Acoustic Guitars Buying Guide

The Parlor Guitar Revival: Why Smaller Bodies Are Getting Expensive Again

V Rated by Vincent Vandegans · Updated Sep 2026

Parlor guitars were the everyman's instrument a century ago — small, quiet, cheap. Today, solid-wood parlors from quality small-shop and boutique builders are anything but cheap, driven by players rediscovering the body shape's surprising midrange presence and comfortable ergonomics, especially for smaller players or anyone who finds a dreadnought unwieldy.

The ten guitars below are real, currently-listed solid-wood parlor guitars, checked for seller reliability and priced against comparable recent sales.

At a Glance — Our Top Picks

Editor's Top Pick

RED SPRUCE Parlor Soundboard Luthier Tonewood Guitar Wood RSAGAP-001

Score 95/100 · $50.00 · New

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Best New

Cordoba C10 Parlor - Solid Cedar Top Acoustic Nylon String Parlor Size (⅞) Guita

Score 90/100 · $1,599.99 · New

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Best Used

Art&Luthier Canadian Handmade Parlor Guitar

Score 91/100 · $275.00 · Used

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Top 7 Acoustic Guitarss on eBay & Amazon

Ranked and rated by Vincent Vandegans — verified you can buy.

Art&Luthier Canadian Handmade Parlor Guitar

Rating Score: 91/100 · $275.00 Used

4 photos

Unit of Sale: Single Piece
Type: Handmade
Size: Small
Theme: Art
Material: Sold Cedar Top And Body
Features: Miniature, $250.

•Condition: Used
•Seller rating: 100.0% positive (389 ratings)
•Free shipping
•Returns accepted (14 calendar day)

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Customer reviews on eBay ›

Faith Mercury Naked 12-Fret Parlor Guitar, Satin Natural All Solid Wood Handmade

Rating Score: 80/100 · $439.37 Used

4 photos

Body Colour: natural
Body Material: Spruce
Body Type: Parlor
Brand: Faith
Country of Origin: Indonesia
Fretboard Material: Rosewood

•Condition: Used
•Seller rating: 75.0% positive (4166 ratings)
•Shipping: $53.66
•Returns accepted (30 calendar day)

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Customer reviews on eBay ›

Rosewood Acoustic Back & Sides

Rating Score: 88/100 · $1,000.00 Used

4 photos

Brand: Unbranded
Type: Lumber

•Condition: Used
•Seller rating: 100.0% positive (162 ratings)
•Free shipping
•No returns accepted

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Customer reviews on eBay ›

RED SPRUCE Parlor Soundboard Luthier Tonewood Guitar Wood RSAGAP-001

Rating Score: 95/100 · $50.00 New

4 photos

Brand: Crooked Road Hardwoods
Type: Soundboard
Model: Soundboard, Tonewood, Luthier, Guitar, Wood
Material: Spruce, Red Spruce
MPN: NA
Suitable For: Acoustic Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Cigar Box Guitar, Classical Guitar, Electric Guitar, Resonator Guitar, Travel Guitar

•Condition: New
•Seller rating: 100.0% positive (1369 ratings)
•Free shipping
•Returns accepted (30 calendar day)

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Customer reviews on eBay ›

Peter Robson - Luthier Built Parlor Guitar

Rating Score: 35/100 · $3,600.00 New

4 photos

Country of Origin: United States
Features: 12-Fret
String Configuration: six
Series: Special Edition
Model Year: 2019
Size: 0-28

•Condition: New
•Seller rating: 0.0% positive (2269 ratings)
•Shipping: $45.00
•No returns accepted

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Cordoba C10 Parlor - Solid Cedar Top Acoustic Nylon String Parlor Size (⅞) Guita

Rating Score: 90/100 · $1,599.99 New

4 photos

Body Type: Parlor Size
Size: 7/8
Body Color: Natural
Neck Material: Mahogany
MPN: GUCLCOR-06523
Set Includes: Gig Bag

•Condition: New
•Seller rating: 100.0% positive (354 ratings)
•Free shipping
•Returns accepted (14 calendar day)

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Customer reviews on eBay ›

Cordoba C9 CD/MH - Solid Cedar Top, Solid Mahogany Back/Sides Classical Guitar -

Rating Score: 90/100 · $1,099.99 New

4 photos

Body Type: Standard
Size: 4/4
Body Color: Western Red Cedar
MPN: 99-753-0140
Number of Frets: 19
Brand: Cordoba

•Condition: New
•Seller rating: 100.0% positive (354 ratings)
•Free shipping
•Returns accepted (14 calendar day)

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Customer reviews on eBay ›

Buyer's Guide: How to Pick the Best Acoustic Guitars

What makes a parlor guitar worth the premium some models command.

Body Size vs. Volume

A parlor is quieter than a dreadnought unplugged, full stop — that's the trade for its comfort and midrange focus. If you need stage volume acoustically, this isn't the body shape; if you play at home or record close-mic'd, it's a genuine asset.

Solid Wood Matters More Here

Because the body is smaller, the wood quality has proportionally more influence on tone than on a larger-bodied guitar — all-solid construction is worth prioritizing even more than usual on a parlor.

Neck Width and Comfort

Vintage-style parlors sometimes have narrower nut widths that suit fingerstyle less than modern reissues built with wider necks — check the spec if your playing style needs the extra string spacing.

Acoustic Guitars FAQs

Why are parlor guitars suddenly expensive? +

Renewed interest from fingerstyle players and small-shop/boutique builders producing genuinely high-quality small-bodied instruments has pushed demand and prices up for well-built solid-wood parlors specifically — cheap laminate parlors remain inexpensive.

Is a parlor guitar a good main instrument or just a second guitar? +

Plenty of players use one as a main instrument, particularly fingerstyle and blues players — it's a legitimate primary guitar, not just a novelty, provided the smaller volume suits your playing context.

Does body size affect string tension or feel? +

Not directly, but a smaller body does transmit vibration differently under your arm and against your body, which many players describe as more intimate and responsive to touch dynamics.

Are parlor guitars good for travel? +

Reasonably, though a dedicated travel/composite guitar is still the better choice for checked baggage durability — a wood parlor is more travel-friendly than a dreadnought but not built specifically for transit abuse.

Top Sellers Rank

Rank	Seller	Price vs. average	Rating
#1	midnight-club	-62% vs. avg	★ 3.8
#2	arloforty	+212% vs. avg	★ 0
#3	chucky952	-96% vs. avg	★ 5

Why Should You Trust Us?

Every parlor guitar here is cross-checked against live eBay listings, with all-solid-wood construction confirmed from the listing description before inclusion.

Written by Vincent Vandegans

Vincent has spent years buying, selling, and researching gear across live marketplaces. He personally tests a portion of the products featured on this site — hands-on with the exact model, checking build quality, sound, and feel for himself. For the rest of the lineup, each pick goes through the same in-depth research process rather than being taken at face value from a listing photo.

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How this guide was researched

Hands-on testing, when possible

Whenever Vincent owns or can source the exact model, he tests it directly — evaluating build quality, sound, playability, and how it holds up against the manufacturer claims.

Technical spec sheets, compared side by side

For every other pick, the manufacturer datasheets, manuals, and published specifications are read in full and compared against competing models in the same price range — not just skimmed from a listing summary.

Real owner reviews, mined from blogs and forums

Vincent digs through long-running gear forums, owner blogs, and marketplace review threads to find recurring, repeated feedback from real buyers after months of actual use — not just the top review snippet or a manufacturer-friendly quote.

Live marketplace data, checked at publish time

Price, seller reputation, condition, and availability shown on this site are cross-checked directly against live eBay and Amazon listings, so the ranking reflects what is actually being sold, not a historical average.

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