Description
Review of the Fender CD-60 Dreadnought V3 Acoustic Guitar
The Fender CD-60 Dreadnought V3 is a full size right-handed acoustic with a solid spruce top, scalloped X bracing and mahogany back and sides painted black, finished in gloss. It carries a built-in Fishman Classic Design pickup and preamp with a tuner, and comes with a two year limited warranty. It suits players who want a traditional dreadnought that can also be plugged in.
Pros & Cons
- The top is stated as solid spruce, not just spruce. This is the detail most listings at this level leave out. A solid top vibrates as one piece and opens up over years of playing, where a laminate top stays much as it began.
- Scalloped X bracing is a real construction feature. Scalloping shaves material from the braces under the top so it can move more freely, which produces more volume and a livelier response than plain bracing.
- The Fishman system includes a tuner. A built-in preamp tuner means the guitar can be tuned silently on stage between songs, and it removes the need for a separate clip-on unit when playing amplified.
- A two year limited warranty is stated in the listing. Fender sets out that the instrument is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for two years from original purchase, which is longer than most acoustic guitars at this level publish.
- The feature bullets on this page claim a hard-shell case that the listing does not include. Neither the product name nor the manufacturer description mentions a case of any kind. Anyone buying on the strength of that bullet should confirm what actually ships before ordering.
- The fingerboard is named two different woods. The product name and the description both say walnut. The spec table says rosewood. Walnut is the more credible figure since it appears twice and in Fender’s own copy, but the table disagrees.
- The published scale length is impossible. The table gives 19 inches. A full size dreadnought runs around 25.3 inches, and a 19 inch scale would be a child’s instrument. The actual scale length is therefore unpublished.
- The top material field lists three woods at once. It reads rosewood, mahogany wood and spruce wood together, which cannot describe a single top. The description settles it as solid spruce, but the table adds noise rather than confirmation.
- Two more table entries are unusable. String gauge reads as a raw placeholder value rather than a gauge, and the 15 pound weight almost certainly describes the shipping carton rather than a dreadnought, which normally weighs four to five pounds.
Detailed Product Description
The body is a dreadnought, the large, deep shape that produces the loud, bass-forward sound most associated with strummed acoustic guitar. The top is solid spruce with scalloped X bracing, over mahogany back and sides finished in black gloss. Mahogany gives a drier, midrange-focused character with a strong fundamental note, which balances the natural brightness of spruce. The result is the country, folk and bluegrass voice the listing describes.
The neck is mahogany with a walnut fingerboard. Walnut has become the common alternative to rosewood at this level: dark, reasonably hard and left unlacquered, so it does not go tacky under a warm hand. No fret count, nut width or fingerboard radius appears in the listing, and the one scale length figure given is not usable, so the physical dimensions of the neck cannot be checked before ordering.
The electronics are a Fishman Classic Design pickup and preamp with a built-in tuner. This is an undersaddle system, meaning the pickup sits beneath the saddle and responds to string pressure rather than to air movement. It is the standard approach on amplified acoustics and is reliable at volume, though it sounds tighter and more direct than a microphone would. Strings are alloy steel. Whether an amplifier is needed at all is covered in this guide to acoustic electric guitars, and the solid top versus laminate comparison explains why the solid top here is worth having.
What Comes with the Product
The listing covers one right-handed CD-60 Dreadnought V3 acoustic guitar. No case, gig bag, cable, strap, tuner, capo or spare strings are itemised in the product name or description, despite the feature bullets on this page mentioning a hard-shell case. Because the guitar has a pickup, a cable is needed to use it amplified, and neither cable nor amplifier is supplied. A padded bag or case should be treated as a separate purchase unless the seller confirms otherwise.
Who It Suits
This suits a player who wants a proper full size dreadnought with a solid top and the option to plug into a PA or acoustic amp at an open mic or a rehearsal. It also suits an improving beginner ready to move past a laminate-topped starter guitar. Look elsewhere if a smaller body is needed for a younger or smaller player, or if a bundle with a bag and accessories is the requirement. Comparable Fender acoustics include the FA-125 dreadnought, the CD-60S all mahogany dreadnought and the CC-60S concert size bundle. More sit in acoustic guitars.
How to Maintain
A solid top needs more care than a laminate one. Keep the guitar at a stable humidity, because dry air shrinks a solid top, causing sharp fret ends first and cracks later. Store it away from radiators, and consider a soundhole humidifier through a centrally heated winter. Wipe the strings and the gloss top with a soft dry cloth after playing. The preamp runs on a battery, so check it before a performance rather than during one.
Tips and Recommendations
Buy a case or a padded bag with the guitar, since none is confirmed as included and a solid-topped instrument deserves protection. Add a cable if the pickup is going to be used. Use the built-in tuner rather than tuning by ear, and remember that plugging in changes nothing about how the guitar sounds acoustically. If the strings feel stiff past the fifth fret, a saddle adjustment is a small job that makes a dreadnought considerably easier to play.
Warranty & Support Information
Fender states a two year limited warranty on this guitar, covering defects in materials and workmanship for two years from the original purchase date. No further claim detail appears in the listing.
Product FAQ
Is the top solid? Yes. The description states a solid spruce top with scalloped X bracing.
Can it be plugged in? Yes. It has a built-in Fishman Classic Design pickup and preamp with a tuner. A cable and an amplifier or PA are needed and are not included.
Does it come with a case? The manufacturer listing does not mention one, although the feature bullets on this page refer to a hard-shell case. Confirm before ordering.
What is the fingerboard made of? Fender’s own description and product name both say walnut. The spec table says rosewood.
