You know how “Wanted Dead or Alive” starts out all acoustic then about halfway through it downshifts into screaming electric? Fender’s new Acoustasonic guitar lineup wants you to play both Jon and Richie’s parts without switching guitars (and no double-neck required).
After releasing the American Acoustasonic Telecaster in 2019, followed by a Stratocaster version in 2020, Fender is now presenting the world with the underground and alt-scene favorite, the offset Jazzmaster version of the acoustic/electric hybrid.
When you think of Fender, you think of solid-body electrics, not acoustic guitars. Ironically, this particular integration of the earliest guitar format is their way of moving into the future. But this isn’t any old acoustic electric. It’s a hybrid that’s better than the sum of its parts.
Made in their flagship factory in California, the Fender Acoustasonic Jazzmaster lets you experiment with precision (and completely novel) blends of acoustic and electric sounds. Like an electric, it’s easy to hold, has crushing growls and whines, and like an acoustic, it’s got warm resonance wafting off the hollow wood body.
Bringing it together is a switch that lets you flit between five positions, from all electric tones to all acoustic tones with stops in between. Then there’s the Blend Knob that lets you dial in subtle shifts between the two voices. The combinations are near endless. As will be the experimentation once this is in your hands. No switching guitars required.
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