Best acoustic guitars for worship have been reviewed in this guide. So let’s start…
Guitars are some of the most popular and widely played instruments globally. Wherever you go, whichever country you travel to, you’ll always find guitarists playing songs in public. Acoustic guitars are also widely used in churches and other religious places worldwide. Many people are beginning to seek out the best acoustic guitars for worship that they can use in their sermons.
Due to the overwhelming popularity and demand for acoustic guitars, there are thousands of manufacturers who have begun making acoustic guitars fit for use in churches. There are thousands of guitars that are excellently made, with great sound and build quality, but most people will only want one or two, and it cannot be easy to make a decision.
We’re here to help you with that decision, so take a look at our top 5 best acoustic guitars for worship leaders. Yamaha Acoustic guitars are our best choice.
Acoustic Guitars for Worship Reviewed In This Guide
We have reviewed the best acoustic guitars for worship in this guide. We included the top 5 on the market for the 2022 year. So let’s start with the first one.
- Made by a well-known brand
- Excellent customer support
- Good design which isn’t too flashy
- Great sound quality
- Excellent value for money
- Made by a well-known brand
- Excellent customer support
- Design is elegant but not flashy
- Extremely rich and detailed sound
- Great projection
- Made by a well-known brand
- Responsive customer support
- Design is traditional but classy Rich, layered and detailed
- Projection is loud and clear
- Tone is vintage and unique
- Made by a well-known brand
- Excellent customer support
- Good design which isn’t too flashy
- Great sound quality
- Excellent value for money
- Made by a well-known brand
- Excellent customer support
- Design is elegant but not flashy
- Extremely rich and detailed sound
- Great projection
Best Acoustic Guitars for Worship List
Yamaha is a company that needs no introduction. They have been producing sought-after items all around the world for decades, and in the process, they’ve become one of the most famous companies on earth. They produce everything from air conditioners to motorcycles.
However, the thing they’re most famous for making is their guitars. Yamaha acoustic guitar for worship
has been in the guitar manufacturing business for decades, and in the process, gained legendary status with musicians for the iconic instruments they’ve made over the years.
Yamaha acoustic guitar has used all of its experience and research and development to develop an excellent guitar at a bargain price that packs all of the features you would expect from a quality guitar made by a famous company.
The top is made of Sitka Spruce, and the back and sides are made from Nato. The design is simple yet elegant but not too flashy, perfect for a church setting.
The sound is great, with balanced mids, highs and lows, and loud projection, a must for church settings and worship music. The sound is layered and rich in-depth, and only the most astute audiophiles will find things to nitpick. However, the guitar does need to be set up properly, and the action is a bit low.
The guitar is lightweight and easy to hold and play for long periods of time. The price is also very low for a guitar of this quality, so if your church doesn’t have a big budget, you should seriously consider this option.
- Mahogany neck
- Genuine West African ebony fretboard and bridge
- 25-½” scale length
- Super-playable Taylor neck with a 1-11/16” nut width.
- ES-N electronics.
Taylor is a well-known name in the field of acoustic guitar manufacturing, and they also produce good acoustic guitars for worship, and this guitar is no exception.
The price is higher than others on this list, but that’s for a good reason. The 214ce acoustic guitar for worship
has sound, which is unparalleled in its class, with great depth and range and a very rich feel. The tone is warm and clear.
Projection is full, and all the minute details of the sound are maintained, which is very important in a church context as the listeners will be able to hear every intricacy that the guitar produces and enjoy it to the fullest extent.
The construction is top class, with Taylor using a layered rosewood bracing pattern for the back and the sides, genuine African Ebony Wood on the neck, and solid Sitka Spruce for the top. These materials combine cohesively to produce an elegant-looking guitar that sounds great.
The guitar’s design is also good but in just the right way. It’s not flashy but instead fits in a church setting quite well while still looking classy. It feels premium handmade guitars due to the high-quality materials used in the construction, but never overwhelmingly so.
Best of all, it’s very playable with a well-placed action and very few adjustments to make out of the box. The 214ce holds onto tune quite well and doesn’t need to be adjusted for long stretches at a time. Overall, it’s a guitar perfectly at home in a church and is playing worship guitar music really well.
- Solid Sitka Spruce top with scalloped bracing for a louder, richer acoustic sound
- Yamaha's new SRT2 system allows you to blend between microphone models and the piezo pickup to find your perfect tone
- High comfort satin mahogany neck with a slim taper profile
- Concert cutaway body with solid back and sides
- Soft case included
The next entry is another solid guitar by the ever-reliable Yamaha. This one is priced slightly higher than the FG800, but it puts its higher price point to good use. The AC3R is customizable, offering 4 wood options and 2 color picks.
Yamaha has developed new technology and integrated it into the AC3R for max performance and even better sound quality. This technology includes a special scalloped bracing design which is used for the top board, giving it a vintage tone. This was accomplished using Yamaha’s Acoustic Resonance Enhancement process.
The AC3R is the best acoustic guitar for worship, also includes a new SRT2 pickup system that can be put to good use during performances to get all that you possibly can out of this guitar. Using this system, the AC3R transforms from a $1000 guitar to a professional level guitar worth several times that amount.
The sound quality is excellent with layered and rich mid to lows and a loud, clear projection. The tone is classy and vintage sounding, thanks to the new bracing patterns employed by Yamaha guitars acoustic.
The design of the AC3R is similar to a traditional acoustic guitar, the kind most people think of when they think of acoustic guitars, but with a few bells and whistles. These small adjustments in the design lend an air of class to the AC3R while still ensuring it won’t stick out like a sore thumb in a religious setting.
- PROFESSIONAL SOUND
- SUPERIOR APPEARANCE
- PREMIUM HANDMADE GUITARS
- PLAYABILITY ENHANCED
- LITTLE MARTIN GUITARS
Martin is another world-famous company renowned for its work in the guitar industry. For decades they’ve been making solid guitars that millions have bought, and they’ve gained countless fans around the world for their efforts to build a guitar for worship.
Overall, these past years of being in the guitar industry, learning more and more methods to produce cheaper guitars that have a good sound quality and pouring millions of dollars into research and development, Martin’s superior guitar has enough information and experience at their disposable to produce a guitar like the LX1E, which has excellent sound quality, build design and durability, all for a cheap price.
Thanks to its small footprint and great projection, this is clearly one of the best acoustic guitars for worship you can buy. The sound quality is excellent, with such richness and attention to detail that even audiophiles will be pleased.
This guitar is an acoustic-electric guitar, so it is very versatile and can be used for any situation. Projection is good, and sound quality is maintained at long distances, perfect for churches and other religious sites.
It features a plain, minimalist design, which is beautiful in its simplicity. This also means that the guitar doesn’t stick out. It looks right at home in a church. The LX1E features a Sitka Spruce top and a mahogany high-pressure laminate, as well as a warm satin finish on all surfaces.
Since this is a smaller size travel guitar, it is very playable and easy to hold and use. You can keep playing this guitar for hours at a time without ever getting tired since it is so comfortable to hold and so lightweight.
Martin has pooled together all of his experience and knowledge over decades of manufacturing guitars to produce one of the best acoustic guitars to become a worship leader you can buy today.
- Solid Sitka Spruce Top
- Rosewood Back & Sides
- Rosewood Fingerboard & Bridge
- Diecast Tuners
- System 66 feature an under-saddle piezo pickup with a 3-band EQ, an adjustable mid-range frequency control, and a precision chromatic tuner for optimum sound tailoring.
This is yet another entry by Yamaha acoustic guitar, a company that time and time again produces some of the best acoustic guitars for worship available on the market.
The FGX630 is strong between the low and mid-ranges, a feat achieved by the intensive work of Yamaha’s guitars Research and Development department.
This guitar has a plain finish, but while it is understated, it has its charm. It features a solid Sitka Spruce top and rosewood back, sides, fingerboard and bridge.
The FGX360 is durable and more resistant to weather than other guitars in this price range. It also offers brilliant projection, which is loud and clear, maintaining the sound quality produced by the strings at long distances.
The truss rod is adjustable so that guitarists can modify this guitar however they like. The tuning pegs are also diecast and hold a tune for a very long time, so you won’t have to fuss around with the pegs every time you’re about to use the guitar.
You can get access to this guitar and all of these benefits for a comparatively cheap price. The FGX36 offers excellent value for money and is likely an attractive option for most readers. The only potential drawback is that this guitar is hefty and not as comfortable to play as some of the other guitars on this list.
Acoustic Guitars for Worship Buyer’s Guide
As you might be able to tell from this list, there are countless acoustic guitars for worship you can buy for your church, many of which can be tempting options.
When deciding this, you need to weigh the potential benefits and disadvantages of each guitar as well as the price and the value for money aspect. There are a lot of considerations to be made, and it cannot be easy to make the right decision, especially if the cost of a guitar is in the thousands of dollars.
The 5 options we’ve prepared are all excellent for more or less everyone, but you will need to decide which one is the best fit for you. To help you with that, we’ve prepared a buyer’s guide.
How to pick a acoustic guitar for worship that’s best for you and your church?
Picking the right guitar is about finding the middle ground between everything you want in ideal acoustic guitars for worship. You will never find the perfect guitar because it simply doesn’t exist. Some guitars are too expensive, some have imperfect sound, and some have build quality or customer support issues.
Generally, if you’re buying a guitar for a church, it’s better to go for an expensive guitar but made well by a well-known company. Churches generally have a budget set aside for instruments, and the guitar is one of the most central instruments you’ll have, so it’s best to spend a little extra to make sure you’re getting a quality instrument.
All of the guitars on this list are high quality and playable at a professional level, with excellent projection, which is very important when playing in front of a crowd.
They are also incredibly durable, so you can expect to use them for years if not decades, provided you take care of them and provide them with the proper maintenance.
Most of these guitars have proven brands behind them, and they offer excellent customer service. This can be a big help if you are unfamiliar with how guitars work or your guitar gets damaged and needs to be replaced. In these situations, customer support deals with everything.
Qualities you should look for in acoustic guitars for worship
There are a few qualities you should look for in acoustic guitars for worship that will help you to understand whether a guitar is worth buying or not. Some of these qualities can be difficult to discern for people who aren’t extremely experienced, so it’s best to consult an expert or someone you know who knows a lot about guitars before you make a purchase.
The most important qualities of a guitar are playability, durability, design, and sound.
The first consideration you should make is the sound. If the guitar’s sound is off, it’s not worth buying, no matter how good its other aspects are. Sound is mainly described through a few different categories when it comes to guitars, such as treble, bass, tone, highs, mids, lows, etc., but these are all very technical aspects of a guitar that an expert or a seasoned guitarist can best test.
The sound should feel rich and full to the untrained ear, with a good range and an ability to hold tune for long periods of time. This will maximize what you can get out of your guitar, and if the guitar can hold its tune, you’ll save time from not having to tune it before every performance.
The next consideration is the design. Some guitars have a very flashy design and are made specifically to appeal to people who want something that will turn heads in a crowd. You should avoid these at all costs, as having a flashy guitar is at odds with what you are trying to accomplish in the church, and owning such a guitar can be seen as vain. You should go for a guitar that is lowkey and less in your face.
You also have to pay attention to the playability of the guitar. The playability is important because you’ll likely be playing for hours on end, and it can get tiring fast, especially if the guitar is too bulky or the strings are too stiff. Guitars are more comfortable if the neck is curved to complement the shape of the hand and if the strings are thinner and thus easier to press.
This is by no means a dealbreaker as you’ll get used to playing on any guitar, whether it’s comfortable or not, but having a comfortable guitar will make your life easier.
Durability is one of the most important qualities of any guitar. Many guitars have a price tag in the thousands of dollars and expect you to keep them in a controlled environment in a glass house whenever they’re not being used, and will get damaged instantly if they’re not treated with that amount of care.
This is simply unrealistic for many churches who need to use guitars regularly and may not be able to maintain them as well as they need to. They also need to justify their investment by using the guitar they’ve purchased for a very long time.
That is why you need a guitar that is durable and won’t break easily so that even if you spend a lot of money on such a guitar, you’ll at least be able to use it for several years before needing to replace it.
What to expect from your best acoustic guitar for worship leading?
You can expect a few things from any of the guitars on this list, no matter which one you buy.
First of all, every guitar strongly focuses on its sonic qualities. This means that they all provide a suitable sound for use in any conditions, at any level, perhaps just short of professional.
All the guitars on this list provide a clear, layered sound with excellent ranges.
These best acoustic guitars for worship leading are also useable out of the box, but you should consider getting the necessary adjustments from a technician before you begin using them.
You can also get the strings changed down the line. Doing both of these things will boost the sound quality to even greater heights, and you’ll get more from your guitar than you ever thought you could.
Deciding on a budget for your worship acoustic guitars
The first step you should take to narrow down your options is to decide on a budget for your best worship acoustic guitars. The best acoustic guitars for worship are usually over five hundred dollars, but that number can vary depending on what your criteria are.
Some guitars which are professional grade are for thousands of dollars. These guitars are unnecessary for a church because professional-quality guitars are used in big concerts and recording studios. All you’ll need is a guitar that sounds great and has a reasonable price.
If you’re a part of a smaller church and don’t have a budget of over a thousand dollars, try to set your minimum at $100-$250. This way, you won’t be sacrificing too much sound quality or durability, but you may still be unsatisfied with the product you get.
Anyone with a higher budget should aim for the $500-$1200 range. The guitars in this price range have excellent sound quality, durability, design and support, everything you’ll need from an acoustic guitar for worship.
Accessories you’ll need for your best acoustic guitar for worship music
Whichever best acoustic guitar for worship music you decide to buy, you’ll need a host of accessories for it.
Some guitars come in a kit packed with essential accessories, but most don’t. These kit bags also usually leave out many of the accessories which are not essential but are still very convenient to use for guitarists.
Some of the most important accessories include a “gig bag,” which is just a carrying case for your guitar, a digital tuner that makes tuning your guitar much easier, a capo which lends greater versatility to your guitar, extra strings, extra tuning pegs, and guitar picks.
Check also How to change the strings on the guitar?
FAQs about Best Acoustic Guitars for Worship
Which companies produce the best acoustic guitars for worship?
There are many companies that are beginning to manufacture excellent acoustic guitars, but the best acoustic guitars for worship are still being produced by some of the most famous names in guitar manufacturing. These names include Fender, Yamaha, Ibanez, and Martin guitars.
Buying from these brands is convenient as they have a reputation for making quality products, no matter what you’re buying from them. They also have excellent customer support and a big customer base that is very active on numerous forums where they can answer any of your concerns and help you with issues you’re facing with your guitar.
Should I get a cheap acoustic guitars for worship?
Getting cheap acoustic guitars for worship is inadvisable. Acoustic guitars with a low price are typically made by lesser-known companies and aren’t as good as other guitars when it comes to things like sound quality, build quality, durability etc. Some cheap guitars are virtually unplayable due to how badly they are built.
Some acoustic guitars are also prone to get broken and can get irreversible damage easily. Strings snap, necks fall off, and dents form in the body easily. In the end, all you’ll be left with is a useless guitar and $50-$100 wasted.
Cheap guitars are suitable for beginners and sound passible at the beginner level. However, their drawbacks make them unsuitable for playing in public, for example, at a church. The sound quality of these guitars is bad; they barely hold a tune, fall apart and break easily, and the list goes on.
Most churches will also have a budget allotted for instruments that are higher than just a few hundred dollars, so it makes little sense to settle for a cheap guitar.
How long will it take me to learn the guitar for worship?
Learning the guitar for worship can take a while, depending on how much you practice. It can take months or even years to progress past the beginner stages if you’re practicing half an hour or an hour a day.
However, it will take significantly less time if you practice 3 or 4 hours a day. This isn’t easy to manage for people with jobs and other obligations, so most people will need regular practice for about 8-10 months to even be able to play at an intermediate level.
Luckily, most church songs are simple and use the same few chords between them, like C, D, Em and G, so if you prioritize learning these chords, you’ll be able to play most Christian worship songs.
There are many churchgoers who are musicians and are eager to volunteer and help out in some way. These people can make good use of any guitars your church has if none of the staff knows how to play guitar solos.
Best Acoustic Guitars for Worship Conclusion
There are thousands of acoustic guitars out there, and many of them are worth considering. However, when it comes to the church, you won’t want to spare any expense and get a guitar that suits all your needs, whatever the cost.
The guitars on this list are excellent for use in the church and are among the best acoustic guitars for worship. However, there is one that stands out amongst the others, and that is the Martin LX1E. It packs excellent sound quality, durable design, sleek but understated design and a comfortable body all into one small package.
The price is quite low, too, so even smaller churches should be able to afford it.
Whatever you prefer, though, it’s clear that all of the guitars on this list are excellent and will serve you well in your worship. So what are you waiting for? Get yourself the best guitar for worship today!
