Top 10 Cheap Acoustic Guitars For Beginners In 2023 – Music Industry How To

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If you’re looking to buy an acoustic guitar, there are a few things you’ll want to be sure of:

1. You get a good quality instrument, and
2. You get it for a good price.

Now me personally, I’m a big fan of Amazon. It’s because of this that I’ve done the leg work for you and looked around for the best beginner acoustic guitars on there.

One issue though, is that Amazon lists both the top selling guitars and the highest rated guitars separately. This doesn’t give a full picture of both what’s the best quality and most popular guitar you can buy.

To fill in that needed gap, today I’ve analyzed and listed the top 10 acoustic guitars on Amazon for you. I hope you find it useful, if so be sure to share with friends and other beginner guitarists. 🙂

Please note that the prices here are correct at the time of writing this. I advise you to do your own additional research on top of this.

10. Number 10 Top Acoustic Guitar: The Hohner HC06 Full Sized Classical Nylon String Guitar

Looking for a medieval sounding tone? Maybe Randy Rhoads “Dee” solo was your inspiration for picking up music, or perhaps it was the musical styling of Ritchie Blackmore in his latest project, “Blackmore’s Night.”

Then it’d probably be best for you to invest in the Hohner HC06 Classical Guitar. This is a real bargain for beginners, but especially so for the classical style.

Just be advised, these guitars require nylon strings for maximum sound quality and play ability. Using steel strings on this would be a mistake. The nylon strings are easier on the fingers, much easier to bend and manipulate.

9. Ephiphone DR-100 Acoustic Guitar, Vintage Sunburst

This Epiphone DR-100 Acoustic Guitar comes with a beautiful vintage sunburst. This is great for the older guitarists this likely conjures memories and nostalgia of the late 60’s and early 70’s.

The quality of Epiphone is guaranteed, as a branch off the legendary Gibson franchise.

The quality in the tone would have you guessing the guitar cost much more than it’s price tag, and the same goes for the beautiful vintage sunburst finish. Rest assured, you will NOT be disappointed if you choose to invest the cash on this awesome starter guitar!

8. Get A Complete Starter Kit With The Fender Squier Acoustic Guitar Bundle

The Fender Squier Acoustic Guitar Bundle is yet another great choice for beginner guitarists looking to start playing an instrument. The price is just right considering all that comes within the bundle.

A clip-on tuner, extra strings, a strap, picks, and a polishing cloth all come in the package. The bundle also features the Austin Bazaar instructional DVD – maybe you can skip the in-person lessons and get started with just a DVD! These lessons are great when provided with these online ones.

The shiny finish and vibrant tone of this inexpensive guitar is a testament to the quality of Fender products.

7. Another Good Guitar For Beginners Is The Yamaha FA-100 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Bundle

For beginners, bundles are oftentimes a great starting point when selecting their first musical investment. The Fender FA-100 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Bundle is simply a bargain.

With this bundle you will receive a gig bag to keep your guitar protected, strings, 3 medium gauge picks, a strap, and a tuner. The guitar has a beautiful laminated finish with a satisfying shine glinting off of the head stock.

6. Yamaha FG JR1 ¾ Size Acoustic Guitar (with gig bag)

This mini-guitar is roughly ¾ the size of your standard dreadnought acoustic guitar. This is great for young children who can’t handle full sized guitars yet like these lot:

The FG JR1 is a favorite smaller guitar, deemed legendary by many musicians. This is an ideal choice for younger children looking to learn to play – the guitar won’t dwarf them or seem as intimidatingly large.

Packing the same quality and affordability of other Yamaha FG acoustics, the JR ¾ can be yours for a low price!

5. Yamaha FG700S Acoustic Guitar

You can get the Yamaha FG700S Acoustic Guitar at Amazon. The Yamaha FG series has a long history, dating back to the 1960’s, and has been considered the best acoustic guitars in it’s league for the majority of this time.

Guitarists from all around the world recall the Yamaha FG in their musical instrument lineage, and oftentimes recall fond memories. The action is perfect for a beginner, as opposed to a lot of acoustics which can prove tough on the fingers when you’re starting out.

4. Epiphone DR-100 Acoustic Guitar

As you may or may not know already, Ephiphone is a company owned by the infamous Gibson. Gibson has been right up there with Fender for decades as a trusted and valued guitar manufacturer.

Their quality even shines through on the Epiphone DR-100 Acoustic, despite the low price tag. It is, in fact, Epiphone’s best selling acoustic guitar. With a spruce top and Rosewood fingerboard and bridge, the DR-100 is a great choice for beginners, offering both affordability and quality.

Now onto the good part, the top 3 acoustic guitars for newbies. If you’re beginner and you want to buy a top new guitar which’ll make learning even easier for you, you’ll want to pick up one of the following.

3. The Black Handcrafted Steel String Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar

This one is yet another great choice for beginners looking to pick up their first guitar. The guitar features a Calputa Fretboard and Calputa Bridge.

This acoustic also features a Liden Top and a black pick guard. This is another steal for beginners looking to start their journey as a musician.

For such a low price, you’ll be shocked to find high quality play ability and a crisp, resonant sound worthy of a much higher price tag.

2. Fender Squier Acoustic Guitar Bundle

The Fender Squier Acoustic Guitar Bundle is quite a bargain. This starter pack has everything you need to get learning the guitar in no time, with the Austin Bazaar instructional DVD featured with your purchase.

The bundle also comes with a hard shell carry case, which is essential for protecting your guitar. It also comes with a guitar stand, extra strings, a strap, picks, a string winder, a clip-on turner to keep those strings in tune, and even a polishing cloth!

Fender is a renowned guitar manufacturer with decades of storied history. They know quality, and you can expect it with this great bargain!

1. Number 1 Top Acoustic Guitar: The Jasmine S35 Acoustic Guitar, Natural

The Jasmine S35 Acoustic Guitar can be yours for a low price, complete with free shipping! The guitar features a beautiful satin finish and a smooth rosewood fretboard with 20 frets. The back and sides of the guitar feature Laminated Nato. This dreadnought shaped guitar will give you quite a crisp sound – that’s bang for you buck.

While those are good cheap beginner guitars, if you’re ready to invest more into a good quality long-term guitar, you’ll want to check these acoustic guitars out.

What Beginners Should Be Looking For In A Guitar

When beginners are shopping for a guitar, the first thing they tend to look at is price. And price certainly is an important consideration, but if you go on price and price alone, you will likely be disappointed with the product, and you might end up having to bring it into a guitar tech (possibly even multiple times) before it’s even halfway playable.

Don’t worry – a great beginner guitar doesn’t need to cost a lot of money. But if you pick wisely, the guitar will last you for years, and you may not have to buy a better model for a long time. Here are some things to look for.

Low Action

If you’re just getting started on the guitar, the last thing you want to do is fight with the instrument. This will make you frustrated, and might even cause you to quit.

Action is the number one thing when it comes to playability. The neck, its thickness, its alignment… these things all play a part. But if the strings are so far off the fretboard that you have to muscle them down, you’re really not going to enjoy your practice sessions.

There are a couple workarounds. One is to buy a classical acoustic guitar as opposed to a steel-string acoustic guitar. These types of guitars usually come with nylon strings, which are easier on the fingers, and not hard to press down.

You can also buy a guitar and have a tech set it up for you later. You would simply ask them to lower the action so it’s easy for a beginner to play, and they should know what you mean.

But in an ideal situation, you would find a guitar that has good action without you having to make any modifications to it. You just won’t know unless you go into the store and try out the guitar for yourself.

Comfortable Size

Who is the guitar for? Most fully grown boys/men should be able to handle full-size guitars just fine. But if it’s for a child or sometimes even a woman, a full-size guitar can be a little difficult to handle.

While a child won’t stay their size forever, if you want them to get an early start, you should consider getting them a half size guitar. For women with smaller hands and arms, a three-quarter size guitar might be a good choice.

These are generalities, and the best way to find out what’s best is still to go to a guitar store and try out several models for yourself.

It’s also good to be aware that acoustic guitars have different body types, and some guitars might be hard to handle, even for a fully grown individual. Let’s explore the common body types so you know what the difference is:

• Dreadnought. The most common body type for the acoustic guitar.
• Parlor. Parlor guitars feature the smallest body shape of all.
• Jumbo. As you can probably guess, jumbo guitars are among some of the larger acoustics.

These aren’t the only body types available, but if you are aware of these three, it should make choosing a guitar a lot easier. Note: half size or three-quarter size guitars are in a class all their own.

Durability

Durability might seem like a strange thing to be talking about with regards to a guitar. After all, most guitars are made of wood, and wood tends to hold up to quite a bit of abuse.

Many beginner guitars are made with laminate wood. Although these guitars don’t sound as good as their solid-wood counterparts, it does eliminate the need for constant upkeep and maintenance (i.e. humidification).

Meanwhile, some beginner guitars are made with solid wood. These guitars have a better sound, but you usually have to be a little more careful with them. You’ll often need to store them in a room with some humidity, and if you’re going to be taking it from the cold outdoors into the warm indoors, you’ll need to leave it in the case for 10 minutes or more to give it a chance to adjust to its new surroundings.

Typically, guitars aren’t easily broken unless you do something deliberate to damage them. But you should know about the upsides and downsides of both laminate wood and solid wood guitars.

What Accessories To Buy

A lot of beginners have a tendency of thinking that a guitar is all they need to get up and running. If you don’t have a salesperson helping you out, then you might have thought this also.

But there are several accessories you’re going to need in the immediate future, whether you know it or not. Let’s take a look:

• A case. If you’re looking to protect your guitar from the elements, and you want to haul it around with you wherever you go, you’ll at least want a soft case, and preferably a hard case.
• Strings. You’ll want at least one backup set of strings. You may not know it yet, but you are going to break a string from time to time. This does not mean that you have a faulty guitar. Replacing strings is a common occurrence, especially if you play a lot.
• A string winder. You don’t absolutely need a winder to replace your strings, but trust me when I say it will make your life a lot easier.
• Picks. Some guitarists play exclusively with their fingers, and never use a pick. Fair enough. But every guitarist should learn the basics of picking technique before studying fingerstyle.
• A strap. Again, a strap borders on an optional item, but it’s still better to have one rather than not. If you plan on playing standing up, or if you’re going to be performing in the near future, you’re going to need one.
• A humidifier. If you have a guitar that’s sensitive to the elements (i.e. it’s made of solid wood), then you should pick up a humidifier that can be placed in the sound-hole of your guitar. Keep in mind that this means a bit of manual work (i.e. dampening the sponge on a regular basis).

One optional item that can be quite handy is a capo, which makes transposing and playing certain songs a lot easier. If you have wiggle room in your budget, consider picking one up. An amp and a patch cable can also come in handy if your guitar has a built-in pickup.

The Best Selling Guitars On Amazon Conclusion

So there you go, 10 of the best selling guitars on Amazon right now.

Have you used any of the above? If so let us know how they performed. Or if you have a better alternative, let us know.

P.S. Remember though, none of what you’ve learned will matter if you don’t know how to get your music out there and earn from it. Want to learn how to do that? Then get our free ‘5 Steps To Profitable Youtube Music Career’ ebook emailed directly to you!