1978 Fender Model F-35 Acoustic Guitar

Vintage Japanese dreadnought, still in great shape 35 years later and sounds better than ever

This just fell into my lap the other day, while looking at another 1990s solid top and the owner happened to bring it along, he had never listed it for sale. Fender acoustics are kind of like the Rodney Dangerfield of guitars, they just don't get no respect...

That could be because the electrics are top industry standards alongside Gibson, but the acoustics have never been mentioned in the same breath as Martin, Guild, Taylor and Gibson. Still, All 3 Fender acoustics that I've had in the last year have all been great players. This F-35 plays and feels a lot like an old Yamaha FG series guitar.

This one was definitely made in Japan, as the decal on the back of the headstock states and the F series was produced from 1972-1981, same as the FC-10 3/4 that was one of the first guitars featured here at SCGM, so we can assume that the classical also originated from the same place.

I was able to clean off most of the little scuff marks on the back and sides of the guitar and some small stuff on the edges of the headstock, the only signs of wear that remain are some dings on the face. I filed down the saddle a bit to lower the action and put on some Martin SP Custom Lights. Really nice guitar in the same league as the Yamaha FG-200 and Takamine F360 that were recently featured.

Thanks for looking, more high-resolution photos here.