Fender again

jjbigfly · #1 09-20-2021, 09:06 AM

I am close to ordering a Fender Acoustisonic JAZZMASTER….ease of play and decent sound attracts me. I played the Telecaster version and I do like the ease of chording (old and stiff fingers). Only going to play it plugged in.
Any other suggestions, tips, hints? 2K limit. Should I simply get another acoustic, or heat up my card?
Suggestions please. I really need to have someone to blame 😁

MikeBmusic · #2 09-20-2021, 09:51 AM

If YOU like the plugged-in sound, that's all that matters. NONE of this Fender line sound REAL acoustic to me when I've heard them. I think of them more like the Taylor T5 series - a good guitar for stage use so that you don't have to switch guitars so often.

GCWaters · #3 09-20-2021, 10:14 AM

I have a T5--easiest playing guitar I've ever had, acoustic or electric, and I can get a nice sound out of it plugged in. Is it my 814 or my 000-28? No, but it's still very nice and very much fun to play. If the Fender is similar, I'd say go for it....

Goat Mick · #4 09-20-2021, 11:24 AM

I have a friend that gigs with the telecaster version and it sounds pretty good through the PA. However for the money, my personal preference with be the Godin Multiac.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/28445697286...8AAOSwx8Nfvr-f

tbeltrans · #5 09-20-2021, 12:01 PM

As my fingers age, they seem to become a bit stiffer when I wake up in the morning and become more nimble as the day wears on. I am also finding that, regardless of how good the setup is and how low the action is, or how light the string gauge is, I can only play for relatively short periods of time before my hands start to tire.

I noticed in recent years that more jazz players are using Fender Telecasters. Ted Greene and Ed Bickert had done so for quite some time before the more recent crop of players. Tim Lerch gets a beautiful sound from his.

So I went looking. For me, the standard Tele neck just doesn't seem to do well for the fingerstyle chord melody that I like to play. However, I found that the newer American Showcase model does, with its wider fretboard and flatter 12" radius. It is likely to become my primary guitar at this point because I can play for hours without tiring and without compromise to my playing style.

Personally, I really don't care for the Acoustisonic and they seem to be more expensive than even my Limited Edition Showcase Telecaster. When I say "I don't care for...", I mean exactly that - it is certainly a decent instrument and probably perfect for a lot of people, but just not for me personally. I like the clean sounds I get from my Telecaster and it is such a simple and extremely common guitar that you can get parts for anywhere.

This is the model I got, but with the Veteran's military discount...

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender/...00000322506.gc

I think the other models in this series are the same except for the paint job, and they cost about $100 less. This is the only one my local GC had in stock, so it is what I got. It has warmer pickups than the standard, so less "spank" but better for what I do. A Telecaster is the kind of guitar that once you get one, it just sticks around a long time.

Tony

619TF · #6 09-20-2021, 12:26 PM

I've found that these Fenders are similar to many designs that attempt to put more than one functionality into their product (ex. combo stereos from the 70s, certain cell phones, etc) and then you end up with only halfway decent functionality for each idea. These guitars are OK but not really as full sounding as a dedicated electric or a dedicated electric.

jjbigfly · #7 09-21-2021, 07:31 AM

Well, guess I will know more tomorrow when it hits the door…..

JimT · #8 09-23-2021, 08:05 PM

I have the Fender Acoustasonic Telecaster, easy to play, versatile, and sounds great plugged in. I use it when I am playing with my band. When I play solo, I play my Martin GPCPA1.

ben · #9 09-23-2021, 10:12 PM

I wrote the following about my (then) new Acoustasonic Jazzmaster on another forum a couple of months ago and this still holds:

Our Americana jam/song circle just started back up after a pandemic hiatus; 4 guitar players, bass, drums, and 3 singers stuffed into a small room. The music calls for both acoustic and electric guitars but there's not room to bring two instruments and so I previously had to choose between bringing an acoustic or electric. And being primarily an acoustic player, that's what I would usually pick. To celebrate it restarting, I picked up an Acoustasonic Jazzmaster over the weekend and played it at the jam for a few hours last night.

In short, it was brilliant in this setting. The nuance of the different acoustic guitar sounds was lost in the mix of all the instruments, but it definitely sounded like a plugged-in acoustic. Actually better, since I dislike the sound of piezo pickups and the Acoustasonic didn't have any of that quack. I was able to get good acoustic tone without feedback in a sub-optimal room. No, it didn't sound like my D-18 through a mic, but I never could have used a mic in that jam anyways. For that use, it was just as good, if not better, than a plugged-in acoustic. And as an added bonus, with the flip of a switch, mid-song, I was able to move into an overdriven electric guitar when needed.

No, I probably won't play the Acoustasonic when I'm sitting around at home when I could play one of my acoustics instead. But then again, I'm not going to put a pickup in a vintage Martin and take it to a loud jam either. Different guitars for different uses, with a bonus of some electric tones on the side for an occasional electric player.

jjbigfly · #10 09-24-2021, 07:37 AM

Well, the Fender is not for me. It looks good (to me) and plays very easy, both are what I wanted. The issue is, well, the sound. It sounds nice, but there is an issue.
There is a huge disconnect with the sound when plugged in. The sound from the guitar (not the amp) is consistent . If you can get it loud enough to mask the sound from the instrument it begins to sound quite good. No matter where I set the switch, I can still hear the acoustic sound from the guitar. When playing my other guitars the sound seems to match what the amp is producing, or close enough to sound ok at least. The Fender has enough acoustic volume that the native sound is always present and (for me) colors the music no matter where the 5 way switch is. Not bad at all using the electric settings. If I was playing out and using more volume from the PA I think it would be very nice, but I am not.
So It’s going back…. The good thing is that I got to try it in my home for a bit, and now I will have a decent credit for a different instrument. The bad part is….I will need to choose again……but that is a different post….