Not many people can say that they never dreamt of owning an acoustic guitar, but buying one can sometimes be harder than it should be, mostly because people don’t know what to look for in a guitar.
In this article, you will find out what are the best acoustic guitars that the market has to offer, and what are their features. We will also provide a short buyer’s guide later in the article to help you find what you need and select the best guitar just for you.
Below you will find our pick for the best acoustic guitars on this list.
10 Best Acoustic Guitars in 2021:
Seagull S6 Original
Seagull S6 Original Acoustic Guitar...
It's only fair to start with a classic – the Seagull S6. This guitar is equally great for beginners that are just beginning to learn how to play as it is for more experienced guitarists. The sound quality, playability, and comfort make it very popular among players of all skills.
This pretty good-looking acoustic guitar features wild cherry sides and back and a solid cedar top, which has been pressure-tested. The neck is Silverleaf maple that has a fretboard made of rosewood, with 21 frets. The sleek and light matte-finished neck makes it very comfortable for players of all hand sizes.
The S6 has a distinctive tapered Seagull headstock with specially-aligned machines for tuning. These tuning machines provide more stable tuning and are great to use. It also has a shorter scale of 24.84”.
Due to Seagull's fine craftsmanship and their use of quality woods, it's challenging to find a guitar that sounds this good and has a similar price.
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Taylor GS Mini
Taylor GS Mini Mahogany GS Mini Acoustic...
Ask any guitarist what they think about Taylor, and most of them will agree that they are one of the best acoustic guitar manufacturers on the market. Only a few will say that they see their guitars as instruments for beginners. Even so, Taylor does have some models that are good for beginners, and the GS Mini is one of those models.
The GS Mini’s body sports the Taylor’s Grand Symphony Mini shape. In essence, it's a concert with its lower bout being somewhat disproportional. This model features solid mahogany sides and back with no top wood. But you can also find it with a solid mahogany top in combination with its back and sides made of laminate Sapele.
The neck of this model is Sapele that has a fretboard made of authentic African ebony. At the end of the neck, you can find some pretty good tuning machine heads. Even though they come from a more basic group of Taylor's machines, they are as accurate as you would expect from Taylor.
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Yamaha FG800
Yamaha FG800 Solid Top Acoustic Guitar
The FG800 is the dominant model of the well-known FG series. For the past fifty years, this series has been a leading force in the market of affordable acoustics. It's an excellent instrument for beginners, which sounds lovely due to its advanced features.
The non-cutaway dreadnought shape of the body is made of laminated nato back and sides mixed with scalloped-braced Sitka spruce top. We have a neck made of nato which matches the back and sides and features fretboard made of rosewood with 20 frets. At the 14th fret, it is joined with the body and has a satin finish, which is very hand-friendly.
This model offers some components that enhance its consistency, tone, and reliability. The set of tuners on the headstock is made from die-cast chrome, which keeps this acoustic very well in tune.
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Fender CD-60S
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Fender CD-60S Solid Top Dreadnought...
Most beginners want to learn how to play on a Fender, and who can blame them. This is an iconic American guitar, crafted by guitar master craftsmen. So, it's no surprise that they have a prevalent model that's excellent for beginners. The CD-60S is a part of the series called Classic Design, and it's best suited to new-comers as well as more experienced players, due to its easy playability.
This model features a dreadnought body shape made out of solid mahogany on top, as well as on the back and sides. This all-mahogany body ensures a mellow and warm tone, while the scalloped X-bracing provides the extra resonance.
The neck is also mahogany with a rosewood fretboard and 20 frets. It has a glossy finish that makes it hand-friendly, and the rolled edges of the fretboard ensure the guitar’s overall comfort.
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Yamaha FS830 Small Body
To say that this is an extraordinary acoustic would be an understatement, as it's amazingly reliable, and sounds far better than one would expect from a laminate guitar.
The FS830 comes with a combination of Sitka spruce on the top and rosewood back, sides, fingerboard, and bridge, which give off an elegant appearance. The neck is made of nato and has a scale length of 25” with 21 frets in total.
Due to the special bracing and a rosewood build, the FS830 produces rich overtones, improved sustain, and greater depth. The thin and small body makes it very suitable for female players, as well as upper-level players that use the finger-picking style. It also has a stronger and louder sound in the lower ranges.
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Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor
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Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar,...
In recent years, travel and parlor acoustics have become a highly contested category. Especially for the models in mid-ranges. So naturally, Taylor, known for their expensive top-tier guitars, wanted to be a part of this. And Baby Taylor BT2 is their way of making this happen.
This model is made of layered Sapele all around except the top, which is made of solid mahogany. Taylor also used Sapele in the design of the neck that features a beautiful rosewood fretboard. The expected quality of the Taylor quality build is still present, even though this guitar is not hand made.
The sound that this guitar produces is one of its best features. Due to the arched back, the BT2 offers a very robust projection, despite its small size.
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Yamaha JR2 Junior
The FG-Series inspire the Yamaha JR2. The JR series consists of compact acoustics designed to be ideal for smaller musicians and for traveling. The JR2 is excellent for kids, those with little hands, petite adults, and frequent travelers.
The JR2 is a compact 3/4 scale acoustic, which is excellent for starter lessons for kids aged 7-11. Adults with smaller hands or shorter arms can also profit from this model.
The build of this model is a combination of ultra-thin mahogany sides and back with a solid spruce top. The neck is made of nato and features a beautiful rosewood fretboard and bridge.
Despite the laminate construction, the sound that the JR2 offers is better than you would expect.
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Fender FA-115
Fender FA-115 Dreadnought Acoustic...
The FA-115 is considered to be the most enjoyable guitar from Fender, even though it's among the most affordable ones. Fender caught everyone off guard by releasing a model with a solid spruce top, which is highly unusual for this price range.
The body is a dreadnought shape made of a combination of laminated basswood for sides and back, with a nato neck, and a fretboard made of laminated hardwood. The strong presence of laminated materials justifies the combination of solid spruce top and an affordable price.
Even though it features inexpensive materials, the dreadnought body and a solid top ensure loud and clear sound for your guitar playing pleasure.
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Ovation Applause
Applause is a new line of guitars from Ovation, and it showcases their forward-thinking, but it also retains the expected high performance. The round back design makes it very comfortable, but at the same time, it can cause awkward movements of the instrument during play.
This model features a spruce top with laser-cut sound holes and scalloped X-bracing. The neck's semi-gloss finish and a V profile make it quite comfy to play, with the electronics placed at the top side of the medium-depth bowl. The electronics include an easy-to-use tuner, a volume knob, and sliders for treble, mid, and bass.
Acoustically, the Applause has a sound that is very balanced and good for strumming. Like any other affordable electro-acoustic, the Applause sounds a little bright and nasal when plugged in, which is easily fixed by slider adjustments.
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Yamaha APX600
Yamaha APX600 BL Thin Body...
The APX600 is the newest model in the Yamaha’s popular longstanding APX line-up, and it builds on the excellent reputation that the series offers since the 1980s. Due to its slim body, shorter 25" scale, and narrow string spacing, this model provides excellent playability for beginners.
The body shape is the same as the previous models; this design offers better playing experience and comfortable holding. The build is a combination of eastern mahogany for the back and sides and a spruce top. The neck is made of nato that features a satin finish and a rosewood fretboard with 22 frets.
The APX600 features a piezo pickup system designed by Yamaha, and a solid preamp powered by AA batteries. The electronics are simple and offer 3-band equalizer controls, a mid-range slider, and a volume knob.
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A Brief Buyer’s Guide
To help you in choosing the best instrument, we present to you a short buyer's guide. In this guide, we'll provide you with some necessary information that you should know before choosing a guitar. Buying a perfect instrument just for you is crucial because the right instrument has the power to make you want to play it and keep coming back to it.
Design – Guitars can come in various shapes and sizes, from smaller sizes that are convenient for travel, over classic and jumbo, all the way to dreadnought-sized models. The style of the body determines the tonal emphasis and sound projection. Some guitar bodies are designed with a single or a double-cutaway; this provides a more comfortable reach for the upper frets.
Materials – The sound of a guitar is determined by the wood used in the build. The top is believed to be the most crucial part that influences the tonal quality. The standard top material is spruce, and Sitka spruce is the most commonly used. The rarity of the woods can drastically increase the price of a guitar, such as rosewood.
The neck and Tuning machines – Your hand size is critical when you're choosing a neck. Generally, the neck's width and thickness are determined by the shape of the instrument's body and the number of frets. The tuning machines allow you to hold pitch and fine-tune your guitar, that is why their type is crucial. Enclosed machine heads are better than open machines since they resist rust and don't require much maintenance.
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Conclusion
Buying the best acoustic guitar for you or someone you love doesn’t have to be expensive, there are some affordable yet pretty good models for you to choose from. Sure, you can buy the most expensive guitar that you can find, but keep in mind, the instrument does not make a musician. If you practice and believe in yourself, any guitar can sound great when you pick it up.