Go for a softer wood, spruce is typically seen as the best.

You want the top to be a solid piece if at all possible. What that means is the wood on the “top” of the guitar (the part of the body that will face towards the strings) is one piece. Most guitars in the cheaper range are two pieces, and if you look very closely you can see the line down the middle (a lot of cheap guitars are all polished up to make that line nearly invisible).

You want as man single pieces on the guitar as possible (the back, sides, etc), because it means less glue and better worksmanship.

If possible you want to get one with two rods (or more if they make them) in the neck. One rod works, but over time it’s a lot easier for the neck to warp (which means it will twist over time, making the guitar unable to play certain frets on certain strings as they will always be down thanks to the new twist of the neck).

After that just make sure you get some nice strings on the thing, and take care of them, and the guitar. Never store it in a very damp area, never store it in extreme heat or cold.. (With electric guitars you can get away with doing those things briefly, not so with acoustics one time can ruin the guitar.. that’s why they keep them in their own room at the stores usually).

Everything else is just aesthetics.

My first guitar, an acoustic, was a Washburn. I bought it back in 2003 or maybe 2002 (I forget exactly which). Spruce, with a solid top but non-solid other parts, only one rod in the neck… on sale it cost me $200 brand new, with a lifetime warranty from Washburn. 3ish years later I had to use the warranty because the neck had started to warp/twist (always carry it by the body, never by the neck).. and it’s been working great for me ever since.

Give one of these a try.

@tedd Never carry it by the neck? That’s a new one. Especially an acoustic. They weigh next tonothing and the neck is reinforced. And about the electrics, you don’t wanna leave them in heat or cold ever ‘cause even though the wood can withstand the abuse better than an acoustic, you’ll risk “checking” on the finish.

@stratman37 Never carry it by the neck. It twists it over time. I did this for the first year and a half to two years of owning my washburn, and the neck became so warped, every fret/note past the 9th fret sounded exactly the same.. and I had to use the warranty to get it repaired.

I’m shocked you’ve never heard that honestly, every major guitarist I’ve ever known lives by that rule.