Fender Concord Acoustic

This review is for a Fender Concord dreadnought-style acoustic, made in Korea 1988(?), body of laminated nato wood, laminated spruce top, gloss finish, no cutaway. It has a mahogany neck w/Strat-style headstock, a neat feature. It appears to have Fender/Schaller sealed tuners like a Standard Strat, medium frets, no electronics. It's a decent-looking box, all in all, and will always draw comments due to its unusual (for an acoustic) headstock.

Actually sounds very good for a laminated-construction acoustic. The trebles & mids are quite clear and ringing, the bass notes are OK but nothing to crow about. I have a $60 Rogue RA-100D acoustic "beater" that sounds more gutsy on the bass end, and it's also laminated construction. For flatpicking or strumming, though, the Concord has all the warm, clear sound most players would need with PLENTY of volume! As another reviewer also noted, it's not a great fingerstyle rig-just too bulky, and the frets and nut width just aren't right for it. After I finish working on it, I enjoy putting it through its paces with some fast flatpicking, and really enjoy its sound, especially with a new set of Martin SP lights installed.

The guitar really belongs to my youngest sis, but it's been a "guest" at my place many times for re-stringing, repairs, etc. I've adjusted the neck and bridge a couple of times for her to get the action down decent, so it's now a nice-playing guitar. I've noticed no glaring flaws; however, it was bought used and has some dings & scratches. The tuners on it work as well as any non-locking types you'll find anywhere, even Grovers. The fretwork on it is above average.

This thing seems solid enough to withstand an F-16 bombing raid. Fender's people over in the Orient obviously knew how to build guitars, and the finish is quite rugged too, if nearly 20 years of less-than-careful handling are any criteria. I wouldn't hesitate to take it out camping, or on any stage without backup. All its hardware is good quality.

N/A Bought used

I've been playing nearly 45 years and own several acoustic electrics, nylon and steel string, plus a Les Paul, a P-bass and a banjo. My sister, who owns this rig, also owns a couple other guitars but likes this one best. I think it's a good value instrument that would be great for beginner to advanced players. Personally, I like Fender acoustics OK, but I am partial to Alvarez/Yairi, Martin and Ibanez, so I'd probably pass this one up unless it was for sale at a bargain price.

Spruce top, nato back and sides, rosewood fretboard w/ average inlays, above average machine heads.

Very cool Strat head is the signature.

I purchased the guitar new in 1990. It has been my #1 ever since. Great for Neil Young, Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash styles. The sound is robust and sharp and the best strings I've found so far for this guitar are Dean Markley Blue Steel.

My son took up guitar two years ago and now he and the guitar are inseparable, I guess it's his now!

The guitar has been true from day one enduring the odd bump here and there travelling throughout western Canada and even to the Canadian arctic but nothing to cause any problems, also, it has lived in a hard case or on a stand all of which have certainly contributed to it's character.

One particularly cold, dry winter about 1999 it developed a buzz in the 14th and 15th frets on the 1st string but that disappeared that spring and has never returned.

A totally solid guitar for the price ($350 w/ hrd case in '90) and has been maintenance free.

not applicable

Have played for 28 years and love the guitar. Great for around the house and has great raw sound for outdoor gigs.

I have a '98 Strat w/ Gilmour EMG p/u's, a Yamaha AE500 archtop, '98 Fender Jazz Bass

A basic, great sounding dreadnought flattop guitar.

These were built as "California" series in the early/mid eighties. Super nice imported flattops. I honestly like my Concord much better than most of the D18's I have owned through the years. Super MIJ quality, and big, full, warm sound with a nice bright mahogony high end.

I bought this used in good (not perfect) condition. Materials and construction are MIJ great.

Very high-quality guitar. Solid as any expensive high-end flat top guitar. No issues or concerns about quality.

NA

I am a retired pro player, just getting back into music a bit and enjoying guitars again. Since the late 60's I owned Martins, Gibsons and Guilds. Never owned a Taylor, Breedlove or other "newer" brand. At current prices I have actually bought a few others of this same 1980's line. They are excellent instruments for the money. Sound and playability WAY beyond this price range.

I bought it used in university in 1992 and it wasn't played for very long so it must have been made in the early 90's. It has 20 frets and a laminated spruce top. The finish is lacquer. Perhaps the most unusual (and coolest) feature is the stratocaster style head on the guitar. This has always attracted the most attention and is a really unique feature. The neck is also unusually thin which makes it easy to play.

The sound is unusually bright. I personally think it has a great sound, although the basses are a little bit thin. It has a nice sound for strumming and also for playing lead and picking, although for picking I find the low E string sometimes doesn't have the richness I'm looking for, especially for drop D tunings. I recently got a nice solid top guitar and realized that the sound of this fender is pretty good, especially for a laminated top.

The action is nice and low, although it did get twisted once when i kept it in a damp flooded basement. No flaws that I could see.

I've played live with this guitar for 10+ years and it's been great. It doesn't go out of tune very easily. The finish is robust. I had one friend trip over it while it was on a stand on stage. The guitar went flying and resulting in a couple small dents on the top but everything else was fine.

This is one of the best guitars I've played. I've played alot of different guitars and many of them have sounded better, but the sound of this guitar is still good and for the price i would say its extremely good value. It also feels really nice because the neck is so thin. It's easy to get around the fretboard. I'm a bit biased though because this was my main guitar for 10+ years so i'm used to the feel and sound. nevertheless, its a great guitar...

This is a 1990 Guitar made in Korea with 20 Frets.
My Father bought it for me 13 years ago and i still use it to this day. it came with no pickups
It has no cutaways,
It is a unique guitar...so very few people have it and i have yet to have seen one in my area.

This guitar has an unusually bright sound when it is plugged in, but the sound works with many songs that we do mainly christian contemporary, (jars sounds) unplugged it gives a great sound that is usually louder than most other guitars due to the larger body. I sometimes throw it in thru my zoom 505II effects and have a nice chorus effect and compressor to reduce the brightness.

The action has always been good but i after about 9 years i had a new fret dress and fishman pick-up with pre-amp installed, redid the bridge at the neck because it was chipped by an accident. Currently have Light Elixir's on them.
OVer the years have changed from lights to mediums and back to lights, the fret board has never bowed and still has great sound no buzz.

I've had this guitar thru many trials...performances, campfires...once when i was younger, left it with the case open at camp outside..
After 13 years it's still playing great, many friends like to come and play on it.
THis is one long life guitar.
I've played several gigs never using a backup...i rely on it a lot and i trust that it will pull thru.

N/A
didn't have to deal with them.

I've been playing for 15 years and i absolutely love this guitar, it's my baby. =) I also have a gibson 1980 Sonex-180 custom electric and a zoom 505II multi-effects box.
I don't think i would be able to find it again if i ever lost it or had it stolen...it wouldn't be the same tho...this guitar has had it's sentimental value that is unmatched.
From what my dad told me he tried a multitude of guitars, almost everyone and this was the best sounding one so he bought this one. It was a good choice.
This is a great beginner and amateur guitar...the action is low and it plays very comfortably making it easy to learn on.

I bought my Concord new in 1992. It's a relatively simple steel-strung acoustic. Apparently it had been in the shop I bought it for a while - I got it for a fairly reduced price. Given the information supplied by other reviewers maybe this model was only made in 1990? For an acoustic the body has a rather un-curvy shape: the top is transparent lacquered, the sides and back are dark. The head has a weird stratocaster style that you don't often see on acoustic guitars - probably the reason why it had been in the shop for a while. I don't particularly like the look of that (especially since the head is painted in a colour matching the body top). The neck is thin and has an odd, almost triangular shape in section. Strings are simply applied by plastic pegs-in-holes; the bridge is formed by a simple, oblique plastic rig. While writing this I don't have the guitar present, so for the more detailed specs I refer to other reviewers. Mine didn't come with anything extra since it already was a bargain.

I have been playing unamplified acoustic pop and folk with it for ten years now; mostly (Dutch) 'campfire-songs' where the lyrics and singing are more important - so mainly just chord-strumming. For some reason finger-picking is not very pleasant on this one, however I have a lack of technical insight in guitars to tell you what it exactly is. I read someone else also mentioned this guitar is rather loud - an advantage for the thing I do until you team up with someone else with a less loud one. We then used to swap guitars so others could play louder solos on this one. Soling high up the neck isn't very comfortable however: the body starts 'early' and there is no cutaway. The actual sound has a lot of bass.

At first I had some trouble with the action being a little high, but I just got used to that. Furthermore, it was just a nicely made guitar with nothing more to wish for.

This guitar has seen MANY campfires over the years and certainly withstood a lot of heavy smoke, ashes, beer, and humidity. Yet it has never let me down during performances nor have I ever needed to adjust the neck. Its biggest test came when I only slipped trying to catch a train and fell ON the guitar (packed only in a soft cover) - nothing happened but a minor crack in the lacquer. Still no news on the finish after 10 years of ownership so I would say its main construction is very robust.
I added a second strap button at the neck joint to have more room for the fretting hand, but this is was no success as then the guitar became unstable. The neck is too have to keep it balanced that way.
It is not very easy to tune (but once done so it stays that way) and therefore not suitable to change tunings often. The tuners are indeed crude as someone remarked. Furthermore, for no apparent reason the high E-tuner simply came apart after 3 years and I had it to have it replaced. Some of the frets have also worn pretty badly over the years and need replacement. Nevertheless, it always does what it needs to so it's very dependable.

Not dealt with.

This was my second ever guitar (after a crappy Spanish one of GDR make) and at the time I bought it knew very little about guitars. This happened to be the best new guitar I could afford at the time. I've used it on almost any occasion to play in ten years and it never let me down. However, I wouldn't buy exactly the same one if I lost it (provided you could find one, I've never seen anyone else in the Netherlands playing one). I'd go through the selection process all over again and choose something a little less spartan: a richer sound, easier to solo, and above all a different neck feel. This (triangular) shape still tends to send my thumb in the wrong direction when you try to do things a little harder than chord strumming. Less important, I still think it looks ugly with that strat head. I wonder what was the (failed) marketing logic behind that design. But since we shared so much time together, I'm very reluctant to let go of it!

My Fender Concord Acoustic was made probably in 1990 or 1991. I dont know if Fender stamped the heel of the neck for the serial, but on one of the braces,it says 0001991,(I think). Anywho,it has the Strat headstock and has a regular sized body.Nothing Fancy.....

Its great for a beginner. Kind of dull sounding now since I know what Martians and Taylors sound like....

Finish was good and no repairs have been done on it.....

This guuitar has been dropped,giged with, and done some studio time. The fingerboard is rough because of years of playing. No,its not for sale.

Never needed any.......

I have all kinds of guitars.Its irreplaceable because of the sentimental value. Its like when you lose your virginity.....nothings better than the first time. I now play a Tokai J200 copy.

Korean Made, 20 frets. I believe it was made in about 1990. Nice neck and strat head. Easy to play

Excellent sound. Mine has never been restrung in the 3 years I've had it, and it still sounds excellent. I've stuck a pick-up inside the soundhole for live use, and it sounds great.

The guitar was in perfect condition when I bought it 2nd hand. Only had one problem with one of the tuners, but that was a tiny tiny problem that took 30 seconds to fix. No other problems.

Very reliable. All hardware and finish very good and reliable

Never had to deal with them

Excellent acoustic for what I paid for it. Better than a lot of more recently made guitars I've played. It's very reliable and sounds excellent, all that you want from a guitar really

This is a 1990 Fender Concord acoutic. Blonde spruce top, 20 frets (14 useful), rosewood fretboard, chrome tuners, Korean made, part of the California series. The neck is wider than most Strat necks (and definitely wider than either my Gibson L6S or Fender Palomino). The tuners are fairly coarse but it does hold its tune well. The string attachment at the bridge could be a better design (pegs through the bridge) but it works.

I make it a habit to comparison shop whenever I go to a music shop (who doesn't) and I have found few acousitcs as balanced in tone as this one. Most acoustics are either tinny or bass-heavy; this is neither. It is a bright guitar, great for folk / country and useful for acoustic-played rock (unplugged?), but has enough low-end to talk to you when you need it. This is a loud guitar, partially due to its body size. I play it with light-gauge Matin Bronzewound strings and have no complaints. It isn't the fastest neck, but makes a good rhythm guitar that is capable of lead use as long as you don't need to go past the 12th fret very often.

The fit and finish are good for the price point. The glue holding the pick guard on came loose around the edge closest to the strings about 6 months after I got it, but it hasn't progressed since. The clearcoat is somewhat heavy (slight orangepeel in some places) but not objectionable. I did lower the bridge a little, and the 14th fret has dropped close to the high-E string, but other than that it has needed no adjustments.

This guitar is fairly solid. I have packed this thing around everywhere and have not had a problem. It has held up in live performances, and I trust it. After 10 years, there has been no degredation in its finish. The only thing I might do would be to replace the tuners, but only to get finer adjustment; the OE ones will stand live playing fine.

I have never contacted Fender about this guitar, as I have never needed to do so.

I love this guitar. I have had it for 10 years now, and I never get tired of playing it. It has the best-balanced tone of any acoustic under $1000 I have played. The finish is good for its price point. The only improvements to make are finer-resolution tuners and perhaps an acoustic pickup. If it were stolen I'd hunt for another in a heartbeat.