One of the critical aspects of learning to play guitar is having the right instrument. As a guitar teacher, I’ve experienced the awkward moment when an eager student arrives with a completely unplayable guitar found online or in an attic. Needless to say, attempting to learn on such an instrument can be a recipe for failure. The good news is, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get it right. Here at Brickhouse Guitars, we offer a great selection of instruments that will facilitate your development and ultimately lead you to experience the joy of making music. Here are my top 5 choices of guitars that we carry which I feel make the cut in terms of overall sound quality and playability while staying under the $500 threshold.
Washburn C5 – $149
This classical guitar from Washburn is the lowest-priced member of our Top 5 but I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it felt to play as well as the evenness of its tone up and down the fretboard. Classical guitars are always a good choice for beginners as opposed to traditional steel-string guitars because the nylon strings are soft on the fingers which leads to longer practice time. The greater nut width allows more space between the strings to place one’s fingers in the appropriate spots. This guitar felt very comparable to a much higher priced classical in terms of its playability, but it obviously lacks the volume and responsiveness of a guitar built with better quality woods and more attention to detail on the bracing. The important point is that this guitar is not going to derail one’s technical development in any way, it feels great, no intonation issues whatsoever and overall sound quality was fairly decent. At this price, I would not hesitate to recommend the Washburn C5 to a beginner student, classical or otherwise.
Shop Page: https://brickhouseguitars.com/product/washburn-c5/
Specs:
Top: Spruce
Back & Sides: Catalpa
Fingerboard & Bridge: Rosewood
Norman Encore B20 – $399
Being one of our most popular entry-level guitars here at Brickhouse, I had to include old faithful on the list. Norman is a Canadian brand from the Godin family of guitars, based in La Patrie, Quebec and they have been producing fine instruments for over 40 years. This steel-string possesses a balanced, full-bodied tone springing from its design which happens to be the best-selling of all time: the dreadnought. This guitar feels fantastic and sounds great too, projecting plenty of volume from its solid spruce top. No complaints at all with the overall playability, its a well-built guitar that does exactly what it is intended to do. Its lower price is the result of its lack of cosmetic flair and not having any extra features like a cutaway or built-in electronic pickup. If you’re going for substance over showiness, you’re going to get a solid and dependable friend every time you pick it up. I would highly recommend this guitar for a first time buyer.
Shop page: https://brickhouseguitars.com/product/norman-encore-b20/
Specs:
Top: Solid Pressure tested Spruce
Back & Sides: Wild Cherry
Fingerboard & Bridge: Rosewood
Finish: Semi-gloss Custom Polished
Washburn WF11S – $295
A steel-string with plenty of brightness and shimmer, I really enjoyed the comfort of this Washburn’s slightly smaller body as well as the smoothness and easiness of the neck when moving around or playing challenging chords. This is an affordable guitar that plays very easy, looks great and sounds quite decent overall. It features the very popular and resonant wood combination of mahogany on the body and Alaskan Sitka Spruce for the top. This was a fun guitar to play, especially for soft, finger picking which brings out the sweetness of its tone. I really couldn’t find much wrong with it besides maybe lacking some presence on the lows. This would be a great fit for a smaller-sized person who may find bigger-bodied guitars a bit too cumbersome.
Shop Page: https://brickhouseguitars.com/product/washburn-wf11s/
Specs:
Top: Alaskan Sitka Spruce
Back & Sides: Mahogany
Fretboard and bridge: Rosewood
Finish: Gloss
La Patrie Etude – $379
I chose to add another classical guitar on the list because I really believe that it makes a difference in the early stages to learn on a guitar that is more forgiving on the fingertips in favour of pushing one’s dexterity and technique to the fore. La Patrie is the name for the classical guitars built by the Godin guitar factory. This is a really solid instrument that is not lacking in playability or tone and has plenty of volume when needed. Anyone who is looking to begin classical study on guitar should look no further than the Etude as it is an extremely reliable, well-built guitar. It is balanced, dynamic and surprisingly rich in tone quality. Even if you’re looking to learn with a pick, it is never a bad choice to start with a nylon-string guitar. Your fingers will thank you!
Shop Page: https://brickhouseguitars.com/product/la-patrie-etude/
Specs:
Top: Solid Cedar
Back & Sides: Wild Cherry
Fretboard and Bridge: Rosewood
Neck: Mahogany
Breedlove Discovery Concert CE – $499
Topping out my list is this unique looking and very versatile guitar from Breedlove. Featuring a deep cutaway allowing plenty of access to the higher frets as well as a built in pick-up makes it an excellent companion if you’re wanting to plug in and jam alongside a band or perform amplified in any capacity. This guitar gets high marks for both playability and sound quality in the entry-level price range. Despite having a medium sized body, it boasts plenty of volume with very well equalized tonal distribution. Mahogany back and sides along with a solid Spruce top provide plenty of resonance that you can feel while playing. I found the neck very comfortable for chording and fingering. A great choice if you’re looking for something with a few extra features while still maintaining very reasonable quality and affordability.
Shop Page: https://brickhouseguitars.com/product/breedlove-discovery-concert-ce/
Specs:
Top: Sitka Spruce
Back & Sides, Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard & Bridge: Rosewood
Pickup: Fishman ISYS-T
Brickhouse Guitars is committed to providing great service no matter what you’re after. We offer a wide selection for every price range and we want to help you make the best choice possible. If you or your kids are thinking about playing guitar, or if you’re looking to find something special that will allow you to improve without breaking the bank, we would like to invite you to come and give some of these guitars a try. We look forward to spending some quality time with you.
