Fender Acoustasonic Player Telecaster

Game Of Tones
The rundown of the
Player’s sounds
E
ach position here has
A and B voicings you can
mix with the Blend Knob.
3A and 3B are a small body
mahogany short scale and
a boomier rosewood
dreadnought. We’d absolutely
concur with those descriptions
and it covers the main types of
tone most acoustic players will
want. From there the lines
begin to blur and dirt is added
to the undersaddle pickup for
2A and 2B’s Lo-Fi Clean and
Lo-Fi Crunch voices. They’re
more eclectic and acoustic,
respectively, and actually sound
like a mix of the two pickup
sources even though they’re
technically not. We found
a blend of the two receptive to
light Klon-style drive that is
useful in a band mix. Voices
1A and 1B are all on the Tim
Shaw-designed Noiseless
single-coil pickup. A clean
and a dirtier ‘Fat’ tone. This is
a warmer, earthier single-coil
tone than you might expect
but we really like it and actually
spent a lot of time blending for
blues and Americana there – it
also never feels abrupt to switch
from the other voices to it.
fret access that comes with it. Our
action is low but the resonance is
still sweet. It’s also great to see that
Fender has included the excellent
Micro-Tilt neck angle adjustment
feature that will help even the
fussiest of us to get the perfect
action coupled. For all this it’s an
acoustic guitar that will bring new
approaches from your playing you
even plug in. So what happens
when you do?
First we’re going to come
straight out with it. We think the
biggest compromise here will be
anyone who plays percussive
acoustic styles. The Fishman
undersaddle piezo with its active
circuitry here yields fantastic warm
and organic acoustic tones with no
brittle piezo ‘quack’ in evidence,
but players who rely on body
percussion won’t fi nd the same
level of sensitivity as the US body’s
top positioned transducer.
The ten voices could feel
generous but somewhat
overwhelming for a Tele before
– some would argue that’s more
than most players could ever need.
The more streamlined approach
here still aff ords six; the traditional
‘neck’ position’s dreadnought and
smaller acoustics to the bridge’s
full magnetic. You won’t get
twangsome Tele in the latter, it’s
more a full-bodied electric tone
that blends well. The real dilemma
is whether you choose to amplify
through a PA/acoustic combo or a
traditional guitar amp. We’d argue
the former gets the best from the
acoustic detail but our piezo
acoustic tone was impressively
authentic with both.
Approach this as an electro-
acoustic with wider horizons. The
active circuitry here provides some
of the very best amped acoustic
tones we’ve heard. It’s a must-try
for anyone who plays acoustic
onstage regularly.
Rob Laing
FENDER AMERICAN
ACOUSTASONIC
JAZZMASTER
If money is no object, this
is our pick because we
just love the bespoke
Acoustasonic
Shawbucker and the
larger body pays
dividends with
unplugged tone.
FENDER AMERICAN
ACOUSTASONIC
STRATOCASTER
Arriving a year after the
American Acoustasonic
Tele, this is another
guitar that makes
sense in your hands
as a new approach to
how to deliver amplified
acoustic tones.
MARTIN
SC-13E
A bold design for the
acoustic giant in 2020, this
couples an offset shape
with enhanced fret
access and low action
that will please
electric players.
ALSO TRY...
£1749
£1749
£1599
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
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TOTAL GUITAR FEBRUARY 2022
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TGR354.gear_lead.indd 88TGR354.gear_lead.indd 88 21/12/2021 17:1621/12/2021 17:16