Are you getting ready to make your first acoustic guitar purchase? Or maybe an upgrade from your first guitar of lesser quality? Have you read my article on the different types of acoustic guitars? If you answered ‘yes’, then this acoustic guitar buying guide is for you! I’ve reflected on the hundreds of hours I’ve spent researching and playing different acoustic guitars. And I’ve broken down my top three guitars across various price points and feature categories. This article focuses on my top recommended acoustic guitars that can be purchased for $800 or less. In fact, I’ve provided you with two lists. One for traditional acoustic guitars and a separate one for acoustic-electric guitars.
A Quick Note On the Quality of Guitars in This Buying Guide
All of the steel-stringed acoustic guitars listed below meet the following basic quality requirements:
- All feature solid spruce top soundboards. I’ve found this to be the single most important impact on the quality and sound of an acoustic guitar. Yes, other materials are available for top soundboards that make quality guitars. But for my money, nothing provides the classic tone and balance of a solid spruce top.
- All feature quality tone woods in the other major structural components of the guitar, such as mahogany backs and sides and rosewood fingerboards
- All guitars are made from reputable manufacturers who have been perfecting their craft for a long, long time.
Recommended Acoustic Guitars Under $800
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| Ranking | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Brand | Taylor | Guild | Recording King |
| Model (w/ Amazon Link) | Academy 10 | D-140 | RD-328 |
| String | Steel | Steel | Steel |
| Shape | Dreadnought | Dreadnought | Dreadnought |
| Top Material | Solid Spruce | Solid Spruce | Solid Spruce |
| Back/Side Material | Sapele | Solid Mahogany | Solid Rosewood |
| Neck Material | Maple | Mahogany | Mahogany |
| Fingerboard Material | Ebony | Rosewood | Rosewood |
1st Place – Taylor Academy 10
- One very unique and beneficial feature on this guitar is the beveled edge armrest. This feature is usually only available on guitars triple or more in cost. Here’s a quote from Taylor’s Chief Guitar Designer Andy Powers: “It’s important to give a beginning player the most comfortable, gratifying experience to make a welcoming first impression. If the guitar is comfortable, plays well, and has a pleasing sound, then a player will have an easier time staying with the instrument.” I couldn’t have said it better myself!
- At a current market price of $699, this guitar is the cheapest on the list. But don’t let that fool you or make you think this guitar is less in design, materials or construction. In fact the opposite is true. Taylor does not sell any “good enough” guitars. They only make “good” guitars that are great for beginners and will last all the way through intermediate and into advanced playing techniques.
2nd Place – Guild D-140
- This materials used on this guitar are the best I’ve seen at this price point. For starters, solid African mahogany is used for the back and sides. Most other guitars on this list, and virtually all guitars up to $1,000 or more, use a process of layering / laminating thinner sheets of wood. Other notable materials include a bone nut, bone saddle and mother-of-pearl inlays in the rosette.
- Another great feature of this particular guitar is that it includes a premium gig bag. A gig bag is a padded, soft-sided bag designed specifically for the safe storage and transport of a guitar. These are great for taking your precious instrument to a friends place, to the camp site or to the beach!
3rd Place – Recording King RD-328
- If you’re into country and bluegrass music, then this may be the guitar for you. The solid Adirondack Spruce top is a different species than the more common Sitka Spruce top. Combined with the aging process used, this guitar delivers tons of projection and tons of tone that suits these genres.
- Another choice in materials that is preferred by country and bluegrass players is the solid East Indian Rosewood back and sides. Plus, it brings a gorgeous dark tone to the guitar that contrasts beautifully with the Adirondack Spruce top.
- What else makes this guitar visually striking is the herringbone body and back purfling….a true beauty!
Recommended Acoustic-Electric Guitars Under $800
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| Ranking | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Brand | Martin | Takamine | Yamaha |
| Model (w/ Amazon Link) | DC-X2E | GN93CE | FGC-TA |
| Shape | Dreadnought | Dreadnought | Dreadnought |
| Top Material | Solid Spruce | Solid Spruce | Solid Spruce |
| Back/Side Material | Rosewood | Rosewood/Maple | Mahogany |
| Neck Material | Hardwood | Mahogany | Nato |
| Fingerboard Material | Granadillo | Rosewood | Rosewood |
1st Place – Martin DC-X2E
- When you own a Martin acoustic guitar, you own a piece of American music history! They’ve been making guitars since 1833. So you can trust that they know how to build a quality guitar at an affordable price.
- A nice feature of this particular guitar is that it includes a premium gig bag. A gig bag is a padded, soft-sided bag designed specifically for the safe storage and transport of a guitar. These are great for taking your precious instrument to a friends place, to the camp site or to the beach!
2nd Place – Takamine GN93CE
- In addition to a standard electronic pickup and tuner, the onboard TK-40D electronics in this guitar includes a 3-band equalizer and gain controls, a mid-contour switch, notch filter and EQ bypass. This allows for versatility and precision control of your sound.
- An absolutely gorgeous feature of this guitar is the unique design and construction of the back. It’s a three piece design made of rosewood and quilted maple. You’ll have too see it with your own eyes to appreciate its beauty!
- Unique to any guitar in this guide, this instrument comes with a hardshell case. While gig bags are great and easy to put away when not in use, a hardshell case will protect your instrument in almost any environment.
3rd Place – Yamaha FGC-TA
- Of all the acoustic guitars in this guide, this one is the most unique. It includes a TransAcoustic system which includes onboard reverb and chorus effects built right in. They resonate from within the body of the guitar itself without and additional gear. These effects can be shaped to create a rich and inspiring environment for the player and the listener. There are simple controls which let you adjust how much of the effects from introduced into your sound.
- The rest of this incredible guitar features classic Yamaha quality at an affordable price. I especially love the vintage color tone of the solid Sitka Spruce top.
Summary of Buying Guide for Acoustic Guitars Under $800
When you step up to buying a guitar in the $800 price range, you’re getting a whole lot of instrument for the money. A common practice for guitar manufacturer’s is to offer guitars in this price range that are essentially the same as their premium instruments that sell for thousand of dollars, but are simply made overseas. Whether they come from Mexico, Japan, or China, these guitars are built using the exact same materials and to the exact same spec’s as those built in the USA. Happy hunting and best of luck to you in learning and loving to play guitar!