The Fender name will always be associated with its iconic electric guitars, basses, and amplifiers, but the company has also offered acoustics since the 1960s. Introduced at this year’s Winter NAMM show, Fender’s new Paramount series is the company’s latest line of flattops and is available in three body sizes: dreadnought, 000, and parlor.
The PM-2 Standard Parlor is a 12-fret guitar with body dimensions that are roughly the same as many vintage 00-size instruments. But rather than attempting to re-create a guitar built before Fender was founded in 1946, the PM-2 Standard Parlor is a cool hybrid of vintage and modern features. Any small-body 12-fret steel-string conjures a certain vintage vibe, but the Paramount’s solid headstock and rounded neck profile give it a more contemporary feel and look while the PM-2 Standard Parlor’s checkerboard purfling and rosette bring to mind earlier Fender acoustics and are a great match for the guitar’s spruce top and rosewood back and sides.
The PM-2 Standard includes an exclusive Fishman electronics package that was specially developed for the Paramount series. It consists of an undersaddle pickup and a side-mounted preamp with controls for volume, bass, and treble. The system’s onboard tuner features a unique display that also serves as a control button: the left side of the display is a phase-reverse switch, while the right side activates the tuner and mutes the output signal.
Thanks to its low-action and short scale, the PM-2 Standard Parlor was very easy to play. Its acoustic voice had strong mids and a quick response, even when played fingerstyle with a soft attack. Plugged into a Fishman Loudbox Mini, the guitar sounded larger than its small body would suggest. Overall, the PM-2 Standard Parlor is a cool guitar that will appeal to players looking for a relatively inexpensive small-body instrument that combines vintage style with modern playability and state-of-the art electronics.
SPECS: 12-fret 00-size body. Solid Sitka spruce top. Solid mahogany back and sides. Mahogany neck. Ebony fingerboard and bridge. 24¾-inch scale. 1¾-inch nut width. Open-gear tuning machines. Fishman Paramount electronics. Designed in the USA, made in China. $799 list. fender.com
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