Although it might look like it, Fender hasn’t just gone and scooped out a Tele with a spoon. This is the new American Acoustasonic Series Telecaster, it isn’t a semi-hollow, nor is it a semi-solid, it’s a new form of hybrid acoustic-electric.
Despite looking pretty vintage, it actually comes packed with new tech that Fender says delivers a diverse range of sounds “from acoustic shape-shifting to bold electric tones,” all within the familiar Telecaster shape.
Fender has spent the last three years cooking up a strange hybrid in their California factory, resulting in the American Acoustasonic Series Telecaster.
Fender’s new range Acoustasonic Telecaster is handcrafted in Corona, California, and Fender states the guitar eliminates many issues that guitarists face playing acoustics live, like feedback and not wanting to play an acoustic anymore…
The body of the guitar has a nice smooth forearm contour for the player’s comfort, as well as a patent-pending ‘Stringed Instrument Resonance System’ which is said to improve volume and create lively harmonics.
Also featured on the Acoustasonic Telecaster is a Fender and Fishman designed Acoustic engine, which optimises the guitar’s sound before modifying the resonance, delivering different electric and acoustic voicings. These can be toggled through via the guitar’s switching and played alone or blended via the ‘Mod’ knob to create new sounds. These voicings can also be played simultaneously via the guitar’s noiseless magnetic pickup.
Billy Martinez, who handles Fender’s acoustic and Squire divisions, declared that “Three years ago, we set out to create a truly innovative acoustic guitar.” He said that the company wanted to “blur the lines between acoustic and electric guitars”, giving players the ability to select between electric tones, as well as the sounds of natural wood.
Fender CEO Andy Mooney stated that the company’s objective was to create an acoustic for contemporary artists, and applauded the development of the new guitar.
“The end result of our three-year R&D exploration met all these criteria and exceeded our most optimistic expectations with the launch of the American Acoustasonic Series.”
“If the American Acoustasonic were a car, it would be a high-performance SUV,” he added. “It is not just a state-of-the-art acoustic guitar that sounds great on stage – it’s a state-of-the-art electric guitar that sounds great on stage. That’s a challenge Fender was proud to take on.”
For more information, take a look at Fender’s product page.
