Fender Highway Series vs Yamaha FGX800: Which Acoustic for Recording?

If you want a recording to sound like an acoustic guitar, the $499 Yamaha FGX800 beats my $1,400 Fender Highway Series Dreadnought. The Fender wins on playability, on stage, and as a second layer under the Yamaha. I own both, I have had the Fender for three and a half years, and the video above has the recorded examples.

Here is how the two split up for someone recording alone at home.

Why would anyone buy a thin-body acoustic?

I bought the Highway Series for gigging. I was in an acoustic duo and a country band, playing about 80% acoustic songs, and I wanted one light guitar with an electric-style neck that plugged straight in. The Acoustasonic was $2,400 at the time, which was too much, and the $899 version with the humbucker did not exist yet.

The Highway Series is thin, light, and plays like an electric. If you have small hands or find a big dreadnought awkward, that matters more than you think. I knew I was trading away acoustic resonance for comfort, and for live work that trade was worth it.

What does the Yamaha FGX800 do better?

It sounds like an acoustic guitar. That is the whole answer.

The FGX800 is a normal full-body acoustic-electric with a pickup and a built-in EQ. It has the deep low end and the natural warmth a thin body cannot produce. In the recorded examples, the Fender is crisp and mid-focused and the Yamaha is fat and full. Nobody would mistake one for the other.

I bought the Yamaha for exactly one job, a fuller acoustic tone for recording, and it does that job for a third of what the Fender cost.

Does the Fender's contour knob help?

Not that I can hear. Fender says the contour knob moves the tone between thin and fat low-mids. When I recorded both settings and listened back, there was almost no difference. If you are hoping it closes the gap to a full-size acoustic, it does not.

Which one should you record with?

• The part needs to sound like an acoustic guitar: Yamaha FGX800.
• You want a crisp, mid-forward strum that sits behind electrics: Fender Highway Series.
• You want a little overdrive on an acoustic part: Fender. It takes it well; most acoustics with a pickup do not.
• You want the fullest acoustic bed: both. Track one pass on each.

How do I use both on the same track?

This was the surprise. Doubling a strummed part with the Fender on one pass and the Yamaha on the other gives a better acoustic bed than two passes of either guitar. The Fender brings the mid-range definition, the Yamaha brings the warm low end, and together they fill out the track without either one getting muddy or thin.

If you already own a full-size acoustic, that is the strongest case for adding a thin-body as a second guitar.

Would I buy the Fender again?

For recording only, no. The Yamaha does that job better and cheaper.

But I am not selling it. It is the most comfortable acoustic I have played, it is the one I gig with, and it has a real job in the studio as the top layer of a doubled part. Two guitars, two jobs. The full review is at Fender Highway Series Dreadnought.

FAQ

Is the Fender Highway Series good for recording?

It records clean and crisp with a mid-focused tone, but it does not sound like a full-size acoustic. Use it for layering or for parts that sit behind electrics. For a true acoustic sound, use a full-body guitar.

Is the Yamaha FGX800 good enough for a home studio?

Yes. It has the low end and warmth a recording needs, plus a pickup and EQ so you can plug straight into an interface. At $499 it is the better acoustic for recording than my $1,400 Fender.

Does the Fender Highway Series contour knob make a difference?

On a recording, almost none that I could hear. Do not buy the guitar expecting the contour knob to fatten it up.

Can you blend a thin-body and a full-body acoustic on one track?

Yes, and it works well. The thin-body gives mid-range clarity, the full-body gives low-end warmth. Doubling a part with one of each is my go-to acoustic bed now.

Bottom line

Buy the Yamaha FGX800 if you need one acoustic that sounds like an acoustic on a recording. Buy the Fender Highway Series if comfort and gigging come first, or if you already have a full-size acoustic and want a second voice to layer with. I keep both and use each for what it is good at.