The honest answer to “which one should I buy” is that body size matters more than timber, and timber matters more than price. Almost every player who tells us they made a mistake made it by choosing a shape that did not suit how they play.
Start with your right hand
If you play with your fingers, you are producing less energy and you want a top that responds to it: a smaller body, a cedar or lightly braced spruce soundboard, and a narrower waist so the notes stay separate. If you play with a flatpick, you are producing far more energy and you want somewhere for it to go: a bigger box, a stiffer top, and bracing that will not fold.
Players who do both are the difficult case, and the honest recommendation is an orchestra model. It is the shape that gives up the least in either direction.
Then work out how much air you want
A parlour holds roughly 570 cubic inches of air. A dreadnought holds around 940 and a jumbo about 1,080. That is not a small difference: it is the difference between an instrument that sits under a voice and one that competes with it. Sit down with all of them if you possibly can, in the same room, in the same hour.
Scale length is not a detail
A 24.9 inch scale with a light set pulls around 148 pounds. A 25.5 inch scale with the same strings pulls around 161. That thirteen pounds is the difference between an instrument that bends easily under your fingers and one that pushes back. Short scale is not a beginner’s compromise; plenty of players choose it deliberately and never go back.
Only then think about timber
Rosewood is not better than mahogany. It does something different: more bass, more overtone, a longer tail. If you record, or if you play in a band, that tail can be exactly what gets in the way. Mahogany and maple both hand back a cleaner, more defined note. Cedar is warmer than spruce and quieter at the ceiling.
What not to worry about
Inlay, binding, rosette pattern and the colour of the tuner buttons have no effect on how an instrument sounds. Neither, within reason, does the finish colour. Spend the money on the box.
Still stuck? Get in touch and tell us what you play — we are happy to talk you through the options and help you find the right fit.