The Best Acoustic Guitars

The top, or soundboard, does most of the singing. Guitar Player explains that a solid top is one continuous piece of wood, which typically brings more volume, sustain and harmonic complexity, and can improve with age. Laminate is thin layers glued together: less resonant, but more tolerant of humidity changes and knocks.

That gives a simple ladder. Under $300, look for a solid top with laminate back and sides, as on the Yamaha FG800J and Fender CP-60S; Guitar Player calls that pairing the sensible compromise. Closer to $850, all-solid construction becomes realistic, and the Epiphone J-45 Standard pairs a solid spruce top with solid mahogany back and sides.

Guitar Player describes spruce as bright, clear and punchy with a wide dynamic range, and darker tops such as mahogany as woodier, with a warmer midrange. Four of the six guitars here use spruce. The Taylor GS Mini Mahogany is the mahogany voice, and the Seagull S6 Original is the cedar one, a top Seagull tags as warm.

Don't overthink it, though. University of Rock's advice is not to obsess over tonewoods, and it is sound. Comfort and a good setup change how a guitar sounds in your hands more than the species of its top.

Guitar Player sums up the shapes well. A dreadnought is loud with strong bass, ideal for strumming. An auditorium shape is more balanced and articulate, good for fingerstyle. A parlor is small and punchy, with less bass and plenty of clarity, suited to blues and home recording. Smaller players, the guide adds, may never get comfortable on the biggest bodies.

In this list, the FG800J, FGX800C, S6 and J-45 are full-size guitars; the J-45's rounded shoulders make it feel slightly smaller. The Fender CP-60S is a true parlor with a 24.75-inch scale, and the Taylor GS Mini is the most compact, with a 23 1/2-inch scale.

Only if you will play through a PA or amp, or want to record by plugging straight in. Guitar Player's view is that home players who don't record can do without, though a factory-fitted pickup has little downside. Two guitars here have one.

The Yamaha FGX800C's SYSTEM66 preamp includes a built-in tuner and three-band EQ, a useful combination for a first gigging guitar. The Epiphone J-45 Standard's Fishman Presys VT is simpler, with volume and tone controls tucked inside the soundhole where the audience won't see them.

Solid woods react more to humidity than laminate. Guitar Player recommends humidifying solid-wood guitars, preferably with a purpose-made soundhole or case humidifier rather than a damp sponge. Guitar Center's advice is simpler still: keep the guitar in a case with a humidifier, and never leave it in a car.

Budget for a setup, too. Guitar Player notes that mid- and low-priced acoustics are less likely to arrive with a thorough setup, and that adjusting the action, nut and saddle can transform how easily chords ring out.

A well-set-up acoustic rewards slow listening. If you love fingerpicked steel strings in open tunings, our slack-key guitar recordings make a gentle companion to practice.

• The safe default: Yamaha FG800J, a solid-top dreadnought under $300.
• Plugging in on a budget: Yamaha FGX800C, the same family with a cutaway and preamp.
• Small body, small budget: Fender CP-60S parlor.
• Travel, sofa or smaller hands: Taylor GS Mini Mahogany.
• A warm fingerstyle voice: Seagull S6 Original.
• One guitar to keep for decades: Epiphone J-45 Standard, all solid wood with a pickup.