Are you looking for the best cheap acoustic guitar? Great, because this article is perfect for you. I have been in the guitar industry for years which allowed me to test a variety of guitars in all budget levels, and I found a ton of great guitars that don’t cost much.
In this article I will list all my favorite budget guitars for you with a short summary under each one of what I like or dislike about the guitar, take a close look at each one and find the one that you like and is within your budget, enjoy!
9 Best Budget Acoustic Guitar Reviewed And Rated
Ibanez AW54CEOPN
Ibanez AW54CEOPN
Premium Option
Yamaha FG800
Premium Option
Yamaha FG800
Most For The Money
Fender FA-100
Most For The Money
Fender FA-100
Budget Option
Rogue RA-090
Budget Option
Rogue RA-090
1. Ibanez AW54CEOPN – Best Overall
- Dreadnought body
- Solid mahogany top
- Mahogany back & sides
The Ibanez is an amazing guitar for the price. It features a full mahogany body, and as you may know, mahogany guitars produce an amazing sound. The tone is warm, sweet and pleasant for the ears.
Besides the sound quality, the Ibanez feature a cool design as well, it has a nice brown color to it that makes it stand out in the crowd of the other classical guitars on the market.
With the hardtop and dreadnought sized body, you get a guitar that produces a loud and warm sound that suits most playing styles and occasions. The neck is comfortable to hold with a 20 fret fingerboard that invites to a fun session.
For this budget, you can’t expect much else in terms of quality, sound or design. As I mentioned above, I have tried a variety of guitars all over the world and I sincerely mean it when this is one of the best guitars you can get in this price range.
2. Yamaha FG800 – best acoustic guitar under 200
- Solid Spruce Top
- Nato/Okume Back and Sides for a rich, warm sound
- Newly developed scalloped bracing for stronger sound!
If anyone asks me at the guitar store which guitar they should buy that costs about 200$ then the Yamaha FG800 is my go-to answer. It`s without a doubt the guitar that we sell the most of just because of the superior quality it provides in compersion to its competitors in this price range.
It`s doesn’t provide any fancy detailing, customization or something like that, but it has everything you would want from a good guitar which is an all-round classic look that is comfortable to use and sounds great.
Crafted with a solid Sitka spruce with a high gloss finish which is a rare sight to see at this price. The body is a regular dreadnought style that gives you a great middle range that produces a warm sound with great dynamics.
The 20 frets satin-finished neck is on point as well, its comfortable to hold and easy to do all chords without any issue still if you have small hands. Having in mind that this guitar is in the 200$ category its no surprise that this is one of the most popular options for anyone looking for a guitar on a budget.
3. Jasmine S35 – Good choice for a 100$ Budget
- Gloss Natural
- Dreadnought body style
- Laminate Spruce top
For the price of this guitar, you get a lot for your money. It has a classical look crafted of a sating finished hard top of spruce and laminated nato back and sides. A nice feature is the advanced x-bracing that adds to the lower end and overall sound of the guitar.
Combining the dreadnought style body with the advanced x-bracing and engineering you get a lot of power and sound for your money.
If you have about 100$ to spend and is looking for a solid guitar for you or a friend than this is a guitar I would recommend. With a slim neck that allows for easy playing, dreadnought style body and high-quality components that help to produce a big sound with high-grade dynamics.
4. Fender FA-100 – The Best Full Guitar Kit
- Everything you need to start playing straight out of the box
- Full-size dreadnought body for full and vibrant tone, suited...
- 20-fret rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
When you are looking to purchase a cheap guitar, there is usually a lot of extra stuff that you have to buy on the side. Finding the correct equipment for your new guitar can be confusing which is why Fender has made this complete package that includes everything you need and you can be sure that it fits your new guitar.
By purchasing a complete bundle such as the fender FA-100 you get a lot a discounted price on all the things you need which results in a lower total cost.
What’s included?
In the package, you get a dreadnought style guitar which the preferred style for most beginners because of the added sound and ease of use. The reason its easer is because the fretboard is wider and so is the distance between the string. That way its a lot harder to mess up the chords and fingerplay.
In the package, you get everything you would need to start your guitar carrier. It includes; picks, tuner, case, and straps with this you get a great start on your path to learning the guitar.
I like that you dont have to go on amazon and buy everything separately, it saves you time, money and energy. The bundle even comes at a great price and includes a good guitar and everything you would need to get starting straight from the box.
5. Epiphone FT-100
- Includes gigbag, strap, picks, and clip/on headstock...
- Mahogany Neck
- Classic Epiphone Dreadnought with select spruce top
The Epiphone is a guitar custom designed for beginners looking for a guitar at a low price, but still want a good sound form their instrument. By adjusting the headstock to 14 degrees allowing for easy chord and adding high-quality materials in the build they have achieved most standards of a great beginner guitar.
To make the best sounding guitar possible they have used mahogany back and sides which produces a warm and pleasant sound. The neck is of mahogany, with a rosewood 20-fret fretboard.
In terms of the sound, the Epiphone is an excellent choice for beginners. It suits all kinds of playing styles from Spanish to blues. For the price, you get a great guitar that can last you for a long time past your beginner period.
6. Ibanez IJV50 – Another Great Set
- Spruce Top
- Natural Finish
- Includes Gig Bag and Accessories
Ibanez is known for its high-quality low budget guitars, and this is one of them. This guitar has a dreadnought style body, spruce top, and agathis back and sides.
It has a mahogany neck that matches the rosewood bridge. The tonality of the guitar is excellent and will please most beginners on their path to becoming a guitar master.
The IJV50 is comfortable to play with, that goes for the body and the neck. It’s easy to slide the hand on the neck and do all kinds of chords without accidentally touching the strings because of the added space between the strings.
I really like this kit, it has an excellent guitar that produces high-quality sound and you even get the extra equipment you would need in the future, that way you can start playing out of the box.
7. Rogue RA-090
- The 6-string Dreadnought design White wood body25-3/8" scale...
The Rogue RA-090 is probably the guitar I have written most positively about throughout my articles and discussions on forums. There is literally zero guitars that compete in terms of quality for the price. For a flimsy 70$, you get a fully functional guitar a robust guitar that even sounds good.
It’s remarkable how Rogue has managed to produce such a low-cost guitar and still remaining the quality of a higher tier guitar. It features a whitewood top, back, and sides. If you purchase the guitar on amazon you have the option to choose from a variety of colors, personally I am a huge mahogany version and I love it.
If you are looking to buy your first guitar, gifts or a guitar to drag around to guitar lessons then this is an excellent option. It sounds well and it even looks good, just astonishing what they have accomplished with a to manufacture for about 70$.
8. Yamaha JR1 – Best Option For Smaller Guitarists
- 21 1/4" scale length
- Spruce top; Meranti sides and back
- Rosewood fingerboard and bridge
The Yamaha JR1 has a smaller body that allows smaller guitarists such as me have a more comfortable session. If you are a full-sized man or woman then maybe you want to have a guitar that allows both you and your kid to practice on?
The downside of the smaller body is that the sound output is quieter, this guitar won’t appeal to all players, but if you are on of the scenarios I mentioned above then this is certainly a good buy.
Still, if it has a smaller body, you still get a good looking guitar with a fully laminated spruce top and nato back and sides. It has a 20-fret neck that allows for easy chords and playing.
9. Jasmine O36-NAT
- Spruce top with Jasmine Advanced "X" bracing
- Sapele back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge
- Slim neck profile, 24 3/4" scale length
Jasmine 036-NAT is another great option for beginners from Jasmine. This guitar is of steel strings which is great for those of you who are looking to play blues or rock style of music. The steel strings will give you a different sound than the nylon strings and therefore it suits for different kinds of music styles.
Crafted with a spruce top and Sapele back and sides that are finished in natural gloss. This built will provide you with a great acoustic sound that goes well with most accusations and styles of music. The Jasmine 036-NAT is equipped with the forward shifted x-bracing that helps to give a better lower, definition and opens the overall sound output.
Overall this is a great starting point for any beginner looking for a cheap acoustic-electric guitar to start of their music carrier with. It checks all the boxes when it comes to classical design, sound quality, and comfort.
10. Samick Greg Bennet
- Solid Spruce top, Mahogany back and sides
- Rosewood fret board and bridge
- Die-cast tuners
The Samick Greg Bennet is a strong competitor against the Yamaha and Jasmine guitars. Greg Bennett is manufactured in Korea of a small company that has really taken the time and effort into engineering a quality guitar at the cheapest price possible.
It has a beautiful hard spruce top with great components that adds to the overall sound quality and makes this guitar a bargain for the price you have to pay for it.
The angeled and improved bracing and top-notch components are what makes the guitar stand out in the crowd of other classical guitars in its price range. Overall it’s an excellent guitar in all required aspects of a good guitar.
Buyers Guide How To Choose A Guitar
A lot of people believe that cheap means bad, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. With new technology, great processes and materials you can get a high-quality guitar these days at the fraction for the cost of what it would cost you 20 years ago. All of the guitar I have listed above works like a firework and I am sure 99% of your friends and family won’t notice the difference between a 3000$ guitar and a 200$ guitar.
If you are looking for a budget guitar then you are super lucky because as you can see in this time and age you can get a lot of guitar for your money.
What To Look For When Purchasing A Acoustic Guitar
Purchasing a new guitar nowadays is a lot easier than it was a couple of years ago when I started out my music carrier. By looking at reviews, reading articles and looking at youtube videos you can quickly filter out the good from the bad. The only guitars I would stay away from would be plastic and toy guitars, these are just not optimal for any guitarist at any age.
Nylon vs String Strings
In this list, I didnt add any steel-string acoustic guitars and that was for a good reason, when you are looking for a cheap guitar most guitars will come with nylon strings just because of the manufacturing cost, but also because its recommended for beginners.
Because the nylon strings take a lot less toll on your fingers allowing you to play longer sessions which in the end results in faster learning. A lot of guitarists recommend beginners to start with nylon, but I disagree in certain situations and that’s when you love either rock or a music style where you must have steel strings to get the desired sound.
Yes, your fingers will hurt more, but you will probably play longer and more often if you have the option to play your favorite songs on your new instrument. This is something you have to figure out for yourself, but for most beginners, nylon string guitars should be to go-to choice.
Pickups and amplifiers are components you should consider as well, it’s not something that is included in these guitar packages, but in the future when you are past the beginner period these are components you should start doing some research on. Basically, the amplifier allows you to turn up the output from your guitar, and the pickup can provide you different kinds of controllers that give you the option to change the treble and overall sound of your guitar.
Extra equipment you may need
When you purchase a guitar there are a few extra things you should purchase along with it. Dont worry these are not huge expenses, when you are purchasing a cheap acoustic guitar the three things I would recommend you to buy on the side would be picks, a strap if you like to play standing up and a tuner!
The tuner is the most important equipment I would recommend you check out, in the beginning, you will probably not notice if the guitar is out of tune and certainly not able to tune it yourself without some sort of guidance or a tuner.
Last Words
When you are purchasing a guitar you dont need to buy the most expensive one on the market in order to get a guitar that sounds and looks good. I hope you have figured this out during the article and I sincerely hope you found a guitar that suited your needs and was in your budget range.
If you didnt find a guitar of your liking you can check out our other guides, a neet guitar type I enjoy is the travel guitars. Check those out if you are interested in a compact and unique guitar.
the guitars on this list is great for those who are looking to purchase your first or second guitar, but if you are certain you will be playing the guitar for the years to come I would recommend you to stretch your budget and purchase a higher tier guitar from the get-go because it will be cheaper in the long run.
I hope you learned something new from this article, if you have any questions or queries feel free to contact us and we will help you as good and fast as possible.