Best Acoustic Guitar Under $1500 (Top 7 Picks for 2024)
Want to excel yourself from a semi-pro to a pro acoustic guitarist? In that case, the first thing you need to do is get yourself a high-quality acoustic guitar. As you’re leveling up the game, the best option would be to stick under the $1500 price range now.
However, as you level up more, you can eventually increase your budget. Now, here in this review, I’ve shortlisted the top 7 best acoustic guitars under $1500, and as I have used these guitars myself, I believe you’ll get a first-hand review from a guitarist!
Now, without further ado, let’s jump into our top 7 acoustic guitar picks!
Don’t Have Time? – Check The List Here
Here’s a list of our top 7 best acoustic guitars within the price range under $1500
- ZAD50CE Smaller “OM”
- ZAD50CE Acoustic Electric Natural
- ZAD50CE Solid African
- ZAD50CE Vintage Sunburst
- Taylor 214CE Deluxe Grand
- Martin 000-15M Acoustic
- Takamine P3NY
All these guitars are our favorite and come under the price range of $1500. Most importantly, these mentioned acoustic guitars come with top-notch features to improve your playing skills.
Who Should Get These Guitars?
Well, these acoustic guitars are an ideal pick for intermediates and advanced guitarists. However, beginners can also grab these guitars if cash is not an issue.
Let’s say you are experimenting with different genres like rock, jazz, blues, and more. Of course, you need a guitar that can face this diversity.
If you are going for a serious upgrade, 1500$ is a sweet spot for an acoustic guitar. You will get all the premium features within this budget.
You can plug in and be ready to rock at open mics or coffeehouse shows. You will also appreciate the subtle differences between spruce, mahogany, and other woods.
In this range, you’ll find guitars with a wider selection of tonewoods, letting you choose the sound that inspires you most.
But we think initially, as a beginner, you shouldn’t drop too much on an acoustic guitar. This is because, in the early stage, you need to focus more on your notes and chords. So, going for any acoustic guitars over $1000 is unnecessary.
However, if you’re an intermediate or an early intermediate-level guitar player, then $1500 guitars are quite your thing. You can easily identify the differences between these guitars the moment you start playing them.
However, we’ll always recommend you check on the guitar’s specifications and features before picking any of these guitars. There are times when a $1500 guitar might not be as good as a guitar used by beginners. So, check on the guitars before you decide and go for one!
Best 7 Acoustic Guitars Under $1500 in 2024 (Our Top Contenders)
This section lists the top 7 best acoustic guitars under the $1500 margin. So, make sure you read on till the end of the section.
This amazing ZAD50CE comes with the “OM Size”, 15% smaller than the full size. You can say it’s pretty much similar to the Martin 000. Moreover, the hourglass shape of this guitar sits perfectly lower in the lap, which makes it quite easy for players to pull it near to their arms.
The thinner body gives a pretty thin sound, making it an ideal option, especially when using mics or in a recording studio. When it comes to construction, the solid wood gives off a better sound as you keep strumming.
Moreover, the Venetian cutaway design lets you slide down the entire box for easy and natural playing. And if we talk about the tunes, you would simply love it the moment you take the guitar in your hands.
That’s not all; the hand carving of the braces gives you convenient movement of your soundboard giving off a rich and warm sound. Its slim neck style and design give you a natural hand movement, essential for chords.
Custom spacing of the strings gives you better speed and less rattles. So you can easily play your favorite songs without any shakes. Also, the Zager soft fret touch design ensures you don’t hurt your fingers while strumming. Overall, the guitar’s a bliss to play, and you will enjoy every moment of your strumming.
This version of the ZAD50CE comes with a striking Venetian Cutaway style. And this is what makes the guitar one of the best-looking guitars of all time.
Moreover, the Sitka Spruce Top gives you a remarkable sound and bass, making playing music more aesthetically pleasing. So, if you love power sounds with tens of projections, this guitar will serve your needs.
The guitar even comes with Mahogany back sides; this gives your guitar a more “punchy bass” and some solid mids. Usually, most acoustic guitars don’t come with such remarkable sound features, but this is where this version of the ZAD50CE tops!
Even the headstock is made of Mahogany, making the guitar both lightweight and strong at the same time. Moreover, the Zager Design brace work gives your guitar the “ultimate impact sound”, which takes your playing to a new level.
The high-gloss touch and finish, along with customized adjustment settings, make this version of the ZAD50CE one of the top acoustic guitars on the market.
The Solid African ZAD50CE comes with a captivating and appealing Venetian Cutaway design. This is what makes this guitar one of the best and most stylish guitars on our list.
Moreover, this version of the ZAD50CE also comes with the Sitka Spruce Top, which is pivotal in delivering rich bass sounds and tones, elevating your overall playing experience.
And if you appreciate bold, powerful sounds and top-notch projections, this guitar will be the “heaven of music” for you.
Furthermore, the Mahogany back and sides produce a distinct bass added with solid mid-tones, which elevates your entire music. And if you look through other guitars, you’ll see that most of the average acoustic guitars lack this feature.
That’s not all; the Mahogany headstock gives the Soid African a striking look, combining lightweight build with astounding durability. The Zager Design bracework even gives your guitar an impact sound, which enhances your overall playing and takes your music to the next level.
Last but not least, the Solid African comes with a high-gloss finish and customizable adjustment options; this makes this version of the ZAD50CE stand as one of the top acoustic guitars.
The ZAD50CE Vintage Sunburst also has the same Venetian cutaway box design as other ZAD50CEs, which lets guitarists easily slide down low into the box for better playing.
This Vintage Sunburst comes with the genuine Fishman Presys electronics package from the ZAD80CE and offers the “ultimate” versatility. You can even plug into any amplifier or PA system, changing your acoustic into a complete electric guitar at your fingertips.
Just to add, this Fishman Presys electronics package does more than just amplify sound—it even tunes the guitar faster and more accurately. This makes it a striking tool for beginners who are still learning to get their pitch more polished.
Hand-carved bracing enhances your soundboard’s overall movement, which gives a richer and more resonant sound. Plus, the slim neck design even gives you a natural and comfortable feel in your hands.
You can even notice the custom string spacing for speed, accuracy, and reduced rattling (like other ZAD50CEs). Moreover, the Zager soft touch fret design reduces string bite or finger fatigue, giving you extensive practice time.
In a nutshell, the Solid African is undoubtedly the most versatile and outstanding acoustic guitar you’ll possibly find under $1500.
- Taylor 214CE Deluxe Grand
Who doesn’t know about the Taylor? I believe everyone! The Taylor 214CE Deluxe Grand is a top acoustic guitar that sits under the $1500 price range yet is one of the most favorite, even among professionals.
The top of this guitar is made of Sitka spruce and is even layered with rosewood at the sides and back. This striking Taylor version is one of the best choices for those who’re turning pros or want to level up their playing.
Although the sound from this guitar ain’t that complex, its solid wood construction makes it more resilient to temperature changes and humidity. Plus, as the layered wood of the guitar is paired with a robust top, the tones from the strings are pretty balanced and clear.
Now, if we come to the body, the Taylor 214CE has a classy gloss touch along with a satin finish on the neck. This makes the guitar more appealing to many users! The Taylor 214CE itself is a great choice, and if you’re someone who’s planning to level up your playing skills, then this can be a good choice.
- Martin 000-15M Acoustic
The first thing you’ll notice on a Martin 000-15M is its astoundingly solid and bold look. It ain’t that flashy and doesn’t even come with any unnecessary shine. And this is something most guitar enthusiasts love.
This guitar is entirely manufactured from solid mahogany. Even the neck of the guitar is made of high-quality mahogany wood. And this is one of the prime reasons why the guitar is super rigid, stable, and durable.
Moreover, the rosewood ensures the guitar maintains a warm, rich, astounding tone. That’s not all; its ebony bridge pins, the pickguard, nickel tuners, along with high-end butterbean knobs make the guitar one of the best of the Martin versions.
And if you’re someone who loves mellow and warm sound with a touch of low-end tunes, then this Martin 000-15M is your grab.
- Takamine P3NY
If you’re a fan of electric guitars, then you must have heard about Takamine one way or the other. Takamine was the first of the guitar makers who introduced acoustic-electric versions.
The brand came with the “preamp-equalizer” design in most acoustic guitars. And this is how Takamine P3NY came into the spotlight. Takamine P3NY has a 3-band EQ, an in-built chromatic tuner, and a customized volume controller.
And if you look into the style, the guitar comes with a parlor-style in New Yorker guitar shape. The guitar is super comfortable to play and won’t hurt your fingers as you play along, unlike most guitars.
Moreover, the tone of this guitar is also pretty soothing and if you’re into soft music and classics, then this guitar could be the one! With its amazing frequency range, you, as an intermediate player, could pull off any music without much trouble.
Takamine P3NY features a robust cedar top and sapele back and the sides of it are also made of sapele. However, the neck is constructed of mahogany wood.
Overall, the guitar is remarkable and has all the necessary features to give your playing a new set of levels!
How Did We Determine the List?
We put a few things in our checklist while looking into the mentioned guitars.
At first, we looked at whether the guitars stayed in tune or not. If you’re a semi-pro or an advanced guitar player, you’ll notice that there are guitars that tend to lose tunes after playing for a certain time.
Now, good quality guitars won’t bring such troubles to the table. After that, we looked at whether the guitars had straight necks. This is important because if the neck isn’t straight enough, playing the chords or keeping the guitar in proper tune will be nearly impossible.
Then, we looked at how far the fretboard and the strings are in each of these mentioned guitars. And we were amazed that all the guitars had perfect distance between each other, especially the ones of Zager Guitar.
Once all these were thoroughly looked at, we checked which acoustic guitars were comfortable reaching the fretboard. Well, here, all the guitars had a pretty comfortable grip. After we looked through all the following things, we finally examined the conditions of the electronic of the guitar.
Although a few of the guitars did have a bit of an issue with the electronics, Zager guitars, on the other hand, were all on the spot and didn’t have any problems or malfunctions.
Plus, the prices of these guitars were also quite affordable compared to the features and specifications they had to offer.
What Should You Check Before Getting the Acoustic Guitar?
In this section, we’ve listed the things you need to know before picking your guitar. Experts and professionals pick all these points, so make sure you go through all these points without skipping.
Your Overall Budget
At first, your budget is crucial to which acoustic guitar you want to choose. As a beginner, it’s always recommended that you set a budget somewhere between $100 to $700. And it’s best to go for $300 for your first guitar.
However, if you’re an intermediate or advanced player, you can keep yourself under $1500. But, it’s not advised that you go beyond this range unless you’re a professional, as guitars under $1500 should serve you with all your needs.
Also, check what your acoustic guitar offers compared to the price you’re willing to put into. Usually, guitars within the price range will provide you with accessories and other stuff, so check on those before confirming.
Picking the Right Size and Shape
Acoustic guitars are usually categorized by size, shape, and sound. The entire guitar industry is jam-packed with different acoustic guitars depending on your preferred music type.
So, when you have chosen the kind of music you want, it narrows down your search for your guitar. Then, you can go on picking the ideal size for your guitar. However, if you’re new, it’s highly recommended that you go for compact sizes, which are pretty easy and comfortable to handle.
Know the Right Sounds
Different guitars have different sounds; figuring out the right sound can be challenging. You can find guitars that have heavy bass or soft tunes. These different guitars serve different purposes, so it’s entirely up to you how you pick these guitars.
Here’s a tip that you can use to determine the right sound for your guitar. Simply choose the guitar you like and then strum that guitar a few times. This way, you can understand whether the guitar you pick is good for you.
Note: Experts recommend all these tactics, so going with these ways can help you get the best guitar without much trouble.
Acoustic Guitar Reddit
Check these Reddit threads:
- r/Guitar
- r/AcousticGuitar
- r/guitarlessons
- r/Gear4Sale
Frequently Asked Questions
To date, the Taylor and Zager Guitar is one of the most favorite and top acoustic guitar brands. All their guitars are quite appealing, and the overall sound quality and comfort of playing are highly appreciable.
Yes, you can go for a $100 acoustic guitar if you’re a beginner. And many recognized brands make guitars for beginners. However, if you’re an intermediate or a semi-pro, you need to raise your budget and go for better-quality guitars with more advanced features.
It’s not about expensive or cheap guitars. It’s more like “picking the one that suits your level and affordability.” If you’re a beginner, there’s no point in going for guitars above $700 at max. Similarly, if you’re a semi-pro or an intermediate player, then you need to expand your pockets to level up your playing skills.
Wrapping Up
Now, after going through this review, I believe you can make your pick of the best acoustic guitar under $1500. However, all these guitars are of the best quality and come within the best price range.
Yet, I would recommend the ZAD50CE Smaller “OM.” Not only is this guitar quite comfortable to use, but the sound quality and bass tone are to die for. Plus, the advanced features that this guitar offers are also quite something. And if you put the looks on a scale of 10, then it’s a definite 10 on 10!
In the end, it’s entirely your choice on which guitar you would like to pick to scale up your playing!
