Best Beginner Acoustic Guitars

I get a lot of questions from beginner guitar lessons about the best beginner acoustic guitars. How do I find a good guitar? How much do I have to spend? You can read our Guide To Buying Your First Guitar if you have a model in mind. If not, keep reading for some suggestions on great acoustic guitars.

Ibanez AEL20E Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Onboard Tuner

Personally, I am an Ibanez person. My first guitar was an Ibanez and I recorded my first album with an Ibanez. Even my electric guitar is an Ibanez SA series. They just make great sounding and good quality guitars. They also have very cool color selections if you like you guitar to look as good as you are going to be playing. Now this is a little more on the expenisve side for a beginner guitar, but well worth the price. The Ibanez AE acoustics have a built in tuner and electronics which is great for beginners. You don’t have to struggle with finding your tuner every time your guitar goes out of tune. Also, if you decide you want to perform down the road, you are all ready to plug in. This is my recommendation for the best beginner acoustic guitars.

Ovation Applause Series AE148 Deluxe Super Shallow

Ovations are beautiful sounding guitars. They have rounded backs and some people find that a bit awkward, but if you have never touched a guitar before you might not find it weird at all. My second choice in the best beginner acoustic guitars category. Like the Ibanez this has built in electronics, but it does not have a built in tuner.

Yamaha FG700S

Yamaha also makes a great product and for the price range, you are getting a quality guitar. This guitar has a bright sound and comes with a pick guard. Unlike the Ibanez, this guitar does not have a cut away so you cannot really play the higher strings. But by the time you get to using those skills on your acoustic you will probably be wanting to upgrade anyway.

Epiphone DR-100, Cost

If your idea of the best beginner acoustic guitars is cheap, then the Epiphone DR-100 is a good way to go. This guitar is light-weight and has a narrower neck, good for people with smaller fingers. This is a large bodied guitar and has a decent sound for the price. If you are going to buy this guitar based on price, make sure that you replace the strings with higher quality strings like D’addario EXP (what I use), Elixers, or Martins. This will greatly improve the sound of your guitar.

Fender DG-8S Value Pack

When it comes to the best beginner acoustic guitars in a package, Fender has it all. This kit comes with a strap, picks, tuners, strings, carrying case, and an instructional DVD. For the price you can’t beat it, but it’s not the best sounding guitar. Changing your strings can help, but if you can afford to upgrade, I would recommend that. But if you are on a tight bidget, this is a great way to get mots of what you will need to start playing the guitar.

Baby Taylor Mahogany Top

For the youngins with smaller hands and arms, the Baby Taylor is a great option. This guitar is a 3/4 sized guitar and Taylor is a name you can trust when it comes to guitars. These guitars also make for great traveling companions as well as they are not as bulky. You will get a great sound and not have to worry about “growing” into your guitar. Children should never play on a guitar that is too big for them. This will only create bad habits that will need to be fixed in the future.