10 Best Acoustic Guitars Under $300 Review

Any given day is a great day to buy a guitar. If you set your sights on an acoustic guitar rather than an electric guitar for a first instrument, or you’re a seasoned player looking for another guitar on this said entry level budget range. Well it’s time now for you to start choosing, coz there are already quite a number of good sounding, well built guitars to get excited on within this budget and some are listed here that are entirely ready to deliver and express the tones straight out of your hands.

Acoustic guitars under the three hundred dollar range are still considered at the entry level category. The wood used common on these guitars is a combination of a solid top wood with a laminated wood back and sides which generally what resonates and gives the character of the guitar in terms of sound.

Although an acoustic guitar with a laminate wood doesn’t age as well when compared to a full solid body acoustic guitar that the sound it produces only gets better and better as time goes by. They can hold form very well, because laminated wood is harder and the stiffness of the wood is not much subject to temperature humidity to warp, making a guitar that uses laminated wood easier to maintain and handles a beating differently to a full solid body guitar.

Settling on which type of wood is just half the way on the selection. As equally important for an acoustic guitar to have aside from tonewood that also makes a huge impact to the sound and playability is to have a solid built quality. Whether it is an affordable or an expensive model.

Right out of the box check the straightness of the neck, proper and even placement of frets that factors string action, intonation and if there is any buzzing noise. Then check for cracks, dents and shake the guitar for any loose bracing. This may sound so basic, but it’s worth mentioning to remember.

For a final word before looking at the guitars. Every guitar even if they are the same size, shape design, materials used and model still pose different attributes. The best practice when choosing and to fully access any instrument for that matter is by testing it first hand on the store. However if you don’t have the time to visit a shop near you and if your happy to take our word for it. We have here a few recommendation to just buy it online.


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Washburn Harvest Series WG7SCE Acoustic Electric Guitar

Washburn Harvest Series WG7SCE Acoustic Electric Guitar
  • Grand auditorium acoustic electric guitar with cutaway
  • Solid spruce soundboard in natural gloss finish
  • Mahogany back and sides
  • Neck is made of mahogany with a 2-way truss-rod
  • 20 frets ovangkol fingerboard complete with pearloid dot inlays
  • Set of chrome die-cast tuners
  • Ovangkol bridge with compensated ABS saddle and ABS nut
  • Barcus-Berry EQ4T preamp plus tuner with volume, treble, bass and phase controls

Warming out the list for best acoustic guitars under the three hundred dollar range is an acoustic electric guitar model coming from Washburn called the Harvest Series WG7SCE. This guitar has a grand auditorium body design in natural gloss finish with a single cutaway to access the higher frets more easily. It is a good size guitar with an on-board pick-up to plug at home, for studio sessions or as the guitar to play on-stage.

The Harvest Series WG7SCE grand auditorium is assembled with a solid spruce top partnered with a mahogany back and sides to deliver a distinct punchy bright sound. Neck is made in mahogany with satin finish top of by 20 frets ovangkol fingerboard complete with pearloid dot inlays. Also on the guitar is a ovangkol bridge and chrome die-cast tuners

A grand auditorium guitar is somewhat in between a dreadnought and the grand concert guitar. The body design and the size is meant to deliver the best of both worlds which makes it a popular guitar among singer song writers to utilize on putting in the music on the written song, because it can be played flat picking, strumming and finger style.


Alvarez Regent Series RF26CE Acoutic Electric Folk Guitar

Best Acoustic Guitars Under $300
  • Acoustic electric folk guitar with cutaway
  • Spruce top with natural gloss finish
  • Mahogany back and sides
  • Neck is crafted using mahogany
  • 20 frets techwood fingerboard with dot inlay markers
  • Set of chrome die-cast machineheads
  • Techwood bridge with compensated PPS synthetic bone saddle and PPS synthetic bone nut
  • Alvarez on-board pick-up system with volume control, 3-band EQ and tuner

The Alvarez Regent Series RF26CE electric folk guitar gives players on such early stage an awesome deal of good sound, lasting quality and playability to help them learn well with. The guitar has a shallower body than a dreadnought to deliver a much mellower tones, great for finger style and offers a decent amount of volume to play it strumming style as well when not plug using its on-board pick-up with 3-band EQ and tuner. 

The top wood for Alvarez RF26CE is made out of spruce with mahogany back and sides. The guitar also has ivory bindings on the corners with a matching black pickguard to accentuate as well to protect the natural satin finish of the guitar. Neck of the guitar is crafted using mahogany overlaid by a heat treated 20 frets techwood fingerboard. The bridge is of the same material like the fingerboard with real bone nut combined with chrome die-cast tuners. 

For a first or as a back-up guitar, the Alvarez Regent Series RF26CE can give a lasting impression on feel and the overall sound it can provide. It may not be the acoustic model you always dream of, but it has a lot to show that can already wow a player.


Yamaha APX600 Acoustic Electric Guitar

Yamaha APX600 Acoustic Electric Guitar
  • Thin-line APX body acoustic electric guitar with cutaway
  • Spruce soundboard in different color finishes to choose from
  • Nato back and sides
  • Neck is comfortable crafted in nato
  • 22 frets rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
  • Set of chrome die-cast tuners
  • Rosewood bridge with compensated urea saddle and urea nut
  • Under saddle piezo pickup system controlled by a volume and 3-band EQ plus tuner

Hone in your skills to eventually go out there and play with the Yamaha APX600 acoustic electric guitar. This guitar from Yamaha has a nice thin-line body with a cutaway and is offered in many exciting color finishes players can choose from. It is a thin-line acoustic guitar to strap on just like an electric guitar and is powered by an on-board electronics to generate more volume and punchy tones on an acoustic guitar.

The thin-line cutaway body of the APX600 is designed for exceptional playability made of a spruce top, nato back and sides with a bracing pattern develop by Yamaha that increases the APX600 bass response. Adding to the body is a unique under saddle piezo pickup controlled by a volume and 3-band EQ plus tuner to formulate more tones in perfect pitch on a single guitar. Neck is also made in nato with 22 frets rosewood fingerboard to go with its rosewood bridge and chrome die-cast tuners.

Light and thin profiled to sit comfortably close against the body, the Yamaha APX600 acoustic electric guitar will open up new doors on how a guitarist’s can play and express the tones kept on their hand. This guitar is also available in ¾ scale model the Yamaha APXT2 that has a similar design and same equip with on-board electronics bettering the sound to take for travels or as a gift of music perhaps to a small kid who shows a keen interest of playing a guitar.


Breedlove Discovery Concert

Breedlove Discovery Concert
  • Concert acoustic guitar
  • Features a solid sitka spruce soundboard
  • Mahogany back and sides covered in clear gloss finish
  • Neck has a comfortable profile made in solid mahogany
  • 20 frets ovangkol fingerboard with dot inlay markers
  • Set of chrome closed-gear tuners
  • Pinless ovangkol bridge with compensated saddle and bone nut

Capable of delivering well balanced tones, the Breedlove Discovery Concert together with the Breedlove Discovery Dreadnought is renowned to be an easy and awesome sounding entry class acoustic guitar to play finger style or in full strumming mode. This guitar exhibits the beautiful lines of a carefully built concert style acoustic guitar highlighted by the presence of binding on the sides. It is available in natural or sunburst finish that beginners and seasoned players alike will surely love and be the one guitar that they can play everyday.

For specs, the Discovery concert acoustic guitar by Breedlove has a solid sitka spruce top with mahogany back and sides covered in a clear gloss finish. The neck has a comfortable profile made in solid mahogany. Then paired with 20 frets ovangkol fingerboard, ovangkol bridge and chrome closed-gear tuners to keep the guitar in perfect pitch.

Overall this guitar is a favorable first instrument for a beginner to practice chords and to learn the scales. While for a gigging player who likes to serenade the crowd using an acoustic guitar, the Breedlove Discovery Concert won’t let you down with the tones it can deliver and can even help to gain more followers.


Yamaha FS830 Small Body Guitar

Yamaha FS830 Small Body Guitar
  • Concert acoustic guitar
  • Solid spruce top with scalloped bracing
  • Rosewood back and sides
  • Neck is made in nato wood with a comfortable profile
  • 20 frets rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
  • Set of chrome die-cast tuners
  • Rosewood bridge with compensated urea saddle and urea nut

Second on the two acoustic guitars of Yamaha to join this list is the Yamaha FS830 concert body guitar. This guitar by Yamaha is the small body version of the Yamaha FG830 Dreadnought that offers a much mellower touch on the tones and has an output volume that may not be as loud a dreadnought can deliver, but already is good enough to shine. When trying to compared or to do battle with a similar size guitar, the Yamaha FS830 small body guitar will not back out. It also has a grandiose voice unique on it own and has the playabilty to topple other guitars.

The Yamaha FS830 small body acoustic guitar achieves it rich overtones and sustain thru its solid spruce top with scalloped bracing combined with a rosewood back and sides. Neck is made in nato wood with a comfortable profile top of by 20 frets rosewood fingerboard. The guitar also has a bridge made of rosewood with ABS pins and on the headstock are chrome die-cast tuners that can hold tuning from beginning until the end of practice or a performance.

Hands down this guitar from Yamaha is worth every penny to invest on a guitar. It is a nicely assembled acoustic guitar to give the very best possible sound, playability and exceptional quality to anyone who wish to begin a tone chasing lifestyle.


Ibanez AC240 Artwood Series Grand Concert

Ibanez AC240 Artwood Series Grand Concert
  • Grand concert acoustic guitar
  • Solid okoume top with X-bracing
  • Okoume back and sides
  • Comfortable C-profile nyatoh neck
  • 20 frets ovangkol fingerboard with dot inlays
  • Set of Grover designed die-cast tuners
  • Ovangkol bridge with compensated bone saddle and bone nut

The Artwood series by Ibanez that includes the Ibanez AC240 grand concert is centered to the produce rich traditional tones on a modernly crafted guitar. The sound it can deliver goes well with the artistic touch applied through its open pore design, and the sleek lines of the body is comfortable to play it both in sitting and standing position, which makes the guitar a prime choice for an all around acoustic guitar.

This particular model, the AC240 grand concert size acoustic guitar on the Artwood series of Ibanez has a solid okoume top with X-bracing protected by a pickguard and has a okoume back and sides. The neck of the guitar is crafted in nyatoh top of by a 20 frets ovangkol fingerboard. Taking care of tuning and intonation is an ovangkol bridge with compensated saddle, Ibanez advantage bridge pins and Grover designed die-cast tuners.

For aesthetics and sound value on a concert style acoustic guitar, this artwood model from the Ibanez line of acoustic instrument is a steal and stunner for its price. Moreover, the overall built quality put into it and materials used to assemble adds prestige that a player in any given level would already like and can totally appreciate.


Alvarez Artist Series AD60 Dreadnought

Alvarez Artist Series AD60 Dreadnought
  • Dreadnought acoustic guitar
  • Solid sitka spruce top in natural finish protected by a scratch plate
  • Mahogany back and sides
  • Comfortable neck is made of mahogany
  • 21 frets rosewood fingerboard with ivory ABS bindings
  • Set of premium die-cast tuning machines
  • Rosewood bridge with real bone compensated saddle and real bone nut

Not always but sometimes size does matter in order to generate the sought after boomy sound when playing chords on an acoustic guitar. So what better way to achieve this and probably the first guitar that comes into mind that is capable of this sound is the dreadnought size acoustic guitar. The Alvarez Artist Series AD60 is just one of many dreadnought style acoustic guitars on the market today that offers that kind of fullness to the sound and has the kind of playability to help develop a habitually mind set of playing the guitar.

The Alvarez artist series AD60 has solid sitka spruce as its top tonewood in natural finish protected by a scratch plate with a mahogany back and side woods. Neck of the guitar is also mahogany top of by a 21 frets rosewood fingerboard. The bridge is also rosewood in material combined with real bone nut to match the premium die-cast tuners placed on the headstock.

For its pear shape outline, the Alvarez artist series AD60 can haul in a much louder and excellent chambered kind of sound. The guitar focuses more on bass and treble to play it strumming style, and nonetheless also perfectly capable when played finger style.


Takamine GD20-NS Dreadnought

Takamine GD20-NS Dreadnought
  • Dreadnought acoustic guitar
  • Constructed with a solid cedar top
  • Mahogany back and sides
  • Neck is slim with a satin finish made from mahogany
  • 20 frets ovangkol fingerboard with dot inlays
  • Set of chrome die-cast tuners
  • Ovangkol bridge with a split-saddle and synthetic bone nut

Sticking on this budget range and by not going overboard on the price, a player can already bump into one of the good sounding acoustic guitars made by Takamine, and that guitar I’m talking about is the Takamine GD20-NS dreadnought. This workhorse of an acoustic guitar is well built and uses a combination of selected tonewoods to produce warm detailed tones that works perfectly on different genre music.

The guitar body is constructed with a solid cedar top with mahogany back and sides to trigger strong low end with plenty of volume. Neck is slim with a satin finish made from mahogany and has a 20 frets ovangkol fingerboard for a great feel and superb playability. The ovangkol bridge is split-saddle design paired with chrome die-cast tuners for sweeter sounding chords and single note runs.

Arguably and many would also agree that a dreadnought like the Takamine GD20-NS is the most popular body shape to have on an acoustic guitar. This body shape generically has significant amount of volume and expected to fill a room with flavorful tones that generally makes it a good go too guitar.


Fender CD-60SCE Acoustic Electric Guitar

Fender CD-60SCE Acoustic Electric Guitar
  • Dreadnought acoustic electric guitar with cutaway
  • Solid mahogany soundboard with scalloped X-bracing
  • Mahogany back and sides
  • Mahogany neck with dual access truss-rod
  • 20 frets rosewood fingerboard complete with inlay dots
  • Set of chrome die-cast tuners
  • Rosewood bridge with compensated synthetic saddle and synthetic nut
  • Fishman CD preamp controlled by a volume, bass, treble plus a tuner

Plug it or play it plain acoustic, the Fender CD-60SCE acoustic electric guitar is always ready to be pick up no matter what the occasion and can simply adopt to different players playing style. It has the comfort of a dreadnought single cutaway body and the neck has rolled fingerboard edges maximizing the guitar’s playability for an all around continuous play.

The dreadnought single cutaway body design of the Fender CD-60SCE is equipped with Fishman CD preamp controlled by a volume, bass, treble plus a tuner and can either be in all mahogany or with a solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides model. For the neck, it is made out of solid mahogany with dual access truss-rod and has 20 frets rosewood fingerboard complete with inlay dots. Bridge material is also made from rosewood paired with chrome die-cast tuners.

Straightforward, the core sound acoustic players rave about a dreadnought is all being captured by this Fender acoustic electric guitar. The multifaceted features like the type of top tonewood it uses offers an option to players on what suites them best. Followed by the on-board electronics to further emphasize and open new grounds on the sound.


Ibanez AW54CE Artwood Acoustic Electric Guitar

Ibanez AW54CE Artwood Acoustic Electric Guitar
  • Dreadnought acoustic electric guitar with cutaway
  • Solid okoume soundboard in open pore finish
  • Okoume back and sides
  • Comfortable C-profile nyatoh neck
  • 20 frets ovangkol fingerboard with dot inlays
  • Set of chrome die-cast tuners
  • Ovangkol bridge with compensated plastic saddle and plastic nut
  • Ibanez T-bar under saddle pick-up with an Ibanez AEQ-TP2 preamp volume-treble-bass and on-board tuner

The Ibanez AW54CE dreadnought single cutaway body is made with a solid okoume top with X-brancing and has okoume back and sides. It also features a nyatoh neck, ovankol 20 frets fingerboard, ovangkol bridge with compensated saddle and advantage pins which is easy to remove when its time to change the strings. Then followed by a set of chrome die-cast tuners and a Ibanez T-bar under saddle pick-up with an Ibanez AEQ-TP2 preamp and on-board tuner.

Another Artwood model of Ibanez that catches attention on this budget range to be played by both beginners and veterans alike is the Ibanez AW54CE acoustic electric guitar. This guitar has the technology of a modern guitar for the on-board electronics involve to boost the volume and tweak the tones to a player’s liking, but at the same time capable of delivering traditional sound of a pure acoustic when not plug on an amplifier.

For a three hundred dollar priced acoustic electric guitar, this guitar has the looks, built quality and is loaded with features to already get close to a high-end model. Play it plug on an amp, mic’d up, or plain acoustic, the guitar is very much capable of all of this and is well recommended to anyone stating out or an experience guitarist looking for another guitar.

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