Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, buying an acoustic guitar is a big investment, but it should still be affordable while scaling with your skills.
Although you can buy a guitar for a few hundred dollars, a good rule of thumb is to browse the best acoustic guitars for under $2,000 for a good-quality instrument that is comfortable and rewarding to play. You’ll end up with superb sound, playability, and craftsmanship without breaking your budget. Here’s a look at where to start and how to find the best acoustic guitar for you.
Best Guitar for Overall Value and Quality: Zager Guitars ZAD20E Solid Spruce/Mahogany Acoustic Electric Natural
As one of the best acoustic guitars under $2,000, the Zager Guitar ZAD20E features a dreadnought style for superb sound and comfort with the bass, volume, and power you want from an acoustic guitar. It features a Sitka spruce top for a tight, punchy low-end response and great projection that competes with the top-quality guitars in the world.
Zager Guitars is also a top contender for its craftsmanship and longevity. Denny Zager, a guitar artist who played in the 1960s hit band Zager and Evans, is aware of how a guitar should feel, sound, and look. His guitars are also known for their comfort and playability, with carbon-coated pillow-touch strings and a unique neck profile sought after by professional musicians.
Depending on who you ask, players may say the fretboard feels a little thicker than other guitars, although it is still comfortable to play. But with an accessible price point and hard case, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a higher-quality acoustic guitar for under $2,000.
The ZAD20E retails for $995.
The Best Guitar for Gigging with Friends: Taylor American Dream AD17
The Taylor American Dream AD17 is known as a workhorse guitar that you can gig with and not have to worry about spilling a little beer on it. It carries a quality tone that’s comfortable to play and geared towards intermediate to budding advanced players. With a solid spruce top, this Taylor guitar keeps costs down with a eucalyptus fretboard and a mahogany neck to blend quality and cost-savings in one place. Its action trends are low, but you shouldn’t notice much fret buzz and still experience good intonation.
The satin finish is aesthetically pleasing, but you’ll likely hear some body rubs and swooshes along the satin finish. Its bass response can also feel constricted, but that shouldn’t be much of a problem for new and emerging players. The matte finish can also be a drawback for players who prefer a sleek, glossy finish. Despite its name, the American Dream AD17 is actually made in Mexico.
The Taylor American Dream AD17 retails for $1,749.
The Best Guitar for Singing and Fingerpicking: Martin D-16E
The 6-string Martin D-16E features a spruce gloss top and easy playability. As a performance-ready dreadnought, it carries a full, articulate sound and booming projection for playing out. Singers will find it complements their voice, whether at home as a solo instrument or layered into a more complex track. Fingerpickers will admire the 25.4″ scale length, although it still translates to flatpick, live or unplugged, and pairs well for singers.
With a spruce top, East Indian rosewood back and sides, and a satin finish, the D-16E is high-quality and optimized for playability. Some players report the Martin D-16E is less responsive than other high-end Martin guitars, although it’s among the lowest price points for the brand. It also features a higher action, which isn’t comfortable for everyone to play, and doesn’t include a hard case.
The Martin D-16E retails for $1,999.
Best Guitar for Vintage Nostalgia: Yamaha Red Label FGX3
Go vintage with the 1960s-inspired Yamaha Red Label FGX3. As one of the best acoustic guitars under $2,000, it features an African mahogany neck with low action that’s easy to play. A solid Sitka spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides provide a strong, rich projection and tone.
This guitar features a sleek, vintage look and feel. With its durable construction and tonality, the Yamaha FGX3 is a good choice for a higher, but still modest, price point. But if you’re looking for an American-made guitar, you won’t find it in this model.
The Yamaha Red Label FGX3 retails for $1,743.40.
The Best Acoustic Guitar for Your Budget: Gibson G-45
The Gibson G-45 is a 6-string acoustic guitar with a solid Sitka spruce top and solid walnut back and sides. This American-made guitar sounds bright and crisp and feels good in your hands while playing. If you love the idea of brand recognition on your guitar while sticking to a budget, Gibson’s long-standing reputation in the music industry is a win.
There are a few things to consider before making your investment. If you tend to do heavy strumming, you may notice a brash midrange. The tone controls are also tucked away under the soundhole, so they aren’t readily accessible.
The Gibson G-45 retails for $1,199.
Best Acoustic Guitar for the Stage: Takamine Legacy EF341SC
The Takamine Legacy EF341SC is known for its easy playability and full, rich sound. It’s high-gloss black finish also looks dazzling under stage lights. If you like mellow sounds, you’ll appreciate its solid cedar top with maple back and sides.
The mellow sound can be the best option for some players, but you may prefer the brighter sound delivered from a source-topped guitar. Despite being one of the best acoustic guitars under $2,000, the Takamine Legacy EF341SC is still pricey, especially for beginners. The price point matches its hefty weight and big body with a sleek, stage-worthy presence.
The Takamine Legacy EF341SC retails for $1,899.
Best Electro-Acoustic Guitar: Fender’s American Acoustasonic Telecaster
Fender’s American Acoustasonic Telecaster is high-quality, with a light, balanced feel and smooth neck. It’s got a great pickup system and overall sound, with a slim feel that feels similar to an electric guitar. But it’s still decidedly acoustic, with a mahogany neck that’s lightly finished to feel like you’re gliding your fingers across wood. The Fishman Acoustasonic Enhancer electronics feature a single-coil pickup, ebony control knobs, a voice bender, a 5-position voice selector, and an output jack with USB Mini-A input.
There are some potential drawbacks to this Fender guitar. Some players complain about the needlessly high action and lack of height-adjustment saddles. It’s also at the very top of the price range when you’re on the hunt for an acoustic guitar under $2,000.
Fender’s American Acoustasonic Telecaster retails for $1,999.99.
Look at Acoustic Guitar Warranties and Longevity
If you’re going to invest in one of the best acoustic guitars under $2,000, you need to look at each acoustic guitar’s warranty and its reputation for durability. Most guitars offer some type of warranty, but not all protect you from wear and tear or hardware. Others offer a limited lifetime warranty, like Zager Guitars. They’ll even replace all of the nuts, saddles, tuners, and other parts free of charge if they wear out over the years. Other limited lifetime warranties only protect against defects in materials or workmanship but won’t cover damage from wear and tear or accidents.
No warranty will cover everything, but you can help your efforts by scrutinizing the paperwork and registering your instrument accordingly. It’s also wise to keep the receipt and take a photo of the original condition of the guitar so you have a reference point.
Consider Your Guitar Goals
It’s important to consider your long-term goals. playing the guitar. You can get it ultra cheap if you just want to tinker and aren’t that focused on sound or playability. If you want to grow your skills and play with friends, a solid beginner guitar is still okay to choose at a low price point. But if you want to learn to play fluently and gig out or take the stage, you need an intermediate-to-advanced guitar that’s handcrafted, comfortable to play, and constructed from high-quality materials.
Choose solid woods or a mix of some manufactured and tonewoods to get a quality sound that resonates. Your hardware should also stand up to some wear and tear. When guitars are too cheaply made, they can’t produce or sustain a good sound that makes them rewarding to play.
Prioritize Comfort and Playability
When you want to get better as a guitar player or perform publicly, you need a comfortable instrument that focuses on playability. Neck profile is crucial, and most players prefer C or U neck profiles. Other brands, like Zager Guitars, skip the traditional neck altogether and focus on comfort. Their neck profile is unique and adds extra touches like spacing the guitar strings slightly closer to one another to make them more comfortable, especially if you have smaller hands or joint pain.
Get Help Choosing the Best Acoustic Guitars for Under $2,000
Still not sure how to choose the best acoustic guitars under $2,000? Here are some more resources on how to find the best acoustic guitar for you:
- Which is the best acoustic guitar brand? [2023 Guide]
- What to Look for When Buying an Acoustic Guitar
- Guide to Choosing the Best-Sounding Acoustic Guitar
- Easiest Acoustic Guitar to Play
Final Thoughts
Finding the best acoustic guitar under $2,000 requires a little diligence to weigh the pros and cons of each instrument, how it performs for your needs, and its overall craftsmanship and longevity. Above all else, make sure to buy from a brand with a solid warranty and reputation for quality to put you on the right track for success.