If you want to play your acoustic for a live performance you are going to need some amplification. You can either stick a mic in front of your guitar and risk bumping into it or knocking it over. Or you can pickup one of the best acoustic electric guitars under $500, plug right in, and get straight to playing; worry free!
You've probably heard a ton of opinions on acoustic electric guitars. Some people think the electronics impede proper resonance (they dont). Others think they do not sound good unplugged (they do).
Maybe you've already stuck a pickup in your acoustic guitar but you want something with a little more oomph. That's where a good acoustic electric guitar can come in handy.
You don't have to drop a ton of money on one either. You can get an awesome guitar with a great sound and wonderful tone for under $500!
Don't believe me? Here are 9 great examples.
The 9 Best Acoustic Electric Guitar Under $500
Under $300
2. Fender FA-235E Concert acoustic guitar
3. Ibanez AEG2011 (12 string)
$300 - $400
7. Fender CD-60SCE Acoustic-Electric Guitar
$400 - $500
9 Best All Around Acoustic Electric Guitar
Our top pick from this list is the Fender CD-60SCE Acoustic-Electric Guitar. We love this set. Aside from the guitar being a great sounding instrument, you get a whole host of accessories and gear to go along with it.
If you want the best sounding bang for your buck, this is the best all around deal for you!
Best Acoustic Electric Guitar Review
best sounding acoustic electric guitar
You are bound to find something on this list that will check all of your boxes. We've included some steel string and nylon string guitars so you can get the sound and vibe you want.
Under $300
1. Washburn Festival EA12
Description: You can't go wrong with a Washburn guitar. The Washburn Festival EA12 is small (mini jumbo) and lightweight making it a great instrument for anyone at any size. It is not going to be cumbersome to play if your have smaller hands or a smaller frame.
The cutaway makes it easy to play in the higher registers of your fretboard. The onboard EQ4-T pickup and preamp system allow you to plug directly into any sound system.
Dimensions 40 x 18.25 x 5 inches
Body Style: Mini Jumbo/Cutaway
Top/Soundboard: Basswood
Electronics: EQ4-T
Pros:
- inexpensive
- comfortable size
- XLR input makes it versatile
2. Fender FA-235E Concert acoustic guitar
Description: This is the first Fender appearance on the list. The Fender FA-235E is a beautiful Natural wood finish concert body acoustic guitar with a flame maple top, mahogany back and sides, and a gorgeous rosewood fingerboard. The FA-235E features both a Fishman preamp and a built in tuner.
Dimensions 46 x 17.9 x 6.5 inches
Body Style: Concert
Top/Soundboard: Maple
Electronics: Fishman Preamp w/ built-in tuner
Pros:
- beautiful tone for the price
- low action makes this one of the best for beginners
Cons:
- the tuning machine, nut, saddle, other hardware is not top quality
3. Ibanez AEG2011 (12 string)
Description: This guitar has one of the most beautiful finishes you will ever see. Aside, from being a 12 string, this is certainly an attention-catching instrument. Plus, at under $300, you can fulfill all of your rock-god, 12-string dreams.
This guitar is remarkably thin for a 12 string guitar, measuring in at only 6 inches deep. It is lightweight and a perfect chance to switch things up during a live performance.
Plus straight into any sound system utilizing the Fishman Sonicore pickup with AEQ-SP2 Preamp. You can also ensure you will always sound great with the built-in tuner.
The body of the AEG2011 is high quality mahogany, both back and sides. The top is made of spruce for a nice sounding tone. Top off this flawless design with a Rosewood fretboard.
Dimensions 42 x 18.5 x 6 inches
Body Style: Cutaway
Top/Soundboard: Spruce
Electronics: Fishman Sonicore pickup AEQ-SP2 Preamp
Pros:
- low cost 12 String
- built in tuner
Cons:
- action is a bit high and takes getting used to
4. Epiphone DOVE PRO
Description: The Epiphone DOVE PRO features a deep, warm tone producing solid spruce top with maple back and sides. The fingerboard is an elegant Rosewood and accented with pearloid parallelogram inlays.
The Fishman Sonitone soundhole preamp and Fishman Sonicore pickup system are conveniently tucked away inside of the soundhole. The volume and tone control wheels are easily accessible while playing.
Dimensions: 44.6 x 18 x 5.9 inches
Top/Soundboard: Spruce
Electronics: Fishman Sonitone soundhole preamp and Fishman Sonicore pickup system
Pros:
- deep, warm tone
- great sound for the price
Cons:
- may need to adjust truss rod before playing
$300 - $400
5. Epiphone Hummingbird PRO
Description: The Epiphone Hummingbird Pro is a little smaller and more lightweight than the similar Epiphone DOVE PRO. It's solid spruce top and all mahogany body give off a beautiful, bright tone. This guitar is gorgeous with it's gorgeous cherry finish
The on-board Shadow Performer preamp and Shadow Nano Flex pickup system feature a dynamic range slide control, bass, treble & volume knobs, as well as mute and phase buttons. You can really take control of your sound during any performance.
Dimensions 24.75 x 20 x 1.68 inches
Top/Soundboard: Mahogany
Electronics: Shadow Performer preamp and Shadow Nano Flex pickup system
Pros:
- small diameter neck makes this comfortable to play and easy to learn with
- great volume even when unplugged
- sounds great through an amp
Cons:
- slow customer service response time
6. Gretsch G5024E Rancher
Description: The Gretsch G5024E Rancher is a wonderful addition to any guitarists arsenal. The top is made of a high quality and beautiful Sunburst glossy finished solid spruce. The interior is reinforced with scalloped 'X' bracing and the iconic Gretsch Rancher triangle soundhole.
The sides, back, and neck are all mahogany. The neck features a 21-fret rosewood fingerboard, complete with Neo-classic thumbnail inlays. The electronics are a Fishman Sonicore under-saddle pickup and Isys+ preamp system with volume, tone, and phase controls, as well as, a built-in tuner and low battery light.
Dimensions 44 x 18 x 6.5 inches
Body Style: Dreadnought
Top/Soundboard: Solid Spruce
Electronics: Fishman Sonicore under-saddle pickup and Isys+ preamp system
Pros:
- sounds like a guitar that is double or triple the price
- requires little to no adjustments out of the box
- preamp and pickup sound great amplified
7. Fender CD-60SCE Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Description: This is our top pick out of the entire list. The Fender CD-60SCE has a dreadnought body style with Venetian cutaway so you can easily access the higher frets on your neck. The solid spruce top with scallopped 'X' bracing produce a wonderful, bright tone.
The body and back is a combination of mahogany, laminated, & solid wood. This guitar's built-in electronis are the Fishman Isys III System electronics with active on-board preamp.
This guitar also comes with a pretty robust accessory package by Austin Bazaar. The included accessories include a hardshell case, strap, picks, extra strings, stringwinder, clip-on tuner, polishing cloth, and instructional DVD. This is a ton of great gear and an awesome guitar for under $500!
Dimensions 44 x 18 x 6.5 inches
Body Style: Dreadnought, Venetian-cutaway
Top/Soundboard: Solid Spruce
Electronics: Fishman Isys III System electronics with active on-board preamp
Pros:
- all-around great package deal
- guitar comes ready to plug in and play
- case is heavy duty
Cons:
- may need to have professionally adjusted before playing
- some reports of fret buzz even after adjustments
$400 - $500
8. Ovation Celebrity Elite
Description: The Ovation Celebrity Elite is possibly the most eye-catching and uniquely designed instrument on this list. The multi-port soundhole design immediately sets this guitar apart from any other acoustic.
The soundboard design is capable of delivering a focused and balanced bottom end without muddying up any of the higher tones you want from an acoustic guitar. Ovation has designed a composite, almost shell-like, back and side for maximum resonance. All of this is presented through a beautiful, solid spruce top.
This guitar features Ovation's own Slimline pickup and OP-4BT preamp system. The preamp lets you take control of crafting your sound with a volume control, gain, 3-band EQ, built-in tuner, plus a low battery light so you never lose power on stage.
Dimensions 41.5 x 16.5 x 6.5 inches
Body Style: Lyrachord Super-Shallow Cutaway
Top/Soundboard: Solid Spruce
Electronics: Ovation Slimline pickup and OP-4BT preamp system
Pros:
- made for live performance
- beautiful Ruby red, glossy top
- three-band EQ preamp w/ built-in tuner
9. Seagull S6 Original
Description: It's tough to find an acoustic electric guitar as all-around excellent as the Seagull S6. It's size and dreadnought body shape make it a comfortable playing experience.
You will think running your fingers up and down the silver leaf maple neck and Indian Rosewood fingerboard is like playing a dream. The body of this guitar features a pressure treated solid cedar soundboard while the back and body is comprised of three-layer wild cherry. It is all topped off with a beautiful, natural wood grain, thin, satin finish.
This guitar also comes with a sturdy gig bag so you can take it with you. Plug into any sound system with the on-board Fishman Sonitone preamp with volume and tone control.
Dimensions 50.7 x 20.2 x 8.3 inches
Body Style: Dreadnought
Top/Soundboard: Solid Cedar
Electronics: Fishman Sonitone Onboard Preamp System
Pros:
- has the sound of a $1,000+ guitar
- the construction is high quality and will retain it's sound for years
- holds tuning for weeks at a time
How To Buy An Acoustic Electric Guitar
$500 may not be a ton of money in the grand scheme of guitardom, but it you never want to drop any amount of cash on a subpar instrument. Before making your purchase, take these things into consideration.
What Is it?
An acoustic electric guitar is essentially an acoustic guitar with a pickup and preamp electronic system permanently installed. The same features that you would look for in any guitar when making a purchase all qualify for an acoustic electric guitar.
Why You Need One
It is incredibly convenient to be able to simply plug your guitar into an amp or sound system and not have to worry about anything else. This is especially true if you are using your guitar for live performances.
You may love the tone of your acoustic guitar, but often times it is not practical to try and mic your acoustic, especially in smaller venues with not a lot of stage room.
Another place the acoustic electric is nice is when you are in the recording studio. Again, you can save time and money by plugging your guitar in and going straight to playing.
What To Look For
You may be wondering are cheap guitars any good? I'm not sure that I would necessarily call a $500 guitar cheap, but for the sake of argument we can. A budget guitar can sound fantastic. This list is full of instruments within a lower price range that all sound great.
Price is not always the number one factor when determining whether or not it will produce a good sound. Some other factors to consider are:
Parts
What are the components that make up the guitar? Are the materials sourced cheaply or is the manufacturer using quality construction?
Pickups
You will want to know what type of pickup is installed in your new guitar. The placement also matters. Different types and positions produce different sounds.
For example, a piezo pickup will actually sense the vibrations made by the guitar and transmit the sound. Alternatively, soundhole or magnetic pickups will measure a strings vibration when it disrupts a magnetic field. Both are fine options but can produce vastly different sounds.
You will also want to determine if they are active or passive pickups. Without getting too deep into the weeds, you just need to know that active pickups typically require additional power and can amplify the guitar signal (like with a preamp). Passive pickups simply transmit the signal and do not add any extra amplifiaction.
Both are viable options. They just perform the same function in different ways.
Tonewoods
Tonewood is basically a fancy way of describing the wood material with which the guitar body is made. It can also refer to the top/soundboard, but we will cover that seperately.
Because different woods behave differently depending on their temperature, age, shape, etc, they can produce very different sounding tones.
For example, a maple tonewood will often produce a bright sound. Whereas, a mahogany tonewood will give you a richer and depper tone.
Tonewood is really one of those topics that comes down to your personal preference. There is no "right" choice other than the one you like best.
Top/Soundboard
The quality of the wood used in the top, or soundboard, directly impacts the overall tone of your guitar. You will want to make sure you like the sound that the top material produces.
Soundboards come in a variety of wood types, like spruce, mahogany, cedar, etc. Often times, the top is made of a solid wood. However, more guitars are beginning to be made from a wood laminate; which is basically several thin layers of wood compressed together.
Body Style/Size
As you may well know, guitars come in all shapes and sizes. Before buying a guitar you will want to consider it's size and shape in comparison to your body and playing style. Some guitars are big, have wide necks, and weigh almost 20 lbs. If you have a smaller frame and small hands, this may not be the guitar for you.
New Vs Used
Should you buy a new guitar versus a used one? The benefits of a used guitar is obviously the price. You can almost always find a pre-owned guitar for cheaper than a brand new one. Another benefit is if you want a vintage guitar, you probably aren't going to find a never been played 1958 Strat (if you do, let me know).
A brand new guitar will definitely be more costly on the front end. However, you can be assured that you know it's history, where it's been, where it came from, and it's full life time condition. You also get a warranty with most new guitars.
The safety net that a new guitar provides is often more valuable in the long run than the initial money save on the purchase of a used guitar.
What To Expect
A guitar under $500 will usually be made with easier to source materials than a higher ticket instrument. That means you will find more laminate or composite bodies. Generally, the soundboard will be made from a cheaper made wood like spruce or maple.
That's not to say that the guitar will sound bad. That is not the case at all. In fact, you can get wonderful tones from a budget guitar. You will just want to know what to expect when purchasing one.
Skill Level
What is your skill level? Do you have experience with more higher end guitars? What types of tones do you want to hear from your guitar?
Beginner or Pro?
Typically, budget guitars are considered to be for beginners. That is most likely because no one wants to spend a few thousand bucks on a hobby they may not even enjoy. So they grab a cheaper instrument and learn on that.
That does not mean that a cheaper guitar is out of bounds for a seasoned pro. The only difference is a more experienced player knows what they like and do not like about different guitars.
If you are a veteran guitarist that knows what kind of tonewood they like and can find that in a more reasonably priced guitar, by all means, buy that guitar and play the hell out of it. Price does not always dictate quality, in either direction!
Best Acoustic Electric Guitar
Again, our top pick for best acoustic guitar is the Fender CD-60SCE Acoustic-Electric Guitar. This guitar sounds great and comes with everything you need. This guitar is perfect for a beginner or for an experienced player who loves a deal!
Conclusion
An acoustic electric guitar is a must have for anyone that wants to record, perform, or even just play louder at home. This list has a ton of great options for you. We are sure you will find something that fits your budget and musical taste.
Leave a Reply