Buying Guides

Solid-Top Acoustics Under $400: A Beginner’s Guide to What Nobody Tells You

Middle-aged man playing an acoustic guitar in a woodworking workshop.

I’ve set up more cheap acoustics on my kitchen table than I can count, mostly for younger players who bought based on looks or a salesperson’s pitch. A few things get left out of every “best budget guitar” list, so here’s what I wish someone had told me thirty years ago. First, “solid top” only means the top. The back and sides on almost everything under $400 are laminate, and that is fine, not a compromise you need to apologize for. Laminate back and sides … Read the article