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Looking for the best acoustic electric guitar?
Do you need an acoustic guitar that you can easily plug in for a little more volume?
An acoustic electric guitar can be a huge help for the serious guitar player and is essential if you plan on playing live out at open mics, at solo gigs, or with a small band. While you can get a pickup installed on a regular acoustic guitar, it can be incredibly convenient to buy the full package, with electronics built-in from the get-go.
If you’re looking for the best acoustic electric guitars of 2018, look no further. Below we’ll give you an overview of the very best acoustic electric guitar options on the market today.
Best Acoustic Electric Guitars – Quick View
1. Takamine GN93CE-NAT – Our Top Choice for Best Acoustic Electric Guitar
The Takamine GN93CE-NAT is our top choice of acoustic electric guitars and offers a great sound along with an amazing pickup and electronics. This guitar is perfect for all of your needs whether you’re plugging it in or playing completely acoustic.
This Takamine guitar has a lot of features that help it to stand out including gold die-cast tuners, a gloss finish, abalone dot inlays, and a rosewood head cap. The guitar also features a solid spruce top as well as laminate rosewood sides and back.
The Takamine GN93CE-NAT boasts some amazing electronics as well. The guitar uses Takamine’s TK-400 preamp and offers plenty of controls to alter and improve the sound. These controls include a three-band EQ, a gain knob, a notch filter, a mid contour switch, and EQ bypass.
Overall, if you’re looking for a powerful, great-sounding acoustic electric that has all of the controls and features you need, this Takamine acoustic electric guitar just may be the choice for you.
2. Martin Road Series DRS1
The Martin Road Series DRS1 is another excellent choice if you’re looking for the best acoustic electric guitar on the market. This guitar provides a great mix of quality and sound. It comes with all of the features and controls you need.
The guitar uses the Fishman Soniton system for amplification and the controls are tucked nicely out of the way inside the guitar’s soundhole. The back, sides, and top of the Martin Road Series DRS1 are made of solid Sapele and the guitar is all solid wood.
The guitar offers an excellent tone that’s pretty hard to beat, and the addition of the quality electronics really seals the deal, making this an excellent choice for playing live. Additionally, this Martin acoustic electric guitar is also available in a left-handed model and comes packaged with a ply hardshell case.
Overall, this is another excellent choice if you need a quality guitar that plugs in and offers a great amplified sound.
3. Taylor 114E Grand Auditorium
The next great acoustic electric guitar on our list is the Taylor 114E Grand Auditorium guitar. This is a great guitar for beginners to use, but more experienced players will likely appreciate its quality as well.
The guitar features the signature grand auditorium body shape along with a Sapele neck and an ebony fingerboard. This acoustic electric guitar is also very sturdy.
The electronics onboard the Taylor 114E Grand Auditorium is the ES2 pickup system. The ES2 comes with a volume and tone knobs and has a high-quality sound that is perfect for plugging in and playing live.
If you’re looking for an excellent and reliable acoustic electric guitar, the Taylor 114E Grand Auditorium is another great choice for you.
4. Fender FA135CE Acoustic-Electric Guitar
The Fender FA135CE is one of the best acoustic electric guitar options around. It is an excellent option if you’re looking for a high quality acoustic electric guitar that offers a good mix of quality and affordability.
This Fender guitar has a modern look and features a spruce top, basswood sides, and back, and an all laminate body. It also has a rosewood fingerboard and a nato neck. The Fender FA135CE has a couple of different finish options. You can choose between both natural and a 3-color sunburst.
As for the pickup, this guitar features Fishman electronics and an ION-T preamp. The electronics feature volume control, a contour button, and a phase switch, as well as a built-in tuner, giving you all of the control and range that you need.
Overall, if you’re looking for a sleek and modern option that comes at a good price, the Fender FA135CE is the acoustic electric guitar for you.
5. Epiphone Hummingbird Pro Acoustic-Electric
Epiphone also offers one of the best acoustic electric guitars you can find in the form of the Epiphone Hummingbird Pro. The guitar features an excellent sound and an excellent classic honky-tonk country look.
The guitar’s pickguard features traditional hummingbird artwork, parallelogram Pearloid inlays, and a faded cherry burst finish. The guitar also features a solid spruce top and a mahogany body.
The electronics onboard this Epiphone Hummingbird Pro include the Shadow ePerformer Preamp and Shadow Nanoflex pickup. The guitar offers plenty of control to get the sound exactly how you want it. The pickup includes treble, bass, volume, phase switch, mute, and dynamics control options.
Overall, if you’re looking for a high-quality acoustic electric with a warm tone, you can’t go wrong with this Epiphone guitar.
6. Yamaha FGX720SC
The next guitar on our list, the Yamaha FGX720SC, is another excellent option if you’re looking for an acoustic guitar you can easily plug in for amplification.
This Yamaha acoustic electric guitar features a nato back, neck, and sides, along with a solid Sitka spruce top. The guitar features an attractive design along with a thin hand-sprayed finish. Because the finish is thin, the guitar allows for a bit more resonance than some of the alternatives.
The electronics featured on this acoustic electric include a Yamaha System 55 1-way pickup. The included preamp also offers midrange frequency control and a built-in tuner.
If you’re looking for a high-quality acoustic electric guitar, the Yamaha FGX720SC makes for another solid and worthy choice.
7. PRS SE Angelus A10E
The PRS SE Angelus A10E acoustic electric guitar is an all-mahogany model from Paul Reed Smith Guitars. It is another stellar choice if you’re looking for an acoustic guitar that plugs in and offers a high-quality sound.
The guitar features a single cutaway and is composed of a solid X-braced top. The PRS SE Angelus A10E also features a laminated back and sides, a mahogany neck, and a 20-fret rosewood fretboard.
The guitar boasts a rich, warm tone that sounds great both plugged in or fully acoustic. This instrument also comes with a great mix of high-quality hardware and features. The guitar comes with chrome tuners, a bone nut, and a rosewood bridge.
Overall, this is a worthy option that will more than satisfy your needs for a high-quality acoustic electric guitar.
Final Thoughts
If you’re getting ready to play live, or simply want a little more volume, an acoustic electric guitar is invaluable. When you have an acoustic electric guitar you have a lot more options for when and where you can play.
Whether you’re playing a solo gig or an open mic, or you’re bringing out the acoustic guitar during a full band performance, it can be very simple and easy when using one of the guitars listed above.
If you’re looking for the best acoustic electric guitar around, then you’re in luck. Any of the picks above is what you need if you’re looking for an excellent acoustic electric guitar that is perfect for the bedroom or the stage.
Looking for the best guitar pedals for solo performers that will go great with an acoustic electric guitar? Check out our list of the top solo performer guitar pedals.
Hi, I’m Harrison! I created this website to help musicians navigate the ins and outs of their craft and to help them choose new instruments and gear to add to their collection. I have 15 years of experience as a guitarist and singer and have also played many other instruments throughout the years including the bass guitar, piano, banjo, mandolin, and harmonica.