Description
Review of the Fender FA Series Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Bundle in Sunburst
The Fender FA Series dreadnought bundle is a full size steel string acoustic in a sunburst finish, built with all laminate construction using a lindenwood top over mahogany back and sides, scalloped X bracing, a mahogany neck and a dark stained maple fingerboard, with a 25.6 inch scale. It ships with a gig bag, a tuner, a strap, spare strings, a string winder, picks, access to Fender Play online lessons and an Austin Bazaar instructional DVD.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Scalloped X bracing. Scalloping means the braces are carved away in the middle, leaving strength where it is needed and letting the top move more freely elsewhere. It is a real construction detail rather than a marketing phrase, and it is unusual to see it specified at this level.
- Slim neck profile, specified in the listing as easy to play. A slimmer neck lets the thumb reach around more easily, which is what most beginners struggle with in the first months.
- All laminate construction. Laminate resists cracking when humidity swings, which suits a first guitar that will live in a bedroom rather than in a controlled case.
- String winder included. It is a small item that most bundles omit, and it turns a string change from a fifteen minute chore into a five minute one.
- Structured learning material included, in the form of online lesson access and an instructional DVD.
- Tuner and spare strings both supplied, which covers the two things a beginner needs in the first month.
Cons
- The specification table lists the body material as mahogany and the top as linden wood, so “body” here means the back and sides rather than the whole instrument. The description agrees on the substance but the table is confusingly labelled.
- The description names a dark stained maple fingerboard. A stained maple board is a cost saving that imitates the appearance of rosewood, and it is sealed rather than open pored, so it feels different under the fingers.
- The listing gives no model number beyond a bundle code, so the exact FA series model is not identified anywhere. That makes it hard to check specifications independently.
- There is no solid top here at all. All laminate means the guitar will sound much the same in ten years as it does on the first day, which is the main thing a solid top buys.
- A dreadnought is a large body shape and the least comfortable of the common shapes for a smaller player to reach around.
- The bundle includes a DVD, which many households no longer have a way to play.
Detailed Product Description
The top is lindenwood, laminated. Linden is a soft, light, even grained timber closely related to what is sold as basswood, and laminating it means three thin layers bonded together rather than one solid panel. On an acoustic guitar the top does nearly all the acoustic work, so this is the specification that governs how the guitar sounds. A laminated top is damped by its glue lines and produces a more compressed, less resonant sound than a solid one, but it is also considerably more durable and far less likely to crack. Whether that trade suits a given buyer is set out in the guide to solid top versus laminate acoustic guitars.
The back and sides are laminated mahogany and the neck is mahogany. Mahogany gives a drier and more focused sound than rosewood, though on a laminated body the back and sides contribute far less than the top does. The scale length is 25.6 inches, effectively the standard long scale, so fret spacing and string tension will feel like any full size dreadnought.
The bracing is scalloped X bracing. The X pattern, two braces crossing under the soundhole, is standard for steel string guitars because it resists the pull of steel strings. Scalloping removes material from the middle of each brace, which lets the top flex more in the areas that produce sound while retaining strength where the string tension pulls hardest. It is a detail more often associated with more expensive instruments.
The fingerboard is dark stained maple, chosen for appearance as much as anything. Maple is dense and hard, so it will resist denting well, but being sealed it feels smoother and slicker than the open pored rosewood most players are used to.
What Comes with the Product
- The FA series dreadnought acoustic guitar in sunburst
- A gig bag
- A tuner
- A strap
- A spare set of strings
- A string winder
- Picks
- Access to Fender Play online lessons
- An Austin Bazaar instructional DVD
No capo, stand, polishing cloth or hard case is listed, and the length of the online lesson access is not stated.
Who It Suits
This suits an adult or older teenager beginning on acoustic guitar who wants a full size dreadnought from a maker with a long track record, and who values the tuner, the bag and the lesson access arriving together. The scalloped bracing and the slim neck are the two details that lift it above a generic bundle.
It suits less well a child or a small adult, since a dreadnought is a large body, and it suits less well a player who wants a solid top, because this instrument does not have one. What a bundle like this normally contains is covered in the guide to what is in a guitar starter bundle. Worth comparing are the Fender FA-115 dreadnought bundle, the Barcelona D500 dreadnought bundle and the Fender FA-125 dreadnought. The wider selection sits in the beginner starter kits section.
How to Maintain
Wipe the strings down after every session. Alloy steel corrodes from skin oils, and wiping down roughly doubles how long a set stays bright.
Keep the guitar in the gig bag when it is not in use and away from radiators, sunny windows and unheated garages. Laminated construction handles humidity swings far better than a solid top, but the neck joint, the bridge and the finish still do not enjoy extremes. Storage guidance is covered in the guide to how to store a guitar.
A stained maple fingerboard is sealed rather than open pored, so it needs no fretboard oil. A dry cloth is all it requires, and oiling it simply leaves residue.
Tips and Recommendations
Start the online lessons in the first week rather than saving them. Structured material is most useful while a beginner still has no idea what to practise, and its value falls away once someone has found a routine of their own.
Learn to use the string winder properly with the first string change. Changing strings is the maintenance task beginners avoid longest, and having the right tool removes most of the reason for avoiding it. When a set needs replacing is covered in the guide to how often to change guitar strings.
Have the action checked if the strings feel hard to press down above the fifth fret. High action is the main reason beginners stop practising and it is usually straightforward to correct.
Product FAQ
Is the top solid?
No. The listing specifies all laminate construction with a lindenwood top and mahogany back and sides.
What is the fingerboard made of?
Dark stained maple, which is sealed rather than open pored and is stained to resemble a darker hardwood.
What is the scale length?
25.6 inches, which is effectively the standard long scale for a dreadnought.
Which FA model is this?
The listing does not say. It gives a bundle code rather than a model number, so the exact FA series instrument is not identified.
