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Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String
Fender CD-60S Dreadnought
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Playability
77
Sound
80
Build
72
Value
86
Score
76
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Playability
73
Sound
80
Build
65
Value
88
Score
73
FIND IT ON:
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Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String vs CD-60S Dreadnought

Reasons to Get
Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String over CD-60S Dreadnought

Release Year
2020 vs 2017
From a more recent year
Pickups Brand
Fishman vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Strings
12 vs 6
Allows you to play lower notes
Nut Width
1.77'' (45mm) vs 1.693'' (43mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle

Reasons to Get
Fender CD-60S Dreadnought over CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String

Strings
6 vs 12
Narrower neck and fewer strings to change
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm) vs 1.77'' (45mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Value Score
88 vs 86
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String vs CD-60S Dreadnought

Bridge Material
Rosewood vs Walnut
Different Bridge Material
Headstock
6-6 vs 3-3
Different Headstock

Shared Features
Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String vs CD-60S Dreadnought

Back Material
Mahogany
Same Back Material
Sides Material
Mahogany
Same Sides Material
Saddle Material
Plastic
Same Saddle Material
Body Wood
Spruce
Same Body Wood
Neck Wood
Mahogany
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Walnut
Same Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Plastic
Same Nut Material
Body Type
Hollowbody
Warm tone, lighter and acoustic sound
Switch Positions
0
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
0
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
0
Same tone control
Number of Frets
20
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
25.3'' (642.6mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Type of Frets
Vintage
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Solid Top Wood
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Nut
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String is probably the better product overall with its final score of 76 compared to the Fender CD-60S Dreadnought's 73 score, although not by a lot.

The Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String wins when it comes to playability, build quality. On the other hand, the Fender CD-60S Dreadnought has the upper hand when it comes to value for the money.

If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String is the better choice.

The Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String meets 3 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Fender CD-60S Dreadnought meets only 2. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

New Player Friendliness

Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Fender CD-60S Dreadnought
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String Overview

  • From Fender's 2020 Classic Design series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 12 strings
  • 25.3"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Spruce top
  • Mahogany back
  • Mahogany sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Walnut fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fishman CD-1 Preamp (Preamp/Passive)
  • Rosewood bridge
  • Acoustic Fender 'Easy-to-Play' shape with rolled fretboard edges Set neck
  • 20 Vintage frets
  • Chrome Die-Cast tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Fender CD-60S Dreadnought Overview

  • From Fender's 2017 Classic Design series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 25.3"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Spruce top
  • Mahogany back
  • Mahogany sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Walnut fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Walnut bridge
  • Acoustic Fender 'Easy-to-Play' shape with rolled fretboard edges Set neck
  • 20 Vintage frets
  • Chrome Die-Cast tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .

Woods Used in Both

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Walnut wood pattern used for guitar building
Walnut
Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

It's a hard wood with a chocolate color that is often used to give an elegant finish. Since it's quite expensive and rare, it's mostly used for guitar tops. Find out more about Walnut.

Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.

Winner: Tie.

Electronics

The Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String comes with a preamp that allows you to connect it to an amp, unlike its competitor. This allows it to have more versatility and sound quality if you want to record with it or play live.

Winner:Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String
Sustain 75
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 80
Fender CD-60S Dreadnought
Sustain 75
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 80

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String compares to the Fender CD-60S Dreadnought.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in Indonesia.

Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.

Winner: Tie

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

In this case, both have Plastic nuts. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. Both come with Chrome Die-Cast.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String
  • Expensive Wood
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • Low-Quality Material Saddle
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender CD-60S Dreadnought
  • Expensive Wood
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Electronics
  • Low-Quality Material Saddle
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String
Quality of materials 66
Features 85
Quality Control 65
Build Quality 72
Fender CD-60S Dreadnought
Quality of materials 66
Features 65
Quality Control 65
Build Quality 65

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String Nut Width
Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String Nut Width
Fender CD-60S Dreadnought Nut Width
Fender CD-60S Dreadnought Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String has the wider nut with 45mm (1.77'') vs 43mm (1.693''). This is a 2mm (0.077'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String and Fender CD-60S Dreadnought's Scale Length
Both have the same scale length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

In this case, both have a scale length of 25.3".

This is considered a long scale, but slightly shorter than what's commonly found in acoustic guitars.

Since the distance between bridge and nut is relatively long, strings will feel stiff and more difficult to bend, but the tone will feel brighter. It will also be less likely to produce fret buzzing and rattling when strumming hard.

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String Neck Profile
Both guitars have the same neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

Both the Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String and the Fender CD-60S Dreadnought have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

Both the Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String and the Fender CD-60S Dreadnought have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Fender CD-60S Dreadnought favors large hands more than the Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.

Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender CD-60S Dreadnought:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String and Fender CD-60S Dreadnought Frets Size
Both have a similar Vintage fret size

Both have a Vintage fret size. These are shorter frets than what's found in most modern guitars. Vintage frets barely stick out from the fingerboard, which means that pressing notes cleanly will be more difficult. Bendings are also harder to perform due to the extra friction from the fretboard. This size is for those who prefer the feeling of a really old guitar and it's not recommended for new players.

Final Playability Scores

Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 80
Playability 77
Fender CD-60S Dreadnought
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73

Specs Side-by-Side

Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String vs CD-60S Dreadnought
General Fender CD-60SCE Dreadnought 12-String CD-60S Dreadnought
Brand: Fender Fender
Year: 2020 2017
Strings: 12 6
Made in: Indonesia Indonesia
Series: Classic Design Classic Design
Colors: Natural Black
Left-Handed Version: No Yes
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Spruce Solid Spruce
Sides Material: Mahogany Mahogany
Back Material: Mahogany Mahogany
Bridge: Rosewood Walnut
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Chrome Die-Cast Chrome Die-Cast
Fretboard: Walnut Walnut
Neck Material: Mahogany Mahogany
Decoration: 3mm Pearloid Dot 3mm Pearloid Dot
Scale Size: 25.3" 25.3"
Shape: Acoustic Fender 'Easy-to-Play' shape with rolled fretboard edges Acoustic Fender 'Easy-to-Play' shape with rolled fretboard edges
Frets: 20 Vintage Nickel Silver 20 Vintage Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 12" 12"
Nut: Plastic Plastic
Nut Width: 45mm (1.77'') 43mm (1.693'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Fishman CD-1 Preamp (Preamp / Passive)