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The way I see it this guitar has two hurdles to overcome. The first is that Fender isn’t exactly known for their acoustic line. That’s not to say they have a bad rep, just that when thinking acoustic many automatically think of names like Martin, Guild, Taylor, etc. The second hurdle for this guitar is that it’s made in China which is enough on its own to turn away a certain crowd. However, these notwithstanding, this is a fabulous guitar that fits a niche very well. First off it’s all solid wood construction, mahogany no less. This guitar resonates and vibrates so much more than a laminate body. I put some silk and steels on it and am happily wading through big warm bass, cushioned mids and silky highs. The second aspect of this guitar that makes it a winner is the high end appointments: bone nut/saddle, ebony bridge/end pins, checkerboard binding and pretty nice machine heads. These are all things found on higher priced guitars and are executed here very nicely. Finally, with the reasonable price tag you won’t hesitate to take this out gigging. There are many gigs where one would not want a $1500 guitar hanging around, yet one does want the beauty and resonance of a solid wood guitar. I was also considering the Guild OM-120 before settling on this one. Sure, like a pointed out above, Guild makes a good acoustic. However, Fender owns Guild. And since that particular Guild is made in China as well it is very possible that these two guitars are made in the same factory. Not only is the Guild $100 more but it also lacks some of the high end appointments such as the end pins being plastic, the binding isn’t as nice. I’m not saying the Guild would’ve been a bad buy, but figuring that they are both produced by Fender allowed me to see this guitars appeal and value more. I also really dig the parlor guitar size and shape. I have an Alvarez parlor that does what it needs to do but this one is so much nicer. Lastly the case is quite nice. It has thick cushioning and a snug fit that leaves one confident their instrument is safe. My advice is to forget this is a Fender made in China and give this guitar a try based on the specs alone. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

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