We live in a Golden Age of acoustic and electric guitars — here are the latest models I've tested, from Taylor, Gibson, and Epiphone

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ab7a20ed09659b6128b490c-2048/img0498.jpg" border="0" alt="Fender California Series" data-mce-source="Matthew DeBord/BI" /><p class="source"><span>Matthew DeBord/BI</span></p><p class="caption">Some flashy axes.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/fender">Fender</a> recently launched a new range of extroverted acoustic guitars.</strong></li><li><strong>Lately, the company has been rolling out new products in areas where it traditionally hasn't competed strongly.</strong></li><li><strong>I checked out the range at an event in New York.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p>Fender is arguably the most successful electric-guitar brand on the planet. Its Stratocaster and Telecaster designs have been played by everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Lucinda Williams, in every imaginable musical genre. Much of the time, those guitars are plugged into Fender amplifiers.</p><p>CEO Andy Mooney told me that when he first got the job and went out the festival circuit to see how many acts were using Fender gear, it was something like 80%.</p><p>So Fender, a company started in 1946, does electric. But as Mooney also pointed out to me, there's been notable growth in acoustic-guitar sales of late, driven mainly by women taking up the instrument, inspired by artists such as Taylor Swift.</p><p>Fender hasn't traditionally been strong on the unplugged side. That's been the realm of competitors such as Gibson, Taylor, and especially Martin, a 185-year-old Pennsylvania company that makes the acoustics that pretty much every musician who pays attention wants to own.</p><p>Under Mooney - who took over as CEO at Fender in 2015, after working at Nike and Disney - Fender is in the midst of a serious product rollout. In 2017, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fender-play-review-2017-10">it introduced Fender Play, an online learning system</a>.</p><p>Earlier this year, the company <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fender-new-effects-pedal-lineup-2018-2">debuted a new line of effects pedals</a> for electric players (another category where Fender has spent much time competing in the past), and this month, the company officially unveiled a new lineup of acoustic guitars.</p><h2>Enter the California Series</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ab7a3f5a0febd1b008b48d8-2048/img0501.jpg" border="0" alt="Fender California Series New" data-mce-source="Matthew DeBord/BI" /><p class="source"><span>Matthew DeBord/BI</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Called the "California Series," they aren't going to be for everybody. The quick take here is that these are acoustics for electric players - and very much intended to deliver a visual punch when played live.</p><p>The colors are bold, and while the designs of the guitars' bodies aren't radical, the necks are a bit of a departure and the headstocks could have been taken from a Stratocaster. (Fender has done this before - and there's currently one acoustic, the Sonoran, in its range that evokes the look of the company's electrics.)</p><p>Fender held an event in New York to introduce the lineup, and I attended and got to sample a few of the new guitars. These are China-made instruments, but the quality is quite good (as it is for Fender's more traditional Paramount lineup of acoustics, which I've also fiddled with) and there's no questioning how much fun it is to get your hands on such expressive axes.</p><p>But really, what you notice right away, either grabbing basic chords or working single-note riffs and passages over the neck, is how quick these guitars play.</p><p>This is due to what Fender calls a "slim-taper" C-shaped neck, made from mahogany and borrowed from the company's electric lineup. I'm no shredder, but what quick playing I can do was speed up considerably when I sat down with a $700 matte-black Redondo Special, one of the large dreadnought-style guitars in the range.</p><p>Chords sound rich, but there's also something about the general vibe of the California Series that makes you want to pick out notes and strum hard and overdrive the tone. That said, the guitars seem versatile and dynamic, and what little fingerstyle playing I did came off nicely.</p><h2>Aimed at younger players</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ab7a41aa0febd2b008b4972-1692/img0503.jpg" border="0" alt="Fender California Series" data-mce-source="Matthew DeBord/BI" /><p class="source"><span>Matthew DeBord/BI</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Fender appears to be pitching the lineup at younger players who might not aspire to sitting alone on a stool at a coffeeshop on an open-mic night, plucking out gentle ballads.</p><p>The best word to describe the California Series could be "extroverted." At the event, Fender convened a panel to discuss the state of the guitar, moderated by Matt Sweeney (he of the recent Iggy Pop-Josh Homme band and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auaNmXyO6ZU">YouTube's delightful "Guitar Moves" fame</a>) with Mooney, several music writers and executives, and artist-producer Doc Mckinney alongside Gina Gleason, who plays lead guitar for the band Baroness.</p><p>The discussion highlighted a relatively new trend, in an effort to explore the ongoing relevance of acoustic guitars: performers who wouldn't normally be associated with guitars potentially bringing them onstage. The fascination of rap and hip-hop artists with 1990s alternative guitar-based music was a prime example. The upshot is that it can be good to have a guitar in your hands that doesn't look like it aspires to be <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigger_(guitar)">Willie Nelson's legendary Trigger</a> or Father John Misty's Martin D-28.</p><p>Before you say this isn't about serious music, consider that flashy acoustics are nothing new.</p><p>For every old-school Spanish shape in a basic natural finish, there have also been sunburst jumbos with exotic pickguards and mother-of-pearl inlays on the fretboard.</p><p>I should know because I own one of these, a 10-year-old Epiphone Hummingbird based on famous Gibson dreadnought design. It's the type of guitar that you want to sling over your should and take out for some enthusiastic busking. It feels weird to play it while sitting on the couch.</p><h2>Affordable pricing and good quality</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ab7a4443489d627008b4926-1975/img0497.jpg" border="0" alt="Fender California Series" data-mce-source="Matthew DeBord/BI" /><p class="source"><span>Matthew DeBord/BI</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The California range is priced from $400 to $800, with considerable variety of size and shape. The Player is the least expensive, the Special is up next, and the Classic tops the group.</p><p>It's worth pointing out that with all-wood construction (sitka spruce top and natural mahogany back and sides) and a bone nut and saddle, the Classic is pretty impressive deal.</p><p>All the guitars come with Fishman electronics onboard and basically beg you to plug them in (I didn't, but I will later when I get a chance to check out these guitars in-depth).</p><p>"We've never really had the same commitment to pedals and acoustic guitars as we've had to electric guitars and amps," Mooney told me, describing the new California range as a fork in the road that will redefine Fender's product mission moving forward.</p><p>"Electric guitars have been a 70-year journey for us," he said. "I always like to look at these things as the first step in a another 70-year journey."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/video-dropbox-ceo-drew-houston-ipo-interview-2018-3">Dropbox CEO talks about how he went from rejecting Steve Jobs to an $11 billion IPO</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/OrufnKUf-xjRU7l6Z.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Fender has unveiled a lineup of acoustic guitars that electric players will love

This Is The Most Ridiculous Coupon We Have Ever Seen

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/531772e2eab8eaa66eecf0ff-1200-600/american-flag-kid-3.png?maxX=800" border="0" alt="american flag kid" width="800" /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/ Jonathan Alcorn</span></p></div><p></p></div>America may be far from perfect, but life here is pretty sweet.</p>
<p>A recent <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/" target="_blank">/r/AskReddit</a> thread posed the question: <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/" target="_blank">What does America do best?</a></p>
<p>The outpouring of responses covered everything from food to patriotism, and were submitted by Reddit users based all around the globe. Here are some of their best responses.</p>
<h3>1. Jazz And The Blues</h3>
<p>"The Blues really changed the world and is pure American. Although I guess it was influenced by slave gospels. I'm a huge blues fan. BB King, Chuck Berry, and Robert Johnson all paved the way for rock and pop music of today." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfuox29" target="_blank">WastedPotato</a></p>
<h3><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/530fa7b7eab8ea51682a4511-800-600/burger-26.jpg" border="0" alt="burger" width="480" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/">Flickr/avlxyz</a></span></p></div><p></p></div>2. Food</h3>
<p>"'France is the country of good food.' No, not really. France is the country of an expensive grilled cheese given a name you probably can't pronounce with a slice of tomato on it. ALL THE DIFFERENT FOOD, EVERYWHERE. And I'm not just talking fast food. I'm talking about everything." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfuodhx" target="_blank">Jhaturtle</a></p>
<h3>3. Friendliness</h3>
<p>"Default smiling. Buy a coffee, get a smile. Make random eye contact, get a smile. In most parts of the world, smiles are not as readily given out or are causes for suspicion." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfupzg0" target="_blank">cream-of-cow</a></p>
<p>"I find Americans are the most extroverted group of people. I've never met more forceful personalities, it's almost impossible to miss an American abroad. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, it's not rowdy or disruptive, it's just something about the mannerisms, like a complete abandonment of discretion replaced with the overwhelming compulsion to engage in conversation and introduce themselves, their reason for being here, their family history, their career and to compare seemingly random attributes around them to back home, while blissfully ignoring the palpable European disdain for being talked to while on public transport." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfulcgh" target="_blank">Didalectic</a></p>
<h3>4. Guitars</h3>
<p>"Virtually every single significant guitar ever made is American. Regardless of a band's nationality, the bands that don't use an American Fender, Gibson, Martin, Epiphone, Rickenbacker, PRS, etc... are few and far in between. With the exception of several British amplification companies, America has virtually every aspect of the guitar market covered." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfup52n" target="_blank">StolenNachoRanger</a></p>
<h3>5. Corn</h3>
<p>Especially: "Turn[ing] corn into things that are not corn."  - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfura0p" target="_blank">lift_heavy64</a></p>
<h3>6. Pride In Our Culture</h3>
<p>"I was at a local brewery/grill a few months ago when the table next to me said to the waitress, 'Our friend here is from Germany, and he's never had hush puppies or sweet tea!' (we're in the South)…Our section of the restaurant went dead quiet. The waitress says, 'In that case, one order of hush puppies and tea, on the house.'<br />It's that pride and willingness (if not insistence) to share parts of our culture that we love." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfuqkad" target="_blank">pirateofspace</a></p>
<h3>7. Porn</h3>
<p>"I'm pretty sure America makes the highest quality porn in the world." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfuj3oc" target="_blank">Bk7</a></p>
<h3><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_left"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/531777886da811932650978b-959-720/airheads-candy-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Airheads candy" width="480" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=564896546897737&amp;set=pb.109164059137657.-2207520000.1382472679.&amp;type=3&amp;theater">Airheads/Facebook</a></span></p></div><p></p></div>8. Junk Food</h3>
<p>"Here in The Netherlands, our junk food is decades behind the godly snacks and beverages that the USA offers. Besides how good it is, the variety that you have is so vast that I think anyone in the world would have something they like…Bless Americans for Reese's Pieces, Warheads, Airheads, Hot Cheetos, Fruit Rollups, Nerds and Hot Cheetos again." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfurozt" target="_blank">TotolLies</a></p>
<h3>9. Free Speech</h3>
<p>"I know that free-speech battles are being continually fought in the US and that sometimes it seems like a never-ending battle. I also accept that there are all sorts of problems like free-speech on campuses, free-speech 'zones' and so on. Even so, recognize that you are still ahead of most of the world when it comes to the right to say what you want." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfunaep">backtowriting</a></p>
<h3>10. Cereal</h3>
<p>"Variety of breakfast cereals and other processed foods. I was in Walmart with a bunch of foreigners and they were taking pictures of the cereal aisle to show everyone back home." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfuipfi" target="_blank">lo_dolly_lolita</a></p>
<h3>11. Entertainment</h3>
<p>"The U.S. is by far best in movies and TV series, something of which the influence on the world should not be underestimated." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfujmw5" target="_blank">Didalectic</a></p>
<p>"Cartoon adult-ish comedies. Futurama, South Park, Family Guy, American Dad, (apparently King of the Hill, I've never watched it) and of course the Simpsons. The Simpsons, taking all things into account, could very well claim to be the best TV show of all time." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfujz28" target="_blank">nayimhittingalongone</a></p>
<h3>12. Beef</h3>
<p>"Nowhere else does as good steak as commonplace and as cheaply as America does." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfur4ce" target="_blank">sciazs</a></p>
<h3><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5294d5826bb3f79730dca204-1200-924/celebration-bu-graduation-university-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Celebration BU graduation university" width="480" /><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p></div><p></p></div>13. Higher Education</h3>
<p>"Top students from across the world flock to America's universities for education in engineering, finance, math, medicine, law, and everything else. The smartest (and often richest) high school students in other countries frequently will move to a different country to go to Harvard, Princeton, and even highly regarded public universities like University of Wisconsin or Michigan. But it's extremely rare for top students in the US to leave the country for education elsewhere." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfulbsn" target="_blank">MichaelScarn5</a></p>
<h3>14. The Military</h3>
<p>"You guys have the most advanced military on the planet, and are willing to use it to protect other people as well as your own; be it against the NSDAP or modern terrorists. While many Europeans like to complain, the world is better for having America." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfutrh8" target="_blank">madwill101</a></p>
<p>"Military. I'm just sayin', if aliens invaded, America would put the world on it's back." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfuoxc1" target="_blank">hammy831</a></p>
<h3>15. Muscle Cars</h3>
<p>"Cars with 650 horsepower under $60,000." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfum81f" target="_blank">THE_GR8_MIKE</a></p>
<h3>16. Being "Cool"</h3>
<p>"If you are an American abroad, you would probably have a 90% chance of being regarded as cool just by opening your mouth and saying something. Especially if you are in Scandinavia as we LOVE to speak English (downside to this: you will never learn Swedish except maybe words like:, köttbullar, Systembolaget, kukhuvud, tunnbrödsrulle, kräftskiva and fan)." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfup0wj" target="_blank">wyldcat</a></p>
<h3>17. Diversity</h3>
<p>"I'm an international student studying in the US at one of its best engineering colleges, and the sheer level of diversity is insane! In one day I see guys and girls from India, China, Korea, Africa, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South America as well as most of the racially diverse groups here in the US, including whites, blacks, Mexicans and (sometimes) Native Americans. The fact that all of them live together in peace and harmony, and in a society where everyone is treated equally and is judged on their merit is truly phenomenal." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfurlc5" target="_blank">jkthe</a></p>
<h3><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_left"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/527960bb69bedd872403793a-1200-924/grand-canyon-shutterstock.jpg" border="0" alt="Grand Canyon shutterstock" width="480" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-94851763/stock-photo-toroweap-sunset-grand-canyon-national-park-arizona.html?src=EEyBj5PimPqSDK7YIcTelQ-1-16">Shutterstock</a></span></p></div><p></p></div>18. The States</h3>
<p>"The United States of America is one country, but to me, as an outsider, it's like 50 different countries. I've only been in a handful of different states but it's AMAZING. The scenery changes, the people, the culture."  - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfuodhx" target="_blank">Jhaturtle</a></p>
<p>"I've only been to a handful of states, but each one is like a different country. The cities are something to behold and feel truly different (something you don't get in Europe so much), not to mention the stunning landscape." - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfutrh8" target="_blank">madwill101</a></p>
<h3>19. Hope</h3>
<p>"When other people ask me what I miss most about living in the USA I answer with all of the lesser ones above, the food, the TV, or the nature; but, I've never said: 'I miss being in a country which knows it is capable of greater things: that we will cure cancer and advance the sciences, that we will pursue corruption and combat poverty, that we will be the world's police to those who wish it harm and the world's shelter to those who have been harmed because that is our duty, that we will go back to the moon and then on to Mars, because our forefathers forged our greatness and our children compel us to utilize it."  - <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1zksek/what_does_america_do_best/cfunydx" target="_blank">TheWanderingSuperman</a></p>

You Searched For "epiphone" and got 4 results

We live in a Golden Age of acoustic and electric guitars — here are the latest models I've tested, from Taylor, Gibson, and Epiphone

Matthew DeBord

Fender has unveiled a lineup of acoustic guitars that electric players will love

Matthew DeBord

This Is The Most Ridiculous Coupon We Have Ever Seen

Kim Bhasin

19 Things America Does Better Than The Rest Of The World

Megan Willett