Review: Fender Finneas Acoustasonic Player Telecaster 

Combining the purity of an acoustic guitar with the freedom of an electric, the Fender Acoustasonic series has taken the world by storm in recent years. Now, FINNEAS, the Grammy-award winning producer, singer, songwriter and performer who ascended to  stardom alongside his sister Billie Eilish, has partnered with Fender to create his very own Acoustasonic Telecaster. Designed specifically by FINNEAS to be the smoothest possible conduit for turning ideas into hits, the FINNEAS Acoustasonic Player Telecaster is a powerful songwriting tool with a myriad of exciting features. 

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To begin with, straight out of the box this guitar was bang in tune and felt absolutely incredible. The neck is smooth and incredibly fast, feeling far more like the neck of a great Telecaster than a cumbersome acoustic. The unplugged sound however, is far closer to that of a traditional acoustic guitar, just with a bit less volume and bass response. 

Fender Acoustasonic

The guitar features a beautiful Cappuccino Fade satin finish upon its solid spruce top that looks truly original, perfectly balancing organic and modern vibes that really compliment the natural wood of the instrument. Unusually for a Fender, the neck and body of this guitar are made of Mahogany, not only a deluxe tonewood known for its richness and full bodied sound, but a perfect colour match for the Cappuccino finish. 

The neck is also made of mahogany, capped off with a beautiful rosewood fretboard. Thanks to its satin finish and modern C shape, it feels very smooth and is extremely comfortable. Featuring a 25.5” scale length, 12” radius and 22 narrow tall frets, this neck will feel very familiar to Fender fans and plays like a dream. The matching mahogany headstock bears a classic Tele shape, loaded with a graph tech TUSQ nut and chrome cast/sealed staggered tuning pegs. 

As streamlined as it is versatile, the magic of the Acoustasonic Player Telecaster lies within its dual pickup system. Effortlessly transitioning between acoustic and electric sounds, this FINNEAS signature model includes both a revolutionary magnetic Shawbucker pickup for 

electric tones and an undersaddle Fishman piezo pickup for acoustic tones, accompanied by a master volume knob, a multifunctional tone knob and a three way switch. This evolution of the Acoustasonic Player Telecaster offers a set of six voices chosen by FINNEAS to range from clean electric to small-body and dreadnought acoustic, and includes a hand-selected onboard chorus effect in two positions for a versatile array of studio-worthy sounds. 

In the bridge position, the guitar is in full electric mode. Utilising the magnetic Shawbucker pickup to deliver clean, traditional Telecaster bridge pickup sounds, in this position, the tone knob acts like it would on a normal electric guitar, except when totally rolled off, it engages the onboard chorus effect (which also features a blend control, allowing you to be as subtle or overt as you like!)

In this position one can attain a variety of electric guitar sounds as one would with any Telecaster, from sparkling jazzy cleans to dirty overdriven tones depending on the rig in question. It handles distortion very well, with impressive sustain for an essentially acoustic instrument. The onboard chorus sounds great in this position, with a warm, swirling tone that sits just right in the mix.

In the middle position, the signal is now a blend of both pickups, layering the electric and acoustic sounds together in a way that has to be heard to be believed. In this position, the chorus effect is not available, as the tone control takes on the function of a blend knob, allowing the player to dial in as much or as little of each sound as they wish. This opens up the possibility of having a strong electric sound with a little acoustic in the background, or visa-versa, a great tool for rhythm playing either on stage or in the studio if personnel is limited. 

In the neck position, the guitar is solely drawing upon the piezo pickup, exhibiting a full blown acoustic sound. This produces a crisp, full organic tone that really drives home the versatility of this instrument. In this position, the tone knob can now be used to gradually cycle through everything from a small-bodied acoustic tone to a robust, bass heavy dreadnought sound and when fully rolled off, once again engages the chorus effect. The chorus effect works equally well if not better for the acoustic tones, creating a lovely thickening modulation effect that adds a shimmering studio-quality sheen to your arsenal. All in all this amounts to roughly six discrete sounds all built into one guitar, making this FINNEAS signature model one of the most versatile Fender has ever produced. 

A collaboration between one of the most beloved and renowned legacy brands in the world of guitars and one of modern music’s greatest and most innovative minds, the FINNEAS Acoustasonic Player Telecaster is crafted to deliver an organic sonic nuance that truly resonates. Subtle features like a natural wood finish on the control knobs, a modern asymmetrical wooden bridge and FINNEAS’s own signature on the back of the headstock help to make this a truly special offering. Arriving in a deluxe padded gig bag that provides premium protection and portability, this guitar comes loaded with a lively set of Fender Dura-Tone 860CL Coated Phosphor Bronze strings that accentuate the sound of the instrument perfectly. 

Mirroring his genre-defying, multi-faceted career, FINNEAS has delivered a truly versatile guitar that delivers endless inspiration and new sonic expressions for the next generation of modern music makers. If the idea of having high quality electric and acoustic tones at your disposal in one guitar appeals to you, this instrument is your best bet. Taking an idea that 

easily could have rested on its laurels as an endearing gimmick and elevating it to a truly practical, playable, versatile and great sounding tool is quite the achievement by Fender and once again reinforces the fact that after over seventy years, this is a brand that is still willing to push the envelope. When it comes to breaking new sonic ground, it would seem that FINNEAS has found the perfect collaborator.

For local enquiries, visit Fender Music Australia.