Fender CD-60S Pack Review – Beginner Guitar with Benefits

The Fender CD-60S is a beginner guitar line that even the non-newbies would appreciate. It has several variants, which all come as part of guitar bundle packs. This means that beginners can get everything they need to start learning with a single purchase.

With a timeless combination of the mahogany sides and back and the dreadnought, the Fender CD-60S offers great performance for a competitive price.

It comes with the conventional full-bodied tone, which would suit aspiring or beginner players.

Build quality of the Fender CD-60S

The Fender CD-60S is fairly attractive in a simple and elegant way. This has a lot to do with the materials used to put this guitar together. In fact, the letter S in the name denotes the use of a mahogany/solid spruce top.

The earlier model, the CD-60, came with a laminate top. Needless to say this new version is much better.

The top is solid mahogany or spruce. Spruce comes in black as well, which is makes it look very cool. As mentioned earlier, the sides and back are mahogany.

The fingerboard radius is 12 inches and the guitar, in general, is not too thin or too chunky. The tuning machines don’t feel stiff or weak, which helps maintain the guitar’s tuning.

Moreover, the guitar comes fitted with two strap buttons, which ensure you need not tie a strap around the guitar’s headstock.

The Fender CD-60S is part of the company’s “classic series”, which is why it looks and feels like a typical acoustic guitar. Another great thing about the build is that the solid wood construction ensures that the guitar will age well.

Sound and tone of the Fender CD-60S

The sound is where the Fender CD-60S truly stands out among its competition.

The mahogany version’s mid-character is certainly there, adding weight to the brightness typically identified with spruce tops. The bass notes are robust and defined instead of boomy. This helps with fingerpicking. Unfortunately, it has a glossy finish, which restricts some of the resonance of the wood.

The spruce top versions offer that typical chimy tone you would expect from a solid spruce top guitar. The black version is spruce as well, but feels somewhat muted because of the extra paint.

The classic dreadnought body offers an impressive projection and a robust voice, making it ideal for flat pickers. The lows are naturally deep, yet the highs are quite crisp. This makes the CD-60S great for playing any music genre, including modern acoustic rock and traditional folk.

Moreover, the guitar can handle aggressive picking and rhythms, thanks to its slick rosewood fingerboard. With a projection that’s easily heard and a player-friendly profile, the guitar is almost perfect for jamming with people you love.

The CD-60S has undergone quite a few refinements as compared to the older CD-60 model. For instance, it has been modernized with certain playability features, which along with a few other features help bring out the guitar’s additional tone.

And since the guitar is likely to age well, you can expect the instrument to keep getting better on the sound front with time and usage.

Video review of the Fender CD-60S

Here is a review of the spruce top CD-60S:

And this review covers the mahogany top CD-60S.

Fender CD-60S bundle packages

All 3 variants of the CD-60S come as part of bundle sets. These sets contain things that beginner guitarists will find useful, but if this won’t be your first guitar, you may not need.

Each guitar package contains the following accessories:

• Gig bag or case
• Extra set of strings
• Clip-on guitar tuner
• Picks
• Fender strap
• DVD guitar lesson

The bundle also has a trial subscription to Fender Play, which is Fender’s online guitar lesson service. The trial subscription is free either way, so I don’t really know why it’s included, probably just a marketing thing 🙂

Fender Play is not one of the better online lesson sites, I recommend you try GuitarTricks or Jamplay instead.

I wrote a review of them here.

About Fender Guitars

Fender is one of the most famous guitar makers in the world. The company dates back to 1946, and during the years, it has grown to include other guitars brands as well (Squier, Gretsch, Jackson, Charvel, EVH).

Leo Fender, the founder of the company, got started in the field in the ’40s by making an amplified solid-body electric guitar. The rest is music history.

Beginner to advanced guitarists use Fender instruments for practice and performing in front of thousands of people.

Fender guitars are manufactured in Mexico and at the company’s flagship U.S. factory in Corona, California.

Our Opinion on the Fender CD-60S

Most beginner guitars on the market offer much better performance and value than the amateur-friendly guitars of the past. And this Fender CD-60S is arguably leading the pack. If you are a beginner guitarist who wants a guitar that is within budget and doesn’t sound just okay, the Fender CD-60S is worth taking a look at.

The Fender CD-60S is a good choice for beginners to learn acoustic guitar on.