Martin, Taylor and Gibson are the three American names most acoustic players compare. At Thomann they differ in size, price and where they win: Martin is everywhere, Gibson is expensive and strong in the big body shapes, and Taylor is the most affordable of the three.
The three brands in numbers
| Martin | Taylor | Gibson | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings | 293 | 178 | 109 |
| Models | 142 | 148 | 43 |
| Median price | $3,809 (€3,399) | $3,190 (€2,847) | $4,571 (€4,079) |
| Cheapest | $537 | $402 | $1,658 |
| Listings under $1,000 | 30 | 31 | 0 |
| Top-10 spots | 34 | 11 | 13 |
| #1 spots | 5 | 0 | 2 |
Martin has more acoustic listings at Thomann than any other brand, Harley Benton included. Gibson has the fewest models of the three and no acoustic guitar under $1,000: its cheapest is the L-00 Special.
Where Martin wins
Martin is #1 in five of our eleven acoustic charts. It holds 8 of the top 10 spots among 0, 00 and 000 guitars, the first five among premium acoustics, with the OM-28 at #1, the top three signature models, 6 of 10 left-handed spots and the #1 folk guitar, the SC-13E.
Martin 000-15M, $2,404
An all-mahogany 000 and the #1 in its chart. #1 of 85 0/00/000 acoustic guitars.
Where Gibson wins
The dreadnought is Martin's invention, but the #1 dreadnought at Thomann is a Gibson: the J-45 Special. Martin's D-28 Satin and D-18 Satin follow at #2 and #3. Among jumbo guitars Gibson holds 8 of the top 10, led by the SJ-200 Standard at $6,386.
Gibson J-45 Special, $1,901
The cheapest J-45, with a satin finish. #1 of 284 dreadnought acoustic guitars.
Martin D-28 Satin, $3,915
The classic Martin dreadnought in a satin finish, second only to the J-45. #2 of 284 dreadnought acoustic guitars.
Where Taylor stands
Taylor places 11 models in a top 10 but wins no chart. Its best spot is #2 among 12-string guitars with the 150ce at $1,119; the 454ce and 614ce sit at #6 and #7 among premium acoustics. Taylor is the cheapest way into the three brands: the Baby Taylor starts at $402, and the GS Mini, its best-known small guitar, at $543.
Taylor GS Mini-e Rosewood, $856
A travel-size guitar with a pickup, in the folk top 10. #5 of 103 folk acoustic guitars.
Questions
Martin or Taylor: which is better?
Our numbers can't settle that. Martin ranks higher in more charts, mostly because more of its models are traded on Reverb, which our index counts as demand. Taylor is cheaper: 35% of its listings cost under $2,000, against 24% of Martin's. Play both if you can.
Why is Gibson so expensive?
Gibson makes its acoustics in Montana and sells far fewer models at Thomann; none costs less than $1,658. For the same shapes for much less, look at Epiphone's J-45 and Hummingbird.
Which is best for a beginner?
On price, a Taylor: the Baby Taylor or the GS Mini. Martin's cheapest are the LX1 and LXK2 Little Martins, from $537.
How we measured. All acoustic guitars Thomann listed as in stock on October 23, 2026: 1,859 listings in 12 categories. Variants of the same model are grouped. A "top-10 spot" is a place in the top 10 of one of our 11 acoustic rankings by the AudioFu Index; one model can hold spots in several. Prices are in euros, converted at the European Central Bank rate.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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