Fender Stratacoustic Acoustic Electric Reviews 
2 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI've been playing this on visits to the music store. It usually sells for about $200. I never bought one.
It does look very attractive. I actually prefer the Telecoustic's design, though. A double cutaway on an acoustic is just unnecessary, and the Telecoustic has better colour options. Both guitars are light as a feather, and the use of traditional Fender bolt-on necks on these guitars lends them a highly unusual feel.
One word: Sound. How do steel strings stretched over a cardboard box sound? Like a Stratacoustic. String tension is also very, very high -- even with new strings on (which they usually have at the stores) , playing this guitar for 10 minutes usually rips the tips of my left-hand fingers, and my fingers are accustomed to 12-string acoustics! The strings are very close together, making chords awkward and fingerstyle nearly impossible for big fingers.
This guitar may sound better if you use it strictly as a stage tool, amplified. Unfortunately, I do recording primarily, and its invisible, metallic unplugged sound would make it futile to try to mike the soundhole in conjunction with plugging direct.
Mediocre. For some reason, neither the Stratacoustic nor the Telecoustic feels well made. The fibreglass backs tend to feel rough, not smoothed out and appealing like all the Ovations I've ever played, and the top feels cheap.
A novelty, not much more. These two guitars *will* attract attention because of their shapes, appealing colour options, and light weight. Play them and they betray their deficiencies. Fender isn't known for quality acoustic guitars and these are two big reasons why.
Derek Mok rated this unit
on
2004-02-04.
