Fender CP-100 – Fender's Affordable Compact

Body And Neck:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

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For players in pursuit of a quality travel guitar at a low price, the folks from Fender have crafted the CP-100, a small-body acoustic guitar with a serious punch. From pretty looks to quality components, this instrument brings you the glory of acoustic Fender in a small package.

If you are looking for a solid guitar to use while travelling, an instrument that sounds good, but doesn't cost much so you don't have to worry too much (especially if you travel by plane), this is one of the top picks we can think of. We took the liberty of checking it out a bit, these are our conclusions.

Body & Neck

The guitar comes with a laminated spruce top body featuring a laminated mahogany back and sides. The inclusion of mahogany in the process secured a nice booming sound rich with all sonic frequencies and heavy resonance, all while retaining brightness and a slightly more mellow vibe. Additionally, the instrument features quarter-sawn scalloped X-bracing.

As for the neck, we are looking at a sturdy mahogany neck with a classic rosewood fingerboard with 20 frets and smaller white dot inlays. The use of mahogany once again proved to be the winning combo, as the sturdy build is far less prone to bending than some other materials. In our humble opinion, this comes in as particularly important for travelling musicians.

On the aesthetic side, we are looking at a sexy sunburst finish going from fiery dark yellow to black. The guitar is durable, affordable and nice-looking – what more can ya ask for?

Hardware

In the hardware department, the six-string features a set of six chrome open gear tuners that do a fine job in keeping the instrument in tune for extended periods of time. Nothing too exceptional, but you won't have to check the tune every 30 minutes, and that's all we asked for at this price.

Other notable features include a rosewood bridge with compensated saddle and white pins, a dual-action truss rod, a pearl acrylic rosette, and a rosewood headstock veneer.

Sound

Let's talk sound now! As noted, the tonewood combo of this fella secures a booming sound that covers all the frequencies. As expected with parlor guitars, the basses are lagging behind a bit, resulting in a middles-driven sound with brightness and punch. If anything excels on the guitar, it's the strong mid-range punch that gives the sonic attack both the needed bite and grind.

Additionally, the instrument is easy to play thanks to that smooth and slim neck. For the listed price, we can't think of many better instruments to deliver the goods with this efficiency.

Value/Conclusion

The value for money factor is on of the key factors that made us single out this product as a great deal. We are talking under $200, and for that price tag, the CP-100 is a bargain. The great thing about the instrument is that the sound is never bad and always gives a realistic image of what to expect from parlor guitars. If you are a beginner musician or a seasoned pro in pursuit of a care-free travel guitar, this one should work just fine. Nifty stuff!

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