Fender F-3

1981, MIJ, 1 YR PRODUCTION, HIGH GLOSS FINISH ON LAMINATED WIDE GRAIN HONEY TONED SPRUCE TOP/MAHOGANY DREADNOUGHT BODY, BLACK BINDING, ROSEWOOD PLY HEADSTOCK/FRETBOARD, BLACK PICKGUARD. THICKER NECK THAN FENDER GEMINI, THIS GUITAR LOOKS LIKE A MARTIN D18 CLONE. I REPLACED THE CRAPPY TUNERS WITH GOLD GROVERS, AND I ALSO UPGRADED WITH DOUBLE COMPENSATED TUSQ SADDLE AND BLACK/ABALONE WIDE HEAD TUSQ PINS.

WITH THE GROVER/TUSQ UPGRADES AND 17 YEARS OF AGING/PLAYING, THIS GUITAR ROCKS! VERY HARMONIC AND PUNCHY, BUT LOW RESONANCE DUE TO THE LAMINATED TOP/BODY.

I LOWERED THE UPGRADED TUSQ SADDLE TO MY 3/16" COMFORTABILITY FACTOR AND IT HASN'T BUDGED SINCE. HIGH GLOSS FINISH THAT WITHSTANDS THE BEATING OF BEING MY DAILY PLAYER AND TRAVEL GUITAR.

THIS GUITAR IS BUILT LIKE A TANK!!!! AS RECOMMENDED WITH ALL GUITARS, I LOOSEN THE STRINGS BEFORE AIR TRAVEL OR ANTICIPATED COLD TEMPERATURE TRAVEL. IT IS THE MOST TRUSTED OF ALL MY GUITARS AND WILL PROBABLY OUTLIVE ME. NO NEED FOR A BACKUP WHEN I JAM WITH THIS BABY. NOT THE BEST SOUND RANGE WHEN COMPARED TO MY MARTIN/GIBSON/YAMAHA SOLID WOOD ACOUSTICS, BUT IT WILL NEVER BREAK DOWN.

I'VE CONTACTED FENDER ARIZONA A FEW TIMES, AND THEY ARE AWESOME.

IVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 20 YEARS AND COLLECT GUITARS. CURRENTLY I OWN:

1971 YAMAHA FG230 (12 STRING)(TUSQ SADDLE/HORN PINS UPGRADE)
1981 FENDER F-3 (TUSQ SADDLE/PINS UPGRADE)
1991 TAKAMINE JASMINE S-46 (WHITE)(TUSQ SADDLE/PINS UPGRADE)
1999 FENDER SQUIRE STAGEMASTER HSH STANDARD (USA PICKUPS UPGRADE)
2000 MARTIN D15 (BONE SADDLE/PINS UPGRADE)
2003 YAMAHA DW15 (UK EDITION)(BONE SADDLE/TUSQ PINS UPGRADE)
2006 GIBSON EC SPECIAL (J180) (TUSQ PINS UPGRADE)
2006 GIBSON EPIPHONE LES PAUL ULTRA (USA PICKUPS UPGRADE)
2006 MICHAEL KELLY STAGE ROSE E (TUSQ SADDLE/PINS UPGRADE)

THIS IS THE ONLY FENDER ACOUSTIC I WOULD OWN AND HAVE ENJOYED PLAYING. IF LOST, I WOULD ONLY HAVE ANOTHER F-3 IF I HAD TO CHOOSE FROM THE FENDER ACOUSTIC LINE.

Bought this Guitar several years back and the neck action plays like a electric.

For a medium class guitar it sounds great. I use for general jamming around and dont worry about it like I do with my D-28.

The guitar is well made and very tight all around, they stand up well and becoming quite desirable as they pulled out the stops with these early japanese F series guitars to show they build abilities.

Like a rock, wouldn't hesitate to take out anywhere and mic it up.

Dont know, just string it and play it.

It's a straight forward no thrills dreadnought guitar - Mahogany with a spruce top I seem to remember reading somwhere. No electronics

Originally I found the sound quite basey but don't so much nowadays - perhaps it's changed or after playing it for 24 years, I've got used to it. The guitar has aged very nicely in my opinion and I like the tone very much - has to be said that I do help this along by putting fairly decent strings on it (currently Martin SP)

Out of the shop, the action was terribley high. Quite how a guy who'd only been playing for 6 months (me) managed to choose this is beyond me. I made a new bridge for it - much lower and it worked a treat. This has been my only Fender induced problem with this guitar.

Well I've used it pretty constantly for 24 years and it's got fairly mighty knocks over the years but on the whole it's a tough old beast and is wearing well - when I see the holes that some of the guys in the pub manage to wear in their guitars, it's wearing very well.
Last year one of the dots fell out and there's the expected 20 odd year fret wear (I can't see it doing another 20 years as my main guitar without some work in this department).
Well done Fender here (it might even be bullet proof)

Even I don't have the cheek to take it back to the shop when one of the dots falls out after 23 years

This is my first and main guitar. I like it and it's become my sound. Now if somebody gives me a ??1000 I will go and get something better but I'm not going to get rid of my old F 03 and it'll always get the odd tune here and there.
Absolute bargin for what I remember being a fairly inexpensive guitar. Worn well and still has a fair bit of milage in it

Nice dreadnaught style. Simple, like a Martin D-18. Other reviewers seemed to be complaining about it's simplicity, by comparing this little gem to say a D-45 or similar instrument. They are wrong! This is a soildly built high gloss finish guitar. It is built like a tank and stands up as well as any 27 year old guitar I have seen. I like this guitar alot.
The Mahogany neck is thin and the action, once lowered a bit, is fast and easy. FYI...I have had to lower saddles on many used and brand new Martins, Gibsons and other high end instruments for many customers, over the years, so berating an instrument because it needs this common adjustment is simply an act of limited knowledge and/or not understanding of the acoustic guitar in general.

As I said, I have been professionally repairing guitars for over 40 years and have had the oportunity to play far more instruments than I actually own, and in the under $250 category, this guitar is easily a 9 out of 10. The tone is very nicely balanced, with both deep bass well rounded mids and crisp highs.
I play everything from Country to Acid Rock and have played this particular guitar for all these styles and it never let's me down. You just can't beat the tone for the buck.

Straight from the factory I would have to say these Japanese acoustics show all the attention to detail that all Japanese guitars have shown since arounnd the time this one was made, "1981". It looks very professional in every aspect. The neck is straight and everything fits as tightly as it should.
My one personal upgrade was to put Grover tuners on it. The tuners it came with were o.k. but not up to snuff as the rest of the guitar. With the Grovers on her, she is a giant killer!

It's 27 years old, I am the second owner and I have played it outside in the summer here in Texas and also in the cold of a Boston Autumn and she shows no signs of failure anywhere. As I said, this is a Tank!

I never have had need to ask Fender about this guitar, but overall Fender has excellent support for their guitars. I tell a lie. I did try to date this one through Fender's website and found out they were only made in Japan in 1981.

I own Martins, Gibsons, a Taylor and a Collings along with many off brand and weird collectable guitars and as far as an inexpensive well built and great toned instrument, this one rates with top honors.

This is a great beginner to mid level capability guitar. Has a nice finish in comparison to much more expensive guitars. Tuners are basic, but stand up.

I had always felt this was a beginners guitar. I "graduated" to guitars worth 10 times the original purchase of the Fender F-3, and didn't play my old fender for a couple of years. One day I picked it back up, put new strings on it and.....wow. Great tone, and action to compare with guitars worth 10 times the price

I purchased the guitar at a well respected shop and have never had to have anything adjusted on it. Proper care over the years I'm sure has helped.

I've played the guitar live a number of times, (once I re-discovered it), and have no concerns with it. The guitar is 26 years old and no hardware problems. I've considered putting new Machine heads on it, but it's not broke, why fix it.

n/a

This is my first guitar. In that sense I have a special fondness for it. I've had a Martin, which I got rid of, I didn't like it. It was expensive, had a poor finish, and tonal qualities sucked (sacrilage, this is gonna upset people). I have an Ovation Balladeer, I have a Takamine 2000 Ltd edition, great live stage guitars.
My old Fender is a good solid guitar and I can always rely on it.

Big old Martin ugly dreadnought copy as described previously

It's got an average 'cheap guitar' sound - not that responsive or vibrant - just okayish... and a little joyless.

This was sold in the bad old punitive days when guitar manufacturers did not think it necessary to make their acoustic guitars even remotely playable. The action was an absolute digrace - miles off the fretboard - and I had to sand 3mm off the saddle and straighten the neck with the truss rod. However it now plays fine (if a little stiffly) after mods.

Oh it's lasted 25 years so I suppose it's okay.

It's okay but a bit dull. It's bulky and ugly. I wouldn't miss it if it was stolen. Give it to your kids to thrash and kick around now and again. Good for camp fires. Maybe for firewood...!

The previous listing has all the details of construction, etc. Mine sounds exactly the same. I purchased mine in 1984 through the PX while serving in (then) W. Germany for the US Army. Like the previous writer, I'd say not a lot of features.

sounds great - I've played mine virtually every day since I bought it 20 years ago! It sounds better every year. I use martin marquis medium gauge strings. what a great (cheap) guitar.

i have had the action adjusted once in 20 years. plays great, sounds great. this is a nice guitar for a cheap fender.

this F-3 looks like new and I've played it every day for 20 years, traveled with it, gotten drunk with it and even let someone else play it - once. I have not had one problem with it - ever.

n/a

I've played guitar for 33 years and can play/sing pretty much any popular folk/country/easy listening song you can name. Never played professionally or semi-professionally, just for friends and family. I have several guitars, bass guitar, keyboard and do some home recording. I can always rely on my fender for an honest sound.

Made one year only - 1981, in Japan, I believe. 21 frets, 14 under the body. Natural spruce top, mahogany back and sides. "Dot" inlays. No electronics. Chrome tuners. As much in the way of features as you'll get with any acoustic guitar, I guess.

I took this guitar in trade for $25.00 worth of a poker game. After paying my local guitar tech about $50.00 to lower the action, straighten the neck and give it the "once over," I had a great sounding instrument. I play all types of music, from Hank Williams to Johnny Cash, to the Beatles, Stone Temple Pilots and the Sex Pistols. Acoustically, I lean toward Beatles, Eagles, Seals & Crofts, America, etc. This instrument handles all these types of music well. Many guitarists have told me that it plays like and dream, and is the easiest-playing acoustic they've ever played. Although I attribute this more to the wizardry of my guitar tech than to the nature of the instrument itself, the compliment is well-taken. The sound is not the "biggest," but is more than adequate. It's a pretty guitar, and it does have the "Fender" logo (although Fender acoutics have ZERO vintage or collectible value).

As previously mentioned, the action was lousy when I got the guitar, but my tech solved that problem to make it one of the easiest-playing guitars I've ever used. No buzzing anywhere. Intonation is very good, stays in tune. Finish has held up very well, despite periodic abuse on the road.

I play this guitar live all the time. Hardware and finish seem like they'll hold up. Strap buttons are solid. I can certainly depend on it, and I never gig with a backup (like to live on the edge).

Never dealt with Fender, don't see any reason why I ever would.

I've been playing for about 23 years. My electrics are a 1981 Les Paul and a '70s SG copy. I play my acoustic through the PA system, generally. If it were stolen or lost, I don't think I'd be able to buy it again, because Fender only made it for one year, and I doubt that I'd find another one. Overall, I think I got a great deal for $25.00 in poker chips!