5 Best Fender Acoustic Guitars in 2023 – Get REAL Value for Your Money

Last Updated on August 10, 2023 by Teemu Suomala

Author: Teemu Suomala

More About Teemu▼

I first grabbed the guitar in 2009. I started this website in January 2020 because I couldn’t do window installation anymore due to my health problems. I love guitars and have played dozens and dozens of different guitars through different amps and pedals over the years, and also, building a website interested me, so I decided to just go for it! I got lucky and managed to get awesome people to help me with my website.

I also got lucky because I have you visiting my website right now. Thank you. I do all this for you guys. If you have any recommendations, tips, or feedback, just leave a comment, I would love to chat with you. I have also been fortunate to produce content for several large guitar websites, such as Songsterr, Musicnotes, GuitarGuitar, and Ultimate Guitar.

I spend my spare time exercising and hanging out with my wife and crazy dog (I guess that went the right way…).

Hide The Rambling▲

• LinkedIn
• Mail

How Fender Newporter Classic sounds:

Check Today’s Price on

*Consider all links in this post to be affiliate links. If you purchase, at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission. It helps us to keep the lights on, thanks! 🙂

The Next Best:

Compare The Key Specs:

Compare The Best Fender Acoustic Guitar Tonewoods:

You can learn more about acoustic guitar tonewoods here.

About Fender Acoustic Guitars

We all know how awesome Fender electric guitars are. Strats, Teles, and even Jazzmasters and Mustangs. But what about Fender’s acoustic guitar line-up? Do the easy playability and sweet tones carry through to acoustics?

Check our favorite Fender electric guitars here.

Fender’s first acoustic guitars date back to 1963. The first acoustic “The King” didn’t gain much popularity, but things changed when Malibu and Newporter acoustic guitars were introduced in 1965. (Both had a fun-looking “hockey-stick” headstock, you can check this Fender 12-string out to see what this kind of headstock looks like.)

In the ’70s, Fender didn’t focus on acoustic guitar at all. But starting from the 80s and going through the ’90s and ’00s Fender started pumping out more and more acoustic guitars. And this continues to this day.

Based on my experience with Fender acoustic guitars (I have been playing them since the early 2010s and I have owned one since 2020) the strongest selling points are smooth playability, solid all-around tones, high value for the money, and stellar quality.

And in this article, we focus on the 5 best Fender acoustic guitars, I reveal why these 5 are so good, and who should consider buying one & who shouldn’t.

Let’s get going!

If you are not completely settled on a idea of buying a Fender, check our other acoustic guitar brand guides:

5 Best Yamaha Acoustic Guitars in 2022

5 Best Martin Guitars in 2022

5 Best Taylor Guitars in 2022

5 Best Takamine Acoustic Guitars in 2022

5 Best Ovation Guitars in 2022

5 Best Epiphone Acoustic Guitars

5 Best Fender Acoustic Guitars – Buyer’s Guide

Best Overall – Fender Newporter Classic Acoustic-Electric

Specs

Versatility. That’s the main reason why this Fender Newporter Classic sits at the best overall place. But why is it so versatile?

First. Solid Sitka spruce combined with solid Mahogany back & sides produce a sweet combination of clear, bright & crisp and round, warm & smooth tonal characteristics. Tonally this guitar sits well with flatpicking, fingerpicking, chord-playing, and plugged-in playing.

It should be noted that if you can find an acoustic guitar for under $700, that is build from all-solid woods, that’s always a sign of good value for the money. This Fender Newporter Classic is exactly that.

On top of that, the bone nut and saddle are there! These increase the overall value, sound quality, and sustain. And for those who always end up hitting real bone to their acoustics to replace the plastic or NuBone nuts & saddle, this also saves time and money.

But tonal versatility is not all…

Secondly. A flat 15.75″ radius fretboard paired with a slim C neck shape and 1.69″ nut width make playing feel electric-like, and hitting chords and licks all over the fretboard is smooth. 1 thing that helps with all this is the deep Newporter cutaway. It allows you to easily go below the 12th fret and run some acoustic solos through this guitar.

The fretboard is made of Pau Ferro, and to me, this feels great, and also reminds me of smooth-playing Fender Pau Ferro Mustang electric guitars. But to some players, Pau Ferro might not seem like the perfect fretboard material for acoustic guitar, but I recommend that you at least try it out before giving it a pass.

The body of this acoustic is thin, but I would not call it a thin-body acoustic guitar. But it’s a great middle-ground between bulky dreadnoughts and Thinline acoustic guitars. Personally, this body size is the sweet spot for me (I’m an average-sized guy with small hands).

To wrap this little review up, I would recommend at least trying this Fender out. It’s versatile, easy to handle, has an all-solid wood build, and still doesn’t cost much. Don’t expect full-sized Premium Dreadnought Martin tones from it, but at the end of the day, this Newporter can definitely handle itself because of its high-value, excellent all-around tones, and smooth playability.

Another solid sound demo:

Pros:

• Usually comes with a sturdy Fender Deluxe gig bag
• Extremely versatile tonally
• The relatively thin body shape and deep cutaway make this acoustic easy to handle
• Slim, smooth, and electric guitar-like neck are easy to play
• Good quality Fishman Preamp system ensures great plugged-in tones
• Bass, Treble, and Phase control add to the versatility
• Solid top, back & sides
• Still affordable

Cons:

• Not the best projection and volume
• Pau Ferro is not a go-to fingerboard material for everyone

Who is this guitar for?

If you are after an affordable, really versatile acoustic guitar with all-solid body woods and want slim & smooth electric-like playability… then Fender Newporter Classic is a great option. This Fender is also a great acoustic guitar for intermediate players.

Who is this guitar NOT for?

If you are after boomy, full-sized dreadnought sound, or a bulky neck & body, this Fender Newporter Classic is not a good option for you.

Check Price on:

Best for Fingerstyle Playing – Fender PS-220E Parlor

Specs

Find more excellent Parlor guitars here.

First, why a solid-wood acoustic guitar with a Mahogany top, back & sides? Hear me out…

I wanted to include something a bit different in this round-up. I also find the sound of this guitar extremely pleasing to my ears, even with a little bit harder fingerstyle playing. The sound is all-around warm, with full lows, balanced mids, and stable highs.

The tone of this model is not super clear and bright, if you are after that, check this Solid Sitka Spruce top version of this Fender PS-220E.

Back to this beauty with a Mahogany body…the projection with this thing, is surprisingly good, and I like how you can hit strong bass notes with Low E and A while still getting articulated sound from mid- and higher notes.

I also like how Fishman Sonitone Plus Soundhole pickup sounds. Look, I’m not opting completely out of Piezo pickups, but I do like the fuller and warmer tone of soundhole pickups. This ensures that no matter if you are played amplified or not, you maintain the natural warm sound of this Parlor guitar.

What about the playability? The neck profile is not as slim as with the best overall, Fender Newporter Classic. This can be a bummer for some small-handed players, but even though I have relatively tiny hands, I find the necks of these Fender Paramount Parlors quite easy to handle. They are not the smoothest playing necks to me, but still a ton of fun.

This Fener Parlor guitar is good with normal pick playing and flatpicking, but the playability turns into great when fingerpicking. The comfortable and snuggly Parlor-body shape paired with the Ovangkol bridge that feels great against my hand makes handling all sorts of fingerstyle patterns smooth.

Based on my research, this is by far the best Fender acoustic guitar for fingerstyle. A combination of full sound and great fingerstyle-playability ensures this. It should be noted that the Mahogany body offers great sound for acoustic blues.

Find more great acoustic guitars for blues here.

How this guitar sounds:

Pros:

• Warm, full, and balanced sound
• The parlor body shape ensures easy fingerstyle playing
• Soundhole pickup maintains a full and warm sound when playing plugged-in
• The neck feels smooth and is easy to handle for everyone who is used to acoustic guitars (not hard to play for beginners either)
• Version with Solid Sitka Spruce top available too

Cons:

• Some complaints about finish quality and out-of-the-box setup can be found
• Not the clearest sound

Who is this guitar for?

If you are after smooth fingerstyle playability, warm, balanced & full tones, and great sounds amplified or not, Fender PS-220E Parlor all-mahogany is a great option.

Who is this guitar NOT for?

If you are not looking for a great fingerstyle guitar, and want really crisp and clear sound, this Fender Paramount Parlor is not for you.

Check Price on:

Best Dreadnought – Fender PD-220E Dreadnought

Specs

This guitar doesn’t impress me that much in terms of playability.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not awful to play. It just doesn’t bring anything special or really smooth to the table playability-wise. Does this mean that it’s a bad instrument? Absolutely not. This only means that don’t expect anything more than good dreadnought acoustic guitar playability from it.

But there’s something to really love about this Fender. To me, it’s the fullest-sounding Fender acoustic guitar, with great volume & projection. It sounds excellent with strumming, but it takes fingerstyle and solo playing well too.

And again, the soundhole pickup ensures full amplified sound. You get a great mix of crispy & clear and resonant & warm tones out of this thing.

This Fender acoustic is not the smoothest playing, in terms of fingerstyle or soloing, but it’s a great dreadnought, with smooth but typical acoustic guitar playability. Plus, its full sound cut’s through the mix, and definitely doesn’t leave me disappointed.

Also, I have to mention, that for this price, getting all-solid woods, great electronics, and bone nut & saddle is still excellent value for the money.

How this guitar sounds:

Pros:

• Familiar, smooth, and fun acoustic guitar playability
• Full dreadnought sound that cuts through the mix
• Full sound when plugged-in too
• Great projection and volume with warmth, crispiness, and solid articulation
• All-solid wood construction
• Great quality electronics
• Great acoustic guitar for playing rhythm guitar and chords in general
• Light weight increases the ease of play

Cons:

• Doesn’t offer anything special or really smooth in terms of playability
• Not the best acoustic for soloing

Who is this guitar for?

If you are a rhythm guitar player looking for a Fender acoustic guitar, this is most likely the best option for you. Also, if you are after a dreadnought that offers a full sound with good articulation, Fender PD-220E Dreadnought is a great option.

Who is this guitar NOT for?

If you are after a really easy-to-play acoustic guitar or you want to find the best acoustic guitar for small hands this Fender Dreadnought is not the best option for you.

Check Price on:

Best for Beginners – Fender CC-60S Concert Pack

Specs

I would choose a Concert body style over Dreadnought for beginners any day. And every day. It’s a tad smaller, sits well on your lap, and is overall easier to handle.

And while Concert guitars lose to Dreadnoughts in terms of full sound and volume a little bit, Concert-shaped guitars don’t sound bad. Absolutely not. The sound demo below is proof of that.

The sound of this cheap Fender acoustic guitar is definitely not as articulate, clear, and full as with other, higher-priced Fenders featured in this article. But for a bit over $200, it’s a steal. (tho I still like 1 Yamaha beginner acoustic guitar even more).

Another thing that’s awesome, is the solid Spruce top (it’s awesome to get a solid top for this price). This ensures clear, crisp, and balanced tones right out of the box, and 10 years later.

In terms of playability, I already mentioned the Concert body shape, which is great. To me, the neck is a tad slimmer version of a typical acoustic guitar C neck shape. Some rough spots can be present, but overall, the neck feels smooth to play.

All-in-all the Fender CC-60S Concert is a great all-around beginner guitar that handles fingerstyle, pick playing, and rhythm playing really well in terms of both, sound and playability.

How this guitar sounds:

Pros:

• Great sounds for the price
• Solid spruce top improves the sound
• Excellent value
• Fun and beginner-friendly to play
• Versatile instrument both tonally and playability-wise
• Concert body shape is easier to handle than Dreadnought
• A beginner guitar in good…

Cons:

• …and bad
• Plastic nut & saddle
• Some rough spots on the finish & setup can happen

Who is this guitar for?

If you are a beginner looking for a solid top acoustic guitar that is versatile tonally and playability-wise, this Fender CC-60S Concert is a great option.

Who is this guitar NOT for?

If you are after a high quality, all-solid construction, bone nut & saddles, and really smooth playability, this Fender beginner acoustic guitar is not the best option for you.

Check Price on:

Best Budget – Fender Malibu Player

Specs

It plays like an electric. That’s the best thing about these Fender Malibu Player acoustic guitars. When the guitar has playability this good, you want to come back at it.

I want to note that the guitars setup plays a huge role on overall playability. If you have a really bad setup, even guitar with the worlds best neck and most comfortable body can feel hard to play.

Why the playability is so good?

• The body is not super thick
• Slim C neck shape
• Flat 15.75″ fingerboard radius
• Neck is smooth

These things combined make this Malibu a keeper when it comes to playability.

What about the sound?

A combination of a solid Sitka Spruce top and laminated Mahogany back & sides is a good one. You are probably really familiar to see these specs if you have been looking at the current Fender Acoustic guitar line-up (most Fender acoustics come with a Spruce top and Mahogany back & sides.)

We get a really similar effect to the already mentioned guitars. The sound has a good mix of lows, clearness, articulation, warmth, and the cherry at the top: the sound is crispy.

This Malibu comes with a Fishman CD-1 Preamp with Tuner. This system uses Piezo pickup, which you can notice when plugged in. The sound loses some of its fullness and warmth. It’s typical for any acoustic guitar pickup system with a Piezo, but it’s worth noting. And this is 1 thing that makes this acoustic guitar behave differently than its more expensive Fender counterparts with soundhole pickups.

Again, I have to note that this guitar doesn’t offer you really boomy dreadnought sound, but the sound this Malibu provides, it’s competitive. It can hold its ground against any similar-priced acoustic. This is a feisty budget acoustic guitar with a well-balanced sound and electric guitar-like easy playability. I like it a lot.

How this guitar sounds:

parl

Pros:

• Easy to play, plays like an electric guitar
• Really versatile tonally
• Well-balanced sound. Warm, crispy, and clear.
• Good quality electronics
• The body shape and size are comfortable
• NuBone nut & saddle are better than plastic ones (improves overall tone and sustain)

Cons:

• Doesn’t possess a really full sound
• Piezo pickup can’t transfer warm and full tones to plugged-in sound
• Doesn’t have bone nut & saddle

Who is this guitar for?

If you are after a really easy, electric guitar-like playability, versatile sound, price tag under $500, and comfortable-to-hold body… the Fender Malibu Player is a great option!

Check our picks for the best acoustic guitars under $500 here.

Who is this guitar NOT for?

If you are after a bulky & wide neck, boomy sound, all-solid wood construction, and bone nut & saddle, Fender Malibu Player is not a good option for you.

Check Price on:

Verdict

Choosing the winner for the best Fender Acoustic guitar was not that hard for me. Fender Newporter Classic just checked all the boxes for me. Versatile, easy to play, has all-solid wood construction, great quality electronics, and doesn’t cost that much. It’s an excellent acoustic guitar in my opinion.

Fender PS-220E Parlor was a clear fingerstyle Fender acoustic guitar winner. The body shape and overall feel are just so good for fingerpicking. Plus, the tone is so full, warm, and articulate.

Fender PD-220E Dreadnought was the clear rhythm/dreadnought winner. It maybe lacks “that spark” for me, but there’s no denying that it’s a great instrument.

Fender CC-60S Concert Pack is my choice for beginners. Solid-top, cheap price, and easy to play. A great beginner acoustic guitar.

Fender Malibu Player is THE budget pick. I wonder why this guitar isn’t more popular…it’s so affordable, it’s so easy to play, and it sounds good. A great bang-for-the-buck guitar.

Buyer’s Guide – FAQ

How to Choose The Best Fender Acoustic Guitar For You?

Body Style

Here are the 5 most common Fender acoustic guitar body shapes:

Dreadnought

Dreadnoughts got the largest size and fullest and boomiest sound. Tonally they are versatile but work really well with rhythm, traditional folk & pop, and with vocals. They can work for players from any skill level (for beginners too), but if you are a small person, a kid, or just have small hands, full-sized dreadnought might not be the best option for you. I recommend you test 1 before buying.

Concert

The Concert shape is slimmer and smaller than Dreadnought. It’s really good for vocals, fingerstyle, and soloing, but takes rhythm well too. It’s more snuggly than Jumbo and Dreadnought shapes, and is, in general, easier to handle for beginners, kids, and for people with small hands.

Parlor

Parlor guitars are your smallest option. They’re way brighter than dreadnoughts and lack that low-end boom, but they still sing loud and clear. If you love the bell-like chime of a trebly acoustic, parlor guitars are your number one. Parlor guitars are usually really easy to handle playability-wise, and especially make fingerstyle playing easy. Parlor guitars are great instruments for kids, fingerstyle lovers, and people with small hands.

Malibu

To me, the Fender Malibu shape is a middle ground between Concert and Parlor shapes. So with Malibu, you got more low-end punch than with Parlor guitar, but you still got the easy playability and the clear sound. Malibu is a great shape for fingerstyle playing.

Newporter

Fender Newporter shape is also on the smaller side of acoustic guitars. To me, it’s a crossover of Fender Malibu and traditional Parlor shapes. Newporters usually come with a deep cutaway, which makes it an excellent guitar for fingerstyle and for acoustic soloing. The sound is not full of punchy low end, but the tones are still surprisingly full, clear, and well-balanced.

Tonewoods

With Fenders, you don’t get a ton of different tonewood options. Basically all Fender acoustic guitars come with:

Spruce top (either solid or laminated)

Mahogany back and sides. A couple of Fender Acoustic guitars also have a mahogany top. (either solid or laminated)

Should you choose a spruce or mahogany top?

• Spruce gives you clearer, crispier, and sharper tones
• Mahogany provides warmer, rounder sound with fuller lows

Choose the 1 that sounds better to you!

So you don’t have many tonewoods to choose from. But crisp, clear, warm, and balanced tones are pretty much guaranteed with these tonewoods.

Solid vs. Laminated Woods

As always, the more expensive Fender acoustics tend to have all-solid woods. When you move to budget Fender acoustics, first the back & sides turn into laminated, and with the cheapest acoustics, even the top is laminated.

Laminated wood is more durable with humidity changes (doesn’t crack so easily), but with sound quality, out of the box and 10 years from now, solid top beats laminated wood. That’s why a solid top is considered to be a better choice. But laminated woods are not bad either. I have been fingerpicking with my Yamaha C40 classical with all-laminated woods for over 10 years, and I still love it.

But buy the best acoustic guitar you can afford.

Conclusion on Best Fender Acoustic Guitars

Fender acoustic guitars can be excellent instruments. To me, they are versatile, easy to play (electric guitar-like), and offer great value for the money. This is why I and many other players love them. And this article had the best Fender acoustic guitars (available at the end of 2022) featured. Great guitars from beginner acoustics to boomy dreadnoughts to versatile electric guitar-playability acoustic guitars. Awesome instruments.

I hope this article helped you out, and maybe you even decided to get one of the guitars featured. If you have any questions, leave a comment, I and the GND team are here for you.

Now go, my son, and Rock!

You might also like:

5 Best Taylor Guitars in 2023 – Get Value for Your Money

5 Best Martin Guitars in 2023 – Get Real Value for Your Money

5 Best Acoustic Guitars With Thin Neck in 2023 – Plus A List of 28 Runner-Ups

6 Best Acoustic Guitars Under $1000 in 2023 – Versatile & Sweet Tones

5 Best High-End Acoustic Guitars in 2023 – The Only Guide You Need

6 Best Acoustic Guitars Under $500 in 2023 – Great Sounding Instruments!