Before buying an acoustic guitar, you must think about a few points. Your hard-earned money is precious to you. Ask a couple of questions to yourself. What is my level? Am I a beginner or intermediate level? Am I buying an acoustic guitar for a hobby or using it for a professional purpose?
The last few articles like the ten best acoustic guitars for beginners and the five best acoustic guitars for country music include some cheap guitars like orangewood Rey mahogany which costs $145 and some of the premium guitars like Gibson SJ-200 that costs more than $5000.
Mostly,Beginner's guitar comes in a price range of $100 to $300. If you are an intermediate-level guitarist, you should check the price range of $400 to $800. For pro-level guitar players, premium guitars costs above $800 are a good choice.
Things to consider before buying
- What's your budget
- What's your skill level (Beginner, Intermediate, Pro)
- Size of player (kids, beginner, an adult with small hands, an adult with large hands)
Two main things contribute to the Cost of an acoustic guitar Material quality and the process of making a guitar. Check our list of the ten best acoustic guitars under $1000.
Taylor GS Mini-E koa
Before talking about Taylor GS Mini-E koa, let me tell you about koa. Koa is a rare tonewood that is lightweight hardwood. It offers a balanced tone. Koa is mostly used as a body top of the guitar.
Another reason to use them is they are easy to work with. GS Mini-E Koa is a 23-1/2" Non-cutaway guitar. Scale size gives you a fair idea that they are ideal for people with small hands.
Mahogany and Koa are darker woods, but which one is the best? Koa delivers a bright and articulate tone. Mahogany sounds warm and full. If you want a guitar for fingerpicking, Koa is a good choice.
The limited availability of Koa is the reason Koa guitars cost more. Koa has a unique grain that makes it aesthetically pleasing. Taylor GS Mini-E koa is a purpose guitar due to its grand auditorium body.
When I played Taylor GS Mini-E koa for the first time it was a bit harsh and bright. after some days of use, it gets warm. If you love good-looking guitar with unique grain that sounds bright and crisp, GS Mini-E koa is your kind of guitar. It's an expensive guitar. As I said, less supply of a Koa tonewood is the reason.
Taylor GS Mini-E koa
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Seagull S6 original acoustic guitar
I tested guitars like Fender, Taylor, Gibson, and many more. S6 was the first seagull guitar for me. Solid Cedar top, Wild cherry back, and Silver leaf maple neck. This combination was new for me. But, after pressing the strings once, I was convinced about their uniqueness. Cedar top is the best choice, especially for the steel string guitars.
S6 Sounds like a premium guitar which was a surprise for me. It's not less than Taylor's guitar. The sound was Warm, Clear and the projection was excellent. Though it has a dreadnought body playing S6 was comfortable for me.
Wild Cherry back was new for me. I heard they mostly found in a guitar costs above $1000. Wild cherry is a Hardwood that bends well. Combining with a cedar top, it gives balanced mids and excellent projection.
For the given price, I would highly recommend Seagull S6 acoustic guitar. Guitar Neck is slim though I doubt everyone will feel it the same. That may affect the playability for some people.
Seagull S6 original acoustic guitar
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Taylor 214CE-K
Many of Taylor's guitar in our review costs more than $600. The brand name is a factor that also affects the cost. Brand name can't form overnight. It takes consistent hard work.
Taylor is consistently making quality guitars. They never compromise with the quality. Taylor 214ce-K is no exception to that. The third guitar in our list of the ten best acoustic guitars under $1000 is Taylor 214ce-K.
Venetian Cutaway body. Sitka Spruce top, precious Hawaiian Koa Back, and Sides. The scale length is 25-1/2". It is ideal for comfortable playing. It has an ES2 pickup system. Itโs a piezo-driven system.
For a broad range of plugged-in settings, the ES2 pickup system is suitable. The main reason why ES2 is preferred by Taylor is they are best for plug-and-play.
Though Taylor 214ce-K is the electrical-acoustic guitar you will get the natural tone of any other premium Taylor acoustic guitar produced. If your budget is below $1000 nothing can you get better than 214ce-K?
Taylor 214ce-K
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washburn WLO 12SE
Washburn's Woodline series currently includes three models. O10SCE, O12SE, O20SCE. Each guitar in this series has a solid top. The model we have chosen for review is O12SE.
Affordable guitars with decent quality are a feature of the woodline series. O12SE is no exception. A solid Mahogany top with the same tonewood for the back and sides has been used.
It has Cathedral Peaked Scalloped-X bracing, making Woodline O12SE a responsive and louder acoustic guitar. Graphtech Nubone nut transfers the optimum frequency to the guitar that delivers more tone and volume.
considering the price it's well made. Though it has some drawbacks at a given price point it's a good pick. A slim neck means high playability and that's true for Washburn O12SE. It has an orchestra body shape which is suitable for jazz, funk, and light acoustic work.
Washburn WLO12SE
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Fender California Classic Newporter
Fender Newporter classic is an electric-acoustic guitar that suits everyone. Medium size body is suitable for small hands as well as for bigger sizes. A solid Spruce top and solid mahogany back and side deliver a perfectly balanced tone. high-quality solid tonewoods are rare at this price point. What can you expect more from a guitar which looks cool, comfortable to play, and sounds awesome?
The slim C-shaped neck is comfortable and offers high playability as usual. Newporter classic is a good acoustic guitar but real joy starts when the electric part comes into the picture. It has Fishman pickup/preamp system. This pickup offers volume, bass, mid and treble control. All solid body increases resonance and sustains which improves overall tonal quality. all this high-quality setup costs you less than $1000 which means the Fender Newporter classic is a complete value-for-the-money acoustic-electric guitar
fender California classic Newporter
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PRS SE Tonare T40E
PRS SE series launched many models. Some of them are expensive, and some are affordable. PRS stands for Paul Reed Smith. These guitars are made mainly in three countries.
USA, Indonesia, and Korea. SE means Student Edition. That tells us that PRS SE T40E is primarily a beginner's guitar that is available at an affordable price. PRS SE T40E has a Solid Sitka spruce top and Ovangkol back. 25.3โ scale length is perfect for beginners.
t40e is a Tonare grand shape guitar. PRS SE series has two types of shapes in their guitars. Angelus and Tonare Grand. In 2009 PRS introduced this shape. the shape offers a pronounced low-end warmth.
It has a Fishman GT1 pickup that offers a dynamic tone. SE T40E delivers a decent bass to treble tonal balance. Highly recommend for beginners.
PRS SE Tonare T40E
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Yamaha FG 850
Yamaha FG 850 is the next guitar on our list. FG means folk guitar. Several reasons I am a big fan of Yamaha guitars. They offer good quality instruments at an affordable price.
Our list of the ten best acoustic guitars for beginners also has the Yamaha FG800. Though FG means folk guitar, this guitar is suitable for any music genre. Like all the guitars in this series, FG 850 has a Solid mahogany top and mahogany side and back.
This combination offers full and responsive sound. 25 9/16" scale length is suitable for any hand. It's a dreadnought-shaped guitar, also called a traditional western body shape.
This solid mahogany instrument responds well to aggressive playing. unfortunately, there is no electronics part involved which is a downside for this guitar but, considering the price and other pros I am not disappointed much.
Yamaha FG 850
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Martin D-10E Road Series
Heavy competition in the guitar world raised a question in my mind. How should someone take the final call? So many guitar makers are in the race. First, we took a look at some guitars for beginners.
Now we are looking for a guitar for the intermediate level. The guitars we selected for this review are electro-acoustic and cost somewhere between $500 to $1000. Martin D-10E road series is a guitar that suits perfectly to this range.
Solid Sitka spruce top and Sapele back and side is a combination that suits many styles of playing. Sitka spruce has a tight grain pattern and high stiffness and is suitable for strumming and fingerpicking.
Martin road series D-10E is made in Mexico. It has an excellent build quality considering the given price. It's a completely solid build that is highly durable.
Performing Artist's neck shape is a great comfort for hours of playing. The sound of Martin D-10E is crispy and bright which relieves you from the stress of life.
Martin DRS2
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Blueridge BR-160
If you love the classic-looking acoustic guitar with the solid build quality BR-160 is a decent choice for you. A solid Sitka spruce top with the scalloped bracing gives a clean and crispy tone.
BR-160 is a prewar-inspired Herringbone dreadnought guitar. It's a perfect vintage-style guitar. Not only does it looks vintage but also sounds like a vintage guitar. You can play BR-160 with the ultimate comfort because of the Slim mahogany neck.
No matter how solid build any guitar has but if it doesn't offer playability and low action it's just a waste of wooden pieces. BR-160 gives you the same playability that any guitarist would love.
Blueridge BR-160
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Martin DX1E
HPL (high-pressure laminate) is a kind of material I was thinking of as a cost-saving material with a bad sound. But, I was wrong when I tested martin D-X1E. It is an affordable model of martin that comes with Fishman MX.
What do I expect more from a guitar that is so affordable and performs decently? You might be thinking why did I include Martin D-X1E in the list when all other guitars are made with premium wood and solid build?
HPL is a highly durable, scratch-resistant, and cheaper material that is widely used in many models of martin guitar.
This guitar is an entry-level guitar so I wouldn't say it's as good as other guitars included in the list of the 10 best acoustic guitars under $1000 but D-X1E do their job well.
high playability, low action strings, Fishman MX pickup, performing artist neck shape. everything is suitable for comfortable playing. Though it doesn't sound that good it's well responsive and balanced.
Martin DX1E
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Conclusion
When you are a beginner guitar player your requirements are basic. You need an affordable guitar, it should have low-string action, and It should be playable. You don't worry too much about the build quality and tone of a guitar.
That time you don't need the involvement of electronics. But, when you reach an intermediate level you want to upgrade your guitar. This is the list of the 10 best acoustic guitars under $1000 that includes all the features you require for upgradation of your acoustic guitar.
Most of the guitars in this list are electrical-acoustic guitars. when you are using this type of guitar you need to check the involvement of electronics isn't disturbing the natural tonality of a guitar.
playability is also a crucial point you need to check here. The tonewood used for guitar also matters a lot in this segment. Some guitars in our list have koa as a top. This wood is limited and also has a unique grain structure.
These guitars look and sound unique. All guitars are good but Yamaha FG 850 and Taylor 214ce-K are my favorite.