If you’re a guitar player no matter what level you are at there will come a time you will be in the market for an acoustic electric instrument. This guide will help you understand and give you a better understanding on what you should be looking for and what you can get on a budget.

Acoustic electric guitars can run the gamut in price. There are guitars out there from $69-$25,000 so what do you look for? In today’s world we are very lucky with a global economy we have many fine guitars coming in from Asia. Many of these guitars are great quality for extremely affordable prices. There are a few basic things to look at.

1. Quality wood construction. Spruce or nato tops and rosewood or nato sides are the best in guitars in the $99-$299. Range. Nato is a very resonate wood that make for great tone quality and re -grows very fast. This makes nato the perfect choice not only for tone but for the environment as well. Rosewood is also great for tone quality. Re-growth of rosewood takes years and the quality of today’s rosewood tends to be not quite what it use to be. Don’t get me wrong it is still a great wood and highly recommended.

2. Covered machine heads. These are now standard on almost all guitars and you should not settle for anything less.

3. 3 band EQ. In this class of guitar you should expect nothing less than 3 bands of EQ. One bass, one treble and a volume and or midrange.

4. Active pickup. An active pickup requires a 9 volt battery and makes for a cleaner crisper more controllable tone. Don’t settle for anything less than a active pickup system.

5. Brands to look for in this class of guitar. After tons of research and trial and error the best in this price range we have found are; #1 Eleca brand. This brand is the best bang for the buck. Top rate guitars that are actually made in the same factory as the top name brands. These guitars carry great warranties and from our experience just don’t break down. #2. Jasmine by Takimine. Great quality and good warranties. #3. Montana guitars. Again great warranties and very few complaints. Montanas are best in class when it comes to wood qualities and flame maple tops. And #4. New York Pro guitars. Good quality and fair prices.

Now that we have laid out the basics we hope it all helps. There are may guitars in this class and we have linked some of the best deals below.

Eleca acoustic electric guitar avalable at Jakes Music Place Jakes Music Place