Best Acoustic Guitar: Why Is Classic Guitar Your Best Choice

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Buying an acoustic guitar is a major investment. 

For many of us, it’s also an emotional purchase – we develop a relationship with our instrument. 

That makes it all the more important to make the right choice. 

In this article we’ll discover the 5 best acoustic guitars on the current market with our in-depth acoustic guitar reviews. 

We’ll also provide you with a comprehensive acoustic guitar FAQ.

Our Reviews Of The Best Acoustic Guitar

Benefits

The Fender FA-100 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar is an entry level guitar that comes in at a very sharp price point

It has an attractive gloss basswood finish with full sized body. The fret board and strings are close to each other which makes it easier to play. 

The fretboard is made of rosewood. Fender’s unique quarter-drawn x-bracing provides a superior level of projection and stability.

Drawbacks

Because the strings and frets are so close together, the strings could quite easily come into contact with other frets. This will  result in an annoying buzzing noise.

The strings on this guitar are not of the best quality, but it is a minor expense to replace then with higher quality ones.

Extra features

The intonation that you get from the Fender FA-100 Dreadnought is outstanding when you consider the low price that you pay.

Your purchase comes with a nylon carry bag. You also get a Fender strap.

Buying advice

The Fender FA-100 Dreadnought is an excellent choice for acoustic guitar for newbies. 

It looks great, plays easily and produces a level of sound that you wouldn’t expect from a budget guitar. 

You may want to replace the strings, but apart from, that this guitar will get you off to a great start in your musical career!

Technical specifications

Benefits

The Donner 36” Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar has a user friendly design that makes it another great choice for guitar playing newbies. 

It has a slender neck and body hugging body that molds to your torso. The stylish satin finish and unique bridge design add to the quality of this instrument.

Drawbacks

The Donner 36” Dreadnought acoustic guitar is a right handed guitar, unlike the Fender FA-100 which is ambidextrous. 

This guitar is not designed for advanced players as they will find the range too limiting.

Extra features

You get high tensile bronze strings which produce a crisp sound. 

Your purchase also comes with a carry bag, a guitar strap, a Donner DT tuner, as well as a polishing cloth and fur guitar picks.

This guitar is lightweight, making it comfortable to play for beginners.

Buying advice

The Donner 36” Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar is an extremely popular low-cost guitar that allows you to play a vast range of music types. 

It has a spruce top and mahogany back and sides that look great. This guitar is built to last, and provides a high level of comfort and durability.

Technical specifications

Benefits

The Jasmine S35 Acoustic Guitar is a high quality entry level model from Japanese manufacturer Takamine. 

It looks great, with a spruce top and nato sides and back. The fretboard is made from rosewood.

Drawbacks

As you’d expect at this price range, the Jasmine S35 does not have a solid wood top. It can be difficult to maintain the tuning of this guitar.

Again, as you’d expect, you do not get high quality string with your purchase of this guitar.

Extra features

The Jasmine S35 produces a rich, bold sound. It features ‘X’ bracing close to the sound hole, which helps to produce a more open sound. 

This feature also allows the guitar to vibrate more freely.

The lightweight and slimline neck of this guitar makes it easy to play. It has an attractive natural satin matte finish. 

This satin finish doesn’t just look good; it actually helps to improve the sound quality.

Buying advice

The Jasmine S35 Acoustic Guitar is a low cost entry level guitar that is very well made and performs well. 

It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of more expensive guitars, but you’ll find it to be a very efficient workhorse to take you from beginner to intermediate guitar player.

Technical specifications

Benefits

The Martin LXK2 Little Martin is a compact laminate body guitar that is low cost and yet produces surprisingly rich sound.

It is ideal for travelling. It has a hardy body which will take quite a bit of abuse. However, this is not a touring guitar – it is strictly intended for beginners.

Drawbacks

This guitar is not suited for people who have large hands. 

Even though your LXK2 comes with a strap hook, your purchase does not include a strap. This is a comparatively expensive guitar.

Extra features

Although the Martin LXK2 Little Martin is a small guitar, it is able to produce the same volume as larger instruments. 

This an ambidextrous guitar, able to be played by both right and left handers. Your purchase comes with a heavily padded gig bag.

Buying advice

The Martin LXK2 Little Martin is a compact, lightweight beginner’s guitar that produces a very good sound level and his impressive resonance. 

This is medium-high priced guitar is the favorite of Ed Sheeran!

Technical specifications

Benefits

The  HUAWIND 30 Inch Half Size is an amazingly lightweight (just 34 pounds) small guitar that comes in at an unbeatable price point

It has a basswood body and neck which produces a pleasing sound and an impressive level of resonance.

Drawbacks

The Huawind 30 Inch Half Size acoustic guitar is designed for smaller people (including children). 

If you have big hands, this is definitely not the instrument for you!

Extra features

The Huawind 30 Inch Half Size guitar comes with a set of nylon strings. Semi-closed metal heads are resistant to oxidation. 

This prolongs the life of the guitar head, providing better tuning and more stable intonation.

Buying advice

The HUAWIND 30 Inch Half Size is the cheapest quality guitar that you are likely to come across online. 

It’s ideal for beginners, including kids, conforms well to the body and produces a quality sound.

Technical specifications

Acoustic Guitar FAQ

What is a good guitar for a beginner?

Your first decision as a novice is whether to buy an electric or an acoustic guitar. 

Acoustic guitars cause their sound as a result of the vibration of the strings. Electric guitars produce sound by having the vibrations picked up and amplified electronically. 

Electric guitars are usually smaller and easier to play but they also require more start up equipment to be purchased.

The most common type of acoustic guitar is the flat top. They have six strings which produce a ‘rich’ sound. This is the best type of guitar for beginners to learn on.

There is a type of acoustic guitar known as a classical acoustic. This type of guitar has nylon strings and a yellow / brownish connection. 

It is a good choice for people who are wishing to focus on playing classical music.

Is acoustic guitar good for beginners?

Yes, it is generally a good idea for a beginner to choose an acoustic guitar. 

However, it really depends on the type of music that you want to play. If your desire is to become a rock guitarist, you’ll probably want to go the electric guitar route. 

However, if you are more into pop, country or rhythm and blues, you’ll want an acoustic guitar.

Classical guitars with nylon strings are ideally suited for people who are wanting to play classical, traditional or flamenco music. 

If the guitar is going to be played by a child, you will want a guitar with nylon strings because steel strings may be too hard on their fingers.

What are the differences between an acoustic and an electric guitar?

The biggest and most obvious difference is that all you need to produce sound on an acoustic guitar is to strum the strings. 

ON an electric guitar, however, you will need amps and power. Beyond that, you will get quite different types of music from the two types of guitars. 

Acoustics are best for such mellow music as country and folk. Electric guitars, on the other hand, are suited for rock and heavy metal music. 

Electric guitars are also more expensive, but they are actually easier to learn than an acoustic guitar.

Whereas the sound produced by an acoustic guitar makes use of vibrations through a soundboard. 

Electric use magnetic reactions to produce their sound. Electric guitars will usually have a thicker neck and larger body than an acoustic guitar.

Is it better to learn guitar on an acoustic or electric?

They both have their benefits. An electric guitar is smaller in size than an acoustic guitar. 

However, the strings on an electric guitar are made of steel, which will be pretty tough on the fingers for the initiated. 

They can be relatively heavy in comparison to an acoustic guitar.

Acoustic guitars also have steel strings, but they are not as heavy as electric guitars. They produce a brighter, louder sound than an electric guitar. 

Classic guitars have nylon strings which are much easier on the fingers for newbies. They produce a softer and more mellow sound than an acoustic guitar.

What should I look for when buying an electric guitar?

The first thing you need to do is to decide which style of guitar you want to own. 

You want a guitar that feels comfortable to you and will fit your body well. Your options come in all manner of sizes from slim to jumbo. 

The most popular type of acoustic guitar is the dreadnought, but there are many other variants.

It really pays to actually sit down with your prospective guitar in your hands to get a feel for the instrument. 

If you are buying online, it is worth taking the effort to go into a store to get the feel of the guitar before ordering. 

Here are some questions that you want to get the answers to when you are holding the guitar . .

  • How does the body of the instrument feel between your torso and your playing arm?
  • Is it too big, too small or just right?
  • Does your other hand (the cord hand) fit comfortably around the neck of the guitar?

Once you’re happy with the fit for the guitar, you should consider the sound that it produces. You need to focus on these two aspects:

  • Resonation
  • Projection

Resonation is to do with how the body of the guitar vibrates when you play it. 

To get a reel for the projection you will need to have another person play the instrument while you are standing in front of them. 

Consider whether the sound projects clearly and has a good balance of high and low tones.

If you are buying your guitar from  bricks and mortar retailer, you should inspect it for any splits or cracks, sinking or rising of the top face and any gaps between the neck and body.

Can you teach yourself to play guitar?

Guitar Playing

Yes, you certainly can teach yourself to play the guitar. 

To do so as opposed to paying for lessons depends on several factors. If your budget does not allow the expense of paid lessons. 

You will probably be paying about thirty dollars for a half hour lesson.

You may find it difficult to fit organized lessons into your schedule. When you are teaching yourself, you can simply fit them in when you have the available time. 

Thanks to the internet, teaching yourself is a viable option. 

However, if you want to make progress, you should set a definite schedule for your online lessons. 

It’s also a good idea to find some friends that you can have regular jam sessions to put into practice what you’re learning.

Is it hard to learn acoustic guitar?

Yes, it can be challenging, especially if you have never learned to play any type of instrument before. 

You will have times where you’ll be frustrated and seemingly won’t be able to make progress. As with anything, they key is to persevere.

The most difficult parts of learning to play the acoustic guitar that most people find are changing between chords, plucking two non-adjacent strings, playing barre chords, knowing which songs to practice and actually finding the time to practice consistently.

Conclusion

Our top rated acoustic guitar is the Fender FA-100 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar , which delivers an excellent level of sound and reverberation, while providing a comfortable playing feel and looking great. 

This is an excellent choice for newbies.

The second best acoustic guitar for beginners is the Donner 36” Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar , with its slender neck and high levels of comfort and durability. 

Finally, the best acoustic guitar for the money is the HUAWIND 30 Inch Half Size.

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