Previewed at Winter Namm earlier this year, the Acoustasonic Stratocaster is now taking full flight into the marketplace. And just like last year's Telecaster iteration, it's a bold step into new ground for Fender.
A very clear blend of an acoustic and electric guitar in look and sound, it's a distinct proposition for those who need both worlds to be instantly available. And it's bringing even more sounds that its slightly older Tele sibling. Cover band guitarists especially – you need to check this out.
The hybrid preamp here is called the Acoustic Engine and has been developed in partnership between Fender and Fishman.
You get three electric voices, along with a variety of acoustic sounds. Before we see them being demonstrated in action by a stunning jam between guitarists Daniel Donato and Tyler Bryant let's breakdown the sounds on offer here between A and B modes across the five Strat positions:
• Position 1: Electric
A: Fender Electric Fat/Semi-Clean
B: Fender Electric Dirty
• Position 2: Acoustic and Electric Blend
A: Engelmann Spruce/Rosewood Dreadnought acoustic
B: Fender Electric Clean
• Position 3: Percussion & Enhanced Harmonics acoustic
A: Sitka Spruce/Rosewood Auditorium
B: Adds body pickup to the above voice
• Position 4: Alternative Acoustics
A: Sitka Spruce/Walnut Small-Body Short Scale
B: Sitka Spruce/Mahogany Americana Dreadnought
• Position 5: Core Acoustics
A: Sitka Spruce/Mahogany Dreadnought
B: Sitka Spruce/Rosewood Concert with Slotted Headstock
As you can see from the voice list, it's comprehensive on the acoustic side of things – and we're going to see how that translates in sound and feel with a hands-on demo soon.
For now, check out the incredible demo of the sounds on offer from Daniel Donato and Tyler Bryant below.
The spec behind the sounds is a fully hollow modified Strat body with the traditional belly cut and a forearm contour. The body back and sides are mahogany, the top is Sitka spruce.
The neck is mahogany with an ebony fingerboard. There are five polyester satin matte finish options; Dakota Red, Black, 3-Color Sunburst, Natural, Transparent Sonic Blue.
The electronics behind the Acoustasonic's versatility are an interesting combination. there's three pickup systems; Fender creates the Noiseless Magnetic pickup for the electric tone, that can be blended with the Fishman undersaddle piezo and Fishman 'Acoustasonic Enhancer' body sensing transducer.
The guitar features a traditional volume control, but instead of a tone knob you have a Mod control and this switches between the two A and B models for each position. The Mod control allows you to crossfade between these models to suit your needs. So there's a lot of room for shaping the vast array of tones here.
The Acoustasonic Stratocaster is priced at £1,749 / $1,999. For more info head to fender.com
