Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster vs Washburn Nele Standard
Reasons to Get
Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster over Washburn Nele Standard
Reasons to Get
Washburn Nele Standard over Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster
Other Key Differences
Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster vs Washburn Nele Standard
Shared Features
Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster vs Washburn Nele Standard
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Neck-Through Build
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Locking Tuners
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- 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 Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster is probably the better product overall with its final score of 75 compared to the Washburn Nele Standard's 70 score, although not by a lot.
The Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality. On the other hand, the Washburn Nele Standard has the upper hand when it comes to.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster is the better choice.
The Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Washburn Nele Standard meets only 4. 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 Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Washburn Nele Standard- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- 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 Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster Overview
- From Fender Custom's 2020 Artisan series
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 9.5" to 12" Fretboard Radius
- 4A Figured Koa top
- Chambered 2-Piece Fiji Mahogany with 4A Figured Koa Top body
- 4A Roasted Flame Maple neck
- Round-Lam Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound Loaded '51 Nocaster (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Reverse Nocaster Bridge with Brass RSD Saddles bridge
- '60s Oval C Bolt-On neck
- 21 Jumbo frets
- Vintage Style with Tortoise Shell Buttons tuners
- Compare Specs >
Washburn Nele Standard Overview
- From Washburn's 2020 Nele series
- Nuno Bettencourt Signature
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Swamp Ash body
- Maple neck
- Birdseye Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Bill Lawrence L-250 (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Vintage Stack (STK-T1N) (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 0 tone Dome knobs
- 6-way Switch
- Gotoh GTC201 bridge
- Washburn Nele Bolt-On neck
- 22 Medium frets
- Grover Exclusive 18:1 Gold tuners
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in the Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster
This wood has beautiful patterns only found in specific types of maple.
Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.
It's a type of wood native to the Hawaiian Islands, where it's pretty common. Its musical properties make it a great wood for making guitars, but it's especially popular for building Ukuleles. Find out more about Koa.
Woods Used in the Washburn Nele Standard
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
This wood has beautiful patterns only found in specific types of maple.
Ash is a type of wood that Fender used almost exclusively in the 50s, and it's still used by many brands. It's a dense wood with a light color that works well for a transparent, natural finish because of its beautiful patterns. In terms of sound, it's known for emphasizing the mid and high frequencies, but with strong low end. Find out more about Ash.
Winner: Tie.
Pickup Configuration
The Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster has an SP90 configuration while the Washburn Nele Standard has HH pickups.
The single-coil pickup at the bridge will give you a really bright sound with low output, while the neck pickup brings slightly more output with a warmer tone. This is thanks to the P90-style tone, which is often used for blues and classic rock.
On the other hand, Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
Pickups Quality
Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.
However, the Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
We found the same or similar pickups to the Washburn Nele Standard's online:
Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.
Winner: Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
The Washburn Nele Standard gives you 6 switch options while the Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster gives you 3. This means that the Washburn Nele Standard gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Washburn Nele Standard.
Final Sound Quality Scores
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 Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster compares to the Washburn Nele Standard.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in United States.
The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.
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.
The Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster has a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.
On the other hand, the Washburn Nele Standard comes with a Black Tusq XL nut. TUSQ nuts are usually the highest quality you can get. Black TUSQs are made from a special slippery material that helps the strings get back to its original position (one of the keys to tune stability).
Winner: Tie.
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.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
Both come with a similar bridge: Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster's are Vintage Style with Tortoise Shell Buttons while the Washburn Nele Standard's are Grover Exclusive 18:1 Gold
Winner: Tie.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Weight Relief
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Washburn Nele Standard
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Black Tusq XL Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
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
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Washburn Nele Standard has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 41.9mm (1.65''). This is a 1.1mm (0.043'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Washburn Nele Standard, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
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 25.5".
This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.
However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.
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
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 Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster and the Washburn Nele Standard 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
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.
In this case, the Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster is the only one with a compound radius. This is a huge win because it will give you the best of both worlds: a more curved radius in the first few frets for chords, and flatter as you come closer to the body for soloing.
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 Washburn Nele Standard favors large hands more than the Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster:
Washburn Nele Standard:
Fret Size
The Fender Custom Artisan Koa P90 Telecaster has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Washburn Nele Standard's Medium frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.
