best acoustic electric guitar under 500

THESE 10 Best Acoustic Electric Guitars Under 500 Are Sweet!

Updated on April 1, 2022 by Dan Harper

An acoustic electric guitar, often known as semi-electric guitar in layman terms, is best known for its versatile design, smooth sound, and powerful projection. At its core, this amazing guitar is fitted with a pickup device which allows it to be plugged into an amplifier. Heard in almost every genre of music, acoustic electric guitars are crucial in any modern band setting.

Quick Links To Our Best Acoustic Electric Guitar Under $500 Recommendations

Although popular, acousticelectric guitars are often forgotten when it comes to in-depth reviews, making it pretty tricky to find the right one for you. Guitarists are well acquainted with the type of musical instrument they want, but there are always some additional things to look out for. So here are our top recommendations for the best acoustic electric guitar under 500 or these acoustic guitars under $500.

Our Under $500 Acoustic Electric Guitar Recommendations

Takamine GF30CE-BSB FXC Cutaway Acoustic Electric

Takamine GF30CE is a sleek looking guitar that features a solid spruce top along with mahogany back and sides that contribute to producing melodious sounds. It has a diminutive FXC body style with a soft Venetian-style cutaway.

The instrument makes a great choice for someone seeking well-balanced sound and solid top construction. Its slim mahogany neck and the rosewood fingerboard provide playability with a great feel. Takamine’s onboard preamp system offers you a built-in tuner with three-band EQ, promising the player excellent amplified versatility and performance.

Takamine GF30CE offers some other interesting features such as a pin-less rosewood bridge, split bridge saddle, synthetic bone nut, rosewood headcap, pearloid rosette, and dot inlays. Customers have three beautiful color options to choose from – natural, black, sunburst.

Features

  • Built-in tuner with three band EQ
  • Pin-less rosewood bridge
  • Split bridge saddle
  • Three color options

Pros

  • Fully clear sound
  • High quality
  • Adorned with classy touches
  • Solid spruce top
  • Affordable price
  • Gloss finish

Cons

  • Battery drains even when the guitar is not in use.

Our Rating –
5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Takamine GF30CE-BSB FXC Cutaway

Washburn Heritage 20 Series HD20SCE Acoustic Electric Guitars

The Washburn Heritage 20 Series HD20SCE is a classic dreadnought acoustic guitar featuring cutaway for superior upper fret access. It comes with a solid spruce top for superior tone that improves with age. It has elegant rosewood sides and back.

This guitar also features a mahogany neck and a rosewood fingerboard and bridge. Some of the other features include die-cast tuners that come with stylish ebonite buttons for quick, accurate, and easy tuning. Besides this, customers will get a Nubone nut, a Washburn tortoise pickguard, a custom rosette, and a 2-way truss rod.

Customers do not need to carry around an extra tuner, thanks to its built-in Fishman 301T Tuner/Preamp. The tuner which features bass, volume and treble control for a natural amplified acoustic tone along with a phase switch to deal with feedback issues.

The guitar is well made and offers great sound. It is an ideal choice for anyone who wants rich sound at an affordable price.

Features

  • Die-cast tuners
  • Nubone nut
  • Washburn tortoise pickguard
  • Built-in Fishman 301T tuner

Pros

  • Great acoustic sound
  • Solid spruce top
  • Easy, quick and accurate tuning with stylish ebonite buttons

Cons

  • No color options

Our Rating –
5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Washburn Heritage 20 Series HD20SCE

Ovation CS28P-KOAB Celebrity Standard Exotic Super Shallow Depth

This is the right instrument for those who adore the performance of the Ovation celebrity collection. Ovation was born in 1966 and has a proven record of innovation. Their superior materials and non-traditional designs offer Ovation guitars a unique sound. To date, they continue to create unconventional, inspiring, and innovative guitars.

Designed with gorgeous exotic woods and stunning finishes, these instruments are set apart visually and instantly appeal to the eye. Its pro design and playability makes it one of the best options to choose from.

The guitar features a playable satin-finished neck, a super shallow slim profile, and 10″ radius fretboard which makes the guitar noteworthy and super comfortable for anyone to play. Its center-cut soundhole offsets the shallow body by giving projection and a loud resonance. This amazing new design is designed for organic acoustic tone and optimal power.

The brand understands that feel is everything for progressive players, which is why it delivers more than a series of guitars that feel right and look absolutely amazing. It is an ideal choice for setting the live performance bar high.

This guitar is perfect for professional musicians and offers good mellow sounds with a great tone.

Features

  • Satin-finished neck
  • 10” radius fretboard
  • Supports organic acoustic tone

Pros

  • High gloss finish
  • Offers loud resonance and projection
  • Beautiful color options

Cons

None

Our Rating –
5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Ovation CS28P-KOAB Celebrity Standard

Dean Mako Dave Mustaine Acoustic-Electric Guitars

This is the signature acoustic electric guitar by Dave Mustaine, which is named ‘Mako’ because of its shark gill-shaped soundhole, shark teeth pearl inlays, and dorsal fin-shaped bridge. The gill-shaped soundhole provides plenty of projection. The sharp Florentine cutaway on the mahogany body with the spruce top promotes upper fretboard shredding.

Some of the other distinctive features include black NuBone nut and saddle, ebony fingerboard, grover tuners and Fishman Isys+ preamp with tuner.

For more than 40 years, the brand has been a player’s choice for musicians all over the world for providing the finest custom guitars.

As per customer reviews, the guitar sounds great and is easy to play. It looks even more beautiful in person than the pictures.

Features

  • Attractive shark-inspired design
  • NuBone nut and saddle
  • Ebony fingerboard
  • Fishman Isys+ preamp with tuner

Pros

  • Built-in tuners
  • Ebony fingerboard
  • Affordable
  • Good tonewood
  • Comfortable to use

Cons

  • Sounds might be tiny.

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Dean Mako Dave Mustaine Acoustic

Fender CN-140SCE Dreadnaught Acoustic-Electric Guitar

The Fender classic design series combines the timelessness of classic body shapes with top-notch craftsmanship. This masterpiece has many modern features that appeal to guitarists. The company’s classic design series has something to offer for everyone. Whether you are looking for a classic tone of the mahogany dreadnought, exploring new tones with nylon strings, or experimenting with smaller body shapes, you will easily find your source of inspiration with Fender.

The Fender CN-140SCE Dreadnaught comes with a solid spruce top which fashions the top of the guitar. Thanks to its comfortably rolled fingerboard edges, the instrument’s neck creates a very comfortable fret-hand feel that is ideal for beginners and experienced pros. The cutaway offers easy access to upper frets for high-register play.

The guitar has an elegant appearance with a rich, warm tone along with a smooth feel, solid strength, and excellent tonal quality.  It comes with a hardshell case that features a useful storage compartment and making it more portable.

The overall quality of the product is amazing and it has good sound. The action and overall quality of the guitar are splendid. It is affordable and is indeed a well-built instrument.

Features

  • Comfortable fingerboard edges
  • Hardshell case for storage
  • Cutaway foe convenient access to upper frets

Pros

  • Clean tones
  • Vibrant sounds
  • Solid spruce top

Cons

  • Requires more comfort for left-hand in the cutaway

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Fender CN-140SCE Dreadnaught

Luna Fauna Series Butterfly Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitars

This guitar by Luna is a piece of art and is inspired by the Roman goddess of animals. The Fauna series pay homage to insects and animals, both mythical and real. The guitar features an abalone butterfly that alights on a delicate flower at the sound hole of this artistic instrument. Butterfly is seen as a powerful symbol of transformation, resurrection, potential, celebration, and lightness of being. The idea behind this aesthetic design is to remind us to have faith in the inevitable changes in our life.

The Luna Fauna Butterfly guitar features a folk style cutaway with an organic quilted maple top for a full sounding instrument that suits any player. Its rosewood fingerboard and maple body give the best clarity and warmth. Players receive a comfortable playing experience while putting challenging notes within easy reach, thanks to its specially designed neck profile.

Overall, the guitar is solid and looks amazingly gorgeous. Its smaller size makes it easy to play and has a tuner. The guitar comes with strings already on and has a full sound with no tiny noises or rattling caused due to hitting the frets. All in all, it is a satisfying product at an affordable price.

Features

  • Folk style cutaway with organic quilted maple top
  • Rosewood fingerboard
  • Maple body
  • Specially designed neck for easy reach
  • Pre-attached strings

Pros

  • Beautiful design
  • Comfortable to play
  • Affordable price

Cons

None

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Luna Fauna Series Butterfly Cutaway

Taylor Swift Signature Baby Taylor Acoustic-Electric Guitar

Any person with even a slight interest in music knows who Taylor Swift is. Like many other artists, the popular singer has associated her name with this instrument. The guitar features a ¾ scale dreadnought shape that looks adorable and is comfortable.

The guitar has an X-braced solid sitka spruce top, which is paired with laminated dark sapele back and sides in matte finishing. Since it is a purely acoustic model, there is no hardware to discuss, but it can be fixed with certain hardware that makes it even more enjoyable to play.

On the headstock, players can find six die-cast chrome tuners that are responsive and smooth. Talking about the sound, the guitar offers a good sound thanks to its tonewood. The tonewood combines to give a well-balanced sound with enough sparkle from the spruce and warmer.

Features

  • ¾ scale dreadnought shape
  • X-braces solid sitka spruce top
  • six die-cast chrome tuners

Pros

  • Unmatched sound quality
  • Hand-friendly width
  • Responsive and smooth tuners

Cons

None

Take a look at our Taylor Swift Signature Baby Taylor review here.

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Taylor Swift Signature Baby Taylor

Guild OM-240CE Acoustic-Electric Guitars

This is a mid-sized acoustic guitar by Guild, which produces a sweet and balanced tone. The guitar features an arched back, which is a trademark of the brand and serves two purposes – reduces weight and increases live projection.

The guitar has a solid sitka spruce and a mahogany body. A 1960s red tortoiseshell pickguard gives this guitar a splendid look. It offers dynamic sound onstage and can be paired with a microphone for recording parts at home or a studio.

Guild’s guitar offers clean payability, which helps you to channel all your creative ideas into beautiful music. Some other features include a bone nut and a saddle to enhance clarity, vintage profiled C-shape neck, and 25.5″ scale length.

This guitar has good sound, strongly built, and it comes along with a gig bag. It is an ideal choice for a versatile musician.

Features

  • Arched back for reduced weight and live projection
  • Solid sitka spruce
  • Mahogany body
  • 1960s red tortoiseshell pickguard
  • Vintage profiled C-shape neck
  • 5” scale length

Pros

  • Offers clean sound
  • Has a premium look

Cons

  • Some customers complain of light action.

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Guild OM-240CE

Breedlove Pursuit Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitars

This guitar offers projection of a full-depth dreadnought along with a desirable and powerful punch of mahogany. It provides a tonal warmth when played both acoustically and plugged in.

The Breedlove pursuit dreadnought offers uniquely crafted sound in an economical package.

The shape of the instrument is slightly more rounded than other traditional dreadnoughts and produce punchy, full and articulate tones. Its hand-graduated top provides the player with balance and clarity, and this makes this piece one of the most impressive dreadnoughts available in the market.

Along with a solid sitka spruce top, its mahogany neck offers a balanced, resonant tone with notable sustain. The guitar also includes a built-in USB port for easy interfacing with recording software. It also comes with a padded gig bag.

Features

  • Solid sitka spruce top
  • Mahogany neck
  • Built-in USB port
  • Padded gig bag

Pros

  • Excellent projection and articulation
  • Comfortable to play

Cons

None

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Breedlove Pursuit Dreadnought

Fender Newporter Player Acoustic-Electric Guitar

The instrument is inspired by the California lifestyle, its colorful, energetic, and independent nature. Fender’s electric guitar is fused with exceptional acoustic playability and tone. Its soundboard offers the most important tonal element of an acoustic guitar. It features a fisherman preamp system that includes a wide variety of onboard controls for amplifying the acoustic instrument without compromising its pure, rich, and resonant tune.

It also features a slim-taper “C” shaped mahogany neck, which feels familiar to acoustic players and is also suitable for players looking for a slim neck. Optimized bracing, solid spruce top, sides, and neck crafted from mahogany, walnut fingerboard, and bridges are some other features of the Fender Newporter Player. Players can choose from the wide color options available.

Features

  • Fisherman preamp system
  • C-shaped mahogany neck
  • Optimized bracing
  • Solid spruce top
  • Walnut fingerboard
  • Many color options

Pros

  • Good sound
  • Beautiful finish
  • Built-in pickup and preamp system

Cons

None

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Fender Newporter Player

What To Expect With An Acoustic Electric Guitar Under $500

So you have $500 to spend on a new electro acoustic guitar? Great, you’ll be able to choose from a wide variety of guitars. But what should you look for? What are the different features and what do they mean for sound and other features on the guitar?

We’ve put together this guide with all the basics about what to expect in terms of sound, tuner, strings and more. Let’s discuss an acoustic electric guitar under $500.

Sticking to a budget is hard for many people because it can take time and dedication. A good way to save money and get an acoustic electric guitar that suits your needs is to pick a budget and stick with it. You may not be able to buy the most expensive guitar in the store but you can get a nice one for under $500 if you search around.

Price Vs Quality

The bass, treble, mid-range, and volume controls should work without any problem. The electronics have to be good quality or you may end up with a guitar that sounds bad and you will not be happy. You should test the guitar’s sound by plugging it into an amplifier and turning it on.

Great Sound

You may be surprised at how many under $500 acoustic electric guitars have great sound. Many people are satisfied with the sound even if they spend less money on an acoustic electric guitar under $500. You can find a model that suits your preferences and sound needs.

The guitar should have a good sustain and sound quality that makes you want to play it more. Some guitars may produce a muddy sound when played at higher volumes. This is not ideal but other models are still worth checking out if you are on a budget and only need an acoustic electric guitar under $500.

The Finish And Wood Type Are Important

The wood type is important for the overall tone of the acoustic electric guitar. Solid wood creates a better sound compared to laminate wood. The design and finish of the guitar affect the way it sounds. A guitar with a solid spruce top can provide higher and brighter tones compared to other types of woods.

Action And Intonation Are Important

The action of your acoustic electric guitar is important too. It is usually set low to play and high to sound good. The intonation of your guitar should be properly adjusted so the strings are in tune when you play them.

Weight, Size And Tone Are Important As Well

The weight and size of the acoustic electric guitar are important because it affects how it feels and sounds when played.

Check out these quick picks as well:

  • Epiphone Hummingbird Pro
  • Fender Tbucket 300CE
  • Yamaha FGX800C
  • Cordoba C5CE
  • Gretsch G5024E
  • Epiphone Dove Pro Solid Top
  • Washburn Woodline
  • Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat
  • Taylor GS Mini Mahoganys
  • Yamaha Lseries LS6
  • Martin LX1E
  • Yamaha APX600
  • Seagull S6 Original
  • Fender CD60SCE
  • Epiphone EJ200SCE

To Sum Up On These Best Under 500 Acoustic Electric Guitars

Acoustic electric guitars are best for players as they offer built-in electronics to increase sound amplification through their guitar amps. These guitars can be played both plugged-in as well as unplugged. While buying one for yourself, it is important that you keep certain things in mind- such as the style you prefer, the sound that it offers, the comfort level while playing, and obviously your budget. It is also important that you check for tuners and adjustment knobs.

Choosing an acoustic electric guitar can be overwhelming, whether you are a pro or have just started playing. It is like an adventure that is both exciting and scary. The reason for this is the huge variety of guitars available with different shapes, sizes, wood types, and styles to choose from. This is why we have listed some of the best options above. Although there is a lot to read and discover about guitars, we’re certain you’ll find the perfect guitar for you.