Introduction
The Fender FA-235E Concert is an affordable acoustic-electric guitar that delivers classic Fender tone and playability. This concert-sized acoustic features solid sitka spruce top paired with laminated mahogany back and sides for balanced tone. It comes equipped with Fishman electronics including a preamp system, tuner, and controls for amplifying your acoustic tone on stage.
With an easy-playing neck, comfortable body size, and Fender’s signature headstock design, the FA-235E brings many high-end appointments to the budget-friendly price point. This guitar punches above its weight class in terms of features and construction.
In this in-depth FA-235E review, we’ll take a close look at the specs, sound quality, playability, and overall value this guitar provides. We’ll help you determine if the Fender FA-235E Concert is the right affordable acoustic-electric for your needs.
Overview of the FA-235E Concert
Body style and shape
The Fender FA-235E Concert features a concert body style, which is slightly smaller than a dreadnought but bigger than a parlor or mini acoustic. The concert shape provides a comfortable feel and balances projection with manageability.
Specifically, the FA-235E has a length of 41 inches, a width of 15 inches, and a depth of 4.13 inches. This gives it a medium depth and shoulder width that many players find appealing. The concert shape allows easy access to the upper frets while still offering full and balanced tone.
Tonewoods used
The FA-235E Concert uses solid Sitka spruce for its top wood. Sitka spruce is a popular choice for acoustic guitar tops thanks to its balanced tone with crisp highs and tight lows. It helps the FA-235E project well and have nice resonance.
The back and sides are made from laminated mahogany, which provides warmth and sweetness to balance the spruce top. Mahogany is an affordable choice that still offers good tone.
Color options
The Fender FA-235E comes in three different finish options: Natural, Moonlight Burst, and 3-Color Sunburst. The Natural finish showcases the look of the solid spruce top. The burst finishes add some stylish flair with a stained mahogany perimeter and accent colors around the soundhole.
Neck and Playability
The FA-235E Concert features a C-shaped maple neck with a 25.3" scale length. The nut width measures 1.69" which provides a comfortable playing feel. The neck has a smooth satin finish that allows for fast, fluid playing across the rosewood fretboard.
The neck profile on the FA-235E is designed for optimal playability. It has a modern C-shape that fits nicely in the hand. The thickness provides good support while still feeling fast and agile during lead lines and solos. The profile is a good middle ground – not too chunky but not super thin either.
In terms of feel, the satin finish on the back of the neck promotes effortless shifting up and down the neck. The smooth finish creates a natural, raw wood sensation. The rosewood fingerboard is nicely finished providing a great foundation for both chording and single-note runs.
The headstock utilizes Fender’s classic 3+3 tuner configuration. This staggered layout helps provide better string tension across the nut leading to increased tuning stability. The open-gear tuners keep the vintage vibe while still offering precise tuning control. Overall the neck is designed for optimal contemporary playability while still retaining some classic Fender flair.
Electronics and Hardware
The FA-235E Concert is equipped with Fishman electronics, featuring their Classic 4 system with an undersaddle piezo pickup and preamp. This gives the guitar excellent amplification and makes it stage-ready right out of the box.
The Fishman preamp provides clear and balanced reproduction of the guitar’s natural acoustic tone. It has an onboard volume control and tone control knob, allowing you to shape the EQ for the ideal amplified sound. There is also a built-in tuner, which is extremely convenient when playing live.
The pickup blends well with the guitar’s resonance, capturing the nuances of your playing dynamics nicely. It translates both fingerpicking and strumming well through an amplifier or PA system. The undersaddle transducer allows the top to vibrate naturally, unaffected by the pickup.
To combat feedback on stage, Fishman included a phase switch which can help reduce problematic frequencies. The preamp requires a 9V battery or you can use the AC adapter jack for direct power.
The guitar has a synthetic bone nut and saddle, both cut for optimal string spacing and height. It features Fender’s Viking bridge design, with compensation for accurate intonation across the fretboard. The tuning machines are Fender’s own sealed-gear tuners, which do a solid job holding the strings in tune.
Overall the electronics and hardware on the FA-235E are high quality for its class, enhancing playability and making this an extremely versatile gigging guitar. The Fishman system captures the guitar’s tone very well, while providing the controls needed for stage use.
Unplugged Acoustic Tone
The unplugged acoustic tone of the Fender FA-235E Concert is warm and balanced, with a pleasing resonance across the tonal spectrum. The concert-sized body produces a focused and articulate voice, though slightly less booming projection compared to a larger dreadnought.
The solid sitka spruce top contributes to the brightness and clarity in the high end, while the mahogany back and sides add low-mid warmth and richness. There’s a vibrant snap and sparkle to the treble notes, with balanced sustain and decay. Chords ring out with fullness and body.
When strummed, the FA-235E has enough punch and volume to hold its own in an acoustic jam session, though fingerpickers may want a bit more boom and low-end power. The midrange-focused tone allows the individual notes to shine through clearly during intricate fingerstyle playing.
The responsive dynamics allow for excellent control over tonal variation based on playing style and attack. Digging in more aggressively produces a bolder and louder voice, while a light touch elicits more delicate and nuanced tones. Overall the FA-235E strikes a nice balance between articulation, warmth and balanced resonance across the tonal spectrum.
Plugged-In Amplified Tone
When plugged into an acoustic amp or PA system, the Fender FA-235E’s Fishman electronics accurately translate the guitar’s natural acoustic tone. The undersaddle piezo pickup combined with the Fishman preamp produces a balanced, full-range amplified sound.
There’s a crisp high end and pronounced midrange that captures the projection and resonance of the mahogany and spruce. The amplified tone retains the FA-235E’s dynamics – you can hear the guitar bloom as you dig into the strings. Palm muting sounds tight while open chords ring out with sustain.
The Fishman preamp provides some EQ shaping to dial in an ideal live tone. Adding a bit of treble brings out the crisp attack while pulling back the low mids helps reduce boominess. The anti-feedback controls also come in handy for taming squeals on stage. Overall the electronics package allows the FA-235E to sound natural yet cut through a mix in a live setting.
Build Quality and Craftsmanship
Fender has a long history of quality guitar construction, and the FA-235E Concert continues that tradition. The guitar is made in Fender’s factories in Mexico and Indonesia, where skilled luthiers assemble each instrument.
Attention to detail is evident throughout the FA-235E. The precisely cut bone nut provides clean note definition, while the compensated bone saddle helps with intonation across the strings. The fretwork is cleanly executed, with smoothly finished fret ends that won’t scratch your hands during playing. The binding and purfling are cleanly glued with no messy excess glue or gaps.
The setup and intonation on the FA-235E out of the box is impressive for the price point. The action is comfortably low and buzz-free, with a neck relief that makes chords and single notes ring clearly. The intonation is accurately set, with the saddles properly positioned for correct tuning up the neck. This precision helps the FA-235E play and sound its best right away, without the need for a professional setup. Fender’s quality control process ensures each guitar meets their standards before shipping.
Overall, Fender’s expertise is on display in the FA-235E’s construction and attention to detail. While not a hand-crafted boutique acoustic, it delivers reliable playability and quality at an affordable price point.
Value for Money
The Fender FA-235E Concert offers excellent value for the price, providing professional features and quality construction typically found on more expensive instruments. When comparing it to other acoustic-electric guitars in the $300 to $500 range, the FA-235E stands out for delivering impressive value.
Compared to similarly priced models from Yamaha, Epiphone, and other brands, the FA-235E punches above its weight class. The all-solid wood construction using solid Sitka spruce on the top along with laminated mahogany back and sides produces warm, balanced tone expected from more costly guitars. This tonal quality combined with the Fishman electronics makes the FA-235E a versatile workhorse guitar ready for stage and studio use.
At this price point, it’s rare to find a guitar with a solid wood top, let alone one with a reputable electronic system from Fishman. The addition of the Fishman Classic 4 pickup and preamp allows players to amplify their sound with the excellent acoustic tone intact. Having these pro-level electronics on board significantly raises the value of the guitar in this price tier.
Beyond the tonewoods and electronics, the FA-235E offers excellent playability and craftsmanship from Fender’s factories in Mexico and Indonesia. Attention to construction quality and setup results in an easy playing, great sounding guitar right out of the box.
For guitarists wanting Fender’s famous style and sound in an affordable package, the FA-235E Concert represents a superb option that outperforms expectations. Overall, it’s an impressive value considering the top-shelf specs and versatile acoustic-electric performance.
Who the FA-235E is Best Suited For
The FA-235E Concert is an ideal choice for a few key types of players.
Beginner to Intermediate Players
This guitar makes for a fantastic step-up instrument for newer players looking to upgrade from their very first budget acoustic. The smooth neck, slim profile, and comfortable concert body size mean the FA-235E is enjoyable and easy to play even for less experienced guitarists. It has enough projection for practicing but isn’t too loud for home use. The onboard electronics provide a path to playing live gigs down the road. Overall it’s a versatile pick that will continue to be rewarding even as playing skills progress.
Guitarists Wanting Fender on a Budget
Players who love the Fender vibe but need to stick to a tighter budget will find a lot of appeal with the FA-235E Concert. It delivers that familiar Fender tone, look and feel at a price that’s easier to swallow than a more premium American-made Fender acoustic. Owners can enjoy the Fender pedigree and brand reputation that comes with the logo on the headstock. For guitarists into classic Americana styles like country, folk, or blues, this affordable Fender is a great fit.
Players Needing an Affordable Stage-Ready Guitar
With its Fishman electronics, the FA-235E Concert provides an affordable way for gigging singer-songwriters to get a stage-ready acoustic-electric guitar. The onboard preamp and pickup system make it easy to get quality amplified tones through a PA system or acoustic guitar amp. The guitar’s smaller concert body fights feedback on loud stages. An onboard tuner makes it quick and convenient to tune up between songs. The FA-235E delivers professional features and Fender quality ideal for performing live, all at a budget price point.
Alternatives to Consider
Other guitars in the Fender FA series
The Fender FA-235E Concert sits right in the middle of Fender’s FA acoustic line in terms of price and features. Those looking for a more affordable option can consider the FA-115, which has a smaller dreadnought body and comes without electronics. The FA-135CE is comparable to the FA-235E but lacks the solid spruce top. Players wanting to step up in quality can look at the all-solid FA-345CE, which has rosewood back and sides.
Comparable Yamaha, Epiphone models
The Yamaha FG800 is a popular acoustic in a similar price range known for its playability and balanced tone. Epiphone’s DR-100 is a good budget-friendly dreadnought alternative. At the next level, the Epiphone AJ-220SCE offers cutaway body access and electronics comparable to the FA-235E. Ultimately the FA-235E holds up well against others in its class and delivers great bang-for-buck.