Fender 970331322 Acoustic Guitar: Full Review

The Fender Paramount PM-3 is part of Fender's Paramount series of high-end, all-solid acoustic guitars. This model was introduced in 2018 as an upgrade over the previous PM-2 model.

The Paramount PM-3 is an all-solid wood acoustic-electric guitar, featuring a Sitka spruce top and Mahogany back and sides. It has a stylish and refined appearance, with abalone rosette and body purfling, maple binding, and mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays. This guitar combines traditional acoustic tonewoods with carefully considered appointments to produce a rich, balanced sound.

Overall, the Paramount PM-3 aims to deliver exceptional playability, resonant tone, and elegant aesthetics that make it well-suited for both stage and studio use. This review will take a closer look at the construction, sound, and playing experience of this premium acoustic-electric guitar from Fender.

Construction

The Fender Paramount PM-3 acoustic guitar features a solid spruce top, with solid mahogany back and sides. The solid wood construction allows the guitar to resonate and project well.

The spruce top is known for its bright, articulate sound with good volume and headroom. It provides a balanced tonal response. Mahogany is valued for its warm, rounded midrange tones. The combination of spruce and mahogany produces a versatile guitar that handles various playing styles.

The all-solid wood body gives the PM-3 a rich, full-bodied voice. The tonewoods are carefully chosen and crafted for their acoustic properties. Fender selected premium woods to get the most out of this guitar. The solid wood construction allows the guitar to resonate freely and project sound with authority. The carefully selected and matched tonewoods give the PM-3 a balanced and nuanced tonal palette.

The solid spruce top provides crisp highs with complexity and nuance. It has the punch and volume for dynamic rhythm playing while also having the sensitivity for delicate fingerpicking. The mahogany back and sides have a pleasing warmth that fills out the midrange. The two woods complement each other beautifully.

Fender chose these all-solid tonewoods for their superior acoustic properties and resonant qualities. The solid spruce and mahogany construction allows the PM-3 to sing with a clear, rich voice. These premium tonewoods give it the balanced tone and impressive projection that players expect from a great acoustic guitar. The solid woods allow the guitar to vibrate freely and ring out with full-bodied resonance.

The all-solid construction means there is no laminated wood or plywood used. Solid wood construction allows optimal resonance and sustain. The solid spruce top has impressive volume, headroom and sensitivity. The solid mahogany back and sides have a refined warmth and balanced tone. Together they allow the PM-3 to handle various playing situations with aplomb.

The solid woods also give this acoustic guitar tremendous clarity and note separation. Chords have excellent definition with notes ringing out clearly. The solid woods allow each string to vibrate optimally so notes do not bleed together. This allows for articulate single-note lines and tight rhythmic strumming.

In addition to the solid woods, other features that contribute to the great acoustic tone include the quartersawn scalloped X-bracing, bone nut and saddle, and slick semi-gloss finish. This is a finely crafted instrument made from premium tonewoods. Fender put a lot of care into the design and voicing of the PM-3. From construction to finishing, it's built for impressive acoustic sound.

If you're looking for another quality all-solid acoustic guitar, check out the Cordoba 05408. It features solid Canadian cedar top with mahogany back and sides. The solid woods give it a rich, resonant voice. The cedar has warmth and nuance while the mahogany provides midrange sweetness. Much like the PM-3, it uses premium solid tonewoods for excellent acoustic tone and projection.

Neck

The Paramount PM-3 features a mahogany neck with a "Modern C" profile. This neck shape is a slim, fast-playing "C" shape that provides comfort and playability. The neck has a 25.3" scale length and 1.69" nut width, giving it a feel that works well for various playing styles.

The mahogany neck contributes to the guitar's overall balanced and clear tone. Mahogany is a dense, strong wood that adds richness and warmth to the sound. The Modern C shape provides stability and allows easy access to the higher frets. Overall, the neck design suits both rhythm and lead playing, making the PM-3 a versatile acoustic guitar.

The mahogany neck is finished in satin, which enhances the natural look and feel of the wood. Satin allows your hand to glide smoothly along the neck during playing. The smooth satin finish minimizes friction for comfort over long practice or playing sessions.

The neck joins the body at the 14th fret, which is a common design on many acoustic guitars. This allows for a good balance of frets in the lower and upper registers. The mahogany neck has 20 frets in total, with fretboard inlays on frets 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 17, 19, and 20.

The neck has an adjustable truss rod that allows relief to be added or removed as needed. This provides flexibility for setting up the action and intonation to suit your playing style and preferences. If you need lower action for faster lead playing, relief can be reduced. If you want higher action for aggressive rhythm playing, relief can be increased.

Overall, the mahogany neck with satin finish is an ideal pairing with the solid spruce top of the PM-3. The blend of warm, rich mahogany and crisp, articulate spruce creates a guitar with balanced tone and dynamics. The fast-playing Modern C profile facilitates intricate lead lines as well as energetic strumming.

Paramount also offers the Gretsch G5700 2515902548, an acoustic guitar with a mahogany neck and other similar specifications. The Gretsch G5700 has a mahogany neck with walnut fingerboard, 25.3” scale length, 1.69” nut width, 20 frets, and 14th fret neck join. Like the Paramount PM-3, it pairs a mahogany neck with a solid spruce top. This combination provides a balanced tone with good volume, sustain and articulation. The mahogany neck contributes warmth while the spruce provides crispness.

Fretboard

The Fender Paramount PM-3 features an ebony fretboard known for its hardness and ability to produce bright, crisp tones. Ebony is dense and rigid which provides excellent sustain and resonance.

The fretboard has a 12" radius which gives it a rounder feel compared to flatter radiuses. This makes bending strings and playing chords a bit easier for most guitarists.

The fretboard contains 20 medium jumbo frets. The medium jumbo size gives you a bit more mass under your fingers for solid grip and control over string bends. The height and width help produce clear notes with good intonation.

Bridge

The Acoustic Guitar Fender 970331322 features a pinless bridge made from rosewood. This type of bridge utilizes string ball-ends instead of bridge pins to hold the strings in place at the bridge. The benefit of a pinless bridge design is that it allows the top to vibrate more freely, resulting in a livelier and more resonant tone.

Rosewood is a traditional and popular choice of wood for acoustic guitar bridges. It is a dense, heavy wood that effectively transfers vibrations from the strings down to the guitar top. The hardness of rosewood also holds up well to constant string tension without warping or wearing down over time. Overall, the rosewood pinless bridge provides a solid and stable anchoring point for the strings that doesn't inhibit vibration or dampen the acoustic tone.

Hardware

The Fender Paramount PM-3 features quality hardware to provide great tuning stability and playability. The tuning machines are open-geared with butterbean knobs, providing precise and smooth tuning adjustment. The nut and saddle are both made from Tusq, an engineered composite material designed to optimize tone transfer and sustain.

The nut on the PM-3 is cut from a single piece of Tusq for consistent string spacing and break angles over the nut. This promotes even intonation up the neck. The saddle is radiused and compensated to ensure accurate intonation when playing up the neck. The combination of the Tusq nut and saddle provides excellent sustain and resonance when strummed or fingerpicked.

Overall, the hardware components Fender selected for the PM-3 give it rock-solid tuning stability and allow the solid wood top to really ring out. The tuners, nut and saddle all contribute to this guitar's full-sounding tone and reliable playability.

Electronics

The Fender Paramount PM-3 features state-of-the-art electronics designed to provide amplified performance on par with its impressive acoustic tone.

Pickups

The PM-3 utilizes a Fishman pickup and preamp system that accurately captures the guitar's natural acoustic resonance and projection. There are two matrix-pattern under-saddle piezo pickups paired with an internal microphone to pick up the true acoustic sound from multiple points.

Preamp

The preamp is a Fishman Presys blend system with volume, bass, mid, and treble controls as well as a built-in tuner. This allows you to shape your amplified tone with precision and gives you the flexibility to dial in just the right sound.

Controls

The preamp's easy-to-use controls are mounted discretely just inside the soundhole for quick adjustments on the fly. There are volume and tone controls for the under-saddle pickups, volume and tone for the body sensor, a phase switch to cut feedback, and a chromatic tuner.

Sound

The Fender Paramount PM-3 has impressive sound quality for an acoustic-electric guitar in this price range. The solid Sitka spruce top and mahogany back and sides produce a balanced, warm tone with good projection and sustain.

The guitar has a rich low end that provides a solid foundation. The mids are smooth and balanced, while the highs have pleasing sparkle and clarity without being too bright or harsh. This makes the PM-3 versatile for various musical genres.

When strummed, the notes have a full-bodied resonance. There is enough punch and volume to play live or jam with others unplugged. The sustain is also quite good, allowing notes to ring out clearly.

Plugged in, the onboard Fishman electronics accurately capture the natural acoustic tone. The sound through an amp or PA has the same balanced tonality, richness, and dynamics as unplugged. The EQ controls allow further tone shaping to fit different environments.

Overall, the Paramount PM-3 delivers impressive acoustic sound and amplification at this price point. The guitar projects well when played live while retaining nuanced tone and responsiveness.

Playability

The Paramount PM-3 has excellent playability that makes it a joy to play. The comfort level is fantastic thanks to its contoured back that fits nicely against your body. The neck has a smooth satin finish that feels great in your hands.

The action on this guitar is very low and comfortable right out of the box, which is impressive for an acoustic-electric in this price range. The strings are easy to press down without much effort required. Yet the action is still high enough to avoid fret buzz. This gives you the best of both worlds - easy playability without compromising tone.

The PM-3 is very well-balanced, with the body and neck weight distributed evenly. It feels light enough to play comfortably for extended periods, but still has enough mass for good sustain and tone production. The upper bout rests nicely on your strumming arm, while the waist tucks comfortably into your ribs when playing seated.

Overall the Fender Paramount PM-3 excels when it comes to playability. The smooth neck, low action, and excellent balance make it a very playable instrument both acoustically and plugged in.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Great sound and volume for an acoustic guitar
• Solid Fender build quality and reliability
• Easy playability and comfortable neck
• Onboard electronics provide versatility
• Attractive, classic body shape and finish

Cons

• Higher price tag compared to similar acoustic models
• Electronics can feed back at higher volumes
• May not appeal to players wanting a more traditional acoustic look
• Not as loud as a jumbo body acoustic

Overall, the Fender Paramount PM-3 offers phenomenal sound and versatility in an easy to play package. The onboard electronics make it flexible for both live performances and recordings. While the price is on the higher side, serious players will appreciate the quality craftsmanship and great tone that Fender is known for. The PM-3's clear articulate voice projects well, though jumbo guitars may be louder. Fans of Fender's iconic style will love the look and feel of this instrument.