It can be pretty challenging to find an excellent acoustic guitar if you work with a tight budget. But they are out there. You just need to find the time and put in a bit of effort to find it.
But don’t worry. In this review, we save you all the effort to develop a list you will find quite acceptable. We made a list of some of the most affordable acoustic guitars to cater to a wide range of beginner and expert guitar players.
Take a look at this lineup of excellent entry-level acoustic guitars, and you may just find one to your liking.
Best Cheap Acoustic Guitars Reviews
Beginners Acoustic Guitar Starter Kit From Best Choice
If you are looking for a guitar that will not be too difficult to be used by kids, this is a good option. This manufacturer goes all out to ensure that you get a product you can rely on when it comes to quality.
Product Highlights
Due to the classic shape of the body of this acoustic guitar, it delivers quite a resonant and warm sound. This is great for beginners who need to experience the correct pitch of the strings, so their ears get used to tuning the guitar.
The overall sound produced by this guitar is the same utility you would expect from a more expensive and larger guitar. This makes money spent on this instrument worth the investment while your kid will be using it for a long time.
The nylon strings also add to the guitar’s sound quality with clear and magnificent string vibration. This feature makes the guitar versatile with a wide range of playing styles and music genres.
With the small 30 inches size, this guitar from Best Choice is a perfect potion to be used with smaller people. The small size makes it easy to be held comfortably by children and small adults who want to learn to play the instrument.
The gig bag is not of the best quality, though the zipper might break if you are not careful. This will not be good if the guitar is transported a lot to gigs or get-together jamming sessions.
The Good
This guitar comes with all the necessary accessories added to get started playing the guitar without wasting your time. Most beginners will break a string at some point, but you have an extra set to keep you going without interruption with this kit.
The Bad
Some people may find it a bit awkward to use this strap with the guitar that is meant to attach to the neck. This is because it is not attached in the traditional way to a peg on the guitar body but with a string around the neck.
Pros
- It is a good size for smaller entry-level players
- You got many extras with the guitar
- It is available in a variety of colors
- A lightweight, sturdy, and compact construction
Cons
- The gig bag is not of the best quality
- Some people may have difficulty using the neck strap
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Best Choice Beginner Full-Size Acoustic Guitar
As it is with all musical instruments from the Best Choice Products stall, you will not be disappointed with this guitar either. Guitars from this manufacturer come in various sizes that can be used by different levels of musicians and different ages of people.
Product Highlights
The total size of this guitar makes it the ideal instrument to be used by both professionals and entry-level guitar players. This also means that you have as many as 21 frets at your disposal to play the different styles on the guitar.
You also have the cut-away to make it easier to move easily and quickly up and down the neck of the guitar. This feature allows you to play some of the advanced techniques such as sweep picking and shredding at the higher frets.
It is also equipped with a dreadnought design body to improve the sound quality for a wide range of songs. It also allows you to use this guitar around the campfire or anywhere you need the loud and vibrant tone.
This acoustic guitar from Best Choice also includes a smooth turning tuning machine to make it easier to install new strings. You will also be able to get the strings in tune because of the smooth movements provided by the tuning pegs.
With all the extras included with this guitar kit, you will be able to get started learning and playing the instrument in no time.
The Good
One of the main features of a guitar is always the quality of the sound it produces, which is what you get with this instrument. The high-quality sound you can produce makes this guitar perfect to be used with some of the more popular styles of music.
The Bad
The high action of this guitar will cause some difficulty with beginner pliers to play chords in the first position on the neck. While the guitar is a complex instrument to master, beginners may have extra difficulty, and some may even give up.
Pros
- The guitar can be used by both right and left-handed people
- It produces a solid and clear sound
- The cut-away of the body provides for advanced playing options
- A full-size body to be used by all levels
Cons
- The quality of the strings coming with this guitar is a bit mediocre
- This guitar comes with a high and a bit difficult action
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Acoustic Guitar For Beginners From Smartxchoices
This guitar from Smartxchoices is designed with one purpose in mind: to give the player the best experience. What you also get from this guitar is value for your money without them sacrificing any of the quality you deserve.
Product Highlights
The excellent design of this guitar will attract the young players to it, which is enhanced by the beautiful colors. You can get this guitar in blue for boys, light pink for girls, and other lovely colors.
It is also made with a full-size design of 38 inches to make it easy to be used by larger children and even adults. This means your child can use this guitar through their learning stage, even if they may take a few years to master it.
To add to the durability of this guitar, it is made from solid wood to last for many years. The solid wood construction of the body will also allow a nice and clear sound to increase the user experience.
The high-quality limewood panel helps increase the sound quality so you can experience a rich resonate sound. The stable tuning pegs help to tune the strings of the guitar easily.
You should not use steel strings to string this guitar, even if they say you can. It is better with nylon strings. This guitar is the ideal instrument for kids interested in going the classical way in their musician careers.
The Good
The lightweight design of this guitar makes it ideal to be used by very young and smaller guitar players. This is the ideal instrument for small children where the soft nylon strings will not discourage them from keeping on learning to play.
The Bad
What is not so good about this guitar is that it can not be strung to be used with left-handed people. So, if you are a left-hander, you will have to look somewhere else to find a guitar that will be useful for you.
Pros
- This guitar is lightweight and sturdy constructed
- It is very well designed and displays nicely
- You have a variety of body colors to choose from
- This guitar comes with a low price tag attached to it
Cons
- It is designed to be used by right-hand players only
- You cannot string this guitar with steel strings
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Jasmine S34C NEX Acoustic Guitar
The graceful Venetian style cut-away of this guitar provides it with an excellent classical look to improve your impression of this instrument. You get high-quality features and excellent sound from this guitar provided by the manufacturers of this beautiful musical instrument.
Product Highlights
The dreadnought style of the body will help to improve the overall sound quality this guitar will be able to produce. To further add to the sound quality, the top of this guitar is made from spruce, and the sides are from good quality Sapele wood.
A solid and durable tuning machine made from quality chrome will make installing and tuning the strings accessible. This is because of the smooth movements from the well-designed tuning pegs installed on the guitar.
With up to 20 frets at your disposal, you will be able to play the more advanced techniques all over the neck. The smooth action of the guitar makes it easy for any level player to move up and down the fretboard quickly.
This guitar’s natural color and satin finish make it display nicely and give it that extinguished orchestra looks. This guitar is ideal for those who want to go professional in their music career.
What would have been a good gesture from this manufacturer is an excellent protective guitar bag to protect your investment. Even a cheap bag would have done the trick until you can buy a more permanent bag for your guitar.
The Good
The easy way to set up this guitar and get the string action to be much lower makes it an easy guitar to use. This feature makes it perfect for beginners who want to start with a steel-string guitar without a lot of fingertip pain.
The Bad
You need to buy extra strings for this guitar if you are a beginner player because you do not get any extra strings with it. This will also mean that you need to add more money to the guitar’s price, which may deter those with a tight budget.
Pros
- It is straightforward to tune and to use with a narrow neck
- This guitar is made with excellent craftsmanship
- It comes with a solid and durable chrome tuner
- This guitar produces a beautiful sound from the body
Cons
- You do not get a guitar bag with this instrument
- The price is a bit higher than the rest of the guitars in this lineup
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Martin Smith Acoustic Guitar Kit
This guitar is the perfect first guitar for any beginner guitar player in a complete package with everything you need. The ergonomic slimline body makes it easy to be used by all levels of players, and it displays very well with a high-gloss finish.
Product Highlights
You get a lot of extras with this guitar, including a set of extra strings, a strap, a gig bag, and an electronic tuner. The foldable stand you get with the guitar will help keep your instrument safe when it is not in use.
This guitar is also available in a wide range of colors, so you can choose the right color that suits your personality better. Even though this one comes in a natural color, you can choose blue or red, and even a black color guitar.
A dreadnought body will give you a much richer sound and loud and more robust sounds for different music styles. This makes the guitar perfect for a wide range of music genres and different playing styles.
It also has a straightforward action that makes it an excellent option for beginner players to practice their chords.
It would help if you also got yourself another gig bag as soon as you receive the guitar because of the low quality of the bag. This may not be such an issue, but if you want to take your guitar with you, you need better protection.
The Good
It is always tricky for beginners to get used to the tuning mechanism when tuning your guitar. That will not be the case with this guitar. The smooth actions of the tuning pegs make it easy to install new rings.
The Bad
If you do not have the experience to set a guitar, you might want to pass this one with the severe difficulty of setting it. They say it is a good guitar for beginners, but that is only true after someone with the proper training has set it.
Pros
- This is a complete package for the beginner guitar player
- It is available in a wide range of colors and configurations
- You get a guitar stand with this instrument
- Easy to use steel tuning machine installed
Cons
- The gig bag you get with this guitar is of low quality
- It might be a bit difficult to set this guitar
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Buyers Guide
Going out and looking for any acoustic guitar without at least some knowledge may prove not to be a wise thing. With a lot of cheapie guitars on the market, you may find yourself overwhelmed and end up not choosing the right one.
We compiled a list of valuable facts and tips to help you choose an excellent affordable guitar. Remember that whether you have a musical career or just playing for fun, your first guitar will always have a special place.
So, it would be best to choose wisely, and the list of questions will help you make the right choice, so you don’t regret it.
Type Of Materials Used for Making Guitars
Different types of wood are used to manufacture any acoustic guitar to give them their unique sound quality. The front or soundboard is made from a different type of wood than the back and the sides of the guitar.
For a good sound effect, spruce is used for the soundboard to get the perfect resonation and tone, like the Jasmine NEX. Many manufacturers use mahogany for the whole body to provide that particular type of sound, such as the Fender Fender Alkaline trio.
Different Types Of Designs
There are many different acoustic guitars, and a good example is the six and 12-string configurations. Another example is the difference between a classical guitar and a steel-string acoustic guitar or between folk and flamenco-style acoustic guitar.
Why Do You Need an Acoustic Guitar?
Some players start with an electric guitar, but that is not ideal. You would want to hear the excellent sound while practicing. That is why you need an acoustic guitar so you can hear while you are playing and listen for errors you make.
Cheap Is Not Always Bad
Not all cheap guitars are of lesser quality than those that cost five or even ten times more. It sometimes depends on the name. Many famous name guitars are costly, but that does not mean they have better sound quality or are easier to play.
Before buying a guitar, take it for a test ride and feel the action and everything else to see if it suits you personally.
The Action
The guitar’s action is the distance the strings are away from the fretboard. The closer it is, the more pliable it is. A guitar with an easy action is much better for beginners when they need to learn to play chords on the guitar.
FAQs
What Is an Electric Acoustic Guitar?
An electric acoustic guitar is a standard guitar with a built-in pickup so that you can use it with an amplifier. These dual-purpose acoustic guitars are a good option for those who want to use the same guitar for practicing at home and for gigs.
What Is the Difference Between a Classic And Steel String Acoustic Guitar?
A steel-string acoustic guitar is designed with a supported neck to withstand the strain the strings have on it. The steel-string guitar also has a different body type, and the back stands out a bit more than a nylon string guitar.
The nylon string guitar comes with a flat back and does not have the necessary support in the neck of the guitar. It would help if you did not use steel strings on a nylon string guitar because it may warp the neck and even pry it loose.
Does Wood Quality Play a Role In the Sound Quality Of an Acoustic Guitar?
The answer to this is yes, the quality of the wood has quite an effect on the sound produced by an acoustic guitar. Every part of the guitar influences the sound from it, from the fretboard to the soundbox.
It is essential to do thorough research because different wood types produce different sounds, so you need to know what will suit your style.
Is It Better To Start With a Smaller Size Guitar?
Small children should start with a small guitar to make it a bit easier to hold the guitar. They may also find it easier to reach all the areas where they need to without stretching their arms too much.
Smaller guitars have narrow necks in most cases, making it easier for smaller people to learn to play the chords. So, it is suitable for smaller adults and children to start with a quarter or half-size guitar.
What Type Of Acoustic Guitar Is Best For Beginners?
Beginners would want a guitar with low action to make it a bit easier to use when learning to play the chords. You would also want to select a guitar with a narrow neck so you can quickly move around on the fretboard.
If you are a beginner, child, or adult, starting with a guitar with a shorter scale length is better. This will make it much easier to find your notes and learn the scales all around the fretboard.
For beginners, it is a good idea to buy a beginner’s guitar kit that has everything included you need to get you started.
Conclusion
An excellent recommendation for the number one spot is the Jasmine, with the high-quality sound it produces and the very durable design. Those who do not have the budget can go for the cheaper but just as good, full-size dreadnought acoustic guitar.
