The Best Beginner Acoustic Guitar Under 200 Dollars

Why is an inexpensive guitar a great way to get started?

Getting started with an inexpensive guitar makes a lot of sense.

It’s a fast way to start since you can buy a new acoustic guitar for $200 online and have it delivered.

The quality you’ll get can be very good, and you can be playing guitar with very little delay.

Plus, it’s not a big investment in time or in money.

If you spend a lot on your first guitar and discover you don’t enjoy playing the guitar, you may be annoyed by the amount of money you spent.

But with an inexpensive guitar, you’re out very little money.

Since it’s low cost you can also be sure you won’t feel like you HAVE to continue playing if you don’t like it.

It’s a cheap way to discover whether you’ll enjoy learning the guitar.

If you do end up enjoying it, it’s a great starter guitar.

You can always buy another, more expensive guitar once you’ve got your basics down.

Plus, since it’s low cost, you won’t feel like you can’t take it with you.

Keep it in your car when you go to the beach.

Take it with you to the bar or restaurant.

Keep it with you, and you’ll end up playing a lot more.

Even if you’re just starting out, once you’ve mastered a few basics you can play simple songs and impress your friends.

If something happens to your guitar, you’re not out too much money.

Plus, you won’t be upset if it gets broken or damaged.

It takes some of the pressure off of playing the guitar to know it’s inexpensive.

Is a $200 acoustic guitar a good choice?

Care and consideration means your $200 guitar can last you a lifetime.

Just because it’s low cost doesn’t mean it’s cheap.

This means the fit and finish isn’t as high.

Plus, it will be made of less expensive tonewoods and simpler construction.

Will it sound like a $5000 Larrivee?

No, but it will sound good and serve you well.

It can be a great option even if you could choose to spend more on your first guitar.

Since beginners have a lot to learn, it makes sense to learn on a lower priced guitar.

Beginners just need a guitar that plays well, has a pleasing tone, and looks good.

A low cost $200 acoustic guitar ticks all of these boxes.

With basic maintenance it will continue to be playable.

Plus, depending on the type of tonewood and construction, with time it can improve its sound.

If you decide to upgrade or that the guitar isn’t for you, it makes an inexpensive option to pass your guitar along to someone else.

Or, you could end up keeping it and using it as a back up guitar or travel guitar.

Remember, the low price of the guitar has less to do with its overall quality as an instrument and more to do with manufacturing.

Low cost guitars benefit from being manufactured in a foreign country.

This keeps the price low and means you’re getting a better quality guitar.

What should I expect from a $200 guitar?

Realistic expectations are important to keep in mind.

A $200 acoustic guitar will be playable but expect some rought spots.

Without a doubt you can expect to be able to learn to play the guitar.

It’ll be perfect for a beginner.

But sometimes beginners get frustrated because they expect a guitar that would cost 2 or 3 times as much as they spent.

When it comes to low prices guitars the biggest manufacturing cost is manual labor.

Since the cost needs to be kept down, as little manual labor as possible is put into these guitars.

Manual labor goes into things like the details on the guitar.

The fret ends especially.

If there are some rough spots or the fit and finish isn’t the best, this is because the manufacturer didn’t spend much time on that.

A guitar made of the same materials with perfect fit and finish would cost more because it would take more manual labor to finish the guitar.

Sharp fret ends are probably the most common symptom.

But they’re not just on very low cost guitars.

On more than one occasion I’ve pulled a $400 or $500 dollar guitar off the wall at the guitar store only to find very sharp fret ends.

So it is important to be realistic with your expectations.

As long as you keep that in mind you’ll be fine.

Why would I want a spruce top acoustic guitar?

A traditional sounding acoustic guitar is made of a spruce top.

They have a brighter, crisper sound and are often what people unconsciously associate with the sound of an acoustic guitar.

They have a traditional look with a lighter colored top, due to the lighter color of spruce.

Often, manufacturers offer a solid top spruce wich makes for a fuller, better sound.

For $200 you’re more likely to get a laminated spruce top.

With a laminated top you have layers of spruce glued together.

This means the vibrations don’t transfer as efficiently so it doesn’t sound as “good” as a solid top.

But the lamination does mean it’s resistant to feedback and humidty changes.

It’s usually a cost saving measure at this price point but it is something to keep in mind.

It’s one of the reasons that a more expensive acoustic guitar will sound better than a low cost one.

Why would I want an all mahogany acoustic guitar?

Acoustic guitars made with a mahogany top produce a warmer, more mellow tone.

They’re often made with mahogany back and sides.

It’s got a different look and style than a spruce top acoustic guitar.

Some people prefer the sound of an all mahogany acoustic guitar.

It’s often associated with blues.

They also have a darker look as well as a less crisp brightness.

Both types of acoustic guitar make a great guitar for a beginner.

You can’t go wrong with either one.

But it’s good to know all your options so you can make an informed decision.

The sound of a mahogany acoustic guitar may be more of what youre looking for and fit your playing style better.

Also, since it has a distinct look from a spruce top guitar, you may prefer it.

Playing both guitars will give you a good sense of the difference between them.

And remember, you can always decide to get one type to start with and purchase the other later.

Is the shape of the neck important?

When it comes to learning to play guitar, a comfortable neck can make a big difference.

Often the neck on an acoustic guitar can feel too chunky or too small.

Depending on your style of playing, one or the other may not be comfortable for you.

If the shape of the neck doen’t feel comfortable it can make it more difficult to play.

These days just about every low cost acoustic guitar comes with a comfortable neck shape.

In the past, this wasn’t always the case but with modern manufacturing methods it seems easy to find a neck you like.

If you find the neck feels too small for your hand, it can be uncomfortable to play chords.

On the other hand, if it’s too chunky, it’s often easier to play than a smaller neck.

With experience you’ll come to understand neck shape.

With more playing experience you’ll be able to tell what shape you like the best.

For beginners, a “C” shaped neck makes for easy playing.

Once you’ve got some experience you’ll notice more expensive acoustic guitars have different neck shapes.

You’ll find they make a difference in the comfort of your playing.

But as a beginner you shouldn’t woory too much about the shape of your neck as long as you find it comfortable to hold in your hand.

What about things like sharp fret ends?

Manual labor being expensive, you must keep in mind the cost cutting measures companys make.

The price of the guitar means you’ll end up with things like rough or sharp fret ends.

Before you feel shocked, you should know I’ve pulled guitars with a price tag of 2 or 3 times a $200 guitar and found they had sharp fret ends.

This isn’t because of shoddy manufacturing.

It’s because it takes a lot of manual labor to get smooth, polished fret ends.

Maybe in the future someone will design a machine to do it, but for now it’s something to be aware of.

You have a couple of options when dealing with sharp fret ends.

First, the frets will get smoother over time.

Believe it or not after you’ve played your guitar for long enough the action of sliding your hand up and down the fretboard will wear down the sharp fret ends.

You can also tape off your fretboard and use a sanding sponge to remove the sharpness.

The sanding sponge and tape will run you less than $10.

Just be careful and cautious as you go.

Remember, you’re getting an inexpensive guitar so there will be some tradeoffs.

Since you won’t know until after you purchase your guitar don’t be put off by the prospect of rough fret ends.

It’s more of an inconvenience than anything and they will wear down with time.

What if it doesn’t play properly?

Adjustments to your new acoustic guitar may be needed in order for it to play properly.

The most common adjustment involves the truss rod.

Oftentimes when a guitar journeys from the factory to your location there have been multiple changes in temperature and humidiy.

The wood of your guitar’s neck flexes, contracts, and expands during these changes

This means a guitar set up in a factory with moderate humidity will need adjusting if it ends in the desert.

The metal rod inside the neck of a guitar used to adjust the amount of bend or bow is the truss rod.

Believe it or not, a properly setup guitar neck will have a slight “bow” to it.

This ensures the guitar strings maintain a proper height above the fretboard.

By adjusting the truss rod you can add or remove bow or bend and bring the strings closer or farther from the fretboard.

Often this simple adjustment fixes fret buzz on an acoustic guitar.

If your guitar came with instructions check them first, but the best advice I can give you is to make adjustments slowly.

Make very small 1/4 turn adjustments and give the guitar 12 to 24 hours to adjust.

Remember, it takes time for the wood your guitar has to settle once you’ve adjusted the truss rod.

I have even had an occasion where an acoustic guitar developed fret buzz because it was being adjusted in a very cold room.

Once it got back to the customer, who seemed to play guitar in a furnace, the neck would flex enough to create fret buzz.

Are there any other parts I should be concerned about?

The nut and saddle on low cost acoustic guitars is almost always made of plastic.

They all have the exact same shape and size thanks to uniform manufacturing.

This is a very inexpensive way to produce nuts and saddles for guitars.

However, this can also cause problems.

Since the nut isn’t setup by a human being it won’t always be cut correctly.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had a plastic nut break on me.

Plus, they don’t enhance the sound of your acoustic guitar like a nut made of bone or TUSQ does.

This isn’t something that should stop you, but it is some thing to be aware of.

You can buy a nut and saddle made of TUSQ and replace the ones on your acoustic guitar.

It’ll improve your sound but it’s a bit of a hassle if your nut isn’t broken.

If the groove in the nut that holds the string is cut too deep it can cause problems like fret buzz.

Fret buzz is when your guitar string is too close to the fret and hits the fret as it vibrates.

This causes an annoying buzz and calls for a truss rod adjustment.

If you’ve adjusted your truss rod and made sure the frets have been set properly, the problem is caused by the nut or saddle.

Again, you’ll most likely get a guitar that plays fine, but if you start having problems it could be due to the nut or saddle being improperly setup.

How can I improve the sound of my new guitar?

New strings will go a long way in improving the sound of your new guitar.

As a cost cutting measure manufacturers often use cheap strings.

Even if they weren’t cheap, they would be old.

How many months after manufacture have those strings been on that guitar?

How long was it in a warehouse?

How long have those strings been on your new guitar?

Strings degrade over time.

Over time they’ve been stretched out and don’t have the dynamic range they had when new.

By putting new acoustic guitar strings on your new guitar, you can bring out the best possible tone.

It’s also a good idea to change your guitar strings on a regular basis.

Dust, dirt, and oils from your fingers contribute to degradation of your strings.

Time after time beginners don’t like the sound of their guitar until after they change their strings.

If you play a lot, you’ll end up changing your strings more often.

When you do change them, you’ll get to see how your sound changes.

Until then, a fresh set of strings will go a long way in improving your tone.

Until you change the strings you won’t know how good your new guitar can sound.

Worn out strings contribute to a poorer sound.

Most of the time it’s best just to trust your instincts and change them when you feel it’s time.

Practice changing strings and you’ll get it down.

Remember: A fresh set of strings can go a long way in improving your tone.

The Best Beginner Acoustic Guitar Under 200 Dollars: FAQ

• Can you get a good guitar for 200 dollars?
  • Yes! You absolutely can get a good guitar for 200 dollars. If you’re looking for an acoustic guitar, you can find lots of different models that are perfect for beginners. Please see our post on Good Quality Acoustic Guitar for Beginners for some recommendations.
• What is the easiest guitar to play for a beginner?
  • For beginners, it’s often easier to start by learning on a classical guitar. Since they have nylon strings and wider necks it’s less harsh on beginners’ fingers and encourages proper finger placement when learning chords. Please see our post on The Best Classical Guitar Under 200 Dollars for some recommendations.