Hello and welcome to my Fender T Bucket 300ce review.
In this review I’ll cover the following for the T Bucket:
- The Tone;
- The Playability;
- The Materials the T Bucket is made from;
- Who the T Bucket is best suited to;
- The T Bucket’s value-for-money
I’ll also show video of the guitar being played so that you can hear the sound of the guitar for yourself and some user reviews so that you can get the opinions of others too.
Right, let’s get into it!
The Tone
There was nothing extraordinary about the tone of the T Bucket. But there was nothing bad about it either. And that’s really what you’re looking for in a guitar at this price.
It was an even tone, the guitar stayed in tune and it was easy to control the string’s vibrations. It wasn’t an overly loud full sound for a dreadnought but it still gave a good bit of oomph like you’d expect out of a dreadnought.
In terms of brightness- with 10 being very bright and 1 being really warm, I’d put this guitar right in the middle with a 5.
Most things about this guitar are middle of the road – which might be a bad thing if you were buying a 1,500 dollar guitar but for 300 it’s definitely a good thing.
The Materials
The T Bucket is made from the following materials (materials that have an effect on the sound):
Top Wood: Laminated Flame Maple (on black and sunburst models) or Laminated Quilt Maple (on blue and amber models) or Laminated Quilt Ash (on violet and dark brown models).
Back & Sides: Laminated Mahogany
Bridge: Rosewood
Bridge Saddle: Graphtech Nubone Compensated saddle
Nut: Graphtech NuBone
I wasn’t surprised to see laminate wood used for the top and laminated back and sides given the price.
What I was surprised (pleasantly) to see was that they have provided a GraphTech Nubone nut and saddle instead of just going for cheap plastic. This will be part of the reason that the sound is better than what you’d expect for the price.
As you can see above this guitar comes in heaps of different color options and the wood laminate they use is slightly different depending on the color. This makes no difference to the sound though – this just comes down to the color you prefer the look of.
Electronics
Of course the “CE” in the name stands for cutaway and electric. I didn’t play it plugged in but it has a Fishman® Isys III System with Active Onboard Preamp and Tuner.
By all accounts reading through the reviews the electronics work well with this guitar and it’s doesn’t disappoint sound-wise plugged in either.
Videos
Check out the video so you can hear the sound. This isn’t the perfect representation of sound in real life but will give you some idea if you’re unable to try in real life for yourself. And this video is actually a pretty good sound so it’s a reasonable representation in this case.
Playability
I found this guitar nice and easy to play. My hands didn’t fatigue at all and I didn’t have to work hard to produce a good tone.
Action
Even though I have a high preference for a low action, this guitar is actually set up really well how it is. If I bought it I might tweak it ever so slightly but you really wouldn’t have to do anything to this guitar.
Nut Width
The width at the nut of the T-Bucket is 1.625″ (41.3 mm). This is narrower than normal and would be great for anyone with smaller hands and anyone used to playing electric and wanting an acoustic or anyone who’s hands tend to fatigue on wider neck guitars.
I didn’t notice the width being any narrower when I played so if you’re used to a wider neck like I am sure you wouldn’t have any issues with it either.
Fretboard (fingerboard)
The fingerboard is nice to play on and it’s no surprise given that it’s rosewood. A lot of acoustics have rosewood fingerboards – but that’s definitely not a bad thing because it does a great job.
Scale Length
The scale length is a standard 25.3” (643mm).
User Reviews
Check out the links below to see some user reviews for the T Bucket so you can see what others think of the guitar.
Who this Guitar is Most Suited to
This guitar is most suited to anyone looking for a solid sounding guitar without breaking the bank.
This would be a great beginner guitar for adults. It’s got a nice even tone that stays in tune and it’s nice and easy to play both technically and physically.
For kid’s it’s probably too big to be ideal for them, being a full dreadnought size and a full scale length.
It’s also a great guitar for anyone who usually plays electric but wants an affordable acoustic to muck around on or to take with them to parties, camping etc.
Otherwise just anyone looking for an affordable main guitar or an affordable second guitar to have lying around the house, at the holiday home or wherever they need a second guitar.
Value-for-Money
This one gets the value for money tick from me. It’s an average sounding, solid guitar that’s easy to play and well set up – but you pay well less than the average price for it.
If you’re looking for something extraordinary or unique then the T Bucket isn’t for you (you’ll need to invest more to find that) but it does provide a solid even sound and at this price that’s awesome.
More Info and Where to Buy
Thanks for reading this review and I hope it has helped you to learn more about Fender’s T Bucket 300CE acoustic guitar.
Check out the links below for more info on the guitar and some options for where to buy.
If you’re interested in checking out more reviews of guitars costing less than 300 check out the next link.
Poochie's Tees says
Great review and great sound.
Every time I hear the sound of a guitar it reminds of just how much I really want to learn to play one. With my love for music, I can imagine just how much fun I would have with this Fender T Bucket 300ce.
Question: how much hurt does this cause your fingers or thumbs? That’s sort of my only concern.
Anywho… love your review and really considering getting a guitar some day. I will stay close to your review site to make sure I stay interested 🙂
Nate says
Hey – thanks for visiting.
Yeah T Bucket’s definitely got a good tone for such a reasonably priced guitar.
In terms of finger soreness, you generally will get some pain on the tips of your fingers on your fretting hand until you build up callouses. But there are things that make it easier on your fingers.
Firstly going with light gauge strings helps.
You could also start out with silk and steel strings which are easier on the fingers. Check out the link below for more on good beginner guitar strings.
~ How to choose guitar strings for beginners
The other thing is to make sure the action is low enough. A high action will make it harder on your fingers.
Finally if you get a guitar that has a shorter fingerboard (often found on smaller guitars like parlour and concert guitars) then there is less tension on the strings which leads to less soreness.
In terms of your plucking/strumming hand it will depend if you play with your nails, finger tips or with a pick. In general you won’t experience as much soreness on this hand though.
The other good idea is to limit your practice to 15 minutes a day when you are starting out. This is also a good idea so you don’t get burnt out.
Hope this helps
Blake says
I personally own a Fender guitar but not the 300ce. It was interesting to read your article and compare as I went along with my current guitar. I am not in the market for a new guitar but after reading this I may be. Thank you for the well written review and touching on so many different features.
Nate says
Hey Blake
You’re very welcome. Glad you liked the review/ Definitely if you’re looking for something new and don’t have that much to spend, the T Bucket 300ce is a great option. To get an acoustic with electronics at this price and still get a decent quality instrument is pretty rare.
What Fender do you have at the moment?
zach says
Very good and thorough review! Very good layout and easy to read. I am looking for an affordable acoustic here soon, and I might consider this one. I really like the different colors it comes in. It isn’t as boring looking as your typical fender acoustic guitar. Overall A+++ review!
Nate says
Hey Zach – glad you liked the review of the T Bucket 300ce. Appreciate the comments. This is definitely a great option if you’re looking for something with electronics. I think it’s definitely the best value for money electric-acoustic going around.
Some guitars have electronics that cost the price of this whole guitar and more!
Jeff says
Very cool site! I’ve always been a big fan of the USA Ovations, I know they are bit of a ‘Marmite’ guitar – either you love ’em or hate ’em so to speak, but I happen to love them very much!
I’ve had Martins, Gibsons and Taylors too but my next ambition is to get my hands on a nice Lowden to go with my 2005 Ovation 1778T Elite
Nate says
Hey Jeff
I haven’t tried that many Ovations but the ones I have tried I’ve really liked. Though I probably prefer Martin and Taylor overall, Ovations are really nice to play and have great tone (IMHO).
I also love Marmite!
Paul F. says
Thank you very much for the review! I’m in the process of buying a guitar (as a beginner), and it gave a very practically useful perspective.
Nate says
Hi Paul
You’re very welcome. Glad you found the review helpful for your guitar buying decision.
Wapang says
Is it better than the CD 140sc??
Nate says
Hi Wapang
I haven’t played the CD 140SCE so I can’t really comment on which I think is better.
But I can outline the main differences.
1. The CD 140SCE has a Solid Spruce top whereas the T-Bucket has a Laminate top – Laminated Flame Maple or Laminated Quilt Maple or Laminated Quilt Ash (depending on the color). This is perhaps the main difference that could put the 140SCE ahead of the T-Bucket
2. The T-Bucket has a unique nut width that’s narrower than you see on most acoustic guitars – 1.625″ (41.3mm) whereas the 140SCE has a more common 1.69″ (43mm) nut width. If you like a narrow neck or have smaller hands then this might be an advantage of the T-Bucket but if you want something that feels more like what you’d be used to, then the 140SCE is probably a better bet.
Otherwise there aren’t too many other significant differences.
I would say that the 140SCE is the more “traditional” dreadnought guitar – solid spruce top, standard nut width – and is probably the safer bet. The T-Bucket is a little more off the beaten path – but for the price it’s actually a decent little guitar.
Hope this gives you something more to go off