30 Apr Best Acoustic Guitars under £1000
Bag yourself a quality acoustic for under £1000
Whilst you can pick up a decent acoustic guitar for £200-£300 – check out Tanglewood, Epiphone, Sigma, Fender and Alvarez to name a few – paying up to £1000 gets you a really decent acoustic guitar that should have all solid tonewoods and a good pickup system thrown in.
You can even get a bit of US mojo from Martin and Taylor at this price, although they may have been made in their Mexican factories.
Our Choice
- Martin Road Series c£949 – £999
- Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Hummingbird c£749
- Taylor GS Mini c£449 – £999
- Faith Nexus Venus c£885
- Yamaha L Series ARE c£999
- Eastman AC Series AC222CE c£889
- Sheeran by Lowden £795 – £995
More than with electric guitars it is important to actually play an acoustic before you buy to make sure you like the sound as you can’t do much to change it if you don’t!
Body size/shape, neck size and general playability all come into as well and don’t forget the pickup system if you are going to play live. Most important of all will be the combination of woods for the top, back and sides.
Whilst the choice in acoustic guitars is not as comprehensive as with electric guitars, there is still a great number of makers out there who will have something for you across one of their ‘series’ – encompassing different shapes, colours, tonewoods and electros.
These are our top picks for 2026, in no particular order:
Martin Road Series c£949 – £999
Recently refreshed, the Road Series is now 20 models strong, with 18 newly introduced or updated guitars.
You can choose from: Retro for classic Martin style and Modern for contemporary performance.
With body size options from the compact 000s, sleek OMs, powerful Dreadnoughts, versatile Grand Performance bodies, and ground breaking SC models, there’s truly something for every player.
Comes complete with a premium-grade soft shell case. Price range: £949-£999
Our choice is the Martin 000-10E Retro with solid spruce top and Martin E1 electronics. Yours for £999
Check it out and purchase at Gear4music
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Hummingbird c£749
Can’t afford the US Gibson Hummingbird at £3400 plus? Don’t fret this will get you close in terms of tone, style and presence and all at a great price!
Crafted with solid Sitka Spruce and Mahogany for a beautiful, warm sound and equipped with Fishman Sonicore electronics for the best amplification experience. Finished in aged Cherry Sunburst Gloss
Check it out and purchase at Gear4music
Taylor GS Mini series c£449 – £999
We love the GS mini!
It has been around for a few years now and is one of their best sellers. The range is large and prices are from about £450 for a standard model up to £999 for the top models.
Our pick is the GS Mini e-Koa with solid top and layered koa body. We just love the look of koa!
This Koa model has ES-2 electronics on board for a great plugged in tone.
Check it out and purchase at Gear4music
Faith Nexus Venus Cutaway c£885
Our pick is the Nexus Venus – Cutaway Electro – Solar Flare.
Faith Nexus models are all-solid acoustic guitars, designed to carefully bridge the gap between the stripped-back Naked series and the premium PRO and LEGACY models.
A great shape and size, being comfortable to play for long periods, but with superb tone and acoustic power.
Fitted with the Fishman Presys 2 preamp system and an undersaddle piezo pickup strip.
Supplied complete with a padded gigbag.
Check it out and purchase at Amazon
Yamaha L Series LL16 ARE c£999
Yamaha have been making great acoustics for over fifty years and their L Series reflects their expertise and history.
The brand new LL16ARE features all-solid Rosewood back and sides with hand-selected premium Engelmann Spruce forming the top.
A newly designed bracing pattern and our acclaimed A.R.E. treatment creates a rich, warm, open resonance whilst still offering excellent tonal balance.
In addition, a new comfortable neck profile and the Yamaha Zero-Impact SRT pickup ensure a stress-free performance.
Check it out and purchase at Gear4music
Eastman AC222CE c£889
Our pick is the AC222CE Deluxe. These are craftsman built guitars that belie their price.
The AC Series takes a more modern design and build approach, with a cutaway body, great tonewoods – solid sitka top and ovangkol back and sides.
Comes with the inbuilt Fishman Presys VT pickup system and a deluxe Eastman gig bag.
Finished in Natural or Goldburst.
More info: Eastman Guitars
Sheeran by Lowden c£795 – £995
Our pick is the S26 at £825.
Designed in combination with Ed Sheeran, being UK made and built. A great price as well for a UK guitar!
At £825 this is a bargain, offering great playability and tone using materials with high sustainability credentials.
The S26 is based on the successful Lowden S (small) body and comes with a solid sitka spruce top and walnut back and sides.
Add in an LR Baggs EAS VTC pickup and Sheeran gig bag and what’s not to like?
Links to Gear Pages
Acoustic Guitars
Acoustic guitar makers
Read our guide on tonewoods
