Strat Acousticaster - Why ?

Jez6345789

I imagine micro usb on the board is there for firmware updates/diagnostics etc. 

I get the shape and the guitar in guitar sandwich look is not to everyone’s taste but it’s a style that’s been out for a few years.

i am amazed that so many people in this day and age are shaking their heads on the idea of onboard modelling. The Fishman Aura has been in several Martin in the last few years and I really liked it for recording and different tones for that.

for me electronically these could go so much further and the way fender have done it is really conservative just make it sound more acoustic.

for me I would want it to have something approaching Strat in between sounds to make it really useful.

YMMV

impmann

This forum is not target market. 

This forum (in general) has a mistrust and general downer on ‘modelling’. And yet, mention Helix or Kemper or Strymon and it’s a sausage fest.

Boys, if you don’t try to live in the future you’ll always be in the past. And nobody thinks it’s cool when old farts blather on about how music was so much better when... the same thing applies to musical gear.

I applaud Fender for making something that *isnt* just another rehash of a 1950s design. And as someone said, if the Tele version hadn’t sold as expected or better, this new version would not have been made. Fender are *very* (small c) conservative like that.

If something doesn’t connect with you, that’s cool. But don’t just be negative about it to make yourself feel better. I could spout for hours about how shit I think 1950s sunburst Les Pauls look, but that’s just a negative opinion that isn’t constructive.

ICBM

Jez6345789 said:

i am amazed that so many people in this day and age are shaking their heads on the idea of onboard modelling.

There’s the problem.

I use modelling on an acoustic. It’s in an external floor box which I can upgrade as necessary.

I also use overdrive/distortion modelling on an electric... in a floor multi-effects unit.

What I don’t want is them in the guitar. (Although to be fair, I don’t even like electro-acoustics - it’s always better to put a basic pickup in the guitar and keep the electronics offboard, in my opinion.)

I would also want the ability to send the acoustic and electric sounds to separate effects/amps/PA channels. I would actually be interested in this guitar - despite its looks - if it just had the two pickups, a volume control for each, a switch to select between them and an output jack which could be set to mono or stereo.

Short of buying one and ripping out all the factory electronics you’ve paid for, you can’t get that.

crunchman

Jez6345789 said:

I imagine micro usb on the board is there for firmware updates/diagnostics etc. 

I get the shape and the guitar in guitar sandwich look is not to everyone’s taste but it’s a style that’s been out for a few years.

i am amazed that so many people in this day and age are shaking their heads on the idea of onboard modelling. The Fishman Aura has been in several Martin in the last few years and I really liked it for recording and different tones for that.

for me electronically these could go so much further and the way fender have done it is really conservative just make it sound more acoustic.

for me I would want it to have something approaching Strat in between sounds to make it really useful.

YMMV

The mini USB port is there to charge the battery as far as I know.  I haven't heard that it's there for updates.

I must say I'd rather have the option to phantom power it like the original Variax.

I'm with ICBM on the onboard modelling.  I'd much rather have it out outboard where you can upgrade/replace as required.  That would solve the power issues as well.  Just have passive pickups on the guitar, and provide the power to the outboard unit.

Lewy

crunchman said:

The mini USB port is there to charge the battery as far as I know.  I haven't heard that it's there for updates.

Nope, that's the micro USB built into the input jack. Actually inside the guitar on the main PCB is a mini USB jack.

rossi

Why not.? Its only a guitar and Fender make guitars .Looks handy and dandy .

crunchman

Lewy said:

crunchman said:

The mini USB port is there to charge the battery as far as I know.  I haven't heard that it's there for updates.

Nope, that's the micro USB built into the input jack. Actually inside the guitar on the main PCB is a mini USB jack.

Interesting.

I would prefer the Tele, but with the Strat switching options.  Wonder if it would possible to do that, or whether other updates, or an editor, would be available in the future.

Lewy

crunchman said:

Lewy said:

crunchman said:

The mini USB port is there to charge the battery as far as I know.  I haven't heard that it's there for updates.

Nope, that's the micro USB built into the input jack. Actually inside the guitar on the main PCB is a mini USB jack.

Interesting.

I would prefer the Tele, but with the Strat switching options.  Wonder if it would possible to do that, or whether other updates, or an editor, would be available in the future.

Personally I'm happy enough with the tele switching as is but the ability to fiddle with it and/or change images would be very appealing I must say.

I dare say some brave and tech savvy soul (not me on either count) will hook it up to a PC and see what they can find.

crunchman

I like the way the Strat has one or two extra electric sounds.  Having the acoustic sounds on 3 and a half of the 5 positions on the selector switch seems a better balance to me.

An editor and the ability to load new sounds on would be great.  If it's based on Aura, then it should be possible.  I think that has the capability to load on your own sounds.

Lewy

crunchman said:

I like the way the Strat has one or two extra electric sounds.  Having the acoustic sounds on 3 and a half of the 5 positions on the selector switch seems a better balance to me.

An editor and the ability to load new sounds on would be great.  If it's based on Aura, then it should be possible.  I think that has the capability to load on your own sounds.

Yes, at least the Spectrum DI does. But I imagine the images loaded into these Acoustasonics are quite heavily tweaked so I’m not sure a lot of the ones available from the Aura online library (can’t remember the name of it) would actually sound that good. But still...you never know. You might see a 3rd party cottage industry emerge just like it has for IRs.

All assuming that’s what that USB port can do! And of course if Fender have any interest in allowing it to.

Jez6345789

Is having a modeller built in any different to having an electro acoustic with preamp eq tuner effects or whatever these days. It’s obviously would be more expensive to replace but in general what is anyones expectation of electronics inside acoustics we have had preamps and stuff for years digital is not inherently more prone to failure if the board and parts are reasonable quality and the temperature swings not too massive.

Snags

Personally I'd love one. Or at least a hybrid - the Strat electrics in the Tele shape, but with a different visual style to the top because apart from the zircoté one they all look fugly to me (in pics, not seen them in the flesh).

Something like one of these would be ideal for local open mics where you get to do three or four songs and might want to mix up some that are "more acoustic" and some "more electric" but taking two guitars just marks you out as a wanker (I'd rather let the performance do that).

(Edit: also, there's no way I can justify spending the money. Not that they're necessarily over-priced for the gubbins, but they're too rich for my pocket/need/justification)

crunchman

I do need to try one of these out in the flesh.  If I like it, I'd have to figure out what to sell.

roberty

Dunno if this is the right place for this but the koa tele version is a grand off at gg atm. Seems like a good deal for someone who prefers the look but not the price

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/190604344485008--fender-acoustasonic-tele-exotic-koa

thegummy

Lewy said:

Haych said:

 It's almost like they're trying to create a need in the market by making a product nobody actually knew they needed.  

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” - Henry Ford

What an excellent reply.

ICBM

thegummy said:

Lewy said:

Haych said:

 It's almost like they're trying to create a need in the market by making a product nobody actually knew they needed.  

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” - Henry Ford

What an excellent reply.

But also worth remembering that Ford later designed the Edsel...

crunchman

roberty said:

Dunno if this is the right place for this but the koa tele version is a grand off at gg atm. Seems like a good deal for someone who prefers the look but not the price

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/190604344485008--fender-acoustasonic-tele-exotic-koa

I played one in GG the other week.  The acoustic sounds were impressive.  Not quite so impressed by the electric option.  I could probably make it work with a bit of eq and tweaking though.

I'm wondering about the Strat version, which doesn't seem to have landed yet.  That has more electric options.  Not sure if they are voiced a bit differently.

If I was going to go for one of these, it would be funded by selling my Martin.  I use the Martin live as it's got a Fishman Blend pickup system in it, so it sounds good plugged in, but at home I tend to play a Stonebridge (Furch) OM. As a plugged in stage guitar, I think this would probably work better than the Martin, but I am still reluctant to part with it.