An acoustic-electric guitar plays like a regular acoustic but has a built-in pickup and preamp, so you can plug into an amp or a mixer without a microphone. Most have a cutaway for upper-fret access and a small control panel with a tuner. The main choices are body shape, top wood and the type of pickup system.
The six guitars below range from a laminate-body beginner model to a Martin travel guitar with a solid spruce top. Specs come from each product’s Amazon page. We have not played these guitars ourselves. Tone and craftsmanship statements are the makers’ own, and several listings disagree with their own tables, which we flag.
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What to Look For
| Feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Top wood | A solid top usually projects better than a laminate one |
| Body shape | Dreadnoughts are large and loud; thin-body and small-body guitars are easier to hold |
| Pickup and preamp | Controls range from volume and tone to 3-band EQ and a tuner |
| Scale and neck | A shorter scale or slim neck changes finger reach |
| Weight | Matters for long sessions and travel |
Specs at a Glance
| Guitar | Body and woods | Pickup | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fender FA-25CE | Dreadnought cutaway; spruce top; laminate basswood back | Built-in preamp with tuner | Walnut fingerboard; 2 year warranty |
| Yamaha FGX800C | Dreadnought cutaway; solid Sitka spruce top | System 66 piezo, 3-band EQ | Rosewood fingerboard; 7.5 lb |
| Yamaha APX600 | Thin-body cutaway; spruce top | Piezo with stage-focused system | 25 in scale; 6.5 lb |
| Ibanez AEG50 | Cutaway; spruce top; sapele back and sides | Piezo | Nyatoh neck; walnut fingerboard; 3.1 kg |
| Fender CD-60SCE | Dreadnought cutaway; mahogany top, back and sides | Fishman Classic Design | Rosewood fingerboard; 3.9 kg |
| Martin LX1E Little Martin | Small body; solid Sitka spruce top; HPL back and sides | Fishman Isys T | Richlite fingerboard; 3765 g |
The 6 Best Acoustic-Electric Guitars
1. Fender FA-25CE
A right-handed dreadnought cutaway for beginners with a spruce top, laminated basswood back, nato neck, walnut fingerboard and bronze strings. It has an onboard tuner with volume and tone controls, and the listing mentions a Fender Play lessons subscription and an amplification cable. The weight line says 350 g, which cannot be right for a full-size guitar. The warranty is 2 years.
Suits: a first plug-in guitar. Strengths: a tuner and a lessons subscription per the page. Weaknesses: a laminate body and an unreliable weight line. Skip it if you want a solid top.
View Fender FA-25CE Acoustic-Electric on Amazon
2. Yamaha FGX800C
A dreadnought cutaway with a solid Sitka spruce top, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, die-cast tuners and an under-saddle piezo pickup system with a 3-band EQ, an adjustable mid-range frequency control and a chromatic tuner. It weighs 7.5 pounds. The bullets say nato back and sides, while the table says mahogany, so the wood is unclear.
Suits: a step up with an onboard EQ. Strengths: a solid top and a full control set. Weaknesses: a conflict on the back wood. Skip it if you want a smaller body.
View Yamaha FGX800C Acoustic-Electric on Amazon
3. Yamaha APX600
A thin-body cutaway with a 25 inch scale length, narrower string spacing and a scalloped bracing pattern for bass response, according to Yamaha. It has an abalone sound hole rosette and a stage-focused pickup system. The listing gives a spruce top, mahogany body and neck and a rosewood fingerboard. It weighs 6.5 pounds, and a guitar stand is listed as included.
Suits: a player who finds a dreadnought bulky. Strengths: a slim body and a stand. Weaknesses: less bass volume than a full-size body. Skip it if you want a deep dreadnought sound.
View Yamaha APX600 Acoustic-Electric on Amazon
4. Ibanez AEG50
A cutaway acoustic-electric with a spruce top, sapele back and sides, a nyatoh neck, a walnut fingerboard and a piezo pickup, in an Indigo Blue Burst high gloss finish. It weighs 3.1 kg and comes with Ibanez strings and bridge pins. The item type line says Electric Guitars, which looks like a category slip.
Suits: a player who likes a colored gloss finish. Strengths: a clear wood list. Weaknesses: sparse feature text. Skip it if you want detailed preamp information.
View Ibanez AEG50 Acoustic-Electric on Amazon
5. Fender CD-60SCE
An all-mahogany dreadnought cutaway with a solid mahogany top and scalloped X-bracing, rosewood fingerboard with rolled edges, and a Fishman Classic Design pickup and preamp. It weighs 3.9 kg. The title mentions a 2 year warranty while the table says 1 year limited.
Suits: a warm, mahogany-focused tone. Strengths: a Fishman system. Weaknesses: a warranty conflict. Skip it if you want a brighter spruce top.
View Fender CD-60SCE Acoustic-Electric on Amazon
6. Martin LX1E Little Martin
Martin’s smallest guitar, with a solid Sitka spruce top, mahogany high-pressure laminate back and sides, a birch laminate neck, a Richlite fingerboard, a Fishman Isys T system and a satin finish. It weighs 3765 g and has a limited lifetime warranty. The title mentions a gig bag, while the included-components line says none, so confirm what ships.
Suits: travel and practice. Strengths: a compact body and a solid top. Weaknesses: uncertain gig bag. Skip it if you want a full-size body.
View Martin LX1E Little Martin on Amazon
Care and Setup
- Wipe the strings and body with a dry cloth after playing.
- Keep the guitar in a case away from heat and sun.
- Remove the battery from the preamp if you will not play for a while.
- Use a quarter inch instrument cable for the output jack.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming a laminate top sounds like a solid one.
- Trusting a weight line that looks implausible.
- Buying without checking for a case or bag.
- Leaving the guitar plugged in against a speaker.
Acoustic-Electric Guitar FAQ
Do I need an amp?
Yes, or a mixer or audio interface, to hear the pickup at volume. The guitars also play unplugged.
What does a cutaway do?
It removes part of the body so your hand can reach the higher frets.
The Short Version
For a first plug-in guitar, the Fender FA-25CE. For a solid top and EQ, the Yamaha FGX800C. For a slim body, the Yamaha APX600. For a colored finish, the Ibanez AEG50. For a mahogany tone, the Fender CD-60SCE. For a small travel guitar, the Martin LX1E.
