Description
Review of the Fender CC-60S Concert Size Acoustic Guitar Bundle
The Fender CC-60S is a concert size acoustic guitar with a solid mahogany top, mahogany back and sides, a nato neck and a walnut fingerboard with rolled edges. This listing is the bundle version, adding a gig bag, tuner, strap, strings, picks, Fender Play online lessons and an instructional DVD. It suits players who want a smaller-bodied acoustic with a warm, midrange-forward voice.
Pros & Cons
- The top is stated as solid, not just mahogany. This is the detail that separates a guitar which opens up over years of playing from one that stays as it began, and most listings at this level avoid saying it either way.
- Rolled fingerboard edges are a genuine comfort feature. Rolling means the sharp corner where the fingerboard meets the neck has been eased off, so the hand slides along the edge instead of catching on it. It is normally found on far more expensive instruments.
- Concert size is easier to hold than a dreadnought. A concert body is narrower and shallower, so the strumming arm reaches over the top more naturally. That matters for smaller players and for anyone who plays seated for long stretches.
- The bundle includes a tuner. A new acoustic drifts constantly while the strings stretch, and having a tuner in the box removes the most common reason a beginner stops playing.
- The spec table lists a bridge system of walnut. Walnut is a wood, not a bridge design, and it matches the fingerboard entry directly above it. This looks like a field copied from the wrong row rather than a specification.
- It also lists a pickup configuration. The entry reads fixed, which is not a pickup layout, and nothing in the manufacturer description mentions a pickup, preamp or output jack. This guitar should be treated as purely acoustic.
- No scale length, nut width or fret count is published. On a concert body the scale is usually shorter than a dreadnought, which changes both the reach and the string tension, and none of those numbers appear in the listing.
- A mahogany top is a different proposition to spruce. Mahogany tops are warmer and more compressed, with less headroom under a hard strum. That is a legitimate choice, but a player expecting the bright ring of a spruce-topped guitar will hear something else.
- The listed weight of 9.65 pounds describes the carton. A concert acoustic typically weighs three to four pounds. The published figure covers the boxed bundle rather than the instrument.
Detailed Product Description
The body is concert size, smaller and shallower than a dreadnought, with a solid mahogany top over mahogany back and sides. An all-mahogany build produces a distinctive voice: warm, dry and focused in the midrange, with a strong fundamental note and less of the shimmering high end a spruce top gives. It suits fingerpicking and singer-accompaniment playing particularly well, because it does not overpower a voice. Listed carton dimensions are 42.7 by 13.1 by 6.8 inches.
The neck is nato, a mahogany substitute that behaves similarly under string tension, in what the listing calls a new easy-to-play shape. The fingerboard is walnut with rolled edges. Walnut is dark, reasonably hard and left unlacquered, which keeps it from feeling sticky under a warm hand. The rolled edges are the detail worth paying attention to, since sharp fingerboard edges are one of the most common complaints on inexpensive acoustics.
Strings are bronze and the guitar has no electronics. Because it is a solid-topped instrument, the tone will change over the first years of ownership as the top loosens and responds more freely, which is the main practical benefit of solid over laminate construction. Anyone weighing body shapes should read guitar body shapes explained, since the concert versus dreadnought choice matters more than most beginners expect.
What Comes with the Product
The bundle includes the CC-60S guitar, a gig bag, a tuner, a strap, spare strings, picks, access to Fender Play online lessons and an Austin Bazaar instructional DVD. It does not include a hard case, a capo or a stand. The listing does not state how long the Fender Play access lasts. A DVD also assumes a disc drive, which is worth checking before relying on it as the learning material. The gig bag is soft rather than rigid.
Who It Suits
This suits a beginner or improving player who wants a smaller body, a warm mahogany voice and a complete set of accessories in one purchase. It particularly suits someone who sings and plays, or who fingerpicks, since a concert body and a mahogany top both favour that over hard strumming. Look elsewhere if maximum volume and bass are wanted, in which case a spruce-topped dreadnought is the better fit, or if the ability to plug in is needed. What a bundle should contain is covered in what is in a guitar starter bundle. Compare the Fender CD-60S solid mahogany dreadnought, the CD-60 dreadnought with a Fishman pickup and the Fender dreadnought play bundle. More sit in acoustic guitars and beginner starter kits.
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, which produces sharp fret ends first and cracks later. Store it away from radiators, out of car boots, and in its bag when not in use. Wipe the strings and the top with a soft cloth after playing, since sweat left on bronze strings dulls them within days. Condition the walnut fingerboard occasionally when the strings are off.
Tips and Recommendations
Consider a soundhole humidifier if the guitar lives in a centrally heated house through winter, as it is the cheapest insurance a solid-topped instrument can have. Use the included tuner before every session rather than trusting the previous one. A capo is the most useful addition to this bundle, since it lets a beginner match the key of a recording without new chord shapes. When the factory strings dull, a light gauge set keeps the tension comfortable on a concert body while still driving the top.
Product FAQ
Is the top solid? Yes. The listing states a solid mahogany top, with mahogany back and sides.
Can it be plugged into an amplifier? No. The description mentions no pickup or preamp, despite a pickup field appearing in the imported spec table.
How is a concert size different from a dreadnought? It is narrower and shallower, so it is easier to hold and quieter, with less bass and more midrange focus.
What is included in the bundle? Gig bag, tuner, strap, strings, picks, Fender Play online lessons and an instructional DVD.
