Fender Guitars

Fender electric, acoustic and classical guitars are here alongside combo amps, strings and spare parts from the American brand founded by Leo Fender in California in 1946. His workshop produced the Telecaster, Stratocaster, Jazzmaster and Jaguar shapes, which Fender now makes in Mexico, the USA and Japan. The acoustic selection includes CD-60 dreadnoughts, smaller concert bodies, classical guitars with nylon strings and Acoustasonic hybrid models. If you modify your guitar, you'll also find necks, pickups and pickguards here.

How do the Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazzmaster and Jaguar sound?

The four classic Fender shapes differ in their pickups, bridges and scale lengths, which also gives them different sounds. The table shows the typical basic configuration. Many models have other pickup layouts too, such as a bridge humbucker, indicated by the abbreviation HSS in the guitar's name.

Right- and left-handed versions and signature models, such as Kurt Cobain's Jaguar, are gathered on the Fender Electric Guitars page.

How does Player II differ from the American series?

Player II is a series from Fender's Mexican factory in Ensenada. The same factory also makes Vintera II, which follows the shapes, pickups and wiring of the 1950s to the 1970s. The American series are made in Corona, California: American Professional II is a working instrument for the studio and stage, American Ultra II has a more modern neck profile and noiseless pickups, and American Vintage II recreates guitars from specific years. Guitars from Japan carry the designation Made in Japan in their names.

The Custom Shop in Corona builds guitars in small batches, often with artificially aged finishes and hardware. Your choice of series therefore comes down to the country of manufacture, pickups and whether you prefer a historical or modern construction.

Which Fender acoustic guitar suits a beginner, and which suits the stage?

The CD-60S dreadnought has a large body with a full sound for strumming chords; the CD-60SCE version adds a cutaway and electronics for connecting to a sound system. The CC-60S has a smaller concert body that better suits a smaller frame and also works well for fingerpicking. CN classical guitars with nylon strings also come in a 3/4 size for smaller children. The California series, including Newporter and Malibu models, has the headstock shape you'll recognise from the Stratocaster. Acoustasonic is a hybrid that sounds like an acoustic guitar, resembles a Telecaster or Jazzmaster in shape and also offers electric sounds. The Fender Acoustical Guitars page shows all these models.

Which combo amp and accessories should you choose for your Fender guitar?

For practising at home, a small combo amp with sound modelling and built-in effects is enough, such as the Mustang LT or Champion II. If you want valve tone, choose the Blues Junior combo. All the brand's combo amps are on the Fender Guitar Combos page. You'll also find electric and acoustic guitar strings, picks in Light, Medium and Heavy gauges, fabric straps and amp covers here.