favorite guitar on this list, but when we take a look at everything included in the next model, you’ll probably understand why it had to take 2nd place.
#1 Glen Burton GA204BCO Player’s Pack
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5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Laminated Maple
Body – Basswood
Neck – Catalpa
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – Glen Burton Active 4 Band 7545 preamp + pickup
Pros
Decent tone, great price
Huge accessories bundle
Dependable electronics
Cons
Cheap tuning machines need an upgrade
Review
Now, this Glen Burton guitar on its own is basically comparable to the first two on the list, and would not have the number one spot if it weren’t for the range of accessories it comes with.
In particular, I’m won over by the 10 watt amp included in this bundle, as it can be hard to find an amplifier in this price range at all.
With the instrument cable, tuner, picks, and strap, you literally have everything you need to start using this acoustic electric to its full potential, and the price is so low that you can easily buy an effects pedal to really take you on the full ride.
Tone-wise, the GA204BCO is about the same as the Jasmine S34C, but a bit brighter thanks to its maple top. In a guitar in this price range, brighter can be a detriment because there’s not a lot to fill out the lower end, but the basswood body helps balance things out.
And if you still find yourself with too much treble, the onboard EQ can help you even out the mix.
If you’re a beginner with your heart set on an acoustic electric, I think this is your best bet for under $200. It’s great to get your package and start playing plugged in right away, and with the Glen Burton GA204BCO, that’s possible straight out of the box.
Buyer’s Guide
What Should I Look for in an Acoustic Electric Under $200?
At this price range, you can’t expect a lot of over-the-top features or super high quality construction.
They’re budget instruments for a reason, and the main thing you should be looking for is playability.
When buying any new instrument, the first thing you need to check for is that everything is undamaged and in working order.
That means to look it over for chips, scratches, dents, gashes… you get the idea.
If it’s free from these defects, just make sure it feels good to hold and play. If you’re just starting out, you probably can’t tell if it feels good to play because you don’t know how to play, so the most you can do is to make sure it’s not too big for you.
If it is too big, we’ve got this article on guitars for smaller players.
Tone-wise, you’re not going to get a lot out of an electro acoustic. Since manufacturers include pickups, they often opt for cost-cutting laminate tops — a sonic downgrade from solid tops.
So, just check to make sure all the frets work and there’s no horrible buzz. If there is a buzz, or if it’s not properly intoned, a guitar tech can set it up for you, or you can do this yourself if you’re feeling motivated. Acoustic Guitar Magazine has a great article explaining how to set up an acoustic guitar.
To sum it up, for under $200, you’ll get a guitar that sounds ok, but not great, and that may need a little work to get it in perfect playing condition, but should be free from any major problems.
Should I Buy an Acoustic Electric for Under $200?
You’ll have to understand that for under $200, your chances of finding a new guitar that is stage-ready are pretty slim.
There’s a standard of quality that you should bring to any live performance, and guitars in this price range usually don’t meet it.
Their sounds are too flat, lacking in harmonic and overtone complexity that people love to hear in an acoustic.
This doesn’t mean that these guitars are worthless.
If you’re only looking to spend $200 and below on a guitar, chances are you’re probably not trying to start gigging anytime soon.
As far as practice goes, you don’t need to impress anyone but yourself, and the tone on these instruments is totally acceptable for working on developing your skills.
This is a great price range for beginners or for intermediate players looking for a new travel guitar.
If acoustic electric is the instrument you’re set on getting, the under $200 category is fine for personal use, but you should probably look at our list of electro acoustics under $500 if you’re thinking of playing live.
What’s the Difference Between Acoustic and Electro Acoustic?
In general, the difference is that acoustic guitars don’t have any means of amplification except an external microphone, while electro acoustic guitars have a built-in pickup.
Most acoustic electrics have a cutaway, while this is a feature that acoustics may or may not have. There are exceptions of course, and you can find acoustic electrics that have the standard dreadnought non-cutaway body shape.
Specifically, in the under $200 range, the differences go just a bit further.
Non-electric acoustics under $200 have a pretty good chance of being constructed with solid tops, some of which you can read about in this review. There are, no doubt, many models out there with laminate wood tops, but more and more makers are starting to recognize that players prefer solid top acoustics, even at the under $200 budget.
In electro acoustics, things are a bit different. Because they’re made with pickups, manufacturers have to find another way to save on production costs, so it’s quite rare to find an acoustic electric guitar in this price range with a solid top. If you do, let me know about it! For solid top acoustic electrics, you’ll need to start looking at the under $300 price range, which we’ve covered in this review.
Can Acoustic Electric Guitars for Under $200 Be Upgraded?
The most I would do to upgrade a guitar in this price range is to change the tuning machines, and many instruments under $200 need this upgrade.
Manufacturing costs in electric acoustics under $200 are saved by opting for laminate instead of solid tops and by using low-end tuning machines. The first thing, you can do nothing about — your laminate top will stay a laminate top.
But, you can pretty easily change your tuning machines for a better quality set up, and this can greatly increase your playing pleasure and decrease the amounts of frustration you’ll feel when you have to pause your practice to re-tune every 10 minutes.
Aside from upgrading the tuning machines, I wouldn’t waste much more money and time and effort trying to improve an under $200 guitar.
If this is the price range you buy in, your energy and expenses will better be saved for upgrading to an entirely new instrument a couple years down the road when you’re ready to take your musicianship to the next level.
The Final Word
Largely a beginner’s budget range of instruments, these are the best electric acoustics for under $200.
They’re all fine affordable acoustic electric guitars, and can be fun to play for any experience level, but are ideal for those just starting to learn.
You can keep your purchase extra low and opt for the simple Jameson Thinline for a slim-bodied acoustic guaranteed for comfort, or go a little more expensive for the Glen Burton GA204BCO bundle that will jump start your electro acoustic adventures.
If this isn’t a price range that has what you want, you can find some higher quality guitars in our best value acoustic electrics review.
Whatever choice you make, I wish you the best and know that any of these guitars will bring you many hours of practicing pleasure.
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Best Classical Guitars for Beginners in 2020
Classical guitar can be a great instrument of choice for beginner musicians.
With their nylon strings that are soft on the fingertips and wide nuts that make it easy to avoid dead notes in chords, they’re one of the easiest guitar types to learn on.
I know that as a beginner it can be really challenging to decide on a guitar; there are so many models to choose from and at a first glance they pretty much all look the same.
The fact is there are a lot of differences and some key deciding factors you need to know about before you choose your first instrument.
We’ve taken a look at dozens of classical guitars to try to make your choice an easy one.
The following classical guitars are great for absolute beginners, music students, kids, or guitarists with a bit of experience who are seeking to transition to the world of nylon strings.
Our Recommendation
I’m a bit of a brand loyalist, and almost went with the Godin-family brand La Patrie Etude as my top pick, but all things considered I had to go with the instrument that is most truly traditional.
So, winning our top spot is the Cordoba Iberia Series C5.
Cordoba’s classical guitars are all about authenticity. Each model closely follows the Spanish tradition, so their tone and playability seems plucked straight out of the early 19th century.
The C5 is a great addition in their lineup, built to sound and feel like the real deal but without the multi-thousand dollar price tag you might expect to pay for such a genuine classical model.
The first guitar we’ll look at, taking the lowest rank in this review, is the Squier SA-150N.
Squier is great at a lot of what they do, but in the realm of classical guitars there are a few more manufacturers making better models.
The SA-150N is a fine model, with an unbeatable price and tough laminate body making it one of the best classical guitars for beginners, but I’ve got a few more favored picks that top it.
Ready to get those fingers picking? Let’s dive in.
The Top 5 Best Classical Guitars for Beginners – Overview
#5 Squier SA-150N
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3.75/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Laminate Lindenwood
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Maple
Pros
Very inexpensive, perfect for students and children
Well articulated sound
Rosewood bridge for tonal balance
Cons
Laminate top without a lot of tonal complexity
Unusual tonewood combination
Review
In order for a laminate top guitar to make it to one of my top-ranked reviews, it’s got to have a lot going for it besides.
With the Squier SA-150N, I was really won over by the price to quality ratio.
For less than $100, it’s hard to find a guitar that’s not next to worthless and more of a toy than a real instrument.
It’s not exactly traditional, with a lindenwood top I’ve only ever seen on maybe two or three other guitars, but still manages to produce a tone that makes practicing enjoyable.
You will not wow any crowds with this model, but for less than $100, you shouldn’t expect to.
What this guitar is really good for is a student model. If you yourself, or perhaps your child, have an interest in playing guitar but aren’t completely sure of your level of commitment, at this price it won’t hurt at all to give this hobby a try.
For guitar teachers, this is a great model to recommend to students, or to buy yourself to keep as a students’ model. In just a couple lessons you should be able to cover the costs, and will open up your customer base even to those who don’t currently own an instrument.
In short, the Squier SA-150N isn’t extravagant, but it is by all means a practical practice instrument. For more great classicals under $300, check out this review.
#4 Ibanez GA3
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4/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Laminate Spruce
Body – Agathis
Neck – Nyatoh
Fingerboard – Nandu
Pros
Spruce top produces clear, focused notes in every range
Inexpensive, good for those unsure of their musical dedication
Laminate construction can take a fair amount of bumps and bangs
Cons
Flat, uninteresting tone
Review
The Ibanez GA3 moves us slightly higher up the line of beginner classical guitars, with an upgraded laminate spruce top that gives us more the traditional tone that you’d expect from a classical.
Like the Squier above, it’s not going to blow the socks off anyone listening, and its nontraditional tonewoods leave a bit to be desired, but in terms of tone and playability it should satisfy anyone just starting to learn the hobby.
It has a two-inch wide nut that is perfect for beginners who haven’t yet mastered the finger arching technique required for crystal clear chord work.
This makes the space between strings wide enough that your chances of deadening a note with an improperly curved finger greatly reduced, and more easily allows you to figure out where you’re going wrong in each position.
I’m not going to tell you that it sounds amazing, because it doesn’t. It sounds pretty standard and what you might expect a guitar at this price to sound like, but it’s not bad at all.
The GA3’s laminate spruce top produces a nicely balanced tone where each note is clear, and though it lacks in complexity, it’s articulated enough to give beginners a good idea of what a classical can do.
At this price, it’s another great guitar for students or teachers and for kids or anyone unsure of if they’ll want to play longer than a couple months.
#3 Yamaha CG182C
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4.5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Solid Western Red Cedar
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Nato
Fingerboard – Ebony
Pros
Traditional classical guitar tonewoods
Yamaha quality, affordable price
Good for beginner to advanced players
Cons
Nato neck breaks from the traditional build
Review
With the Yamaha CG182C, we’re moving out of the realm of super budget guitars and into more serious territory.
This is for the most part a truly traditional classical guitar, with a solid cedar top and mahogany back and sides that are the backbone of classical tone.
It’s well-balanced, with clear and punchy low and high ranges and a mid range that is slightly emphasized.
The ebony fingerboard is super responsive and gives you the sustain you need for ringing high end fret work.
Beginners will appreciate the slightly thin neck profile, alleviating the hand pain that accompanies your playing while you’re still developing your playing muscles.
Since the CG182C has a solid top, it’s guaranteed to age well and be the kind of guitar you can own happily for many years.
Even as a beginner model, I’d say it’s got a good enough tone to hit the stage with, so if you’re really ambitious you won’t have to look for another guitar when you’re ready to start testing your skills in public.
For another great Yamaha classical guitar, check out our review of the Yamaha C40.
#2 La Patrie Etude
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4.75/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Cedar
Body – Wild Cherry
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Pros
Handcrafted by experienced luthiers
Great tone, affordable price
Available in left handed model
Cons
None
Review
La Patrie is a branch of one of my favorite brands of instrument, Godin Guitars. Godin’s models routinely rank high with us, like their steel string Seagull S6 which we reviewed here.
All the guitars in this family are top quality, overseen by master luthier Robert Godin, and handmade in the guitar-centric town of La Patrie, Quebec.
The Etude model is a fine classical guitar, with the solid cedar top that gives these instruments the crisp, smooth sound that they’re known for.
It’s not a traditional classical guitar, but the changes to the archetypal design were only made to boost its quality.
In breaking from the mold, La Patrie utilizes a double-function truss rod that is totally atypical for classical guitars. Usually, this type of guitar has a solid neck without a truss rod, which requires them to be wide and flat to hold up against the string tension.
The La Patrie addition of a truss rod enables them to reduce the neck profile, adding to your playing ease and comfort.
Instead of the traditional mahogany back and sides, La Patrie uses the wild cherry common to most of Godin’s guitars, which is locally sourced from forests surrounding the town in which their instruments are made, keeping costs low and adding an element of sustainability to their craftsmanship.
All their models are handmade, so the Etude is guaranteed to have a huge attention to detail and perfection that is hard to find in today’s world of mass-produced factory-made instruments.
The La Patrie etude is a beautiful looking and exquisite guitar. It’s fun and easy to play, so beginners just starting out or anyone looking for a budget-friendly classical model will have great experience in choosing this model.
#1 Cordoba Iberia Series C5
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5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Solid Canadian Cedar
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Pros
Traditional bracing pattern for authentic classical tone
Made by a company that knows the ins and outs of classical guitars
Classic construction for traditional experience
Cons
None
Review
When it comes to classical guitars, Cordoba is a tough name to beat. They’re one of our top choices for the best classical guitar brands.
All their guitars are handmade by traditionally trained luthiers, and have the tonewood combo that makes a classical guitar a classical guitar. To find out more about why we love Cordoba, check out this article.
The C5 is one of their finest beginner models, lacking nothing in terms of tone or playability, but keeping costs at what I consider to be the ideal range for beginner guitars.
For the traditional tone, the C5 combines a solid cedar top with mahogany back and sides to create the mellow, soft, rich tone that makes classical guitar music shine. Its rosewood bridge and fingerboard ensure that every note is true and pristine, so whatever position you’re playing in you are bound to sound great.
Cordoba has extensively studied historical classical guitars and perfectly replicated the traditional Spanish fan bracing pattern, further adding to the C5’s tonal authenticity.
Cap all this off with a nut and saddle carved from truly resonant bone, and you’ve got a guitar that sounds like you time-traveled two hundred years into the past.
In terms of playability, the C5 is right on the mark of the genuine classical guitar experience.
It has the standard 52 mm nut, the non-cutaway reduced classical body shape, and the wide and flat traditional classical neck profile.
Its nylon strings are at a perfect tension, with action low enough to be a breeze to play but just high enough to eliminate any fret buzz.
Finally, the C5’s neck has a high-gloss finish which allows you to easily move up and down the fingerboard, making scales and multi-position chord progressions a complete joy to practice.
Absolute beginners will love the tone and feel of this model, and more experienced guitarists looking for their first nylon string guitar will find that the sound of the C5 is unbeatable at this price point. We covered more great classical guitars under $500 here.
Buyer’s Guide – How To Choose The Right Classical Guitar if you are just starting out
Why Are These Guitars Good for Beginners?
First and foremost, classical guitars are good for beginners because they’re so much easier to fret than steel string acoustics.
Nylon strings are much softer on the fingers than steel strings, and are wound at a lower tension that takes less pressure to get a pure note from.
Next, each of these models is on the affordable end of quality classicals.
Instruments in this category can range from $50 to $50,000, and when you’re just starting out to play it’s good to get something that both performs well and won’t leave you in debt. We wrote this article so you can find the best classical guitars for the money.
The guitars listed above are all perfect for practicing, while the higher cost models are even good for small to medium performances.
They’re fun to play, sound good, and have the quality of construction that will last with little to no problems for many years if properly cared for. Sweetwater has a great article on guitar maintenance you should read.
Who Should Buy a Classical Guitar?
Obviously, if you love classical guitar music, a classical guitar is a good place to start learning to play.
Classical guitar music is soft and sweet, with an elegance and gentleness that just can’t offend.
If you’re mellow and refined, this can be the perfect guitar match for your sensibilities.
Classical guitars are good for beginners because of their wide string spacing and soft, comfortable playability.
Starting out on another type of guitar requires you to first really work on getting your fretting fingers to arch properly, and believe me, this can be super frustrating.
Non-arched fingers cause what is called deadening, which is where the pad of a fingertip touches a string it’s not supposed to and causes the vibrations to die, resulting in a buzz or complete loss of tone in one or more of a chord’s notes.
Classical guitars cut back on this issue by letting you space your fingers farther apart in each chord. This prevents deadening, and when you do deaden a string, allows you to more easily see exactly which of your fingers is causing the problem.
Additionally, their soft nylon strings don’t hurt your fingertips nearly as bad as steel strings do, letting you practice for longer and reducing the chances you’ll want to give up because of sore fingers.
Other people who should buy a classical guitar are more experienced players just looking to expand their skill set, or those who have become bored by their electric guitars or steel string acoustics.
This kind of musical apathy can happen easily, and if you’re feeling stuck in a musical rut, buying a new type of guitar to explore a different playing style can help re-ignite your passion for playing.
What’s the Difference Between Classical and Acoustic Guitars?
The key differences lie in a few different areas, and we covered this in depth here.
For starters, the strings are different. In a classical guitar the strings are made of nylon and metal-wrapped nylon. They’re under comparatively little tension, and are thus easier to hold down against the frets.
In a standard acoustic guitar, the strings are made of steel, which is why they’re properly referred to as steel-string acoustics.
The strings are attached differently too. We wrote this handy guide to teach you the easiest way to change classical guitar strings.
Since classical guitars are under less tension, they often don’t have truss rods, which is the system of support that steel string acoustics use to keep the neck from breaking under the string tension.
This truss-rod-free design means that classical guitar necks need to be built wider and flatter to keep their strength and support, whereas acoustic guitar necks can be much slimmer. Read all about this feature in our truss rod guide.
Tone-wise, classical guitars are softer, more mellow, and not as loud as steel string acoustics. Their tone is generally called much “warmer.”
They’re also held differently; classicals between the legs with the head pointing up, and acoustics resting on the lap with a flatter angle.
Finally, classical guitars are meant to be played with the fingerstyle technique. This is where the strings are plucked using the fingertips or fingernails, unlike a steel string guitar which can be played with a plectrum.
The Final Word
If you’re ready to learn the guitar style that started it all, these guitars are a great place to start. Even the lowest costing Squier sounds good enough to give you playing enjoyment for years, and the Cordoba C5 is stage-ready as soon as you are.
There are tons of great beginner classical songs to learn, and with patience and practice, you can become one of the greatest classical guitarists of our age.
More classical guitar reviews:
Top classical guitars for the buck (best value)
Under $300
Under $500
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The Best Electric Guitars Under $300 in 2020
There are many great axes out there for those of you on a tight budget, and I’ve picked the best of the best electric guitars under $300 for you to try out.
At this price point, you need to know what to expect from a guitar.
As far as the foundation goes — that is, the tonewoods and other non-electrical components — these guitars can in many ways rival electrics worth several hundred dollars more.
It’s when you get into the pickups that the difference is evident; these guitars are wired for beginners, and while they won’t blow the minds of any audiences, they’re perfect for practicing and building your skill set.
This under $300 price range is great for entry-level musicians, as well as for acoustic guitarists who are wanting to try their hands at some amped up electric work.
Our Recommendation
It’s an unusual choice for me, but our winner in this review is a model from Gibson’s child company, Epiphone.
The Epiphone Les Paul Studio LT is a great beginner’s electric guitar; it has a really solid build, a mahogany body that supports sustain, and two humbucking Zebra pickups that are as powerful as you can hope for at this price point.
If I were looking for my first electric guitar all over again this is definitely the one I would go with.
Jumping now to the lesser side of this spectrum, and we’ll find the Squier Affinity Series Telecaster. It too is a good electric guitar for beginners, but at the below $300 mark I think the single coil pickups generate enough buzz to be distracting.
It plays well and is a fun Tele to jam on, but with only 21 frets and no special features giving it a boost of coolness, it’s my least favorite of this roundup.
The 4 Best Electric Guitars Under $300 – Overview
#4 Squier Affinity Series Telecaster
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3.75/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Alder
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Maple
Electronics – Dual Vintage-Style single coil Tele pickups
Pros
A tonewood combo that makes a Telecaster sound like a Telecaster
Comfortable to play “C” shape neck
Pickups designed for vintage Telecaster tone
Cons
Only 21 frets limits your riffing capabilities
Low end single coil pickups have a lot of buzz and feedback
Review
For the most part, I’m not one to knock a certain guitar just because it comes from a maker who is considered “cheap.” There are some exceptions to this, but Squier is not one of them.
I like Squiers just fine, especially their higher end guitars, as they do a good job of replicating Fender’s most famous models in both looks and sounds.
The Squier Affinity Series Telecaster is a good enough Fender Telecaster remake to make it to this list of the best electrics under $300, and overall is a great choice for your first electric guitar. In fact, this is the second time it’s made our lists, and you can read more about it here.
It meets all the basic standards of quality: solid construction, fun and comfortable playability, dependable wiring, decent tone, and good aesthetics.
However, its pickups leave something to be desired, which we’ll talk about just a little later.
This Squier Tele’s body is made of alder, a lightweight tonewood with a well-defined upper midrange, good sustain, and great attack. Its the wood that Fender uses on the majority of their guitars, and you can read Fender’s article to find out more about it.
In almost every Fender, and in this Squier, an alder body meets a maple neck and fingerboard, which really sharpens your tone and gives Telecasters their bright, crystalline sound.
This makes the Squier Affinity Tele just one step away from greatness, only missing the mark with its substandard single coils.
These pickups are fine for at-home applications, especially if you’re playing at a low volume. But, the moment you turn it up to 11 you’ll find that the Vintage-Style Telecaster single coils become overbearingly noisy.
Considering all it has going for it and the ease with which pickups can be replaced, these pickups are not enough reason to pass on this guitar. Ask yourself how loud you need to play, and if the answer is “not very,” and you’d love to see yourself with a Telecaster, this could be the guitar for you.
#3 Yamaha PAC112V
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4/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Alder
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – Neck: Yamaha Alnico V single coil Middle: Yamaha Alnico V single coil Bridge: Yamaha Alnico V humbucker
Pros
Versatile pickup configuration and controls to dial in your tone
Lightweight alder body reduces player fatigue
Great for many different genres and playing styles
Cons
Can be very noisy due to three pickups
So many pickup configurations can overwhelm beginners
Review
Yamaha’s Pacifica series guitars are great beginner electrics. They give you a lot of control over your tone, and with three pickups you can tune into whatever is best for your preferred genre.
This PAC112V has a lot going for it. It’s got a great alder + maple tonewood combo, bringing its sound pretty close to modern Telecasters.
It sports a C-shaped neck and rosewood fingerboard, so you can play for hours without excessive finger pain and hand cramps. This setup promotes speed, so practicing scales and licks will come with ease.
The Yamaha PAC112V is one of the rare beginner guitars with three pickups. Two single coils join a bridge-position humbucker, all under one tone control and a 5-way selector switch, so you can play around with different sounds to find what works best for your needs.
Add to this a push-pull coil switching feature found in the volume control, and you can really tweak your tone for just about every genre except death metal.
This can be a little too much control for a beginner, who should be focused less on precise tone and more on technique, but it’s always fun to experiment to find the tone that works best for you.
I think Yamaha’s are great, and this entry-level instrument can carry you through every practice and beyond til you’re ready to hit a real stage.
#2 Ibanez RG421
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4.5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Jatoba
Electronics – Dual Quantum humbuckers
Pros
Lighting fast Wizard III neck
Mahogany + maple tonewood combo for great tonal balance
Powerful Quantum humbuckers
Cons
Quantum humbuckers have too much noise at high volumes
Cheap plastic nut reduces note clarity
Review
I’m a huge Ibanez fan, and the RG421 could have had the top spot if its pickups weren’t so noisy when you crank up the volume.
As far as playability goes, this is an amazing electric guitar, and any beginner can almost immediately feel like a shred-master with this axe in their hands.
The Wizard III neck is one of my favorite in the world, with an ultra thin profile that makes riffs practically explode from your fingertips.
Ibanez’s RG421 is made with mahogany and maple, which respectively are great for low to mid and high range frequencies, making this guitar really well balanced in terms of tone. Mahogany adds depth and darkness while maple contributes sparkle and articulation, combining to form an electric that sounds great no matter where it’s played.
Unfortunately, the Quantum humbuckers in this guitar are not great at cancelling out unwanted buzz, so even at medium volumes you can start to get feedback and annoying fuzziness. Not a huge problem, but it’s worth talking about.
You might find the action set a bit too low for many uses, and for beginners whose fingers aren’t dialed in for finesse, I’d recommend having it setup just a bit higher.
In the end, I had a tough time choosing between the Ibanez RG421 and the Epiphone Les Paul for first place, but I think the Epiphone is more versatile overall so I had to give it the crown.
Think Ibanez might be the brand for you but just not this model? Check out the Ibanez Mikro in this review.
#1 Epiphone Les Paul Studio LT
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5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – Neck: 650R Epiphone Zebra Ceramic humbucker Bridge: 700T Epiphone Zebra Ceramic humbucker
Pros
60’s SlimTaper “D” neck profile gives classic comfortable playing
Powerful budget Epiphone Zebra humbuckers give loads of power with little extra buzz
A very close remake of the famous Gibson Les Paul
Cons
Can benefit from a tuning machine upgrade
Review
Epiphones were at one time a guitar brand that I would ignorantly consider to be too cheap to play. But, with age comes wisdom (hopefully) and now I know them as one of my favorite names in electric guitars.
The Epiphone Les Paul Studio LT is a true-to-form replica of Gibson’s iconic Les Paul, differing only slightly in a few ways but for a price that’s roughly $1000 less.
First, we’ll start with similarities.
Like the Gibson it’s based on, this Epiphone Les Paul is an all-mahogany build in the body and neck, which gives Les Paul its signature fat, warm sound.
It’s equipped with a smooth-playing rosewood fingerboard whose naturally oily surface feels great on the fingertips and transmits each vibration with sonic sweetness.
The neck is in the Gibson-style of the 1960s, a SlimTaper “D” profile that incrementally curves in going toward the upper frets, giving you a thin enough field for speedy solos but maintaining enough space for gripping chords with ease.
Last of the similarities, it looks pretty much exactly like any name-brand Les Paul, save for having an Epiphone logo rather than the Gibson.
The differences are harder to spot, but of course they exist.
Least obvious is that Epiphones are machine-made, without any of the finesse that comes with Gibson’s hand-binding or other attention to detail.
Next, you’ll notice that the tuning machines are definitely not the greatest. They hold well enough to not be annoying, but you will have to retune a little every few songs.
Lastly, Gibson’s use top-of-the-line humbuckers, whereas Epiphone uses their house brand. Of course, this changes the tone a lot, but the Epiphone Zebra pickups in the Les Paul Studio LT are perfect for practicing, and might even suffice for playing small shows. No doubt, I’d play at least an open mic with this guitar.
It’s got a thick tone with great sustain and a well-pronounced low to midrange. The highs are fine, but don’t exactly scream like they would if the pickups were higher quality.
All in all, I think this is a great guitar for the price, and if you were to upgrade the tuning machines and pickups, you could have an almost professional grade instrument in the Epiphone Les Paul Studio LT. Looking for a hollow body electric? Epiphone has a great guitar you can read about in our hollow body review.
Buyer’s Guide – Choosing The Best Electric Guitar Under 300
Who Should Buy a Guitar in this Price Range?
I would consider this price range to be mostly for beginner players. It is, as a matter of fact, the best price range for beginners.
At less than under $300, guitars will start to have some annoying problems. Think sharp fret edges, bad tuning and intonation, wiring issues, and poor playability. However, there are a few good choices at under $200, and we’ve outlined them for you here.
Between $200 and $300, you start to see electric guitars that are made with a decent standard of quality. They’re perfect for learning and practicing, and you can really start to master your hobby on these instruments.
Intermediate players who already own an electric probably won’t find much of an upgrade in this price range. Sure, if you’re playing a FirstAct electric, each guitar on this list can blow that out of the water. But, if you already know how to play pretty well and are looking to take your trade to the next level, I’d recommend spending a little more. We wrote about the best electric guitars under $500 that might be perfect for you.
Professionals already know that these aren’t meant for them, and I don’t need to say much more about it. Unless you’ve got the money to blow and are looking for a guitar to smash on stage, none of these electrics are really worth the time of an expert musician.
Are Electric Guitars Under $300 Good?
Good is subjective, and it depends on who you ask.
Fancy guitar connoisseurs will probably tell you no, that these guitars are substandard.
I like to take a more realistic approach, and consider the pros and cons of each model and who is most likely to buy a guitar in this range.
Overall, these are “good” guitars, or else they wouldn’t have made it to our list of the best electrics under $300. They play great, look good, and sound good enough to please amateur to intermediate player.
However, they’re not good in the sense that I wouldn’t play any serious show with them. The pickups just can’t cut it, and you’ll sound unprofessional in any kind of real-world performance.
So in short, they are not only good, but great for beginners, but they are not good guitars for anyone wanting to do professional performing or recording.
What are Electrics Under $300 Good For?
Genre-wise, I’ve got a guitar in this list that you can use in any genre.
The best for metal is definitely the Ibanez. Its super fast Wizard III neck and dual Quantum humbuckers give you the speed and low-end power you need for the heaviest music genres.
After that one, the other electric guitars reviewed here are pretty versatile and can be played in, I’d say, every genre. I recommend the Squier Telecaster for things like country, pop, and soft punk, the Yamaha Pacifica for most rock genres, funk, and jazz, and the Epiphone Les Paul for all rock genres, blues, and most other styles.
Can Electric Guitars Under $300 Be Upgraded?
This is a big yes from me. Not only can they be, but I’d recommend it.
The bones, so to speak, of electric guitars under $300 are usually great, and barely differ from guitars costing several hundred more.
It’s the hardware and electronics in these guitars that keep them at a low price, and these are parts that are relatively easy and fun to upgrade.
As an entry-level guitarist, you might not want to buy your first electric and immediately rip out its pickups, but after you’ve played for a while and your interest in electric guitars has grown, changing out your pickups for something with more power and precision can be a great project.
My first ever DIY guitar upgrade was upgrading the tuning machines on my Yamaha bass. It was a bit stressful, but after it was done, I felt like a champion. In some of these guitars, the tuning machines can definitely use a boost, so if you feel handy and want to make the guitar feel more like it’s yours, I highly recommend giving this a go. This article from Wired Guitarist will walk you through it step-by-step.
The Final Word
The under $300 range has more guitars than I can count, some of them great like the ones I’ve reviewed here, and some of them total trash.
Before you make any multi-hundred dollar decision, I think you should do a lot of research and soul-searching to find out what exactly it is that you want and need from a guitar.
Any that you choose from this list will do you good, and if one of them calls your name, I don’t think you can go wrong.
More about electric guitars:
Best electric guitars for the money
Top electric guitars under $200
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Best Electric Guitars for the Money in 2020- List, Reviews & Buyer’s Guide
In this review, we’ll explore five instruments that are the best electric guitars in their respective price ranges.
These electrics are all stage-ready and more than enough to get you gigging. This doesn’t mean that if you’re an absolute beginner you should move on though! My high range for an entry-level guitar is also the bottom range for perfomance-grade instruments, so for the most part we’ll be looking at guitars in this sweet spot.
I could write a list like this featuring only multi-thousand dollar guitars, knowing that their quality is practically unbeatable, but I and no one I know has that kind of money to drop on a new instrument. So, I’ve kept our options realistic and within a budget that the average player can afford.
Our Recommendation
It’s never easy choosing the best of the best, and I feel like I’m doing the #2 spot a bit of injustice when I say they’re any lesser than the #1 guitar in this type of review.
But, specs and everything aside, going solely on my own preference, I’m gonna say that the best electric guitar for the money is the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR.
It has everything I want in an electric: a Floyd Rose whammy bar, 24 extra jumbo frets, powerful dual humbuckers with a push-pull coil splitting option, and killer looks. I’d say this beast is practical in just about any electric guitar application, and it’s right around the highest amount I’d be willing to pay for a new guitar.
The bottom end of the best goes to the Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet BT. It’s a great electric by many standards, but is a little short on features compared to the other guitars we’ll take a look at. For its price, you can’t do much better, but there are enough guitars I consider much cooler to push this model to last place on our list.
The 5 Best Electric Guitars for the Money – Overview
#5 Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet BT
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3.75/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Mahogany with laminated Maple top
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Black Walnut
Electronics – Dual Black Top BroadTron humbuckers
Pros
Chambered body for added tone depth and resonance
Mahogany + Maple body tonewood combo brings sparkle to the warm voice
BroadTron humbucking pickups have just enough juice to hit the stage with
Cons
Chambered body makes this more a semi-hollow than a solid body guitar
No tremolo bar, limited features
Review
I’ll never be one to badmouth Gretsch guitars. They manufacture some great instruments in a huge range of prices, and even their bottom-line beginner series are better than the average electric.
Whether you’re a fan of Gretsch or not is a matter of taste, and is probably largely based on aesthetics. Their guitars all look kind of old-fashioned, not that there’s anything inherently wrong with that.
With the Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet BT, classic looks combine with modern electronics to form an excellent performing guitar for under $500.
It uses their in-house model BroadTron pickups, which are pretty powerful lower cost humbuckers that sound just as good clean as they do distorted. Gretsch has this handy guide to all their pickup designs, so you can see if the BroadTrons are right for you.
These pickups set into the Electromatic’s chambered mahogany body give you a tone that’s heavy in the bass end, with booming lows, a sultry midrange, and highs are never shrill.
Individual volume controls for each pickup and a 3-way selector switch give you a decent amount of control over your sound, so you can dial into the best tone for whatever genre you’re playing.
Some players might feel deceived to find out this is a chambered guitar. What this means is that the mahogany in the body is cut out in some spots, which is hidden by the maple top.
This adds resonance to the tone and reduces the guitars weight, but gives you less articulation and precision of sound than you’ll find in a standard solid body electric.
You’ll have to see if the Electromatic sounds right for your purposes, but I think it works great for most genres. And if you really love the tone of this guitar, you should take a look at some of Gretsch’s higher-end models, like the G5420 that we reviewed here.
#4 Squier Classic Vibe 70s Jaguar
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4/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Poplar
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Indian Laurel
Electronics – Dual Fender-designed Alnico single coil pickups
Pros
Retro look and sound in an affordable throwback model
Versatile vintage tone and volume controls
Shorter-scale C-shape neck with comfortable 9.5″ radius
Cons
Squier often mocked as a trash brand — NOT TRUE
Funky Jaguar body shape not choice for all players
Review
If you’re a fan of vintage guitars, you’ll love Squier’s Classic Vibe series.
If you don’t already know, Squier is a branch of Fender that produces guitars that are generally much less expensive than their Fender-branded counterparts. They often use comparable materials, and the difference mostly lies in the electronics and hardware.
Unfortunately, Squier has an unjust stigma attached to them, often viewed as a brand for kids, or just as cheap and low quality. The truth is that they have some really decent guitars under their name, and if you know what you want in an electric, you can probably find a Squier model that you’ll love.
The Squier Classic Vibe 70s Jaguar is a modern take on Fender’s 1970s-era Jaguar models. It is kind of an odd-looking guitar, with an unusual body shape and even more unusual tone controls.
In this guitar, you alter the tone through a series of switches and knobs configured in a way that makes it look a bit like an old sci-fi prop — like a guitar they might play in Star Trek or “Invasion of the Pick Snatchers” type deal.
As far as tone and playability goes, this Jaguar model is great for softer rock, clean genres, and anywhere that you want the snap and shine of single-coil pickups.
It’s not a guitar I’d play a colosseum with, but for smaller shows and definitely for honing my skills at home, I think it’s a super fun, happy sounding electric. We featured another model from the Classic Vibe series that you can read about here.
#3 Fender Player Stratocaster
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4.75/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Alder with Flame Maple top
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Maple
Electronics – 3x Player series Alnico V single coil pickups
Pros
Lightweight alder body for all-night playing comfort
Quick playing satin finished maple neck
Classic Stratocaster sound
Cons
Stratocaster sound not for every player or every genre
Review
I started playing guitar with aspirations to be one of the greatest metal guitarists around. Because of this, I was at first pretty anti-Fender. They were softy guitars, more for country and pop than the heavy grindcore I was practicing.
However, the older I’ve grown the mellower I’ve become and the more I’ve come to appreciate this brand of electric. Now, I think it would be great to own a Fender, and I can see myself playing one every day for the rest of my life.
You’re probably already at least somewhat familiar with Stratocasters. They’re almost 60 years old, and are such iconic guitars that it’s hard to imagine you’ve never seen or heard of them before.
The Fender Player Strat is the up-to-date version of the guitar that has been famous in rock’n’roll for over half a century.
It has retained all the features that make Stratocasters so popular; the lightweight body, the bright happy tone, the three single-coil pickups, and the comfortable fingerboard great for both high-speed chops and chilled out chord progressions.
Its modernized features include redesigned Alnico V pickups, the ability to control the middle pickup’s tone, and a streamlined manufacturing process that allows it to be sold at a price that won’t make your hair stand on end.
Stratocasters have their pros and cons like any other model, but are functional in a large variety of genres and playing styles, from classic rock and country, to fingerpicked folk, to blues and jazz and much more.
I wouldn’t throw it in Dropped-C tuning and try to play some palm muted breakdowns, but I know what it’s capable of and will play all my favorite soft rock covers to my heart’s content on this beauty.
#2 Ibanez Iron Label S Series SIX6FDFM
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5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Mahogany with Flamed Maple top
Neck – Maple and Bubinga
Fingerboard – Ebony
Electronics – Dual DiMarzio Fusion Edge humbuckers
Pros
Ibanez trademark Nitro Wizard neck for lightning fast playing
Coil tapping feature for single-coil sounds
Ultra-responsive ebony fretboard for powerful chords and precise licks
Cons
None
Review
It was a real close tie for first place between this guitar and the ultimate winner, and truthfully they’re both about equal depending on your needs and desires.
The Ibanez Iron Label from their renowned S series is a guitar specifically made for metal, and is the first guitar on this list really suited for that genre.
First and foremost, like most Ibanez guitars it is designed for super fast speed. If your ambition is to be one of the speediest solo guitarists in the world, this guitar will give you a good boost in that direction.
Wizard necks are the fastest playing in the industry, and the Nitro is the head of the pack in this line. In the Iron Label SIX6FDFM, the neck is topped with a bound ebony fretboard, giving you a responsive playing field that is great for arpeggios, riffs, bends, and tapping style leads. We talked about the JEMJR, another guitar equipped with a wizard neck, in this article.
Its body is primarily mahogany, giving you an overall dark, warm, bass heavy sound, but is capped with flamed maple to bring out the brightness and clarity of each note.
This is all brought to life by super powerful DiMarzio Fusion Edge humbuckers. These double coil pickups are packed with coils and deliver tons of boom in every range. There are no fizzly highs, no weak lows, and the midrange is as pronounced as can be.
If you need to go clean or get a lighter sound, the Iron Label has a coil tapping feature so that you can easily switch to single-coil mode.
As a huge metalhead, this is electric designed for the genre is one of my favorite guitars available today.
#1 Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR
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5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Mahogany with Quilted Maple top
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – Neck: EMG 89R Bridge: EMG 81TW
Pros
Coil tapping mechanism for a huge variety of tones
Floyd Rose tremolo bridge for super high squeals and tremendous dive bombs
Extra deep cutaway for flawless upper fret access
Cons
None
Review
In our #1 spot is the Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR, another great metal guitar whose coil tapping feature lets you play in pretty much every genre you desire.
Schecter makes some mean looking guitars, and the C-1 FR is among the meanest. It’s a beaut, looks like the kind of electric the devil would give you in exchange for your soul, and plays like one too.
Looking at it, you could guess that this is a great guitar for playing metal, but you might be surprised at its other capabilities. The coil tapping feature, one of my favorite additions on higher end electrics, allows you to switch from double coil humbuckers to single coil configured pickups with the simple push or pull of a volume knob.
Since both pickups can be tapped individually, you have a plethora of configurations you can choose from. This enables you to play full humbucker for the heaviest music in existence, switch to full single for softer styles such as funk and jazz, or to mix it up for strange fusion tones or your own custom sound.
It’s powered by two beastly EMG humbuckers, commonly considered to be some of the best on the market. They’re built for power and crunch, but deliver clean tones with a clear sonic aesthetic that is without rival.
Top all this off with the Floyd Rose tremolo bridge, which you can find out about more here and lets you warp your riffs in unimaginable ways, and you’ve got one of the best value electric guitars money can buy.
Buyer’s Guide
What Makes the Best Electric Guitar?
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different electric guitars available today.
Some are totally substandard and won’t give you even a day’s worth of playing pleasure.
Some are good enough for practice at home, but I wouldn’t play them in front of any size crowd.
Others are show worthy, but have their limits.
I tried to present to you only guitars that I would play in at least an average sized show.
They’re solidly constructed, with no flaws that can’t be overlooked or otherwise remedied, and some are true powerhouses of electric guitar rockability.
To be considered one of the best, a guitar needs to be not only playable, but super fun to play and have features that reduce fatigue and add comfort to every performance.
Their pickups can not be substandard at all. This is the driving force of an electric guitar, and each one on this list has pickups that will do more than the basic job of transmitting your vibrations. They pick up on each frequency and transfer it with trueness to the amplifier, so you don’t have to worry about overwhelming the mix with wacky tones in any range.
Additionally, I think an electric guitar has to look pretty cool. There were some options I could have told you about, but they just look too weird to make the cut.
So the guitars on the list have the following features:
Their playability is not only functional, but of top-notch quality
Their tone is more than standard; it is outstanding
They’re made to last, so you can rock as hard as you want
They’re versatile, and can perform in a range of genres. No one trick ponies
They not only sound and play good; they look good and will make you look good playing them
You’re getting your money’s worth, and not spending more than you need to sound great
As you can see, there are no Gibsons on this list. Gibsons are great guitars, no doubt, but I think they’re usually overpriced and you will mostly be paying for the name and for the prestige that comes with owning this brand. For the money, there are many options that are much more worth it.
Who Should Buy One of These Guitars?
I strive to be inclusive in my recommendations and avoid reviewing guitars that are totally out of the league for most players.
In the bottom end of this list, numbers 4 and 5, you’ve got guitars that are great for beginners, but can also please a pro.
If you buy one of those guitars as your first instrument, you won’t need to buy another one for years. They’re versatile performers that you can master the craft on, and will take you from learning the basics at home to playing your first shows.
Higher up on the list, we start to get into guitars that I wouldn’t necessarily recommend for first-timers. If you’re just starting out, keep your costs low so if you decide that playing guitar isn’t for you, you haven’t sunk a fortune into equipment you’re not going to use. We’ve reviewed lots of less expensive guitars here.
Starting with the Fender, the guitars become professional grade. They’re capable of playing public, from dive bar open mics to relatively large official venues.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4-7mCCycvw
It’s not until we get to the last two that I would really consider them good enough to play for huge crowds, but this is a matter of opinion. But, if you’re a touring musician who plays for large crowds, you can be sure that #2 and #1 are top-quality axes that are ready to melt your fans’ faces.
Can These Guitars Be Upgraded?
I’m of the belief that most electric guitars can be upgraded, at least to a point.
For the first two guitars in this list, they could definitely benefit from a pickup upgrade. This small change can bring you so much tone you’d be surprised.
This can be done either by a guitar tech or by you if you’re feeling handy and adventurous. The Gretsch and the Squier are both great project guitars if you’re looking to learn the craft of wiring or other basic guitar tech skills.
For the higher end guitars, that not much that you need to change, but there’s always something you can change. I’ve had multiple friends remove their Floyd Rose bridges in exchange for Ibanez locking systems, and you might not be a fan of either DiMarzio or EMG pickups and may want to switch out for your preferred electronic system.
The basic fact is: yes, these guitars can be upgraded depending on how much extra time, money, and effort you’re willing and able to spend.
What Are These Electric Guitars Good For?
A quick rundown of what these guitars are best for:
Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet BT – blues, jazz, country, soft rock, classic rock, funk, rockabilly
Squier Classic Vibe 70s Mustang – blues, jazz, country, soft rock, punk, funk, classic rock, alt rock, rockabilly, pop, soul
Fender Players Stratocaster – blues, jazz, country, all rock genres, punk, funk, rockabilly, pop, soul
Ibanez Iron Label SIX6FDFM – all rock genres, all metal genres, punk, funk, jazz, fusion
Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR – all rock genres, all metal genres, punk, funk, jazz, fusion
The Final Word
You’ll see that in this review, the lowest priced guitars are just under $500 and the price range extends to right under $1000.
I think this is the perfect price range for finding the best guitars for the money, and if you spend any less or any more, you’re not going to do any better.
This is the sweet spot for electric guitars. They run from beginner level to professional quality, but are all playable outside of your bedroom.
You and you alone know what makes a guitar best for you, so do your research, meditate on your options, and go where the music leads you.
More electric guitar recomendations by Alan:
Under $500
For people with tiny hands (like me)
How to learn electric guitar for beginners
The post Best Electric Guitars for the Money in 2020- List, Reviews & Buyer’s Guide appeared first on Beginnerguitar.
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Top-Rated Electric Guitars Under $500 – List & Reviews
Have you been learning the basics of shreddability on a $100 First Act and are looking to step up your game? Or perhaps you’re a novice or entry-level musician looking for your first electric guitar? Or maybe yet you’re an experienced acoustic player looking to break into the world of electric-driven axes?
Whatever brings you to this list of the best electric guitars under $500, I’ve chosen a great arsenal for you to admire.
These electric guitars under $500 offer a serious amount of quality and playability while boasting a moderate price tag that shouldn’t leave your savings more sore than your over-practiced fingertips. They’re stage-ready rockers that will set you up for years of practice and performance.
Our Recommendation
At this price point, it’s really a toss-up between a few different guitars that I absolutely love. I’ve awarded the top spot to the signature style guitar of my favorite guitarist, Steve Vai.
The Ibanez JEMJR is the budget edition of the iconic JEM series by Ibanez, featuring a super fast Wizard III neck, beautiful tree of life inlays, and the monkey grip handle that sets these guitars apart.
It’s super shreddable and can make even a beginner look like a rock legend. We’ve talked about it before here, and as you can tell, I’m still a huge fan.
On the other end of the list we’ve got the Epiphone G-400 Pro, an affordable Gibson remake in the style of an SG. It’s got all the features of a great electric under $500, but I’m always a bit weary of Epiphone’s internal wiring quality, which lands this axe the #7 spot. Still a good guitar, but lacking the resilience needed to kick it farther up the list.
Now, let’s take a look at what makes these the seven best electric guitars for under $500.
The Seven Best Electric Guitars Under $500 – Overview
#7 Epiphone G-400 Pro
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3.8/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Pau ferro
Electronics – Dual Alnico Classic PRO humbuckers
Pros
An affordable SG model
Crunch, sustain, and classic looks
SlimTaper “D” neck adds speed and chording power
Cons
Pickup wiring can become loose after heavy bumps and bangs
Muddy tone doesn’t facilitate the cleanest sounds
Review
If you’re a fan of traditional Gibson models but don’t want to sell your first-born child to afford your hobby, Epiphone’s got your back. They’re a child-company of Gibson, and churn out a plethora of great guitars modeled after the most iconic axes in rock’n’roll history.
The G-400 Pro is a modern replication of the 1960s Gibson SG, beginning production in the 80s and updated every few years to keep it relevant in the modern age.
Epiphone has kept all the major components of the vintage Gibson, including a mahogany body and a fast and fun 1960s-style SlimTaper “D” neck while manufacturing these guitars using cutting edge efficiency that keeps them at an affordable price.
The G-400 Pro really rocks. It’s a powerhouse of tone and sustain, perfect for all genres of rock, most metal, and gritty blues. Its vintage-style dual Alnico humbuckers don’t really have the purity of tone that you need for sultry jazz or super-clean chorus work, but if your aim is to rock, it can no doubt hold its own.
I mention in about every Epiphone review that their wire-work is a bit shoddy. If they took the time to ensure their wiring was more stable, this would be an almost flawless guitar, but the extra production hours would certainly kick the price up a couple hundred dollars.
So, I’m satisfied with the balance, and know that if the pickups ever start getting some hiss and crackle, a quick trip to the guitar tech can solve the issue for still a lot less money than a brand-name Gibson.
#6 ESP LTD KH-202, Signature Series Kirk Hammett
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4.25/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Basswood
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Roasted Jatoba
Electronics – Neck: ESP designed LH-301N humbucker Bridge: ESP designed LH-301B humbucker
Pros
Floyd Rose Special whammy bar bridge for tremendous squeals
Metallica’s Kirk Hammett’s signature guitar at a price you can’t beat
Ultra-thin U-shaped neck for playing at ultrasonic speed
Cons
Lacks individual tone knobs for the pickups
Review
Kirk Hammett is one of the biggest names in rock and metal. He partnered with ESP to produce this signature shred-machine which is now offered to you at a price tag that won’t make your bank account… fade to black.
At first look, this axe from ESP seems like a pretty standard electric guitar, but get a little closer and you’ll notice it has quite a few traits that set it apart.
Purely ornamental but cool nonetheless are the skull and crossbone fret inlays, adding to this guitar’s overall made-to-metal vibe.
It has dual ESP designed LH-301 humbuckers set in a lightweight basswood body, producing a sick sound perfect for everything heavy metal, from Metallica covers to new-age drop tuned breakdowns.
With the Floyd Rose Special bridge and whammy bar, you can do steep dive bombs and squealing harmonics without worrying about your tuning being shattered, and can wail to your heart’s content without stressing too much about mid-performance string snaps.
Although it has a three-way pickup selector switch, I always prefer total tone control, and unfortunately this ESP KH-202 lacks individual pickup tone knobs. However, it’s master tone control is good enough for most general purposes, and of course when you plug into a good amp you can dial in your sound to perfection.
Want to learn to play with Kirk Hammett speed? We wrote this how to guide to improve your performance with actionable tips.
#5 PRS SE Standard 24
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4/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – Dual 85/15 “S” humbuckers
Pros
Push/Pull coil-tapping tone control for versatile pickup configurations
PRS tremolo bar gives you added opportunities for defining your sound
Mahogany + maple tonewood combo for crunchy overdrive to crisp, clean chords
Cons
Can use a tuning machine upgrade
PRS tremolo system not the best for tuning stability
Review
This PRS SE Standard 24 is the first guitar on this list that can perform in a clean setting just as well as a hair metal showdown.
I’m a big fan of coil-tapping mechanisms, since they allow you to experience both the fat power of dual humbuckers as well as the clarity of single-coil pickups, all with just the push or pull of a knob.
Thanks to this, the SE Standard 24 is capable of performing in nearly any electric guitar genre.
You can go with the default humbucker setup to grind out distorted progressions and deeply overdriven leads, throwing in some wacky whammy work as you please, or you can tap the pickups into single-coil mode for clean jazz, clear chords, and sultry solos in any softer music style.
Cosmetically, PRS guitars are always beautiful, the SE Standard 24 being no exception. It’s available in Tobacco Sunburst, Translucent Blue, and Vintage Cherry finishes, and all feature the signature PRS bird fret inlays.
Costing much less than most other PRS guitars but offering comparable tone and playability, the SE Standard 24 is a great choice for a first electric guitar or an upgrade from your current setup.
#4 ESP LTD EC-256FM
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4.25/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Mahogany with Flamed Maple top
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Roasted jatoba
Electronics – Neck: ESP designed LH-150N humbucker Bridge: ESP designed LH-150B humbucker
Pros
Huge sustain in every range
Push-pull coil tapping feature for clean or dirty tones
Thin U-shaped neck for high-speed riffs and licks
Cons
No tremolo bar
Review
Another ESP making this list, the LTD EC-256FM is a fantastic instrument for all electric-driven music styles.
Like the PRS above, it features a push-pull coil tapping setup to give you a huge range of tones, from super crunchy rock riffs to a bright and articulate single-coil sound that can make angels weep.
It has a heavy-duty mahogany body with a beautiful flamed maple top that produces a large and robust voice that can not go unnoticed. Thanks to its set-in mahogany neck, you get sustain for days whether you’re in the midst of a low end quarter-time sludge breakdown or a wailing 22nd fret soulful solo.
The LTD EC-256FM’s pickups are upgraded a few notches above the KH-202 with dual LH-150 humbuckers that send forth a solid wall of sound.
It’s a beautiful guitar, with ESP flag fret inlays and finish options ranging from Cobalt Blue, to Dark Brown Sunburst, to my personal favorite, See Thru Purple Sunburst.
The only thing lacking in this axe is a whammy bar, which is unfortunate but can be overlooked considering all its other great aspects.
#3 Yamaha RevStar RS420
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4.5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Nato with maple top
Neck – Nato
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – Dual VH3 Alnico V humbuckers
Pros
Power-packed tone in the mid and high ranges
Push-pull “Dry switch” for buzz-free single-coil mode
Slim neck profile for all-day playing comfort
Cons
No tremolo bar
Lags a little in the low range
Review
Yamaha’s RevStar lineup is rather unconventionally based on vintage-style street racing motorcycles. It’s not exactly surprising considering that Yamaha is a world-renowned producer of such bikes, but it’s the first guitar I’ve ever heard of to be based on such a concept.
Whatever the inspiration, the RevStar RS420 is a super cool looking electric that sports a few features bringing it close to the top of the list of the best electric guitars under $500.
Among these features is a thoroughly researched Push-Pull “Dry switch.” This mechanism comes after over 50 different design prototypes, and is there to give you the option to switch from double-coil to single-coil playing mode without the worrisome buzz that so often accompanies single-coil pickups. You can read more about the Yamaha dry switch here.
When you want to play clean, or lighten up your dirty tone a bit for more alt-rock or pop punk style progressions, this dry switch is a dream come true.
Although nato is not a favorite wood among guitar manufacturers, it performs just about as well as the more traditional body woods while keeping costs low. The only problem in the RS420’s construction is that the nato doesn’t boast as thick a low-end tone as guitars with solid mahogany bodies.
Nonetheless, the RevStar RS420 is a great offering from a company whose quality is never a letdown, and can be used in pretty much every genre excepting the grimiest of metals that require the utmost of bass in the breakdowns.
#2 Fender Duo-Sonic
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5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Alder
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Maple
Electronics – Dual Duo-Sonic single coil pickups
Pros
Crisp Fender tone at an affordable price point
Vintage, comfortable body shape
Originally marketed as a beginner guitar due to smaller body shape, made famous by guitar greats
Cons
No individual tone controls
Review
The Duo-Sonic was initially released in 1956, marketed as a starter guitar and billed as a “3/4-size Fender.” However, it was quickly picked up by several great guitarists and rose to prominence over the next couple decades as a workhorse of a Fender. Curious? Fender has a great article all about the Duo-Sonic’s history
It has been seen in the hands of Steely Dan’s Walter Becker, Blur’s Damon Alburn, and believe it or not, Jimi Hendrix.
I won’t mislead you and say that the Fender Duo-Sonic is capable of everything. For the heaviest rock genres, its single-coil pickups and bright-singing tonewood combo isn’t going to give you the crunch you need. But if you’re looking to play a style where distortion and grind isn’t the key factor, the Duo-Sonic delivers the signature sound that has kept Fender among the top brands of electric guitar since their inception.
It has a “C” shaped neck profile, perfect for long-lasting chord work and funky riffage. Its alder + maple tonewood combo produces bright, crisp, cheery tones that are great for jazz, pop, funk, blues, and the lighter rock genres.
When I pick up an electric, generally I’m looking for a fat metal tone and immediately jump into a drop tuning for in-your-face breakdowns, but I had a great time playing the Duo-Sonic and thought that it delivered a tone I could be happy with for ages.
#1 Ibanez JEMJR Steve Vai Signature
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5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Meranti
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Jatoba
Electronics – Neck: Quantum passive ceramic humbucker Middle: Quantum passive Alnico single-coil Bridge: Quantum passive ceramic humbucker
Pros
5-way pickup selector switch and 3 pickups for tonal versatility
Double-locking tremolo bridge so you can whammy all night long
Wizard III neck design for the fastest riffs you can imagine
Cons
None
Review
Finally, we’ve come to my #1 recommendation, the signature JEMJR signature guitar of my favorite guitarist, Steve Vai.
The JEMJR is the affordable version of Ibanez’s main Steve Vai lineup, the renowned JEM series. A few simple substitution were all it took to bring this line from over $1000 to the under $500 range we’re looking at now, such as meranti instead of alder for the body wood, jatoba in lieu of an ebony fingerboard, and Quantum pickups rather than the top-of-the-line DiMarzios.
These substitutions sacrifice very little in terms of tone as far as the average player is concerned. You might hesitate to play the jam-packed auditoriums that Steve Vai is accustomed to, but for smaller shows where your multi-million dollar reputation isn’t on the line, the JEMJR has everything you need for a rock solid performance.
I’m by no means a guitar god, but the simple act of picking up the JEMJR imbues me with loads more of playing confidence, and I can’t help but try my best to rip out some lightning fast arpeggios the moment I plug it in.
Its tone is no joke, with three powerful Quantum pickups that are super hot, highly articulate, and let every note sing loud and clear no matter the range or distortion level.
This guitar won’t instantly transform you into a rock legend, but it can sure start you down the path of mastering the electric guitar. Couple the JEMJR and our how to solo guide, and you’ll be on your way to feeling like a rock god yourself in no time.
Buyer’s Guide
Is it Worth Buying a Guitar for Under $500?
Without a doubt! Electric guitars under $500 come totally packed with features, and are 100% worthy of performances big and small.
You’ll find the tone of guitars in this price range to be on par with electrics costing up to twice as much, although the pickups in the higher end guitars are generally a lot more versatile and a lot more articulate.
As far as playability goes, there’s virtually no difference between an electric for under $500 and one for over $1000. These under $500 electric guitars have all the construction features of the more expensive guitars and are as fun and easy to play as a guitar can be.
Who Should Buy a Guitar in this Range?
Electric guitars under $500 are perfect for just about every skill level, but I’d probably recommend something on the higher-end for guitarists that are looking to play sold-out auditoriums
Beginners who’ve never played guitar before will find that they’ve bought an instrument that sounds better than they might expect and that are totally without the faults you can find in lower priced guitars. However, if there’s a chance that you might pick up this hobby for only a short while, never to return, I would suggest you test your skills with a more affordable option. We’ve reviewed several great electric guitars for under $200 if this is more where your budget and aspirations sit.
Intermediate players of course will love an electric guitar at this price point. They’re truly quality instruments with only minor differences between them and the most extravagant models. For just about everything you could need a guitar for, electrics under $500 will meet your demands.
Advanced and expert players who want to add another guitar to their collection will have no problem with most of these models, but depending on budget might want to look for something with better pickups or something specifically suited to their musical desires.
Another bonus and reason to buy a guitar at this price point is that they are perfect for upgrading. We’ll look at this a little closer right now.
Can Guitars Under $500 Be Upgraded?
These are perhaps the best electric guitars for upgrading. Depending on what you buy and what you want to change, they make excellent project instruments.
Guitars a couple hundred dollars below this range oftentimes have cheap bodies that for the most part aren’t worth upgrading, because if you’re starting from such a budget base, the money would be better invested in saving for a new guitar.
However, the guitars in this list are built with great care and quality, and usually only have one thing setting them apart from higher-priced models: the pickups.
If you want to start to learn to wire an electric guitar and otherwise fix flaws that you find in budget instruments, this is a great place to start. With a little know-how and extra money invested, you can take an under $500 guitar to a totally custom built axe with no problem.
Changing the pickups is a great way to boost your tone, and if you have a bolt on neck, this too can be swapped for an upgrade.
Another thing to change could be the bridge, swapping tremolo systems or adding one in the first place.
Of course, tuning machines are a simple, easy replacement job, but for the most part the guitars in this list have perfectly dependable tuners.
In the end, you can choose to upgrade or not. As long as you know what you’re doing, there can be only positive things to come from installing better pickups or giving yourself a new funky whammy bar.
The Final Word
We’ve explored a lot of great options in this list, with guitars suitable for every genre of electrified music.
The Fender Duo-Sonic is the clear winner for softer rock styles and clean guitar work, while the Ibanez JEMJR can do it all.
It was a challenge sorting guitars #3 through #6, as they’re all pretty much equally rock-worthy. Mostly, this part of the ranking was arbitrary, and you can trust that you won’t regret your choice among any of the guitars in this review.
Take the time to think about what direction you want to take your music, and what you really want in an electric guitar. These are the best electric guitars under $500, and I’m sure there’s one on this list for you.
More electric guitar reviews by Alan:
For playing blues
For people with small hands
For playing in church (worship)
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Best Acoustic Guitars For The Money – Comprehensive Reviews
Acoustic guitar is my favorite instrument; it’s versatile, fun to play, sounds beautiful, and are generally pretty affordable.
We’ve taken a look at some of the best acoustics on the market to bring you this list of the best acoustic guitars for the money. These guitars give you the most bang for your buck, the best chords for your cash, the best rhythm for your riches, the best playing for your paying.
They’re all high quality instruments — sure, not the most expensive or extravagant guitars in existence — but of comparable value, all definitely worth the cost.
From absolute beginners to world touring pros, there’s an acoustic on this list for every level guitarist.
Our Recommendation
With such a great lineup of guitars, it’s hard to choose the best one, but I’m going to have to go with the Martin D-15M. Its handmade high quality craftsmanship delivers a tone that can’t be beat, and it’s the kind of guitar that can truly last a lifetime.
It’s also quite a challenge to pick the least among the best, but considering its shortcomings –namely, the laminate top, wide neck, and low-end balsamo fingerboard and bridge wood– I’m sticking the Luna Gypsy Exotic Spalt Grand Auditorium in the bottom spot. Still a beautiful and nice sounding guitar, but the least of the best.
Top-Rated Acoustic Guitars For The Money – Overview
#7 Luna Gyspsy Exotic Spalt Grand Auditorium
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3.5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Laminate Spruce with Spalted Maple veneer
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Balsamo
Pros
Super beautiful veneer
Cutaway for easy upper fret access
Spruce + mahogany tonewood combo for classic acoustic sound
Cons
Wide neck hard to play for small handed players or total beginners
Laminate top
Review
I became a fan of Luna brand guitars when my best friend bought one for his three year old daughter. I wasn’t much into flashy pretty guitars up to this point, but after playing around with hers, I decided to give Luna a bit more credit than I previously thought they deserved.
Experienced players might first turn their nose up to this brand, and I understand. For the most part, instruments that have such a focus on being aesthetically pleasing often lack in the most important aspects, such as playability and tone.
Luna does skimp a little bit on these more important points, using a laminate spruce top rather than solid wood and rather old-fashioned wide C-shaped necks, but with all things considered still produce some pretty good acoustics.
The Gypsy Exotic Spalt is certainly beautiful, and it really doesn’t sound half bad at all. It’s got a pretty standard tone, nothing to gawk about, but its intonation is good and it’s pretty evenly balanced throughout the ranges.
For the price, it’s hard to find a decent cutaway acoustic, and it’s so pretty that you can easily forget about the laminate top after a few minutes playing.
#6 Yamaha FG850
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4/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Solid Mahogany
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Nato
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Pros
Top-of-the-line in Yamaha’s renowned FG series
Great deep mahogany tone
Rosewood bridge transmits pure tones
Cons
Nonstandard nato neck wood
Review
Nearly every “best guitars” review has at least one Yamaha in it, and this one is no exception.
We at BeginnerGuitar are big fans of the Yamaha FG and F series, having previously raved about the FG800, and the FG830.
The FG850 is among the top of this line, with a full mahogany body giving you the type of rich, warm, dark notes that make blues and folk music strike deep into the souls of audience and musician alike.
Yamaha could do just a bit better on this line if they used a neck wood other than nato, but for the price it’s totally acceptable and performs beyond expectations.
They use the traditional rosewood fingerboard and bridge to keep the tone even and natural anywhere and anyway you play it, and keep it in tune with high quality Yamaha designed tuning machines.
I love the FG series, and this is the best guitar Yamaha offers in this line. For beginners to pros, it’s bound to be a crowd-pleaser.
#5 Yamaha Storia I
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4.25/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Solid Spruce
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Nato
Fingerboard – Walnut
Pros
Concert body comfortable for all size players
Walnut fingerboard for balanced tones and smooth playability
Spruce + mahogany tonewood combo produces terrific tone
Cons
Nato neck, like most Yamaha acoustics
Review
This was my first chance to check out Yamaha’s Storia series, and I was won over immediately.
I’m not an exceptionally small person, but I think concert style bodies, like the one found on this Storia I, are much more comfortable to hold and to play than the standard acoustic dreadnought.
Although smaller than a dreadnought, no sound is sacrificed with this body design, and Yamaha’s innovative bracing patterns ensure that every note carries through with clarity and full-bodied beauty.
Speaking of beauty, the Storia I is a delight to look at. Its cream colored solid spruce top contrasts with the mahogany back and sides to create an instrument that is just as much a piece of art as it is a functioning guitar.
It has minimal electronic capabilities, but if the need arises to plug in, the Storia I is ready to go with a Yamaha passive undersaddle pickup and 1/4″ jack located in the bottom bout’s strap button.
Designed with beginners in mind but engineered for professional sound, the Yamaha Storia I can meet nearly all your musical demands. Thinking about a Yamaha but want to play on nylon strings? The Yamaha C40 might be right for you.
#4 Seagull Entourage Autumn Burst
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4.25/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Solid Spruce
Body – Wild Cherry
Neck – Silverleaf Maple
Fingerboard – Indian Rosewood
Pros
Slim neck profile for easy, comfortable playing
Bright, cheery sound
Ethically sourced local tonewoods
Cons
Sound can be too bright when played heavy-handed
Review
If you’ve been perusing our acoustic guitar articles, you’ll know we love Seagull guitars here.
All bearing the signature of quality that comes from master luthier Robert Godin, there isn’t a single guitar in their inventory that disappoints.
The Seagull Entourage Autumn Burst is a beautiful acoustic made in the guitar-crafting center of La Patrie, Quebec.
Combining a solid spruce top with wild cherry back and sides gives the Entourage a bright, vibrant sound that is great for genres like bluegrass and blues. It has a definitive mid-range that speaks loud and proud, with lows and highs coming in at a nice balance.
All Seagull guitars tapered headstocks designed to keep you in perfect tune through hours of playing. They’re well-intoned, have pleasantly low action, and are made to sound better the older they get.
Try out the Seagull Entourage for just a few minutes, and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed a bit. You might also be interested in our review of the Seagull S6 Original.
#3 Taylor Academy 10
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4.25/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Solid Sitka Spruce
Body – Sapele
Neck – Hard Rock Maple
Fingerboard – West African Ebony
Pros
A Taylor model built with beginners in mind
Loud dreadnought body shape with integrated armrest
Taylor trademark slim neck design for easy chords and riffing
Cons
Slightly shorter neck not ideal for players who want standard acoustic
Review
One of my favorite offerings on the lower end of Taylor Guitars is the Taylor Academy 10.
Taylor made this guitar as a student instrument, but it holds up to their professional standards in all ways.
This acoustic was designed for comfort. Although it’s built with the large body style of regular dreadnought acoustics, it has a sloping armrest between the bouts that is gracefully curved to accommodate for the fatigue that can plague inexperienced players.
They also took into account the hand and finger pain that comes with learning guitar, reducing the neck both in width and length to allow for easy playing up and down the fretboard.
With these few quirks, nothing was lost in the Academy 10’s tone. It still sings like any other Taylor, with a solid spruce top and sapele back and sides projecting a bold, powerful acoustic tone from its dreadnought body.
A beginner guitar from Taylor is a professional grade guitar by any other standard, and as far as $500 can get you, this is one of the best options on the market.
If the Academy 10 is too large for you but you still want a Taylor, check out our review of the Taylor Big Baby.
#2 Blueridge BR-140 Historic Series
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5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Solid Sitka Spruce
Body – Solid Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – East Indian Rosewood
Pros
Handmade craftsmanship for a perfect build
Solid back and sides for absolute tonal purity
Traditional bracing style for vintage style sound
Cons
None
Review
Blueridge guitars are all one hundred percent handcrafted, with each piece of wood hand selected to ensure that each instrument is as flawless as can be.
The BR-140 is a vintage style acoustic in their Historic Series, made with a traditional bracing pattern that makes this acoustic sound like you picked it up straight out of the year 1909.
It has a stunning tortoise pick guard, and a nut and saddle made from real bone. Although I’m a big animal lover, bone is by far my favorite nut and saddle material, as I find that nothing really resonates as well as it can.
You won’t find many guitars made today whose back and sides are made from solid wood; it’s a costly and time-consuming luthier process, and most that you find with this feature will cost thousands of dollars.
Blueridge delivers though. The BR-140’s body is totally solid wood, producing a harmonic-rich tone you’ll only experience from a guitar of this caliber.
There isn’t an acoustic genre that this guitar isn’t suited for, and if you have the money, it’s one of the best guitars you can get your hands on.
You can read more about the Blueridge BR-140 in this article by Premier Guitar Magazine.
#1 Martin D-15M
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5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Solid Mahogany
Body – Solid Mahogany
Neck – Solid Mahogany
Fingerboard – East Indian Rosewood
Pros
Handmade, superior Martin craftsmanship
Quartersawn construction for lifelong durability
14 open frets for easy high-end riffage
Cons
None
Review
I know too many guitarists who would think I’m a fool if I didn’t put a Martin somewhere on this list.
All things considered, I believe the Martin D-15M is hands down the best acoustic guitar for the money.
It’s on the cheaper end of Martin’s lineup, clocking in at a little over $1000, and this is probably out of budget for many players. But, if you have the patience and ability to save up enough for a truly amazing guitar, the D-15M is well worth the wait.
Martin makes their guitars using a quartersawn technique that keeps them solid for decades and decades after construction. You can read more about this here.
It’s completely solid wood, from body to headstock, which is a rare quality in acoustics these days when the cost of laminate is so low and the time and difficulty of constructing a solid neck are out of question for most manufacturers.
The difference is evident from the moment you pick this baby up. It feels… magical.
Being a guitar of pure mahogany, its tone is on the warm, dark end of things, but it’s got enough brightness from the spruce bracing and rosewood bridge to make your sound shine in any range.
Martin’s D-15M is an amazing guitar in any genre and playing style, but is particularly good for singer-songwriters. The warmth of the mahogany blends beautifully with singing, and the perfectly balanced tone means that there’s no register that it won’t work with.
I am far from rich and a D-15M will probably always be out of the realm of possibility for me to own, but if I ever inherit an unexpected fortune, one of the first things I do will be to buy this Martin.
Buyer’s Guide
What Makes an Acoustic Guitar the Best for the Money?
There’s a common theme throughout every guitar recommendation that I write, and that is that the best guitar for you is the best guitar for you.
It may sound recursive and redundant, but it’s the best advice I can give. I have, at times, foregone all recommendations from friends and more experienced guitarists to buy the guitar that felt right for me, based purely on a gut feeling, and for the most part I suggest you do the same.
As far as guitar quality goes, there are some key factors considered when I write about the best guitars.
Usually, I won’t include a guitar on a list like this that doesn’t have a solid top, but I made an exception for the Luna model because its cost to quality ratio is more than acceptable. For beginners or someone looking for a new extra beautiful guitar, it’s a great choice.
Build quality is obviously a huge deciding factor. If a guitar will ship with major flaws that can’t be simply fixed by you or an experienced guitar tech, it won’t make the cut.
All the guitars on this list are guaranteed playable out of the box, bearing in mind that most acoustics can use a proper set-up when purchased new and from time to time after the fact.
Playability of course factors in big-time. If the neck is sticky, or awkwardly graded, or anything that won’t allow me to play a lightning fast bluegrass lick, it doesn’t past my muster.
Why else play guitar besides the sound? I won’t pick any guitar that I wouldn’t want to listen to. This excludes many of the models available today, and even entirely excludes some brands from my lists. I only choose guitars that sound good. My standard is usually: Would I play an open mic with this? If yes, it passes the sound test.
The best guitars shouldn’t just sound good though; they should sound great. This increases my hypothetical concert size: Would I play a solo show to a crowd of 50 people with this guitar? I’m pretty shy and picky about what instrument I want to be heard playing, so if I decide that I would in fact play a small to medium sized show with a guitar, it’s deemed to sound great.
All of these factors combined, with
Should I Buy a Used Guitar?
With a little research first, yes you should.
New guitars are great; they’re basically untouched, should be in pristine condition, and it’s like getting a puppy — you get to grow together and learn each other and become best friends.
But, they’re costly. Since they’re new, they’re going to be sold at top market price. Add to this the cost of a set up and any basic upgrades you want to make, and the price can quickly get out of hand.
Used guitars are another story. They can be like finding a wise, old guru, who through their years of experience have grown beautifully mellow and learned.
You can find amazing deals on used guitars sometimes. A lot of the time, people just won’t know what they have and will sell it for much less than it’s worth. Other times, they may just really need to clear some space or get rid of unplayed instruments in preparation for a move.
Whatever reason it is that people sell their instruments, it can be a major win for someone looking to buy.
You just have to know how to check the guitar for quality: this means looking for obvious damage such as cracks and scratches, subtle flaws like a warped neck or lifted bridge, and markers that are up to your own personal taste, such as the sound and playability.
For sure, you need to take a good look at any used guitar you consider buying. Play with it for a while. Jam out your favorite tunes, and make sure you check the intonation.
In the modern age, many of us usually have the internet in our pocket, so I recommend doing a quick search of the model. You can find out a lot in just a few minutes, such as tonewood composition, age, general opinions, and real value.
So yes, if you’re prepared to look for what makes a guitar great, I absolutely recommend buying a used guitar should the perfect one present itself to you.
How Much Should I Spend on a Guitar?
This is totally up to your budget and your musical needs.
First, budget. Buy what you can afford. Don’t open a credit account just to get a new guitar. If you can’t afford even the most inexpensive model, save and wait until you can. An acoustic is not worth going into debt for.
Once you know your budget, ask yourself what you need the guitar for.
If you’ll just be practicing in your room or are looking for a travel guitar, $300 and under can get you a pretty decent instrument that you can have a great time playing.
If you’ve been playing a while and want to try your showmanship skills at an open mic, guitars in the $300-$500 range are all great for small gigs.
Then, if you’re really serious and are planning to book shows or do some studio recording, I probably would suggest spending at least $500. At this price point, guitars go from being good to being great. You can get something perfectly playable for most small to medium-large shows starting at around $500.
Once you peak the $700 mark, you’re in the realm of professional grade instruments that are suitable for all purposes. Of course, I wouldn’t take a $700+ guitar on a trip backpacking around China, but I wouldn’t hesitate to jump on any size stage with it.
Are These Really the Best Acoustic Guitars?
Yes and no! I said it earlier and I’ll say it one more time for those in the back: the best acoustic guitar is the best one for you. If your budget is $100, the best guitar for you is not on this list. But if you have a few hundred more to spend, these certainly are some of the best guitars worth the money at varying price points.
Best is totally subjective, but in my opinion I’ve done a good job of rounding up some great quality instruments for you to choose from.
The Final Word
I’m itching to play these acoustics again, and definitely have some ideas for my next guitar purchase.
Hopefully one of these called out to you, and you’ll do yourself a favor and check them out when you’re ready to buy a great acoustic guitar.
If they’re not the most amazing guitars in the world, they’re all certainly some of the best acoustic guitars for the money.
The post Best Acoustic Guitars For The Money – Comprehensive Reviews appeared first on Beginnerguitar.
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The Best Acoustic Guitars Under $500 – Expert Recommendations
I think the Under $500 range for acoustic guitars has got to be the best price point for the majority of players.
At under $200 and under $300, you’ll find tons of great acoustic guitars for learning, practice, and songwriting, but will be hard pressed to find a gig-worthy instrument. Guitars under $1000 will of course be great music makers, but are outside the budget of pretty much everyone I know.
The best acoustic guitars under $500, however, will make public performance possible, and set you up with a guitar that you won’t need to upgrade for a long time, if ever. They’re generally affordable for most people who are serious about their musical hobby, and are well worth the investment and time and effort it takes to stack your cash.
I’ll share a little secret with you now — I’ve never owned a guitar outside this price range, and I’ve never felt the need to. I’ve played paying gigs, made studio recordings, and had 16 years worth of great musical times all with guitars that didn’t break the $500 mark.
Our Recommendation
This list has some of my favorite acoustics on the market. My number one choice, the Seagull S6 Slim, is a variant of a guitar reviewed we’ve taken a look at before, the Seagull S6 Original. It’s got all the qualities that make Seagull guitars one of my favorite brand, including a solid top, quality craftsmanship, and a tone that rivals guitars several times its price point.
On the other hand, we checked out the Taylor GS Mini Mahogany. While this solid mahogany top acoustic is a decent guitar in most respects, I’d like to think $500 can get you a little more bang for your buck. It still makes the cut as one of the best (it’s a Taylor after all), but not the guitar I’d personally go home with.
So without further ado, let’s take a quick tour through the best acoustic guitars for under $500.
The 7 Top-Rated Acoustic Guitars for Under $500
#7 Taylor GS Mini Mahogany
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3.75/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Solid tropical mahogany
Body – Layered Sapele
Neck – Sapele
Fingerboard – West African Ebony
Pros
Big voice in a little body
Taylor Guitars craftsmanship; guaranteed to last
Ebony fretboard for naturally oiled playing surface
Cons
Big price, little guitar
Sapele + Mahogany combo can be too murky for some players
Review
If you know anything about acoustic guitars, you probably know that Taylor is one of the biggest names in the game. They’re known for their quality, and tons of players aspire to someday own a guitar of this caliber.
If you’re just starting out, you might think a Taylor is out of your league, but with their mini series, this high-end brand can easily be your first acoustic.
The GS Mini Mahogany is beautiful looking guitar with a sound that’s better than most acoustics at this price point. It’s a soulful little instrument, with a solid mahogany top that delivers a mysterious, earthy tone and sapele back and sides that add to the darkness of its voice.
Its one downfall can also be one of its biggest perks — that is, it’s small body size. For players of small stature, this can be a huge bonus, especially for kids. I’d rather have a full-size acoustic, as I’m of rather average build, but if you’re on the small side or looking for a nice travel guitar, the Taylor GS Mini Mahogany acoustic is fantastic.
The GS Mini Mahogany isn’t Taylor’s only small guitar, either. You can read our review of their Big Baby acoustic guitar here.
#6 Martin D Jr-10
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3.75/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Sitka spruce
Body – Sapele
Neck – Select hardwood
Fingerboard – FSC Certified Richlite
Pros
The Martin name at an affordable price
Softened back edges for maximum playing comfort
Thin 000 body depth ideal for children or smaller players
Cons
Artificial fingerboard
Unknown neck tonewoods
Review
Taylor’s competitor for top acoustic manufacturer, Martin Guitars, provides us the Martin D Jr-10 at a price point affordable for most beginner guitarists. If you’ve always dreamt of owning a Martin, this is your chance.
The D Jr-10 is a smaller-sized acoustic, with a body length almost a full three inches shorter than the standard Martin D. It’s not exactly a mini guitar, but it’s small enough that players who find dreadnoughts uncomfortable can feel at home playing it.
Thanks to Martin’s superior bracing techniques, you don’t have to worry about losing a lot of volume through the lost body size. The D Jr-10 still has a big voice despite its reduced body, and its Sitka spruce top coupled with sapele back and sides provides the dreadnought tone you know and love.
An unusual bonus of this guitar is the soft angle on the back of the body. You may think, “well, I’ve never had a problem with steep angles of my guitar’s back,” but once you play the D Jr-10 you’ll see what a difference this softening can make in overall playing comfort.
Looking for a smaller Martin? Read our review of the Little Martin LX1 here. And here, you can see how a tiny Taylor matches up to a mini Martin.
#5 Yamaha FS850
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4/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Solid Mahogany
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Nato
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Pros
All mahogany build for dark, rich tone
Solid top that ages like a fine wine
Rosewood fingerboard for comfort and speed
Cons
Nato neck is the only nontraditional tonewood
Review
Yamaha guitars routinely make our best guitars lists because they are simply top-quality. I’ve loved Yamahas since I started playing guitar and am always happy to recommend them to players of any skill and experience level.
We’ve reviewed several guitars in the Yamaha F series. They’re always great performers, with solid tops, flawless construction, and reliability that will last a lifetime.
The FS850 is remarkable in that its whole body is mahogany, making for a tone that is overall very dark, warm, and earthy, perfect for all acoustic styles but really well showcased in folk and blues music.
As a beginner guitar, this is one of the best you could hope for, and for players with a bit more experience, looking for something you can gig with, the FS850 will make you proud.
#4 Takamine GD30
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4/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Solid spruce
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Ovangkol
Pros
Richness of mahogany with clarity of spruce for an ideal tonewood combo
Mahogany neck keeps the tonal purity in all ranges
Pinless bridge for quick and easy string changes
Cons
Ovangkol fretboard isn’t as smooth or fast as other tonewoods
Review
I haven’t had a ton of experience playing Takamines, but the few that I’ve had a chance to play I’ve really enjoyed. The Takamine GD30 is no exception.
It sports my favorite tonewood combo of all acoustics, a spruce top with mahogany back and sides. I find this ideal because you get the harmonic complexity and warmth of mahogany with the brightness and precision of spruce. It’s perfect for fingerstyle playing and really brings those fingerpicked progressions to life.
The GD30 also has a mahogany neck, with a slim profile that is great for highspeed bluegrass riffs or bluesy acoustic solos.
You’ll find the GD30 to be one of the best acoustic guitars under $500 in nearly every regard. It’s a great dreadnought every way you can look at it.
#3 Bristol BM-15S
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4.5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Solid mahogany
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Pros
Absolute tonal purity with a 100% mahogany + rosewood build
Beautiful build with natural semi-gloss finish
Handcrafted by Blueridge Guitars luthiers
Cons
Artificial ABS nut and saddle
Review
If you’re looking for a guitar where every note in every range sings with the same truth and overtones, the Bristol BM-15S is the acoustic for you. From body to headstock, this beauty is all mahogany excepting the rosewood bridge placed to bring your guitar’s voice to the forefront of each performance.
I’m a sucker for mahogany guitars; my main acoustic is all mahogany, and every time I play one I feel like it resonates with my spirit. They’re dark, calm, and have a depth I feel like acoustics were made for.
Bristol is a subsidiary of Blueridge Guitars, which although aren’t as popular as the big names like Taylor and Martin, have a team of amazingly skilled luthiers that handcraft each instrument, ensuring that every detail is constructed to perfection.
The only thing that keeps this guitar from being number one on this list is the choice for ABS as the nut and saddle. If you’ve got the time, money, and enthusiasm, swapping these artificial bits out for authentic bone pieces can make the Bristol BM-15S a truly perfect acoustic guitar. This article by Fender will tell you about the finer points of nut and saddle materials.
#2 Alvarez Artists Series ABT60
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4.5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Solid A+ Sitka spruce
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Indian Laurel or Rosewood
Pros
The ideal tonewood combo, spruce and mahogany
Rosewood or Indian Laurel fingerboard for a perfect playing surface
Solid Sitka spruce top from only the best cuts of wood
Cons
Unconventional setup; tuned from B to B
Review
This is an interesting guitar, and if you’re an adventurous player, you’ll love everything about it.
The Alvarez ABT60 looks an first glance to be a standard dreadnought acoustic, but once you pick it up and play, you’ll immediately notice that something is different.
That difference is a change in the setup of the tuning. Whereas acoustic guitars are usually tuned from E to E, the ABT60 is a whole 5th below this, designed to play in a B to B tuning. This means that your string pitches are B-E-A-D-F#-B.
This might be problematic to you if you’re a by-the-book guitarist, but the chord voicings are all the same as on a standard acoustic, and a capo can bring you up to the usual pitch with no problem. You can read here about the finesse and techniques from a pro when playing with B tuning.
With its spruce + mahogany body, these tones bellow with a depth that I can feel in my bones. I’m a big metal fan and love dropped tunings, even setting my guitar up usually play in a D to D configuration, but I never imagined going this low on an acoustic.
I’m glad Alvarez thought of it, because I can’t get enough of this Alvarez ABT60.
#1 Seagull S6 SLIM
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5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Top – Solid cedar
Body – Wild cherry
Neck – Silverleaf maple
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Pros
Locally sourced tonewoods for the eco-minded player
Slim body design sits comfortably in any playing posture
Tapered headstock for optimized tuning stability
Cons
None
Review
Seagull is one of my favorite acoustic guitar brands. Robert Godin, the director and founder of Godin Guitars and all its subsidiaries, including Seagull, is a world-renowned luthier who makes sure that every guitar attached to his name is crafted with the utmost care and attention to detail.
The Seagull S6 Slim is the new and improved revamp of the original S6, with a reduced body depth that makes playing as comfortable as can be.
All the woods in Seagull guitars are hand-selected, guaranteed to be free from flaws and defects and to increase in tonal complexity with age.
In the S6 Slim, the crisp warmth of the cedar top combines with the wild cherry body to create a bright, lively sound that outperforms all other guitars in this price range.
It’s a smart-designed guitar, with a compensated saddle and tapered headstock that ensure that you stay in tone throughout your practice or performance and that reduce stress on the instruments structure, so you can be positive that you can play this guitar with increasing satisfaction over many years.
For a slight boost in price, you can get the S6 Slim equipped with QIT Godin electronics, bringing your tone to the modern age with top-of-the-line acoustic electronics.
Buyer’s Guide
What Should I Look For in an Acoustic Guitar Under $500
I’ve talked before about the general checklist you cover when you buy any guitar. To overview, the first thing you need to look for are any obvious signs of damage. This means cracks, chips, scratches, dents, etc. If you see any of these, first determine whether it’s a fatal flaw.
If it will affect the tone or playability, move on. If it’s merely cosmetic, or if it can be easily and cheaply repaired, ask the seller if they can reduce the price for you due to the damage. If not, move on.
After looking for damage, make sure it’s built the way it’s supposed to be. This will include a straight neck that is firmly attached to the body, and a bridge that is seated completely, with no gap between the back end of the bridge and the guitar’s top.
Make sure it stays in tune. Make sure it’s properly intoned by playing a string open and then with a natural harmonic at the 12th fret. If these two pitches don’t match for each string, ask the seller if they can fix it. If not, move on.
After this initial checklist, if the guitar passes, there are a few quality standards you should care about when choosing to spend $500 on an acoustic guitar.
At this price point, guitars should have solid tops. Laminate tops are acceptable at $300 and below, but at $500, if you’re not getting a solid top, you’re not getting your money’s worth.
It should sound good. This is, of course, largely subjective, but in general it should have a pleasing, loud tone that doesn’t fizzle out at the high end and that holds a fair amount of sustain in the low end. The midrange shouldn’t be flat, and harmonics at all the major points (4th fret, 5th fret, 7th fret, and 12th fret) should ring out clear and true.
$500 isn’t a ton of money when it comes to buying a guitar, but it’s enough that you should make sure you’re getting a guitar that you will want to play not just for the next year, but for the next decade.
Is it Worth Buying an Acoustic Guitar for this Price?
Short answer, absolutely! Like I said in the beginning of this review, I think this is an ideal price point for acoustic guitars.
As long as you know the standard of quality to look for, you can find many acoustic guitars for under $500 that will perform in every situation you’ll need one for.
I’d say the same about guitars under and over $1000, and mostly the same for guitars under $300, while I might be a bit hesitant to recommend a guitar for under $200 unless you’re just dipping your toes in the water, so to speak, and are not sure that guitar is the right hobby for you.
However, if you’ve got your heart and mind set on playing guitar, whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, an acoustic for under $500 can be an instrument that will last you a lifetime.
Just make sure you want to play before you go spending half a grand on an instrument, and I guarantee you won’t be sad about spending this much on an acoustic.
I’ve had my under $500 acoustic guitars on stages in Hollywood, on busy intersections busking for fun, in hours and countless hours of playing for my own satisfaction in my bedroom, and at so many campfire circle jams that if you sniff just right, you’ll catch a hint of woodsmoke coming from the soundhole.
Under $500 is a great price range for finding an amazing acoustic that will bring you years upon years of satisfaction.
Should I Buy a Used Guitar
This is up to you, and how much you trust your knowledge when it comes to checking a guitar for quality.
If you can with assurance check a guitar for all the markers of playability and proper tone, and if you have the time and patience to shop around, you might get lucky enough to score an amazing bargain instrument.
I’ve seen some deals that were heartbreakingly good that I had to pass up because I didn’t have the spare cash, like vintage Martins and flawless Taylors whose owners were unaware of their value, all priced for under $500 and worth three times as much.
There are, of course, some people who prefer to have things new, and if this is you, that’s totally fine. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of breaking in a new acoustic, and it can be a mark of pride to know you’re the first person to play a particular instrument.
Just know yourself and your wishes, shop within your means, and I’m sure you’ll find the perfect guitar for you.
Who Should Buy an Acoustic Guitar Under 500 Dollars?
I’d recommend an acoustic guitar for under $500 to just about anyone, depending on your financial situation. If you’re an entry-level beginner who’s not sure about the depth and longevity of your musical passion, it might be better to get a guitar for a bit less, but if you’ve got the cash to spare, you’re sure to get a great sounding and fun-to-play instrument at this price point.
Intermediate to advanced players can’t go wrong with this range. The best guitars in this category are suited to nearly every need and can compete in all practical ways with the highest-end guitars on the market.
If you’re a touring musician with the budget to buy something better, I won’t recommend against it. But for the average player, an acoustic for under $500 should be just right.
The Final Word
So, if you’re a small-framed player or a parent searching for your child, you know about the Taylor GS Mini Mahogany and the slightly reduced-size Martin D Jr-10. They’re a bit on the high-priced end for small guitars, but they’re from big names who are considered the best guitar brands with good reason.
You might never have heard of Bristol guitars before, but if that’s the one that calls to you, it’s sure to satisfy your musical cravings.
And lastly, you know my favorite to be the Seagull S6 Slim, whose hand-selected tonewoods have sung a song that plucked my heartstrings.
These are all fantastic instruments, and all that I would be overjoyed to play in any situation. As I always say, let your heart be your guide and the guitar that was made for you will sing out above all the others.
Learn more about acoustic guitars:
Blues Acoustic Guitars
Acoustic Guitars For Beginners (Recommendations)
Classical Guitar Versus Acoustics – Differences and Similarities
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The Best Electric Guitars For Playing in Church
When you play praise and worship music, you want to sound your best and give your all to elevating the congregation in joyous celebration.
You want to be able to stay grounded in the holy moment without worrying about your tone and tuning and your cramping hands.
You don’t need a multi-thousand dollar guitar to keep up with the rest of your rocking praise band, but it’s important that you have a reliable axe that isn’t going to slip out of tune mid-song or be so uncomfortable to play that you’re praying for salvation by the start of the second verse.
Our Recommendation
For under $500, my favorite guitar in this category is the Fender Offset Series Mustang, offering a Strat/Tele fusion tone in a vintage style body, nothing too flashy but all you need for clean, crisp chords and silky smooth solos. It trumps the Epiphone SG Special, whose strong tonal characteristics are somewhat diminished by the unreliability of the Epiphone electronics.
Overall, the number one contender on this list is the PRS SE Custom 24, in which its solid maple/mahogany construction, dual humbuckers, and sturdy tremolo are capable of a huge range of tonal variations, from soft and sweet rhythms to incredible sustain-filled solo work.
Whatever your budget, here you can find an ideal choice of the best electric guitar for worship and all other areas of your life that demand pristine performances.
The 7 Top-Rated Electric Guitars for Worship Music – Overview
#7 Epiphone SG Special
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3.5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Mahogany
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Indian Laurel
Electronics – 650R Humbucker neck pickup and 700T Humbucker T bridge pickup
Pros
Affordable SG model based on the Gibson original
Punchy tones for powerful performances
SlimTaper “D” neck profile for speedy riffage
Cons
Ground wire can become loose with major bumps and bangs
All mahogany muddiness inhibits crisp chords
Review
Although this is the lowest ranked guitar on this list, I’ve seen the Epiphone SG Special in the hands of several worship band guitarists, from my own church band in high school years, to my friend’s current praise band in a West Virginia megachurch, to worship services at Christian rock festivals and live-streamed praise music across the U.S.
I first fell in love with SG models after seeing School of Rock, and since then it’s remained one of my favorite electric guitars. It’s not so much something you want to use to highlight your group’s rhythm section, but when utilized correctly, in can add an immense amount of oomph and power to your band’s pre-chorus buildups.
Outside its rhythm capabilities, the SG Special is a great guitar for high end licks, with the top frets never singing shrill but rather soaring in like the precision strike of a skydiving raptor. Want to learn to get the most out of this guitar by soloing like a pro? Check out our how-to solo guide here.
The main drawback of all Epiphone electric guitars is the hastily configured electronics; a lot of the time they just don’t hold up, leaving you with the issue of crackles and pops when you turn the tone knobs, and at worst totally disabling your pickups. It’s not a problem without a fix, but you’ll need to factor in the need for electronics repairs to the overall cost of this guitar.
Nonetheless, if you’re a player on a tight budget, the Epiphone SG Special is one of the best options available to get you rocking without draining your savings.
#6 Ibanez S 521
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4/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Meranti
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Jatoba
Electronics – Dual Quantum humbuckers
Pros
Super fast, thin Wizard III neck
Light meranti body reduces player fatigue
Quantum humbuckers emphasize bass response, pumping up the low and mid range tones
Cons
Nontraditional body and fingerboard woods
Susceptible to feedback due to light body construction
Lacks tone controls for separate pickups
Review
Ibanez has been one of my favorite brands since I started playing guitar, in part because I’m a huge Steve Vai fan, but mostly because their guitars are just so fast and fun to play.
The Ibanez S521 is versatile enough to perform in nearly every genre, but for worship music specifically you’ll be delighted with its treble heavy rhythm capabilities. With a bit of chorus effect on a clean tone, open chords on the S521 sing like a choir of angels.
Unless you’re in a really unusually rockish praise band, you probably won’t be doing a ton of shredding, but if the opportunity does arise, there’s no better neck to rage away on than those made Ibanez. The Wizard III neck on the S521 is sleek, slim, super fast design made with sturdy maple, great for quick riffs or comfortable chord work in any genre.
Without being too biased, I’ll mention that I like my guitars a bit on the heavier side — something to do with the denser wood imbuing a sense of higher quality. In this regard, I’m not a huge fan of the light meranti body of this Ibanez. But if you’re a smaller-framed guitarist or just someone who doesn’t want several kilos of wood weighing down your shoulders for hours at a time, you’ll find the S521 light enough to reduce fatigue yet solid enough to feel like a perfectly reliable axe. You can learn to further reduce playing fatigue with these handy tips.
#5 Squier Classic Vibe ’70s Telecaster Thinline
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4.5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Soft Maple
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Maple
Electronics – Dual Fender Wide Rang Humbuckers
Pros
Semi hollow maple body delivers beautiful full-bodied chords
All maple construction for crisp rhythms and funky leads
Dual humbuckers for crunch when you need it
Cons
Cheap tuning machines that can cause tuning slippage
Desperately needs a setup
Review
In the Under $500 range, it was hard choosing the number one spot between this Telecaster Thinline and the guitar that ultimately claimed the win. To be fair, it was really a tie.
The Squier Classic Vibe ’70s Telecaster Thinline is an amazing guitar for worship music, especially if your role in the group is the main rhythm guitarist. Its semi-hollow body sings out chords with perfect clarity and depth, sounding almost more like an extra bright acoustic than an electric guitar.
Whether your group focuses on mellow tunes or upbeat praise pop, the all maple Thinline Tele shines with a prominent voice in all playing styles. Based on Fender’s vintage 1972 Thinline model, Squier keeps it real with the lightweight body, dual humbuckers for added sonic depth, and retro style headstock and bridge. You can read about the interesting history and evolution of the Telecaster in this article by Fender.
This guitar is great for any genre ranging from totally clean sonnets to slightly dirty punk praise and has a pretty solid sound from the low to high end.
My only complaint is with the tuning machines, which can really use an upgrade. However, they’re not necessarily a deal-breaker, and if you’re feeling up to the task, changing them out yourself can add an important and useful repair skill to your guitarist toolbox.
#4 Fender Offset Series Mustang
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4.5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Alder
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Maple
Electronics – Dual Mustang single coil pickups
Pros
Crisp leads and fat rhythms in a solidly constructed rocker
Comfortable “C”-shaped neck profile for hours of fatigue-free playing
Fender Mustang single coil pickups for true sonic superiority
Cons
A bit on the heavy side for smaller players
Unusual offset body shape might be unattractive for more conventional guitarists
Review
Fender’s Mustangs are maybe more well-known as bass guitars, but that doesn’t keep the Offset Mustang electric from being one of the finest instruments you can find for under $500.
Your congregation will find nothing to bemoan in its classic Fender tone, which in the Offset Mustang falls beautifully in the middle between a Strat and Telecaster sound.
The only guitar under $500 on this list without humbucker pickups, this Fender Offset Mustang is perfect for clean rhythm work and joyful lead riffs. Its solid alder body keeps it feedback free and reduces the buzz you’d expect to encounter from dual single-coils.
The Offset Mustang was originally introduced as a short-scale beginners guitar, but over the years has come to be known as a great instrument for anyone looking for crisp tones with a comfortable playing range.
There are no major problems with this guitar at all. It’s surprisingly affordable, and can suit your needs as a guitarist both in your church performances and anywhere else the music takes you.
#3 Fender Deluxe Roadhouse Stratocaster
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4/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Alder
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Maple
Electronics – 3x Vintage Noiseless Single-Coil Strat pickups
Pros
3 single coil pickups with
Super versatile tone controls including 6-way rotary switch with onboard preamp
Stable-tuning tremolo bridge for funky bends and squeals
Cons
Synthetic bone nut decreases sonic performance
Review
You might be thinking, “Geez, another Fender?” I almost am too, but for the best electric guitars for worship music they’re truly hard to beat.
That’s because Fender’s have long been known for their brightness and clarity and amazing rhythm attributes. Fender has long been one of the leading guitar manufacturers, and when you get above the $500 price point, you really start to see the scope of their quality.
The Deluxe Roadhouse Stratocaster is one of the most tonally versatile guitars I’ve seen. You can play this electric through the cheapest most basic amp and still be amazed by the range of tones you can get just with a flick of a switch and a turn of a knob.
There are three single coil pickups in the Deluxe Roadhouse, which might leave you worried about undue buzz during quieter moments. But, with the special Vintage Noiseless Fender design, they stay quiet even when you’re silently waiting through a bassline to kick in to the mix with your part.
It’s a great guitar all around, ready to rock out with clean to distorted rhythms or tear through the noise with high-vibe leads.
#2 Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro
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4.5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Mahogany with AAA Flame Maple Top
Neck – Mahogany
Fingerboard – Pau Ferro
Electronics – ProBucker-2 humbucker in the neck position and ProBucker-3 humbucker in the bridge position
Pros
Coil-tapping feature for versatile tones
True-to-form Gibson LP remake
Beautiful Flame Maple top
Cons
Tone can be a bit muddy
Review
This is one of my favorite guitars period. There aren’t many electrics available at such an affordable price with even a fraction of the quality of the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top Pro.
It barely breaks the under $500 price range, being the lowest-priced guitar in our under $1000 category, but it’s a top contender for the best guitar on this entire list.
For worship music, you’ll love the rhythms you can crank out with this Epi LP’s emphasis on the low and mid-ranges. It might not be the best guitar for bright poppy progressions due to mahogany’s inherent muddy warmth, but it fits well in the mix of any size praise group.
The coil tapping mechanism gives you a huge amount of control over your tone, essentially allowing you to turn your dual humbuckers into single coil pickups, which can help if you need to bring your brightness up a bit.
If this guitar has grabbed your attention like it did mine, you can take a look at our in-depth review of the Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro here.
#1 PRS SE Custom 24
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5/5 Star Rating
Specs
Body – Mahogany with Beveled Maple and Flame Maple Top
Neck – Maple
Fingerboard – Rosewood
Electronics – PRS 85/15 “S” dual humbuckers
Pros
An affordable entry from PRS — top quality at a relatively low price
Wide-thin neck profile for chord gripping power
High quality humbucking pickups with push/pull tone control and 3-way selector switch
Cons
None!
Review
Paul Reed Smith guitars don’t get a lot of mention on our site, though they certainly deserve the top-rank in a lot of reviews, with an impressive list of artists who favor the brand.
This Custom 24 is from PRS’s more affordable SE line, a high quality range of models at a price that won’t leave you wallowing in debt.
The PRS SE Custom 24 can do everything, from crystal-clear rhythmic opens, to crunchy distorted power chords, to soaring solo melodies, all with a tuning-stable tremolo bar for added fun.
It’s a super solid guitar, and you can feel the quality the moment it hits your hands. The neck is wide enough for strong chording but slim enough through the curve for lighting fast solos.
With the 3-way selector switch and tone controls for both pickups, you can adjust your voice to fit anywhere your prasie band needs you, whether that’s adding subtle bass power to clean progressions or kicking into overdrive for the bridge that brings it all home.
I can’t find a single problem with this guitar, and if it fits in your budget, I’ve got to recommend it for the best electric guitar for worship you can get your hands on.
The Final Word
As I always say, you’ve got to search within your means for the best guitar for your needs, and I’ve tried to make this list fairly wide-ranging in terms of price while maintaining a standard of quality fit for live performances.
Any of these guitars will be fine for your worship music as long as you play from the heart, no matter if you choose the lowest priced Epiphone or the built-for-pros PRS.
Stay true to yourself and your faith and your congregation will be happy to have you on stage.
Blessings to you and your music!
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I’ve loved blues music since I was a kid. There’s something in that genre of music that makes acoustic blues guitar riffs the absolute best music to my ears. Ever since I was old enough to hold a guitar, I’ve been strumming chords and playing guitar riffs by ear. I guess that was the only way I could really play the music – by ear. But that also meant that I couldn’t play the more inventive blues guitar music by legends like BB King and Eric Clapton. That’s when I knew I had to learn to read sheet music if I was going to get any better at my favorite music. So when I got a bit older I started to attend music lessons so I could understand musical notes. I must say that at first I found it all a bit mind boggling trying to memorize the notes and the chords. I had to know the difference between an E major and a D minor. In time though, and with plenty of practice, I got to understand sheet music pretty well and didn’t need to really play by ear anymore.
Blues guitar riffs became very easy to play once I got to know about the blues videos by Griff Hamlin. His style of teaching is unlike anything I’ve ever come across before. His videos are clear and precise. You can hear everything he has to say as he plays blues guitar and it’s riveting. I could follow the instructions with ease and found myself learning some pretty neat solo tunes.
Griff Hamlin’s Blues Guitar Riffs
In my younger days, the tunes I tried playing were blues guitar riffs I heard and played by ear. With the sheet music that’s available online, playing on the porch, like Hamlin says, is a breeze. I watch the sun go down over the horizon as I strum the guitar and play beautiful solo music that livens me up to no end.
The other day, a couple of buddies of mine came over for a beer. There I was with my guitar on the porch and playing blues guitar riffs. It wasn’t a sight they were expecting, believe me. But when they heard the music that came out of my guitar, I can tell you right now that they were more than amazed. They just stood there listening. Bill got the beer from the fridge and joined the rest of us on the porch. And I entertained them with my skill that I’m pretty proud of, seeing as I learned most of it from Hamlin!
I think my buddies and I must have been outside a good couple of hours because I got really hungry after a bit. We got into Bill’s truck and went over to the diner – with my guitar in tow. As we waited for our order to be served, I started playing some blues guitar riffs. Nothing was on the jukebox so, you know what, everyone there started turning around to see who I was. Got me a ready audience right there and then! I think I’ll be playing blues guitar riffs for a long time and thanks to Hamlin!
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