Fender CD-60S Review (2026)

Why you should trust this review

I bought the CD-60S at retail in November specifically to A/B it against the Yamaha FG800 already in my collection. Fender did not provide a sample. The FG800 is the bass every budget acoustic gets measured against, so having one on hand was essential to judging the Fender honestly rather than grading it on a curve. The unit lived on a stand in my practice room for four months and saw roughly an hour of daily play.

Because setup variability is the single most common complaint in the owner reviews for this guitar, I did not stop at my own unit. I also inspected two additional CD-60S guitars, one at a friend’s house and one at a local shop, so my comments on QC come from three actual instruments rather than a sample of one. The review also draws on Fender’s published specs and the broad pattern of owner feedback alongside the direct comparison with the FG800.

How we evaluated

I began with an out of box setup check on my unit, measuring action at the twelfth fret, checking neck relief, and verifying intonation on each open string against a clip on tuner. I then ran the multi unit QC check across all three CD-60S guitars to assess how consistent the setup really is, which is the heart of this guitar’s reputation. For tone I recorded fingerstyle and strummed passages and A/B compared them against the FG800 in the same room.

Over four months of daily play, including two string changes and one full humidity cycle, I tracked how the instrument held up and how the solid top opened over time. I also swapped the stock plastic saddle for a bone saddle and re recorded the same passages to test how much tone the upgrade unlocks. The specs and owner feedback rounded out the grounding for this review.

Tone: bright, focused, opens up with use

The solid Sitka spruce top is the headline, and even at this price the difference between a solid top and a laminate top is clearly audible. Strummed chords have more sustain and a clearer high end than a laminate topped budget dreadnought in the same room, and after four months the bass loosened slightly, sounding more like a guitar that has been played in than a brand new one. That opening up is exactly what a solid top buys you over time, and it is real here.

Against the Yamaha FG800 head to head, the Fender is a touch brighter and its bass is slightly woollier, while the Yamaha’s bigger body and scalloped bracing push more low end. The Fender’s voice suits flatpicking and country strumming better, where the brightness and clarity work in its favor, while the Yamaha is the punchier all rounder. Swapping the stock plastic saddle for bone made an audible difference too, adding perceptible brightness on the high E and B strings and a touch more sustain on individual notes.

Playability: the slim neck is the killer feature

The Easy-to-Play neck profile is genuinely slimmer than most dreadnought necks at any price, and it is the feature I would point a new player to first. For someone coming from electric guitar, where necks tend to be slim, this is a far more comfortable transition than the chunkier necks on most acoustics. It lowers the barrier to forming chords and playing for longer stretches without hand fatigue, which is exactly what a beginner needs.

The rolled fingerboard edges are the second win and an unusual touch at this price. New acoustic players often complain about sharp fret ends on cheap guitars, the kind that nag at the side of your hand, and the CD-60S simply does not have that problem, the edges feel broken in from day one. The one caveat is the 1.69 inch nut width, which is on the narrower side, so players with larger fingers may find some first position chord shapes cramped, while average to smaller hands will find the neck friendly.

QC and setup: the inconsistency tax

The build itself is fine across the units I saw. Tuners hold, the bridge is glued cleanly, the body finish is even, and the bracing under the top looks tidy through the soundhole. After four months of seasonal humidity changes my unit showed no top warping or bridge lift, so the underlying construction is sound. The problem is not how the guitar is built, it is how it arrives set up.

Setup quality is genuinely variable, and the three unit check made that plain. My review guitar arrived with action a hair high at the twelfth fret, easily fixed with a small saddle adjustment. A friend’s CD-60S played beautifully straight out of the box. A third unit at a local shop had a buzz on the second fret of the G string. That is the exact spread the owner reviews describe, and it is the single most important thing to factor into the decision. If you have a tech or are comfortable adjusting a saddle and truss rod yourself, it is a non issue. If you need a guitar that just plays out of the box every time, it is a real risk.

Build, longevity, and the upgrade path

Over four months the CD-60S held up well structurally. Through two string changes and a full humidity cycle it showed no top movement or bridge lift, and the tuners stayed reliable. For a budget dreadnought, the bones are solid, and the solid spruce top means it has somewhere to grow tonally as it ages, which a laminate top does not. That makes it a guitar worth keeping rather than one you outgrow in a year.

The natural upgrade path is the saddle and nut. The stock plastic saddle is the biggest single limit on the guitar’s tone, and swapping to a bone saddle, which I tested, adds noticeable brightness and sustain. A bone nut similarly improves open string ring. Both are easy thirty minute jobs with a basic toolkit, and for anyone keeping the guitar past the first year they are the cheapest meaningful improvement you can make. Knowing that upgrade exists makes the stock plastic hardware easier to accept at this price.

Who should buy the Fender CD-60S?

Buy this if you have a tight budget and want a solid top dreadnought, if you have smaller hands and prefer a slim neck profile, and if you are comfortable doing or paying for a basic setup if your unit needs one. Buy it if you want the option of a non natural finish, since it comes in several colors, and if a bright, flatpicking friendly voice appeals to you over a punchier all rounder.

Skip this if you want consistent QC straight out of the box, where the Yamaha FG800 is the safer bet for a little more money. Skip it if you want all solid wood construction, which means saving for a step up like the Seagull S6. And if you play fingerstyle that demands a wider nut, the 1.69 inch nut here is on the narrow side and will feel cramped.

The verdict

The Fender CD-60S is the cheapest credible dreadnought I would put in a beginner’s hands without immediately apologizing, and the solid spruce top, slim neck, and rolled fingerboard edges all punch above the price. The QC variability is the cost of those features at this level, and it is a real footnote rather than a dealbreaker. If your unit arrives playing well, it is the best value in the category. If it needs a setup, you are still ahead of the budget alternatives that lack a solid top. Go in knowing what to expect, and it remains a recommended buy.