Fender CP-60S 970120032 Acoustic Guitar: Full Review

: Overview of the Fender CP-60S

The Fender CP-60S is a parlor-sized acoustic guitar model from the iconic Fender brand. As a smaller-bodied acoustic, it's designed to be comfortable and playable while still producing full, rich tones.

The CP in the model name stands for "concert parlor" - indicating it's a cross between a classic parlor guitar and a concert-shaped acoustic. This results in a compact, balanced guitar that's ideal for fingerstyle playing and intermediate players.

With its all-solid mahogany body and neck, the CP-60S delivers a focused, punchy sound with strong midrange emphasis. The smooth satin finish enhances resonance for optimal acoustic tone and sustain. It's an affordable Fender acoustic aimed at students and hobbyists looking for classic parlor guitar tones in a modern package.

Appearance

The Fender CP-60S Parlor acoustic guitar has the classic parlor body shape, which is petite and slightly narrower than a standard dreadnought body. This makes it comfortable to hold and easy to play for long periods.

The CP-60S has a total length of 39", with a width of 14" at the lower bout. The small body gives it a focused, balanced tone and easy playability. Despite the compact size, it still produces good volume and projection.

This model comes in an all-mahogany finish, giving it an elegant, vintage look. The body has a smooth semi-gloss urethane finish that protects the wood while allowing it to resonate properly. The dark reddish-brown mahogany color is rich and eye-catching.

Overall, the diminutive parlor shape and classic mahogany finish give the CP-60S a traditional, refined appearance perfect for fingerstyle playing or mellow strumming. The compact body size makes it a great choice for travel or practice.

For guitarists looking for a slightly larger, more affordable option, the Fender FA-15 0971170121 is an excellent choice. This is a dreadnought sized acoustic with a spruce top and mahogany back and sides. It produces a balanced, warm tone perfect for all styles of playing. The dreadnought body shape gives it more volume and bass response compared to a parlor sized model.

The FA-15 has a stylish appearance with an all-laminate construction, including laminated mahogany back and sides. This makes it very durable and resistant to changes in temperature and humidity. It has a smooth natural finish and tortoise style pickguard for a classic look. The headstock features the iconic Fender shape.

This guitar is designed to be comfortable to play with its slim "C"-shaped neck profile and smooth satin finish on the back of the neck. The shorter 25.3" scale length reduces string tension, making it easier on the fingers during long practice sessions. An adjustable truss rod allows fine tuning of the neck relief.

Overall, the Fender FA-15 offers an excellent balance of playability, tone, and visual appeal at a very affordable price point. For beginners or those on a budget, it's a great option that still delivers the trusted Fender name and quality. The all-laminate construction makes it suitable for frequent travel or outdoor playing situations where humidity may fluctuate.

Tonewood

The CP-60S features solid Sitka spruce on the top along with mahogany back and sides. This combination produces a nicely balanced tone that is characteristic of many acoustic guitars in this price range.

The solid spruce top provides excellent projection and dynamic range, allowing the guitar to get quite loud when strummed heavily. It also has enough crispness in the high end to add clarity and articulation to the tone. However, the spruce is also relatively lightweight and responsive, so it doesn't produce an overly bright or harsh sound.

The mahogany back and sides add some warmth, sweetness, and low-end punch to the overall voice. Mahogany has excellent resonance properties and helps give this smaller-bodied guitar a fuller sound than you might expect. The midrange is particularly gorgeous - rich and open without getting muddy.

Together, the spruce and mahogany produce a lively and well-rounded tone. The guitar is able to handle various playing styles, from delicate fingerpicking to energetic flatpicking. While not as lush as an all-mahogany or rosewood guitar, the CP-60S offers excellent bang for buck with its tonewood combination.

While the CP-60S features classic tonewoods at an affordable price point, players looking for a uniquely modern acoustic may want to check out the Enya Carbon Fiber X3 Pro Mini. This travel-sized acoustic guitar uses advanced carbon fiber composite materials for its top, back, and sides rather than traditional wood. The carbon fiber construction makes it extremely lightweight, durable, and weather-resistant while also providing a clear, focused tone.

With its mini dreadnought shape, the Enya Carbon Fiber X3 Pro Mini produces a balanced acoustic sound with nice volume and articulation. It has less boominess compared to an all-wood guitar, with more emphasis on the mids and highs. The carbon fiber material brings out plenty of lively overtones. It records well and offers excellent note separation when amplified. Overall, it's a great option for guitarists who want cutting acoustic tone in a compact, indestructible package.

While the CP-60S relies on conventional tonewoods to deliver warm, familiar acoustic sound, the Enya Carbon Fiber X3 Pro Mini takes advantage of modern materials for an acoustic that's rugged, lightweight, and tonally unique. Either guitar can be an excellent choice - the CP-60S for its affordable wood construction, or the Enya for its high-tech carbon fiber build. Checking out both models is recommended to find the best fit for your playing needs and musical style.

Neck

The Fender CP-60S has a solid mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. Mahogany is a popular neck wood known for its stability and slightly warm tone. The rosewood fretboard offers smooth playability thanks to its soft texture. This gives the guitar a nice feel and helps reduce finger noise and squeaks.

The neck has 20 frets and a 25.3 inch scale length. The extra frets compared to some parlor acoustics allow for more upper fret access. And the 25.3 inch scale length provides comfortable string tension that many find ideal for chord shapes and intricate fingerwork. The neck joins the body at the 14th fret, giving this parlor acoustic the warmer, darker tones of a 14-fret neck joint.

Hardware

The Fender CP-60S features quality hardware that enables great playability and tuning stability. The guitar has vintage-style slotted tuners with white buttons that hold tune reliably. The nut and saddle are made from synthetic bone, which helps provide precise intonation.

The CP-60S has a rosewood bridge with a compensated saddle for accurate intonation, allowing each string to be accurately tuned. The smooth rosewood fretboard has pearloid dot inlays at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 19th, and 21st frets. These inlays help with orientation while playing.

Overall, the hardware on the CP-60S is well-made and allows for great tuning stability and intonation. The quality materials like the synthetic bone nut and compensated saddle enable the guitar to play in tune across the neck.

Electronics

The Fender CP-60S features a Fishman Presys blend pickup system with an undersaddle piezo and condenser mic. This combination allows you to capture both the bright, percussive tone of the top and strings as well as the warm, rich voice of the body and lower bout.

The guitar has simple but versatile onboard electronics. Volume and tone controls allow you to dial in your amplified sound, going from bright and punchy to more rounded and full. The built-in tuner makes it easy to keep the CP-60S in tune. There is also a phase switch to help prevent feedback at higher volumes. Altogether, the electronics give you flexibility while retaining the organic, acoustic sound this Fender is known for.

Sound

The Fender CP-60S Parlor guitar produces a very balanced and well-rounded tone that belies its smaller size. Despite the compact parlor body shape, this guitar actually has quite impressive volume and projection thanks to its solid spruce top.

The spruce top gives the CP-60S a bright and lively treble response. There is a crystalline clarity to the highs that brings out nuances in fingerpicking and strumming. The mahogany back and sides provide a balanced midrange and a warm low end that fills out the guitar's voice nicely.

While some parlors can sound thin or "boxy", the CP-60S has a focused yet rich tone. The mids are nicely scooped and the bass has surprising punch and low-end presence for a parlor model. Whether strumming chords or playing single-note lines, the CP-60S is balanced across the tonal spectrum.

The all-mahogany neck and 12" radius fingerboard give the CP-60S excellent note definition. Chords ring out with clarity and individual notes have a strong fundamental. Overall the CP-60S offers very impressive volume, articulation and tonal balance for its compact body size. Players looking for parlor portability without sacrificing tone will find a lot to love with the CP-60S.

Playability

The Fender CP-60S has excellent playability thanks to its comfortable neck shape, quality fretwork, and nicely set up action.

The neck has a "C"-shaped profile that provides a smooth and comfortable feel. It's not overly chunky but has enough thickness to be substantial. The satin finish on the back of the neck also enhances playability by allowing your hand to easily glide up and down.

The fretwork on the CP-60S is very well done. The frets are evenly finished and provide a nice smooth surface for bending strings. There are no sharp or protruding edges on the frets either.

The guitar's action is set up exceptionally well right out of the box. There is just the right amount of space between the strings and the fretboard, measuring around 2/32" on the treble side and 3/32" on the bass side. This allows for easy pressing down of the strings without buzzing or muting out.

Overall, the CP-60S rates very highly in terms of playability. The comfortable neck shape, quality fretwork, and ideal action setup make this a smooth and enjoyable acoustic guitar to play.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Classic parlor body style provides a comfortable playing experience
• All-solid wood construction offers rich, full tone
• Smooth satin finish on the back and sides enhances resonance
• Fishman electronics expand the guitar's versatility for plugging in
• Produces balanced bass, mids, and treble acoustically
• Easy to play with slim, comfortable neck profile

Cons

• Lack of cutaway can limit upper fret access
• May not provide enough volume for playing with a full band
• Electronics require a 9V battery and add some cost
• Higher action from bridge saddle may make barre chords more difficult
• Not as loud and boomy as larger dreadnought acoustics

Verdict

The Fender CP-60S is an excellent choice for those looking for a compact, comfortable, and great-sounding parlor acoustic guitar. Its smaller body size makes it ideal for fingerstyle playing and an easy guitar to travel with.

The all-solid tonewood construction produces a rich, balanced tone that works well for various genres. It has impressive sustain and resonance despite the smaller body. The mahogany neck is smooth and comfortable, while the walnut fingerboard adds warmth and clarity.

Overall, the CP-60S combines vintage parlor style with modern playability. While the lack of electronics may be a drawback for some players, it helps keep the guitar affordable. For the price, it's hard to find a better made parlor acoustic. With its quality materials, ideal size, and great sound, the Fender CP-60S is highly recommended for intermediate players and working musicians looking for an exceptional parlor guitar.