What are the best acoustic guitars for beginners?

The best acoustic guitars for beginners are what start a love affair with the instrument. Every great guitarist has often started their axe-wielding passions by getting a great starter model.

You often want the best acoustic guitars for beginners to not only be durable, but feel easy to play in all settings and stay in tune for multiple playing sessions.

For those starting out, it can be difficult to make the right choice in selecting your first guitar. Do you go for a flashy brand straight away or choose something simple and ease into things?

Unsurprisingly, taking the plunge and choosing your first guitar is never an easy choice. So just what are some of the best acoustic guitars for beginners out there today?

The Best Acoustic Guitars For Beginners Revealed!

Fender CD-60

Guitar giants Fender have acoustics designed for all abilities, but none are easier to play than the Fender CD-60. It’s a guitar that is made to guide anyone strumming along for the very first time. The rich plethora of tones reverberated by the spruce and mahogany body make it suited for playing any style of song. It is also exceptionally easy to hold when playing thanks to the dreadnought body shape and a cutaway to aid with balance when playing sitting down.

What Fender has really excelled in is nailing all the finer details to make playing easier. For example, the neck edges are rolled, making it easier to find the frets. On top of that, you can also activate the Fishman pickups to experience a feel for electric sounds and decide which playing styles you prefer. As an additional bonus, owning the CD-60 gives access to Fender’s Play app, which is an interactive guide for self-tutoring. It comes with play-along lessons for particular genres as well as tabs for classic songs. With this, Fender has made the CD-60 one of the top picks for any new guitarist to invest in on their axe-wielding adventure.

Pros:

• Easy to learn fret positions
• Great balance of tones
• Access to hundreds of interactive lessons

Cons:

• Strings need adjusting on first play
• Built-in tuner not always accurate

Loog Kids Mini-Acoustic

If you want to get young children involved in music, then picking the Loog Kids Mini Acoustic Guitar is a great starting point. This is a guitar that is truly designed with young children in mind. You can see this with just a three-string set-up as well as a thin neck design. This makes it easier to hear what notes are being played, as well as for smaller fingers to grip and work out fret positions when playing along to basic chords.

However, don’t think that the adjusted designs are misleading. For starters, Loog has made the instrument out of basswood generating proper tones as the instrument is played. Furthermore, the fret numbers and positions are accurately scaled to replicate real positions on larger guitars. This means that the fingering and techniques learned on the smaller model can be accurately transferred to larger models. Loog also includes plenty of lessons within the package too. It comes with flashcards, video lessons and tabs on an app for kids to learn all the necessary basics. This is perfect to entice young kids to learn new music and get them started on a music-learning journey.

Pros:

• Model scaled to accurately represent guitar positions
• Excellent learning aids
• Simple to use

Cons:

• Suited for younger children only
• Not suited for steel strings

Yamaha GigMaker F310

Yamaha are always a good starting point for any first instrument and their GigMaker guitar package is another showcase of this expertise. The all-spruce body on the GigMaker F310 is perfect for playing light tones that make any pop or rock song sound good. Meanwhile, the dreadnought body is easy to hold and can be played easily both seated or standing. With an all-in-neck construction and a relatively thin fingerboard, everything is easy to hold, which makes playing new chords a breeze. All of this is aided by chrome tuners, which help the strings stay in tune for long periods of time.

Of course, what makes the GigMaker package stand out is the wealth of accessories that come with it. This includes everything you could think of including a hard protective case, picks, a strap as well as a stand to hold the guitar. All of these accessories are crafted with the F310 in mind, making every item in the bundle relevant to your guitar. So no matter if you are jamming at home or school, the Gigmaker will have you covered.

Pros

• Excellent guitar
• Comes with lots of gear
• Suitable for use anywhere

Cons

• Customers have complained about the finish chipping
• Frets may be sharp

Ibanez IJVC50 Bundle

Ibanez are guitar-making aficionados and the IJVC50 shows beginners why this is the case. The IJVC50 is great to look at with the natural wooden tones polished off to look just as good as any signature flagship model.  On top of that, the guitar is very light to hold and transport thanks to the body being made out of Meranti. Yet, the spruce top means that the IJVC50 still produces a breadth of balanced tones that makes everything pleasant-sounding.

To give a bit more leeway in tuning, the saddle is made from plastic that ensures that the guitar isn’t naturally highly-strung and easy to set up when played straight away. Ibanez have also thrown in an excellent array of accessories to help beginners get started. This package includes a protective case, a digital tuner, and picks to get someone playing comfortably.

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Lots of gear
• Easy to setup

Cons:

• Generates average range of tones
• Sharp fret ends

Pyle Acoustic Guitar Bundle

When it comes to beginner guitar bundles, Pyle has put together an excellent combination. What makes the bundle stand out is that it has everything a guitarist needs to get started. With the guitar itself, it is a perfectly acceptable instrument for beginners to enjoy. It has a compact 3/4 body, meaning everything is easy to reach and find on the fretboard. It is also extremely lightweight thanks to the linden plywood body, making it easy to hold and transport when necessary. The guitar is also laced up with steel strings for added durability and excellent tones.

What the bundle provides guitar novices with is a wealth of gear to help them learn. This includes sets of picks and strings to help immediately get to learning. Meanwhile, there is also a strap and protective case to help them carry their guitar between home and school. Pyle has also included 2 months’ worth of lessons with the bundle to help new players get started.

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Steel strings included
• Lots of additional gear

Cons:

• Frets don’t scale well to full-sized guitars
• Strings very close to frets

Rosen G31 Acoustic

Few beginner guitars come as well-built as the Rosen G31. This all-mahogany acoustic is beautifully sounding, producing loud and warm tones that suit any style of playing. You can also be reassured about its durability too with the neck fixed to the body via reinforced carbon-fibre joining. Alongside all of this, it’s going to produce a great range of sounds with the inner hollows featuring an x-bracing for better amplification. Everything stays in tune too thanks to the inclusion of metal tuning keys that hold strings in place for longer.

Where the G31 excels is that you will find lots of exquisite details the longer you play it. The inclusion of D’Addario strings gives them better durability and aids in sound quality too. Furthermore, the pearloid inlays on the fretboard act as a natural guide as you play. All of this is accentuated by a great natural aesthetic – it’s definitely one of the best beginner guitars to look at.

Pros:

• Excellent design
• Naturally loud sounds
• Extremely durable

Cons:

• Takes time to tune
• Strings close to frets

Gretsch G9500 Jim Dandy

Few guitars have a unique look and feel quite like a Gretsch guitar. Yet even beginners can experience their take on quality through the G9500 Jim Dandy acoustic. The G9500 immediately catches the eye thanks to its unique shape. With an hourglass parlor body and no cutaway, it stands out and showcases personality before even a sound is made. When it is played, you are going to hear some great tones. This can be attributed to the warm notes generated by the basswood/sapele body that fills the rooms and makes the ear stand up after just a few strums.

It’s an exceptionally well-crafted guitar too. The walnut fingerboard joins at the 12^th fret, making everything easy to reach when learning fret positions. Furthermore, the neck is easy to grip, allowing you to play for hours without straining one’s fingers. With the inclusion of a white pickguard and steel tuners too, this guitar holds notes for longer and is protected no matter what your playing style might be.

Pros:

• Great level of tones
• Unique look
• Well-made

Cons:

• Matte finish can chip
• High-action needs some adjusting

What to Look For In the Best Acoustic Guitars For beginners?

One thing about searching for the best acoustic guitars for beginners is knowing what you need to look for. After all, any guitar might look the part from the shelf. It’s why exploring a little bit deeper more makes your final decision that much easier. So what you should you look for?

Comfort and Feel

For any new guitarist, the feel of the instrument needs to be right for you to ignite your passion for playing. What this means is looking for some characteristics within the guitar that feel right. For example, investing in a guitar with a thick neck is not always a great choice. Thick-necked guitars make it difficult to feel the frets and learn basic chords. Opting for a thin-neck design generally makes learning fret positions that much easier. That means you can learn things easily and in a simpler style without struggling to grip the fretboard.

Another factor to look for in the feel is to find something that isn’t too heavy or dense to hold. This is easy to establish by seeking out acoustics that are made from lighter wood. Instruments that are made from heavier wood might be difficult to play when standing or feel awkward to hold after short periods. This can be off-putting if you really want to hone your craft. Therefore, looking for guitars made from woods such as basswood are great choices as they are easy to hold and can be played for hours on end.

Rich and balanced tones

What you will also want to look out for is guitars that produce well-balanced sounds. This means that the bass strings can be heard just as well as the higher strings when they are played. The best way to find this out is to look at how the instrument is put together. The best-sounding guitars will often come pre-lined with steel strings which produce louder and richer tones. Also steel strings are more durable than their nylon counterparts.

You will also notice the sound styles by what sort of body top the guitar has too. If it comes with a light top wood such as spruce or cedar, then you are going to get a wealth of natural sounds that are suited for rock and pop styles. This is easily a better option to opt for over other guitars that might have a carbon fibre or metal top that produces reduced or tinny sounds.

FAQs

What is the best size for beginner guitars?

There are no real size limits for beginner guitars. For adults learning guitar for the first time, full-sized instruments are perfectly acceptable to get to grips with. However, for children, it might be best to explore smaller styles such as a 3/4 guitar or even a 1/2 guitar.

What is the ideal price for a beginner guitar?

Many of the best acoustic guitars for beginners should be reasonably priced. You will find that smaller, basic no-name bundles can be picked up for less than $100 and give you everything you want from a first guitar. Should you want a beginner guitar from an established brand, you can easily pick up a guitar anywhere from $150-$200.

Do all beginner guitars come in a bundle?

No – not always. Beginner acoustic bundles are becoming more common, and it is quite easy to discover guitar packages that come with lessons and all the gear you need to get started. However, you can also just invest in the guitar itself should you have everything else you need to start playing for the first time.

Conclusion

When it comes to finding the best acoustic guitars for beginners, there are plenty of good options to pick. All of the best models are not only well-made but they have great sounds that suit all major styles of music. If you are looking for guitars for younger players, then the Loog Mini Acoustic Guitar or the Pyle Acoustic Guitar Bundle has everything little ones need to find a love in music. Meanwhile, the Rosen G31 and the Gretsch G9500 Jim Dandy are great beginner guitars for adults to sink their teeth into.

If you want to get an established name for your first guitar, then either the Yamaha GigMaker package or the Ibanez IJVC50 are perfect picks from reputable names. However, it’s Fender that offers the best all-around package with the CD-60. Not only is the Fender CD-60 an excellent guitar in itself, it comes with all the things needed for beginners to love to play guitar. That includes a branded guitar, a plethora of gear and access to learning iconic songs through the Fender Play app. It’s why the Fender CD-60 is considered to be perhaps the best acoustic guitar for beginners to discover today.