Fender DG-22CE

I'm guessing this guitar was made in 2000, possibly 2001, but then what does that matter. These are Korean made guitars, laminated flamed maple top and sides that is simply a knock out! A definate 10 for looks alone! The Fishman pickup is extremely nice, well made and the controls allow just about any tone you could wish for out of an acoustic/electric.

This guitar is replacing a Takamine G240, which my son has been learning on. The acoustic bass responce on this Fender guitar is just great, but plugged in, it's astounding! Onboard control of bass, mids & highs allows for great sound equalization. No problem with the sound department at all!

I would rate this guitars fit & finish with allot of higher priced instruments, easily. Look at the neck body fit, no cracks or obvious seams. The top, sides and back are all finished flawlessly. We had our pick of three (3) of these guitars the day we bought this one. All three had straight necks, the fret wires were well finished and very smooth, they were all very well set up, the tuners all seemed non binding, with a nice slow ratio for fine tuning. We tuned all three and checked intonation, which all three passed with flying colors. The decision came down to personal preference in apperance.

I guess we'll have to see about this one. My son takes pretty good care of his intruments, not as maticulous as I am, but he will put this guitar to the test!

Never had any dealing with them, probably never will.

We spoke to a few different salesmen before selecting this guitar, and the general concensous was that a cedar topped guitar may have been a better choice for overall sound quality. However, the cedar topped guitars that were in this price range were not even close to the quality of craftsmanship of the Fender. The difference in sound quality was not that overly apparent, at least not enough to sacrifice the quality. If you don't know by now, most all major guitar manfacturers low line guitars are manufactured by Samick in Korea. The main difference is the quality level the manufacturer is willing to accept, and Fender has obviously done a great job at setting high standards of production on their acoustic models. I highly recommend these guitars if your looking in the $400 to $450 price range!

It's got the same features as every other 22CE (I'll save you some reading). I have the one with the "blond" finish, I dont' know what else you would call it. Gold tuners and strap buttons . . . etc.

I love the sound of this guitar. It is what immediately won me over. In the store it had a very rich, full sound. I play everything from country to Christian praise music to Dave Matthews Band . . . .
I think this guitar sounds great with or without being plugged in. When I play through an amp or a PA system or anything, I always turn the high part of the equalizer up and the mid's down just to suit my personal taste. I think the strings do more for the sound than anything. I use D'Addario mediums right now. I love the sound and feel of Elixers, but they're more expensive and I break them a lot more. (I've been told I play too hard.) :o)

I really like the action. No buzzing or anything. The finish is beautiful, too. My only complaint is that if you don't keep your tuners wiped clean, then the oil from your fingers will make them turn silver (which several people have commented on. most think it's kinda cool to have multi colored tuners) The finish holds up REALLY well to scratches and getting banged around. I've had mine for 2 years now and I bang it around alot and I dont' have ANY scratches on it AT ALL. but anyway, I wish the tuners would stay gold, so I'm gonna give it a 9.

VERY durable and reliable. I have used it in at least 50 performances without a backup and I've had zero problems (other than breaking strings which is my own fault for playing so hard).

I have no experience with Customer Support
haven't needed them

I've been playing for several years now and this is by far my favorite acoustic guitar I have ever owned (and played for under $1000). If it were lost or stolen, I would buy another one again as soon as I had the money (even if I had the money for a more expensive guitar). I compared it with several other guitars before buying. Even Taylors, but with price factored in, this one was the only one for me.

Natural finish is one of the best I've seen - woodgrain especially. Gold hardware, 22 frets.

Unplugged, the sound is great, but plugged in, there is too much bass. After some tweaking, I got a good sound out of it.

I found that the strings are very hard to press down. After switching from my previous acoustic guitar, my fingers were getting sore after about 2 hours of playing, which was temporary, but annoying. Absolutely no flaws in the finish or hardware.

After solving the pickup, it is very good for live performances. Stays in tune well, sounds good, looks even better.

Very beautiful playing piece. Mine is red. It is made of flame top maple. Very nice. Has good electronics and the cutaway was something i was wanting.

It sounds ok now, but when i first got it the sound was really bright. After trying several different types of strings, i settled on Dean Markley's Vintage Bronze for a mellower, less-bright sound.
When i play chords, i here a type of chirp that is annoying.
I tune my guitars down half a step, but i don't think that would cause the chirping. It sounds good though overall. I don't play it too much plugged in cause my amp has been dead for awhile and im looking to replace it. It sounds good plugged in though.

The action was high. I adjusted it a little, but is still just barely too high, but not worth messing with. I bought it used and so there were pic marks from excessive strumming and a few dings, but no big deal. It has a lot better action than a lot of low end guitars. The finish is very durable

Ive heard a few people playing this model guitar and it sounded good. I could depend on it, but i would rather have a jumbo - personal preference for performing. Plugged in it sounds good. i always play mine unplugged and it sounds good to except for the chirp and barely too high action. It is durable and don't have too much trouble with it staying in tune unless a change in temperature or weather - to be expected with any guitar.

This guitar is a good deal for the price. It offers good features and quality and a fairly low price. I got a really good deal for $250 - which is a steal. If i had not had the opportunity to buy it that low or if it were stolen i would have gotten an Ovation or some jumbo. Either way it would've cost much more. I like this guitar alot and am looking to purchase an amp to play more plugged in stuff. I am saving to buy a better guitar, but i am going to hang on to this one for sure.

Made in Korea, 1999

Frets: 20

Laminated maple top

active electronics,Fishman acoustic matrix

Body, laminated maple

neck maple, fingerboard, rosewood

Finish gloss

Body style, dreadnought cutaway

Tuners, gold diecast

no accessories

I played three different guitars and the sound was different for all three. Sound ranged from a very nice full bottom and clear top, to a weak bottom with a indistinct top.

The laminated body was striking in appearance, but obviously inconsistent since there was such a large difference in sound from one guitar to the next. Interestingly, after trying out a guitar on a Monday and going back to buy it on a Thursday, a rise in humidity cause the neck to warp a bit making it unplayable from the 12th fret to the 16th. As well, of the three Fender DG22CE guitars in the store _all three_ had neck problems.

I bought a DG22CE, but took it back. It appears they have stability problems with respect to humidity.

I wrote Fender but never received a reply

I've been playing 20+ years, own a Ibanez 540HS, 63 Stratocaster, Crafter GAE-15 (bought instead of the Fender DG22ce) and a Taylor 510ce.

Made in Korea, an all-laminate flamed maple acoustic/electric dreadnaught with Fishman pickup and preamp. Gloss finish with fake gold-plated tuners. Very, very pretty sunburst top. The stupid aesthetics of the guitar won me over. The color scheme of the guitar is really good.

It is not a great acoustic guitar. It doesn't resonate well or sound great in any way. But it does sound great when you plug it in. The maple doesn't really affect the sound because it is just plywood. But something about the guitar makes it sound really good plugged in. The highs come through more than the lows. Don't get this guitar if you are planning to play it acoustically.

The action is a bit high. The looks of the guitar stands out, but upon closer inspection, you notice a lot of less-than-top-notch worksmanship. Its all frills without much substance.

This guitar stands up to banging really well. I mean, its an all-laminate guitar for heaven's sake. But the pickups and the battery case gave me some trouble. The battery kept on getting stuck in the springs. And sometimes the pickup would just die on me for one reason or another. I used it live a lot for like five months. I had a backup, but mainly just in case I broke a string. But the guitar did give me a lot of headaches at times.

Never dealt with Fender except once when I sent an inquiry via email. They never responded. No warranty that I am aware of.

The thing that makes me mad about this guitar is the quality of the tuners. It's supposed to be gold plated, but the gold color faded in about a month. It just kinda wiped off as I touched it with my fingers. It sucks. The guitar is cheaply made. I would never buy an acoustic from Fender again. If you are considering one from Fender, I strongly urge you not to. Go do yourself a favor and get a Larrivee or one of the low-end Martins if you're strapped for money. I would recommend a Martin DXME if you are thinking of buying an all-laminate guitar with a pickup for a reasonable price.

The DG-22CE is a dreadnought type guitar with a single cutaway. Mine is a 1999 model with a beautiful translucent "Blue Burst" finish. The most impressive features include flamed maple top, back and sides. The neck is also maple with a rosewood fingerboard and dot inlays. The bridge has a compensating type saddle. It also comes equipped with the Fishman Acoustic Matrix pickup system and onboard preamp with a VOLUME knob and a MID-FREQ control knob (for the 600 - 1.2k range), along with a 3-band EQ and battery check light. I originally purchased a DG-22CE with the "Sunburst" finish (I consider it more of a "Honeyburst") which is also fabulous looking. Midas-touch gold tuners top off this attractively priced, quality instrument. I added a strap button at the neck heel, but decided not to dock any points for this since I'm very happy with all it has to offer.

For the price range ($500) its sound quality is impressive. I was actually hoping to get a Gibson J-45 or J-160 type guitar, but they are far too expensive. The thing that tickles me is that I don't feel like I "settled" when I chose the Fender. I also tried several brands including Ibanez, Epiphone and Seagull, among others, with similar features vs. price, and the Fender was heads above the rest. Acoustically, the tone is clear and precise, a little more on the bright side than bass, but good all around tone. It is very natural sounding and warm. The intonation is also superb on mine. It has re-acquainted me with the joy of playing acoustics again and I have been equally inspired as well. While I can usually be found picking up one of my electrics in the past, I now find myself reaching for the DG-22CE more and more these days.
As for the Fishman system, I find it to be very satisfactory. This is indeed high praise coming from me, since I don't care much for pickups on acoustic guitars (I prefer miking over pickups whenever possible) but due to the places I play, using a pickup is much more convenient and consistent for me, since I'm also the soundman. I use a wireless system in order to walk around the room as the way of setting up my sound. I also like the fact that I can run it through my effects board (Boss TU-2 tuner, DOD FX84 compressor, Danelectro Cool Cat chorus, Boss TR-2 Tremolo and Boss DM-2 Delay) which is what I most often do. I liked the Fishman system much better than both the Epiphone and Ibanez. The Seagull was nice, but it was made of cedar, which I wasn't totally comfortable with.
Of course, I didn't test every single guitar around, so I don't suggest you take my word for it. Since there seems to be a trade off any way you look at it, I find I am very happy with the choice I made. So far I have not found a better value in the $500 dollar price range. Guitar World also listed the DG-22CE as one of their "Best acoustics for under $1000".

My first DG-22CE (the "Sunburst") was very nice, but after taking it home I noticed that it was equipped with the Fender piezo/preamp system. This baffled everyone (even the guys at Fender). They seem to think that it was an older version, before they started using the Fishman electronics. There was nothing actually wrong with it, I was just expecting to get the Fishman system, so I decided to return it for the "Blue Burst" model.
My new DG-22CE came straight from the factory ("Blue Burst" was not available at the store). The main thing I noticed was that the action was a bit on the high side. I brought it to my guitar guy and he fixed that problem right away. Now it plays great, all the way up the neck. I also had him install a strap button on the neck heel at the same time. The only other thing I noticed was a small discoloration on the side of the neck near the headstock, which is probably a small amount of glue seepage, but looks more like a finger smudge or something. I keep catching myself trying to wipe it off, even though I know it won't come off. Otherwise, all is well.
One other note: the high-gloss "Blue Burst" finish is so shiny that any finger smudge or sweaty arm residue shows up perfectly under well-lit situations. The darkness of the hue probably has a lot to do with this phenomenon (I don't recall the "Sunburst" having as much of a problem with this). On the upside, I find myself cleaning it more often than I might have otherwise. It's not that big of a deal - just keep it in mind when you go to make your color choice.

Nothing has fallen off it yet. It impresses me as being very sturdy and well made.

Fender was very helpful in getting me the help I need at the very time I needed that aforementioned help.

I have been a guitarist for about 20 years. I also own a Fender Telecaster, an Epiphone Casino and a Carvin DC200 (all electric guitars). I've also owned Gibson and other Les Paul type guitars. My main amps include a Mesa/Boogie Rect-O-Verb and a vintage '65 Ampeg SB-12 Portaflex.
My old acoustic (a Takamine) was on its last legs, it had a cracked bridge and its intonation was way off. I had lost all enthusiasm for playing it and stuck it in the closet. Then one day I got the bright idea to trade it in and thus started my search for its replacement. No one was more astonished than I was when a Fender became my new acoustic. I probably wouldn't have even given it a chance except that I purchased my first Fender a couple years ago (the Telecaster) and it has been a real delight. I've been paying very close attention to Fender ever since and I am convinced that the quality of their products is at an all time high. I'm not saying go out and buy everything that's Fender, but if you're anything like me and choose to compare the performance of different brands before buying, then give them a try, you may find a Fender to be the best overall choice, I did... twice!

This is an accoustic/electric made in 1998(?) in Korea. Its dreadnought style with flamed maple top/sides and maple neck... Fretboard is rosewood. Gold diecast tuners. Really beautiful with this guitar. I have the natural (blond) color and it looks really good with it. 20 frets. The pickups are fishman accoustic matrix. 3 band eq and a tone nob, along with volume nob.Plugged in it sounds pretty good. It doesnt really sound at all like an electric but it sounds pretty good. Has single cutaway..

The sound is really pretty good. More treble than some accoustics, but its very pretty. Very bright. Very loud guitar. I play mostly rock/accoustic rock (counting crows, beatles, dog's eye view)..nothing very hard or metal. For those it sounds great. Only thing I have problems with is when I try and play songs with power chords and of course, it doesnt sound the best.I guess that means I need an electric guitar too.

Action from factory was pretty good, but a little low because the low E string buzzes sometimes. I would make it a little higher, but its not that big of a deal and doesnt happen all the time. Pickups sounded great from factory. The finish is really beautiful. Perfect. Most beatiful accoustic guitar I've seen. There was also a red one at where I bought it, but was not impressed. The blond (natural) is really beautiful.

Seems pretty durable to me. I've knocked it on the lamp near where I keep it many times and it looks just like when i bought it. Finish seems very strong and durable also...
Would definately use it at a gig without a backup. Never had any problems with it yet.

Haven't dealt with them, but Im sure some of the other reviews talk about Fender's customer support. Has lifetime limited warranty (whatever that means...??)

If it were stolen or lost I'd definately get another one... Love the bright sound. Love the finish and color and gold tuners. Wish there was some way to make it sound more like an electric guitar when plugged in, but maybe thats why there are electric guitars...
When I bought it I basically went to guitar center and played every accoustic guitar there. Then eliminated ones that were out of my price range (eg some of those $5k martins :) and decided on this one.
Darn good guitar. would definately reccomend it.