Learning to play the guitar is an exciting journey, and finding the right instrument to start with is crucial. As a beginner, you want a guitar that is easy to play, produces good sound quality, and fits within your budget. Here, I ranked and reviewed the 7 best acoustic guitars for beginners.
In this blog post, I’ll explore some of the best acoustic guitars for beginners that tick all these boxes. From budget-friendly options to guitars with exceptional playability, I’ve got you covered. So grab your pick and let’s dive into the world of acoustic guitars!
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Best Acoustic Guitar For Beginners: Comparison Table
When it comes to choosing the best acoustic guitar for beginners, there are several factors to consider. The size and shape of the guitar, the type of wood used in its construction, and the overall playability are all important considerations.
To help you make an informed decision, here is a comparison table of 7 best acoustic guitar for beginners:
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Product Name
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Scale Length
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Body Shape
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Neck Profile
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Body Material
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Number of Strings
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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25.6 Inches
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Dreadnought
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C - Shape
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Maple Wood, Basswood, Mahogany Wood
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6
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|
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25 Inches
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Traditional Western
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Low Neck Profile
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Mahogany Wood
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6
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|
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25.5 Inches
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Dreadnought
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C shape
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Mahogany
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6
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|
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25.3 Inches
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Dreadnought Cutaway
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Fender 'Easy-to-Play
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Mahogany Wood, Spruce Wood
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6
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|
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23 Inches
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Modified O-style
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Modified Low Oval
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Spruce; Mahogany
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6
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|
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23.5 Inches
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Small-body shape
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Thin C profile
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Mahogany; Sapele
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6
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|
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25.5 Inches
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Dreadnought
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SlimTaper C-profile neck
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Mahogany
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6
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Best Acoustic Guitar For Beginners: Details Review
The best acoustic guitar for beginners can be a daunting task. Still, with the right information, you can make an informed decision. Now, I am giving a detailed review of the 7 best acoustic guitars for beginners.
Specifications:
- Scale Size: 25.6 Inches
- Body Shape: Dreadnought
- Material: Maple Wood, Basswood, Mahogany Wood
- Number of Strings: 6
- Neck Shape: C – shape
The Fender Squier Acoustic Guitar is a fantastic instrument for both beginners and experienced players alike.
Benefit With Feature
With its solid construction and high-quality materials, this guitar offers a rich, balanced tone that is sure to impress. The dreadnought body shape provides excellent projection and volume, making it perfect for strumming or fingerpicking.
The neck is comfortable and easy to play, allowing for smooth transitions between chords. The guitar also features a built-in tuner, which is a convenient feature for staying in tune while practicing or performing.
Pros
- Soft and clear sound
- Affordable price
- Comes with an Austin Bazzars Instructional DVD
- Easy to play neck
Cons
- Packaging could be better
Specifications:
- Scale Size: 25 Inches
- Body Shape: Traditional Western
- Material: Mahogany Wood
- Number of Strings: 6
- Neck Shape: Low neck profile
The Yamaha FG800J Acoustic Guitar is a top-notch instrument that delivers exceptional sound quality and playability.
Benefit With Feature
With its solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides, this guitar produces a warm and rich tone that is perfect for both strumming and fingerpicking. The slim neck profile and smooth fretboard make it easy to navigate across the guitar, allowing for comfortable playing even during long practice sessions. The FG800J also features a sturdy construction, ensuring durability and longevity.
Pros
- 5 grades featuring different tonewood options
- High-quality construction
- Stain finish comfortable neck
- Rosewood fretboard creates a nice, clear tone
- Comfortable full-size body shape
Cons
- Comes without any pickups
Specifications:
- Scale Size: 25.5 Inches
- Body Shape: Dreadnought
- Material: Mahogany
- Number of Strings: 6
- Neck Shape: C – shape
The Ibanez AW54OPN Acoustic Guitar is a fantastic instrument that delivers exceptional sound quality and playability.
Benefit With Feature
With its solid mahogany top and mahogany back and sides, this guitar produces a warm and rich tone that is perfect for both strumming and fingerpicking. The open pore natural finish not only looks great but also allows the wood to breathe, resulting in improved resonance and projection. The guitar’s slim neck profile makes it comfortable to play, while the rosewood fingerboard provides smooth and effortless fretting.
Pros
- Rosewood bridge and fretboard give a clear and soft sound
- It’s signature bridge pins make Changing and stretching strings are easier
- It gives a warm, woody tone
- Lightweight and comfortable to carry
Cons
- Lower neck quality
Specifications:
- Scale Size: 25.3 Inches
- Body Shape: Dreadnought cutaway
- Material: Mahogany Wood, Spruce Wood
- Number of Strings: 6
- Neck Shape: Fender ‘Easy-to-Play
The Fender CD-60SCE Acoustic-Electric Guitar is a versatile and high-quality instrument that offers an exceptional playing experience for both beginners and experienced guitarists.
Benefit With Feature
With its solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides, this guitar delivers a rich and balanced tone that is perfect for a wide range of musical styles. The dreadnought body shape provides a rich and full tone.
At the same time, the built-in Fishman pickup system allows you to amplify your sound easily. The CD-60SCE also features a comfortable neck profile and smooth playability, ensuring that you can play for hours without any discomfort.
The mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard offer smooth playability and comfortable fretting, making it a joy to play for hours on end.
Pros
- Piezo pickup configurations
- You can finger higher on dreadnoughts with cutaway shapes
- Using Fishman electronics, you can amp up your acoustic guitar
- Loud guitar tone
Cons
- EQs lack controls for mid-frequency
Specifications:
- Scale Size: 23 Inches
- Body Shape: Modified O-style
- Material: Spruce, Mahogany
- Number of Strings: 6
- Neck Shape: Modified Low Oval
The Martin LX1 Little Martin Acoustic Guitar is a compact and versatile instrument that delivers a big sound in a small package.
Benefit With Feature
With its solid Sitka spruce top and mahogany high-pressure laminate back and sides, this guitar offers a rich and balanced tone that is perfect for both beginners and experienced players alike. The LX1 features a modified 0-14 fret body shape, which provides excellent playability and comfort, making it ideal for travel or those with smaller hands. Despite its smaller size, the LX1 does not compromise on quality or craftsmanship, as it is built with the same attention to detail as all Martin guitars.
Pros
- High-quality construction
- Compact Design
- High-quality sound
- Easy to play
- Comfortable neck profile
Cons
- It does not project a full-size acoustic
Specifications:
- Scale Size: 23.5 Inches
- Body Shape: Small-body shape
- Material: Mahogany; Sapele
- Number of Strings: 6
- Neck Shape: Thin C profile
The Taylor GS Mini Acoustic Guitar is a true masterpiece in the world of acoustic guitars. With its compact size and exceptional sound quality, this guitar is perfect for both beginners and experienced players alike.
Benefit With Feature
With its solid Sitka spruce top and layered Sapele back and sides, this guitar delivers a rich and balanced tone that is surprising for its size. The scaled-down Grand Symphony body shape provides excellent projection and resonance, making it perfect for both intimate settings and larger venues. The playability of the GS Mini is exceptional, with a comfortable neck profile and smooth action that allows for effortless fingerpicking and strumming.
Pros
- Travel-friendly guitar
- High quality built
- Soft and clear sound
- Effortless play
- Transforms quickly into an electric acoustic guitar
Cons
- There is no cutaway
Specifications:
- Scale Size: 25.5 Inches
- Body Shape: Dreadnought
- Material: Mahogany
- Number of Strings: 6
- Neck Shape: SlimTaper C-profile neck
The Epiphone Songmaker DR-100 is a top-notch acoustic guitar that delivers exceptional sound quality and playability at an affordable price.
Benefit With Feature
With its solid spruce top and mahogany body, this guitar produces rich, warm tones that are perfect for both strumming and fingerpicking. The dreadnought body shape provides a balanced sound projection, making it suitable for various musical styles. The neck is comfortable to hold, and the fretboard is smooth, allowing for easy chord transitions and soloing.
Pros
- Surprisingly good-sounding high-register lead notes
- Rich and full strumming, chords, and arpeggios
- Pick up and play is easy
- Projection and sustain are excellent
- Comfortable fretting with SlimTaper neck
Cons
- Low-end tones are weak
Things You Consider Before Choose An Acoustic Guitar For Beginners
Choosing the right acoustic guitar for beginners is an important decision that requires careful consideration.
Size Of Guitar
The size of your guitar is very important because it affects how easy it is to play, how comfortable it is, how loud it is, and how it sounds. Ultimately, the right size for you will depend on what feels good and what you like.
For instance, a bigger player with bigger hands might need help to move around on smaller, shorter models. Younger players who are still learning might find it hard to enjoy playing a dreadnought shape with steel strings, though.
Most of the time, bigger guitars sound louder, with deeper bass and more volume. They’re great for strumming and playing live without an amp. The tone becomes brighter and more focused on the top as the body size decreases. In fact, parlor-style guitars are famous for how clear they are for fingerpicking.
Tonewood
Tonewoods are the woods that are used to make the body of a guitar. The neck and fretboard have less of an effect on tone than the body, even though they are important for handling.
In general, spruce and mahogany are the most popular tonewoods because they are inexpensive and sound great. By far, the most common soundboard or top wood is spruce. Mahogany, on the other hand, is usually used for the back, sides, and necks, but it can also be used as a top wood.
For guitar beginners, it’s important to know if the wood is solid or laminated. Thin sheets of layered wood are used to make laminate wood, which is often found on cheap models, even cheap models from higher-end names.
That’s not always a bad thing, though, because laminate woods are also very durable and don’t get damaged by water or humidity. But what they give up is the full, rich sound of real woods. Since solid wood is made of living things, it will age and change as the moisture content drops over time, making the sound smoother and more pleasant.
Low Action
The motion of a guitar is how high the strings are. It’s easy to change this on electrics, but it’s more challenging on sounds. Because of this, any model that says it has a “lower” motion is great for beginners because pressing the string on it takes less effort.
Electronics
Like electric guitars, some guitars (electro-acoustics) have mechanical pickups and preamps that make your tone louder. Different guitars have different kinds of electronics. There are three main types of pickups and several different kinds of preamps. Each type of electronics increases the sound differently.
Most of the time, when you connect an acoustic guitar to an amp or PA or record through an audio interface, the electronics on the guitar will try to recreate the natural sound of the guitar.
Because of this, electro-acoustics are great for playing shows and making records because you don’t need a good microphone setup. Many preamps have tuners built in. These are great for beginners because they help you learn to hear pitch and eliminate the need for a separate tuning device.
Strings: Nylon vs steel
Before you can choose the right acoustic guitar for you, you need to decide what kind of strings you want. When it comes to regular acoustic guitars, you can choose between one with nylon strings and one with steel strings.
Nylon strings are easier to press down against the guitar fingerboard than steel strings, which makes them a great choice for people who are just starting to play music. This could be very helpful for younger newbies who find it hard to play and finger some chords with the heavier steel strings. But that doesn’t mean that nylon strings should only be used by new guitar players.
If you want to learn how to play electric guitars, you should start with an acoustic guitar with steel strings. If you already know how to play with steel strings, this will help you get used to the heavy strings on an electric guitar.
Is Acoustic Guitar Hard to Learn?
You might find it hard to learn how to play the guitar if you need to learn more about music. Music theory is something you will need to learn. There will be a lot of new ideas, like chords, keys, notes, and so on.
There will be a lot to learn, and you’ll also need to get used to playing the instrument. Finger positions, hand-eye balance, fingerpicking, and a lot more are all part of this.
That’s why a lot of people lose right away for the reason that it might be scary. So, a lot of people start to think that they aren’t meant to play the guitar and that it’s a special skill that only a few people have.
But it gets easier to play the guitar with practice. This will help you get better at playing the instrument, make a lot of ideas seem more logical and simple, and boost your confidence after learning the first song.
Also, you’ll find it unpleasant to play for hours and hours without stopping. You will get tired, and your fingers will hurt, and you won’t be able to keep going.
However, if you practice enough, you will get calluses on your fingers, and then playing the guitar will no longer be painful. This is just one part of the process that is getting better all the time. There are many more.
How to Play Acoustic Guitar?
You can start to learn how to play the acoustic guitar now that you know how it works. Because these are new, complicated skills, it will take some time for your body to get used to them. You might feel weird at first, but remember that practice will help your body get used to it after some time.
Posture
A lot of people play the acoustic guitar while sitting down, but if you have a guitar strap on your leg, you can play while standing up. When you’re sitting down, your guitar shouldn’t be tilted away from you so that all six strings can be seen if you look down.
Hold the guitar close to your leg so that the whole bottom of it rests on it. You should only see the Low E-string when you look down straight. Keep your back straight and your shoulders loose whether you’re sitting or standing.
Put your arm around the body of the guitar, between the bottom edge and the right side, so your hand can rest on the strings in front of the soundhole. You should put your left hand behind the neck and curve the other four fingers around the neck from the bottom up so they can reach the fretboard.
How To Fret
Your guitar’s frets tell you which notes are higher or lower. To play certain notes, you will press down on a string with the fingers of your left hand on a certain fret. For fretting a string, hold the note with the tips of your index, ring, middle, or ring finger.
In guitar classes, your index finger is called the first finger, your middle finger is called the second finger, and so on, until your pinky is called the fourth finger. For each width of the string, you will need to apply a different amount of pressure with your fingers.
If you put enough pressure on a string with your left hand while holding one of its flats, you will hear a clear pitch. You should put more pressure on the string until the note sounds clear if you hear a dead note or a buzzing sound.
How Long Does It Take To Learn To Play The Acoustic Guitar?
Several factors may influence the amount of time required to learn how to play acoustic guitar. The most important question involves your goals. What level of knowledge are you seeking? What are your goals for this instrument? You may learn the basics of the instrument in a few months. The guitar is not the most difficult instrument to master, yet several others are.
I must bring up one essential aspect. The amount of time you spend training will affect your progress. You will see improvements in weeks or months if you dedicate a couple of hours daily. However, if you keep up this pace, you will become more acquainted with the instrument and observe rapid progress in your technique. Of course, if you practice sufficiently, all the time in the world won’t hurt you.
The second element is about objectives. After two or three months, you should be able to switch between the fundamental chords easily. However, after a year, you should be able to play almost any chord without difficulty.
Finally, becoming an acoustic guitar icon, a virtuoso like Tommy Emanuel, may take a lifetime. Music is a never-ending experience, and you will only be able to claim to know some of what there is to know about music. Even the best guitarists in the world continually practice and enhance their skills. Or they’re just trying something new and unexpected.
Using A Guitar Pick
A guitar pick is what most newbies use to learn their first chords and songs. The right way to hold a guitar pick is to hold it with your thumb and middle finger on your left hand and the tips of both fingers together.
To make a 90-degree angle, the pointy end of your pick should stick out from the side of your fingers. Move your wrist up and down while keeping pressure on both fingers to make the strings sound to play the strings.
To get better at holding and using the guitar pick, move it up and down with your wrist while holding it in your hands. Strumming all six of your guitar strings together with the pick is something you should work on. After that, work on hitting one or two strings at a time with your pick.
Play Your First Chord
You can start learning your first chord now that you know how to play the acoustic guitar. The E minor chord is an easy one to start with. Put your middle finger on the second fret of your A-string and hold that note to play E minor.
Then, put your third finger, which is the ring finger, on the second fret of your D-string while keeping your first finger in place around it. As a beginner’s guitar chord chart in E minor.
To play an E-minor chord, strumming all six strings at the same time. If you want to learn how to play the guitar, you should learn how to read guitar chord charts correctly. After that, you can learn more sounds and how to play your acoustic guitar.
Final Recommendation on Best Acoustic Guitar For Beginners
Finding the best acoustic guitar for beginners is an important step in your musical journey. With so many options available, making a choice might be difficult. However, by considering factors such as playability, sound quality, and budget, you can narrow down your choices and find the perfect guitar for you.
Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly option or a guitar that offers exceptional playability, you can pick the Fender Squier Acoustic Guitar. Its soft and clear sound and easy play make it perfect for beginners.
Remember, the key is to find a guitar that feels comfortable in your hands and inspires you to practice and improve. With the right instrument by your side, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an accomplished guitarist. So don’t hesitate to start your musical journey with one of these top-notch acoustic guitars for beginners.
FAQs
Are acoustic guitars good for beginners?
The guitar is a normal acoustic size, somewhere between the huge dreadnought and the smaller concert and parlor forms. This makes it a good choice for both new and experienced players.
Can I learn acoustic guitar alone?
Yes, you can learn to play the guitar on your own. However, if you use good tools, it will go faster and save you some trouble. Some things will go more smoothly when you have a good teacher. You can, however, learn to play the guitar on your own.
What is the best age to start acoustic guitar?
Most people learn to play the guitar best when they are about 7 years old. There are only so many best ages to start guitar lessons, though, because every student is different. Kids can start taking guitar lessons as soon as they can hold a small guitar well and press down on the strings.