Traditional

The story goes that the first Martin 000-15M was developed in the ’30s during the great depression, when guitar builders were forced to build stripped down-models that people can actually afford. Impressively, this small bodied guitar is still part of Martin’s production line, many decades after. As the label implies, this guitar features a 000 (triple “O”) body, which is smaller than their standard dreadnought and orchestra shapes but bigger than traditional parlor guitar shapes.

An affordable sub $300 parlor guitar with solid spruce top, featuring the same build quality as what you’ll find on other more expensive made in Korea acoustics that they’ve produced for other brands.

Meet the descendant of the original “Blues box” from the ’30s and ’40s, the Epiphone EL-00 Pro. This parlor guitar features the same short scale and compact body design of the original, while utilizing modern building methods that include built-in Fishman electronics.<

Kala Brand Music is more popularly known for their ukuleles, but they also have an entire line dedicated to acoustic guitars. As expected we took interest in the recently released Kala Parlor, their short scale parlor guitar with solid cedar top.

The Loar LO-215 is a parlor style guitar that retains a longer dreadnought scale. It is essentially a cross between a dreadnought and a parlor, having a small vintage style guitar that is louder because of the longer shape, and having a longer scale length that will make transitioning easier for players of regular sized acoustics.

An affordable stage-ready all-mahogany parlor with Breedlove’s distinct clean look, featuring built-in Fishman ISYS electronics with onboard tuner, 2-band EQ and USB connectivity.

Eastman Guitars continue to build their brand reputation with impressive high-quality acoustic instruments. And among their lineup, another premium looking parlor guitar caught my attention, the Eastman E10P. This parlor is as traditional as it gets, featuring all-solid wood construction and impressive handcrafted build quality.

Although more popular for their affordable archtop “jazz boxes”, Eastman has also been producing some well received acoustic flat tops, including this elegant looking “blues box” – the E20P Parlor.

The G9500 Jim Dandy Flat Top is a very affordable parlor guitar from Gretsch that doesn’t look cheap at all. Rather it convincingly evokes authentic ’30s era vibe with simple aesthetics that you will want to actually play on your front porch – just like the days of old.