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Fender Fullerton Jazzmaster Ukulele
- Fender FE-U01 pickup system.
- Nickel hardware
- Fretboard and bridge: Walnut.
Ukulele Review – Fullerton Jazzmaster by Fender!
A line of concert-size ukuleles from Fender pays homage to the iconic guitar manufacturer’s six-string designs including the Jazzmaster, Stratocaster, and Telecaster.
A Fullerton-inspired series of instruments is named after Leo Fender’s birthplace and the original home of these archetypal instruments.
History
The Fullerton Tele Uke features improvements that increase its appeal while also bringing it closer to the iconic features of the Telecaster guitar.
Telecasters have been a hit with players since 1950 (as the Esquire before becoming the Telecaster in 1952), and countless variations have been available since then.
This ukulele may share some of the characteristics of the oft-imitated solid-body guitar, such as the single cutaway and butterscotch finish, but it’s also an acoustic-electric instrument with some distinctive features.
Build and Quality
This Tele Uke features a laminated mahogany body with a laminated spruce top. With these woods, the uke gets a solid tone and is one of the heaviest wooden ukes we have ever strung, so “sturdy” does a good job describing its feel.
Its heft is most likely caused by laminated woods, onboard electronics, and an unusual maple neck for a uke. Although maple is heavier than mahogany, it’s also stronger and gives a brighter, clear sound.
Even though heavier instruments often sound muffled, this beautiful uke has a surprising amount of volume. Even though the Butterscotch Blonde finish could have used a bit more transparency to show the wood grain underneath, the overall design is pretty cool and looks great.
Its thicker-than-average maple neck and soft C shape made it comfortable to play for long periods of time, especially when strumming open chords with my thumb resting over the edge.
For the tester, the strings are set up with a medium action, which we find comfortable. However, some players may prefer strings that are closer to the fingerboard so fretting is easier. Basically, this is a matter of personal preference and could be easily adjusted by any repairer at the bridge and nut.
There is a flat radius on the walnut fingerboard, which is a pleasing alternative to rosewood. The bindings are made of white plastic, and they are tinted to match the body binding, giving off a vintage vibe. While the ends of several frets could have been smoothed out a bit more, there were no sharp edges and the fretwork was reasonable for this price point.
Tuning and Sound
Cutaway access makes all 19 frets on the fingerboard easily accessible, so fretboard delinquents can reach all the way up to high E with ease. Tuning was very easy with the vintage-style sealed gear tuners.
In comparison to many of the affordable guitar-like ukuleles we’ve played so far, the Fullerton Tele’s acoustic tone was richer and more satisfying. The C string produced a rich, deep sound with a nice roundness to the low end that kept us coming back for more.
There was a nice woofy bark to the chords, with just enough high-end detail to shine through. In spite of the warm and dark sound, there were clear chords or single notes and passages on the higher strings. These notes sounded nice and had good sustain, and spoke quickly when finger-styled.
Since Tele is modeled after an electric, it shouldn’t be surprising that Fullerton performs very well when connected. Initially, our amp was set flat and the onboard controls maxed, but when we lowered the tone control to half, the sound warmed up nicely.
Having that sweet spot gave us all of the clarity, punch, definition, and tone we were looking for in an acoustic-electric ukulele. Even though the sound occasionally got a little too loud, the laminated construction helped keep feedback under control.
The Price
There will be some people who are drawn to acoustic-electric ukuleles that look like small guitars, and there will be some people who are turned away by them. As far as instruments under $200 go, the Fender Fullerton Tele Uke delivers a solid and very usable sound for live use as well as a pleasantly decent sound for acoustics.
No matter what you think about these guitar-based ukuleles, they all revolve around having fun. Having fun is an important part of playing music, even when we’re serious about it. The Fender Fullerton Tele Uke is a great example of that.
- Body: Mahogany.
- Neck: Maple.
- Fretboard and bridge: Walnut.
- Fretboard radius: Flat.
- Fretboard inlays: White dots.
- 19 Frets.
- Nut width: 35 mm (1.38″).
- Synthetic bone nut.
- Fender FE-U01 pickup system.
- Single layer black pickguard.
- Closed nickel machine heads.
- Nickel hardware.
- Ex-factory stringing: Aquila Nylgut Concert.
Last Words
There are going to be some people who will be attracted to acoustic-electric ukuleles that look like small guitars, and there will be others who will be turned away. At this price point, the Fender Fullerton Tele Uke provides a solid and usable live sound as well as an enjoyable acoustic sound.
The idea of fun runs through all of these guitar-based ukuleles. Playing music is fun, even when we’re serious about it, and the Fender Fullerton Tele Uke is a lot of fun to play.
Here you can check an interesting video made especially about Fullerton Series by Fender
