Buyer’s Guide: What Are The Best Acoustic Guitars For Country Music?

If you are looking to purchase a new acoustic guitar, and you strictly play country music, what is the best choice for you?

There are many different aspects and qualities to consider in an acoustic guitar, especially if you want to specifically play country music with it.

We are going to review the different features you should have in such a guitar, as well as what our personal favorite choices are for the country genre of music.

Let’s get started.

What Should You Look for in a Guitar for Country Music? 

With country music, there is a lot of focus on the vocals of your music.

This is nice simply because it does take some of the pressure off of the guitar that you decide to play. It is still important of course, but finding a model and brand that you are comfortable with is a bigger priority.

Just like with any other genre of music, you want a sound that will mesh well with the songs you are choosing and the vocals you have.

Acoustic guitars come in a huge variety of different sounds, and for country music, there is even still some variety. Whether you want a twangy sound, or a more mellow, warm sound is completely up to you.

If aesthetic is important to you, there are certain styles that are associated with country musicians (think a lot of the Gibson and Martin designs). A lot of our favorites vary in style, so you will have some flexible choices here as well.

Let’s take a look at a list of our favorite acoustic guitars to play country music on to see if you can find your new favorite instrument.

Our Favorites

The first few options on our list are going to be from Fender and Gibson, and then we have a few we really like from other brands as well.

That way you have many different choices, and don’t feel like you have to stick to a certain look or sound.

This design can be played acoustically or electronically, which is incredibly convenient depending on what and where you are playing. It also comes with a hard case, making it perfect to travel with if need be.

If you are looking to purchase this guitar, it will cost around $2000.00 depending on the store or website you purchase it from.

Gibson HP 415 W

Next on our list we have the Gibson HP 415 W, which is another fantastic choice for practicing and playing country music.

The body of this particular guitar is newer design from Gibson, and it adds comfort to your playing and an amazing new sound. This guitar is said to respond wonderfully no matter what type of style you are using to play. This is fantastic for country music, as it is flexible and sounds good no matter if you are strumming or plucking.

The neck has a much flatter fingerboard radius from older designs, which provides you with easier string bending anywhere on the neck of the instrument. Gibson has also engineered a brand new neck profile on this guitar altogether, and it is known as the Advanced Response Neck. It is said to unleash the player’s full potential and to be extremely intuitive and easy to play.

The design has a Sitka spruce top and a gorgeous walnut back and sides to the guitar. For the fingerboard and bridge, Dense Walnut is used. You are also given an inlay of mother-of pearl dots to mark the different positions on the fret board.

Lastly, the Tusq nut and the saddle provide a wonderful, consistent tone, as well as string balance and very precise string spacing.

This design is slightly more affordable than the Gibson Hummingbird. You can purchase the HP 415 W for about $1600.00 from the manufacturer.

This acoustic/electric guitar has been around since the year 1960, and was used by Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones quite frequently. It is a fantastic instrument for driving an all-acoustic band, or for playing all by itself. The guitar has a wonderful sweet and balanced tone, and now it has the Shadow ePerformer preamp and the Shadow NanoFlex pickup system to play while plugged in as well.

The top of the guitar is made of solid spruce, and the body and neck consists of select mahogany.

This incredible vintage styled guitar also comes with a Limited Lifetime Guarantee, and you also get 24/7 customer service from Gibson in case any problems arise as well.

If you are interested in purchasing this particular acoustic guitar, you can buy it for around $300–$500. It is definitely one of the most affordable choices on our list.

This design has a large rounded body that really helps give it the projection, volume, and balance you want out of an acoustic guitar. It has been a respected design since 1954.

The guitar has a solid Sitka spruce top, and a solid Indian rosewood back and sides, which really help give it a wonderful sound. The bridge and fingerboard are also made of Indian rosewood, it has a bone nut and saddle, and a rosette made of mother-of-pearl.

The company also has a lifetime limited warranty, so if anything goes wrong while you own one of their guitars, you are able to consult them about it.

If you are interested in purchasing this acoustic guitar, it will cost you around $1300.00 brand new.

This product is constructed out of solid East Indian rosewood on the back and sides, and it has a Sitka spruce top and a neck made of mahogany. It has been used by many famous musicians, including Jimmy Page and Hank Williams Sr.

Martin has been around for decades, and is well known for their excellent, high-quality guitars. You can’t go wrong with one of their designs.

It is a guitar that is said to be perfect for more intermediate or advanced players. It has a massive bass response that is balanced well with articulate highs.

For an additional $250, you can also purchase the guitar with a sunburst or amber tone shaded top as well.

The standard price for this acoustic guitar is about $3300.00 from Martin, and it can be found new or used from other retailers for varied prices as well.

Buyer’s Guide

Now that you have seen some of our favorite choices, it is a good idea to keep your priorities in mind when shopping for a new guitar.

Make sure to have a set budget range in mind. It can be disappointing to find your dream guitar and realize that you simply cannot afford it. Having a figure in mind beforehand will be really helpful in avoiding that aspect of shopping.

Also, make sure to think about the aesthetic you would like to have with your new guitar. These designs all look different and are made of different materials, so you have a lot to choose from. The materials you go with will also affect your sound as well, so make sure to keep that in mind.

If you have a music store nearby, it would behoove you to try some of these out in person too. That way you can experience the guitar firsthand and be confident that you are making the best choice for you.

Our Final Thoughts

We hope that this guide was helpful in assisting you to find the perfect acoustic guitar to play country music with. Again, while vocals are the main focus in a lot of country music, picking out a great guitar to accompany you is vital as well.

No matter what sound or look you are going for, we hope you found a design on this list that matched it. It can be difficult to choose, but the research will pay off in the end.

What is your favorite guitar on this list? Why?