Rating of the best acoustic and classical guitars

The name of the oldest American guitar manufacturer is not as well-known as the upstart brands from the 20th century, but the fact that Martin has been producing musical instruments since 1833 is worthy of respect and attention. This will be confirmed by such musicians as Ed Sheeran (he is known in his homeland by no means for his role in the Game of Thrones), Sturgill Simpson (Grammy 2015 nominee), Del McCory, who has been playing bluegrass and country since 1967 and has become a multiple winner of various awards. . It was Martin who in the 1920s created a dreadnought-type body, for its juicy and powerful sound, first loved by jazzmen, and then by blues performers, and now, in fact, has become the standard choice for concert playing. The same company also came up with the X-shaped arrangement of the springs under the top soundboard, which made it possible to turn a classical guitar into a modern acoustic, avoiding warping under the influence of steel string tension.

Martin guitars can attract attention with a very good combination of price and quality, especially considering that this brand also has entry-level “student” series, which, however, will not cause a desire to change the instrument for a long time. Their prices are also, alas, appropriate.

Keeping the classic form, Martin does not shy away from modern technologies: for example, the proprietary Aura VT & Matrix VT Enhance know-how “directs” the sound into the cutout, making it easier to record with a microphone and enriching the sound. And, of course, the company has its own Custom Shop, which will allow you to make your guitar individual, up to the manual aging of individual parts.

Godin’s story is an example of what a top-notch craftsman can accomplish in a short amount of time. Canadian master Robert Godin, who founded the company named after himself in 1972, quickly gained recognition from professional musicians. Although the firm focuses on electric guitars, it also has interesting instruments in the acoustic field.

Guitars of the Multiac Nylon (classic) and Multiac Steel (acoustic) families are interesting for their non-traditional solution — instead of the usual round hole in the deck under the neck, several different-sized holes of small diameter surround the controls of the built-in preamp above the neck. This provides the guitars with a characteristic «taste» in resonance that is worth appreciating for yourself. The 11-string Godin A11 and the 8-string A8 have no top holes at all… However, the A11 is a fretless guitar!

So Godin guitars will be of interest primarily to experimenters from the world of music: if the sound of a classical guitar or an American dreadnought seems beaten and boring to you, Robert Godin knows what to offer you.

Even if you have never heard of this company, you must have heard one of their guitars — it was the Takamine guitar that Glenn Frey of the Eagles was armed with during the recording of «Hotel California».

It was this song that became the impetus for the development of a previously little-known company based in post-war Japan. The hallmark of the brand very soon became the use of built-in preamps in its electro-acoustic guitars, and it later became a pioneer in the development of DSP (digital signal processors).

The manufacturability of production is generally one of the main «chips» of Takamine: if the American conservatives in their advertising rely on the maximum use of manual labor, the Japanese, on the contrary, widely use computer design and numerically controlled machines. And it doesn’t harm the sound one iota — both Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen will confirm this. However, for traditionalists, Takamine also offers the Pro-Series — guitars made entirely by the hands of masters.

The firm has plenty to choose from, with the more budget-friendly G-Series offering everything from three-quarter guitars and ukuleles to full-size concert dreadnoughts and acoustic basses. It is simply impossible to list all the models within the framework of our article: take a look at the Takamine catalog and see for yourself. No less choice in the Pro-Series — Takamine will satisfy any request from a novice guitarist to a famous musician.

The assortment of the Japanese concern, whose musical roots are still given out by tuning forks on the emblem, includes a huge number of guitars — from student to professional. Having won recognition in the 1960s with the FG series, which proved that a high-level guitar can be quite affordable, by now the Japanese company has become one of the world leaders. Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins and Scott Holiday of the Rival Sons are just two of the long list of musicians whose acoustic guitars carry the Yamaha label.

Do you need maximum quality and manual assembly? The L series is made for you. Powerful and clear sound with a rich bottom end? Check out the CPX guitars. Choice for an aspiring musician? You will be interested in very good and inexpensive acoustic guitars of the F and FX series.

No less rich is the choice of classical guitars, especially interesting for learning, and from a very early age: the line includes not only three-quarter guitars, but also 1/2 size instruments. But even a professional who prefers the classic sound of nylon strings will find a suitable instrument among the hand-built GCX series.

The history of the brand began precisely with acoustic guitars: it was under it that back in 1929 the Japanese company Hoshino Gakki began importing instruments from the small Spanish company Salvador Ibáñez. So the debate about how to read this name correctly is easily resolved: the guitars were originally created by the famous Spanish master Salvador Ibanez.

After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, the Japanese began to independently produce guitars, having bought the rights to the trademark from Salvador Ibanez. Although the company is now known primarily for extreme seven- and eight-string electric guitars for meat lovers and instruments for shredders that can play Flight of the Bumblebee three times faster than the original, no one forgot about acoustic guitars. By and large, Ibanez classical and acoustic guitars are entry-level and intermediate-level instruments that will be a good choice for a player who is just starting to play or playing in small clubs. There are, however, more expensive series of high-end instruments. The company also offers signature series of famous musicians — JSA (Joe Satriani) and EP (Steve Vai), which are the most famous Ibanez endorsers.

Ibanez guitars will appeal to fans of «non-standard» — for example, the Talman series of instruments is more like a Fender Jaguar than an acoustic guitar in terms of body outlines. The EWP and AEW guitars will be of interest to those who often play the last frets. Artificially aged Artwood Vintage Thermo Aged guitars, although they can not be compared in sound with age instruments that have withstood «natural» drying, are very interesting with powerful resonance and good sustain.

Founded in 1857, the German company Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is best known for its harmonicas. However, she also produces good guitars with quite affordable prices even in post-crisis times. The range includes both classical (including scaled-down 3/4 and 1/2 models) and steel-string western guitars.

Inexpensive Hohner acoustic guitars are a good choice if you are on a tight budget. The sound here is quite up to par, and you can only find fault with the workmanship in comparison with more expensive instruments. The sign of the company is the use of a spruce top on all models, the choice of case materials is wider: sapele, catalpa, mahogany. Necks on classical guitars are made exclusively from mahogany, acoustic ones can also be bought with maple.