If you’re looking for a top-quality and affordable guitar, you’re in the right place. As an intermediate musician with over 13 years of experience, I know how difficult it is to choose a new guitar. In addition, there are just so many great instruments available. Hence, I gathered some of the best guitars on the market right now and created this list. Let’s have a deep look at find the best acoustic and electric guitar for under 500 dollars. What’s more, I added short descriptions below to help you with making the right choice. Of course, you can also check out the details under the links below. Let’s go!
Best Acoustic Guitar For Under 500 Dollars
- Guild F-240E – Check Pricing on Amazon
- Fender CD-140SCE – Check Pricing on Amazon
- Gretsch G5024E – Check Pricing on Amazon
- Washburn HG12S – Check Pricing on Amazon
- Takamine GN30CE – Check Pricing on Amazon
Best Electric Guitar For Under 500 Dollars
- Ibanez Artcore AS73 – Check Pricing on Amazon
- Squier Classic Vibe 70’s Jaguar – Check Pricing on Amazon
- Squier Classic Vibe 50’s Stratocaster – Check Pricing on Amazon
- Schechter Omen Extreme-6 – Check Pricing on Amazon
- Ibanez GRX 6 – Check Pricing on Amazon
Best Acoustic Guitar For Under 500 Dollars
Guild-F240E
A truly affordable and great sounding guitar made of mahogany and spruce wood. This guitar is really powerful due to its jumbo size. What’s interesting, it also features an arched mahogany back. As a result, the sound of this Guild is really powerful. This guitar will be perfect for singer-songwriters and band members. Indeed, what I personally like about this guitar is the pau ferro fingerboard and a really elegant mother-of-pearl rosette. Moreover, the instrument is available in a natural color, which looks absolutely fantastic. Check on Amazon.
Fender CD-140SCE
This Fender is one of my favorites. The guitar features a solid mahogany top as well as mahogany back and sides. Surely, if you’re not aware, mahogany wood is an extremely solid and durable material. Hence, this guitar looks and sounds absolutely remarkable. I had the pleasure to play this guitar in the past and what I liked the most was the comfortable neck. While you’re a beginner guitarist, you will definitely enjoy that. Moreover, this Fender features a cutaway design, which gives you an easier access to the upper frets. Check on Amazon.
Gretsch G5024E
An absolutely fantastic and affordable guitar available in a classic sunburst color. This instrument features a solid spruce top and laminated mahogany back and sides. The sound of this thing is absolutely amazing. What I like about the Gretsch guitars is their attention to detail. Out of my experience, all of their guitars are always set up properly. This Gretsch is definitely eye-catching due to its Rancher triangular soundhole. Moreover, it will be a perfect guitar for an individual and bold artist who’s confident about his music. Check on Amazon.
Washburn HG12S
A really interesting instrument. In fact, it’s one of the most affordable guitars on my list. The guitar features solid mahogany back and sides and it comes in a natural dark mahogany color. Similarly as the rest of mahogany guitars, the tone of this thing is really warm and mellow. It will be ideal for fingerstyle guitarists and people who enjoy playing folk, blues or roots music. What’s more, the guitar is really comfortable to play. The action of strings is really low. Hence, it is also a great instrument for beginners. Check on Amazon.
Takamine GN30CE
Manufacturer of these guitars is a Japanese brand that creates unique and top-quality guitars. GN30CE is most likely one of the best affordable guitars available on the market right now. Indeed, it features a solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides. As a result, the instrument is really loud and resonant. What’s more, it comes with a preamp system. This means that you won’t have to buy a separate tuner, because it’s included in the guitar. What’s more, there’s also a three-band EQ. I highly recommend this instrument for musicians who are playing live gigs or open mic nights. Check on Amazon.
Best Electric Guitar For Under 500 Dollars
Ibanez Artcore AS73
Something for lovers of rock, jazz and indie. This semi-hollow body guitar is really affordable. It features the all-maple body and a mahogany neck with a bound rosewood fretboard. If you’ve read my other blog posts, you probably know that I’m a huge fan of hollow body and semi-hollow body guitars. In fact, I personally own three guitars of this style. Ibanez AS73 is an extremely playable and enjoyable guitar. I highly recommend that instrument for both beginners and intermediate guitarists! Check on Amazon.
Squier Classic Vibe 70’s Jaguar
Kurt Cobain and Johnny Marr – do you know what they have in common? They both used Jaguars on their most popular recordings. Whether you like The Smiths and Nirvana or not, you have to admit that the sound of Jaguars is simply amazing. This Squier is the most affordable Jaguar on the market. In addition, it features poplar and laurel wood. Moreover, it’s inspired by 1970’s era Jaguar models. Two single coil pickups deliver a stunning and sharp sound, which will be great for alternative and indie music. Check on Amazon.
Squier Classic Vibe 50’s Stratocaster
This brand creates truly remarkable guitars. Thus, there’s another Squier guitar on my list! This Classic Vibe Stratocaster is absolutely amazing. Evidently, these Squiers are pretty much the same as the Mexican Fenders. I truly recommend this Stratocaster for everyone who’s interested in playing guitar. Three single coil pickups allow you to play pretty much everything that you can possibly imagine. On top of that, there’s also a tremolo bridge. In addition, the maple neck on this thing looks just spectacular. It’s also super comfortable to play! Check on Amazon.
Schechter Omen Extreme-6
These guitars are really popular among the lovers of rock and metal music. This red gem looks a little bit satanic. It can also sound REALLY satanic. I highly recommend this guitar for all lovers of heavy metal and speed metal. This super comfortable maple neck will be ideal for shredding and speed tapping. What’s more, the string-thru bridge results with a bit longer sustain. I would recommend this guitar for more intermediate players. Nevertheless, if you’re a beginner and you want to start playing metal, you’re going to love it too! Check on Amazon.
Ibanez GRX 6
Similarly as Schechter, Ibanez creates really great guitars for rock and metal music. Clearly, this model is significantly more affordable than the rest. I wanted to add this instrument here, because I believe that its quality also deserves a highlight. Again, Ibanez GRX 6 features maple and poplar wood. Besides, it’s also available in a few different colors. Indeed, I really enjoy this Transparent Violet Sunburst model. In terms of sound, the guitar sounds absolutely amazing. It will be perfect for both beginner and intermediate guitarists. Check on Amazon.
Best Guitar For Under 500 Dollars – My Choice
As you can see, there are a lot of great guitars available within that price range. Personally, out of the Top 5 Acoustic Guitars, I would say that Fender CD-140 is the best acoustic guitar for under 500 dollars. Why? I absolutely love mahogany guitars. Their warm sounds truly melts my heart. On the contrary, in terms of the electric guitars, I would pick the Squier Classic Vibe Jaguar or Stratocaster. Squier by Fender is a really powerful brand and I highly recommend it to everyone.
What about you? Let me know what would you choose. Surely, you have something on your mind. Feel free to comment below!
– Dave
