Best Affordable Acoustic Guitars For Under $200
We would love to own and play a high-end acoustic guitar, but the reality is far from our fantasies for most of us. However, you should not be limited to rubbish instruments just because you’re on the hunt for a budget guitar. We have put together a list of 10 of the best cheap acoustic guitars that won’t leave your broke.
Short of having to visit music stores to try out different models, reviews like ours are the best option for finding a good-quality strummer for under $200. Buying a “cheap” guitar can be a minefield, so we’ve don’t the legwork for you, and all you have to do is go through our list to pick an instrument that best fits your needs.
Our research is extensive to help us determine the best budget acoustic guitars suitable for beginners and experienced players alike. Our decisions are based on the features we like, the sound and build quality, and a good value for money. You’ll be confident to know that any instrument on our list meets these features.
The 10 Best Budget Acoustic Guitars
| Product Photo | Guitar and Rating | Description | Check Price & Read User Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
+ –  | Ibanez AW54OPN Overall Score: | A fun-to-play all-mahogany dreadnought from a quality brand | |
+ –  | Yamaha FG800 Acoustic Guitar Overall Score: | A budget guitar with amazing sound and a free gig bag and digital tuner | |
+ –  | Fender FA-115 Dreadnought Overall Score: | Free gig bag, free digital tuner, and a quality and affordable acoustic from Fender | |
+ –  | Epiphone DR-100 Overall Score: | A classic dreadnought acoustic from Gibson’s budget arm Epiphone | |
+ –  | Samick Greg Bennet Design GD100S Overall Score: | A solid spruce top instrument priced to appeal to your pocket. Great sound and playability | |
+ –  | Fender CD-60S Overall Score: | One of the best cheap acoustic guitars we’ve come across. Highly recommended | |
+ –  | Jasmine JO36-NAT Overall Score: | An excellent guitar with an excellent value for money | |
+ –  | Yamaha FG JR1 3/4-Size Overall Score: | A 3/4-size budget acoustic suitable for travel and people with small hands |
(4.9 / 5)
Ibanez AW54OPN
We love an Ibanez because they are a guitar brand {inset} synonymous with making high-quality but affordable instruments. The AW54OPN exemplifies that spirit of quality and affordability in abundance.
This is a well-rounded acoustic guitar suitable for beginners and advanced players. The whole package is easy and fun to play – and it looks and feels great.
Mahogany is the wood of choice for this guitar. The top is made from solid Mahogany with the sides, back, and neck made from laminate Mahogany. The fretboard has 20 frets and is made from Rosewood. The dreadnought body has no cutaways, but players still have easy access to every single fret, making it a highly playable instrument. You can adjust the truss to lower the action if you find it a bit too high for your liking.
This entry-level Ibanez produces a great tone and perfect intonation for the affordable price tag. The thin neck and reduced weight make this instrument fun and easy to play, even for beginners. The almost 100% positive reviews from people who have bought this instrument is a testament to its quality and a reason why we think it is the best cheap acoustic guitar to buy under $200.
Yamaha FG800 Acoustic Guitar
Yamaha is another guitar brand renowned for making quality budget-friendly acoustic guitars – and the FG800 stays true to their ethos.
This cheap acoustic guitar screams quality – from the solid Sitka spruce top (which is rare in guitars of this price) to the Nato wood sides and back, we love everything about how it looks and feels. The FG800 is the cheapest of Yamaha’s very popular FG series of guitars. And though it does not have some of the finer details of its more expensive cousins, it is still a good sounding and fun instrument to play. It has the classic dreadnought design and a glossy finish that accentuates the grains of the wood, resulting in an instrument that is beautiful to look at and feels great to play.
The guitar is set up well and ready to play right out of the box. The action is right, it has great intonation, and the neck is highly playable. The FG800 can maintain a tune for several sessions, so you won’t have to stop and retune it very often.
For the price you pay, you are getting an outstanding instrument in the Yamaha FG800. It looks, feels, and sounds great, making it one of the best affordable acoustic guitars on the market today.
Fender FA-115 Dreadnought
Chances are you’ve heard about the Fender brand if you’re a guitar enthusiast. We heard they’re a pretty decent guitar manufacturer, and we are happy to say they’ve not overlooked those of us who can’t pay the high price tag of some of their guitars.
The FA-115 acoustic guitar is their high-quality answer to those of us that fall into the budget-friendly category. The model in this review also comes with a package of everything you need to start playing. You get a beautiful hard case (which is incredible for a guitar in this price range), a strap, a set of picks, extra strings, and a good tuner. Now that is a great deal!
The dreadnought body of the FA-115 has a solid spruce top and a back and sides made from basswood. The neck is made from Nato wood with a laminate fretboard. The entire body of the guitar has a glossy finish, and this, coupled with the dreadnought shape, makes this instrument easy to play.
Epiphone DR-100
It would be nice to have a true Gibson as a beginner acoustic, but their budget subsidiary, Epiphone, is a solid brand known for making cheap but quality versions of the originals. The DR-100 is one example of their good-quality instruments.
The sound produced by this dreadnought is excellent for the price tag. You get a fantastic sound with clear and strong tones. The body of the DR-100 features a spruce top and Mahogany back and sides. The neck is made from Mahogany with a Rosewood fingerboard.
The instrument looks good, sounds excellent, and easy to play, making it an ideal acoustic for a beginner. It is a full-size dreadnought, so it might not be the perfect guitar for kids {} and smaller players.
Samick Greg Bennet Design GD100S
Samick may not be a household name amongst guitar brands, but they do make some of the best sounding instruments, as evidenced in the GD100S. Their instruments are made in South Korea and a good option to consider if you’re looking for an affordable acoustic under $200.
The GD100S is a dreadnought designed by Greg Bennet and made with high-quality parts that belie its “cheap” price tag. The body features a solid Sitka Spruce top with the back and sides made from Mahogany. The choice of tonewoods, coupled with scalloped bracing, produces a sound that his articulate, fuller, and well-balanced, with excellent projection.
Learn more about this instrument in our full review of the Samick Greg Bennet.
Fender CD-60S
This all-Mahogany body strummer is a full-size dreadnought with excellent sound quality. The solid-Mahogany top and laminated Mahogany sides and back looks great and feels good to play. The neck is made from Mahogany with a fingerboard made from Rosewood. The neck feels great to play, and the action is set right, so you don’t need to adjust it before playing for the first time.
The CD-60S produces a rich and full sound with incredible intonation. This budget acoustic feels and plays like a premium instrument and ideal for beginners and experienced players alike. The quality of the sound, easy playability and beautiful finish makes the Fender CD-60S one of the best “cheap” acoustic guitars on the market.
Jasmine JO36-NAT
Jasmine makes affordable versions of Takamine’s high-end instruments, and they’ve produced a beauty in the JO36. Don’t be fooled by the all-laminate body because it still produces a high-quality sound that is good enough for beginners. The intonation and volume are great for an acoustic instrument of this size.
The entire package looks well-built and beautiful. The neck is highly playable with easy access to all 20 frets when playing. Although a cheap acoustic guitar, you can’t tell by just looking or listening to it because it looks and plays like a much more expensive guitar.
You should most definitely give this instrument a thought, whether you’re a beginner or an intermediary player looking for a budget acoustic to play.
Yamaha FG JR1 3/4-Size
This 3/4-size dreadnought-shaped Yamaha is perfect for small players and kids. The size and price tag belie the quality of this instrument. It is a highly-capable acoustic guitar with great sound and playability.
You shouldn’t expect the highest-quality tonewoods at this price tag, and the FG FR1 has a body made entirely from laminate wood. However, the instrument still looks and sounds great. The top is made from laminated spruce with laminated Mahogany back and sides. The neck is made from Nato wood with a Rosewood fretboard.
The FG JR1 is highly playable with an action that is set just right – and both right-handed and left-handed players can play it.
The reduced size may be a tad too small for some players, and the sound may not be as strong as a full-sized dreadnought, but the FG JR1 is still a serious instrument for anyone looking for a smaller and affordable acoustic guitar.
How to Buy the Best Cheap Acoustic Guitars For Sale?
The word “cheap” in our context only refers to the price tag, and not the quality of the instrument. We use the term to describe affordable instruments, so it has nothing to do with the look, built, playability, and sound of the instrument. This is an important clarification because people often associate the word with poor quality. The acoustic guitars on our list are good instruments with good sound and craftsmanship.
The market is now awash with a decent number of good quality “cheap” acoustic guitars because the big brands are making affordable versions of their high-end instruments. Entry-level acoustics are no longer limited to brandless or some obscure brand instruments. Beginners can now get a budget Fender or Taylor without having to break the bank.
Things to Consider When Buying a Cheap Acoustic Guitar
One thing you need to consider is the type of string you want your instrument to have. Most guitars either have a steel or nylon string, and the type you get depends on your playing style and the genre of music you want to play.
Nylon string guitars tend to have a mellow intonation and are therefore more suitable for playing classical music. We have a page that covers the best cheap classical guitars {} for those who are interested in such an instrument.
Steel-string is more suited to playing genres like pop, blues, rock, and country. However, the difference in the sound from both strings is not that much of an issue for a beginner. Those that are just starting to play may want to opt for an acoustic guitar with nylon strings because they are typically easier on the fingers.
Our Final Thoughts
Most people searching for a budget acoustic guitar are either buying their first instrument or looking for an affordable instrument as a travel guitar.
It really doesn’t matter why you may want to buy a cheaper guitar in the end because the important thing to know is that you have a list of high-quality, affordable instruments to choose from. You can play your expensive guitars only when you need, and practice on your budget guitar without getting anxious about every scratch.
Acoustics under $200 can be good, but you should consider whether you can go for a slightly higher-priced instrument. The guitars in the $230 to $450 range tend to move up a level in terms of sound quality and craftsmanship.