Toward the beginning of 2019, Fender introduced a new take on the electro-acoustic guitar called the Acoustasonic Telecaster that was presented as an "acoustic, electric and everything in between." Stratocaster and Jazzmaster flavors followed, and now the company has introduced a more refined, versatile and accessible version.
The original Acoustasonic Telecaster was designed as a kind of tone chameleon, an acoustic/electric hybrid with 10 distinct sounds and the opportunity to explore inbetween by merging tonal pairs.
The guitar has a body shaped like a large Tele, but is hollow with more contouring, and features a "waterfall" soundhole as well as an internal sensor, under-bridge piezo and a noiseless magnetic pickup. And the neck plays like an electric and rocks a Tele headstock.
It has enough projection to be played unplugged as an acoustic, but it won't be anywhere near as loud as a dreadnought. The real magic happens when it's plugged in though, thanks to a collaboration with Fishman that offers a curated collection of acoustic and electric voices selected with a blade switch and blended using control knobs.
In 2020, Fender repeated the formula but this time cooked in some Strat tones for the Acoustasonic Stratocaster. And earlier this year we got to try out the latest flavor, the Acoustasonic Jazzmaster, which came with 10 new tones and, of course, numerous blend options.
All of the instruments so far haven't been extraordinarily expensive, but the ~US$2k price tag could be discouraging to many bedroom strummers and pro rockers alike. That said, Fender reports that more than a thousand artists have so far included an Acoustasonic in their stage or studio lineups.
Fender's Player series was launched in 2018 as a refreshed replacement for its made-in-Mexico Standard Series, offering guitarists quality instruments at an affordable price point. And so it is with the Acoustasonic Player Telecaster – which is made in a new factory in Mexico (instead of Corona, California) and comes with half a dozen tone options instead of 10, but is also a good deal cheaper than the first instrument in the series.
"Through the success of our American Acoustasonic series, we saw that the modern musician demands flexibility and efficiency in their creative pursuits," said Fender's Billy Martinez. "Our dedication to expanding our Acoustasonic platform allowed us to meet this demand and, at the same time, create more accessibility. With iconic acoustic voicings, big electric tones and one powerful blend knob, the Acoustasonic Player Telecaster rises above artists demands allowing the player to go from acoustic to electric with ease in our new all-in-one guitar."
Where the original Acoustasonic Telecaster (which is still available) boasts three pickup systems, the Player edition comes with two in the shape of a Fishman under-saddle transducer and a Fender N4 noiseless pickup for hum-free electric tones. The new model features the same Fender/Fishman Acoustic Engine as before for three unique voice pairs that can be played on their own or new tonal recipes created by blending.
The Acoustasonic Player Telecaster is available now in four color choices – Butterscotch Blonde, Shadow Burst, Arctic White and Brushed Black – for $1,199.99. The video below has more.
Product page: Acoustasonic Player Telecaster