PRS electric guitars are some of the most influential models of the past 35 years — and their newer acoustic lineup is carrying on that tradition. The vintage vibe continues with the slotted headstock (a rare feature on steel-string guitars these days) and 1.75” nut width. Look for tuners with a higher gear ratio, because these give you more precise control over your pitch as you tune the guitar. Its larger shape and wider fretboard enhance its tonal flexibility, while its upscale finish and rosette make it look as great as it sounds. They’re also more comfortable to play with than a dreadnaught size, which makes them ideal for beginners and young guitarists with small hands. If you’re after a professional-grade model with style to boot, the Taylor BT1e Baby Taylor has everything you need in a parlor axe. Our guide reviews nine of the best parlor guitars around. Fender-CD-60S Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar . Together, these factors make parlors a great choice for players in search of an easy-to-play guitar. Start making music. Canadian manufacturer Art & Lutherie makes acoustic guitars that honor the great guitar designs of past decades, while focusing on sustainability and cost for the modern day. Excellent playability . The Best Parlor Guitar Art and Lutherie Roadhouse Parlor Guitar. With a shorter scale, there’s lower string tension and a smoother, “slinkier” feel that a lot of players love. All opinions expressed here are the result of direct experience or extensive research. If you’re looking for a guitar for small hands, make sure to check out our in-depth guide. The best parlor guitars are particularly effective if you want to play old folk music, or solo Delta blues songs (especially with a slide). So, whether you like to play blues, folk, or just mess around, picking up one of these parlors will have you sounding great in no time. The end result sounds great for fingerpicking, but also holds up well to strumming, blues and country. Beyond looking great, these features balance out the guitar’s voice: it still emphasizes mids like any parlor guitar, but it’s versatile enough to play almost any style of music beyond a traditional parlor range. Parlor acoustic guitars may be small in nature, but this catalog is anything but compact. As mentioned in the intro, the rise in blues music is seeing an increased rise in authentic blues guitars. Or how about the Gretsch Guitars Jim Dany Flat Top Acoustic Guitar: a faithful re-creation of the Gretsch "Rex" parlor guitars from the '30s, '40s and '50s. In the past decade, Eastman Guitars has emerged as a brand that’s delivering impressive quality and tone at a price point that other brands can’t match. The solid spruce top pairs with laminate mahogany for the back and sides, giving the parlor guitar a bright, clear tone with an emphasis on the midrange and fundamentals. It manages to capture the extra midrange bark of a classic parlor guitar, but somehow it doesn’t feel like a one-trick pony or a guitar that’s limited to just a couple of styles. Tuners are probably the most important piece of hardware on a parlor guitar — and the most expensive to replace! For guitar players on a budget, check out the Taylor BT1e and the Fender CP-60S. This translates to better resonance and more volume from your axe; it’s a great way to get a bigger, bolder sound out of a small parlor body! The cherry on top of this guitar are the finishes: antique white, jet black, wine red, bourbon sunburst, and special editions in natural and in faded navy. It’s also more common for a travel guitar to have 14 frets before the frets meet the body, whereas parlor guitars traditionally have 12. Listening to the CP60S, you’ll hear a lot of projection for a guitar of its size. Scale length works in a similar way. If you’ve never purchased a parlor guitar before, it might be tough to know what to look for. This parlor also has a few other tricks up its sleeve, in the form of onboard effects. The neck is still wide enough to fret complex chord voicings and move from string to string without hitting multiple notes. The P20 uses solid mahogany for the top, with layered mahogany for the back, sides, and neck. One downside to this guitar is that it can sound a bit hollow, particularly when strummed hard. Like most retro parlor guitars, the Jim Dandy features a 12th fret neck join and straight bridge for a slightly shorter scale. Mahogany works great in a parlor guitar because it emphasizes midrange punch and carries a balanced, dry profile without as many overtones. Speaking of luxury, the P-240 is one of the most attractive parlor guitars around. Compared to smaller parlors which only offer 15 or 17 frets, the extra range gives you plenty of room to maneuver high on the neck. Nut width is narrower but still close to standard specs at 1.97". Around the house, in the studio, or on stage? This minimizes tension on the strings — no matter which string gauge you pick — and improves tuning stability overall. 3/4 dreadnought body provides distinctive vintage tone with plenty of balance and sustain, Combination of solid sitka spruce top, ebony, and walnut create a premium feel for such an affordable guitar, 22.75-inch scale length makes the frets a bit smaller and more cramped than many other parlors, Varnish finish is smooth and comfortable, but looks a bit plain for some users. The first guitar in our list is also one of our favourites. The BT1e also includes an onboard pickup and preamp, with a built-in tuner to keep you sounding great at all times. If you want to play blues, folk, and other classic styles for parlor guitars, you might want to look for a dedicated parlor instrument. Their E10P parlor guitar is no exception. 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