Most buyers won’t probably believe that you can get a great sounding, quality guitar at an affordable price. There seems to be this belief that you will only find a good guitar when the price hits $1000 and above.
But we are here to bust that myth – we believe that you can find great deals if you search hard enough. That’s why we challenged ourselves to search high and low for guitars of exceptional quality and performance but are priced affordably, preferably below $1000.
We are glad to say that we’ve succeeded. This best guitar under 1000 list is the fruit of our search. In fact, not only did we succeed, we even overshoot our original target. While we set the limit to $1000, you’ll find that all of the amazing guitars contained in this list are priced below $200.
Sounds unbelievable? Check out the list and see for yourself. Happy shopping.
Table of Contents
Yamaha CGS102A
Best Young Guitarist
Great starter kit for younger guitar lovers
Rated by: Scott
Donner DAG-1C
Best Acoustic Guitar
For those who love rich and mellow tones
Rated by: Scott
Epiphone Les Paul
Best Electric Guitar
Perfect for those overdrives and distortions
Rated by: Scott
Quick Summary
Rated by: Scott
Founded in 2012, Donner can be considered a newcomer to the musical instrument manufacturing scene. In this few short years, however, the company quickly made a reputation for itself as a maker of finely crafted and quality ukuleles and guitars and offering them at not too expensive prices.
The Donner DAG-1C is the company’s entry to the beginner level niche in the guitar market. True to the Donner philosophy, the full-size acoustic beginner guitar is a quality guitar.
But more surprising still is that it is very affordable considering its caliber which earns it a spot to this best guitar under 1000 list.
The DAG-1C is a 41-inch cutaway geared for beginner level guitarists. Its top is made from laminate spruce while its sides and back are made out of laminate mahogany. The neck is a C-shape and the guitar has 20 frets with dot inlays. Tuning machine is made out of die-cast steel.
Despite being made out of laminate, the guitar is still able to produce spectacular tone quality. Higher notes come out as crisp and clear while the mids and lower frequencies are imbued with a surprising richness.
As a beginner level offering, this is actually a bundle and contains all the necessities to start practicing the art right away. Aside from the acoustic beginner guitar, the complete set includes a guitar strap, Capo, extra strings, polishing cloth, picks, digital clip-on tuner.
The Donner DAG-1C set comes with a 30-day unconditional money back guarantee so it’s an added layer of protection for you.
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Quick Summary
Rated by: Scott
An acoustic electric guitar can be viewed as a souped-up version of the regular acoustic. Fitted with electronics, you will now have that option of plugging it in allowing for a greater sound projection to reach a larger audience.
If you are in the market for one, you might want to give the Glen Burton GA204BCO-BK Acoustic-Electric Cutaway Guitar a closer look. It delivers a very impressive quality output which becomes even more surprising when you consider its very affordable price.
For this amazing combination of low price range and great performance, we had to include this guitar in the best guitars under 1000 list.
The Glen Burton GA204BCO-BK is stunning that you’ll immediately get the feeling it’s worth more than its price. It has a maple top, while its back and sides are basswood. The neck is made out of catalpa, which is a native North American wood known for being sturdy, so you’ll be sure this guitar is tough. The rosewood fretboard completes the ensemble.
The GA204BCO-BK’s hardware is a bit basic but you’ll always have that option of spending extra to upgrade it. It has sealed gear tuners and steel strings which you can quickly upgrade yourself if you want. The set comes with a 10-Watt amplifier, truss rod, picks, strap, and digital clip-on tuner.
For its price, the Glen Burton GA204BCO-BK acoustic electric guitar delivers an amazing performance. You’ll get a balanced tone without the annoying buzzing noise, sound that is very pleasing to the ears.
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Quick Summary
Rated by: Scott
Another superb guitar from Donner is the Donner DAG-1CE. It is a 41-inch full-size guitar acoustic electric guitar and since it’s offered as a bundle, we feel is a great deal and should be included in this awesome guitar under 1000 list.
As with other Donner guitars, the craftsmanship of the DAG-1CE Acoustic Electric Guitar Cutaway 41’’ Full-size Guitar can only be described as top notch. It has a spruce top and mahogany back and sides while the neck is made out of African mahogany.
This combination of materials enables the acoustic-electric guitar to deliver warm, rich and clear sounds.
The quality of the sound output is further enhanced via its built-in preamp and 3-band equalizer to give you more options and control over the output’s bass, mid and treble.
This is a set so it comes with accessories. These include a good quality big bag, a guitar-sized strap, a set of guitar strings, a guitar Capo, a polishing cloth, 4-pack guitar picks and a pickguard. Being a Donner, you are assured that the guitar is built to exacting standards. Nothing is left to chance from the process of selecting choice materials to the actual manufacturing process, everything is done with the goal of delivering only the best in quality.
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Quick Summary
Rated by: Scott
Ranch’s 41-inch acoustic Cutaway guitar is one of those products where you’d be hard pressed to find a convincing reason not to buy it. From its affordable price to its high-quality craftsmanship and sound output, you’ll be more inclined to buy it than not.
This explains why we have to include the Acoustic Guitar Ranch 41"Full-Size Cutaway Beginners Wooden Guitar in this list of top guitar below 1000 list. One look at the instrument and you’ll be blown away by its classic yet elegant cutaway design.
The materials used are also good indications of the manufacturer’s passion to come up with a high-quality product.
Its neck and headstock are made from okoume wood, a tree that usually grows on Gabon and its top is spruce, Africa. Its bridge and fingerboard are made from Indonesian rosewood while its side and back panels are made from African sapele. This impressive combination results to a guitar that delivers rich, full-bodied, deep and warm tones that’s definitely a pleasure to listen to.
The combination of the wood used also gives the guitar an aura of natural elegance. Coupled with its fine craftsmanship, you’ll see that the guitar itself is a work of art.
The Ranch acoustic guitar is also packed with features that make it ideal as a starter guitar geared for beginner level guitarists. It is very easy to play with its wider spaced frets ideal for novices. In addition, the guitar is easy to tune, which makes it ideal for beginners.
The complete set includes the 41 inch Ranch BH-2 Cutaway Acoustic beginner Guitar, a lined fabric gig bag with adjustable strap, a digital tuner with clip and battery, an easy change guitar Capo, a microfiber polishing cloth, extra set of steel strings, adjustment tool, guitar strap, and two guitar picks. The set also comes with a money-back guarantee within a month of purchase as well as one year warranty.
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Quick Summary
Rated by: Scott
The Yamaha CGS102A ½-Size is designed with younger guitarists in mind. It is perfect for due to its smaller size. Being a Yamaha product also means that even if its affordably priced, the quality of the instrument is unquestionable, which earns it a place in our top guitar below 1000 list.
This Yamaha classical guitar is made up of a unique wood combination for optimal acoustic performance. It has a spruce top while its back and side/rib are made of meranti.
The guitar’s neck is nato while both its fingerboard and bridge are made of rosewood. The guitar has a gloss finish giving it a classic look which showcases its wood.
This unique wood combination gives the CGS102A the perfect acoustic characteristic for a high-quality guitar. Give the guitar a stream and you’ll hear crisp and clear high notes, full-bodied mids and rich low tones.
The set includes all the necessities you’ll need to get started in your musical path. There is electric tuner and extra strings, a string winder, Austin Bazaar instructional DVD, and polishing cloth.
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Quick Summary
Rated by: Scott
The brand may not be that popular in the West but Aileen Music (Nanjing) Co., Ltd has been in the business for quite some time now.
Based in Jiangsu, China, the company was established in 1993 and is a global supplier of high-quality musical instruments such as acoustic guitars, violins, brass and woodwind instruments, percussions, keyboards and other accessories.
The Aileen 41-Inch Full Size acoustic guitar offers a balanced sound. This is made possible by its handcrafted spruce top with its unique "X" bracing structure enabling it to produce both bright and warm tones.
The guitar’s impressive acoustic properties mean that it is capable of displaying its finesse for both highs and lows. Coupled with its affordable price, we have to include it in this best guitar below 1000 list.
This is a set and includes all you need to get started. Aside from the guitar, there is a high quality waterproof padded gig bag, clip-on electronic tuner, strap, 3 picks, clean cloth and guitar stand.
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Quick Summary
Rated by: Scott
If you’re not really into the soft and mellow sound of an acoustic guitar, then the electric guitar is probably best for you. With it, you can play virtually any type of music you can think of such as jazz, rock, pop, and others.
Speaking of best electric guitars, we have just the right one for your and, due to its affordability, we’ve even included it in this best guitar below 1000 list.
What we are talking about is the Epiphone PPEG-EGL1VSCH1 Les Paul Electric Guitar Player Pack. This set gives you a great deal because you’ll not only get a great electric guitar, you’ll even have an amplifier and two humbucker pickups along with a guitar cable.
In short, you’ll get everything you will need to start playing an electric guitar right away. You’ll get a genuine Les Paul Special-II LTD guitar, which features two classic humbucker pickups. A 10-watt Electra guitar amp, as well as a 10ft guitar cable, are also included in the package.
To complete the Epiphone Les Paul Player Pack, there is clip-on headstock chromatic tuner, a guitar strap, medium picks, and an easy-to-carry gig bag. There are also free downloadable guitar lessons to help you improve on your guitar skills.
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Quick Summary
Rated by: Scott
Jasmine Guitars is solely focused on making quality products that are affordably priced. This is evident in the Jasmine 6 String S35 Acoustic Guitar Pack - S35-PAK, the company’s entry into the starter pack niche.
The guitar is a full-size dreadnought which the company is marketing as the perfect first guitar. It is well-built and very easy to play making it ideal for beginners.
It features a spruce top, agathis back and side and is constructed with Jasmine’s Advanced “X” bracing. Its smooth satin finish, along with body binding and chrome tuners, enables it to produce quality sound when in use.
With all these features and its incredibly low price, we have no reason at all not to include this in our best guitar under 1000 list.
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They always say that you’ll find what you you are looking for if you search hard enough. Thanks to us, we’ve proven them right. We hope you find the best guitar below 1000 useful.