The wide-neck acoustic guitar is a versatile instrument that can be used in most genres of music.
It is also the standard shape of acoustics for beginners and this guide will help you understand how to choose one and care for it properly so that your instrument lasts.
The first step in determining if the wide neck acoustic guitar is right for you, your music and your playing style is to look at the different options available.
The wide neck acoustic guitar is a great instrument for players of all levels and skill sets. Those with bigger fingers might like the wider neck because it makes playing chords easier. Acoustic guitars come in many different sizes and shapes to accommodate your personal preferences.
Wide Neck Acoustic Guitar: Reviews
In this guide we will look at several wide neck acoustic guitar models. You will read about our pick for best overall, best budget, best under $1000, best under $500, and some alternate options.
You will see that there is a wide selection available, and you’ll be ready to strum your way into musical greatness!
Best Overall
Guild D-240E Acoustic Dreadnought Guitar
Our best overall for wide neck acoustic guitars if the Guide D-240E. With 1-11/16″ nut width, it spaces out strings making it comfortable to play. This dreadnought guitar is crafted with a spruce top, mahogany sides, and an arched mahogany back to create a powerful sounding dreadnought.
This design makes it great for any type of acoustic situation. Built with the utmost quality materials and Guild’s signature arch back design which allows for great volume and projection; this guitar produces a vintage sound that is surprisingly versatile in today’s world of electric instruments.
The Guild D-240E Acoustic Guitar, Dreadnought Archback Solid Top, Western Collection sets itself out in the crowded field of acoustic guitars.
Its powerful tone provides a full bodied rich sound for guitarists striving to have that classical dreadnought vibe but without the antiques price tag, this Guild dreadnought has everything you could ever want from an acoustic instrument.
The Guild D-240E acoustic guitar is also perfect for blues, rockabilly or country. Built with a solid spruce top mahogany sides , arched mahogany back and fingerboard as well as full body detailed binding this Guild Dreadnought offers guitarists with a classic acoustic sound in balance voicing just like its ancestors in the early 1900s.
This playable instrument features improved bracing patterns which deliver more powerful songs while giving your hands the ability to not feel restricted.
Whether you are playing rock or folk music, this guitar can deliver!
Pros
Pros:
- Affordable price.
- 25.5 scale length C-shaped neck.
- Spruce top and mahogany sides.
- Full and rich sound.
- Great playability.
- Bone nut and saddle.
Cons
Cons:
- Action will need to be adjusted
Best Budget
Seagull S6 Original Acoustic Guitar Limited Edition Tennessee Red
Our best budget wide neck acoustic guitar is the S6 from Seagull in limited edition Tennessee Red. With a 1.82” nut width, the strings are spaced out to make playability easy.
The Seagull S6 Original Acoustic Guitar features solid cedar top with select pressure tested wood to withstand heavy playing. The double action truss rod will help you tune up the guitar, making it easy for you to adjust the neck if needed.
There is a rubber grommet inlay on the back of the headstock which prevents the guitar from slipping off the strap and also saves your expensive finish from damage.
Seagull guitars are built entirely out of North American or Canadian materials with lifelong quality control ensuring each instrument will produce true tone.
Experience Blues and Folk sounds with this unplugged acoustic guitar that features a Select Pressure Tested Adirondack top, traditional dreadnought shape, tapered headstock for precise tuning.
The famous Seagull neck shapes enable easy playability and provide durability for years to come. Minor TV Jones Double Truss Rod provides better intonation than most guitars in its class while the compensated Tusq saddle makes it easier to use open tunings.
Pros
Pros:
- 1.82” nut width.
- Cedar top.
- Double action truss rod.
- Also available in blue and natural.
- Stays in tune.
- Great to experiment with open tunings.
Cons
Cons:
- Smaller headstock
Best under $1000
Washburn 6 String Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Natural (WCG55CE-O)
If you have some money saved up and want to spring for something a little more expensive, the Washburn may be an option.
This is an acoustic-electric so you will have the ability to plug this in if you want to get loud. This nut width is close to 1.75” giving the neck a nice size to grasp.
The Washburn 6 String Acoustic-Electric Guitar will help you master your melody. It comes with Fishman Press+ electronics, so you get to take advantage of continuous tone control.
The guitar has a comfortable and versatile grand auditorium cutaway body that is made out of koa wood. It features an elegant 3-ring maple/mahogany parquet rosette for decoration, as well as gold die cast tuning machines and ebonite buttons on the neck.
In an acoustic guitar engineer’s world, the word “traditional” is barely worth discussing. Taylor guitars have a tensioned neck with very flat vibration transfer; Gibson uses its thinnest tops and backs to ensure that no sound–even harmonics–is masked by wood.
Washburn’s 6-String Acoustic Electric Guitar takes another angle on tradition: a relaxed, medium depth body for warmth in mahogany or koa finishes plus Fishman electronics for pleasing plugged-in results.
The headstock cutaway provides clear access to upper frets-lending itself nicely more traditional finger placement.
Pros
Pros:
- Acoustic-Electric Guitar.
- Comes with Fishman press electronics.
- Warm and mellow in tone.
- Satin black finish tuning keys.
- Grand auditorium cutaway.
- Made from Koa wood.
Cons
Cons:
- More expensive than the other reviewed guitars.
Best under $500
Ibanez Artwood Dreadnought Acoustic/Electric Guitar
Our best under $500 is another acoustic-electric and this time it’s by Ibanez. This dreadnought model has a nut width of 1.7”.
The Ibanez AW54CEOPN Artwood Dreadnought Acoustic/Electric Guitar was created for those of us who love the full tonal spectrum that comes from a dreadnought body but don’t want to be slowed down by the extra weight and balance challenge.
This Electric Instrument sports an open pore natural finish on mahogany with cutaway, solid hardwood top, mahogany back and sides, rosewood bridge and fretboard.
Add in onboard tuning capability courtesy of AEQ 210TF preamp electronics module embossed into beautiful Hawaiian koa veneer.
The Ibanez Artwood Dreadnought Acoustic/Electric Guitar has a dreadnought body with cutaway, solid mahogany top, rosewood bridge and fretboard and an onboard tuner.
It’s an all-around excellent acoustic/electric guitar for live performance.
Pros
Pros:
- Acoustic-Electric Guitar.
- Cutaway body design.
- AEQ 210TF electrons with onboard tuner.
- Solid Mahogany top.
- Dreadnought body.
- Great price.
Cons
Cons:
- Sticker from the pickguard is hard to remove.
Alternate Option
Cordoba C7 SP Classic Guitar
Since we have been reviewing and talking about steel string guitars, we wanted to provide an alternate choice in the form of a classical nylon string guitar.
Though Cordoba has only been in the business since 1997, they have made leaps straight to the top for their respected bodywork and the consistent delivery of great caliber classical guitars with appealing price tags.
The C7 is a fantastic model featuring a rosewood fretboard, bridge and back. The SP is the top version and it also comes in Cedar. It features the decorative inlay that is all Cordoba’s sport. It comes with the same high tension guitar strings as Cordoba’s C3M above.
The guitar itself measures 39”, has full 19 frets, and the neck is around 2 inches.
It features traditional Spanish guitar fan bracing as opposed to x, lattice or ladder bracing. This makes for a warmer sounding musical instrument as the acoustics are centralized by the sound hole and the top can vibrate much more freely.
Pros
Pros:
- Traditional design.
- Lightweight and responsive.
- 2 way Truss rod.
- Featuring a decorative inlay.
- 2 inch thick neck.
- 19 full frets.
Cons
Cons:
- Action may need to be adjusted.
Wide Neck Acoustic Guitar Buyers Guide/FAQ’s
We just reviewed some great choices for wide neck acoustic guitars. There is a little bit something for everyone in the options above from budget friendly, to a little more expensive, to even options under certain price points.
Now let us take a look at some frequently asked questions with regards to wide neck acoustic guitars that will better inform you for when you need to make a purchasing decision.
Are wide neck guitars easier to play?
Some guitarists believe that wide neck guitars are easier for beginners to play because they provide a larger range of motion. However, others argue that it’s more difficult to find the right string when playing on a wide neck guitar.
Wide neck guitars have been around since the 1800s in the classical string form and were initially designed as an answer to the increased demand for violins after popular orchestras became widely available in Europe.
Some guitarists believe these instruments are better suited for beginner musicians because they provide more flexibility with their large fretboard; but others feel differently about them, believing that it is too hard to find your desired string when you’re trying to play on this type of instrument.
At the end of the day it boils down to your own personal comfortability when playing the guitar.
What acoustic guitar has the widest nut?
There may be some acoustic guitars out there that we didn’t cover that may even have a wider neck and nut. I’m sure if you get into adding additional strings then the nut and width widens.
Nevertheless, if you see the nut width close to the 2” mark, then it’s on the wider and larger side of the aisle.
Remember that acoustics have a variety of different sized nuts and some even have adjustable ones so the player can find their perfect fit. Some of these are called “slotted” or “rattan” nuts because they resemble rattan furniture, while others are made from bone, ivory, plastic, or ebony.
Some guitars may also be adjusted for left-handed players by adding strings that run diagonally across the neck to accommodate their fingers.
Do guitars have different neck widths?
Guitar necks come in different widths; the right size for you could be your best friend on stage!
It might be easier to answer this question by first looking at how neck width impacts a guitar’s playability.
There are two major things that can happen when your fingers don’t fit on the fretboard as easily: you’ll either need to press harder with each finger (creating more discomfort when playing long sets), or you’ll find yourself not able to use certain chords because they’re too difficult to reach.
Again, some people will argue that the wider necks make it easier for beginners trying out an acoustic guitar, while others say it all goes back to how it feels when playing.
Wide Neck Acoustic Guitar Conclusion
In the end, you will see and find that each guitar is different. Even though there are different brands that produce the same models…..they are still different and unique in their own way.
Wide neck acoustic guitars are great to play. I own a few and love the way they sound and love the way my hand and fingers are able to move around the neck. Now that works for me…..will it work for you?
The best you can do is try out some different models and see. Some guitarists really like to have that extra room to play and bend the strings, while others feel that their fingers may get in the way causing the strings not to be heard and clear and audibly as they can.
Other guitarists like smaller-sized necks cause it meets the style and sound that they are trying to go for.
At the end of the day it’s your decision and I’m sure whatever decision you make, it will be the right one.
Thank you for taking the time to read our article on the best wide neck acoustic guitars. We hope we were able to provide you the knowledge needed to make an informed decision with regards to your guitar journey.
Remember to enjoy the process and to always HAVE FUN!!!!
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