Hello there, back again with another acoustic guitar review for you! This time, we will be looking at a Fender CD-60 dreadnought acoustic guitar.
This model is still in production, however, there are a couple of things that changed with the instrument. Currently, you can find CD-60s at Thomann in bundled packages just like Ibanez V50NJP & VC50NJP featuring a gig bag, tuner, strap and picks.
During almost 3 years of my guitar testing, I had the chance to play Fender CD-60s almost every week with a couple of occurrences. Fender CD-60 was one of the top sellers of any day among its strong competitors. It was because of being very affordable, offered high value and also very consistent in terms of quality.
Musical instruments consumers usually expect flawlessly built instruments, however, most of them expect this to happen at the very entry-level instruments too.
In reality, for most beginner-level guitars, you may come across cosmetic defects and more critically; structural problems such as an unstable neck, badly placed frets, nuts and bridges. Since acoustic guitars are way more challenging to apply fixes post-factory, it usually causes the new beginner to lose excitement and even give up playing the guitar.
This is one of the main reasons why you should always go for the brands that really invest in their quality assurance processes.
Here on this blog, I’m trying to promote them as they carry the lowest risk for the buyer and I never write good reviews about brands that don’t really care about their products.
Fortunately, Fender is miles away from the competition and has always been able to deliver excellent value with its products while keeping them consistent!
Fender CD-60 is considered to be one of the best beginner acoustic guitars and I can tell you openly that among thousands of guitars, we tested when Fender CD-60s came in, we knew the testing would be a breeze!
Fender CD-60 Review & Sound Demo (no talking)
Before I list the tech specs, let me share some of the Fender CD-60 review videos here.
In this first video, you will see a Fender CD-60 Sunburst colour option played by Selçuk Uzunhasanoğlu. The audio was recorded with a Rode NT5 matched pair.
As you can hear from the demo, it is capable of doing everything an acoustic guitar can do! Let’s have a look at the tech specs briefly here below. Here’s an important set of information and changes you will find in this table. Fender CD-60 has been changed in terms of some of the components such as the back & sides and fingerboard & bridge material.
So if you want to purchase one, you will probably get the current version as stated below.
Fender CD-60 vs Fender CD-60 V3 Tech Specs
| Model | Fender CD-60 (Old Version) | Fender CD-60 V3 (Current Version) |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Dreadnought | Dreadnought |
| Top | Laminated spruce | Laminated spruce |
| Back & Sides | Nato | Laminated Mahogany |
| Neck | Nato | Nato |
| Fretboard & Bridge | Rosewood | Walnut |
| Number of Frets | 20 | 20 |
| Scale | 643 mm | 643 mm |
| Nut Width | 43 mm (1.69") | 43 mm (1.69") |
| Strings | Fender Dura-Tone Coated 80/20 | Fender 880L |
I wouldn’t say these changes give this guitar a completely new vibe or timbre, but I would say a couple of per cent of change in total. And I’m not saying it’s better or worse. Most of the time, manufacturers have to change components due to restrictions in tonewoods just like when CITES hit the guitar world. You can check out the price and availability below.
Before I finish, I would also like to share another video featuring the old version of the Fender CD-60 vs Lag T-66D.
We loved comparing 2 products by using them in the same situation which is basic A/B testing in short. In this video, I was playing the melody and Selçuk Uzunhasanoğlu was playing the rhythm parts.
In my opinion LAG T-66D was way better than Fender CD-60 as a matter of fact that there was a price gap between the 2 models (Around €40-45). But still, Fender proves its value and I believe it’s one of the best value/money dreadnought acoustic guitars around.
Fender CD-60 vs LAG T-66D Comparison
As I have mentioned above, I have almost full trust in the Fender brand as they are one of the most consistent guitar manufacturers around. So if you are on a tight budget and at a beginner level, I would definitely recommend Fender CD-60 as a very nice start. 
I hope this has been helpful and also honest information here for you. Thanks for visiting my blog and supporting me so far! I will hopefully see you in the next review here!
Osman Cenan Çiğil – cigilovic.com
