The Best Acoustic Guitars for Less Than $500

The prices on everything today are going up fast, so if you are thinking about purchasing a new acoustic guitar, I would not waste any time at all. This Hub will quickly help you narrow down your options so that you can choose your favorite from here. This is my opinion on the best acoustic guitars for under $500. These are in no particular order.

Epiphone EJ-200CE: This is Epiphone’s take on a classic Gibson design. It is a jumbo body style, with a cutaway and E Sonic 2 pickup mounted under the bridge. It features a solid spruce top with laminate maple back and sides and a maple neck. Other features include gold hardware, a 25 ½ inch scale, a 1.6 inch wide nut, a mustache inlay bridge and a rosewood fretboard with crown inlays. Choose from color choices including Natural, Black and Sunburst. Oh and by the way, have you ever seen or heard the most recent winner of the television show Nashville Star, Melissa Lawson? Well I know her, and she uses one of these beauties in live performances. $449.00

Epiphone EJ-160E John Lennon Edition: John Lennon knew what a good guitar was. During his time with the Beatles he used Gibson’s version of this masterpiece. Solid spruce top, mahogany back sides and neck, a single coil pickup at the neck with Tone and Volume controls mounted on the spruce top. Vintage Cherry Sunburst with chrome hardware. $499.00

Takamine G Series EG440C NEX: This Takamine acoustic features a cutaway design with a unique NEX Takamine body shape. Spruce top, mahogany back and sides, rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, TP4T preamp for amplification in live settings, and gold hardware. The TP4T preamp also features a very handy on-board tuner. $399.00

Epiphone Masterbilt AJ-500M and DR-500M: These two guitars are THE BEST value for your money you will ever find these days! I own the AJ-500ME acoustic/electric version of this and it’s simply amazing. Tons of guys at Guitar Center said that it was the best guitar for the money and higher you can get when I was trying it out about a year ago. These Masterbilt acoustics are made of all solid woods. Solid spruce top, and solid mahogany back and sides with a bound rosewood fretboard nickel hardware. They don’t have electronics, but you can add that later if you have the money. Also, the band Relient K uses two of these Masterbilts. These are just too good to pass up! Just to put it into perspective, a Taylor 310ce acoustic guitar made in USA with solid spruce top and sapele (basically mahogany) back and sides is $1,549.00, while an Epiphone Masterbilt AJ-500M or DR-500M is only $499.00

Martin DX1: A solid top Martin acoustic for $500? Yep! This genuine Martin has a solid spruce top with Martin’s special HPL back and sides made to imitate mahogany. This HPL material is extremely durable meaning it can withstand extreme weather changes better than solid wood which tends to warp or crack under the same conditions. Chrome tuners, no on-board electronics. Bare-bones design with no dot inlays on the fretboard. $499.00

Yamaha FG Series FGX730SCA: I almost bought this one, but I discovered the Masterbilt series before I did. However this doesn’t mean this guitar isn’t awesome, because it is awesome! Solid spruce top with a cutaway and rosewood laminate back and sides with a rosewood fretboard, and black and ivory binding. System 55T electronics sound wonderful through the Bose PA system at Guitar Center. There is also a built-in tuner and 3-band EQ. Chrome tuners and natural finish. This would be my second choice after the Masterbilt in this price range. Great value at $499.99

Thanks,

Parker

www.theparkinggarage.webs.com