Fender Newporter Special Mahogany Review & Prices

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Fender Newporter Special Mahogany Review
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  • From Fender's 2020 California series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 25.6"'' scale
  • 15.75" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Mahogany top
  • Solid Mahogany back
  • Solid Mahogany sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Pau Ferro fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fishman CD-1 Preamp (Preamp/Passive)
  • Modern Viking bridge
  • Acoustic Slim C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Sealed Nickel tuners
  • Weight around 3.8lbs (1.7kgs)
  • Compare Specs >
  • From Fender's 2020 California series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 25.6"'' scale
  • 15.75" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Mahogany top
  • Solid Mahogany back
  • Solid Mahogany sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Pau Ferro fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fishman CD-1 Preamp (Preamp/Passive)
  • Modern Viking bridge
  • Acoustic Slim C Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Sealed Nickel tuners
  • Weight around 3.8lbs (1.7kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 85
Sound 85
Build quality 75
Value for money 87
Overall Score 82
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender Newporter Special Mahogany
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Videos

Fender California Series Newporter Special Review & Demo
Demo Fender Newporter Special
California Series Special Guitars with Aaron Lee Tasjan | Fender Acoustics | Fender
California Traditional Acoustics | Fender Acoustics | Fender
Fender Malibu Special Mahogany
More Videos

Price: is the Fender Newporter Special Mahogany a Good Deal?

Its average competitor's price is $460, which means that the Fender Newporter Special Mahogany costs around 63% more than the competition. It might be due to it having additional features, but know that you can find cheaper similar alternatives. This takes into account all guitars of the same category in our database with 6 strings and Fixed bridge that are made in China.

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Your feedback

Not all guitars are created equal, and there are many important things they won't tell you about the guitar you're buying. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our visitors who have played this guitar say. If you've played it before, help others by voting for your experience below.

Weight

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Heavy
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Slightly heavy
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Lightweight
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Very lightweight
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Tuning stability

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Won't stay in tune
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Sightly unstable
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Not bad
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Holds tune well
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Won't get out of tune
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Neck speed (thickness)

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Chunky
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Slightly chunky
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Balanced
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Fast
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Herman Li fast
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Neck access to high frets

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Very Hard
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Hard
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Normal
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Easy
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Very Easy
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Neck profile shape

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Baseball / U
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V
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Asymmetrical
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C
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D
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Fret edges

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Very sharp
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Slightly sharp
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Smooth
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Pickups noise

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Noiseless
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Slightly Noisy
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Noisy
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Pickups power

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Clean
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Slightly Hot
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Hot
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Is The Fender Newporter Special Mahogany Easy to Play?

The Fender Newporter Special Mahogany meets 5 out of our 9 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's a good guitar to start with as a complete beginner. 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 to get used to.

Fender Newporter Special Mahogany
New Player Friendliness
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Wide nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Locking tuners
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings

Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Fender Newporter Special Mahogany's construction is balanced for most hand sizes.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

How Lightweight is it?

We found that the Fender Newporter Special Mahogany weighs around 3.8lbs (1.7kgs). This was recorded from some online retailers that publish the weight of the guitars they sell.

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the Fender Newporter Special Mahogany's 25.6" scale length compared to other common sizes:

Fender Newporter Special Mahogany Scale Length Comparison
Fender Newporter Special Mahogany's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

It's very similar to a typical long 25.5" guitar scale, but with an extra inch probably to compensate the saddle position in acoustic guitars. It should be pretty much the same as a 25.5" scale guitar.

It will allow you to strum hard without hearing so much fret buzz, even with lower tunings.

More guitars with the same scale length:

Neck Profile

Fender Newporter Special Mahogany Neck Profile
Fender Newporter Special Mahogany's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

It has a C type neck. C-shaped necks like this have been the most popular for the last years. The reason is that they feel good in most hands. It's generally a thin neck that doesn't get in your way when playing fast, but that also has enough mass to give your hands a comfortable grip for chords if they aren't too big.

Thin necks like this make it easier to move your hand across the neck and it helps when playing fast solos, especially if you like to leave your thumb free while playing high on the fretboard. However, thinner necks are also weaker and will need adjustment more often than a thicker neck.

More guitars for different hand sizes

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

The Fender Newporter Special Mahogany has a 15.75" fingerboard radius. Here's an image comparing this guitar's fretboard radius to other popular choices:

Fender Newporter Special Mahogany Fretboard Radius Comparison with Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul
Fender Newporter Special Mahogany's fretboard radius compared to other guitars

It's a radius that makes playing single notes (and bending, vibrato, sliding, etc) easier than on a classic Les Paul guitar. However, it's still more curved than some baritone and 7+ strings guitars.

Compound radius fingerboards give the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the Fender Newporter Special Mahogany has the same radius across the board.

More guitars with the same fretboard radius:

Playability compared to main competitors

25.6'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.693'' Nut Width
15.75'' Fretboard Radius
25.6'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.693'' Nut Width
15.75'' Fretboard Radius
25.6'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.693'' Nut Width
15.75'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

Fender Newporter Special Mahogany Nut Width
Fender Newporter Special Mahogany Nut Width

The Fender Newporter Special Mahogany has a nut width of 43mm (1.693''). This size is also known as 1 11/16'' and it's the most common size. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

More guitars with the same nut width:

Frets

It comes with nickel silver frets, so they won't last as long as stainless steel frets. If you use your instrument a lot, you might need to replace the frets after a few years. But this is unlikely as most people change instruments before this happens.

More guitars with the same amount of frets:

Fret Size

Fender Newporter Special Mahogany Fret Size Comparison
Fender Newporter Special Mahogany's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The Fender Newporter Special Mahogany's frets are Medium size. With medium frets, you can feel the fretboard more than with jumbo frets, but it's still easier to press the strings cleanly than with small frets; notes might change their pitch just slightly if you press hard on the fret. Also, if you need to do some fret leveling after years of playing, you'll have some room to sand them down without having to replace them.

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 80
Chord Playability 85
Solo Playability 90
Playability 85

Does the Fender Newporter Special Mahogany Sound Good? Tone Analysis

The type of wood and even the shape of the body will have a lot of influence in the final tone of an acoustic guitar. Here's we'll talk about what kind of tone you can expect from its specs.

Wood Used in the Fender Newporter Special Mahogany

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany Top, Back, Sides, Neck
Pau Ferro wood pattern used for guitar building
Pau Ferro Fretboard

Mahogany Top, Back, Sides and Neck: This is the type of wood found in many top-of-the-line guitars, so that's a positive point for the build quality. This red-looking wood Mahogany is found in Africa and Central America and has great sustain and a warm tone due to its high density. The downside about this type of wood is that it's relatively heavy.

Pau Ferro Fretboard: It's a beautiful wood used mainly for fretboards. It has a high density and looks very similar to Rosewood with its straight grains and dark brown color. According to Fender, it has a warm tone with a fast attack.

Pickups

This guitar comes with pickups from one of the top brands: Fishman. So you can expect well built pickups with great sound that shouldn't need an upgrade anytime soon.

Sound Score

Sustain 85
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 85

How well is the Fender Newporter Special Mahogany Built?

Where is the Fender Newporter Special Mahogany Made?

Knowing where the guitar is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive guitars are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The Fender Newporter Special Mahogany is made in China. So you can expect lower build quality when compared to others made in Korea, Japan or the United States. Guitars made in this country are meant for mass production, which translates into less attention to detail and quality control. This doesn't mean the product is made poorly at all. Chinese products have a bad reputation since long ago, but they've definitely improved a lot the last few years.

More guitars made in China

Bridge

Modern Viking: The advantage of fixed bridges is that they don't require any kind of set-up. This makes it extremely easy when changing strings because you don't need to adjust anything besides tuning the guitar. Also, the fact that the bridge is directly attached to the body will help to increase sustain. The disadvantage is the lack of versatility since you can't create the same vibrato effects as with tremolo bridges.

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure the guitar stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the Fender Newporter Special Mahogany has a Bone nut. This material is one of the highest quality you can get. It provides excellent sustain and tune stability if cut well. The only disadvantage is that it's an organic material, so it's not consistent. Two different bone nuts, even if made from the same bone, will probably sound slightly different. However, bear in mind that this is only relevant when playing open strings.

More guitars with the same nut material:

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 81
Features 85
Quality Control 60
Build Quality 75

Most Popular Comparisons With The Fender Newporter Special Mahogany

Fender Newporter Special Mahogany Specs

General
Brand: Fender
Year: 2020
Configuration:
Strings: 6
Made in: China
Series: California
Colors: Natural
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Type: Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Mahogany
Bridge: Modern Viking
Neck
Neck Joint: Set
Tuners: Sealed Nickel
Fretboard: Pau Ferro
Neck Material: Mahogany
Decoration: Maple Dots
Scale Size: 25.6"
Shape: Acoustic Slim C
Frets: 20 Medium
Fretboard Radius: 15.75"
Nut: Bone
Nut Width: 43mm (1.693'')
Electronics
Switch: Way
Knobs:
Volume Controls:
Tone Controls:
Bridge Pickup: Fishman CD-1 Preamp (Preamp / Passive)

User Reviews of the Fender Newporter Special Mahogany

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