Fender Acoustic Guitars

Fender have been in the Guitar making business since 1946, and they make many models of acoustic guitars in many shapes and sizes including:

• Fender Concert
  The Concert models are smaller than the Dreadnoughts with a more rounded body.
• Fender Dreadnought
  The Dreadnought is the traditional acoustic guitar shape, but larger. Having a larger body allows for more sound projection.
• Fender Triple-0
  These look a lot like the Concert model but have a more elongated body.
• Fender Parlor
  This is their smallest size acoustic. It is ideal for taking on road trips, camping etc.
• Fender California Series
  The California series come in various colours and shapes, there are standard shapes, and cut away models. They are available in Blue, black, red, aqua, arctic gold, Champagne, slate, midnight satin, Burgundy, Ice blue satin, Olive, sunburst, natural,  Matte black, and various other colours too.

Type Of Wood Finish

Fender use laminates on many of their guitar bodies including backs and sides. Some of the budget models even have laminated tops too.  Generally speaking the more actual solid wood the body is made from, the better the tone will be. If however, you are planning on adding a pickup this won’t be a problem and a basic model will probably be OK.

Which Type Of Acoustic Guitar Do You Want?

Fender makes 6-string acoustic guitars, 12-string acoustic guitars 4-string Bass Acoustics and Left hand models. The left hand models are few and far between and they don’t seem to give much choice in acoustic Bass models.

How Much Does A Fender Acoustic Guitar Cost?

The price of a Fender Acoustic Guitar varies depending on the model, shape and style of guitar you choose, at a rough guide you can expect to pay:

• Around £110.00 for a Fender Dreadnought and for an extra £10.00 you can buy a Fender Dreadnought Cutaway Electro-Acoustic Guitar.
• Around £110.00 for a Fender FA-125 Acoustic Guitar
• Around £260.00 for a Fender FA-345CE Auditorium Bodied Acoustic Guitar
• Around £255 for a Fender California Series Malibu Electro Acoustic Guitar
• Around  £450 for a Fender Villager 12-String Electro Acoustic Guitar, Black
• Around £320.00 for a Fender Newporter Player Electro Acoustic, Sunburst, Walnut Fingerboard
• Around £350 for a Fender CD-140SCE Classic Design Electro Acoustic Guitar
• Around £160.00 for a Fender CD-60S Spruce-Top Dreadnought Acoustic – Natural
• Around £270 for a Fender CB-60SCE Acoustic Bass Guitar – IL – Bass
• Around £200.00 for a Fender CD-60S Left-Handed, Natural, Walnut Acoustic Guitar

At these prices Fender are much more affordable than say Gibson acoustics, or Martin acoustics or Taylor acoustics.

Additional Features

Fender are well known for their use of colour when it comes to acoustic guitars. Looking back to the early 1960s Fender produced the “King Series” including the “Kingman” range which were available in many colour variations. Now with the California series they have even more choice, from Matte Black to Hot Rod Metallic red and most shades in between. The California range also caters for Bass players and 12-string aficionados.

Fender Electric Guitars

The first Fender Electric guitar came into production in 1950, they made around 50 models and were available with one or two pickups, and they called them the Esquire. Not too long after this they introduced a truss rod and renamed it the Broadcaster, it had a solid body and an adjustable neck. One year later they renamed it once more, the new name was, the Telecaster. The reason for renaming it came about because Gretsch had a drum called the BroadKaster.

Which Electric Fender Guitar Should You Buy?

There are 120 different electric guitars to choose from in the Fender catalogue, and if that wasn’t enough, there are a number of colours and styles to choose from too. There are 6 main body styles, they are:

• Telecaster
• Stratocaster
• Jaguar
• Jazzmaster
• Lead
• Mustang

Then there are 18 different series to choose from all with different models. Then there’s the question of where they were manufactured, with some guitarists stating that American made are best, others who swear by Mexican models and others who say the Japanese models are the best.

How Much Will A Fender Electric Guitar Cost?

The price you pay for a Fender electric guitar is determined by many factors. Let’s break it down and see what will affect the price. 

What Model Have You Chosen

Some would argue that they’re all electric guitars and they’re all made by Fender so what does it matter? And to a certain extent that is true. But each model has its own foibles that makes it as individual as chalk and cheese. Plus within the model there is the question of series.

Where Was The Fender Electric Guitar Made?

Fender guitars are manufactured in the USA, Mexico, Japan and China. It seems that American models are the most expensive then Mexican, Japanese and finally the Chinese models. As a rough guide to prices, the price of a Fender Stratocaster ranges from around £380.00 to £3,000.00 The 50 odd various Strats and 40 odd Teles offered in the Fender catalogue, range in price from around £130.00 to £2,400.

Fender Squier

The Squier was always treated as the bargain basement models, but they can be  good value for money ranging in price from around £130.00 to £600.00. And with more than 40 models to choose from you’ll probably find one to suit your playing style.

Fender Bass Guitars

The first fender Precision Bass was manufactured in 1951 it had a solid body, two horns (much like the Stratocaster) it had a one piece neck with 20 frets, and a single pickup. The Fender Precision Bass has proved to be a popular guitar with many famous Bassists playing one, artists like:

• Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)
• Brian Wilson (the Beach Boys)
• Bill Black (Elvis Presley)
• Jet Harris (the Shadows)
• Donald “Duck” Dunn (Booker T. & the M.G.’s)
• Brian Foxton (the Jam)
• John Entwistle (the Who)
• Dee Dee Ramone (the Ramones)
• Sting (the Police)
• Paul Simonon (the Clash)
• Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses)
• Steve Harris (Iron Maiden)
• Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Attractions)
• Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters)
• Mike Dirnt (Green Day)
• John Deacon (Queen)
• And Many More

Along with the Precision, Fender manufactures The Jazz, Jaguar, Mustang and Vintera bass guitars, and with over 40 models to choose from, there will definitely be at least one Bass from the Fender range that will suit you . Other factors to consider are:

What Model Fender Bass Should You Buy?

With 5 main designs and over 40 models plus various colours and the left handed versions, our advice would be to try as many as you can until you find the right fit for you.

Where Was The Fender Bass Of Your Choice Made?

As with their 6-string guitars, so with the basses, Fender has manufacturing plants in The USA, Mexico, Japan and China. Where it’s made definitely has an impact on the price you will pay.  With the American made models costing the most and then the Mexican, Japanese and the Chinese being the cheapest.

Electric Fender Bass Or Acoustic?

Fender makes both electric and acoustic bass guitars, but which is best? Well it depends on what sort of setup you are in, an all acoustic group will probably sound more even with an acoustic bass. Otherwise, unless you’re considering a Double Bass (Which Fender don’t make) then electric will be a better fit for you. If you’re still not sure, Fender also makes an electro-acoustic Bass guitar.

How Much Will A Fender Bass Guitar Cost?

This will depend on the model you choose but as a rough guide, a Fender Electro-Acoustic bass will cost around £280.00, a Fender Squier Bronco Bass is around £160.00,  a Fender Player Precision Electric Bass Guitar will cost around £800.00, A Fender Mustang Bass will cost around £550.00, A Fender Vitera 60’s Mustang Bass will cost around £740.00, A Fender Jazz Bass will cost around £890.00. 

All of these prices are only for a guide price and you can usually add at least another £500.00 plus for genuine American models.

Fender Guitars – A Brief History

Fender produced their first electric guitar in 1951 this guitar went through a few name changes but eventually became known as the Telecaster. In 1954 the Stratocaster was first introduced. The first Fender Jazz Bass guitar came off the production line in 1960.

1964 saw the first Fender Acoustic guitars, in 1983 the first Japanese Fenders were produced. In 1995 Fender bought The Guild Guitar Company and then sold the Guild company in 2014.

Frequently Asked Questions