Top 20 Budget Dreadnought Guitars Under $100, $200, $300, $500

Dreadnought is best known for its massive body, bold and louder tones compared to other acoustics. Dreadnought shape offers a good balance between quality and budget and is a good place for most beginners to start, and also for professionals who already know what they are doing.

It remains linked with roots music like bluegrass and folk, in part because of its traditional role in defining those sounds but also has roots in other music too. Pickers and strummers with an aggressive attack will love Dreadnought’s blend of power and articulation, which allows for clear lead lines and crisp, driving rhythms.

Top 5 Budget Dreadnought Guitars Under $100

If you’re a beginner guitar player you obviously want to start out with a low-budget acoustic guitar. Make no mistake, being on the lowest end of the price range doesn’t mean these guitars are bad, but we also have to note that they don’t offer the best quality.

To make it easy for you to find an affordable dreadnought guitar, we reviewed several of these instruments for you.

Harley Benton D-120

Pros	Cons
Affordable	Quality control is low
Great for beginners	Cheaper materials
Rich bass range	Can be uncomfortable
Some models include preamp with volume control	Potential cosmetic errors

• Design: Dreadnought with cutaway
• Top: Spruce
• Body: Mahogany
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Roseacer
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets
• Bridge: Roseacer (thermally treated maple wood)
• Pickup includes preamp with volume control and 4-band EQ

This Harley Benton guitar has good quality for the money, the electronics are nothing exceptional but work as they should and it’s amazing to get a decent built-in preamp in a guitar at this price.

Electronics aside, the finish and feel of the body are not so good, but on the other way have a nice full sound out of this guitar, headstock and neck are all good quality especially for this price, the only let down is the fingerboard isn’t the best feeling, but the frets are acceptable no overhang and very little sharp edges.

It is recommended for any beginners and you won’t get better than this for the price, and for anybody who doesn’t primarily play guitar but would like one around for occasional use without breaking the bank.

Sawtooth Acoustic Dreadnought

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Pros	Cons
Great Price	Might require setup
Mahogany	Cheaper materials
Beautiful Design
Easy-To-Play

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Spruce
• Body: Mahogany
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

The Sawtooth full-size dreadnought acoustic guitars offer rich sound and tremendous value. Great for any player seeking a well-built and easy-playing acoustic guitar. Features a Spruce top with Mahogany back and sides for full and resonant sound, smooth-playing 20-fret fingerboard, and chrome hardware.

The sound of the guitar is surprisingly pleasant, for an instrument this cheap. While the sound might not be something a professional might find satisfactory, a beginner player will definitely get the kick out of it. Warm, vibrant, and powerful, this sound feels like it should come from a more expensive instrument.

SAFEPLUS Acoustic Guitar

Pros	Cons
Great price	Might require setup
Great for beginners	Brand not as famous
Good Design	Can be uncomfortable
Smooth Feeling

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Basswood
• Body: Basswood
• Neck: Birchwood
• Fretboard: Birchwood
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

This guitar is a great choice for beginners to practice and play favorite tunes. It provides the player with a good set of tonewoods and design, resulting in a sound exceeding the expectations of where the instrument is placed in terms of price.

The sound generated by this beauty could easily come from a more expensive guitar. However, if you are looking for a great beginner instrument, this might be a good choice.

Artall Acoustic Matte Sunset Cutaway Guitar

Pros	Cons
Good for the price	Might require setup
Comes with accessories
Matte Sunset design
Handcrafted

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Basswood
• Body: Basswood
• Neck: Maple
• Fretboard: Maple
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

ARTALL 39 Inch is a handcrafted guitar, made from solid wood material and has a very clear sound for the price. You can find this guitar that comes with complete guitar beginner accessories like a gig bag, strings, picks, strap, and tuning introductions.

Also, the Matte Sunset design looks pretty cool on this one.

Rogue RA-090

Pros	Cons
Mid-Range punch	Might require setup
Mahogany back
Sounds loud
Great quality for the price

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Spruce
• Body: Wood
• Neck: Nato Wood
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

From Rogue comes this amazing deal in the RA-90 dreadnought acoustic guitar. This guitar is an ideal instrument for the beginner or young musician. The body depth and width bring out a balanced tone and plenty of projection to be heard from across the room.

This ultra-affordable dreadnought acoustic guitar features a whitewood body, which brings out lots of mid-range punch. This Rogue acoustic guitar will certainly get the job done, at a price that is quite affordable.

Top 5 Budget Dreadnought Guitars Under $200

Donner DAG-1C

Pros	Cons
Great for beginners	Might require setup
Spruce top	Brand not as famous
Chrome tuning keys
Great for the price

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Spruce
• Body: Laminated
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Purpleheart
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

This Donner guitar model, DAG-1C is a cutaway dreadnought guitar with a big, bold sound and excellent features that come under $150. This guitar features a spruce top, mahogany back and sides, chrome tuning keys. The tuning keys are made of alloy metal to keep your guitar playing in tune.

The guitar offers a warm, vibrant sound at a great price with convenient and practical features that will inspire the beginning guitarist.

Ashthorpe Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric

Pros	Cons
Cutaway Neck	Might require a setup
Loaded electronics	Brand not as famous
Great for the price
Great for beginners

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Spruce
• Body: Basswood
• Neck: Hardwood
• Fretboard: Basswood
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

Ashthorpe Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric is the perfect guitar for a beginner with a wish to become a more advanced player. Whether playing soft or loud, strumming or Flatpicking, the guitar remains responsive and retains its tonal integrity. The guitar is cut away at the neck for better access and more comfortable playing off the top frets.

It is loaded with an onboard 4-band pickup with EQ with knobs for bass, midrange, treble, and presence which gives you a big specter of manipulating the sound when the guitar is plugged in.

Fender FA-115

Pros	Cons
Fender	Might require a setup
Solid spruce top
Good low-end projection
Comfortable

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Spruce
• Body: Laminated
• Neck: Maple
• Fretboard: Indian Laurel
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

Even though this is one of the most affordable acoustic guitars by Fender, it can also be considered as the most enjoyable one too and one of the guitars that’s under $200 that features a solid spruce top which is the standard tonewood for acoustic guitar tops.

This guitar has a balanced tone and superior low-end projection. They are an excellent choice for lead or rhythm work, and their rounded shoulders offer a comfortable feel for any player or performance.

Ibanez IJV5O

Pros	Cons
Ibanez	Lacks of mid-range
Great for the price
Spruce top
Great sound

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Laminate Spruce
• Body: Wood
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

The Ibanez IJV5O comes from one of the trust brands in the guitar industry, Ibanez. Getting a guitar at this price range from such a huge brand is a win-win situation. What you can be sure of is that this dreadnought acoustic guitar produces excellent sound qualities compared to most guitars in its price range.

This natural-finish acoustic guitar features a spruce top.

You can hear the highs and lows properly, but it lacks a bit of the mid-range.

Jasmine S35

Pros	Cons
Well built	Brand not as famous
Easy to play
Slim neck
Smooth satin finish

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Spruce
• Body: Agathis
• Neck: Nato Wood
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

The Jasmine S35 is a great-looking dreadnought guitar with a big, bold sound and excellent features that represent exceptional value, great for any player seeking a well-built and easy-playing guitar.

It features a Sitka spruce, and mahogany back and sides. The slim neck provides a comfortable feel and excellent playability, and the smooth satin finish maximizes resonance for optimal sound quality.

Top 5 Budget Dreadnought Guitars Under $300

Alvarez Regent RD26

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Pros	Cons
Slim neck
Deluxe gig bag
Bi-Level bridge
High-quality finish

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Spruce
• Body: Wood
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

The Alvarez Regent Series is a high-quality entry-level guitar line designed to provide super value instruments with many features. Regent Series has a slightly slimmer neck profile and nut, making it very easy to hold and fret. This guitar comes with Alvarez’s high-quality Deluxe Gig Bag, which makes it so that your guitar is protected during travel or storage.

This Regent Series offers first-class entry-level guitars with features that are included in higher price point instruments such as our Bi-Level bridge, scalloped bracing, and high-quality finish.

Fender CD-60S 

Pros	Cons
Fender	Brand not as famous
High-quality affordable
Comfortable neck
Mahogany back

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Solid Spruce
• Body: Mahogany
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Walnut
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

The CD-60S is one of the most popular Fender models and is ideal for players looking for a high-quality affordable dreadnought with great tone and excellent playability. With its comfortably rolled fingerboard edges, this instrument’s neck creates an incredibly comfortable fret-hand feel that’s ideal for beginning players or more experienced ones.

A resonant combination of mahogany back and sides delivers a balanced tone with plenty of volume and midrange. This guitar responds very well to any acoustic playing style, from hard strumming to fast Flatpicking to delicate fingerpicking.

Ibanez PF15ECE

Pros	Cons
Onboard electronics	Brand not as famous
Great for the price
Beautiful design
Slim neck

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Spruce
• Body: Mahogany
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

This guitar has a very good tone for the price and also when you plug in onstage, the onboard Ibanez electronics deliver that same great tone. The dreadnought shape provides good projection (it sounds loud) and the cutaway provides easy access to the high frets.

Positive customer reviews came from both beginners and experienced guitarists with the dominant theme being a “great guitar for the money” and the Fishman electronics were also cited many times. The beautiful natural look of the guitar matches its familiar dreadnought acoustic tone.

Ibanez AW54OPN Artwood

Pros	Cons
Rich sound	Brand not as famous
Amazing look
Slim neck
Good for the price

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Mahogany
• Body: Mahogany
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

This is a beautiful acoustic guitar with rich sound and features. The sound is spectacular, the tone coming from this guitar is unbelievable for the price, definitely worth it. Solid wood for the top and upgraded components combine for amazing looks and sound quality.

The slim and comfortable neck makes it convenient to work with, even for long hours. This is a great guitar for a great price that anyone with a love for good sound will appreciate. For the price tag, this is a definite must.

Harley Benton Custom Line CLD-15MCE

Pros	Cons
Beautiful satin finish	Sharp frets
Onboard tuner and pickup
Great for the price
Comfortable

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Solid Mahogany
• Body: Mahogany
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Pau Ferro
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

Amazing quality for such little cost. The guitar has a beautiful satin finish and sounds lovely plugged in and unplugged, great tone and sustain from the solid mahogany top. The onboard tuner and pickup function well and the guitar plays comfortably out of the box, the frets are slightly sharp in places but this is easily rectified. 

The sound of the pick-up is better than most of the guitars in its price range, probably even better than more expensive ones. With minor eq, compression, and a bit of reverb you can definitely have a pro sound.

Top 5 Budget Dreadnought Guitars Under $500

Fender CD-140SCE

Pros	Cons
Maximum neck comfort
Fishman Presys Plus preamp
X bracing inside
Cutaway provides space

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Solid Spruce
• Body: Ovangkol
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Walnut
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

The CD-140SCE dreadnought cutaway guitar is a top model in Fender’s Classic Series, that was launched at NAMM 2017. The overall shape of the neck has been designed for maximum comfort, marketed by Fender as ‘Easy-to-Play’ with a slim profile, which makes it perfect for players who like to wrap their thumbs around the neck.

Inside the guitar, you can find quartersawn scalloped “X” bracing. This type of craftsmanship is more commonly associated with vintage series models and features Fishman Presys Plus preamp with a built-in electronic tuner. The cutaway is a good asset for this guitar as well. It provides space for access to the top of the fingerboard.

Harley Benton CLD-30SCM-CE Solid Wood

Pros	Cons
Carefully selected woods
Mahogany body
Warm and rich sound
Fishman pickup

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Solid American A-grade cedar
• Body: Solid African A-grade mahogany
• Neck: One-Piece African Mahogany
• Fretboard: Pau Ferro
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

For this guitar, Harley Benton used only use solid pieces of tonewood that have been carefully selected to harmonize perfectly with one another, and in case you want to play to a crowd, they fitted this guitar with a high-quality Fishman pickup system.

It sounds exactly like a cedar top with mahogany body guitar should sound. The sound is very warm and rich, whether picking or strumming. Sound is sweet and that’s because of the combination of tonewoods

Guild Guitars DS-240 Slope Shoulder

Pros	Cons
Low-end power
Pau Ferro fingerboard
Very Comfortable
Great for the price

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Mahogany
• Body: Spruce
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Morado
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

The classic Slope Shoulder Dreadnought shape produces a robust voice with low-end power, a snappy midrange, and strong, clear treble notes. The guitar will appeal to flat pickers and lovers of traditional guitar shapes and tones. This guitar features a comfortable C-shaped profile mahogany neck with pau Ferro fingerboard and is incredibly responsive and playable.

This guitar is beautiful and sounds amazing regardless of playing style, has a reasonable price point and it’s recommended to anyone looking for a great sounding, awesome looking easy playing/picking guitar.

Epiphone Hummingbird PRO Acoustic/Electric

Pros	Cons
Amazing design
Legendary guitar
X bracing inside
Pickup system included

• Design: Dreadnought
• Top: Spruce
• Body: Wood
• Neck: Select Mahogany
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Neck profile: C
• 20 Frets

Let’s consider that Epiphone is a brand name with a history going back many years that many are unaware of, and some just choose to ignore. Considered now as Gibson’s budget range, it is a similar situation to the Fender and Squier relationship. The Hummingbird was first introduced in 1960, and it didn’t take long to gain popularity.

It has been given an active pickup system and onboard EQ and it is a basic no cutaway Dreadnought shape. The Epiphone has the ‘X’ bracing style known for its efficiency and sound production. There are also additional cross pieces under the bridge. It produces not only strength in construction but also a very balanced sound.

Takamine GD20CE-NS

Pros	Cons
Clear amplified output
Comfortable
Great for the price
Low action

Using a special combination of tonewoods, the Takamine GD20CE-NS acoustic-electric guitar delivers distinctive sound and performance. with Takamine’s TP4T preamp, giving you rich, clear-sounding amplified output.

This guitar is a favorite among intermediate and advanced players because of the warm sound that it produces, even after years of use. Due to the width of the neck, playing is more comfortable, and playing at a faster tempo is easier. The action is also comfortably low and allows an easier time playing barre chords.

Conclusion

From this article, we can also note that it is possible to get an excellent acoustic guitar without spending too much money. Therefore, when it comes to selecting the best dreadnought acoustic guitar, always consider your needs first. The second thing is the sound, what kind of music you will be playing, and what kind of sound you want the guitar to have that matches your music.

Generally speaking, guitars get better the more expensive they are, so pay as much as you can afford.

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Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API