Best Acoustic Guitars Under $1500 - Premium Price, Premium Performance

Last Updated: February 11, 2019 With a few changes in the under $1,500 acoustic market, we decided to make a few amendments to our chart. This included removing a few models, such as the Manuel Rodriguez ACUT-U, and adding a trio of excellent models including the Martin 16 Series D-16GT, the Taylor 214ce DLX, and the Blueridge BR-160 to our steel-string section. We also added the popular Kremona Romida to our section on classical guitars.

These days, opening your wallet to the tune of $1500 can get you a lot of guitar! But it’s tricky to actually define this price range… High-end? Mid-range? Affordable? It depends on your definitions of those labels, but to us it is a mix of all three. Not quite premium high-end, but way better than your average guitar, and still affordable for many people. Whatever you class this price range as, we’ve searched the current $1000-$1500 acoustic market and have reviewed some of the best performers – those guitars that make you go ‘wow’. There’s a good mix on offer – different designs, different woods, and different sounds. Some regular acoustics, some with electronics. In this article we’ve focused mainly on steel-string models, although have also highlighted a couple of our favorite nylon-stringed classical models worth checking out.

Best Acoustic Guitars Under $1500:

Best Classical Guitars Under $1500:

When you’re spending up to 1.5k on an acoustic guitar, you know the product should be pretty flawless – a serious guitar capable of stage performances and studio recording, offering a professional-grade sound, and sporting a body and hardware that won’t let you down. Brands including Taylor, Martin, Takamine, Cordoba and Kremona all crop up time and again in this mid/high-end range. And while the charts above are far from comprehensive, you can rest assured that those guitars that feature are there for a reason.

What can you expect from the guitars that feature in the $1000-$1500 price range?

From manufacturer to manufacturer, the actual woods, components and electrics, will obviously change drastically, but you will see some familiar woods used on bodies – cedar, spruce, rosewood, mahogany, as well as some more exotic woods like Hawaiian koa. In this price range you find more use of solid woods and less laminates, although some guitars will mix and match (solid wood top and back with laminate sides, for example). And even though many of the guitars you’ll find may come from workshops in China, Japan or Mexico, the craftsmanship still impresses and more often than not stands up in quality to models built in American workshops. Sounds will differ completely too, and will depend on the woods, construction methods and – in the case of electro-acoustics – amplification systems used. For example Martin’s D-15M is one of the warmest guitars we’ve heard in this range, while the similarly priced 224ce-K from Taylor is at the opposite end of the tonal spectrum – incredibly bright. Hardware should also keep you performing to a high standard. You should see quality tuners with high gear ratios, good string, bone nuts and saddles, and quality wooden bridges. Finally, with the exception of a few, the guitars in this price range should come shipped with a complimentary hardshell or hybrid case.

The Final Word

The models that feature in our chart just go to show that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a great guitar. But it also shows that if you are willing to spend a little extra on something that’s more than $1000 you are almost guaranteed to end up with a guitar that you’ll keep for a lifetime – something a little different, something that allows you to perform, and something that makes your friends a little jealous! Don’t forget that this chart is just our opinion, and will change from time to time as different guitars are introduced to the market – prices change, and something that was in a high-end category yesterday, may fall in price and end up on this page tomorrow!