Six String Acoustic

  • Acoustic Guitar Reviews
  • Buying Guides
    • Choosing a Guitar
    • Choosing Strings
    • Acoustic Amplification
    • Choosing Guitar Accessories
  • Tuning, Care etc
    • Tuning
    • Restringing
    • Care and Maintenance
    • Setup
  • Tips/Lessons
    • Basic Techniques
    • Chords
    • Scales
    • Rhythm
    • Theory
    • Reading Music and Tab
    • Other Lessons and Tips
  • Online Lessons Reviews

You are here: Home » Fender MA 1 Review: Acoustics Under $300 Reviews

Fender MA 1 Review: Acoustics Under $300 Reviews

Last updated: January 7, 2022 by Nate Leave a Comment

Hey! This site is reader-supported and we earn commissions if you purchase products from retailers after clicking on a link from our site.

Hello and welcome to my Fender MA 1 review.

This review will look at Fender?s MA 1 in terms of:

  • The Tone;
  • The Playability;
  • The Materials the MA-1 is made from;
  • Who the MA-1 is best suited to;
  • The MA-1?s value-for-money

I?ll also provide video of the MA-1 in action so that you can hear for yourself the tone of the instrument and some user reviews so you can read about other people?s opinions on the MA-1.


Contents hide
1 The Tone
1.1 The Materials
1.1.1 Electronics
1.2 Videos
2 Playability
2.1 Action
2.2 Nut Width
2.3 Fretboard (fingerboard)
2.4 Scale Length
3 Who this Guitar is Most Suited to
4 Value -for-Money
4.1 More Info and Where to Buy

The Tone


First off, this guitar is a 3/4 size guitar so it?s much smaller than your average guitar. So naturally it will produce a quieter, less full sounding tone. And so it did.

But that sound was far from unpleasant – especially given the seriously low price-tag. Sure if you?re looking for a full sounding boomy dreadnought type guitar then this won’t be for you. But it wasn?t a bad sounding guitar by any means.

To my ear it sounded almost part ukulele! Which isn?t a bad thing if you don?t mind that smaller quieter sound or if you?re looking for a beginner guitar for a kid.

The Materials

Top: Laminate Agathis

Back & Sides: Laminate Sapele

Bridge: Rosewood

Saddle: Compensated Synthetic Bone

Nut: Synthetic Bone

I was pleasantly surprised with how this guitar felt when I picked it up. It felt like a pretty good quality guitar to be honest – more so than a lot of higher priced guitars.

It is all laminate top, back and sides – but at this price range you wouldn?t expect a solid top or back and sides and this is a big reason why you can get this guitar so cheap. Never as good as solid wood but does the job for a much cheaper price.

I was impressed that they didn?t revert to cheap plastic for the nut and saddle.

Electronics

The MA-1 Is not an electric-acoustic. It doesn?t come with electronics.

Videos

Check out the video below to learn more about the MA-1 and to get a better idea of how it sounds.


Playability


It felt like a parlor guitar to play – which are fun to play sometimes – so you could call it a ? size or you could treat it as a parlor guitar.

Do to its smaller scale length it was difficult to fit my fingers in the higher frets but this wouldn?t be a problem for smaller fingers – and also I could still do it, it was just more difficult than on a normal scale length.

Action

If I bought it I would have the action lowered. It was too high for my tastes but otherwise this was an easy guitar to play.

Nut Width

It has a pretty standard nut width of 1.69? (43mm). This is a nice width that makes it easy for playing barre chords, flat picking and strumming but you can still play finger style on it.

Fretboard (fingerboard)

The fingerboard is made from rosewood – this is a quality fingerboard material so no complaints there.

Scale Length

The scale length is 23.3″ (592 mm) which is considerably shorter than a full size guitar?s scale length. As mentioned above this can make it more difficult to fit bigger fingers into the upper frets but also has its advantages.

A shorter scale length means there is less tension on the strings and this can make it easier, both physically and technically, to play the guitar – great for beginners.


Who this Guitar is Most Suited to


This would definitely be great for a kid starting out on a guitar or a smaller adult starting out on guitar.

It would also be a great guitar to have as a travel guitar. It?s not very expensive so you wouldn?t be as precious about putting it in the back of your car – or playing it around the camp fire. And it?s also nice and small so takes up less room.

You can also get the classical version of this guitar (the MC-1) but I didn?t get a chance to play that one.


Value -for-Money


Disclosure: Links below are affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you.

This guitar generally goes for around $140 – that?s super cheap for a guitar that?s not just a toy guitar. So you definitely get your money?s worth in my opinion.

Don?t expect it to be a full sounding, awesome instrument – but for the price it?s a great choice if it?s suited to you.

More Info and Where to Buy

If you?re interested in the MA-1 check out the links below for more info and for current prices.

  • Fender MA-1 at Amazon.com

If you?re keen to check out some other guitars in the under 300 price category, check out the link below.
>> Six String Acoustic Under 300 Acoustic Guitar Reviews

Filed Under: Fender Acoustic Guitars, Guitar Reviews, Guitar Reviews under 300, Laminate Back and Sides Wood, Laminate Top Wood, Sapele Patterned Laminate Back and Sides, Small Size Guitar Reviews

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Acoustic Guitar Reviews

  • ~ By Price Range
  • ~ By Series
  • ~ By Brand
  • ~ Top 5s
  • ~ By Top Wood
  • ~ By Back & Sides Wood
  • ~ By Shape/Size
  • ~ All

Recent Posts

  • Gibson Guitar Values: How much is an old Gibson worth?
  • How Many Strings Are On a Bass Guitar? [Answered]
  • Are Zager Guitars Any Good? The Truth Will Surprise You
  • How Much Is an Electric Guitar [2023 Price Guide]
  • 5 Ways to Play the E chord on Guitar
  • Taylor 214ce Review: Acoustics Under $1500 Reviews
  • 5 Ways to Play the B chord on Guitar

Categories

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

GDMDMHDS112727425

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

sixstringacoustic.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc or its affiliates.

Copyright © 2015 - 2023 - SixStringAcoustic.com - Privacy Policy