Longtermers
A few months’ gigging, recording and everything that goes with it – welcome to Guitarist ’s longterm test report
“There’s a huge amount of R&D with the Acoustasonic and it’s unique in the guitar world”
Every time we mention this guitar we get mail. Our reviews editor continues exploring this divisive instrument, with additional viewpoints from a reader and a seasoned pro…
In the more sociable months of early summer, our borrowed Acoustasonic gets quite a lot of attention.“It’s much better in the flesh… but it still looks wrong,” offers one of my more traditional music mates.“Wow, it feels really good!” says a more open-minded pro musician whose world of work is only just beginning to look a little brighter.
I first encountered the modern Acoustasonic concept with the launch of the Telecaster version at Winter NAMM 2019. At Fender’s pre-show bash, Guitarist’s editor-in-chief, Jamie Dickson, and I were taken through the concept by key designer Tim Shaw as we listened intently and quaffed on a couple of Corona beers. A little while later, while power-walking to our next do and with perhaps jet-lag and those beers taking effect, we reckoned we’d found the guitar of the show before the event had even officially started. But bumping into a highly regarded UK dealer, he popped our balloon: “It’s too expensive. No-one will pay that. It needs to be made in Mexico and half the price.”
Regular Guitarist corresponder, Steve Broadhead, a keen gigging musician, picked up on the theme in reference to the first part of this Longtermers test back in issue 474, and we printed his full letter in Feedback, issue 475. Along with his observation that the Acoustasonic is “a classic opinion divider”, he’s also of the opinion that if it was significantly cheaper he suspects it would “immediately become a go-to tool for gigging and recording musicians at almost every level”.
Well, I for one, would definitely buy a Ferrari if they made one for around the price of a knackered Ford Kia. Wouldn’t we all?
There’s a huge amount of costly R&D at the heart of the Acoustasonic and it’s completely unique in the guitar world. Of course, Fender would sell more if it halved the price. But why do we see ‘tech’ as cheap and repeatable, where we’d happily expect to pay a lot more for a vintage-spec Telecaster from the Custom Shop, which aims to replicate 1950s wood craft and radio technology?
Steve hasn’t actually had the chance to play an Acoustasonic, despite the fact he has some pretty strong opinions about it. He’s not alone and even designer Tim Shaw was surprised by the considerable number of online and forum comments – quite often negative – after the original launch of the Telecaster version. Yet the Acoustasonic, for those that have actually got to play one, is proving highly valid.
“The original Telecaster vastly exceeded our expectations,” said Tim Shaw. “I think one thing is that you give the Tele to three players and they’ll all approach it differently. I think that’s when we realised it was – it is – a legitimate platform: it’s its own thing.”
Via our amp guru, Nick Guppy, I get another missive from Guitarist reader and Slade legend Dave Hill, who has a dilemma. “My reason for contacting you is the Acoustasonic Jazzmaster. I’ve heard about this for some time, but couldn’t get one to try. Then I noted your Longtermers write-up in Guitarist, which made me think again.
“My point in all of this is that for some of our songs, like Far Far Away, Everyday, How
Does It Feel and My Friend Stan, it would be nice if I could use a guitar that could also be great as an acoustic. I don’t want power chords, but would like to be able to handle some of the electric guitar licks that I played on the records on my Gibson,” Dave says. “So, in others words, do two jobs well. And no feedback.”
Before I reply, I remind myself of those songs – beautifully executed songcraft – and I’m transported back in time. I grew up on Slade, Bowie, T.Rex and the rest, gods that I’d watch weekly on Top Of The Pops. Now they’re asking for my advice?!
We email over the next few days and conclude, rightly or wrongly, that yes the Acoustasonic could probably do the job. But reminding Dave that it is an acoustic first and foremost with a wound third string, and that it is hollow so, depending on his stage environment (it doesn’t sound like, live, they go down the quiet stage/in-ear monitor route), it might not be entirely feedback-free. And my experience of gigging the Acoustasonic Telecaster (as an electric) at pub-rock levels back in 2019 was quite a, ahem, lively ride.
Switching between sounds isn’t instant, either – not least from position 5 to position 1, and then you may need to roll in a little gain from the Mod knob – unlike a solidbody electric with a piezo acoustic sound, for example. Then a dual amp setup might be the best way to authenticate the sounds on offer.
I promise to keep working on the Acoustasonic and get back to Dave with more thoughts. A divisive guitar and a fast studio tool, especially if you want to blur the acoustic and electric – but will it cut it as a stage-friendly ‘hybrid’? Let’s find out for our final instalment in a couple of issues’ time.