Any alternatives to Acoustasonic?

[JackB1]

For a gigging musician, are there any viable alternatives to the Fender Acoustasonic as far as an EASY TO PLAY FOR HOURS guitar that gives you usable acoustic tones? I sometimes play for 3 hours or more and the Acoustasonic is SO much easier than playing a full body dreadnaught guitar.
I am not even using the electric tones much...mostly the acoustic ones.

The only other one I know of is the Godin A6 Ultra. The Godin has some nice acoustic tones but the electric sounds with the neck humbucker really only suit a warm, mellow, jazz king of sound. Not very useful for classic rock, which I mostly do.

[fazool]

I have yet to find any guitar that convincingly sounds acoustic and convincingly sounds electric.

[Gee Man]

Taylor T5(z) would probably fit the bill.

[YamahaGuy]

Yamaha SLG200S is ultra lightweight and may do the trick for some players.

[fazool]

Originally Posted by Gee Man

Taylor T5(z) would probably fit the bill.

I thought so to.

I had two of these (a six string and a twelve string) - they were both "OK" and sounded 75% as good as an electric and 75% as good as an acoustic. So if 25% reduction is worth the convenience it could be great - the guitar feels and looks fantastic.

I just think there is too much compromise.

[jricc]

Hi Jack. I have a Yamaha AEX500 https://reverb.com/item/37117620-yam...caArg_EALw_wcB. These are not made anymore, but they are out there.
It has a piezo bridge and a neck humbucker. You can use either or both with the blend knob. It is a super easy to play short scale. When I use it, I do have to run it thru an eq pedal to get a workable acoustic sound. Just figured I'd throw it out there. Hope it helps.
jricc

[Vognell]

Michael Kelly Guitars makes a hybrid that does an OK job....The piezo bridge pickup only conveys an "acoustic-ish" tone. I run it through an acoustic IR on my HX Stomp to give it a more natural tone... but haven't gotten it where I really like yet. Part of the issue is the lighter string gauge and semi-solid body don't replicate the natural decay/sustain or resonance you find in an acoustic, so even with a good IR (which works great with a piezo pickup on an actual acoustic) on the Stomp... it's still unconvincing.

I do like mixing the piezo pickup in with the humbucker pickups to get some clarity on the high end and clear up the humbucker muddiness... that actually works out great... but no so much as an acoustic/electric all-in-one instrument.

Nice as a couch player, unamplified.

[M19]

How about Godin?

[Taylor Ham]

Many good replies already so I will just supplement with my experience. tried out an acoustasonic and wasn't blown away by the playability even with the 11 gauge strings. I found most Taylor full acoustics in the room easier to play that day. If you are looking for acoustic tones and not really using the electric ones, Maybe you could try a traditional PU equiped acoustic, 00-000 size? Alternatively, try the T5 or have an acoustasonic set up.

[JackB1]

Sounds like a there’s no real alternatives that can do everything the Acoustasonic can do. The biggest complaint I read over and over is the $2K price tag. Why doesn’t Fender release a Mexican version with limited options at half the price? Would do very well I think. People aren’t buying this guitar because it’s all solid woods. Do the same thing with laminates and cheaper fingerboard material?

[seannx]

Originally Posted by fazool

I thought so to.

I had two of these (a six string and a twelve string) - they were both "OK" and sounded 75% as good as an electric and 75% as good as an acoustic. So if 25% reduction is worth the convenience it could be great - the guitar feels and looks fantastic.

I just think there is too much compromise.

It’s beautiful, and plays really well, but my Taylor T5Z Pro LTD's acoustic sound is just okay, although most in an audience probably wouldn’t notice the difference. I played an Acoustasonic when they first came out. IMO the acoustic sound options were noticeably better than the Taylor's, but the electric ones were worse. The biggest difference was the build quality, and the Taylor really stood out as much better. I haven’t played one of the more expensive Acoustasonics to see if Fender has improved that aspect.

I bought my Taylor after a road show. Wayne Johnson got an impressive range of electric sounds running the T5Z though his pedal board, and the acoustic sound was good. He said that he used one on tours, for example to Europe, so he wouldn’t have to take multiple guitars. It’s incredibly beautiful, but since buying it I’ve gotten additional electrics and acoustics that deliver 100%+ on their own.

[Brent Nelson]

Mine only has the acoustic pickup. But they made a model that had both.
https://reverb.com/item/7385952-fern...-rare-w-gigbag

[Gee Man]

Although not made anymore, there is also the spruce topped Hamer DuoTone.

[JimT]

Originally Posted by JackB1

For a gigging musician, are there any viable alternatives to the Fender Acoustasonic as far as an EASY TO PLAY FOR HOURS guitar that gives you usable acoustic tones? I sometimes play for 3 hours or more and the Acoustasonic is SO much easier than playing a full body dreadnaught guitar.
I am not even using the electric tones much...mostly the acoustic ones.

The only other one I know of is the Godin A6 Ultra. The Godin has some nice acoustic tones but the electric sounds with the neck humbucker really only suit a warm, mellow, jazz king of sound. Not very useful for classic rock, which I mostly do.

Jack, I have the same issue, and don’t think there’s anything better out there. I bought an Acoustasonic Tele a year ago, hoping to ultimately replace my stage guitar, a 2010 Martin GPCPA1. The GPCPA1 sounds awesome, but the Acoustasonic is SO much easier to play for 3-4 hour solo gigs.

[JackB1]

I agree. I sometimes miss the full sound of my J15 but when I can easily play for 3-4 hours, that's a nice tradeoff. Sometimes I bring my acoustic also to gigs and play the first set on it and then switch to the Acoustasonic for the remainder of the night. But its very convenient to just bring one guitar.

Originally Posted by JimT

Jack, I have the same issue, and don’t think there’s anything better out there. I bought an Acoustasonic Tele a year ago, hoping to ultimately replace my stage guitar, a 2010 Martin GPCPA1. The GPCPA1 sounds awesome, but the Acoustasonic is SO much easier to play for 3-4 hour solo gigs.