Best guitar: Top 12 acoustic and electric - The ultimate guide

Find out which guitar is best for you. After reading this article, you'll strike the right note when choosing a guitar. There are a few things to keep in mind when buying one. Get those right and you can't go wrong. As a guitarist, I'm happy to explain without hitting a nerve. Will you choose an acoustic guitar? Or an electric guitar? A steel-string acoustic or a classical guitar? Find out which suits you best in this article.

First, a quick introduction to guitars. This infographic keeps things simple: the difference between acoustic, classical, steel-string acoustic and electric guitars.

In short:

• Acoustic guitars include classical and steel-string guitars
• An acoustic guitar can also be electric
• A classical guitar is an acoustic guitar with the sound of Spanish gitano music. You know it: that familiar Spanish guitar sound.
• A steel-string acoustic guitar has a narrow neck and is widely used in pop music.

There you go. Now you know the basics of guitars. That will help you choose as you read this article.

Best guitars 2026

These are the best guitars we tested:

1. Ibanez AW54CE-OPN
   (Best tested)
2. Fender CD-60 V3
   (Best acoustic)
3. MAX SoloJam
   (Best for beginners)
4. Johnny Brook ST
   (Best electric for beginners)
5. Player Stratocaster HSS
   (Best electric)
6. Alvarez CC7HCEAR
   (Best acoustic under €1000)
7. Ibanez AW54CE-OPN
   (Best acoustic under €500)
8. Salvador Cortez CC-22 BK
   (Best acoustic under €300)
9. Fender Player Plus
   (Best electric guitar under €1000)
10. Player Stratocaster HSS MN
    (Best electric under €500)
11. MAX Gigkit beginner guitar
    (Best electric guitar under €300)
12. Ibanez AW54CE-OPN
    (Best steel-string acoustic guitar)

Guitar test results

Different guitars suit different stages of your playing journey. As a beginner, an acoustic guitar is often your best choice. It helps train your hands to play chords properly.

But starting with an electric guitar is no disaster. Playing guitar should be fun. That's what matters most. Only then will you stick with it and keep wanting to pick up your guitar.

Already an advanced player looking for a good €1000 electric guitar? We've included one in this buying guide too.

Best guitar tested

We think this is the best all-round guitar you can buy right now. We keep this list up to date. A price change or a new version on the market can, of course, change the rankings.

Best acoustic guitar

An acoustic guitar can be either a classical or a steel-string guitar. For our number 2, we've chosen a steel-string acoustic.

Steel-string acoustic guitars are very popular because they're used in familiar pop songs. Classical guitars, which are also acoustic, are more common in Spanish gitano music. So the traditional Spanish music you know is almost always played on a traditional classical guitar.

Best guitar for beginners

A good guitar for beginners should meet a few requirements. But let me say this first: you can start with almost any guitar. Personally, I don't believe there's an ideal beginner guitar. Not when it comes to learning.

Of course, you don't want to spend too much when you're just starting. That's perfectly reasonable. Just like your first car: that probably wasn't an expensive one either.

That's why classical guitars are often considered good beginner guitars. They're inexpensive.

But don't let that limit your choice. Want to play electric because that's the sound you love most? Go for it and buy a good electric guitar for beginners.

A steel-string acoustic guitar's narrow neck is both an advantage and a drawback. It makes playing easier, but doesn't train your knuckles and hands as much as a classical guitar does.

Best electric guitar for beginners

An electric guitar can be an excellent choice for beginners. The narrow neck makes it easy to play, and that great sound gives you an instant buzz.

It keeps encouraging you to carry on. As I've mentioned a few times, that's what matters most when you're starting out.

The biggest obstacle to buying a beginner electric guitar is often the fear of the checkout total. People think it will be very expensive. But don't worry: the price can be a pleasant surprise.

In my view, a beginner guitar shouldn't be expensive. Luckily, there are good entry-level models at affordable prices. A good starter guitar costs around

Best electric guitar

Electric guitars range from €100 to €1000, or even €3000. To keep things simple, we're choosing a model around €500 as our best electric guitar.

At that price, you get a genuinely good guitar you can enjoy for a long time.

And, of course, an electric guitar gives you that great sound you know from movies and rock music.

Best acoustic guitar under €1000

You can buy an acoustic guitar, whether steel-string or classical, for just over €100. But the deeper you dig into your pockets, the deeper the sound. More expensive acoustic guitars are built to produce a more beautiful, pure and full sound.

A more expensive guitar also feels sturdier and sits more comfortably on your lap. A €1000 acoustic guitar is made from a single piece of wood. That improves both the build quality and the sound.

At this price, we expect an acoustic guitar to be made from solid wood at the very least. It should also have a connection for plugging into an amp.

Best acoustic guitar under €500

For €500 or less, you can get a really good acoustic guitar. That could be either a classical or a steel-string acoustic.

A guitar at this price suits a very specific group of players. I always say: it's best not to start with a €500 guitar, and it's best not to use one at this price if you're a professional guitarist.

Buying your second guitar? Then this price range is ideal for you. It's a huge step up in quality from, say, the €100 guitar you had before. And it should see you through at least another 4-5 years of your playing journey.

Best acoustic guitar under €300

We consider €300 the starting point for a good all-round electric guitar that will last for years. It's a step above the lowest budget of around €100.

In my view, an electric guitar under €300 is at the lower end of what you should pay for a guitar. Go much lower and you're in territory you'd rather avoid: flimsy, plasticky, cobbled-together instruments. But that's certainly not what you get with the guitar below.

Best electric guitar under €1000

Looking for an electric guitar under €1000? Then it's worth sticking to the well-known top brands.

At this price, we think a guitar should be excellent in every respect. It should also include all the upgrades we'd otherwise add ourselves.

Best electric guitar under €500

Under €500 is the price sweet spot if you're looking for an intermediate electric guitar. It's a good budget for a second guitar or one to perform with.

Best electric guitar under €300

Looking for an electric guitar under €300? That makes perfect sense.

You can find them from around €150. And the good thing is, that gets you the basics: an instrument you can learn on. Nothing wrong with that.

Of course, after 2 years of learning and making progress, you'll naturally want something more refined. Something with more class. But for learning the basics, I recommend models under €300, or even guitars under €200.

My advice is to skip the bells and whistles and so-called upsells. We see lots of guitars at this price with fancy extras. Experience shows that these features often come at the expense of quality.

Remember: manufacturers can only spend each production euro once. If they add lots of extras, they have to cut costs on sound quality, construction or connections. So choose a guitar with fewer frills and good sound.

One last tip for inexpensive electric guitars: at this price, you can look beyond the big brands. I don't think it pays to limit yourself to the leading names in this price range.

Best steel-string acoustic guitar

A steel-string acoustic is an acoustic guitar. But you can also buy an electric version that lets you plug into an amp. An acoustic guitar isn't always a steel-string guitar, though. As we've explained a few times, it can also be a classical guitar.

Still, 9 out of 10 steel-string acoustic guitars are not electric. Their sound is the familiar sound of modern pop. Ed Sheeran made his name with it.

• Those were the 11 best guitars from our test. Keep going if you'd like to know more, or head back up to the list of 12 guitars.

All about guitars

The guitar is a lovely instrument. It may not be the easiest to play. That would be the triangle. Just kidding.

But a guitar needs proper care. Tuning and changing the strings alone take quite a bit of time. Looking after your guitar can also be very rewarding. Playing it again after fitting new strings is a real pleasure.

In this part of the blog, we answer common questions about the instrument. Have another question? Let us know via WhatsApp. We don't sell guitars ourselves, but we're always happy to help.

What are some well-known guitar brands?

Ibañez, Fender, Gretsch and Gibson are the best-known guitar brands.

Stick with those brands and you know you're getting quality. As with any product, though, these brands often cost a little more. Still, that assurance of quality is worth something.

What is a capo?

A capo is a clamp you place on the neck of your instrument between the frets. Place it 4 frets higher, for example, and you raise the overall pitch by 2 whole tones. In other words, you raise the guitar's open-string pitches. That's important for certain songs. In fact, I'd always keep a capo in my guitar bag.

Types of capos
There are 3 types of capos for different guitars:

• Capos for electric guitars
• Capos for classical guitars
• Capos for steel-string acoustic guitars

Capos for classical and steel-string acoustic guitars often overlap in compatibility. But remember that not every capo fits every instrument.

Strings

The strings may well be the heart of a guitar.

A steel-string acoustic guitar has only steel strings, while a Spanish guitar, also called a classical guitar, has nylon strings too. Those nylon strings are an advantage for beginners.

They feel softer on your fingers. When you're starting out, your fingertips haven't toughened up yet, and a steel-string acoustic can sometimes leave them sore.

Types of guitars

There are all sorts of guitars. Acoustic and electric are the best-known types, followed by classical Spanish and steel-string acoustic guitars. But what other types are there?

Acoustic guitar

An acoustic guitar is probably the type most familiar to us: a non-electric guitar with a hollow body. Acoustic guitars fall into 2 categories: classical and steel-string.

Classical guitar

A classical guitar is a Spanish guitar often used in Spanish or Latin American music.

Steel-string acoustic guitar

A steel-string acoustic guitar has a lot in common with a classical guitar. It's acoustic too. The easiest way to recognize one is by the less pronounced waist in the body.

As you can see above, there are a few easy ways to tell them apart. You can spot whether it's a classical or steel-string acoustic at a glance.

Electric guitar

An electric guitar is more compact but heavier, and usually doesn't have a hollow body. The sound is amplified and sent through a cable to an amp or headphones so you can hear it.

One advantage of an electric guitar is that you can send its signal straight into the mix. That's useful when playing in a band or recording.

Of course, you can amplify a classical guitar too, but you'll need to place a microphone against its body.

Still, 'electric guitar' is a very broad term. There are countless different versions in that category. Walk into a music store and say you want an electric guitar, and you haven't given the salesperson much to go on.

Semi-electric guitar

You can also get acoustic guitars that can be amplified. You'll find a connection at the bottom of the guitar for plugging into your amp. That's ideal if you like the classical sound but also want to record and perform.

Acoustic-electric guitar

Acoustic sounds like the opposite of electric, but it isn't. Some acoustic guitars have a jack for amplified playing. That makes them semi-electric guitars.

Bass guitar

A bass guitar has just 4 strings and is designed specifically to play the low notes in a song or production. People often think drums form the foundation of a musical production. But many musicians truly appreciate the bass guitar's role.

Kids guitar

You can also buy a guitar made specifically for children. It's a smaller guitar, usually classical, that keeps all the chords within reach. Children often start playing a full-size guitar at around age 12.

Banjo

A banjo is a guitar with a round body and a drumhead stretched tightly across it. It produces short, sharp notes and is widely used in certain styles of music, such as American country.

Left-handed guitar

If you're left-handed, you'll need a special left-handed guitar. Its neck is on the left rather than the right, just as you need it.

Keep in mind that a left-handed version always costs more than a right-handed one. Why? Because far more right-handed guitars are produced.

One of the best-known left-handed guitarists is Jimmy Hendrix. But he did something interesting: he played a right-handed guitar left-handed. I'd find that awkward. Hendrix, though, played it brilliantly, as only he could.

That goes to show: don't get too caught up in the rules when you're learning guitar. You'll hear all sorts of advice, such as "don't learn on an electric guitar." If that's what you want to do, do it. End of story.

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