Looking for a Higher End Acoustic Guitar

bside29

Hi! Just wanted to ask, does Fender make a "higher end" line of acoustics? You know, guitars that sound more open and lively? I really wanted a Fender...just didn't find one that had the same sound as the Yammies and Washburns I tried out. And also, I am looking for something within the $300 to $500 price range.

Review sites like http://www.guitarsreport.com/ rank several fender acoustic guitars as the best within acoustic guitar categories - Some of them are T-Bucket 400CE, Pro TPD-2 and CD-140SCE. What are your thoughts on these 3 examples?

Nervous Wreck

Out of interest, if you tried some Yamahas and Washburns and liked the sound, why search out a Fender?

martinedwards

Is there such a thing as a decent Fender acoustic?

I've never played a fender acoustic that even reached the heady heights of mediocrity.

And I LOVE fender electrics

wild turkey

I agree with Martin , Fender make great electrics but I havent played a fender acoustic that I would consider buying.

Buying an acoustic is a much more personal thing than an electric
I have no problem buying electrics on line but will only hand pick an acoustic

Go play , forget about the name and buy what feels and sounds right for you.

Rented Mule

Play them all. Play everything that you can get your hands on until you find 'the one'.

I gave my brother in law this same advice. He came home with a really beautify Seagull that was well worth the money at the time.

fret_wimp2

Play everything. I was buying my first good acoustic about 6 years ago in Musician Inc. I had settled on a martin for just over 1k. While the guy was getting a case & putting the sale together i started noodling with a few guitars on the wall. One felt, in my hands anyway much much nicer than the martin and I could just play it better.

I asked the price and it was a tanglewood at the grand price of 350 quid.
Im not saying the tanglewood was/is better than the martin, it just was better when in my hands.

Play everything.

KeithTS

Agree with pretty much everything said here.
I have never played a Fender acoustic that I liked.

For your price range forget about the heavy hitters like Taylor and Martin (unless you go for the Baby Taylor - great little guitars for around your price point).

Tanglewood and Takamine have some nice lively, bright sounding guitars in your price range, maybe not high end but definitely hold their own. so pick some up and play them.

Acoustics can be funny as they're all very different, be it sound, feel, looks or just that feeling they give you when you pick it up so play as many as you can.

Pepijn89

martinedwards wrote: »

Is there such a thing as a decent Fender acoustic?

Depends on taste. I own a 100 euro Fender and 650 euro solid wood Martin. Objectively the Martin sounds much better, but for some things the Fender is just a better fit. Horses for courses I guess

@ OP, I would still agree with what people said here: if you're looking for an acoustic guitar with a lively sound at 300 - 500 bucks Fender isn't the most obvious choice. That being said, if you try one in store (never ever ever buy an acoustic online) and love the sound, get it. In the end that's the only thing that matters.