Find The Best Acoustic Guitar For Beginners

By David Turing

Congratulations on your decision to find the Best Acoustic Guitar and to begin to learn to play. And now that you have made that decision it’s time to find the right one. One that’s a good fit for you personally. A guitar that will be comfortable for you to learn on and play. You will understand why that is so important only too well if you buy the wrong one. If the neck is too fat for your hands, the body too big or too small, if a bridge is lifting or a neck is bowed…no matter how well you play, it will sound terrible. Chances then are pretty good you won’t be playing long. The quickest way to set yourself up to fail before you even get started is to buy the wrong acoustic guitar for yourself. Playing guitar can be challenging enough in the beginning so give yourself a real chance to succeed by getting the best one you can.

It should be fun and exciting to shop for your new acoustic guitar but it’s also really important that you have the information to make the right choice. To find the Best Acoustic Guitar for yourself you will need to take a little time, do a little homework and get the answers to some questions. So let’s see if we can help answer some of those questions right now.

Find The Best Acoustic Guitar Questions:

One concern I hear very often from beginners is that they can’t always afford the best acoustic guitar. So will a cheaper model be good enough to start with?

The answer is yes. You don’t need to spend a fortune on an acoustic guitar when you’re just starting out. You also don’t need to look very far to find many a huge star that also started with a cheap guitar and went on to become a great and famous guitar player. If there’s a decent one in the family that someone is willing to let you use or have, try it out and see how it feels and sounds. If it’s comfortable, stays in tune and the neck is straight and not too wide for your fingers to form chords you’ll be OK. Chances are pretty good that your first guitar is going to get dropped, scratched, chewed on by the dog, lost or broken anyway. And if you’re like the rest of us you will spend the rest of your life searching for, falling in love with and buying the best acoustic guitars you can find.

Another question often asked is, “I am brand new at this how am I supposed to know if it’s the best acoustic guitar for me or if somebody is just trying to sell me something?”

The way you know is simply to use your senses. You’re not interested in what somebody else thinks sounds good, it’s only important that you be happy with the sound and tone of your guitar. So use your ears! It doesn’t matter if the guy selling you the guitar likes the shape, size and feel of the neck, it only matters that it’s comfortable for you and that you like it. So learn to trust your own instincts and feelings. That doesn’t mean that you should ignore good suggestions and guidance from somebody that’s more experienced, it just means that the final decision should always be yours based on what you like.

How about this question: Is the best acoustic guitar for me a new one or should I buy used?

Yes and yes! There is no wrong answer here. Most guitar players love and own as many of each that they can afford. If older acoustic guitars have been well maintained and cared for they can offer rich tonal qualities and sound that can only come from aged wood. That’s what a guitar enthusiast means when they say the wood has opened up. But beware just because it’s older doesn’t mean it was made of solid wood. There’s a lot of press board and laminates out there so do your homework. If the bridge is tight and solid on the body, the neck is straight and not turning, bowing or warped, the frets are good with no buzzing and doesn’t have grooves from too much play wear, the body is not cracked, the price is right and it feel and sounds good to you…go for it!

Best Acoustic Guitar Conclusion:

So what “new brand” is the best acoustic guitar a beginner should buy?

There are two many answers to be covered in this article but I will say go and play what ever guitar it is you’re thinking of buying. Try them all because it’s the only way to know. Every guitar made will sound a little different. Here’s where I can only give you my opinion and that’s all it is, my opinion. Without getting into boutique guitars (small companies who build a limited amount of guitars of generally very high quality, cost and value) my personal favorites are Gibson guitars, Guild guitars, Martin guitars,Taylor guitars and Takamine guitars. These companies all have lower cost models that should be explored but having said that they may still be way out of the price range for beginners.

Thankfully though manufacturing techniques have come a long way in recent years and it’s now possible to find inexpensive acoustic guitars that sound really good, are highly playable and also a great value.

After many reviews here are my picks for the best acoustic guitar for beginners:

Epiphone Limited Edition Hummingbird Artist Acoustic Guitar Vintage Sunburst

Jasmine by Takamine S35 Acoustic Guitar Natural

Yamaha FG700S Folk Acoustic Guitar Natural

Seagull S6 Entourage Acoustic Guitar Rustic Burst

Taylor Baby Taylor Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Natural

Epiphone EL-00 Acoustic Guitar Vintage Sunburst Chrome Hardware

These are all great little guitars and will do a fine job getting you started. There are more than a few professional musicians who have one or more of the above mentioned guitars that they travel with or write with around the house. They are all very playable, inexpensive, durable and they sound good.

So there you go, have fun while you shop for the best acoustic guitar for yourself and remember once you find it…it won’t take long before you’ll no longer be a beginner, then you’ll be great!