Are you looking for the best thin neck acoustic guitars? Then, you are in the right place.
Just like snowflakes, fingerprints, and babies, no two guitarists are exactly alike. We all have different influences, different techniques, and different ideas of what makes a great song.
But we think there are a few things every guitarist has in common. For instance, every guitarist wants a guitar that sounds good and plays like a dream.
So we searched the internet and put together a list of the best thin neck acoustic guitars available.
Top 3 Best Thin Neck Acoustic Guitars:
| Image | Guitar | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | Alvarez AD60 (Editor's Choice) | Check Price |
 | Yamaha APX500III | Check Price |
| Jameson 900 | Check Price |
Alvarez AD60 Acoustic Guitar Review (Editor’s Choice)
Alvarez has an excellent reputation among acoustic guitarists, and the AD60 is working hard to keep the bar high. This guitar has the deepest body of any on the list, a full four inches, so it gets a nice resonant tone. The lows are deep. The highs are crisp – exactly what we like to hear from an acoustic guitar.
If you had to describe the AD60 with one word, it would be “natural.” Not because it has a distinctive natural tone — although it does — but because every part of this guitar is the real deal.
Every one of these babies is made by hand. It’s a Sitka wood top with mahogany back and sides, so it feels like luxury in your hands. The saddle is natural bone. The finish alone on this guitar is a twenty-day process, and it looks gorgeous.
But, of course, there’s always that tradeoff. Unfortunately, this fantastic guitar has one big downside, and that is that it’s acoustic only.
There are no pickups, so live performers will have to use a mic to amplify the guitar or spend extra money to install pickups.
Of course, if you prefer to play more intimate settings — like your living room, say, or while sitting with friends around a campfire in the woods – then this could be the guitar for you.
Pros
- Full, natural tone
- Beautiful finish
- Ready to play straight out of the box
- Handmade with high-quality material
Cons
- No electronics
- It does not come with a case.
- Slightly higher price
Conclusion
Unless you need the easy amplification of an acoustic-electric guitar, this is an instrument that’s going to make you look great, even if you’re a beginner.
From the bright tones and playable feel of this guitar’s thin neck to the gorgeous, natural finish, it’s hard to complain about this guitar.
Yamaha APX500III Acoustic-Electric Guitar Review
Yamaha is a great company that’s been around for a long time, and while the APX500III doesn’t exactly have the catchiest name, its sleek, thin design is unforgettable.
It is the thinnest guitar on the list, with a body just under three inches thick. However, making the body-wide – as opposed to deep — Yamaha has created with the APX an incredibly lightweight guitar with a resonant tone and tons of sustain.
This guitar comes in several colors, which is excellent for the demanding guitarist. It also comes in 3/4 size, which, combined with the thin neck, makes this a suitable choice for children under twelve interested in music but might be too small to handle a full-sized guitar.
The quality of Yamaha guitars is legendary. The wood is carefully cured and treated, so these guitars are durable and can handle all kinds of environments.
No humidifier or special treatment is required. Even if you’re in the driest desert around, this guitar is going to be just fine.
And don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about all you live performers out there. The pickups on the APX are about the best thing available in this price range. Electronic amplification with rich, natural tone – what more could we ask for?
Pros
- Ready to play right out of the box
- Thin design
- Full tone
- Good pickups
- Three-band EQ
- Plenty of options
Cons
- More expensive
- Low-quality tuner keys may need replacing.
Conclusion
This is one of the most popular acoustic-electric guitars of all time, and once you’ve played it, you’ll understand why.
And, with the thin neck on this guitar, plus a saddle and nut designed for lighter gauge strings, you’ll be able to play for hours without getting sore or tired.
Jameson Thinline Acoustic-Electric Guitar Review
The Jameson Thinline is a lightweight guitar with the classic dreadnought body shape.
This guitar ships with everything you need to start playing, making it perfect for first-time guitarists — and convenient for more experienced players.
Jameson produces several versions of this guitar in different colors, so you have plenty of options to choose from. Left-handed? They’ve got options for you, too.
The body width comes in at a slender three inches. It’s a convenient, comfortable touch to this guitar’s design, but there is a tradeoff. A smaller body of an acoustic guitar equals less bass in its tone.
The Jameson Thinline comes equipped with passive pickups, so you can amplify your guitar without relying on those pesky, short-lived 9V batteries.
Unfortunately, passive pickups don’t sound particularly good. You can replace them with warmer-sounding active pickups, or you can shape their tone with an EQ pedal, but the stock pickup doesn’t quite cut.
With that said, we’ve seen used guitars for twice the price that sounded only half as good as this one.
Pros
- Great price
- Durable build
- Clear acoustic tone
- Smooth finish
- No batteries required
Cons
- Poor electronics
- Not much low-end
- Fret buzz on the low strings
Conclusion
An excellent guitar for a nice price. Many guitarists like having a “beater” guitar around — something you can toss in the backseat of your car and throw around a little in your rehearsal session. The Jameson Thinline is the kind of guitar you buy as a beater but soon find yourself treated like an old favorite.
Kona K2 Acoustic-Electric Guitar Review
Like the Jameson Thinline, the Kona K2 is a guitar that gives you more than you pay for it. The neck on this guitar is paper-thin (okay, maybe a little thicker than that), but it feels solid and secure in the hand, thanks to the sturdy construction.
Because of the small body, this guitar’s acoustic sound is a little thin to our taste. But, of course, one guitarist’s “thin” is another guitarist’s “bright.” In rock and roll settings, where a big band is playing at top volume, that bright tone may be just the thing to cut through the mix.
And speaking of rock and roll setting, the K2’s pickups sound great. The three-band EQ allows for tremendous flexibility. If you’re looking for a guitar to play live — especially if you’re playing with a drummer and loud electric guitarists — this is a good one.
And it sure doesn’t hurt that the K2 looks cool. The swooping, asymmetrical headstock and bridge are a stylish touch.
Unfortunately, the production quality of these guitars occasionally misses the mark. As a result, you may require some setup out of the box.
Wrapping up our short review of the Kona K2 acoustic-electric guitar, we can say that if you’re comfortable with a bit of DIY work, this will be no problem. However, if you’re not sure you want to adjust your truss rod or don’t know what a truss rod even is, you may want to take a trip to your local guitar technician.
Pros
- Good electronics
- Unique, stylish look
- Very affordable
- Lightweight
- It comes with two pickguards
Cons
- May need some setup
- Thin tone
- Inconsistent quality
- Cheap parts
Conclusion
Good guitar if you do a lot of live performances or if you’re a beginner looking for something to get started on. Just be prepared to spend some time or money on a good setup job.
Once set up, the Kona K2 is a great guitar that sounds and plays beautifully.
How to Pick a Good Acoustic Guitar with a Slim Neck
Why thin neck acoustic guitars? Well, because the neck of the guitar is one of the most undervalued parts of the guitar.
Most of the time, when we’re looking at a new guitar, our eyes are drawn to its flashier parts. The body. The headstock.
Maybe the cool inlays in the fretboard. However, most of us don’t pay much attention to the neck until playing the instrument.
The type of neck on your guitar plays a significant role in both the instrument’s comfort and tone. For that reason, it’s worth taking a closer look at this critical part of the guitar.
Comfort
There are several ways to make a guitar more comfortable to play. However, there’s often an unfortunate tradeoff.
Most guitarists have tried lowering the action – the space between the strings and the fretboard. However, this can cause ugly buzzing, mostly when fretting lower strings.
You can use lighter gauge strings on your guitar. However, many guitarists feel that light gauges lack the power of thicker gauges.
If you’ve tried these methods and were less than pleased with the results, maybe the thin neck is the way to go.
A thinner neck on your acoustic guitar will allow you to play with less effort. Again, it’s a simple matter of leverage.
Try out the thin neck, and you may find your stamina increases with no extra effort. You’ll especially notice a difference playing barres or complex, hand-stretching chords.
Tone
But will the size of the guitar’s neck influence the sound? Well, yes. It’s not the main factor, but it is a factor.
That is especially true of acoustic guitars. All the sound is created within the guitar itself. That’s quite different from electric guitars, where the sound is heavily affected by the pickups, the effect pedals, and the amp.
A slimmer neck will lead to a brighter tone and increased clarity, especially when playing false harmonics. Here, the tradeoff is a thinner tone and slightly less sustain than you might have with a thicker neck.
This type of sound is generally associated with acoustic guitars in pop music and certain country music types. But, of course, there are no rules in music, so if you prefer the brighter sound of a thin neck guitar, then, by all means, that’s the way to go.
All right, now let’s get on with the show: the best thin neck acoustic guitars.
Best Acoustic Guitar with a Thin Neck: Our Recommendation
So if you’re looking for a very playable neck guitar and want a great sound to boot, we believe that these are the best thin neck acoustic guitars around.
However, the one that stands out from the group — in sound, value, and quality — we’d have to recommend the Yamaha APX500III.
It is a guitar that’s going to sound good plugged in or played acoustically. So it’s ready to go right out of the box. And with so many sizes and colors to choose from, there’s something here for everyone.