We Found The BEST Guitar Under $1,500 At The NAMMShow 2023!

[@mikes3703]

I have an Eastman with the rosewood body and aged sitka spruce top. It sounds great and has unbelievable sustain. Love it.

[@herbmichael5053]

Nice guitar at a great price, sounds wonderful. Thanks. John for giving us these reviews.

[@seanhallahan14]

Thank you for doing this! I have several guitars under $800, Yamaha L16M, Yamaha NTX1200R, Bridgeport BG400 and Alvarez 12 string, I'm very happy.

[@bmac5085]

Is that the maple 12 string?

[@W4rriorOfLight]

whats your favorite?

[@danielhartman5086]

Thinking about getting the Yamaha LL16 M. Sounds so very sweet.

[@Hippie-i8g]

Have you tried any Adamas or Ovations? Love Japanese made guitars.

[@Hippie-i8g]

​@danielhartman5086 Have one, use Elixir strings on it. 👍

[@paulgoulet8343]

I was not surpried that Eastman came out on top. The quality of workmanship, the tonewood choices, and attention to detail all come together to make a great instrument. I own an Eastnam E2O-OM-SB which is a sweet knockoff of a vintage Martin OM.

[@TheCarolo08]

thank you, for this test!

[@scottmoreau5630]

Cool comparison. I think doing this at NAMM would be difficult with all the noise.

[@grekiely6245]

Thanks, helps take the guess work out when looking for a guitar. :)

[@johnwashburn3793]

Thanks guys, great service

[@SoundPursuit]

Thx for doing this. My vote was: Breedlove, then Eastman and Martin.

[@AcousticShoppe]

Nice!

[@ahill209]

For me, it was Breedlove No. 1, Eastman No. 2, and Martin No.3. I'm spoiled with a Martin D-28 Marquis, though, so anything less than that sounds like someone playing two rooms over.

[@im58woody]

I picked the Breedlove as my #1 too

[@ralfybaby]

​@@markbutikofer5207 ditto ditto.

[@bekeneel]

Oh I remember that name, cuz there are quite a few special editions (of d28), along with custom shops too. The Marquis is with sunburst & adirondack?

[@ahill209]

@@bekeneel Adi, yes. Sunburst, no. East Indian rosewood back and sides. It's a real beast, volume wise. Sustain lasts for eons.

[@RomanSonnleitner]

Eastman coming out as the winner doesn't surprise me at all. Would have liked to see a Yamaha in the race...

[@AcousticShoppe]

Unfortunately the booth had a brass section playing when we were by there BUT we can confirm, they had some awesome guitars!

[@stevelacombe5291]

The Alvarez and Guild are the best looking. The Guild sounds surprisingly good and the price is hard to beat.

[@finemeat]

One of my favorite guitars, Guild f240e. $275 on sale. Didn’t even need to change the strings out of the box.

[@patricklundquist9869]

Hard to tell with all that NAMM background noise. I am a huge fan of Eastman and that one has gorgeous back and sides a well as a side port yet, in spite of my built-in bias, I'm still going for that plane Jane Martin. There is less background noise and your voice in the recording of the Martin has more clarity, so that might account for my choice. I'm agreeing with @ahill209, I liked the Breedlove best. There was also a whole lot less background noise in the Breedlove recording. It would be fun to stage a re-match between the top four guitars in a controlled studio setting to find out how much the background noise swayed opinion. Fun video.

[@richfiryn]

The obvious glaring omission was Yamaha which would easily surpass each of these entries. Of the entries in this grouping though the Eastman would be the one I would choose.

[@soofitnsexy]

yes yamaha is king of the cheapies I played them all!!! owned a bunch

[@AcousticShoppe]

Unfortunately the booth had a brass section playing when we were by there BUT we can confirm, they had some awesome guitars, specifically the FG9's!

[@Wobbz9413]

Not a comparison without a Yamaha. Would blow them out of the water.

[@12babyapes59]

@@Wobbz9413 ll16 ARE

[@dwebs1340]

Cordoba bought Guild from Fender and now Yamaha bought Cordoba. The quality of the Guild Westerly guitars is quite impressive especially the 100 series solid wood. The older GAD series were nice guitars, but these new Westerly Guild/Yamaha are legit players.

[@BrianHarbut-v5k]

Enjoyed that! Great comparison. Loved the Breedlove sound & the Eastman. Two guitars I’ve never played! Many thanks! 👍

[@darrenkampen8911]

I appreciate that there wasn't any fluff in your video. It would be interesting to see if the scores were the same if you were wearing blindfold and didn't know the prices beforehand.

[@TheTriplelman]

for under 1500 I would buy a guitar you did not pick up - the Martin SC -12e - a REVOLUTIONARY guitar that Martin has invented with X and scalloped bracing, S -shape that is so comfortable, and the neck has NO heal anymore so high frets are so easy to reach. Its amazing, not the same old acoustic guitar!

[@dennisreedy8200]

I bought a D35 Herringbone Martin In 1979 and it’s just Like New The Sound will never be duplicated just had the action adjusted To this day it looks brand new and actually sounds better

[@slpc30]

Awesome video as always thank you!!! loved the Eastman and martin and the breed love you played first

[@josephballerini3730]

Glad you took on the challenge

What's up with no Yamaha??

[@jpobrien5418]

I love eastmans but an LL 16 would blow the doors off of any of those by a long shot! They play and sound like a very expensive guitar.. cool comparison though.. love these guys.

[@AcousticShoppe]

Unfortunately the booth had a brass section playing when we were by there BUT we can confirm, they had some awesome guitars!

[@howabouthetruth2157]

You guys are always awesome. Thank you for everything that ya do for us. Man, it's just SO noisy at the NAMM show for video/audio play testing. I could only really hear a few of the guitars in any real sense due to all of the background noise. It would be nice if each vendor had some sort of noise reducing booth to duck into for play testing. They could build a portable padded sound booth that quickly breaks down & folds up for ease of transport, and set-up. Many of these acoustic guitar companies could afford to do something like that, and it would be very helpful for both the vendor and prospective buyers & dealers.

[@AcousticShoppe]

Totally, hopefully next year they police the noise better and/or separate the acoustics from drums/electrics

[@TheBbrothers224]

Curious - was Orangewood guitars there? Have they ever been before?

[@AcousticShoppe]

they did not have a booth there & I'm not too sure if they've ever gone.

[@georgefrench1907]

Why am I not surprised that the Eastman came out on top??? Pleassssse!

[@mapleknot3]

I like the truck bed liner finish on the Ibanez top

[@BFClayto]

The tone port is an idea I really like. I haven't played the Eastman, but now very interested.

[@AcousticShoppe]

It actually makes a bigger difference than we thought it would!

[@PatrickWillshire]

Gibson G- Writer also has a tone port - adds a much fuller and richer sound for the player, in my opinion.

[@phillipcarrier]

No Yamaha, Larrivee, Furch… $500 guild to $1500 Eastman… Not exactly apples to apples. It would also have been better comparing somewhat similar body styles. Still appreciate your work and the content!

[@1deadtoe707]

I don't know about Furch, but Larrivee has no acoustic guitar with a Street price less than $1500. However, they have many really good options for less than 2K.

[@samuelosterloh6502]

Agreed. No Larrivee represented? I was at the Acoustic Shoppe in Springfield, unfortunately right during NAMM. Most high end guitars and personnel gone to NAMM. Bad timing, I guess. I'm personally not sure what to think of Eastman, but Acoustic Shoppe seems high on them. Martin is what it is...a yes, and yet?

[@AcousticShoppe]

Unfortunately the booth had a brass section playing when we were by there BUT we can confirm, they had some awesome guitars! Also Larrivée & Furch were not at NAMM this year, we tried checking out what we could find!

[@daveclevenger9210]

I own 2 Eastmans and absolutely LOVE them. Play one and you will understand. 😊

[@riverwalker2173]

What Eastman models do you play?

[@orionthehunter9107]

Going by the video the 1st guitar sounded nice. Breedlove concert pro.

[@markharwood7573]

On the screen the Alvarez is the MPA66SHB but, like the man says, it's the MPA66ESHB. The price includes a pretty good pickup system. Mine was £550 in Scotland last year, 2022.

[@GorgeousRoddyChrome]

I thoroughly enjoyed this review! Your value rating, however, befuddles me. To me, value means how much you get for your money. Low score means that axe should be priced lower to be commensurate with all you get for that model's street price. Good example is that Ibanez, which sells for $649 everywhere, yet your 2.5/5 Value score might imply that it is comparable to guitar half that price. If the Ibanez was street priced at $325 would the value be 5/5?🤔 Further, the Martin & Eastman are over double the cost, which puts them in a much higher tier. So ... With all that being said, great job! 🙂

[@TheBbrothers224]

also curious about Faith guitars as well

[@diegoalberto1071]

Yamaha A5R and A3R would blow the Eastman out of the water. Japanese made, torrefied spruce top, sonically tested scalloped bracing (recently played one at guitar center and it sounded better than the d-28 but not the d-45). There is also a new Chinese brand making luthier quality instruments at ridiculous prices, which I will not name because I plan on ordering two or three, and want them to keep production numbers low and prices just where they are....

[@denmar355]

Strictly from the audio in my headphones I thought the Breedlove was number two and Martin number three. Martin was thin sounding compared to the Breedlove. Eastman did win in my ears. I think the Guild won on price vs sound.

[@ralfybaby]

It's hard for a $500 guitar with laminate back and sides to compete against a $1300-1500 all solid wood guitar. The all solids just blow the laminates away ....

[@mitzioden4926]

Good selections and judging. I liked the Eastman the best.

[@lrtdale]

I have a 2005 Blueridge BR160, solid body and sides Indian Rosewood. I would like to see you do a show on Blueridge.

[@AcousticShoppe]

We've been wanting to get some Blueridge guitars for reviews for sure, hopefully soon!

[@LifeWideOpen780]

No Yamaha????

[@AcousticShoppe]

Unfortunately the booth had a brass section playing when we were by there, we totally look forward to checking them out in the future though!

[@bongocuba]

No mention of Yamaha FG5 ? Has to be in the top 3

[@belascialoja4812]

A *question for you* ... When you say, for example, 4/5, what are you comparing the 4 _to_ ??? What would be a "5" ??

[@guitarpt62]

I too would like to see a Yamaha included in the competition. I liked the tone on the Breedlove and was surprised that I liked the Takamine. Where is the Acoustic Shoppe?

[@AcousticShoppe]

We're located in Springfield, Mo!

[@jamesdepalma6341]

Honestly, if I couldnt have a Martin, Id go Eastman E8D all day, if you wanna spend a little more money the TC version/s. If you wanna spend even more money yet? Eastman E20D- TC or Martin

[@daddio307]

Also the Orangewood Hudson Torrefied Spruce Live

[@johnchapman4232]

Not at NAMM

[@theofulk5636]

sounded great for the first impression !

[@enigmabletchley6936]

Great video. Personally, I thought the Breedlove was the best sounding of all, which was a big surprise to me. The Martin and Eastman were also equal second on sound but I reckon the Eastman is way more guitar for the money. PS. How about the Gibson Generation guitars?

[@AcousticShoppe]

Gibson did not attend! 👀

[@kevinmauch5622]

I have two Eastman guitars, an E20 OOSS and an E20P. Both are wonderful instruments of exceptional build quality and worth every penny.

[@enigmabletchley6936]

@@AcousticShoppe Weird! Thanks for the explanation.

[@jimmycool9265]

Great comparisons!👍👍👍

[@guyb7005]

That's how I would have rated them except for Breedlove being higher than expected. The Martin had the Martin scooped sound that became the acoustic standard, but at $550 Guild would be my choice though I agree Eastman was best sound & quality.

[@tomformanek3312]

You mean your acoustic standard? Not all acoustic players are Martin lemmings

[@rocknroller984]

I think the Breedlove came across really nice through the mics...

[@FrettieFingers]

I like the Breedlove name... Breed love not war! ☮️

[@kevinhonaker2716]

I bought a Yamaha FG5 Red Label a few years ago. I thought it sounded better than Martin's that were 3x the price.

[@Bastikovski99]

That Guild is a great value

[@karlyfree6054]

the breedlove was my favorite

[@taylornielsen5805]

How did Yamaha LL16D not get in the competition? Solid value for around $1200

[@bmac5085]

I totally agree 👍

[@PatrickWillshire]

Great guitar!

[@nickp4872]

Nice group test! I bet if you would have tested the Eastman E1 specials they would have been the best value easily. I find the tone very similar to the fancier model. And with TC top even sweeter.

[@Hippie-i8g]

Where can you get Eastman guitars? Hear good things.

[@AcousticShoppe]

Right here! - www.theacousticshoppe.com/shop/Instruments/Guitars/Eastman-Guitars.htm

[@nworbydnar]

The Martin 15m is awesome.

[@jabomiles6947]

Enjoyed the video. While it is obvious none of us viewers could feel or play these guitars, our only mode of actual experience was sound. Sound is very subjective and what sounds good to me may not you and vice versa. I thought the Martin, Breedlove, and Takimene were the best sound with the tak being third. But again, I was listening through ears with a lot of exposure to loud industrial noise. Great job.

[@gs5480]

One thing to note is seagull uses Adirondack/red spruce and everyone knows it takes a while before it opens up

[@well_i_liked_it]

Breedlove sounds great.

[@juliemulie1805]

Definitely not apples to apples. You either love all the choices or become overwhelmed. Enjoy the hunt!

[@ducdanjou7885]

Martin ftw

[@WeiFischer]

So many great guitars, so little time. Lately, I have been into Yamaha, but that can easily change.

[@AcousticShoppe]

We certainly feel that!

[@Hippie-i8g]

Which Martin? No Takemine? Adamas? Alvarez? Any hand made? 😂

[@willarellano833]

Yamaha Fs5 red label is another great option

[@AcousticShoppe]

Have you seen this years? kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGGxZaGhqNOYmM0

[@lukasfoo]

Nice review. I wish they had tested a Yamaha. I bet it would have beaten them all.

[@njslim]

The Breedlove was never played facing the camera/mic.

[@soundknight]

Your playing posture is absolutely shocking

[@6stringsandapick]

Comparing a parlor guitar in sound to a dreadnaught in the same video is crazy. I (personally) find Breedlove almost unplayable at all price points, even though they sound great. Alvarez and Seagull have my pick personally when it comes to value and overall sound. None of them have decent pickups at this price point. All of them need to have Lyric or Anthem pickups installed when they jump over about $900.00

[@soofitnsexy]

yeah Im spoiled with what I own but these were all avg to me

[@johnchapman4232]

The scoring system didn't discriminate against small body sizes. We were limited by what the companies brought.

[@sallywasagoodolgal]

What's the best under $5,000. classical?

[@AikiFuz]

Taylor has a lot of delightful options in this range. Also every guitar is “not bad”…

[@ncsludgefactory5445]

I can't help it man, I'm Martin all the way

[@johnwashburn3793]

Amen brother!

[@ralfybaby]

I fancied the D15 so much after seeing a KZbin review some time back. Then I played one at a GC in Omaha NE. (Nice peeps there btw) Disappointed. Muffled,flat sounding guitar. I'll take an Alvarez or Yamaha over one any day.

[@marcus31599]

@@ralfybabyme too, Boutique makers make significantly better guitars than Martin. You get lucky once in awhile but most of the time you’re buying the Martin name not the best guitar.

[@ralfybaby]

@@marcus31599 yeh and if you spend over say $2500 you may be better off having a luthier built guitar. That is how it works with classical guitars anyway.

[@pepe3675]

martin religion

[@oceanhedonist265]

Where were Taylor and Yamaha?

[@AcousticShoppe]

The Yamaha booth had a brass section going on when we were by & Taylor had no guitars available to the public. We are very excited to check out Yamaha soon, we can say that they had some great instruments there, just kinda a hard space to capture them!

[@JB-lp9xr]

I am disappointed that there was no First Act CocoMelon guitar. Only $29 and it really is a gem.

[@bobbylove3832]

No Yamaha, no blueridge br160 and no recording king rd 328. These guitars are great and well under 1500

[@thebrooklyngardenclub225]

why no zaglers?

[@soulvaccination8679]

Sounds about the same as my Seagull Entourage Acoustic/electric, for which I paid around 500.

[@ralfybaby]

Breedlove for the win. Oh mah ..... Much fuller and brighter at the same time then the other contenders. If that Martin didn't have the Martin label it would be a middling mid level finisher. And it goes to show Japanese and Chinese guitars rock. Disappointed at the Godin and Seagull. Thought they would fare better. I appreciate that the ambient noise and perhaps the strings on the guitars probably made it harder to judge. And you should have featured a Yammie. The FG5, FG3 and the LL16 are all under $1500 and either would be top 3 if not top 1 here. And the Alvarez MD60 and 70 would be right up there as well. Those are my favorites in this price range

[@BFClayto]

Nice job.

[@andysmith6156]

I bought a 700$ Breedlove that sounded better (amplified) than every acoustic in Guitar center including the 2000 and under but after 5 different trips to 5 techs I could not get it intonated

[@michelle-psl4441]

I know many Martin fans who have said Eastman is the best bang for the buck. Wish Larrivee would have been in the running. Love my OM.

[@daddio307]

I would also submit the Recording King Tonewood Reserve Elite Dreadnought

[@johnchapman4232]

Not at NAMM

[@dlmullins9054]

Good competition ! I know it's a pretty unknown brand, but i wish you could play a China made Merida Extrema Poison Jumbo guitar. They sell new for 1100.-1400. I bought one from an Ebay seller. Specs below. Love your channel. SPECIFICATIONS: Model: Poison Body Shape: 42 inch GC Top: AAA solid Engelmann Spruce Back and side: Solid African Rosewood Neck: Maple Fingerboard and Brdige: ebony Tuning Machines: Gold Merida Pickup: JustPro JC-A1 w/ Volume and Mic Adjustment wheels Color: Natural Finish: Gloss Binding: wood Body Inlays: wood Nut/Saddle: Bone Scale Length: 25.5 inch Number of Frets: 20 Nut Width: 1 3/4 inches or (43 to 44 MM) Center to Center String Spacing at the nut is 1.345" or 1 11/32 Includes Merida Poison Soft-case

[@ppgwhereeverett4412]

No Epiphone OR Gibson ?

[@AcousticShoppe]

They did not attend NAMM this year.

[@mandohat]

I like the tak

[@Patriot1777]

Martin all the way😊

[@belascialoja4812]

Bring on a Blue Ridge???

[@smflyboy]

Every single one of those guitars was out of tune. You’d think that at a NAMM Show they would at least tune the guitars they are showcasing. I hate to admit it, but the Martin sounded the best to me. The Eastman was my second pick in sound but looks the best. You’re a great player.

[@timbenware7893]

Eastman was my pick.

[@rickwillette]

how about slow down a bit so i can hear what it sounds like

[@camp0017]

What's the use of comparing guitars with different body shapes and sizes? Comparing apples with oranges. Moreover, several major brands are missing. This should not be titled "found the best guitar", but "I just picked several guitars at random and as I like Martin best, it won, no matter what".

[@johnchapman4232]

We used a scoring system that allows all body sizes. We were limited by what companies were showing.

[@SaintsPurgatory]

The title says best under $1500. Not best parlor, dread, grand concert etc. The comparison is not between brands or type, it’s best for your money.

[@peterpulpitpounder]

How can you judge the sound in such a noisy room?

[@777bigbird]

Would like to see one on Kepma guitars . Around 2-300 dollars . Also one on acoustics without amplification. Thanks . Overall , the breed love sounded the best . There's more to a guitar than tone . It's an overall sound ( lows - highs ) and also the feel of the neck . Never played breed love , my go to guitar is a takamine SL 281 .

[@johnchapman4232]

They weren't showing at NAMM

[@KevinMillard68]

what you found was what was best for you/to you and thats all you found ,,

[@dannyhood4007]

It sucks if I can’t reach notes above 12 fret. Acoustic should not limit fretboard. I’ll never understand telecaster or strats 21 fret? Fender strat was always my favorite but noodling 21 frets doesn’t allow essential silly string slinkiness

[@navinadv]

No Taylor?

[@jellofarce]

Furch?

[@AcousticShoppe]

They did not attend NAMM this year.

[@isadorealire5722]

The styles (body shapes) are just splatter shot and all over the place. Not a completely fair test, but ... I actually appreciate the presentation of whats out there on the price bracket.

[@AcousticShoppe]

Yeah it was kinda hard to gauge everything that the various companies brought to NAMM, but we worked with what we could find in the price point we chose to highlight. Thanks for watching!

[@rwr2643]

good review , i noticed their was no martin's on this list , that's a good thing since martin's craftsmanship has gone to shit in the last ten to twenty years , Great review ,

[@WysteriaGuitar]

Confirms once again what I already knew - Martin and EASTMAN are the best bang for the buck!

[@coolhandluke2310]

Try a Yamaha ll16…under $1500.

[@Patriot1777]

Martin 😊