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Fender Acoustasonic Telecaster Review
Fender Guitars
Fender Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org
Fender or FMIC-(Fender Musical Instruments Corporation) is an American manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers, founded by Clarence Leonidas “Leo” Fender in 1946 Fullerton, California, with headquarters in Los Angeles and facilities in Corona, California and Ensenada Baja California. (Mexico)
Fender is best known for its solid-body electric and bass guitars.
Most particularly the
- Stratocaster
- Precision or Jazz bass and…
- Telecaster
Before we get into the Fender Acoustasonic Telecaster Review, let’s look at…
A Brief History Of The Fender Telecaster or “Tele”
American Vintage 1952 Fender Telecaster – Author Massimo Barbieri-licensed Under The Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.
Being developed in 1950 (After doing research and development between 1932 – 1949), Leo Fender and his team of craftsmen started the whole “Solid-body” for electric guitars along with “bolt-on necks,” and ultimately impacted the future of guitars in the marketplace.
The Tele was the world’s first mass-produced and commercially successful solid-body electric guitar.
What’s in the Name?
The Telecaster was initially marketed in 1950 as the “Broadcaster.”
Still, because of the trademark conflicts with other rival string instrument manufacturers (i.e. Gretsch and their Bradkaster), this guitar would remain nameless until 1951.
During this time, the nameless run of “Tele” guitars would be known as “No Casters,” but Fender would find inspiration for their new instrument with the advent of Television.
1950–Present
This Fender guitar not only became popular quickly but has remained in continuous production since its first incarnation and is used for almost all styles and genres of music.
Except for some features that would differ in the future, the archetypical design’s base model and essential character have been constant since the 1950s.
The Design
This single-cutaway body design would be either alder or ash wood and have the front routed for electronics.
The guitar would also have a bolt-on neck made from maple and a fingerboard made from maple or rosewood, with at least 21 frets and a distinctive small headstock design with 6 tuning pegs mounted along a single side.
The Electronics & Controls
The Telecaster would maintain as a design 2 single-coil pickups.
One is mounted on a metal plate attached to the bridge, and the other is mounted in a plastic pickguard for the neck, along with a 3-way selector switch, a single volume and single tone control. (see below image)
The Telecaster Universal Bridge Setup- W/Pickups
Other standard specs would include…
- 3 individually adjustable dual-string saddles whose height and guitar intonation can be set independently/Many newer models have six saddles.
- An output jack that would be mounted on the edge of the lower bout of the guitar and
- A scale length of 25.5 inches (648 mm).
Even though some bridge design variations are available, fixed bridges on the Telecaster are almost universal.
New “Tele” In Town…
So after all this time, we now have a new “Tele” to fall in love with.
Fender has released this beauty of an instrument called…
The American Acoustasonic Telecaster
Acoustic, Electric, Or Both?
The New Sunburst Fender Acoustasonic – Image Courtesy Of Fender.com Want To See More Tap On Image
First, this made-in-USA instrument ( in production from 2019-2021) is designed to give you an acoustic dreadnought or parlour sound without having to deal with the dreadnought or parlour size and still not jeopardize the traditional clean and crunchy tones we have come to love with the original guitar.
The term “Dreadnought” refers to a type of acoustic guitar body that would be larger than most other guitars to provide a louder, richer tone.
To do this, Fender Acoustasonic relies on a patent-pending Stringed Instrument Resonance System or “SIRS.”
Instead of just a hole in the top and center of the guitar like a regular acoustic, the soundhole is more like a shortened cylinder that extends downward until there’s only about half an inch of space between it and the back of the body. This result is a surprisingly open acoustic sound with good volume and sustain. (See image)
Stringed Instrument Resonance System Or SIRS – Image Courtesy Of Acousticguitar.com
Tele Neck Profile and Hybrid Electronics
Add to this the great playing Tele neck, 3 Fishman Onboard pickups and fret access that comes with the original Telecaster body design, and you have a new player in town.
Guitar Specs
Body
- The body type is a Semi-Hollowbody Acoustic-Electric.
- The top wood is Solid Lutz Spruce – a naturally occurring hybrid of Sitka and white spruce with a wood style of Opaque or Plain with transverse bracing, and the backwood and side material are made from Mahogany.
- The body style is the classic single cutaway modified Telecaster design with an integrated forearm contour on the body for added comfort. (see below image)
Modified Design With Integrated Forearm Contour- Image Courtesy Of Fender.com
- The body finish is a Satin Polyurethane. This instrument’s finish is so minimal that it feels like you’re touching raw wood along with a b-w-b top, binding and rosette.
- A “Stringed Instrument Response” resonator, designed for maximum projection.
- Chrome Finished Hardware
- And a guitar weight of: 2.5kg (This may vary)
Neck
- The neck profile is a modern “Deep C,” so it will feel very comfortable if you are an electric guitar player.
- Like the body, the neck is also lightly finished with a Satin Urethane to get the sensation of natural touching wood.
- And is made from Mahogany with a walnut center stripe and bolted on. (see image)
Black Anodized Aluminum Neck Plate -Bolt-On Mahogany and walnut center stripe – Image Courtesy Of Reverb.com
- The fretboard wood is Ebony/(241 mm)
- The fingerboard radius is between 9.5 “and 12.”
- It has 22 narrow-tall frets with white dot position inlays
- Neck scale length 25.5″ (648 mm)
- Bi-Flex/two-way truss rod
- And an Ebony Tailpiece for the bridge
Headstock
- The guitar has Fender standard die-cast chrome tuners on the headstock
- Laser Etched Fender Logo
- And one wing string tree (see the below image)
22 Frets, Laser-Etched Fender Logo A GraphTech TUSQ Nut-Image Courtesy Of Fender.com
Nut
- Nut Width 1.687′-1.6875″ (42.86 mm)
- Nut Material is a Graph Tech Tusq
Electronics
Fender and Fishman have co-developed a new Hybrid 3-Pickup System and a processor they call the Acoustic Engine designed to capture the acoustic and electric tones distinctive to this instrument.
For The Acoustic Tones…
The Fishman Enhancer Internal Body Sensor- a Z-Axis body pickup that will give you 7 distinct acoustic profiles and capture the hollow body’s percussive sound and the acoustic harmonics.
Fishman Matrix UnderSaddle Piezo Pickup –A transducer under the bridge saddle, giving you a soft-edged cluck of your favourite direct acoustic.
For The Electric Tones, A Tele Offset Bridge Pickup
Noiseless N4 Magnetic pickup & Ebony Tailpiece for the Bridge-Image Courtesy Of Reverb.com
Fender Acoustasonic Noiseless N4 Magnetic pickup – Giving you electric sounds ranging from authentic Tele-style tones (i.e. bluesy/twang) to crunchy overdrive with defined highs and punchy mids, without the hum.
Controls
- A 5-way blade pickup switch is called a “Voice Selector,” with position 1 towards the bridge and position 5 towards the neck.
- Master Volume and an “A/B” Mod Control Knob (replacing the tone controller)
Volume / Mod Knob w/5 Way Blade Pickup Switch-Image Courtesy Of Acousticguitar.com
Voice Pairs
Fender uses the Mod Knob to identify its Voice Pairs of each guitar sound you select via the 5way voice selector.
If the mod knob is Fully counterclockwise, Fender calls it “A” settings.
When the mod knob is Fully clockwise, it is the “B” settings.
And, of course, the mod positions in between the A/B extremes are tones that can blend to generate incredible convincing detail for fine-tuning your preference.
The results…
10 Guitar Profiles-No pedals Needed
With the 5-way voice selector and the A/B Voice Pairs, you can access (at least) 10 onboard guitar profiles – no pedals needed. (see below video)
20-Hour USB Rechargeable Battery
The system is powered by an onboard rechargeable lithium-ion battery giving you up to 20 hours. Charged with a USB on a 1/4″ metal input jack, the battery status indicator flashes red when it’s time to recharge. (see image below)
20-hour Onboard USB Rechargeable Battery On 1/4″ Metal Input Jack & Battery Indicator- Image Courtesy Of Amazon.com
Simultaneously Charge & Play
This battery allows you to charge and play simultaneously, so if you have a portable battery backup, you can play uninterrupted for as long as needed.
Lots Of Acoustasonic Finishes Available
-
American Flag
-
Black/Black Paisley
-
Crimson Red/Dakota Red
-
Natural
-
Pink Paisley/Shell Pink
-
Sonic Grey
-
Steel Blue
-
Sunburst
-
Surf Green
Check Out The Video Using The 5 Voice Selectors & Voice Pairs
Final Thoughts
Every instrument has its character and tends to bring out a different side of your playing.
This guitar is no different.
Fender has done a terrific job of keeping the playability of the original design. Despite its advancements, it is an excellent guitar to play; it feels like an electric guitar via the neck and body, but it still wants to draw out the acoustic player or singer-songwriter.
My first love all those many years ago was and will always be the Fender Telecaster. It was my first electric, and I still have and use my old 69 today.
Not an Acoustic player? No matter.
Because I am an electric player, I like to have a lower action than the factory setup and lighter strings. But its modern slim ‘C’ neck and the super-flat 12-inch fingerboard with smooth and finished frets are nice to play on.
It still has a good sound even if you do not plug it in. But if you plug it in and go from 5 B, which is the acoustic sound, to 1 B, which is the fat electric guitar voice, you see the versatility of this instrument.
Should You Add This To Your Collection?
This instrument will not replace your favourite electric or traditional acoustic guitar. Still, it has its place somewhere in between and can be used in various situations.
It has its place based on functionality, accessibility, versatility, comfort, and looks.
This guitar can give you a large scope of sounds on one instrument, which is always appealing.
For This Guitar & More, Tap On Image
Did You Like This Article?
Check out my review of the Al Di Meola Ovation.
Also…
Please leave your comments in the section below, and if you have a favourite player or guitar you would like me to review, leave me a note below.
As always, stay the course and keep playing.
Blog Banner images courtesy of fender.com
Image of Guitar CTA courtesy of Amazon
Fender Acoustasonic Telecaster
$1974.00
Pros
- Stringed Instrument Resonance System
- 3 Fishman/Fender Onboard pickups
- A/B Mod Control & 5-Way Voice Selector
- 20-hour USB Rechargeable Battery
- Mahogany Neck & Body With Ebony-Capped "Deep C" Neck Profile
Cons
- Expensive
Starting A Journey At 7 Years Of Age, The Love For The Guitar Only Became Stronger Going Into My Teens. This Leading To An Exciting Time Of Teaching, Performing, And Recording. Join Me Now As We Can Bring The Love Of This Instrument To Other Musicians Globally.
