Should You Consider Buying Fender Acoustic Guitars?

It never ceases to amaze me that some people actually choose Fender Acoustic Guitars when there are so many other brands of acoustic guitars that are better made. Of course you may choose to purchase a Fender just on the reputation of its name alone. That of course is your decision, but when I was shopping for an acoustic guitar for my own use this was one brand that I dismissed quite quickly.

Now don’t get me wrong, Fender makes great electric guitars. In fact, there are musicians who swear by Fender and who won’t play anything else. But when it comes to acoustic guitars, Fender models are definitely lacking in a wide variety of ways.

Still determined to buy a Fender? Fender makes several affordable guitars for both beginner and intermediate players, including starter kits packed with beginner essentials.

Squier MC-1 Mini 3/4 Size Classical	Squier MA-1 3/4 Size Steel-String	Squire SA-100 Upgrade Pack
Sturdy, school music program guitar	Cheap, steel string guitar	Inexpensive, low-quality guitar pack

Fender DG-8S Value Pack	Fender CD140S	Fender DG60
Solid Top Value Pack!	Solid top, warm sound	Cheap guitar, bright tone

CD-60 Dreadnought	Sonoran S	CD 280S Dreadnought
Cheap campfire guitar with hardshell case	Beginner guitar with solid spruce top	Well-balanced tone, solid spruce top

Tim Armstrong Hellcat	CD100 Left-Handed
Striking guitar with built-in tuner	Cheap, left-handed guitar

About Fender Acoustic Guitars

It is sad, really, that a guitar manufacturer that is so dedicated to producing quality electric guitars doesn’t pay the same kind of attention to their acoustic models.

One of the primary complaints about Fender’s acoustic models is that they are factory made. And not only are they factory made, they are made in overseas factories and shipped to the US. This may save the company money, but it makes it harder to take care of any problems you may have with your guitar without going to a guitar repair shop and spending a good bit of money.

In fact, you may end up spending more money to take care of the issues you’ll have with Fender acoustic guitars then it cost to buy the guitar in the first place. Fender acoustic guitar models are very reasonably priced. However, this is one of those cases where you get exactly what you pay for.

While not every Fender (acoustic) guitar on the market is a lemon, when you compare them with other acoustic guitars in their price range, they start looking decidedly shabby, especially when it comes to quality of materials and construction. Even when you compare them with other factory-made models by other manufacturers, they leave a bit to be desired.

The Quality of Fender Acoustic Guitars

Take the Fender CD280S Dreadnought for example. This dreadnought is made of laminated rosewood with a solid spruce top. But the quality of the spruce used is second rate and the laminating quality is decidedly slipshod. It may be solid spruce that is used for the top, but not all spruce is created equal. When you compare it to other solid top guitars you will find that it has nothing on, say, the solid Sitka spruce top of the Washburn WD 15S Dreadnought.

The Washburn WD 15S also has a laminated body (mahogany instead of rosewood, like the Fender) but you can see the differences of construction in the fine details such as the attachment of the neck and the edging. The Fender models are simply not given the same attention to detail as the Washburn’s.

While the two guitars may look a good bit alike, the tone of the Washburn is decidedly richer, not to mention that it has smoother playability and you don’t find your skin or fingers getting caught on rough edging or pieces that haven’t been sanded down.

While you may still decide to buy one of the Fender acoustic guitars simply because of the popularity of the name or because you get a kick out of the thought of a Fender hanging on your wall, true connoisseurs of acoustic guitars will steer clear of Fender acoustic models unless they have no choice.

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