Fender American Acoustasonic
An electric guitar player’s perspective.
£1,555 at thomann.de | £1,449 at andertons.co.uk
My relationship with acoustic guitars is best described as complicated. I love the sound and resonance of a good acoustic, but they can be hard to play and maintain. Acoustic guitars are much more responsive to changes in temperature and humidity and are much harder to adjust string action and intonation on. If you live in a flat and need to worry about neighbours, they are far too loud. Furthermore, if you play in an electric band, carrying an additional guitar for a few songs can be tedious. The Fender Acoustasonic promises to solve all of these issues while still offering great electric tones and playing comfort, but does it deliver? Yes! Well, kind of…
Build Quality
The build quality on these is incredible. The American Acoustasonic Telecaster is light and balanced. The neck is unfinished, but very smooth and comfortable to play. There were no imperfections or finish flaws anywhere on the guitar. The hardware is a mix between an electric and an acoustic guitar. The neck is decidedly electric with Fender-branded tuners and a Telecaster headstock. The controls will also be familiar to Tele/Strat players, offering a very diverse set of tones from the three onboard pickups – a Fishman acoustic pickup, a Fender Noiseless Single-coil and a Fishman Percussion pickup, that measures the vibrations on the top of the body. The neck is a bolt-on with a micro-tilt adjustment. The Acoustasonic features an acoustic bridge with bone pins instead of height-adjustable saddles. Next to the output jack you will find a charging port – one of my least favourite features of the American Acoustasonic. Currently, the onboard battery is non user-replaceable, which raises concerns about the guitar’s longevity.
Playability
When I first got the guitar, the action was unnecessarily high. Combined with the 11 gauge acoustic strings it wasn’t the best playing experience. There are no height-adjustable saddles, but you can set the action using the micro-tilt screw on the neck plate. An eighth of a turn did the trick and, after a quick truss rod adjustment, the guitar played as well as any of my electric guitars - while also being much lighter. You can put lower gauge electric guitar strings on for an even better playing experience. In fact, that would be my recommendation for electric guitarists looking to venture into the world of acoustics. It won't sound as authentic, but will get you going until you are ready to set up the Acoustasonic with acoustic strings.
Sound
Acoustically it sounds good enough for practising. Similar to the Taylor Academy series the tone is very warm. It is loud enough to play unamplified, but not so much that you will disturb the neighbours. In fact, the Acoustasonic Tele became my go-to guitar for shorter practice sessions.
Playing through an acoustic amplifier, PA or audio interface is where the guitar really shines. It won’t quite sound like a Martin D28 or even a comparably priced solid-body acoustic. It does, however, make it up in versatility! You can check out all the pickup combinations in the quick start guide.
With a mix of the three pickups and some clever EQ, you can have the guitar sound like an acoustic spruce/rosewood dreadnought, auditorium, a cajon drum or a Telecaster. You can also blend them together for unique in-between sounds. All of the settings, even the single-coil, sound great. The body sensor pickup adds another level of tonal possibilities. You can use it with a looper pedal to record a live percussive backing track for your playing.
The Acoustasonic sounds great with effects pedals – delay, reverb, compression, and even overdrive. My favourite sound is playing the guitar in the fifth pickup position (spruce/rosewood dreadnought) directly into a recording interface with some added reverb. For rehearsals and gigs I would take the Acoustasonic over a conventional acoustic guitar.
If you opt for electric guitar strings, the Acoustasonic will sound a bit duller both acoustically and when plugged in. This tradeoff is not ideal, but definitely worth considering if you aren’t used to playing acoustic guitars. I would not use electric strings for a recording, but for live performances nobody will notice.
Alternatives
The only true alternatives are the Mexican Player Acoustasonic guitars. If these were available, when I was buying mine, I would have saved myself the money. The build quality of the Player series is indistinguishable from their U.S. counterparts. They sound pretty much the same too, although you do not get the body sensor pickup. Unfortunately, the really cool percussion sounds are reserved for the more expensive models. An area where the Player series is superior is the use of a standard 9V battery. You can always get rechargeable ones and be sure that the guitar won’t become obsolete when the battery dies.
Another good option to consider are the Multiac guitars by Godin. They are made in Canada and are similarly priced to the American Acoustasonics. A similar mix of acoustic sounds and electric playability, but, to my ears, the Fenders sound better.
Finally, there are plenty of semi-hollow electric guitars with piezo pickups, such as the PRS SE Hollowbody II. A great option if you want a typical electric guitar that can get close to the sound of an acoustic guitar. Don’t expect them to sound anywhere near as authentic as the Fenders or Godins.
Bottom Line
Fender created something truly special with their Acoustasonic series. These guitars deliver the rich sound of multiple acoustic guitars, while retaining the playability, portability, and reliability of an electric guitar. It will deliver some pretty good electric tones to boot! The non-removable battery paired with the relatively high price of £1,500 makes it a tough sell. Especially when the sub-£1,000 Player series are almost identical.