10 Brilliant Cheap Acoustic Guitars - Most Popular (UPDATED)
Looking for the best cheap acoustic guitars for beginners? Come check out 10 of the best inexpensive guitars available today.
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There's nothing that get's on my wick more. Reading a post that promises to show you 'budget' 'cheap' guitars, and sat at number 4, is a Martin that costs the price of a small family car.
Budget? Not in my book!
Finding a cheap, but great sounding acoustic guitar on your own isn't easy. In fact, it's a bit of a mine field.
You need a skilled ear and lots of playing experience to sniff out a great buy.
Then There's All Those Questions...
Are you a 'traditional wood finish' type, or 'different cool looking' type? Standard, or electro-acoustic? Jumbo or Dreadnaught? With a Cutaway or without?
Could get confusing. Luckily, I'm here to make sense of it all for you. Whether you're after an acoustic for a beginner, or just fancy adding another guitar to your collection without spending a fortune. You're in the right place.
Don't spend your hard earned cash on just any old cheap acoustic guitar until you check out these 10 brilliant budget bad boys below. (Try saying that after a few drinks.)
Warning: Don't Buy Cheap!
There are so many fantastically made budget acoustic guitars on the market today. You don't need to go out and buy a pricey one. But...Please, please, please. Do not fall into the trap of buying a piece of £70/$50 rubbish as your first guitar.
Trust me when I say, this will turn out to be a bad move. A total false economy.
Cut-price guitars don't only sound rubbish, but they're harder to play. You'll only get good at playing guitar if you get serious and make a commitment to learning. This means investing in a half decent guitar that will last you years, instead of weeks.
You could always go down the pre-owned guitar route too. Potentially, you could grab yourself a brilliant bargain. The only caveat to this is, you need to know what you're looking for. For this reason, it's a safer bet for comeplete beginners to buy new unless you have a knowledgable guitar player in your life who can help you.
The Best Acoustic Guitars
4.3
1. Yamaha F325 Acoustic guitar
You get a full and loud sound from the dreadnaught body of the Yamaha F325. It's hand -finished body and neck gives it a classic look, and nice tone for the low price.
Type: Standard acoustic
The action can be a little high on cheaper Yamaha acoustics. The F325 we played was happily an exception. Invest a bit more in the superior Yamaha FG830 though. You won't be sorry, and you desrve to invest a little more into your guitar playing journey.
4.0
The Fender Squier FA is one of the most popular beginner guitars for a reason. It's cheap as chips, and sounds not bad for such a low price guitar.
Type: Standard dreadnought acoustic
If you're a beginner on a tight budget, you can't go wrong with the Fender FA or Fender CD, which is almost idential. Don't expect mind-blowing tone or feel. But as a newbie, an overly expensive starter guitar is uneccesary. The Squier is a great solid choice.
5.0
Well made, with a smooth tone, Sigma acoustic guitars were originally made for Martin as part of their affordable range. As such, you get alot of guitar for your bucks here. If you've got smaller hands the 15/16" wide neck on this Sigma will suit you down to the ground.
Type: Acoustic
Sounds fantastic for the price. The ePerformer electro tones when plugged into both our acoustic amps and PA sounded rich, full and clear. And with that traditional Hummingbird pickguard design - she's a beauty.
Slim Body Acoustic Guitars for Beginners
#2. Ashton Slimline Electro Acoustic (UK)
#3. Tanglewood Crossroads Electro-Acoustic (UK)
4.2
The 3/4 length Tanglewood TW2 is a parlour guitar with a retro sound. Perfect for on the go practice. Another small guitar that packs a punch. Ideal for travelling beginners, kids, and any guitar player looking to add too their collection.
Type: Parlour acoustic
Don't expect rich warm tones from the Tanglewood travel guitar. It's a small travel guitar afterall. Do expect surprisignly good sounds though. We enjoyed playing around with open tunings and a slide with this little'un. You couldn't go wrong with the TW2 if you're after a portable travel guitar.
4.2
If you've set yourself the goal of playing live and you're on a budget, you have to check out the Ibanez Talman. It's quirky double cutaway looks will have heads turning. It's rosewood fretboard plays well too.
Type: Electro-acoustic
Fingerpicking, plectrum picking and strumming all felt and sounded bang on. One small con we found was the curse of black guitars. Grubby finger marks and dust show way more. Ah well. It looks & sounds cool though.
5.0
Just shy of the size of a full size acoustic, the Taylor's Big Baby has a 15/16" scale neck. Don't let it's size fool you though. Expect rounded a rounded, smooth tone fitting it's Taylor family name.
Type: Standard acoustic (electro-acoustic option)
Playing felt effortless on the Big Baby. The guitar has a bright, lively sound but still manages to keep that smooth Taylor tone. At 1 11/16 Inches at the nut, the neck is on the slim side, no fuss though. You'll look forward to practice with this baby.
4.5
The Takamine GD11 has a real quality finish. The deluxe gold die-cast hardware & gloss finish make this guitar win on looks. The Lovely warm tones and fast fretboard make the Takamine win on sound too.
Type: Standard dreadnought acoustic
My second acoustic guitar was a Takamine. Back then, it cost 2.5 x the price of the GN. Well I can confidently tell you the GN sounds a little...better! As a result, I highly reccomend this model to beginners through to advanced.
4.5
The Washburn WD7S is a dreadnaught acoustic guitar with a warm tone thanks to its mahogany back and sides.
Type: Standard dreadnought acoustic
The Washburn WD7S has a quality finish. It sounds and plays like it's a much more expensive guitar. The mahogany back, sides and neck lend to a rounded and crisp tone.
4.5
The Seagull S6 is well built and solid. Don't be fooled by the fact you may not have heard of this brand as a beginner - Seagull is a legendary name amongst those who know their gear. You'll get a premium feel for a modest price.
Type: Standard Dreadnought acoustic
Complete with a three-layer lamination of Wild Cherry wood for the back & sides, the Seagull S6 has a lush mellow tone thanks to it's dreadnought body. A great all-rounder guitar you'd be smart to get if you have a moderate to healthy budget.
Bonus: Must Have Acoustic Guitar Accessory
This legendary trigger capo fits most electric and acoustic guitars and is a must-have piece of kit for any guitar player. Perfect for changing a song key to one that uses easier chords.
4.8
Truth is, you'll outgrow the really cheap acoustic guitars. Make an invenstemnt in yourself and go for the FG800. You get a well balanced rich tone, superior build quality and fantastic setup out of the box with this Yamaha acoustic guitar.
Type: Acoustic
The Yamaha FG800 is one of those guitars that sounds way more than expensive than it is. The tone, volume and sustain on this guitar are striking with easy-play action to boot.
