Choosing a perfect instrument is always a big headache. There are tons of obstacles that you need to overcome and many things to consider, so it needs a lot of time and preparation. Quick announcement for those of you who are just starting out-creating music yourself is an amazing feeling. It is one thing when you listen to your favorite song, but when you play it, you can feel each tone going and vibrating through your body. If you have not started yet – just do it. Budget is one more thing that can be considered as an obstacle most of the times. It is hard when you want to enjoy playing, but cannot because your favorite instrument is above the budget. We did the research about the best acoustic guitar under 300 for you. Do not worry, just the easy part is left now. After reading this article, you will be able to make a decision. Here goes the list, enjoy.
Top 10 Best Acoustic Guitars Under 300
| Image | Guitar Model | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Alvarez Artist Series AD60 |  (4.9 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Fender Beginner Acoustic-Electric Guitar CF-60CE |  (4.8 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Takamine GD20-NS | (4.8 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Yamaha FG820 |  (4.7 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Ibanez AC240OPN | (4.7 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Washburn WD20 Series WD20S |  (4.6 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Fender Alkaline Trio Malibu Acoustic Guitar | (4.6 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Bristol BD-16 Dreadnaught |  (4.5 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Cort L100C Concert Acoustic Guitar |  (4.4 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Recording King RD-A9M EZ Tone PLUS |  (4.3 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
Have you selected an instrument that you want to own? If not yet, we are going to give you some tips for a budget-friendly purchase of the best acoustic guitar for 300 dollars.
Alvarez Artist Series AD60
Alvarez Artist Series AD60 is one of the most popular members from the Alvarez Artist 60s series. Its soundboard is made of solid wood. It has a hand-selected ‘A’ grade, solid Sitka spruce top with Hand sanded, scalloped bracing. The material used for back and sides is mahogany. As you know better guitars are made from better wood – so you get the idea about AD60s quality. The instrument is equipped with FST2M bracing system, bi-level bridge for a larger soundboard. This guitar has a wonderful, crisp and clear sound. You can feel strength and energy while playing. Alvarez Artist Series AD60 holds tuning extremely well. Overall this instrument looks fantastic and has pretty decent sound. It is definitely much higher quality then you can expect for this price.
Pros:
- Good quality tonewood
- Real bone nut makes tone much better
Cons:
- Strings
Fender Beginner Acoustic-Electric Guitar CF-60CE
This model from fender acoustic guitars will be your perfect companion if you are a beginner. It has a spruce top with scalloped “X” bracing, mahogany back and sides, 20-fret rosewood fingerboard with small 3 mm dot inlays – so pretty high-quality construction. The bridge on his instrument is from Rosewood with Compensated Graph Tech Nubone Saddle. It comes equipped with a Chrome die-cast tuning machine. You will get it perfectly set up straight from the factory. The strings used for this instrument are Fender Dura-Tone 80/20 Phosphor Bronze (.012-.052 Gauge). The sound is nice and bright. You will enjoy playing for hours as the instrument is not too heavy. Fender Beginner Acoustic-Electric Guitar CF-60CE has very high quality for this price. Perfect beginner guitar with room to grow.
Pros:
- Great Sound
- Beginner Friendly
- Affordable
Cons:
- Not Stable Tuning
- Won’t age well
Takamine GD20-NS
This guitar has solid cedar top with mahogany back and sides. The Slim satin-finish neck is made of mahogany. Its rosewood fingerboard with Pearloid dot inlays is 12″- radius so your hand will easily glide while playing. Split-saddle design of the pin-less rosewood bridge provides great tones for sweeter-sounding chords and single-note runs. Takamine GD20-NS has classic, simple design. It is definitely elegant, with natural satin finish and delivers that pure classic vibe. This instrument has chrome diecast tuners. GD20-NS is a bit heavy, but still has great playability due to the good shape, feel and comfortable neck. It has very rich and impressive sound, especially if you think about its price. Takamine GD20-NS will please its user, whether you are experienced or not.
Pros:
- Great quality tonewood
- Comfortable
- Good Sound
Cons:
- No guitar strap button on the neck
- Synthetic bone nut is not as high quality as bone nut, but some sacrifices have to made for lower price
Yamaha FG820
This instrument is a combination of high quality and good price. It has exquisite design that will cater to all tastes. features a new scalloped bracing pattern That the 800 series feature delivers more natural sound. It has Solid Sitka Spruce Top, Mahogany Back & Sides and Rosewood fingerboard. The instrument is light and has a good balance between neck and body making it easy to play while standing. Neck has matte finish and is very comfortable to let your hand slide simply. Yamaha FG820 comes with Diecast Tuners. This guitar has an adjustable truss rod. All in all, this instrument is perfect for not only beginners, but experienced players as well, with its warm, authentic and strong sound.
Pros:
- Good quality tonewood
- Great sound
- Comfortable
Cons:
- Needs restringing pretty soon.
- Nato is not the best material.
Ibanez AC240OPN
Ibanez AC240OPN is particularly designed to showcase the mix of modern and traditional styles. It can be considered as modified old orchestral acoustic guitar that is capable of covering large spaces. This instrument has wide – 44.5 mm neck and shorter 24.9″ scale length. That makes fingerpicking even easier and more comfortable. The instrument has Solid Mahogany Top, a Mahogany Back and Sides, Mahogany Neck, a dovetail neck joint, with Rosewood fretboard. It all provides great playability. The instrument hardly ever goes out of tune due to the Grover tuners. Bone nut and saddle offer enhanced overtones. This is a great guitar with nice, warm tone and perfect playability. It for sure delivers better quality than you would expect from something of that price.
Pros:
- Comfortable Grip
- Quality materials
- Rich, loud sound
Cons:
- Pricier guitar for beginners
Washburn WD20 Series WD20S
Washburn WD20 Series WD20S has a solid Alaskan Sitka spruce top, rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck – topped with a rosewood fingerboard. It has good playability. This instrument has quartersawn scalloped bracing, rosewood bridge, chrome die-cast tuners, and bone nut and saddle. The sound is very impressive and rich. The downside is that the instrument is bit heavy, however other good qualities definitely compensate it. Washburn WD20 Series WD20S has beautiful gloss finish with a mother-of-pearl Washburn logo & stylized W inlay. You will be amazed by the quality of this budget friendly instrument. It undoubtedly has very high sound quality, like those guitars who cost a fortune. The WD20S will be your great companion.
Pros:
- Great Sound
- Affordable
- Flexible Tonality
Cons:
- Might have tuning issues
Fender Alkaline Trio Malibu
This beautiful instrument has Laminated Mahogany Top with Laminated Mahogany Back and Sides. Its neck is made of Maple with 20 fret rosewood fingerboard. As you see in this model Fender did an excellent job on the design-’60s-era sun-and-fun Malibu folk-style is combined with a heart-shaped rosette designed by the band. The Alkaline Trio guitar was even on the cover of their 2011 album Damnesia. This guitar is special not only because of its looks, but tones as well. It has wonderful bright sound. It is light, so playing for hours will not be a problem. Fender Alkaline Trio Malibu Acoustic Guitar will satisfy its user for sure- especially if you are a big fan of the band.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Unique Look
- Easy to transition from electric
Cons:
- Headstock clashes with design
- Sound a little dull
Bristol BD-16
This guitar is the most budget-friendly from this list. Not only is it special with price, but it is exquisite with sound and design as well. It has Spruce top with scalloped braces to provide the most natural and wide range of tones. Beautiful mahogany back and sides make the tone more responsive and powerful. Slim mahogany neck with Rosewood fingerboard lets you play smoothly for many hours without getting tired. Bristol BD-16 Dreadnaught is not too heavy. This instrument hardly ever goes out of tune due to Chrome-plated 14:1 die-cast machine. You will feel that vintage vibe when you hold this beautiful instrument. The quality of it will leave you speechless, especially at such a low price.
Pros:
- Great Sound
- Affordable
- Flexible
Cons:
- Plastic Bone and Saddle
Cort L100C
The L100C is inspired by golden age of acoustics. It surely delivers that classic vibe. In this instrument you feel that modern culture is merged with old. This instrument has spruce top with mahogany back and sides. Its neck is made of mahogany and features C contour with a dovetail joint placed at the 14th fret. The L100C is made with an advanced scalloped thin x-bracing. It is equipped with Die-Cast Nickel with Black Knobs. The instrument is available is natural wooden color with satin finish, ivory binding and a tortoiseshell pickguard. This guitar hardly goes out of tune. You will be satisfied with its performance as it sounds as good as it looks.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Good sound
- Beginner Friendly
Cons:
- Tuning stability issues
- Limited to beginners
Recording King RD-A9M EZ Tone PLUS
Recording King RD-A9M EZ Tone PLUS has a Solid Spruce Top with solid mahogany back and sides. It uses the thinnest finish, so nothing is choking classic acoustic tone. Its neck is thin and comfortable, 25.4″ Scale Length so your hands will slide with simplicity. It is equipped with a Diecast Halfmoon tuning system. The Tone PLUS has great volume, nice projection and a pretty well-balanced sound to it. This guitar is available in natural wood color. It is not very light but not heavy as well. With Recording King RD-A9M EZ Tone PLUS you will get a quality sound, excellent playability and beautiful classic design. All this comes in under 300, so it is definitely worth the price.
Pros:
- Great Sound
- Affordable
- Fun to Play
Cons:
- Slightly Bulky
Tips for budget-friendly acoustic guitar
First thing that you need to think about before you buy guitar is how comfortable it is to you. You have to feel that it really fits your body perfectly and that neck feels good in your hand to make hours of practice comfortable. This is the primary thing that you should concentrate on, because if it will not fit you well, the sound quality and other details will not matter as you simply will not be able to hold it properly. Your hand really needs to glide like a breeze on the neck, so make sure that it is smooth. The materials that are generally used for the neck are mahogany and ebony. They are more of a fancy neck type you can say that, with rosewood, ebony or integral fretboards, but you can still find some budget-friendly instruments of this material. The more economical alternative to it is the basswood neck. Do not think that it is cheap and bad or something like that. On the contrary, it is pretty good, has its own perks like light weight. All in all, it comes down to own preference as there are a lot of arguments about neck materials. In order to find comfortable guitar, make sure that necks shape suits you well as once again you will not be able to enjoy the instrument properly in other case. Affordable guitars usually have three kinds of shapes:
- The “C” shape – will fit perfectly those who want small and thin neck or comfortable playing.
- The “V” shape – is a bit thick in the middle, preferred by those who like their thumb hanging over the edge of the fingerboard.
- The “U” shape – is good for those who put their thumb on back or side of the neck.
Try out all until you find “the one”. One more thing that you should definitely keep in mind is that low price does not mean accepting bad craftsmanship. You should still get decent quality, as bad glued materials or cracks can cause serious issues- disabling you from playing.
Obviously, you want to get the best sound possible from the instrument you get. One of the top factors that affect the sound is the material of guitar top. So, make sure to splurge a bit when it comes to top materials. However, you can definitely not spend that much for back and sides quality as it does not affect overall sound as much as top.
Do not forget that some guitar parts can be upgraded in the future. For example, imagine two guitars with the same price – one of them has insanely good pickups and low-quality body material and another model has high quality body and cheap pickups. It is better to go for second option because once you learn how to play, you can change pickups anytime so it will not give you a lot of trouble. However, you cannot change material – it is what it is.
Conclusion
Now you know the most important tips about how to purchase an affordable instrument and still get that very desirable high-quality sound. If you have not found your “partner” from the list of Best acoustic guitars under 300 you will manage to get it, if you use our advices cleverly. We understand that it can be long and tiring process, but try not to stress too much about it. Remember that you are doing music for the pleasure so there is no place for anxiety. Just try out different shapes, until something with good specifications will fit you perfectly. We wish you all the best luck and support you.
