- Dreadnought body style
- Solid Sitka spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides
- Ovangkol bridge and fingerboard
- Fender- and Fishman-designed PM preamp system complete with tuner, frequency (bass, middle and treble) and phase controls
- Checkerboard purfling and rosette inspired by classic ‘60s Fender acoustic guitar designs
Fender is probably better known for their iconic electric guitars like the Tele and the Stratocaster. In general Fender acoustics are more of an entry level guitar for the novice.
However, the paramount series is a departure from this stereo type. The paramount series uses all wood design with classic appointments and the modern touch of built in electronics. While there are several shapes and sizes to choose from I like Fenders Paramount PM-1E (view on Amazon) for its simplicity and classic design.
The checkerboard perfling and simple dot inlays are fenders version of the iconic Martin HD-28 (only with mahagony back and sides) at a fraction of the cost. There are many types of guitars to choose from and while they all have their place, for general purpose find that for me, I usually come back to the dreadnought shape when I'm looking for an all purpose guitar.
Summary of Key Fender Paramount PM-1E Features
Body Shape - Squared shoulder Dreadnought.
Finish - Gloss Polyester.
Top - Solid Sitka spruce.
Back and Sides - Solid mahogany. The mahogany wood produces a warm 'woody' tone.
Nut and Saddle - Bone
Tuners - Fender vintage open gear tuners.
Neck - Made from Mahogany and comes with standard fender "D" shape.
Fingerboard - Ovankol. Mother of pearl Dot Inlay.
Dual Action Adjustable Truss Rod - Allows you to adjust the neck bow to set the action of your guitars strings.
Check out the Demo of the PM-1 Standard Acoustic highlighting some of the features of this all wood acoustic guitar.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Should you buy the Paramount PM-1E?
If you like dreadnought shaped guitars, have a need for electronics for gigging, and like the warm "woody" tone of an all Mahogany guitar this is guitar is an excellent choice.
Its exciting to see well made all wood designs at this price point. This is why we have this guitar ranked as our number 1 acoustic guitar model for Fender.
If you like dreadnought guitars but you just have to have the rosewood back and sides Fender also has this covered. The "deluxe" version of the paramount models offer solid rosewood back and sides as apposed to the mahogany versions. The dreadnought model that comes with Rosewood is PM-1E Deluxe.
While our preference was the dreadought model, There are three other styles that are offered by Fender to suit the needs and preferences each musician.
Comparison of the Fender Paramount Models
If your still not convinced this is the best Fender acoustic guitar for you, we also have four other guitars that made our top 5 fender acoustic guitars list.