Fender AG-15 Acoustic

Original owner of a 1993 Fender AG15 acoustic Korean-finished mahogany sides, split back, and natural solid top dreadnought. 20 frets extended neck with the body ending at fret 14 instead of the normal 12th making it a suitable substitute for my classical if I want to play soft with stainless flatwound Fender strings or d'Adarrio's (sounds the same to my ears)instead of my classical Ibanez. I use a George L's Pop-In pickup in my Marshall's so my Korg CA-30 does the tuning for all my guits. This neck is mahogany to match the body with an ash fretboard, all of which has held up well except for the fact that the finish over the mahogany is thin and chips easily. It has a butt pin but nothing for a strap but I play it classical-style just like all my guits -- easier on the wrist and no carpal tunnel after 30-years of regular playing.

I write all my own stuff because it's all used for background music and sounds for commercials and video, so my style is what ever the client requests. When I go to present the main parts of a creation I always take the AG15 with me to demo because it sounds the best when in someone's office or even in the backseat of a car or empty van; I never know where I'm going to be when the client calls and sometimes have to demo on the steps of bank where some people think I'm poor and toss me coins while sitting there with my client; I leave the coins because they're not for me. It's easy to bend, pluck, and HO with a radius of 12", all of which fit my hand's shape and fingers, but if my hands were larger it would be harder to pick.

The AG15 is probably set up on an assembly line as the finish around the sound hole barely wraps around the edges leaving the raw wood exposed in a couple of spots. I had to buy a set of nut saws to refinish the nut so I could keep graphite from rubbing out too often; cuts were too tight causing the strings to stretch unevenly. The saddle has no channels but was properly installed with the 6-5-4 strings set a bit higher for their extra vibration movement -- I think that was thoughtful for the times and other things they missed. The neck is a bit crooked when it was originally mounted to the body, but you really have to look to see it, but after playing for so long I can tell when I change guits because the handling is a bit off at the lower frets, that is if I play way up there, otherwise it's not a problem. The Strat tuners are like new with all the chroming intact aftyer being used so much in its 15-year life.

If I was only allowed one guit for a gig that had only one electrical outlet for four players I can use my AG playing hard while the others turn down their sound just a little. I can hammer on this thing (play hard) and I get no buzzes or complaints. No one's ever said, "Dude...couldn't hear you!", and those are times when I'm helping to instruct newbies. It will take abuse but not much as far as the finish goes as I expressed above, but once people see the Strat head on the thing they look at little else about the AG, so if it scratches or takes a hit to the finish I'm not worried because I'm not likely to ever sell it. And I have done formal gigs with this AG15 so that should say something for its 'wear-and-tear' abilities.

I've never had this guit in the shop because it's never needed any work other than the finish stuff that doesn't bother me and probably couldn't be dealt with anyway. Never used the warranty, and even if it came with a lifetime warranty I still would have yet to use it. As for dealing with Fender and my '77 American Vintage I can easily say that they are friendly, helpful, and are an American Dream when it comes to customer service.

I picked my first guit in Viet Nam, '69 first tour, and am not expecting to quit anytime soon. Bought a guy's fifth-hand (probably) Strat because he was rotating back in '70, then sold it (yes, I'm an idiot) when I rotated in December 1970. Went back in '71 and a guy in my unit still had it but wouldn't sell it back so I found a whacked one and rebuilt it using some RF4E parts to keep my mind on America. I still have that POC but never play it. However I still have my first Epiphone acoustic, Washburn 12, Austin 5-string bass, the two Fenders, two I've built (a 6 and a 12), Marshall amps, AKG Perception, Shure 55's, and talkies I use in churches and small auditoriums. Korg 32 and Roland mixers, M-Audio studios and EV's on stands, Yamaha 88 with all the cards, and an Axiom 49 for the rhythm suits me fine.
As for what I was thinking when I bought the AG15 I already had been playing nylon and metal and wanted an acoustic metal I could mix with the nylon. I took the classicalin with me and compared sounds and resonances between what was available and, closed-eyes, matched the AG. Simple as that; it matched my needs for what I was going to be presenting to clients, being that they usually don't know the difference but want the quality that their ears determine for them. If I lost my AG15 I know it would be hard to replace with another so I'd just have to try and if not I'd go through the same procedure as before letting my ears tell me what's right. When I was comparing the first time I almost bought another Washburn; it was close, but I think I may have been influenced by already having owned a Fender in Nam and knew it would take a beating if it came to that.
When a person goes to look for any instrument (I play more than just guitars) take someone along to be a facer (someone who makes faces without given an opinion) when you are looking at or playing a possible purchase. If you have a reliable portable mixer and good headphones take them with you so you can hear the sounds you're making with each instrument you test; have a tune with you that you play well and use it on every instrument you're considering. If others are listening and offer opinions, forget them because they're either patronizing, don't have a clue, like anything loud, or take your feelings into consideration with their comments. Your headphones and your Facer are your best decision-making enemies. And be sure you get an exchange policy, not just a manufacturer's warranty that takes your instrument away from you for weeks or months. And if you've barely got enough money to get by with what you can afford, save up another month or so and really get what you know you will be completely satisfied with for the long haul. Beginners learn on something good but inexpensive and then move up if you like what you're hearing. And try to earn some calluses from a steady week of playing for an hour or so before you take anything for a test drive. Trying to make a decision after you're in pain from 10-minutes of making noise will not provide you with an answer to your quest.

This guitar is 1993 model (according to the serial number) 20 frets, solid spruce top and mahogany sides and neck. No electronics, just straight plain acoustic. This was my first guitar, and I must say still one of my favorites.

sound is full and rich. I play a little bit of everything and this guitar never lets me down. In the last few years I have begun to notice a fret buzz, but that is probably due to the older strings that are on it as the neck is straight as an arrow.

finish is still beautiful after almost 13 years and the frets are holding up just fine. I have had a loose tuning peg thanks to a stripped screw but that was an easy fix. I started to get a seperation at the bridge a few years ago but again, a $35 dollar repair and no problems since

This guitar loves live play as much as I do. Amazing projection for an acoustic. The relatively thin neck makes this easy to play all night long. Even with the few repairs that I have made this guitar was never unplayable and never lost it's tune.

N/A

I've only been playing for about 11 years. In that time I have had an Alvarez 6 string an Epiphone 6 string a Washburn 12 string and this Fender. I have learned for ease of playability and great tone I cant replace this fender. If it were lost or stolen I would probably spend years trying to find another one because I have only ever seen one; mine. Oh, and to the previous reviewer "AG-15-N" The "n" stands for natural. Somewhere out there more of these fenders exist and apparently in other colors and finishes. Maybe they never left Korea, that would explain why I never see any.

This is a 1994 AG15 acoustic guitar. It has 20 frets, with a mahogany body with a laminated spruce top. The most unique feature is the strat type headstock. I can't find any info about this guitar anywhere. Not even a stock photo on the internet. It closely resembles the old Palominos(made 69/70). As far as I can tell no other Fender acoustics where made like this in that 25yr. span..I found this guitar for $50 in a local classified ad. The Fender site says it retailed in the high $200's. It also has a small black pick-guard.

I play mostly old country music. I own three Telecasters, and was looking for another when I found this. It was in pretty sad shape when I got it. It had stickers all over it and sat in the corner of some guys dirty apartment for 10 yrs.. All the bridge pegs were broken and it was covered in cob-webs and dust. The strings were rusted. I took it home and spent about 6hrs removing all the stickers and dirt. I then polished it with wood soap and then with guitar polish. I went to the music store and bought new pegs, new strings, and new string guides on the stock. After a little more TLC it sounds great and plays equally great. I saw a movie called Nashville Rebel and Tex Ritter(John Ritters Dad)was playing a Palomino type guitar and wanted one ever since. This has turned out to be a great little guitar. I play it a lot more than I thought I would.

The action is really nice, considering I haven't really played an acoustic in some time. The lacquer finish on the neck is easier than I had imagined to get around on. The spruce top even has a slightly quilted look to it. It had 11 Guage strings on it when I bought it but I now have Martin Phosphor Bronze 10 Guage. It sound great but I will probably go back to 11's once I get used to it.

This guitar is now 11yrs old and all things considered it has held up amazingly well. Even the finish is still holding up after all the neglect from the previous owner. It has no pick-up but yeah I would use it live for sure. I am a live sound engineer and I can tell this guitar would sound good with just a mic.

Haaaaaaaa! Right !!! We all know Fender has no customer support to speak of. I wish I could find some kind of info on this guitar, but the web-site only offers year and MSRP. I would love to know the story behind this guitar and why it was only made 94-95. And is it considered a relative to the Palomino. And how many were made. You think Fender would get it together on that end........knowing by now how interested people are in that stuff. I've never seen another AG15 anywhere, and when you read the tag inside the guitar the AG15 is followed by the letter "N".......What does that mean?

I've played on and off for 15yrs. I wish I could ask many things about this guitar, but to whom? If it were lost or stolen I'm fairly certain I couldn't find a replacement. I've looked high and for this type of guitar and can't find them anywhere. It was pure accident and luck that I found this one. I have become quite attached to it now. And it always gets a double take when my musician friends are over. I was offered $425 for it recently. Which I guess speaks to the collectability of it. I hope to see other postings on this guitar, maybe someone out there knows more about it.