Tom Cochrane sang Life is a Highway, but Fender’s new acoustic guitars are designed to be taken on the road. The new Highway Series are acoustic guitars with the gigging musician in mind. They combine a thinner, lighter, more compact form factor with pickups that can deliver perfect tone without hours of soundchecking.
For any musician, playing a live gig is a special thing. It’s the rush that makes all the hard work worthwhile, but poor PAs and ear piercing feedback can suck the fun right out of it. Small venues make it difficult, especially with acoustic guitars, and is one reason why electric guitars are preferred – they’re also harder wearing for life in the back of a van.
Fishman produces some of the best acoustic pickups in the business, and the Fishman Fluence Acoustic Pickup system in Fender’s new Highway guitars is designed to resist feedback while still giving that natural acoustic sound. Making these guitars much less hassle, even in a cramped corner of a bar.
There are two models of the Fender Highway: the Dreadnought and the Palour. The Dreadnought is a slightly larger body than the Palour but otherwise the stylings and features are very similar.
Both guitars are finished with either a Sitka spruce or mahogany top and bolt on mahogany neck. The headstocks are of typical Fender electric style, with all the tuning pegs on one side, and there are volume and tone dials on the front of the guitars for the Fishman Fluence pickups.
The Fender Highway Series Dreadnought and Highway Series Parlor are both priced £949 / $999 / AU$1699 and will be available to buy very soon.
