Last Updated on April 29, 2023 by Teemu Suomala
F-hole is a really undervalued soundhole type nowadays. It’s surprisingly hard to find an acoustic with F-holes…
But in this post, I reveal 18 acoustic guitars with F-holes, plus I will share important info and comparisons related to F-Holes with you (seriously, check that part out too!).
Let’s get started!
Want something a bit more different than normal soundhole or F-holes…? Check acoustic guitars with offset soundhole and acoustic guitars with side sound ports out.
Author: Teemu Suomala
20 Acoustic Guitars With F-Holes
Taylors T5z models are a mix of hollow-body and acoustic guitar. I decided to include a couple of T5z in this article.
I didn’t include Ovation guitars because shape of the soundholes is not F. You can learn more about ovation guitars from these articles of ours: 5 Best Ovation Guitars in 2022 & Ovation Guitars Price Guide.
Price symbol meaning:
$= 350-550 Dollars
$$= 551-1050 Dollars
$$$= 1051-2000 Dollars
$$$$= 2001-3000 Dollars
$$$$$= 3001- Dollars
| Model | F-Hole Type | Guitar Type | Price Range | Check The Latest Price (affiliate links) |
| Harley Benton Custom Line CLR-Chrome | 2 Half-Cut | Resonator | $ | Thomann |
| Dean CE Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Resonator | 1 1/2 Half Cut | Resonator | $ | Guitar Center |
| Gretsch G9200 Boxcar Round-neck | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $ | Sweetwater |
| Gretsch G9210 Boxcar Square-Neck | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $ | Sweetwater |
| Dobro Hound Dog Round Neck | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Harley Benton Custom Line CLR-Reso | 2 Half-Cut | Resonator | $ | Thomann |
| Fender PR-180E Resonator Guitar | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $ | Sweetwater |
| Gretsch G9240 Alligator Mahogany Round Neck | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $ | Sweetwater |
| Gretsch G9241 Alligator Mahogany Round Neck | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $$ | Sweetwater |
| Gretsch G9220 Bobtail Round-neck Mahogany Body | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $$ | Sweetwater |
| ESP LTD TL-6 | 1 ESP Version | Acoustic-Electric | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Gretsch G9230 Bobtail Square-neck Mahogany | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Epiphone Dobro Hound Dog M-14 | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $$ | Sweetwater |
| Gretsch G9221 Bobtail Roundneck Resonator | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Recording King RM-997-VG Swamp Dog Metal | 2 Half-Cut | Resonator | $$ | Guitar Center – Thomann |
| The Loar LH-600-VS Professional Archtop | 2 Normal F-Holes | Deep Body Archtop Steel-string acoustic guitar | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| The Loar LH-700-VS Supreme Archtop | 2 Normal F-Holes | Deep Body Archtop Steel-string acoustic guitar | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Taylor T5z Classic – Find more great Taylor Guitars here | Stylized F-Holes | Acoustic-Electric | $$$ | Guitar Center – Sweetwater |
| Taylor T5z Standard Acoustic-Electric | Stylized F-Holes | Acoustic-Electric | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Taylor T5z Custom Sassafras | Stylized F-Holes | Acoustic-Electric | $$$$$ | Sweetwater |
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What Kind of Acoustic Guitars Have F-Holes?
Over the years there has been an abundance of different acoustic guitars from Resonators, to Acoustic-Electrics, to Classical guitars featuring F-Holes. But at the time of writing (Feb 2022), my research revealed that there are only 2 different acoustic guitar types featuring F-Holes available from big brands. These are:
- Resonator acoustic guitars
- Acoustic-Electric guitars
And to me, this is weird. In a bit, I’m going to show you tone comparisons of different guitars with different sound holes. You will notice that the difference is noticeable. So it’s weird that more guitars with F-Holes aren’t produced, because they really bring something different to the table.
But about these 2 acoustic guitar types…
Resonator
In resonator acoustic guitars, the bridge is connected to the metal (steel) resonator instead of the wooden top of the guitar. This produces a different sound than regular acoustic guitars. There are resonator acoustic guitars with both metal(usually steel) and wooden bodies (the resonator part is metal of course).
Check a sound comparison of regular acoustic and resonator guitars:
Acoustics-Electric
An acoustic guitar that has some kind of pickup built in it so you can plug it in an amp. Simple. For example Taylor T5z you saw a photo about earlier is considered to be an acoustic-electric guitar.
What Does F-Holes On A Guitar Do?
The sound of an acoustic guitar can emanate from many places, such as top, back, sides, and soundhole. F-hole is a 1 type of soundhole where the tone can emanate from. The shape and size of the soundhole affect the sound it produces.
F-Hole VS Round Hole
This video gives you a head-to-head comparison:
F-hole produces a brighter and cleared tone, while the round hole gives you more bass. Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comment section of this article!
Some studies have found that violins with F-hole provide more powerful sound than violins with a round soundhole.
Are F-Hole Guitars Good?
For sure they are. F-hole guitars can produce a different tone and volume than guitars with a regular round soundhole. Neither of these is better or worse than the other, they are just different. Test different guitars out and choose which sounds and works best for you!
Conclusion on Acoustic Guitars With F-Holes
It was really fun to dive a bit deeper into the world of sound holes, resonators, etc. Clearly, F-holes help the guitar produce a totally different tone than round soundholes for example. I’m actually looking forward to adding acoustic with F-holes to my collection. Hopefully some new models are released this year because right now, none of these guitars fit my needs or budget.
I hope this article gave you helpful info and maybe you even decided to give a go to some guitars featured in this post. If you have any questions, just leave a comment. I wish you all the best and keep rocking!
Teemu
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