Keith's Top 5 Acoustic Guitars for Christmas 2026
From a beautiful beginner-friendly nylon-string to a magnificent Taylor Gold Label, Musicmaker's guitar department maestro picks five acoustic guitars he'd love to see under the Christmas tree.
Christmas shopping for a guitarist can be a difficult business.
There are the sensible presents. A fresh set of strings. A nice capo. Perhaps a new strap in a colour they haven't already got six of.
And then there are the presents that require considerably more wrapping paper.
A beautiful acoustic guitar under the Christmas tree is a glorious thing. But with so many body shapes, tonewoods, pickup systems and prices to navigate, finding the right one can be a little intimidating. Particularly if the intended recipient has strong opinions about spruce.
Fortunately, we know a man.
Keith, a consummate maestro of guitars and of Musicmaker's guitar department, has spent more time around lovely guitars than most people spend thinking about their next meal. He knows which instruments offer exceptional value, which ones have that special something, and which guitars might tempt him to forget that he's technically supposed to be working.
So we asked him to choose five acoustic guitars for Christmas 2026.
No arbitrary rankings. No pretending every guitarist needs the same instrument. Just five genuinely interesting choices, covering budgets from €169 to almost €3,000, with Keith's own thoughts on why each deserves a place on the Christmas list.
And, naturally, a little guitar nerdery from the rest of us.
1. Fender CN-30 Nylon — €169
The brilliant budget Christmas present
Right. Let's talk about something important. A great Christmas guitar doesn't have to cost a fortune. In fact, one of the most rewarding instruments you can give somebody is a comfortable, affordable guitar that makes them want to pick it up every day.
Enter the Fender CN-30 Nylon.
At €169, this concert-sized classical guitar offers a warm, mellow nylon-string sound in a manageable body, with a gloss natural finish that makes it look considerably more expensive than its price might suggest.
The laminate spruce top and okoume back and sides provide a practical, dependable construction, while the walnut fingerboard and nylon strings make it a friendly introduction to acoustic playing. And then there's the neck.
Traditional classical guitars often have relatively wide nuts, which can be brilliant for certain techniques but less welcoming to players accustomed to slimmer steel-string or electric guitar necks. The CN-30's narrower 1.75-inch nut is a particularly appealing detail, giving the fretting hand a more familiar feel.
Nylon strings also offer a gentler experience for developing fingertips, making this a lovely option for beginners.
But don't pigeonhole it as a learner's instrument. A good little nylon-string can be a wonderful addition to an experienced guitarist's collection, especially for mellow fingerpicked pieces, folk arrangements and a completely different texture from a steel-string acoustic.
It even comes with a gig bag.
Explore the Fender CN-30 Nylon at Musicmaker
Keith says: “Cheap doesn't have to mean nasty! With a full gloss finish, pleasantly mellow tone and a narrow 1.75" width nut (for those of us who don't have hands like a farm worker), this little number is ideal for beginners and old pros alike.”
A proper little Christmas winner.
And proof that the joy of a new guitar has very little to do with the number printed on the price tag.
2. Lâg Tramontane 118 Auditorium Cutaway — €529
The comfortable, do-everything Christmas acoustic
We have a bit of a soft spot for auditorium guitars at Musicmaker. There's something enormously appealing about an acoustic that feels manageable on the knee, responds beautifully to fingerpicking and still has enough presence for a lively strumming session.
The Lâg Tramontane 118 Auditorium Cutaway Electro-Acoustic is an excellent example.
Its solid red cedar top is particularly interesting. Spruce dominates the acoustic guitar world, but cedar deserves far more attention than it sometimes receives. Cedar is often appreciated for its warm, rounded response and its ability to speak readily under a lighter touch. For fingerstyle playing, gentle accompaniment and relaxed sessions, that can be a lovely characteristic. The Tramontane pairs that cedar soundboard with Khaya back and sides, while the auditorium body offers a comfortable balance between projection and physical size.
There's a cutaway for access to the higher frets, too.
And when the session moves onto a stage, Lâg's Astro-Lâg electronics provide a surprisingly useful collection of controls: three-band EQ, brilliance, notch and phase functions, plus an integrated tuner.
The notch and phase controls are particularly welcome when dealing with feedback in a lively venue. The result is a guitar that's easy to live with and impressively well equipped for the money.
Explore the Lâg Tramontane 118 Auditorium at Musicmaker
Keith says: “It's no secret that we're big fans of the auditorium shape here in Musicmaker, but combine it with a lesser spotted solid Cedar top and you've got something special! No slouch when it comes to tone but not as bulky or heavy as some... could this be the perfect session guitar?”
For the guitarist who wants one acoustic for the sitting room, songwriting, sessions and the occasional plugged-in performance, Keith may have found a very strong contender indeed.
3. Alvarez Artist Series ABT60ce Baritone — €629
The Christmas gift for adventurous guitarists
Here's a guitar for somebody who already has a guitar. Possibly several. Possibly enough that their family has started asking difficult questions about available floor space.
The Alvarez Artist Series ABT60ce Baritone is a wonderfully different Christmas present, because it offers something more exciting than another variation on a familiar acoustic sound.
It opens up a new register.
A standard guitar is normally tuned E to E. A baritone guitar is commonly tuned B to B, a perfect fourth lower, giving familiar chords a deeper, darker character without requiring the player to learn completely new fingerings. The Alvarez uses an extended 27.7-inch scale length to maintain useful string tension at those lower pitches. That matters: simply tuning a regular acoustic down several steps can leave the strings feeling loose and the notes lacking definition.
Here, the solid Sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides and substantial body work together to give the lower register plenty of presence without turning everything into a muddy rumble.
The ABT60ce also includes a cutaway and LR Baggs StagePro Bronze electronics with an Element pickup, making it practical for stage work and studio experimentation.
Think spacious fingerpicked arrangements, beautifully dark chord voicings and a new layer beneath an existing acoustic recording.
Explore the Alvarez ABT60ce Baritone at Musicmaker
Keith says: “Something slightly unusual here which will broaden any player's palette. Don't be fooled... Baritones are not just for hairy metallers! Super useful for new songwriting inspiration or as an overdub tool in the studio for the sonically adventurous!”
And he's absolutely right.
This is a particularly clever present for a songwriter who already owns a good six-string acoustic but wants fresh ideas. Sometimes a new tuning range is all it takes to send a song in a completely unexpected direction.
4. Alvarez Laureate LF70e Herringbone Blacktop — €1,469
Keith's personal favourite
Well, this is interesting. Of all the guitars in Musicmaker, Keith has picked the Alvarez Laureate LF70e Herringbone Blacktop as his favourite. Not his favourite at a particular price. Not his favourite small-bodied acoustic.
His favourite guitar in the shop.
And once you see it, the attraction becomes fairly obvious.
The glossy black solid Sitka spruce top, delicate herringbone detailing and beautifully figured solid East Indian rosewood back and sides give the LF70e an understated elegance that's difficult to resist. It's a striking instrument, but the real excitement begins when you play it.
The Folk/OM-style body is more compact than a dreadnought, making it particularly comfortable for fingerstyle guitarists, songwriters and anyone who likes their acoustic to sit naturally against the body.
Don't assume that smaller means quieter, though.
The combination of a responsive spruce top, solid rosewood and Alvarez's carefully shaped FS6 forward-shifted bracing gives this guitar plenty of low-end authority, with articulate mids and a lovely sense of space around individual notes.
There's also a slightly shorter 25-inch scale length, which can make the playing feel pleasantly relaxed.
For live performance, the LR Baggs HiFi pickup system captures the guitar through discreet bridge-plate sensors, preserving its elegant appearance while providing practical amplification.
Explore the Alvarez Laureate LF70e Blacktop at Musicmaker
Keith says: “Amazing tone for its body size, plenty of low end due to the solid rosewood, supremely comfortable with an excellent pickup and it looks killer in black — Keith's favourite guitar in the shop!”
Now, we could spend another five paragraphs discussing bracing patterns and rosewood overtones.
But when the man who lives the guitar department tells you this is his favourite instrument in the building, we'd suggest coming in and finding out why.
5. Taylor Gold Label 717e Blacktop — €2,879
The dream Christmas guitar
Need an excuse to buy a nice Christmas gift for yourself perhaps.....? Or for someone you really, really love?
Taylor's Grand Pacific body is a modern interpretation of the classic round-shouldered dreadnought, and this Gold Label version takes the idea somewhere rather wonderful. Its deeper body and torrefied solid Sitka spruce top are designed to produce a broad, mature acoustic voice, with plenty of warmth beneath those enormous open chords.
Torrefaction is a controlled heating process used to alter certain properties of the soundboard timber. It doesn't magically give a new guitar fifty years of playing history, but it can help create some of the dry, open characteristics associated with well-seasoned spruce. Pair that top with solid Indian rosewood back and sides and you've got a serious recipe for harmonic richness, powerful bass and beautifully detailed trebles.
Taylor hasn't forgotten its modern engineering, either. Fanned V-Class bracing, the innovative Action Control Neck and LR Baggs Element VTC electronics make this an instrument designed for real-world playing, adjustment and performance.
And that Blacktop finish? Absolutely magnificent.
Explore the Taylor Gold Label 717e Blacktop at Musicmaker
Keith says: “Taylor take on the big ‘G’! Add Taylor's innovation and consistency to the classic slope shoulder body shape, throw in solid Rosewood back and sides, an LR Baggs pickup and you have a strummer worthy of any stage.”
If somebody has been dreaming about a premium electro-acoustic guitar for years, this is the sort of instrument that makes Christmas morning rather difficult to forget.
Five Guitars, Five Budgets, One Very Good Christmas
What makes Keith's selection so good is that it doesn't assume every guitarist wants the same thing.
The Taylor Gold Label 717e is a serious professional instrument, combining traditional acoustic character with clever modern design.
The Alvarez Laureate LF70e is a beautifully crafted, all-solid acoustic that has managed to become Keith's personal favourite.
The Alvarez ABT60ce Baritone offers adventurous musicians an entirely new register to explore.
The Lâg Tramontane 118 makes a convincing case for the comfortable, versatile auditorium guitar.
And the Fender CN-30 proves that an affordable nylon-string can still be an absolute pleasure to play.
Five very different instruments. Five excellent reasons to put a guitar on the Christmas list.
Of course, choosing an acoustic guitar is a personal business. Neck feel, body size, string tension and the way an instrument responds to your playing all matter. That's why we'd always encourage you to come into Musicmaker and try a few.
Keith and the guitar department crew will be delighted to help you find the right one.
You can also explore our full acoustic guitar collection, browse more from Taylor Guitars and Alvarez Guitars, or pop into 29 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2.
Enjoy free shipping around Ireland on orders over €15.
We've been helping Dublin make a glorious amount of noise since 1981.
And Christmas is a particularly good excuse to keep that tradition going.
Happy Christmas from Keith and all the crew at Musicmaker.
