Fender CB-60SCE Natural

Fender CB-60SCE Acoustic Bass — Affordable Unplugged Tone

The Fender CB-60SCE acoustic bass is an affordable entry into the unplugged bass world, pairing a solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides in a comfortable concert body. This model is the right choice for bassists who want authentic acoustic tone without paying flagship prices. Its slim-taper neck profile and Fishman electronics make it equally at home on the couch, around the campfire, or on a small stage. The cutaway design opens up the upper frets for solo work, while the medium 813 mm scale keeps string tension friendly to the hands of any electric-bass convert.

Standout Features in Its Class

What separates this instrument from other budget acoustic basses is the solid (not laminated) spruce top paired with scalloped X-bracing, a construction detail usually reserved for more expensive instruments. The onboard Fishman Classic Design preamp adds a built-in chromatic tuner placed right where the player can see it during performance, plus a three-band EQ for shaping amplified tone. Fender's "Easy-to-Play" neck shape with rolled fingerboard edges is another rare touch in this price tier, designed to feel comfortable from the first fret to the twenty-second.

Body Construction — Spruce Over Mahogany

Body construction serves as the foundation of any acoustic instrument, and the CB-60SCE delivers a classic spruce-over-mahogany recipe that has defined acoustic guitar tone for decades. The solid top moves more air than a laminated one, giving the bass a livelier response that opens up with playing time.

• The concert body with cutaway offers a compact footprint and easy access to the higher frets.
• Top: Solid Spruce — bright, dynamic, responds to attack
• Back and Sides: Mahogany (laminated) — warm, woody low end
• Bracing: Scalloped X — balances volume and resonance
• Body Finish: Gloss with CD Series Pearloid rosette and multi-ply binding

Neck and Playability — Slim Taper, Rolled Edges

The neck profile is where the Classic Design series earns its reputation, a slim, easy-to-play shape with rolled fingerboard edges that feels comfortable from the first fret to the twenty-second. A 43 mm nut width gives fingers room to move without feeling cramped, and the 813 mm medium scale mirrors the feel of a long-scale electric bass while reducing string tension slightly.

• Scale Length: 813 mm (32") — familiar electric-bass feel, easier tension
• Nut Width: 43 mm — comfortable for thumb-and-fingerstyle
• The walnut fingerboard features a 305 mm radius and 3 mm pearloid dot inlays.
• Number of Frets: 22 vintage-style — extended range beyond most acoustic basses
• Neck Material: Mahogany in gloss urethane finish with dual-action truss rod

Electronics and Hardware — Stage-Ready Out of the Box

For amplified performance, the Fishman CD preamp system translates the acoustic voice cleanly to a PA or recording interface. Chrome die-cast tuners and a walnut bridge with black-with-white-dot bridge pins keep the hardware stable under stage conditions, and the instrument ships strung with Fender 7060 Phosphor Bronze acoustic bass strings gauged .045–.100.

• Preamp: Fishman CD with built-in chromatic tuner
• Controls: Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble — full three-band EQ
• Tuning Machines: Chrome die-cast — stable tuning under heavy playing
• Bridge: Walnut with black pins — clean string transfer and sustain
• Strings: Fender 7060 Phosphor Bronze (.045–.100) — warm, balanced acoustic bass voice

Who Is It For — Singer-Songwriters, Students, and Travelers

The Fender CB-60SCE is the right choice for electric bass players who want to explore acoustic playing without investing in a high-end instrument. It suits singer-songwriters seeking a compact, comfortable acoustic bass for live sets, students who need a forgiving neck and reliable electronics for lessons, and traveling musicians looking for a lightweight backup bass that fits in a gig bag. The 813 mm medium scale keeps string tension manageable for fingerstyle, while the Fishman preamp ensures the bass holds its own when plugged into a small PA or bass amp.

Fender and the Classic Design Series

Fender was founded in 1946 by Leo Fender, whose Telecaster, Stratocaster, Precision Bass, and Jazz Bass designs reshaped popular music. The Classic Design series extends that legacy into the acoustic realm, with Indonesian production keeping the price accessible while preserving the company's commitment to playable, well-voiced instruments.