Buying your first guitar is a thrilling venture, but it can also make or break your experience while learning the instrument. The best guitars for beginners challenge you to grow into your artistry without making it so complicated to play that you can’t find your momentum. Players of all levels benefit from a guitar that scales with their skillset and accommodates their goals.
Although it’s the norm to try different guitars and adopt a brand and style you love, you still need an intuitive, comfortable instrument to lay the foundation for your musical journey. Otherwise, you could end up joining the 90% of people learning to play guitar who quit within the first three months.
We took a look at some of the best guitars for beginners and considered several factors, from price point to neck and style. Once you get an idea of what to expect from your first guitar, you’ll have more confidence in what to purchase and how to get started.
What to Look for in the Best Guitars for Beginners
Shopping for a guitar should inspire your ambition to learn something new or master your craft. With so many renowned guitar brands on the market, knowing where to start is challenging. Despite all the anticipation, it can be overwhelming to narrow down your options.
The good news is that the volume of guitar options on the market means more flexibility in average guitar prices, ease of playing, style, size, and reputation. Above all else, you should choose a guitar that feels good to play and empowers you to keep practicing and refining your skills.
Before you dive into the research, here’s what to consider when choosing the best guitar for beginners.
Tune
There are plenty of cheap guitar options on the market, but they’re incredibly frustrating to play if they don’t hold their tune. After all, you’ll never get a sense of how well you can play or whether or not you’re making progress if you’re constantly trying to tune your instrument.
Unfortunately, beginners don’t always know if their guitar is in-tune or not. You end up stalling your momentum as you learn notes and chords, with mixed results.
Yes, you may need to tweak your guitar’s tune regularly, even if it’s high-quality. That’s normal, but needing to tune a half-step or more is usually problematic and hard to play. Fortunately, plenty of guitar tuners and tuning pedals are on the market. You can also learn the skill with the help of a knowledgeable guitar teacher.
Neck
Guitar neck profiles vary depending on the brand, and some beginners will hold different guitars to get a sense of how they feel first. However, there are a few standard guitar neck shapes on the market, including:
- The “C” Shape – This is the most common shape you’ll find; it is primarily flat and comfortable for players unless you have exceptionally large hands.
- The “V” Shape – V-shapes are often referred to as “old school.”
- The “U” Shape” – Ideal for guitarists with large hands, especially if you like to slide your thumb on the side of the neck or behind it.
- Unclassifiable – Some guitar necks are handcrafted and may take some characteristics from the C, V, and U shapes but are unique to the market.
Despite the standard shapes, they may still have some variation. For example, the C shape is sometimes slimmer, extra-slim, nut-shaped, and fatter than other options. It’s also important to note that an unclassifiable neck isn’t necessarily a mainstream guitar term. However, some handcrafted guitars are known for their unique necks and stand alone in their own category.
Comfortable Access to the Entire Fretboard
A guitar fretboard is also referred to as the fingerboard or the neck of the guitar. Some musicians prefer specific neck shapes for their aesthetic or how it feels in their hands. But if you’re completely new to the guitar, you should opt for a neck that makes it easy to reach the entire fretboard to optimize your comfort while playing.
Price
When price isn’t a factor, you can choose more than one guitar and figure out which one you like best. Going for something mid-range is a good option, as you’ll combine quality and style.
Cheap instruments aren’t necessarily the best guitars for beginners. They’re more challenging to keep in tune with, aren’t as comfortable, and don’t hold their value. Instead, you can always try out one of the best guitars for beginners and sell it if you decide to go in a different direction.
Weight
An acoustic guitar is usually 2.5 to 5 pounds, but you should also consider what your plans are with your guitar. Do you want to play on stage? Enjoy learning a few songs at home? Your own height, weight, and comfort level while holding a heavier instrument are also factors. But keep in mind that if you’re uncomfortable holding a heavy guitar for too long, you’re less likely to keep practicing and mastering the craft.
Style
The guitar style you choose is often just as important as how it feels and ease of playing it. Style isn’t frivolous; it’s part of the art of learning an instrument and helps you feel more connected to it.
Beyond aesthetics, some guitar styles will also impact how easy they are to play. Guitars with cutaways and thin necks are part of the style of the instrument, but they also make them easier for beginners.
Best Guitar Brands for Beginners
We looked at some of the best overall guitar brands for beginners and then broke down the breakout stars into different categories. This round-up will give you context on everything from quality to price to get a sense of where you should start your guitar journey.
Zager Guitars
Zager Guitars builds acoustic guitars with the comfort and ease of playing in mind. They’re known as “easy play guitars” without compromising on quality. Founder Denny Zager started playing guitar in 1949 and is part of the legendary recording duo Zager and Evans, whose song “In the Year 2525” was the biggest one-hit wonder of any artist in its time.
Denny Zager was among the few musicians asked to play at Woodstock in 1969 with Jimmy Hendrix, Santana, and The Grateful Dead. After teaching himself to play by listening to radio songs and practicing for hours, he eventually developed his own system and began designing Zager EZ-Play Guitars.
Today, Zager Guitars are a favorite among professional guitarists, but they’re also ideal for beginners looking for a natural feel with a slim front-to-back neck that feels good in their hands. Zager also has some innovative features, like custom string spacing, that make it easier to play and reduce buzzes and rattles.
Unless you find a used model somewhere, you won’t find Zager Guitars sold through retail outlets. Instead, this guitar brand sells directly to musicians, who save on the consumer end without the retail markup. Zager also pays shipping both ways, so you can try one out for free for 30 days and pay nothing.
Artists who play Zager Guitars include Dave Roe, Andre Coutu, Hank Williams’ and Loretta Lynn’s daughter, Pat Bergeson, and Phil Collen. Here are a few of Zager’s best guitars for beginners to choose from.
ZAD 900 Series
The 900 Series offers a deep, rich sound crafted from rosewood and spruce. A unique bracing system is used on the 900 to move half a millimeter to give more projection power and feel it resonate through your gut. At the same time, that slight change makes this model among the best easy guitars. Zager Guitars also hand scallops the bracing to make the sound unique to its handcrafted brand.
ZAD 80 Series
Zager Guitars’ 80 Series is all about creating a warm, sweet sound. It pairs a deep rosewood bass with a western red cedar for a mellow voice. Like other Zager Guitars, the 80 Series features solid wood construction and a custom neck design that feels good in your hand and makes it among the easiest guitars to play.
ZAD 50 Series
The ZAD 50 Series uses traditional tonewoods, including Sitka spruce and African mahogany, if you want something more natural and earthy. The addition of a complex bracing system helps deepen the tone and create a satisfying sound.
ZAD 20 Series
Choose Zager Guitars’ ZAD 20 Series for a bright and more focused tone without waning or the sound carrying too thin. It’s an affordable, full mahogany guitar choice with a natural spruce soundboard. The results? You’ll hear the deep, rich tone for a more satisfying beginning guitar experience.
Zager Guitar Parlor Models
Parlor guitars look similar to acoustic guitars but are smaller and well-suited for beginners and performers with a more diminutive stature. Zager Guitars Parlor sizes are ideal for new players without compromising their rich sound. Crafted from solid wood construction, it competes with the likes of Taylor Mini and Little Martin Guitars.
Zager Guitar Ratings
Zager Guitars Overall Price: Prices are reasonable, with plenty of handcrafted options near $1,000 that climb to $3,000 or more for their 900 Series.
Zager Guitars Pros: Zager Guitars are known for their ease of learning and quality craftsmanship. The team also takes feedback directly from consumers to continuously improve their models.
Zager Guitars Cons: Zager Guitars aren’t sold in retail stores, making them harder to try and buy on a whim. But with a free shipping (both ways) policy, they’re also not difficult to secure, and give them a test run.
Martin Guitars
The family-owned and operated Martin Guitars have been creating guitars and strings for over 180 years and are renowned for their acoustic models and high-quality sound. Founder C. F. Martin Sr. also invented X-bracing in the mid-19th century to strengthen the guitar’s body and produce a richer tone. His descendant, Frank Henry Martin, later built the first dreadnought, a highly influential guitar body across many of the best guitar brands in the world.
Despite the reputation and quality of Martin Guitars, you’ll compromise some ease and comfort compared to other guitar brands’ options on the list. Martin Guitars sound incredible but have heavier strings and a set neck that you can’t adjust to make it easier to play.
Martin Guitars earned the respect of high-profile musicians, including Ed Sheeran, Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers, Dwight Yokum, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Elvis. Check out some of Martin’s best guitars for beginners.
Martin D-X2E
One of the more affordable Martin Guitars, the D-X2E offers a reliably great sound. It may look plain and a bit spartan on the outside, but it could be a winner if you’re looking for a no-frills option. Some guitarists complain the laminate neck feels heavy and can consequently make it more challenging for beginners.
Martin 000-12E
Martin 000-12E is created from bonding koa veneer and African mahogany for an environmentally conscious alternative wood option that still sounds great. With a slim C shape neck, it’s more comfortable than other Martin guitar options on the market for high-performance players and aspirational beginners.
Martin LXK2 Little Martin
The Martin LXK2 Guitar earned its nickname “Little Martin” for its small size compared to the standard acoustic guitar. It’s smaller and less expensive but still boasts the quality reputation Martin is known for. This guitar is made from koa-grained HPK, a dense tropical hardwood. The sound is big and bright but less versatile than other options.
Martin Guitar Ratings
Martin Guitars Overall Price: Depending on your model, a Martin Guitar can retail from around $700 to $10,000.
Martin Guitars Pros: Theis guitar brand is renowned for its quality construction and for using only the best woods and timber.
Martin Guitars Cons: Martin Guitars may prove more challenging (and expensive) to master than other guitar brands on our list and require dedication to learn.
Taylor Guitars
Taylor Guitars gained a reputation as one of the easiest guitars to play in the world with a crisp, modern sound. The brand was founded in 1974 by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug after meeting in a hippie shop in San Diego. Bob was 19, and Kurt was 21, but they built their business from a struggling shop to a leading guitar brand and industry innovator.
Beginners favor Taylor Guitars for their slimmer neck models, making it easier to handle and glide across the frets. This guitar brand is also known for its innovative V-Cass bracing and its large selection of guitars, from level-entry to high-end performing instruments.
Alan Jackson, Alan Parsons, Ben Harper, Jewel, Jason Mraz, Noel Robinson, Shawn Mendes, and Sarah McLachlan are just some of the musicians who play Taylor Guitars. Here are some of the more popular Taylor Guitar models for beginners.
Taylor BT2
The Taylor BT2 is among the easier Taylor models to play and can scale up with your skills. Despite its compact size, it still offers a rich tone and versatility when playing. It’s easy to travel with but may not be the best guitar option for aspiring pros.
Taylor GS Mini-E Koa
The best guitars for beginners don’t necessarily need to be full-bodied. This Taylor GS Mini-E Koa is a small travel guitar that sounds bright and can warm its way into richer variations. You’ll enjoy the clear tone and added electronics to plug in for a jam session.
The Taylor 114e
The Taylor 114e features a rich tone and relaxed feel with a solid top. Its Grand Auditorium body is comfortable in your hands and features a slim neck profile that makes holding your chords easier than other options on the market.
Taylor Guitars Ratings
Taylor Guitars Overall Price: You can find a quality Taylor for under $1,000 up to the $15,000 range, but you’ll pay more for quality.
Taylor Guitars Pros: If you find the right model, Taylor Guitars are easy to play with excellent, consistent sound and versatility.
Taylor Guitars Cons: If you want to play bluesy folk songs, Taylors may not be for you. Their sound is more modern and crisp. Beyond the sound, Taylor Guitars are usually expensive and are probably suited for an ambitious beginner.
Yamaha Guitars
Yamaha Guitars are comfortable and versatile, making them a suitable choice no matter the genre of music you want to play. Yamaha Guitars released its FG180 folk guitar in 1966 with a symmetrical dreadnought-style body and a unique cutaway that produced a bright tone and projection. They also released the electric SG-3 and SG-2 the same year and began establishing themselves as a serious guitar brand.
Yamaha Guitars produce a clear sound with consistent quality at an affordable price. Several of Yamaha’s guitars are designed to grow with your skills, making them suitable for both beginners and skilled musicians.
Notable musicians who play Yamahas include Sheryl Crow, James Blunt, Jamie Cullum, Don Alder, Michael Bublé, and Ty Tabor. Here are a few beginning guitars to choose from.
Yamaha JR1
A more compact version of Yamaha’s FG Series, the Yamaha JR1 delivers a warm, acoustic sound. Its smaller size is perfect for anyone on the go or who wants a smaller guitar for everyday playing.
Yamaha FG800
Regarded as one of the best guitars for beginners, the Yamaha FG800 is a staple among music enthusiasts. Unlike other basic beginner models, Yamaha skipped the cheap laminate on this version and opted for a solid spruce top.
Yamaha APX600
With a smaller size and reputation for ease, the Yamaha APX600 is ideal for anyone interested in an electric-acoustic guitar. Expect a full steel string sound or low to high tone controls when you plug it in.
Yamaha Guitar Ratings
Yamaha Guitars Overall Price: You can find a basic Yamaha for a few hundred dollars on up to $8,000 or more. A few thousand dollars will get you into a quality Yamaha that scales up with you.
Yamaha Guitars Pros: Yamaha Guitars are reliable, affordable guitars with good quality sound, especially for beginners or as a practice instrument.
Yamaha Guitars Cons: Yamahas are well-regarded and affordable, but they’re not usually the right choice when you want a high-quality, classical guitar or a beginner option to take on stage.
Orangewood Rey
A newer guitar brand on the market, Orangewood Rey Guitars delivers a smooth playing experience that scales well if you like playing in higher note ranges. The Orangewood Rey is relatively new to the guitar scene and is run by a team of musicians who pride themselves on quality, tone, and playability.
With a surprisingly affordable price point, it still offers a balanced tone and decent quality. Check out these Orangewood Rey guitars for beginners.
Orangewood Rey Mahogany Cutaway Beginner Acoustic Guitar
With a mahogany top and layered mahogany back, the Orangewood Rey Mahogany Cutaway Beginner Acoustic Guitar holds a good tune, especially if you’re an untrained beginner getting the hang of guitar.
Orangewood Rey Brooklyn Guitar
The Brooklyn Guitar is an intermediate guitar but still suitable for ambitious beginners. It’s made with a solid Sitka spruce top and Pau Ferro back and sides that produce a full sound.
Orangewood Rey Austen Guitar
The dreadnought Orangewood Rey Austen Guitar features a solid spruce top with a resonant sound. It’s an ideal choice for singer-songwriters looking for a full sound, but it’s a broad guitar. It may prove challenging if you have a small stature or choose this dreadnought for a child.
Orangewood Rey Guitar Ratings
Orangewood Rey Guitars Overall Price: Orangewood Rey is among the cheapest guitars on the market and still pretty decent. You can pick one up for around $150 or less.
Orangewood Rey Guitars Pros: This beginning acoustic guitar holds a good tone, and its cutaway design makes it easy to reach those higher frets.
Orangewood Rey Guitars Cons: Like any cheap beginner guitar, you’ll notice the sacrifices in the Orangewood Rey. The tone is stable but not very rich, and you’ll hear some buzzing across the frets.
Fender Guitars
Fender Guitars are known for their solid-body, acoustic, electric, and bass guitars. Founded in 1946 by Clarence Leonidas “Leo” Fender, this guitar brand helped shape the standard in guitars, basses, and amplifiers over the last 70 years.
The sound is usually incredible but comes at a high price point. You get an iconic guitar with Fender, but they can be hit or miss for beginners. Not all are easy to play and better suited for ambitious pros.
Eric Clapton, Buddy Holly, David Gilmour, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eddie Van Halen, and The Edge all play Fender guitars. Here are a few Fenders suitable for beginners to add to your list.
CD-60 Dreadnought V3
The CD-60 Dreadnought V3 is a good option for beginners on a budget with a classic look and balanced tone. This guitar features a spruce top with scalloped “X”-bracing and sounds great out of the box.
Redondo Mini
The Redondo Mini features a spruce top paired with a mahogany back and sides that delivers the tone of a full-sized guitar. It’s an ideal choice for a player with smaller hands and is easy to travel with.
CD-60SCE Dreadnought Acoustic Electric
The CD-60SCE Dreadnought Acoustic Electric combines onboard electronics and a built-in tuner for great tone that’s ideal for beginners to intermediate players. It features a classy Venetian-cutaway body with upper-fret access and a solid spruce top.
Fender Guitar Ratings
Overall Price: Fender prices can get confusing with price points for every series, but you can find something suitable for $900 on up.
Guitar Brand Pros: Fender is well-known for its quality craftsmanship and long-standing reputation in the industry. They look and sound fantastic and are an iconic pick for beginners.
Guitar Brand Cons: Fender necks aren’t always easy to handle, and the brand overall tends to be more expensive than most. Fenders also stray towards a tinny and bright sound during some song bridges.
Seagull Guitars
Founder Robert Godin produced the first Seagull guitar in 1982 in Quebec, focusing on hand craftsmanship at an affordable price. Although there aren’t many series of Seagull Guitars on the market, they’re still a good choice for beginners looking for value and reasonable quality. They’re also committed to sustainable reclaimed wood sourcing and working with forestries that use strict replanting models.
James Blunt, Peppino D’Agostino, Michalis Hatzigiannis, Kim Deal, and Michelle Lambert are known to play Seagull Guitars. Here are some models you should consider as a guitar beginner.
The Seagull S6
The Seagull S6 doesn’t look overly impressive at first glance, but it comes with thoughtful engineering and touches to enhance your guitar playing, including an odd headstock shape and a lighter X bracing for a better tone. Seagulls offer the structural integrity you want from an instrument.
Seagull Entourage Autumn Burst Acoustic Guitar
The Seagull Entourage Autumn Burst Acoustic Guitar features a smooth sound and tone. A compound, the curved top gives increased stability and projection when you play to be seen and heard in a crowd.
S12 CH CW Spruce Sunburst GT Presys II
The S12 CH CW Spruce Sunburst GT Presys II features an eye-catching sunburst finish and more compact Concert Hall body shape. A tapered headstock offers increased string tension stability and an easy-to-use tuner. With built-in electronics, it sounds great for playing out or in the studio.
Seagull Guitar Ratings
Seagull Guitars Overall Price: You can pick up Seagull for less than $400 on up.
Seagull Guitars Pros: The Seagull S6 and its other line of guitars use tonewood and a solid top that produces a warm, pleasing sound.
Seagull Guitars Cons: Although Seagulls are among the best guitars for beginners, you can find similar quality at a lower price.
Jasmine Guitars
Jasmine Guitars is an offshoot of the guitar brand Takamine and is focused on simplicity and ease for a quality, cheap guitar that produces a great sound. Although you’ll find some laminate use on Jasmine Guitars, they also use spruce wood, usually found on higher-end guitars.
Perhaps most importantly for beginners, its slimmer neck is easy to hold and play. Check out their selection of their best guitars for beginners.
Jasmine S-35 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar
The Jasmine S-35 is an attractive dreadnought guitar with a bold sound that holds its tune and value. It features spruce with a Rosewood fingerboard and a bridge with Agathis back and sides.
Jasmine S-34C Cutaway
The Jasmine S-34C Cutaway offers a rich sound with a Venetian-style cutaway. It’s an ideal choice for players looking for easy guitars that’s well-built with a spruce top and X bracing. Perhaps most important to beginners, its slim neck fits comfortably in most hands.
Jasmine JM-10 Mini Acoustic Guitar
The Jasmine JM-10 Mini Acoustic Guitar is ideal for a beginner looking to test the instrument without spending much. Like the S-35, it also features a rosewood fingerboard, bridge, and Spruce top but with Sapele back and sides.
Jasmine Guitar Ratings
Jasmine Guitars Overall Price: You’ll spend around $100 to get started with a decent Jasmine guitar.
Jasmine Guitars Pros: The affordability and reasonably good value make Jasmine Guitars a win for beginners on a budget who aren’t sure where to get started on their journey.
Jasmine Guitars Cons: Jasmines are cheap and easy to play due to their slim neck, but they don’t necessarily provide the sound you want to become a more seasoned musician.
Epiphone Guitars
Epiphone Guitars has been around since 1873 when Anastasios Stathopoulo built stringed instruments in his family’s repair shop. In 1903, he emigrated to the USA with his family and created instruments like mandolins. Eventually, his son Epaminondas took over the company and introduced their first acoustic guitars in 1928.
Epiphone Guitars offers some inexpensive guitars, but their higher-end models make them a good choice for ambitious beginners looking to scale their talent. They hold their ground with the likes of Gibson while creating their standard and signature sound.
Noel Gallagher, Joe Pass, Nick Valensi, Lee Malia, Paul Weller, Jack Casady, and Tom Delonge play Epiphone Guitars. Here are some of their beginner-friendly models to consider.
Epiphone Starling Guitars
Epiphone Starling Guitars is among the least expensive in this guitar brand’s line and features a fun and distinctive starling graphic. It features layered spruce and mahogany to create a full, robust tone.
Epiphone DR100
The Epiphone DR100 creates a big dreadnought sound that’s easy to play but features laminate wood to hit its low price point. It’s still suitable for beginners with a balanced tone and good value.
Epiphone L-00
The Epiphone L-00 gives a nod to class acoustic guitars of the 1930s. It features a smaller parlor style favored by blues players with woody tonal qualities. It’s perfect for fingerpicking and a bottleneck slide.
Epiphone Guitar Ratings
Epiphone Guitars Overall Price: Epiphone starts at under $200, but you’ll need to invest more for a great-sounding guitar that scales with you.
Epiphone Guitar Pros: Epiphone are among the best guitar brands for value and hold their ground.
Epiphone Guitars Cons: Epiphone can be solid choices, but the cheaper beginner versions are often made of laminate and won’t sound as rich and full.
Breedlove Guitars
Breedlove Guitars was established in 1990 by luthiers Larry Breedlove and Steve Henderson. They left their jobs at Taylor to launch their new company focusing on merging traditional guitars with modern technology.
Breedlove Guitars makes among the best acoustic guitars in their budget category, as well as bass guitars and mandolins. Although not a household name as other guitar brands on the market, it’s a satisfying play for beginners and gives a nod to the parlor guitar days. They also use an impressive sound optimization process and put their tonewoods through rigorous testing and analysis to produce the best sound.
Jim James, Foreigner, Lisa Loeb, Dustin Lynch, and Ed Roland play Breedlove Guitars. Here are the models you should check out first.
Breedlove Concert CE
The Breedlove Concert CE offers a bass resonance with smooth playability. It features a red cedar top and a mahogany body with a Soft C profile that’s easy for fingerpicking and strumming.
Discovery S Series
The beginner-friendly Discovery S Series is part of the brand’s ECO collection. The thin neck profile, narrow nut width, and pinless Delta bridge make this model easy to play. It’s also earth-conscious and employs EcoTonewood technology for superior sound at its price point.
Wildwood Pro Series Companion Suede Ce
The Wildwood Pro Series Companion Suede Ce features a suede-finished all-solid African mahogany body with a warm, full sound. Its smaller sound is ideal for travel and still holds its own while playing out or in a jam session.
Breedlove Guitar Ratings
Breedlove Guitars Overall Price: You can start playing Breedlove Guitars for $400 for a basic version for up to $3,000
Breedlove Guitars Pros: With a focus on handmade craftsmanship, Breedlove offers affordability and quality with bridge trusses and graduated tops that make it easy and pleasing for beginners.
Breedlove Guitars Cons: More advanced users may notice some intonation issues among the strings, and the action tends to hit high. It also doesn’t have as rich a sound as other guitars, with punchier and dry tones but still with a lively kick.
Takamine Guitars
Takamine Guitars was founded at the foot of Mount Takamine in central Japan. By 1968, they became a leading builder of classical guitars and mandolins and reached a worldwide audience in 1975.
Today, the steel-string Takamine Guitars are known for their excellent stage-playing performance. Takamine Guitars aren’t always as comfortable to play, but they offer incredible playability and tone with a body and style.
Celebrated musicians Jon Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks, and Blake Shelton are fans of Takamine Guitars. Get started playing the guitar with one of these models.
Takamine GN93C
The Takamine GN93C features a sleek body that blends quality and style. It’s a solid mid-level acoustic guitar, making it perfect for beginners with ambitions to quickly scale up their skillset. It’s best suited for bright, melodic tunes.
Takamine G Series GN30 NEX
Takamine G Series GN30 NEX features a solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides. Its neck is slim mahogany, making it easier for beginners to grip. With a gloss finish, it embraces the style the Takamine brand prides itself on without compromising on sound.
Takamine GD20-NS
The Takamine GD20-NS is a great budget-option for beginners. It features a dreadnought-style acoustic guitar, solid cedar top and mahogany back for a warm, detailed tone. A slim fingerboard provides easy playability.
Takamine Guitar Ratings
Takamine Guitars Overall Price: Takamine Guitars retail for anywhere from $400 to $10,000,
Takamine Guitars Pros: Takamine is a solid option for ambitious beginners who don’t mind mastering the larger necks on most models. They sounded great and were among the first acoustic-electric guitars on the market.
Takamine Guitars Cons: Many of Takamine’s necks are wide and long, making them harder for beginners, especially with small hands. They aren’t as well suited to laying lower action as other brands, like Taylor Guitars.
Gibson Guitars
Orville Gibson started making instruments in 1894 and launched his company in 1902. He invented the archtop guitars by taking inspiration from violins’ arched tops. In addition to archtop guitars, Gibson made flattop acoustics and one of the first hollow-body electric guitars. Gibson was almost among the first manufacturers of electric guitar amplifiers, with a mainstream model released in 1935.
With strong brand recognition and reputation, Gibson Guitars is known for superior handmade guitars and a unique tone. They’re considered among the best guitar brands worldwide for their reliability and value.
Celebrated musicians, including Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Carlos Santana, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Bob Marley, John Lennon, and B.B. King played Gibson Guitars.
Gibson J-45
The Gibson J-45 is pricey but a well-regarded acoustic guitar with a good tone and a bright, charismatic sound. It plays smoothly right out of the box and easily wraps your hand around the comfortable neck.
Gibson G-00
The Gibson G-00 is equipped with a Gibson Player Port so you can amplify and hear the guitar for a more immersive playing experience. Constructed with a solid Sitka spruce top and solid walnut back and sides, it has a tone that sounds crisp and resonant.
SJ-200 Studio Walnut
The slim SJ-200 Studio Walnut features a responsive neck profile and slim body depth. It’s outfitted with an under-saddle piezo pickup so you can plug it in anywhere you want to play.
Gibson Guitar Ratings
Gibson Guitars Overall Price: Gibson Guitars aren’t cheap, with options ranging from $900 to $4,000.
Gibson Guitars Pros: Gibson chooses high-quality wood and materials that can handle distorted chords and still come out sounding clear. Even their lower-end guitars are known for their quality, which means a higher price point than most.
Gibson Guitars Cons: There’s been some noise over the last few years about the decline of Gibson Guitars and the quality, not to mention bankruptcy and new leadership. They’ve since refined their quality control and opened a separate production facility for acoustic guitars in Montana.
Which Guitar Should You Choose as a Beginner?
Now that you have a run-down of some of the best guitars for beginners, it’s time to choose. By now, you should have an idea of which is most important to you: Ease of playing, price, brand reputation, acoustic, or electric.
Here are our thoughts on which to choose for each category.
Easiest Guitars for Beginners: Now that we’ve gone through an exhaustive list of some of the best guitars for beginners on the market, it’s time to look at which are the easiest to play.
Whether or not a guitar is easy to play is somewhat subjective, but there are some features that should streamline the learning process. Let’s start with the neck. Unless you have large hands, guitars with thinner necks are usually the easiest to play. You need a neck that feels comfortable in your hand, where your thumb can rest on the neck, and your fingers easily reach the right strings. Thin necks are also easier for playing fast and gliding your hands quickly.
Best Overall Guitar Brand: Zager Guitars is on the top of the list for ease of playing and handcrafted construction with a slim neck that makes them more comfortable to play. Their handcrafted instruments are still affordable and sound incredible. Beyond the neck, this guitar brand uses lower string heights and much lower string pressures to enhance the ease of play. Zager Guitars also get points for a generous two-way shipping policy and for taking feedback from customers on how to improve their guitars.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the best guitar for beginners isn’t always straightforward, especially with so many options to choose from. Focus on the areas that matter to you most, like the ease of playing and affordability, to narrow down your choices.
When possible, trying out the guitar first can also refine your decision-making process. Some guitars are easier to play and return than others, like Zager Guitars, while others can be rented from your area guitar store.
Whatever you choose, persistence is the most important part of learning the guitar. Finger memory and memory skills are refined through practice but take time to refine. Choosing a guitar that’s easy to play helps with that process, but the goal is to get started. You can always experiment with your guitar of choice and try different brands as your skills evolve. Good luck!