Acoustic guitars are always an investment, even if you’re planning to stick to a budget-friendly model. Beyond money, choosing the right type of acoustic guitar is an investment of your time and resources, and you want to make the right choice that keeps up with your skills. With various types of acoustic guitars available, each with its own unique characteristics, it’s essential to understand the options before making your final decision.
Here’s a look at the many different types of acoustic guitars, examples, and how to make the best choice for you.
Dreadnought Guitars
Dreadnought guitars are usually the most popular type of acoustic guitar because of their well-earned reputation as workhorses. They’re easily recognizable by their large, square-shaped bodies, designed to produce a rich and full sound with strong bass tones. They’re often a go-to favorite for both beginners and pros looking to protect their sound in any setting.
These guitars are incredibly versatile and suitable for various genres, including folk, rock, country, and blues. Dreadnought guitars have been a staple in the acoustic guitar world for decades, and their popularity continues to grow. With a large body size and shape that contributes to their distinctive sound, their wide soundboard and deep body provides ample resonance and volume. It’s easy to see why dreadnoughts are favorites among musicians who need to project their sound in various settings.
Here are a few examples of the best dreadnought acoustic guitars to choose from:
Best Dreadnought Guitar For Brand Recognition: Martin D-28
An iconic dreadnought known for its warm and full-bodied sound, the D-28 is suitable for both strummers and fingerstyle players. The D-28 is made from East Indian rosewood for a resonant sound, deep bass, and rich overtones. It also adds some vintage touches, including open gear tuners and antique white accents with a faux tortoise pickguard and modern neck profile. Music legends like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan have played the Martin D-28 which is suitable for just about all playing styles. Due to its steep price tag, it’s generally not recommended for beginners or intermediate players.
The Martin D-28 retails for $3,199.
Best Dreadnought Guitar for Overall Value and Comfort: Zager Easy Play ZAD900E
Known for its deep, rich sound, the Zager Easy Play ZAD900E produces a unique tone quality and effortless playability. This Dreadnought guitar is handcrafted from Sitka Spruce and Indian Rosewood with maple binding, abalone, and pearl inlay. All of Zager’s guitars feature carbon-coated, pillow-touch strings to make playing easier. There are also other touches, like uniquely crafted necks and strings that are placed slightly closer together to make it easier to play for hours without hand fatigue. Sully Erna from Godsmack plays the ZAD900E, and Zager continues to make stage-worthy guitars that are known for their comfortable playing and style.
Zager Guitar’s ZAD900CE retails for $2,070 with a free, two-way shipping policy.
Best Dreadnought Guitar for the Taylor Signature Sound: Taylor 210ce Acoustic-Electric Guitar
The Taylor 210ce Acoustic-Electric Guitar features a solid Sitka Spruce top and a rich, full tone that translates to the stage or while playing with friends. There are a few eye-catching details, including a crisp white binding, dot inlays, and a three-ring rosette. The easy fretting makes it comfortable to play, and it ships with an ES2 electronics package. Depending on who you ask, the 210CE may sound a bit twangy and weaker than other Dreadnoughts, but if you like the signature Taylor sound and brand, it’s a good pick.
Taylor 210ce Acoustic-Electric Guitar retails for $1,099.
Concert Guitars
Concert guitars, also called “orchestra” guitars or “classical” guitars, have a slightly smaller body compared to dreadnoughts. Players choose this type of acoustic guitar for its more balanced sound, making it ideal for fingerstyle playing and intricate fingerpicking. Concert guitars are often favored by folk and fingerstyle guitarists who want a smaller body size and appreciate precision and clarity when they play.
Also called classical guitars, concert guitars are a good choice if you’re looking to play classical music, and nylon strings best suit your musical style. But they have a wider neck and are considered more challenging to play than other types of acoustic guitars.
Here are some concert guitars to choose from:
Best for Your Budget: Cordoba C7-CE
The Cordoba C7-CE sets the standard for a classical guitar with good value. With traditional Spanish bracing, you get a great frequency of balance and projection and a well-rounded stone. Some players report the hardware looks underwhelming and aren’t fans of the laminate back and sides. But it comes at a reasonable price point and with the brand recognition of one of the best classical guitar companies in the world.
The Cordoba C7-CE retails for $759.
Best for Brand Reputation: Godin ACS-SA Slim
Designed for comfort and playability, the ACS Slim Nylon Natural SG features a thinner neck than most classical guitars and a slim body profile. It’s constructed with a solid cedar top and outfitted with an RMC transducer pickup system and a 13-pin synth connection. But if you really love traditional, acoustic classical music, it’s probably not the best pick for you due to its design and tonewood selection.
The Godin ACS-SA Slim retails for $1,799.
Grand Auditorium Guitars
Grand Auditorium guitars meet a middle ground between the robust sound of dreadnoughts that musicians love and the precision of concert guitars. Grand Auditoriums feature medium-sized bodies and offer a versatile sound profile if you want some versatility. They’re ideal for singer-songwriters and players who want to experiment with different styles.
Consider these Auditorium Guitars:
Best Auditorium Guitar for Comfort and Easy Playability: Zager ZAD80CE
Smaller than a traditional orchestra or auditorium model, the ZAD80CE is comparable to the Martin OOO and Taylor Grand Auditorium models, but with a narrower hourglass shape that makes it easier to pull in close under your arm and easier playability. It also features a Venetian cutaway box design; you can slide it down low for a more comfortable way to play. This model is identical to Zager’s dreadnought version, just 15% smaller.
Zager ZAD80CE retails for $1,520 with a free, two-way shipping policy.
Best for Balanced Tone and Projection: Martin GPC-16E
The Martin GPC-16E offers satisfying body resonance and impressive sustain. With a high-performance neck that tapers, this cutaway model includes a spruce gloss top to give a more balanced tone and projection. Some players report the strings feel stiff and are more difficult to bend than competing Grand Auditorium guitars.
Martin GPC-16E retails for $1,999.
Jumbo Guitars
Like their name implies, jumbo guitars feature oversized bodies that result in a loud, resonant sound. Their bold, signature projection and curvy bodies are often associated with country and Western music. The sheer volume of Jumbo guitars gives them more of a soundboard, which ultimately produces a more powerful sound. Although country fans love Jumbo guitars, they also translate to the folk-rock and bluegrass genres.
Take a look at these Jumbo Guitars:
Best Jumbo Guitar for Your Budget: Guild F-240E
The Guild F-240E is more affordable than similar Jumbo guitars in its category and comes with a solid spruce top, mahogany sides, and an arched mahogany back. With a long sustain and full sound, this model comes with a pau ferro fingerboard and bridge, bone nut and solid, and a mother of pearl rosette. You’ll get the projection you need from the Fishman-designed GT-1 pickup system for a powerful acoustic tone and voicing.
Guild F-240E retails for $439.
Best Jumbo Guitar for the Stage – Takamine GJ72CE Nat
Get the booming sound and volume you’re looking for from the Takamine GJ72CE Nat. This Jumbo guitar model delivers a full-bodied, projected sound with deep bass and sparkling highs. It also comes outfitted with a TK-40D preamp system to deliver massive projection for the stage.
The Takamine GJ72CE Nat retails for $729.
Parlor Guitars
Parlor guitars give a nod back to the earliest days of acoustic guitar design, when small bodies and sweet, nostalgic notes were the norm. They’re perfect for intimate settings and fingerplay that were once reserved for small gatherings and home entertainment. Today, musicians look for parlor guitars for their at-home feel in a living room performance.
Beyond the vintage feel and sound, Parlor guitars are also ideal for anyone with smaller hands or who just prefer a user-friendly instrument. They also tend to produce a richer and warmer sound than their larger counterparts and make great travel guitars.
Here are a few parlor guitars to choose from:
Best Parlor Guitar for Comfort and Quality: Zager Guitar’s Parlor-Sized Solid African Mahogany Acoustic Electric
This 38-inch Parlor guitar is easier for small players who still want a big sound. The built-in Fishman transducer helps you plug it into any amplifier or PA system, so you can play it like a full electric guitar and enhance your performance. It holds up to the standards and quality of a Little Martin, but at a more affordable price tag and with a better electronics package. Like the rest of Zager’s guitars, their Parlor model is also known for its exceptional quality and comfortable, easy playing that everyone from beginners to superstars play.
Zager’s Parlor-sized guitar retails for $895 with a free, two-way shipping policy.
Best Parlor Guitar for a Vintage Look and Feel: Gibson G-00
This Parlor guitar takes its inspiration from the 1960s and is designed to create an immersive playing experience. It features a stunning solid Sitka spruce top, a mahogany neck, and a striped ebony fingerboard and bridge for a crisp and resonant sound. Its thinner body and style make it easy for beginners to handle, but it still packs a punch for the pros.
The Gibson G-00 retails for $999.
Best Parlor Guitar for Traveling: LX1 Little Martin
This compact Martin is easy and comfortable to play with an amplified sound. It’s an easy travel guitar and well-made, especially if you’re looking to invest in an iconic brand without the pricetag. The LX1’s lack of fretboard markers on the frets and lower volume aren’t necessarily the best Parlor guitar for a beginner trying to master their playing.
The LX1 Little Martin retails for $499.
Travel Guitars
Musicians on the go or who don’t have much space to spare should consider a travel guitar. They offer solid playability and sound for road trips, camping, or practicing in between classes or on a break at work. By design, travel guitars are both lightweight and portable to optimize convenience. Any good travel guitar comes with a gig bag or backpack-style case.
Despite how similar they look, Parlor and Travel guitars have key differences. Travel guitars have a smaller nut width than a traditional guitar, while Parlor guitars have a standard nut width. Parlors also have 18 frets, which are less than what a Travel guitar offers. Parlor guitars also sound more mellow than Travel guitars, which resemble the tone of a full-size acoustic guitar.
Ready to try one for yourself? Here are some travel guitars to consider.
Best Travel Guitar for Quality and Ease of Playing: Zager’s Travel Size Solid African Mahogany Acoustic
Zager’s Travel Size Solid African Mahogany Acoustic Guitars are built the same as their full-size guitars, but they’re 25% smaller, making them ideal for smaller adults and children. Unlike other travel guitars, Zager builds theirs just like their full-sized guitars, with quality wood and pro hardware. It boasts a professional sound in a smaller body and at a lower price point. Despite the smaller size, it still produces a powerful sound that only gets better with age.
Zager’s Travel Size Solid African Mahogany Acoustic retails for $695 with free, two-way shipping.
Best Travel Guitar for Your Budget – Taylor Baby Mahogany (BT2)
Crafted from mahogany and a layered Sapele back and sides, the Taylor Baby produces a rich sound, and its smaller stature is comfortable in smaller hands. It’s a great choice for fingerstyle and fingerpicking. It’s a little weak on sound projection and has limited tonal versatility, but it comes at a good price point and has comfortable playability.
The Taylor Baby Mahogany (BT2) retails for $449.
Need Help Choosing the Best Acoustic Guitar for You?
Once you’ve narrowed down your choice of which type of acoustic guitar you want to buy, here are some quick tips to make the best pick for you:
- Dreadnought Guitars: A popular option for budding and serious guitar players alike. With great volume and projection, Dreadnought guitars are a great choice for a powerful sound that spans across multiple genres, from rock to country and bluegrass.
- Concert Guitars: Concert guitars are well-suited for smaller players and fingerpickers looking for a more defined tone and complex chords. But if you’re into strumming, Dreadnoughts are a better choice.
- Grand Auditorium Guitars: Grand Auditorium guitars are well suited for fingerstyle and fingerpicking and carry a quieter sound than Dreadnoughts.
- Jumbo Guitars: Jumbo guitars carry a booming, full sound that emphasizes high and low frequencies. They’re more popular with players who enjoy strumming over fingerpicking and are commonly used in country and Western music.
- Parlor Guitars: Grab a Parlor guitar when you want a comfortable, easy-to-play guitar with a vintage sound. They also pair well with bluegrass, folk, and country genres.
- Travel Guitars: When you’re short on space or are more comfortable with a smaller instrument, try a Travel guitar. They’re also a consideration if you have smaller hands and want a thinner neck and smaller fretboards for easy maneuverability.
Browse our resources to learn more about how to choose the best types of acoustic guitars.
- Top Rated Acoustic Guitars
- Easiest Acoustic Guitars to Play
- What to Look for When Buying an Acoustic Guitar
- Best Guitars for Beginners
Next Steps
Now that you know the ins and outs of the different types of acoustic guitars, you can align your choice around the size, style, and sound you prefer. There’s a guitar for everyone, but you can also grow a collection. Start with a classic like a Dreadnought and branch into gig guitars, like a travel variety, to make the most of your musical journey.