When you buy your first acoustic guitar, you leap into a life-changing musical journey. Learning to play guitar can provide a range of benefits: a new hobby, a creative outlet, a fun brain teaser, or a new way to experience some of your favorite songs.
But with so many styles and shapes to choose from, this pivotal purchase can prove overwhelming. So, to match you with your dream acoustic, we’re here to share our favorite beginner-friendly guitars and explain why they might be right for you.
Access to an affordable, high-quality guitar makes all the different when learning a new instrument, especially during the first few months. At Orangewood, we make sure our guitars are set up for your success — meaning our guitars come ready to play, with the action adjusted so the strings are buzz-free.
Best Acoustic Guitars For Beginners
Austen
Austen
First on the list is our Austen, a dreadnought guitar with a solid spruce top. Austen’s iconic dreadnought shape is popular among guitarists because its broad body helps create a louder, more resonant sound. This added volume is ideal for a band member looking to be heard among other instruments. It also helps support singer-songwriters, who want their music to fill a room.
Our Austen is a great choice for adult beginners, taller individuals, and those with larger hands. While its standout sound is desirable, the broader size of this instrument may prove uncomfortable for smaller players and children.
Oliver Mahogany Live
Oliver Mahogany Live
Next up is our Oliver Mahogany Live — an electric-acoustic option for those who aspire to eventually play live. This guitar is set up with the Fishman Sonitone EQ – a sound hole-mounted preamp with rotary controls for volume and tone. This enables you to plug your guitar into an amp and customize your sound.
Our Oliver has a grand concert shape, meaning its waist is more tapered than our Austen’s dreadnought body. For some, this slimmer design makes it more comfortable to hold than a larger bodied guitar.
If you want something even smaller, you’d love our Oliver Jr.. This scaled-down model has the same all solid mahogany top and bright, rich tone of our Oliver Mahogany, but at 3/4 of the size. Our Oliver Jr. is great for travelers, kids, and those with smaller hands.
Both our Oliver and Oliver Jr. guitars are made with a solid mahogany wood top. Mahogany helps make the lower notes you play sound warm and rich to the ears. Its gorgeous coloring adds a unique pop of style, too.
Rey Mahogany
Rey Mahogany
Our Rey Mahogany is great for those who want to easily reach the high notes. Our Rey is a cutaway shape guitar to make room for your hand when playing further up the fretboard. This shape is perfect for both aspiring soloists and adventurous strummers seeking an expanded range. Regardless of your playing style, cutaways are a versatile choice for all types of players.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn
If you’re confident about becoming a guitarist and want one you can grow into — our Brooklyn is an intermediate guitar you’ll love for years to come. Made with high quality tonewoods, our Brooklyn features a solid Sitka spruce top and pau ferro back & sides for a vibrant, full sound.
Brooklyn also boasts a few dazzling aesthetic embellishments, including an abalone rosette around the sound hole, gold hardware, and a glossy finish.
Milo Concert Mahogany
Milo Concert Mahogany
A ukulele on a “best guitars” list? Our Milo Concert Mahogany has more to offer aspiring guitarists than meets the eye.
Some players use ukuleles as primer instruments to skillbuild before making the leap to guitar. After all, learning the ukulele helps to develop finger dexterity, knowledge of music theory, and the ability to hold rhythm in your strumming hand. It’s the perfect size for smaller children, but older players appreciate it for its unique, bright sound.
That isn’t to say the ukulele can’t be your final musical destination! This versatile instrument is loved by many popular musicians, like Einer Bankz. Plus, it’s easy to learn. With its small size and just four nylon strings to work with, you can quickly and comfortably master the chords needed to play most pop songs.
Accessory Kit
Don’t forget to add on our Accessory Kit to get everything a player needs to get started, including a tuner, strap, capo, picks, string winder, and a chord chart. All the guitarist essentials in one box!
Playing Guitar Starts Here
We want you to fall in love with playing music. That starts with choosing the right instrument to achieve your musical goals. That’s why we curated this list of tried-and-true beginner options, so you have everything you need to make an informed decision.
If you’re still nervous about making the right choice, remember this: ultimately there’s no absolute “right” beginner guitar — just the one that meets your unique needs and inspires you to play! You can also get a custom recommendation based on your preferred playing style, sound, wood color, and size with our helpful quiz.
Congrats on this exciting first step! When your instrument arrives and it’s time to start learning, be sure to check out our Beginner's Guide to Learning Guitar to kickstart your guitar journey.
