Acoustic Guitars
Sold1966 Martin D-18
The Martin D-18 is one of the most iconic guitars in Martin’s lineup, trusted by legends of music and players like you for nearly a century. This guitar has "the tone"! It sounds incredible and is set up low to play easy with light gauge strings but if you want it to, it will respond like a bluegrass cannon with medium strings. This great playing instrument is in excellent condition having received a neck reset and a brand new Brazilian Rosewood bridge with a nice full saddle. With a non-original hard shell case.
Sold1994 Goodall Koa Standard Cutaway
This a Dreadnought, believe it or not. A dreadnought from Goodall and what a boom this guitar has. It is punchy, crisp and incredibly dynamic with tons of headroom. Enough about the incredible sound, lets talk about how beautiful this guitar is. Originating from a time when James Goodall was still located in Hawaii, this instrument features an extraordinary set of Hawaiian Koa on the back and sides. With exceptional curl from edge to edge of the back it is exactly what we look for in top quality Koa. Beyond the excellent tone woods this guitar is a bit more finely adorned than any Goodall we have ever come across. Not only is there artfully inlaid abalone around the edge of the guitar, rosette and headstock but it also has gorgeous etched Abalone doves at the fingerboard and bridge! Another interesting feature is the sharp Florentine cutaway. Another cool feature are the ebony tuners. Overall condition is good with a few minor cracks in the top that have been glued, a couple dings and dents on the top towards the lower bout and a couple small ones on the back of the neck. Not only is this a fantastic flat picking guitar, it is an incredibly sweet finger picker perfect for bassy blues or lush fingerstyle. With rich highs and deep rumbling bass this guitar covers the full spectrum of tones and is pure ear candy. Comes with a hard shell case.
Sold2022 Santa Cruz Custom 1929 OO
This is one sweet little all-Mahogany guitar! Its 12-fret slim carve neck and 24.75" scale length lends it an easy tension and extra-sweet sound. Blue Paua shell is used for inlay throughout giving this all mahogany guitar a real sparkle! The custom features list is a follows: Adirondack braces attached with hot hide glue Tortoise body, neck and peghead binding Low profile neck Blue Paua Rosette Inlay Blue Paua Top Border Inlay 42 Style Fingerboard Inlay in blue paua Complete Sunburst SCGC logo in blue paua on peghead Ebony bridge/end pins with abalone All other specs are standard as listed for this model on the SCGC website. This guitar is in excellent condition with almost no signs of play. There are no scratches on the top, back or sides. The guitar is fully set up, plays like butter and is road-ready for its next musical journey. It comes with its original deluxe hard shell case.
Sold2025 Froggy Bottom P-12 Deluxe
Tastefully appointed with quilted Maple bindings and a rectangular ebony bridge, this little Parlor guitar punches way above its weight! The medium C shape neck carve is super-comfortable to play and the scalloped bracing and bone nut add to the extraordinary tone of this small, sweet guitar. It is in nearly unplayed, excellent condition and comes with its original TKL American Vintage Series case.
SoldLowden F10
Indian Rosewood and Red Cedar deliver quintessential Lowden tone, crisp and clear with tons of sustain and a wonderful tonal balance. W/hard shell case
SoldBourgeois 000C-DB Signature Sinker Redwood Sinker Mahogany AP Glue
This beauty was a custom order. Ask us about building a custom order Bourgeois guitar for you today!
SoldTaylor Academy 12e LTD Koa and Spruce
With its layered AA-grade figured Hawaiian koa back and sides, the Academy 12e LTD stands out as one of the most visually stunning Academy models to date. This eye-catching, limited-edition Grand Concert offers an intimate feel and clear, responsive sound. A solid torrefied spruce top contributes a beautifully balanced voice with crisp articulation and played-in warmth from day one. A slender Taylor neck, light-gauge strings and a 24-7/8” scale length provide a slinky handfeel that makes it easier to level up your skills. The slightly narrower 1-11/16” nut width offers more relaxed fretting, while a carved armrest enhances comfort for your strumming arm. Onboard ES-B electronics with a built-in tuner ensure natural amplified acoustic tones whether you’re performing on stage, recording in the studio or playing at home. The Academy 12e LTD, which comes in a soft gig bag, is a great option for players who crave a visually striking guitar that delivers an incredibly comfortable playing experience.
Sold2009 Gibson SJ-200 Custom w/ Abalone Purfling
Thunderous tone emanates from this stunning Gibson SJ. Being a fine Indian Rosewood on the back and sides, this guitar has wonderful tonal balance, rich bass and satisfying trebles! What sets this SJ apart from the rest of the pack is the ornate shell inlays around this guitar. The gorgeous Abalone purfling around the top of the instrument and rosette is striking, but they also added it in the bridge, on the pickguard (little dots in the flowers) and up the fingerboard all the way to a bit at headstock. Being a deluxe model, it has binding around the headstock and down the fingerboard to match the body. Two elements that elegantly tie together this design are the art deco gold tuners and mustache bridge. An interesting element to this guitar that really puts it over the top in elegance is the flamed maple neck, which is sunbursted so the flame just peaks out in the middle of the neck. Overall condition is very good, with one dent in the lower bout of the top and a bit of wear at the back at the lower bout. Frets have medium wear with lots of life left in them. Action is nice and easy to play. Comes with original Gibson hard case.
Sold2025 Santa Cruz OO Model Guitar
This 1929 OO is hand voiced for a full and complex presence and the elements for an heirloom guitar are all in place. The 1929-OO Model has all the exceptional presence and playability that you would expect from the Santa Cruz stable of state of the art acoustic guitars. This beauty features all old growth Mahogany, top, sides and back for exceptional tone! This guitar is excellent, almost unplayed condition and comes with it's own custom built Calton Case.
Sold2003 Bourgeois Vintage D Brazilian with Calton Case
We are proud to present this elegant Brazilian Rosewood Dreadnought from Bourgeois guitars. Its Rosewood is beautifully quarter-sawn with that nice straight grain that you just can't find anymore these days and the guitar rigs like a bell! It is in excellent condition and plays great with only light signs of play and or fret wear and comes with a Calton case in excellent condition. Specs: Top Wood: Eastern Red "Adirondack" Spruce Back Sides: Brazilian Rosewood Rosette: B/W Fiber Purfling: Vintage Style Herringbone Border w/ Back Purfling Head Veneer: Brazilian Rosewood Fretboard: 14 Fret Ebony Bridge: Ebony Belly Bridge Tuners: Waverly Nickel Pickguard: Vintage Top Color: Natural Finish: Standard Nut Width: 1 23/32 Scale Length: Long Scale Head Binding: None Body Binding: Ivoroid Fretboard Inlay: Slotted Square & Diamond Fretboard Binding: Black Heelcap: Ivoroid
Sold2023 Santa Cruz H13
In overall excellent condition, this 2023 Santa Cruz H-13 was gently handled by it's single owner and well kept. An ebony strap button was professionally installed at the heel of the neck at the usual position. This guitar has an extremely comfortable 1 3/4" nut and comes with its original Ameritage hard shell case. This guitar has a rich and balanced tone, with a lovely dry Mahogany tone accented by that Santa Cruz shimmer. Tonally complex, this instrument will surely draw the music out of you. Similar to a OO in size, this instrument has a slightly deep body depth that gives this a bass response that is quite satisfying, while having the comfortable form factor of a smaller guitar. Similarly the 13-fret construction gives you an extra fret, while retaining that easy to reach fretting. A wonderful guitar ready for it's next adventure, will it be with you?
SoldTaylor Academy 12e-N LTD
This limited-edition nylon-string guitar is ideal for musicians who want an easy-playing, great-looking, price-accessible instrument that will enrich their sound with inspiring neo-classical textures. The Academy 12e-N LTD serves up warm, snappy nylon-string flavors, head-turning visuals and a remarkably comfortable playing experience that encourages guitarists to develop their skills over extended playing sessions. Its layered AA-grade figured Hawaiian koa back and sides—boasting dramatically figured grain patterns—are paired with a solid torrefied spruce top in a Grand Concert body, yielding a mellow voice with a played-in personality, thanks to our special roasting recipe for the soundboard. A 25-1/2” scale length and 1-7/8” nut width provide ample space for fingerstyle techniques, while a slim Taylor neck and carved armrest ensure an ultra-smooth playing experience. Outfitted with an ES-B Nylon pickup system featuring a built-in digital tuner, the Academy 12e-N LTD ships in a soft gig bag for easy transport.
Sold2022 Bourgeois Custom OM/C Soloist Legacy Series
This luxurious OM features a cutaway for high fret access and an arm bevel for playing comfort. We are the origunal sellers of this one-owner instrument and we personally selected the Italian Spruce top and Tasmanian Blackwood back and sides which give this guitar great classic tone at the Bourgeois shop. The Aged Tone Torrified bracing and animal protein glue construction gives an extra boost that makes this guitar's detailed tone hard to beat. This instrument is in excellent, almost unplayed condition with only the lightest signs of being played...no dings, dents, scratches or damage of any kind and comes with its original deluxe hard shell case.
SoldCollings CW Indian - Sunburst
This SUNBURST CW Series dreadnought is designed for maximum power and volume. It features an Adirondack top and bracing, no tongue brace, an enlarged soundhole and Indian Rosewood back and sides. It features a 1 23/32” nut width and a 2 1/4” belly bridge. Named after the well-loved Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, the Collings Winfield is a highly modified version of our standard dreadnought that features options commonly requested by flatpicking specialists. The combination of the stiff Adirondack spruce top with enlarged soundhole, supported by a top bracing pattern based on the earliest 14-fret dreadnoughts, make the CW a bluegrass powerhouse. Everything about this model is designed to provide plenty of headroom and projection for aggressive playing, but not at the expense of good tone. With hard shell case.
SoldSanta Cruz OOO Custom African Blackwood
Fort Ross 'Chapel' Redwood top Adirondack braces attached with hot hide glue
SoldSanta Cruz OO Custom Maple
Flamed Maple Body Neck Profile - Round Custom nut width: 1 13/16 K&K Pure Mini Pickup All other specs standard to the model
Sold2022 Huss and Dalton OO-SP Custom
This lightly used instrument plays and sounds fantastic and is in excellent condition with only light signs of use. It features a beautiful Red spruce top and spectacular Figured Indian Rosewood back/sides. It has a K&K Pure Mini pick-up and strap button installed. All other specs are standard and it comes with its original hard shell case.
SoldBourgeois OM Country Boy Touchstone Series
Crafted from some of the finest tonewoods in its class, the Touchstone Country Boy features a one-piece Honduran Mahogany neck, Honduran Mahogany back and sides, and a hand-voiced, old-growth Sitka Spruce top. This guitar is crafted with Bourgeois’ signature attention-to-detail. Drawing on his half-century of experience as a luthier, Dana and his team carefully select each old-growth Alaskan Sitka Spruce soundboard by hand before bracing it with Adirondack Spruce harvested from deep in northern forests of Maine. The magic of the Touchstone Series comes from Dana’s renown system of hand-voicing. Over the last 50 years he has refined this old-world technique and is now recognized worldwide as a foremost authority on guitar-top voicing. The newest addition to the Bourgeois Touchstone family is based on one of the most successful models ever to come out of the Lewiston workshop—the Country Boy. This vintage-inspired workhorse is meticulously handcrafted with the specific aim of providing musicians best-in-class attention to detail, tone, and playability. Resonating with warmth and clarity, the all-new Touchstone Country Boy offers an impressive dynamic range. With hard shell case.
Sold2020 Bourgeois OMS Country Boy Professional Series
The OMS recreates a classic design coveted by fingerstylists – and not a few flatpickers. This one sounds really great and is in excellent condition with lightest signs of play on the pick guard but otherwise looks super-clean. It comes with a hard shell case. It is very comfortable to play and sports a long scale, 1 ¾” nut width and a 2 5/16” bridge spacing. Twelve fret OO’s place the bridge in the widest sweetest part of the guitar’s top and makes the guitar very warm and responsive. The long scale retains the OM’s snappy tension and tone. It comes with a deluxe hard shell case.
Sold2023 Collings OM1 Cutaway
This cutaway Collings OM1 features a Sitka Spruce top and Honduran Mahogany sides and back. It has 1 3/4” width nut, 2 3/16” bridge spacing and a 25 1/2” scale for easy playing and lots of picking fun. The pre-war scalloped bracing adds to this instrument’s classic tone. It comes with a TKL hard shell case. It is in excellent condition with few signs of play.
Sold2016 Taylor 814ce
There's a reason why the 814ce is Taylor's most acclaimed guitar: With its blend of refined craftsmanship, richly textured sound and artful aesthetics, the 814ce represents everything that Taylor stands for as guitar builders. East Indian rosewood back and sides, a Sitka spruce top produce a lush response with warm lows, pristine trebles and a slightly scooped midrange, leaving space in the mix for vocals or other instruments. Ideal for flatpicked lead lines, strumming, delicate fingerpicking and everything in between, this Grand Auditorium acoustic-electric boasts a versatile character that translates beautifully in amplified settings through the ES2 pickup. A deluxe hardshell case keeps the 814ce safe wherever you take it. This guitar is in good condition but has few dings and frets that are worn in but play fine. The guitar plays and sounds great. With original hard shell case.
SoldMid 70's Gurian JR
This is a beautiful example of a mid 70's Gurian JR with a large, rich, sparkling tone. It is in very excellent condition with only a few signs of play. We just gave the guitar a new reset and all new frets so the action is nice and low with plenty of room left on the saddle and this guitar really feels great to play. W/hard shell case.
SoldBourgeois D Country Boy Touchstone Series
Crafted from some of the finest tonewoods in its class, the Touchstone D Country Boy features a one-piece Honduran Mahogany neck, Honduran Mahogany back and sides, and a hand-voiced, old-growth Sitka Spruce top. This guitar is crafted with Bourgeois’ signature attention-to-detail. Drawing on his half-century of experience as a luthier, Dana and his team carefully select each old-growth Alaskan Sitka Spruce soundboard by hand before bracing it with Adirondack Spruce harvested from deep in northern forests of Maine. The magic of the Touchstone Series comes from Dana’s renown system of hand-voicing. Over the last 50 years he has refined this old-world technique and is now recognized worldwide as a foremost authority on guitar-top voicing. The newest addition to the Bourgeois Touchstone family is based on one of the most successful models ever to come out of the Lewiston workshop—the Country Boy. This vintage-inspired workhorse is meticulously handcrafted with the specific aim of providing musicians best-in-class attention to detail, tone, and playability. Resonating with warmth and clarity, the all-new Touchstone Country Boy offers an impressive dynamic range. It comes with a deluxe hard shell case.
Acoustic Guitars for Sale at Northern Lights Music - Best Quality Brands
Discover top-notch boutique acoustic guitars at Northern Lights Music, featuring sought-after brands such as Santa Cruz Guitars, Bourgeois Guitars, and Collings Guitars. Whether you're searching for a brilliant Brazilian OM or a warm mahogany dreadnought, we have the perfect guitar for you. Can't find what you're looking for in our inventory? Our featured brands are custom shops that can build a guitar to match your imagination and budget. Looking for an affordable option or just starting out? We also offer high-quality, budget-friendly acoustic and electric guitars from Taylor Guitars, Seagull Guitars, and Yamaha Acoustic Guitars.
What is an Acoustic Guitar and its Characteristics
An acoustic guitar is a type of stringed instrument that uses a hollow body and a soundboard to produce sound, instead of relying on electronic amplification. The soundboard is usually made of wood, and the body can be crafted from wood or synthetic materials. Steel strings are typically used, but acoustic guitars can also be strung with nylon or other types of strings. Acoustic guitars can be played with a pick or fingers and are popular in various music genres, including folk, country, blues, and classical.
Reasons to Choose an Acoustic Guitar
Acoustic guitars have a lot to offer, attracting players for different reasons. The rich and warm sound that an acoustic guitar produces is often described as "full" or "rounded," and is appreciated by many players. The versatility of the instrument allows it to be played in a variety of styles and genres, such as folk, country, blues, and classical. The simplicity of an acoustic guitar is also appealing, as it does not require electronic amplification or other equipment. Furthermore, the portability of acoustic guitars makes them convenient for playing at home, with friends, or on the go.
History of the Acoustic Guitar
The acoustic guitar has a rich and diverse history that stretches back centuries. The modern acoustic guitar is derived from various stringed instruments developed in different parts of the world. The lute, one of the earliest known stringed instruments, was developed in ancient Egypt and was popular in Europe during the Middle Ages. The lute was a pear-shaped instrument with a long neck and a hollow body and was used to play melodies and accompaniments.
The guitar as we know it today is believed to have evolved from the lute, and it was first developed in Spain in the 15th century. Early guitars had four courses (pairs) of strings, which were tuned in fourths and were played with the fingers. They were used to play a wide range of music, including folk, popular, and classical. Over time, the guitar has undergone many changes and has been adapted to meet the needs of different musicians and musical styles. Today, the acoustic guitar is a popular instrument used in various music genres, including folk, country, blues, and classical.
Best Guitars for Beginners
There are many great options for beginner acoustic guitars, and the best one for you will depend on your budget, playing style, and preferences. A budget-friendly option for beginners is the Yamaha FG800, known for its excellent sound quality and playability. The Yamaha FG800 has a solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides, which give it a warm and full sound. For those who prefer a North American-made guitar, Taylor is a great step-up option. Try out a few different guitars to find the one that works best for you and your playing style.