Table of contents
Last Updated on June 9, 2024 by Teemu Suomala
F-hole is a really undervalued soundhole type nowadays. It’s surprisingly hard to find an acoustic with F-holes…
But in this post, I reveal 18 acoustic guitars with F-holes, plus I will share important info and comparisons related to F-Holes with you (seriously, check that part out too!).
Let’s get started!
Want something a bit more different than normal soundhole or F-holes…? Check acoustic guitars with offset soundhole and acoustic guitars with side sound ports out.
Author: Teemu Suomala
I first grabbed the guitar in 2009. I started this website in January 2020 because I couldn’t do window installation anymore due to my health problems. I love guitars and have played dozens and dozens of different guitars through different amps and pedals over the years, and also, building a website interested me, so I decided to just go for it! I got lucky and managed to get awesome people to help me with my website.
I also got lucky because I have you visiting my website right now. Thank you. I do all this for you guys. If you have any recommendations, tips, or feedback, just leave a comment, I would love to chat with you. I have also been fortunate to produce content for several large guitar websites, such asSongsterr,Musicnotes,GuitarGuitar, andUltimate Guitar.
I spend my spare time exercising and hanging out with my wife and crazy dog (I guess that went the right way…).
20 Acoustic Guitars With F-Holes
Taylors T5z models are a mix of hollow-body and acoustic guitar. I decided to include a couple of T5z in this article.
I didn’t include Ovation guitars because shape of the soundholes is not F. You can learn more about ovation guitars from these articles of ours: 5 Best Ovation Guitars in 2022 & Ovation Guitars Price Guide.
Price symbol meaning:
$= 350-550 Dollars
$$= 551-1050 Dollars
$$$= 1051-2000 Dollars
$$$$= 2001-3000 Dollars
$$$$$= 3001- Dollars
| Model | F-Hole Type | Guitar Type | Price Range | Check The Latest Price (affiliate links) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harley Benton Custom LineCLR-Chrome | 2 Half-Cut | Resonator | $ | Thomann |
| Dean CE Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Resonator | 1 1/2 Half Cut | Resonator | $ | Guitar Center |
| GretschG9200 Boxcar Round-neck | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $ | Sweetwater |
| GretschG9210 Boxcar Square-Neck | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $ | Sweetwater |
| Dobro Hound Dog Round Neck | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Harley Benton Custom Line CLR-Reso | 2 Half-Cut | Resonator | $ | Thomann |
| FenderPR-180E Resonator Guitar | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $ | Sweetwater |
| GretschG9240 Alligator Mahogany Round Neck | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $ | Sweetwater |
| GretschG9241 Alligator Mahogany Round Neck | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $$ | Sweetwater |
| GretschG9220 Bobtail Round-neck Mahogany Body | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $$ | Sweetwater |
| ESPLTD TL-6 | 1 ESP Version | Acoustic-Electric | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| GretschG9230 Bobtail Square-neck Mahogany | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| EpiphoneDobro Hound Dog M-14 | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $$ | Sweetwater |
| GretschG9221 Bobtail Roundneck Resonator | 2 Normal F-Holes | Resonator | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Recording King RM-997-VG Swamp Dog Metal | 2 Half-Cut | Resonator | $$ | Guitar Center – Thomann |
| The LoarLH-600-VS Professional Archtop | 2 Normal F-Holes | Deep Body Archtop Steel-string acoustic guitar | $$$ | Sweetwater–Thomann |
| The LoarLH-700-VS Supreme Archtop | 2 Normal F-Holes | Deep Body Archtop Steel-string acoustic guitar | $$$ | Sweetwater–Thomann |
| TaylorT5z Classic – Find more great Taylor Guitars here | Stylized F-Holes | Acoustic-Electric | $$$ | Guitar Center – Sweetwater |
| TaylorT5z Standard Acoustic-Electric | Stylized F-Holes | Acoustic-Electric | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| TaylorT5z Custom Sassafras | Stylized F-Holes | Acoustic-Electric | $$$$$ | Sweetwater |
Imagine Having The Technique, Gear, and Sound of The GOATS… But Don’t just imagine. Find out.
Flip all cards
Joe Satriani
Main Band
Solo Artist
Main Guitar
Ibanez Joe Satriani Signature JS2480
GND Rating
(4.7)
Joe Satriani
| Uniqueness | (4.5) |
| Accuracy | (5.0) |
| Speed | (5.0) |
| Right Hand | (5.0) |
| Techniques | (5.0) |
| Versatility | (3.5) |
| Performance | (4.5) |
| Overall Lead | (5.0) |
| Overall Rhythm | (4.5) |
Tommy Emmanuel
Main Band
Solo Artist
Main Guitar
Maton TE Personal
GND Rating
(4.6)
Tommy Emmanuel
| Uniqueness | (3.5) |
| Accuracy | (4.5) |
| Speed | (5.0) |
| Right Hand | (5.0) |
| Techniques | (5.0) |
| Versatility | (4.0) |
| Performance | (4.0) |
| Overall Lead | (5.0) |
| Overall Rhythm | (5.0) |
Steve Vai
Main Guitar
Ibanez Steve Vai JEM77
GND Rating
(4.6)
Steve Vai
| Uniqueness | (4.5) |
| Accuracy | (5.0) |
| Speed | (5.0) |
| Right Hand | (4.5) |
| Techniques | (5.0) |
| Versatility | (3.0) |
| Performance | (4.5) |
| Overall Lead | (5.0) |
| Overall Rhythm | (4.5) |
Eddie Van Halen
Main Band
Van Halen
Main Guitar
Frankenstrat
GND Rating
(4.5)
Eddie Van Halen
| Uniqueness | (4.5) |
| Accuracy | (4.0) |
| Speed | (4.0) |
| Right Hand | (4.5) |
| Techniques | (4.5) |
| Versatility | (4.5) |
| Performance | (5.0) |
| Overall Lead | (5.0) |
| Overall Rhythm | (4.5) |
John Petrucci
Main Band
Dream Theater
Main Guitar
Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci Signature
GND Rating
(4.5)
John Petrucci
| Uniqueness | (4.0) |
| Accuracy | (5.0) |
| Speed | (5.0) |
| Right Hand | (5.0) |
| Techniques | (4.5) |
| Versatility | (4.5) |
| Performance | (4.0) |
| Overall Lead | (4.5) |
| Overall Rhythm | (4.0) |
Brian May
Main Band
Queen
Main Guitar
Red Special
GND Rating
(4.4)
Brian May
| Uniqueness | (5.0) |
| Accuracy | (4.5) |
| Speed | (3.5) |
| Right Hand | (4.5) |
| Techniques | (3.5) |
| Versatility | (4.5) |
| Performance | (4.5) |
| Overall Lead | (5.0) |
| Overall Rhythm | (4.5) |
What Kind of Acoustic Guitars Have F-Holes?
Over the years there has been an abundance of different acoustic guitars from Resonators, to Acoustic-Electrics, to Classical guitars featuring F-Holes. But at the time of writing (Feb 2022), my research revealed that there are only 2 different acoustic guitar types featuring F-Holes available from big brands. These are:
- Resonator acoustic guitars
- Acoustic-Electric guitars
And to me, this is weird. In a bit, I’m going to show you tone comparisons of different guitars with different sound holes. You will notice that the difference is noticeable. So it’s weird that more guitars with F-Holes aren’t produced, because they really bring something different to the table.
But about these 2 acoustic guitar types…
Resonator
In resonator acoustic guitars, the bridge is connected to the metal (steel) resonator instead of the wooden top of the guitar. This produces a different sound than regular acoustic guitars. There are resonator acoustic guitars with both metal(usually steel) and wooden bodies (the resonator part is metal of course).
Check a sound comparison of regular acoustic and resonator guitars:
Our Favorite Music Store in The World!
Why?
– Excellent Customer Service (4.7/5 Trustpilot Score)
– Fast & Free Shipping
– Gear is Inspected, Tested, & Ready to Play When it Arrives to You (We love this)
– Fair Prices
Visit Sweetwater:
Acoustics-Electric
An acoustic guitar that has some kind of pickup built in it so you can plug it in an amp. Simple. For example Taylor T5z you saw a photo about earlier is considered to be an acoustic-electric guitar.
What Does F-Holes On A Guitar Do?
The sound of an acoustic guitar can emanate from many places, such as top, back, sides, and soundhole. F-hole is a 1 type of soundhole where the tone can emanate from. The shape and size of the soundhole affect the sound it produces.
F-Hole VS Round Hole
This video gives you a head-to-head comparison:
F-hole produces a brighter and cleared tone, while the round hole gives you more bass. Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comment section of this article!
Some studies have found that violins with F-hole provide more powerful sound than violins with a round soundhole.
Are F-Hole Guitars Good?
For sure they are. F-hole guitars can produce a different tone and volume than guitars with a regular round soundhole. Neither of these is better or worse than the other, they are just different. Test different guitars out and choose which sounds and works best for you!
Conclusion
It was really fun to dive a bit deeper into the world of sound holes, resonators, etc. Clearly, F-holes help the guitar produce a totally different tone than round soundholes for example. I’m actually looking forward to adding acoustic with F-holes to my collection. Hopefully some new models are released this year because right now, none of these guitars fit my needs or budget.
I hope this article gave you helpful info and maybe you even decided to give a go to some guitars featured in this post. If you have any questions, just leave a comment. I wish you all the best and keep rocking!
Teemu
