Best Cheap Acoustic Guitars That Sound Good

Not every acoustic needs to be a lifetime instrument. Sometimes you want a beater for the car, a second guitar for an alternate tuning, a campfire guitar you will not cry over, or simply the lowest price that is still a real instrument. The problem is that cheap acoustic guitars vary wildly: the same price band holds guitars that play beautifully after ten minutes of adjustment and guitars that will never stay in tune. This guide sticks to the bottom price tier from brands with real quality control, explains the trade-offs honestly, and shows you exactly what to check the day the box arrives.

What “cheap” gets you, and what it does not

At the lowest price tier, almost every guitar uses laminate (layered wood) for the back and sides, and often the top as well. Laminate is not a dirty word. It is tougher, less sensitive to humidity and better suited to travel and rough handling than solid wood, which is why a laminate guitar makes such a good backup. What you give up is some volume, complexity and the way a solid top “opens up” with years of playing.

The bigger risk at this price is not the wood but the setup. Factory action is often high, nut slots are cut conservatively, and fret ends can feel sharp if the guitar has dried out in a warehouse. A good cheap guitar with a proper setup will out-play a mid-range guitar with a bad one. Budget for that, and a cheap guitar becomes a genuinely good one.

If you are buying your very first instrument, our best acoustic guitars for beginners guide focuses on learning-friendly features. This page is price-first, for any player.

Our picks

Fender FA-25 Dreadnought

The Fender FA-25 Dreadnought is one of the cheapest acoustics from a major brand. It is an all-laminate dreadnought with a C-shaped neck, a walnut fingerboard and bridge, and sealed-gear tuners, and it comes with a Fender Play subscription. Expect a bold, simple strumming tone rather than nuance.

Best for: a throwaway-proof campfire, car or dorm guitar at the bottom of the budget.

• Pros: very low price for a known brand, sealed tuners, comfortable neck.
• Cons: all-laminate tone is thinner than solid-top guitars; check the action on arrival.

Squier SA-150 Dreadnought

The Squier SA-150 has been the go-to “cheapest real guitar” for years. It uses a laminated lindenwood top with mahogany back and sides, scalloped X-bracing, a mahogany neck and a slim profile. It is loud enough for strumming and tough enough to lend out.

Best for: a spare guitar for slide, open tunings or a rehearsal room.

• Pros: rock-bottom price, slim neck, full dreadnought volume.
• Cons: lindenwood top sounds boxy next to spruce; quality control varies, so a setup is wise.

Yamaha F400

The Yamaha F400 is a simple, pickguard-free dreadnought with a satin finish, built around Yamaha’s comfortable scale length and string spacing. Yamaha’s factory consistency is the main selling point here: you are far less likely to get a dud than with most rivals at this price.

Best for: buyers who want the safest bet at the low end without stretching to a solid top.

• Pros: reliable build quality, balanced tone, understated look.
• Cons: no electronics, and plain styling will not suit everyone.

Jasmine S34C Orchestra Cutaway

The Jasmine S34C pairs a spruce top with sapele back and sides in a smaller orchestra-style body with a Venetian cutaway. The full 25.5-inch scale and slim neck make it easy to play, and the cutaway gives access to higher frets for simple lead lines.

Best for: fingerpickers and smaller players who find dreadnoughts bulky.

• Pros: comfortable body, cutaway, balanced voice.
• Cons: less bass and volume than a dreadnought; no pickup.

Ibanez PF15

The Ibanez PF15 is a long-running Performance Series dreadnought with a rosewood fingerboard and a classic sunburst look. Ibanez necks tend to feel slim and quick, which makes this a good choice for electric players who want an acoustic that does not fight their hands.

Best for: electric guitarists adding a cheap acoustic for songwriting.

• Pros: fast, slim neck; traditional looks; consistent build.
• Cons: laminate construction; stock strings are worth replacing straight away.

Cort AD810 Open Pore

The Cort AD810 is a spruce-top dreadnought with mahogany back and sides, a mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard and bridge, die-cast tuners and an open-pore finish. Cort builds guitars for many other brands, and the AD810 shows it: the fit and finish are tidy for the money.

Best for: players who want a warm, mahogany-backed strummer at the top of the cheap band.

• Pros: die-cast tuners, open-pore finish that resonates freely, warm tone.
• Cons: open-pore finish marks more easily than gloss.

Fender CD-60 Dreadnought V3

The Fender CD-60 V3 is the laminate-top sibling of the solid-top CD-60S, with a slim neck, rolled fingerboard edges and a gloss finish. Its big advantage is the included hardshell case, which is unusual at this price and makes it ideal as a guitar that travels.

Best for: a backup guitar that has to survive car boots and gig storage.

• Pros: hardshell case included, rolled edges feel comfortable, good projection.
• Cons: a solid-top guitar sounds richer for a little more money.

Yamaha APXT2 3/4-Size Acoustic-Electric

The Yamaha APXT2 is a 3/4-size guitar with a spruce top over meranti, a System68 contact pickup with a built-in tuner, and a padded gig bag. It is one of the cheapest ways to get a guitar you can plug into a PA or interface.

Best for: travel, smaller players and cheap plug-in practice.

• Pros: pickup and tuner built in, gig bag, very portable.
• Cons: small body has limited bass; not a full-size strummer.

Comparison table

What to check on cheap acoustic guitars when they arrive

Give the guitar a day to acclimatise if it arrived cold, tune it to pitch, then run through this list. Most problems are quick fixes; a few mean you should return it.

• Action: measure string height at the 12th fret. Around 2 to 2.5 mm on the low E and slightly less on the high E is comfortable. Much higher means a saddle adjustment.
• Neck relief: fret the low E at the 1st and 14th frets and look at the gap around the 7th fret. A business-card gap is normal. No gap or a big gap means a truss-rod tweak.
• Nut height: if the first few frets feel stiff and chords go sharp, the nut slots are too high, a common cheap-guitar issue and a cheap fix for a tech.
• Fret ends: run your hand along the neck edge. Sharp fret ends mean the fingerboard has dried out; a tech can file them, and a humidifier helps prevent it.
• Intonation: compare the 12th-fret harmonic with the fretted note. Small differences are normal; big ones on several strings point to a poorly placed saddle.
• Structural red flags: a lifting bridge, cracks, a bulging top or a twisted neck. Return the guitar; these are not setup issues.

When a professional setup is worth paying for

A setup typically costs a meaningful fraction of a cheap guitar’s price, so it feels like a bad deal. It is not. Lowering the nut and saddle and adjusting relief transforms how a budget guitar plays, and it is the single best upgrade you can make. Pair it with fresh strings: factory strings on cheap guitars are often old and dull, and our best guitar strings guide covers good phosphor bronze sets. If the guitar will live in a dry room or an air-conditioned flat, a soundhole humidifier from our best guitar humidifiers roundup protects the frets and top.

Who should spend a bit more

If this will be your main guitar for years, or you record acoustic parts, step up to a solid-top model. Our best acoustic guitars under $500 page covers that tier. If portability matters most, our best travel guitars list has smaller options. And avoid unbranded “starter bundles” at the very bottom of Amazon search: they can work, but quality control is a lottery, and the included tuners and strings are usually poor.

FAQ

Are cheap acoustic guitars worth buying?

Yes, if they come from a brand with decent quality control and get a basic setup. A well-adjusted laminate guitar plays comfortably and sounds good for strumming, practice and travel. The gap to mid-range guitars is mostly tone depth, not playability.

Is laminate or solid top better for a cheap guitar?

Solid tops sound richer and more open, but laminate is tougher and less affected by humidity. For a backup, travel or campfire guitar, laminate is often the smarter choice. For a main instrument, a solid top is worth the extra cost.

Why is my cheap guitar hard to play?

Usually high action or high nut slots from the factory. Both are quick adjustments for a guitar tech. Lighter strings also help, but fix the setup first, since that is where most of the difficulty comes from.