Fender AUS-0961090006-COMBO-PLAY Acoustic Guitar: Full Review

An Affordable All-Around Acoustic For Beginners

The Fender Squier Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar is an excellent choice for aspiring guitarists looking for an affordable, well-made instrument to learn on. As part of Fender's Squier series, it brings the trusted Fender name and quality to the entry-level market. Though inexpensive, this full-size dreadnought still looks, feels, and sounds like a real deal acoustic. With its laminated spruce top, classic body shape, and comfortable neck, it hits all the right notes for a starter acoustic. While not as fancy as Fender's premium models, the Squier Dreadnought punches above its weight class and gives beginners a solid foundation on which to build their skills. Its warm, balanced tone and easy playability make practicing enjoyable. For those wanting a quality acoustic without breaking the bank, the Squier Dreadnought is an ideal choice.

Body Style

The Fender FA-125CE dreadnought acoustic-electric guitar features the classic dreadnought body shape. This large body style produces a deep, booming bass and strong projection suitable for strumming and flatpicking.

The dreadnought's wide waist allows easy access to upper frets while the sloped shoulders provide playing comfort. Measuring 16 inches across the lower bout and 11 inches across the waist, the FA-125CE has the same full dimensions as premium dreadnought models. This gives it the bold, room-filling voice that dreadnoughts are prized for.

The generous size and traditional shape make the FA-125CE an excellent choice for guitarists who prefer the warm, articulate tone of a dreadnought acoustic. It's a great option for strumming, fingerpicking, and playing chords up the neck. The classic dreadnought body style has been popular for decades thanks to its versatile sound and comfortable feel. Many famous acoustic guitarists like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Johnny Cash have used dreadnought guitars over the years.

While the dreadnought body is a staple of acoustic guitars, there are alternatives like the concert, grand auditorium, and jumbo shapes. Each body style has its own tonal characteristics and playing feel. The Ibanez AAD50CETCB, for example, uses a grand auditorium body style which is slightly smaller than a dreadnought. It produces a balanced tone across the frequency range that works well for fingerstyle playing.

The choice between body styles comes down to player preference and musical needs. The deep bass and projection of the dreadnought makes it a popular choice for bluegrass, country, rock, and other styles requiring a powerful acoustic tone. Musicians wanting more balanced response for intricate fingerpicking may prefer a concert or grand auditorium shape instead. There are great guitars available in each body style.

Tonewood

The Dreadnought body style allows the Squire SA-150 acoustic to produce a balanced, powerful sound. The top is made from laminated spruce, which provides brightness and volume. Spruce is a popular top wood for acoustics due to its responsive and resonant tone.

The back and sides are made from mahogany, which adds warmth and emphasis to the midrange frequencies. Mahogany tends to highlight fundamental tones, while also boosting midrange punch and low-end fullness. The combination of spruce top and mahogany back and sides creates a versatile tonal palette suitable for various styles of playing.

The all-wood body construction allows the SA-150 to resonate freely, resulting in natural acoustic amplification and sustain. While laminate isn't as revered as solid wood, the layered spruce top still provides organic, woody tones expected from an acoustic guitar in this price range. Overall, the spruce and mahogany tonewoods equip the SA-150 with balanced resonance and articulation.

Tonewood selection is a crucial factor in the sound production of any acoustic guitar. The choice of woods affects the instrument's timbre, resonance, projection, and response. Many players prefer certain tonewood combinations based on the sonic characteristics they desire. For example, the Fender CD-60SCE features a solid mahogany top and mahogany back and sides. This all-mahogany construction produces a warm, rounded tone with smooth mids and excellent low-end response. The mahogany provides a mellow voice that complements various playing styles and musical genres.

Other popular tonewood choices like rosewood and maple would yield a different tonal flavor. Rosewood often adds crispness in the treble and tight lows, while maple provides brightness and quick note decay. Tonewoods also interact with other specifications like bracing patterns and body shapes. Ultimately, the combination of woods, construction style, and design elements all contribute to the overall acoustic voice. Understanding these relationships allows discerning players to select the right guitar to match their tonal preferences.

Neck

The Squier Dreadnought has an okoume neck with a C-shaped profile. Okoume is known for its lightweight and resonant qualities. The neck has a standard width of 1.6875 inches at the nut, making it comfortable for most hand sizes. The fretboard is made of roseacer wood which provides smooth playability. It has 20 frets and a fretboard radius of 12 inches. The neck is nicely finished with a smooth satin feel. Overall the neck feels solid yet smooth and allows for comfortable chord changes and playing up and down the fretboard. The C-shape provides good grip without being too chunky. The mix of okoume and roseacer offers a good balance of resonance and playability.

Hardware

The Squier Dreadnought has excellent hardware for the price. The tuning machines are chrome sealed gears that hold tune well and make string changing a breeze. Many budget acoustics will have cheap tuners that slip and make staying in tune a challenge, but the Squier avoids this.

The bridge and saddle are a synthetic bone material, which provides good resonance transfer and sustain. Some may prefer an actual bone or tusq saddle for more natural resonance, but the synthetic bone gets the job done nicely, especially considering the price point. The overall hardware selection is robust and built to last while providing a quality musical experience.

Electronics

The electronics on the Fender Squier Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar are designed to produce amplified sound with clarity and balance. This guitar comes equipped with a Fishman preamp and pickup system.

Pickups

The guitar has a Fishman Sonitone undersaddle pickup, which captures the natural acoustic tone of the instrument. This pickup is known for providing excellent amplification without coloring the sound. It delivers clear, balanced tone across all frequencies.

Preamp

The preamp is a Fishman Presys+, featuring volume, bass, mid, and treble controls. This allows you to shape your amplified tone by boosting or cutting certain frequencies. The preamp also has a built-in tuner, so you can easily keep the guitar in tune.

Controls

In addition to the volume, bass, mid, and treble controls on the preamp, there is also a phase switch. This allows you to invert the phase and find the setting that has the least feedback when amplified. There is also an onboard tuner, operated by a single button on the preamp.

Sound & Playability

The dreadnought body produces a balanced and well-rounded tone with excellent projection and volume. The spruce top and mahogany back and sides give this guitar a nicely balanced sound across the tonal spectrum - the spruce provides bright treble tones while the mahogany offers warm bass and low mids. It's capable of a diverse range of musical styles.

The action and setup right out of the box is very playable. The nut width and neck profile should accommodate most playing styles comfortably. Intonation up the neck is accurate and allows for ease of playing in any key. Notes ring out with good sustain.

The guitar has enough volume to play small coffee shop gigs or jam sessions with friends. It can hold its own when accompanying vocals or other instruments. The balanced tone allows it to sit nicely in an ensemble mix without dominating the sound.

Overall, Fender designed this guitar for playability and musical versatility. The quality components and craftsmanship result in an instrument that's enjoyable to play and delivers classic acoustic guitar tones. It's a great choice for a wide range of musical applications whether practicing, writing songs, or performing live.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Classic dreadnought body shape provides full and balanced tone
• All-laminate construction makes it lightweight and durable
• Rosewood fingerboard and bridge offer bright tone and articulation
• Fishman preamp gives you built-in EQ and tuner
• Comes ready to play out of the box

Cons

• Laminate build lacks some richness of solid wood models
• Electronics can produce feedback at higher volumes
• Generic tuners may need to be upgraded down the line
• Not as complex harmonics as a high-end acoustic
• Some may prefer more bass response

Alternatives

When looking for an affordable dreadnought acoustic-electric guitar, the Squier by Fender is a solid option but there are a few other models worth checking out as well:

Yamaha FG800 - Yamaha makes fantastic acoustic guitars for the money. The FG800 has a solid spruce top with Nato back and sides. It has a rosewood fingerboard and bridge for crisp tone and playability. The System55T preamp gives you built-in tuner, EQ and flexible amplification.

Epiphone DR-100 - Epiphone's DR-100 dreadnought has a select spruce top and mahogany back and sides. The slim taper neck and rosewood fingerboard make it very comfortable to play. It has a Shadow preamp system for amplification. Overall an excellent value.

Alvarez Artist Series AD60 - The AD60 dreadnought from Alvarez features a solid Sitka spruce top with mahogany back and sides. It has a rosewood fingerboard and bridge, bone nut and saddle. The Fishman Presys Blend pickup gives you flexible amplified tones.

Seagull S6 Original - Made in Canada, the Seagull S6 is an all solid wood dreadnought with pressure tested cedar top and wild cherry back and sides. It has a Tusq nut and compensated saddle for excellent intonation. Worth considering for the craftsmanship and full sound.

Conclusion

The Fender Acoustic Guitar AUS-0961090006-COMBO-PLAY is an ideal entry-level guitar for acoustic beginners. Its dreadnought body style produces a balanced tone, while the spruce top and mahogany back and sides provide warmth and resonance. The slim neck and low action make it an accessible instrument for learning chords and fundamentals.

While the hardware and electronics are basic, they perform adequately for an acoustic in this price range. Overall, the guitar sounds pleasant plugged in or unplugged, though it lacks the complex harmonics of premium models. Still, the quality and playability make this Fender a great choice for aspiring guitarists looking for an affordable workhorse acoustic.

The guitar's biggest limitations are its laminate construction and lack of cutaway. However, these concessions keep the cost low while maintaining respectable sound and reliability. For a starter instrument under $150, the Fender AUS-0961090006-COMBO-PLAY is easy to recommend. It gives beginners a solid foundation before upgrading down the road.