Guitar Reviews and Demos

Gibson promo photo, Courtesy of Michael Simmons

Archtop

Carved for Sound: How the Acoustic Archtop Guitar Keeps Swinging

In this feature, we’ll trace the history of the acoustic archtop guitar—from its 19th-century origins and golden-era prominence to its postwar decline and modern-day revival.

Michael John Simmons October 29, 2025

Iris Guitar Company MS-00, Photo: Mathilde Sauve

00 and Grand Concert

Review: The Iris Guitar Company MS-00 Is a Custom-Made Boutique Flattop with Vintage Flair and High-End Tonewoods

The MS-00 is a guitar that’s straightforward, well-balanced, and built to be played, not pampered

Greg Ruby August 13, 2025

How to Choose Your Next Guitar

Is One Guitar Enough?
Determining (and Justifying) Your Need for Multiple Guitars

Reviews by Body Size

Compact Guitars

Mid-Size Guitars

Large Guitars

More Acoustic Guitars

All Guitar Reviews

Review: Yamaha LS6 Acoustic Has a Bright Voice with Great Presence

For many years, especially in the 1970s and ’80s, Yamaha was virtually synonymous with inexpensive, good quality flattop guitars, and the LS6 lives up to this reputation.

Teja Gerken
February 18, 2013

Acoustic Guitar editor Teja Gerken holding guitar for 11 affordable small bodied flattop guitars

Recording King RO-310 Review

Recording King RO-310 acoustic guitar review.

Teja Gerken
February 15, 2013

Taylor GS Mini Review

I sat on my couch, put the GS Mini in my lap, and experienced the strangest feeling: total comfort.

Nicole Solis
February 13, 2013

Fueled by reader requests for an overview of currently available small-body guitars, Acoustic Guitar invited manufacturers to send us samples of their small-body instruments with list prices between $500 and $1,000. We ended up with 11 guitars that are surprisingly diverse in sound and feel, some inspired by vintage instruments and…

Teja Gerken
February 11, 2013

Martin 000X1AE Review

Martin 000X1AE acoustic guitar review.

Teja Gerken
February 11, 2013

Guild M-120 Review

Guild M-120 acoustic guitar review.

Teja Gerken
February 11, 2013

Eastman E60M Review

Eastman E60M acoustic guitar review.

Teja Gerken
February 11, 2013

Breedlove Passport OM/SM Review

Breedlove Passport OM/SM acoustic guitar review.

Teja Gerken
February 11, 2013

Blueridge BR-163 Review

Blueridge BR-165 acoustic guitar review.

Teja Gerken
February 11, 2013

Bedell HGM-28G Review

Teja Gerken
February 11, 2013

Alvarez AF70 Review

Alvarez AF70 acoustic guitar review.

Teja Gerken
February 11, 2013

Seagull Maritime SWS Folk HG Review

Teja Gerken
February 11, 2013

Review: Martin’s DRS1 is a Solid Dreadnought Designed For the Working Musician

Luckily for those unable to afford a D-28, Martin recently unveiled the DRS1—a guitar with many similarities to the American-made D-15, but built in Martin’s Mexican facility.

Adam Perlmutter and Adam Perlmutter
January 13, 2013

Review: Martin 000C Nylon Has Familiar Steel-String Sound with Electronics and Some Unusual Features

The Martin 000C's strong lower mids combine with a crisp high end to produce a scooped tone completely different from the sound usually associated with classical instruments.

Doug Young
January 4, 2013

Godin Multiac ACS-SA Nylon USB Review

The ACS-SA/USB is about as easy to use as it gets, giving a convenient way to plug into a computer and get ideas down quickly with a pro-level sound and feel.

Doug Young
January 4, 2013

Review: Alhambra Crossover CS-1 CW E2

The Alhambra produces a rich, warm tone with good presence and definition

Doug Young
January 3, 2013

Review: The Differences are in the Details with Taylor’s 314CE-N Hybrid Nylon-String Guitar

The most obvious departure from Taylor’s steel-string grand auditorium design is the wider neck

Doug Young
January 3, 2013

Review: Martin 0-28VS is a 12-Fret Loaded with Character

This updated and reissued design is part of Martin's Vintage series.

Stevie Coyle
January 3, 2013

Yamaha A3R Review

One of the noteworthy aspects of the A3R is its playability. Our review guitar arrived strung with light-gauge strings that feel as close to the ebony fingerboard as the strings do on a typical electric guitar. I found the mahogany neck to be very playable in all positions and it was easy to bend strings.

Mike Levine and Mike Levine
January 1, 2013

Alvarez AP70 Review

The AP70 is part of Alvarez's Artist Series of instruments, a comprehensive line of guitars that includes dreadnoughts, jumbos, folk guitars (slightly smaller than dreadnought, designated by other makers as 000), classical, 12-string, acoustic bass, and parlor models, many available with built-in electronics, some with cutaways, and all priced for the experienced, budget-minded player or beginning enthusiast.

Danny Carnahan
December 12, 2012

Review: Takamine’s TF77-PT Features Tube-Driven Electronics

This brand-new, all-solid-wood guitar is based on a 14-fret OM with a superb electronics package

Adam Perlmutter
December 12, 2012

Review: Santa Cruz OM Has a Unique Flavor That Somehow Oozes a “Vintage” Vibe

This OM is a slightly modified version of the standard Santa Cruz OM, featuring a top made of Italian instead of Sitka spruce, and the vintage-style “advanced” X-bracing option

Doug Young
December 12, 2012

Review: Collings Pete Huttlinger Signature OM 1

This signature model version is closely based on the OM1 that has been the Nashville-based fingerstyle ace’s primary guitar for many years.

Doug Young
December 12, 2012

Review: Bourgeois Custom Soloist

Immediately noticeable are the rich sound, excellent sustain, and abundant overtones that make it perfect for playing lush chords

Doug Young
December 12, 2012

Review: Huss and Dalton TOM-R Has a Warm, Rich Sound

The TOM-R mirrors the traditional look, feel, and construction of the classic OM.

Doug Young
December 12, 2012

Guitar & Gear Review FAQs

How do you choose which guitars to review?
Our writers are guitar fanatics, just like you. They’re always on the lookout for new or updated offerings to recommend. We’re sometimes asked why we don’t publish negative or one-star reviews – there are so many great guitars being produced today that we’d rather share our balanced opinions on the instruments we do think you should consider.

Do companies pay for you to review their instruments?
No. We are proud of the firm separation between advertising sales and editorial coverage that we’ve held strong since our founding in 1990. We only accept endemic advertising – meaning, you won’t see ads for products or services unrelated to making music with an acoustic guitar; inevitably that means we’ll review products made by companies who advertise with us, but you’ll see just as many reviews by companies who do not. We have never (and will never) take money or gifts in exchange for a favorable review.

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There is no billionaire owner or mega-corporation behind Acoustic Guitar – your support keeps us independent and in business. When you shop for gear using one of our affiliate links, a small percentage of your purchase gets shared with us (at no cost to you) for being the one that referred you. This is one way you can support our work (learn about more ways here.) We do not select products to review based on the availability of affiliate links.