Home Guitars Acoustic Guitars

Acoustic Guitars

Featured Offers and More

Up to 48 Month Financing

Up to 48 Month Financing*

For a limited time get special financing on select gear, promo varies by brand

Shop Now
Deals on Acoustic Guitars

Deals on Acoustic Guitars

Shop today the best selection of Acoustic guitar deals.

Shop Now
Open Box Guitars

Open Box Guitars

Don't miss the opportunity to score a deal on Open-Box acoustic guitars. Shop today.

Shop Now
Used Guitars

Used Guitars

Shop best prices on used acoustic guitars.

Shop Now

Acoustic Guitar Buying Guides and More

Choosing an Acoustic Guitar

Choosing an Acoustic Guitar

Shopping for an acoustic guitar can be an overwhelming experience. Guitar makers use a wide range of woods, hardware, and design elements, so there are many factors, features and specifications to consider. There are four primary areas you will want to consider and/or know about before you start shopping for your next acoustic guitar.

Read More
Pick the Best Acoustic Guitar Strings for You

Pick the Best Acoustic Guitar Strings for You

We've written this guide with the details you need to find the best acoustic guitar strings. We'll help you understand the difference between various acoustic guitar strings, including material, gauge, winding style and coated acoustic strings versus uncoated acoustic strings. Read on for helpful advice about choosing the right acoustic strings for your playing style, sound and guitar.

Read More
How To Record Acoustic Guitar with Multiple Microphones

How To Record Acoustic Guitar with Multiple Microphones

What's the best way to record an acoustic guitar? When we're listening to someone playing guitar in a room, we're often doing it from a distance. If we're playing the guitar ourselves, we have a unique close-up perspective and can even feel the vibrations of the instrument in our body. When it comes time to translate either of these listening experiences to a recording, it can be difficult to settle on a technique that checks all the right aural boxes, particularly with one microphone.

Read More
48-Month Financing*
Taylor Gold Label 717e Grand Pacific Acoustic-Electric...
0 of 5 stars
from  Product Price  $2,799.00
Or $58.32/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Taylor Gold Label 517e Grand Pacific Acoustic-Electric...
0 of 5 stars
from  Product Price  $2,599.00
Or $54.15/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Martin D-18 CFMIV 70th 1955 Limited-Edition Dreadnought...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $4,699.00
Or $97.90/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Taylor Gold Label 717e Grand Pacific Acoustic-Electric...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $2,999.00
Or $62.48/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Taylor Gold Label 517e Grand Pacific Acoustic-Electric...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $2,799.00
Or $58.32/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Taylor 714ce Sunset Blvd Grand Auditorium Acoustic-Electric...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $3,699.00
Or $77.07/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
Sale
Martin 15 Style StreetMaster Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $999.00
$1,199.00
Or $20.82/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Taylor 314c The Last of Us Replica Grand Auditorium...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $2,799.00
Or $58.32/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Martin 000-18 CFMIV 70th 1955 Limited-Edition Auditorium...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $4,699.00
Or $97.90/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Taylor 914ce Legacy Grand Auditorium Acoustic-Electric...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $4,999.00
Or $104.15/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Taylor Jacob Collier Signature Grand Concert...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $2,799.00
Or $58.32/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Taylor Jacob Collier Signature 5-String Grand Concert...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $2,799.00
Or $58.32/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Martin HD-28 Standard Left-Handed Dreadnought Acoustic...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $3,499.00
Or $72.90/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Martin 2024 D-35 Standard Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar
5.0 of 5 stars (94)
from  Product Price  $3,399.00
Or $70.82/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Breedlove Pursuit Exotic S CE Concert Acoustic-Electric...
5.0 of 5 stars (3)
Product Price  $799.00
Or $16.65/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
Yamaha TAG3 C TransAcoustic Dreadnought Cutaway...
5.0 of 5 stars (3)
Product Price  $1,799.99
48-Month Financing*
Alvarez AG60CE Performer Grand Auditorium Acoustic-Electric...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $499.99
Or $10.42/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Taylor 414ce Studio Sunset Blvd Grand Auditorium...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $2,499.00
Or $52.07/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Washburn J40SCE Heritage 40 Series Jumbo Acoustic Electric...
4.0 of 5 stars (4)
Product Price  $699.00
Or $14.57/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
Save 10%
Fender Acoustasonic Standard Telecaster Acoustic-Electric...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $629.99
24-Month Financing*
Epiphone Hummingbird EC Studio Limited-Edition...
4.5 of 5 stars (9)
Product Price  $499.99
Or $20.84/month^ with 24 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Alvarez LF710e Folk-OM Acoustic-Electric Guitar
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $1,399.00
Or $29.15/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
Save 10%
Fender Buck Owens Signature Kingman Limited-Edition...
5.0 of 5 stars (2)
Product Price  $729.99
Save 20% With Code MEMSAVE
Martin Special GPC All-Solid Grand Performance...
4.5 of 5 stars (11)
Product Price  $1,049.99
Or $21.88/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Martin OM-28E Modern Deluxe Orchestra Acoustic-Electric...
5.0 of 5 stars (1)
Product Price  $4,999.00
Or $104.15/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Martin 2024 000-42 Standard Auditorium Acoustic Guitar
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $6,399.00
Or $133.32/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
24-Month Financing*
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom 1957 SJ-200...
5.0 of 5 stars (6)
Product Price  $1,499.00
Or $62.46/month^ with 24 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Taylor PS14ce Honduran Grand Auditorium Acoustic-Electric...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $11,999.00
Or $249.98/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Martin Eric Clapton Signature 30th Anniversary 000-EC...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $4,999.00
Or $104.15/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Taylor PS52ce Grand Concert 12-Fret 12-String...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $11,999.00
Or $249.98/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
Schedule a video demo
McPherson Carbon Series Sable With Gold Hardware...
5.0 of 5 stars (1)
Product Price  $3,799.00
Save 10%
Fender Acoustasonic Standard Jazzmaster Acoustic-Electric...
5.0 of 5 stars (1)
Product Price  $629.99
48-Month Financing*
Taylor 414ce V-Class Special-Edition Grand Auditorium...
5.0 of 5 stars (7)
Product Price  $2,999.00
Or $62.48/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
Save 10%
Fender FA-135CE Concert Acoustic-Electric Guitar
4.5 of 5 stars (18)
Product Price  $319.99
48-Month Financing*
Taylor T5z Pro Acoustic-Electric Guitar
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $3,299.00
Or $68.73/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Alvarez ABT710CEARSHB Artist Series Acoustic-Electric...
4.0 of 5 stars (1)
Product Price  $799.99
Or $16.67/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Taylor 914ce 50th Anniversary Custom Limited-Edition Grand...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $6,299.00
Or $131.23/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
24-Month Financing*
Gibson Hummingbird Custom Koa Acoustic Guitar
5.0 of 5 stars (1)
Product Price  $8,999.00
Or $374.96/month^ with 24 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
48-Month Financing*
Taylor Builder's Edition K14ce V-Class Grand Auditorium...
0 of 5 stars
Product Price  $6,299.00
Or $131.23/month^ with 48 month
financing* Limited Time. Details
Yamaha FX335C Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar
4.5 of 5 stars (15)
Product Price  $299.99

The bright, jangling tones of an acoustic guitar fit in with almost any instrument, sound beautiful on their own and are a perfect accompaniment for the human voice. But where did it come from, and how do you know which is right for you? Musician's Friend has a wide assortment from the biggest acoustic guitar makers around as well as smaller, more niche brands. We've got everything from affordable entry-level starter packs for younger players to highly detailed one-off guitars for gigging professionals and collectors.

A Brief History of the Acoustic Guitar

You may be surprised to know the acoustic guitar's roots go back to Ancient Egypt. A lute was a hollow-bodied wood instrument with multiple strings attached to a soundboard via a thin piece of wood (the bridge). The strings were stretched in a parallel fashion across a soundhole, and wound taut to a peg or post (tuners) atop the neck. The tension of each string was adjusted to create a pattern of frequencies familiar to those who played it.

The lute had a teardrop-shaped soundboard, bowl-shaped body and a sharp bend in the neck. A lutist, much like today's guitarist, strummed or plucked the strings with their fingers or a plectrum (what we call a pick). The sound produced was created by the air being moved around the string vibrations, the vibrations coming off the soundboard, and the air resonating back out from the body chamber through a soundhole. Fingers on the "neck" hand change the pitch of a string by pressing it firmly against specific spots along the neck top (fingerboard).

Though the lute was used through the Baroque era, the inspiration for the name "guitar" showed up back in 13th century Western Europe with the "gittern." Similar in design to the lute, its body was carved out of a single piece of wood and had a smooth or straight neck joint.

In the 15th century, Spain introduced the vihuela, a flat-backed, peanut-shaped design with a less pronounced neck bend and pairs of strings tuned in unison. Roughly 350 years later, Spanish-born guitar maker Antonio Torres Jurado created a larger body design and introduced fan bracing for internal reinforcement. This made what we now call the nylon-string, Spanish or classical guitar, louder with better projection and a cleaner tone.

In 1916, C.F. Martin & Company developed the square-shoulder dreadnought acoustic guitar. Named for the large battleships of the time, it was wider, deeper and yielded more volume, with a rich, well-rounded tone. Popular with the folk and bluegrass guitarists of the time, it is still the best-selling acoustic guitar shape today.

Around that same time, banjo and violin manufacturers experimented with telephone transmitters to amplify the vibrations of the soundboard so guitars could be heard over the louder brass and drum sections of the era's big band setup. As technology evolved, piezoelectric transducers or condenser microphones became the norm for "picking up" the vibrations of the acoustic soundboard. A preamp was added to convert the weak electronic signals from the pickup, giving them a boost and sending them to an or amplifier or speaker. The first preamps were limited to simple treble (higher frequency notes) adjustment. Today's more advanced preamps offer onboard tactile control over volume, dynamic equalization, mic blending, and feedback filters and more. Many also come with a tuner to help ensure better-sounding performance.

Finding the Best Acoustic Guitar for You

Acoustic guitar makers are always working on ways to improve on those early designs with new body shapes, tonewoods, and other visual appointments they hope will garner your attention. Here's how to tell them apart.

Common Acoustic Body Shapes

As stated above, the Dreadnought acoustic is king of the steel string. Its versatile design makes it fit in nicely with any musical style. But there are several other shapes to choose from.

The smallest acoustic guitar, the Parlor is a fingerpicker's dream. They're perfect for travel, practicing anywhere, and a favorite of blues, and indie folk players. With slightly longer bodies, Folk, Concert and Model "O" acoustic guitars offer a more balanced tone with increased bass response, yet remain travel-friendly.

Next up is the Grand Concert ("OO"), which is shaped like a short scale classical guitar with a shallower body, pinched in waist and rounded shoulders. What it lacks in volume, it makes up with better articulation and even-tempered midrange, making them a solid choice for recording. They are also perfect for smaller-handed players.

The hourglass figure of the mid-size Orchestra ("OM") or Grand Auditorium ("GA") acoustic guitar offers a good balance of treble and bass, with a well-defined midrange. It’s an excellent all-around option for singer-songwriters with the perfect curve for resting on your leg while sitting. Taylor's Grand Performance models are a GA with a bigger, rounder bottom half (lower bout) for a meatier low-to-midrange.

Finally, there are the Jumbo and Super Jumbo acoustic guitars. Their longer and wider bottom halves, and deeper depth provide more volume and bass for a bolder overall sound. They are ideal for flat-picking strummers wanting to stand out in an ensemble.

Popular Acoustic Guitar Tonewoods

When it comes to tonewood choices for modern acoustic guitar soundboards (tops), spruce is far and away, well, tops. It's like the little black dress. It goes with everything. North American Sitka is the most common, but Adirondack spruce (heavier) and Englemann (lighter) spruce offer similar dynamic ranges, projection and resonance. This makes them ideal for any playing style, from strumming to fingerpicking, with noticeable articulation.

A cedar-topped acoustic guitar gives up some of spruce's top-end sparkle and volume, but adds rich overtones and character to the subtlest passages. It also offers a clean look.

Looking for a vintage acoustic sound right out the box? Try a koa or mahogany top. While not as loud as spruce, mahogany has a strong midrange with some top-end punch, perfect for country music. Koa's sweetspot is in the midrange. Both have a tone that opens up over time the more you play. Usually paired with matching back and sides, these guitars also have naturally beautiful woodgrains.

Though not as common, some acoustic guitar luthiers use maple for the soundboard. It has a flatter sound with minimal delay, so it's less susceptible to feedback during amplified play. As a body wood, it offers warmth and volume, but doesn’t color the tone of the top. Quilted or flamed maple are also gorgeous options.

Rosewood is near the bottom as a top wood, but near the top for the back and sides, especially Indian and Brazilian rosewood. With cedar-like overtones, it has an expanded low end and top end, and a thinner midrange. Much like spruce as a top, it plays well with others.

Also worth noting are walnut, ebony, sapele and ovangkol. The first two are heavier and denser, producing a noticeable top-end shine with a strong bass response that grows richer the more you play. Both are perfect compliments for strummers and flatpickers playing larger-bodied guitars. Sapele and ovangkol are more all-purpose wood types. Sapele adds more treble while ovangkol has a more expansive midrange.

For something completely different, try a carbon fiber acoustic guitar. While traditional guitars can be affected by changes in temperature, this newer design is not.

One final thought on tonewoods; there is a performance difference between a solid tonewood and a layered. Though an acoustic guitar will be more budget-friendly, the layers of wood won't resonate as good as a solid guitar. If you're investing, a solid guitar is the better choice. If you're just starting out, and money is an issue, layered will sound just fine.

Acoustic Guitar Enhancements

Most appointments don't affect performance, but make your guitar more noticeable. Attractive binding (edge trim), purfling (an accent line), pickguards, and inlay designs are commonly made from different woods, abalone, pearloid, mother-of-pearl or plastic. Though more valuable to keeping your guitar tuned, tuners also have different levels of aesthetic appeal.

Acoustic Guitar Finishes

When it comes to acoustic guitar finishes, gloss is the shiniest, satin in between, with matte being the least shiny. A thinner finish is less protective, but allows more of the guitar's natural tone to resonate. If you see "open pore," it means the wood surface's pores weren't filled in before a finish was applied. Aging toners give a guitar a more vintage look, while burst finishes have a two-tone scheme (lighter in the middle, dark near the edges).