Fender FA-125 FS01 Acoustic Guitar: Full Review

The Fender FA-125 acoustic guitar provides an excellent option for beginner and intermediate players looking for a well-built, easy-playing, and nice-sounding instrument at an affordable price point.

Part of Fender's Folk series of acoustic guitars, the FA-125 features a dreadnought-style body shape made from laminated spruce on top and laminated mahogany back and sides. This construction helps provide balanced tone across the tonal spectrum - lows, mids, and bright highs.

The FA-125 is an all-around great choice for everything from practice to performance. Its classic Fender styling and decoration make it an attractive looking instrument as well. Overall, Fender offers up fantastic value with the FA-125.

Construction and Materials

The Fender FA-125 acoustic guitar features a laminated spruce top with scalloped X bracing for durability and balanced tone. The back and sides are made of laminated mahogany, which provides warmth and richness to the overall sound.

The guitar has a 25.3" scale mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard with 20 frets. The nut width is 1.69", which is a comfortable width for most hands. The neck has a smooth satin finish that allows for comfortable and fast playing up and down the frets.

The bridge is made from rosewood which allows for balanced and warm tone production. Overall the combination of spruce, mahogany, and rosewood produces a balanced and versatile sound in this acoustic guitar. The construction and materials produce a guitar that is affordable yet still provides quality tone and playability.

Another popular acoustic guitar in a similar price range is the Cordoba F7 04707. This guitar features all solid wood construction with a solid Canadian cedar top and mahogany back and sides. The solid wood provides excellent resonance, projection, and dynamics. It has a mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard and bridge. Overall the Cordoba F7 04707 produces a balanced tone with clarity in the highs and warmth in the lows and mids.

The Fender FA-125 and Cordoba F7 04707 are both great options for entry level acoustic guitars. The Fender uses laminated woods which makes it more affordable but the Cordoba uses solid woods which provide better sound. Both guitars have similar scale lengths around 25" and nut widths around 1.69". The nut width provides comfortable playability for most hand sizes. In summary, the Fender and Cordoba both offer quality construction and sound at an entry level price point.

Body Style and Design

The Fender FA-125 Acoustic Guitar has a classic dreadnought body shape, which provides a balanced, full-bodied tone and plenty of projection. The dreadnought design originated in the early 20th century and remains one of the most popular acoustic guitar shapes today.

This guitar features a single-cutaway dreadnought body. The cutaway allows easier access to the higher frets, making it more comfortable to play solos and reach those high notes. Cutaways have become commonplace in acoustic guitars, allowing players great freedom of movement up and down the neck.

The FA-125 has a laminated spruce top, which gives it brightness and clarity. The back and sides are made of laminated basswood, a cost-effective wood that provides a balanced tone. The guitar has a smooth satin finish that looks great and feels comfortable against your body.

Overall, the traditional dreadnought shape with single cutaway makes this an versatile, playable instrument well-suited to many musical genres and playing styles. The design provides an excellent balance of volume, projection and access to the entire fretboard.

Another popular acoustic guitar with a similar dreadnought body shape is the Yamaha CG192S. This guitar features a solid Sitka spruce top, rosewood back and sides, and a mahogany neck. The solid wood construction allows for richer, more complex tones. The CG192S has a slightly smaller body depth than a traditional dreadnought, making it comfortable for long practice or playing sessions. It produces a balanced, nuanced tone across the tonal spectrum. The rosewood back and sides provide some brightness and zing to the fundamental spruce sound. Overall, the CG192S is an excellent dreadnought model for fingerstyle players who want an articulate, responsive instrument.

Comparing the Fender FA-125 and Yamaha CG192S, the main differences are in the wood materials and construction. The FA-125 uses laminated woods while the CG192S uses solid tonewoods. This affects the sound, with the CG192S producing more complex, organic tones. The FA-125 aims for an affordable price point, while the CG192S is a higher-end instrument. However, both share the versatile, well-balanced dreadnought body style. Players looking for a great all-purpose acoustic in the affordable range would appreciate the Fender FA-125, while those wanting exceptional tone and construction could invest in the Yamaha CG192S.

Neck and Fretboard

The FA-125 features a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. The maple neck provides stability and durability, while also imparting some brightness and snap to the tone. Maple is a hardwood that helps project the sound outwards with clarity.

The fretboard is rosewood, which is known for its rich, complex overtones. Rosewood adds depth to the FA-125's sound. It has a smooth feel that makes it comfortable to play. The wider nut width of 1.69" also provides more room for fingering chords and leads.

The neck has 20 frets and a 25.3" scale length. It uses a dual-action truss rod for adjusting neck relief. Overall the neck is designed for playability and complements the warm rosewood fretboard nicely. The smooth neck and fretboard make this an inviting acoustic for intermediate players.

Hardware

The Fender FA-125 features quality hardware that withstands frequent use and keeps the guitar in tune. It comes equipped with chrome die-cast tuning machines, which provide smooth and accurate tuning stability. Many budget acoustics will cut costs with generic tuning pegs, but the FA-125 opts for sealed chrome tuners usually found on more expensive models.

Another upgrade is the compensated saddle, which intonates each string properly. Many acoustic saddles are a simple one-piece design that can cause slightly off intonation on some strings. The compensated saddle accounts for the thickness of each string and sets the intonation accurately across all six strings. This results in better tuning and intonation up and down the neck.

The chrome hardware and compensated saddle demonstrate the attention to detail that Fender put into the FA-125 to make it punch above its weight class. These important hardware upgrades result in an acoustic that stays in tune concert after concert.

Electronics

The FA-125 features basic yet quality electronics from Fishman. The guitar has an I-SYS Tune preamp system that allows for truly plug-and-play functionality. Simply plug into an amplifier or PA system and you're ready to go.

The preamp features an onboard tuner for quick and convenient tuning. There are also volume and tone controls, allowing you to shape your amplified tone. While the preamp system is fairly simple, it provides the essentials like quality amplification and easy tuning. For beginner and intermediate players, the electronics offer everything needed for amplified acoustic playing and performing.

The pickup on the FA-125 is a Fishman Sonitone undersaddle pickup. It has a transparent, natural tone and accurately captures the guitar's acoustic voice. The undersaddle placement also keeps the guitar looking sleek without any visible pickup. Overall the electronics are straightforward but high quality, ideal for amplification and live playing.

Sound and Tone

The Fender FA-125 acoustic guitar produces a bright, balanced tone that works well for a variety of musical styles. The spruce top provides clarity and definition in the high end, while the mahogany back and sides offer some warmth and low-end punch.

When strummed, the FA-125 has a rich and full sound. The notes ring out with sustain thanks to the shape of the body and bracing. It's balanced across the tonal spectrum, with no frequencies sticking out too prominently. The guitar sounds lively when played using a pick, and warm during fingerstyle playing.

You can play chord-driven songs of any genre on the FA-125 and expect it to provide pleasing tones. The guitar is versatile enough to handle country, folk, pop, rock, blues and more. Whether you want to strum open chords or pick intricate melodies, this acoustic will handle it well.

The FA-125 works nicely for recording applications too. It has a professional-quality tone that comes across nicely on recordings. The crisp highs and tight lows capture well through microphones and mixing. This is an acoustic guitar that will hold up sonically for any studio or stage performance.

Overall, the bright and balanced tone of the Fender FA-125 makes it highly versatile for playing different styles of music. It's a great all-purpose acoustic guitar for beginners through intermediate players.

Playability

The Fender FA-125 has excellent playability right out of the box. The action is set nice and low, making it very easy to press the strings down without a lot of finger effort. This makes it a great choice for beginner and intermediate players who are still developing hand strength and dexterity.

The neck has a comfortable "C"-shaped profile that fits nicely in the hand. It's not too big or too small, providing a feeling of control without being cumbersome. The smooth satin finish on the back of the neck also makes it easy to move up and down the fretboard.

Overall, the FA-125 rates very highly for playability. It's hard to find an acoustic guitar that plays this well at this price point. The low action and comfortable neck make it enjoyable to practice on for extended periods. Even more advanced players will appreciate how playable this instrument is right off the shelf.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Warm, balanced tone that's great for fingerpicking and strumming
• Solid spruce top helps project the sound
• Mahogany back and sides provide a nice mid-range focus
• Smooth satin finish on the neck is comfortable to play
• Lightweight and comfortable to hold
• Classic dreadnought shape fits any genre
• Quality hardware and electronics for the price

Cons

• Lack of cutaway can limit upper fret access
• Not as loud as higher-end dreadnoughts
• Electronics and preamp are decent but basic
• Some may want more bass emphasis from the tone
• Minimal ornamentation and rosette for visual appeal
• Not the best option for heavy strumming or aggressive playing

The Fender FA-125 offers excellent value as a beginner or intermediate level acoustic guitar. While it lacks some premium appointments and tonal richness, it delivers quality materials, reliable hardware, and an enjoyable playing experience. The balanced tone works well for fingerstyle and relaxed strumming in a variety of musical genres. Overall, it's a great option for someone looking for an affordable, well-made dreadnought guitar.

Summary

The Fender FA-125 is an excellent choice for a beginner or intermediate level acoustic guitar. It offers solid construction with a laminated spruce top and mahogany back and sides, producing balanced tone across the tonal spectrum. The dreadnought body provides loud and vibrant projection, while the slim neck profile is comfortable for most hand sizes.

Hardware includes sealed die-cast tuners that hold tuning well. The Fishman preamp gives you basic equalization control for shaping your amplified tone. Overall playability and intonation are very good right out of the box.

In terms of downsides, the laminate wood construction won't age and open up over time like a solid wood guitar. The electronics and preamp are also quite basic. However, these are understandable tradeoffs given the very reasonable price point.

If you're looking for an affordable, quality acoustic guitar to start on or to add to your collection, the Fender FA-125 is tough to beat. It provides classic dreadnought sound and feel in a reliable and consistent package. The easy playability and balanced tone make it a great choice for new players and practicing guitarists. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a solid acoustic with dependable performance.