Fender Newporter Player WN Tidepool

The Newporter Player: The California Touch at the Heart of the Fender Series

Inspired by the DNA of Fender acoustics popularized in the 1960s, the Newporter Player revisits an instantly recognizable silhouette, featuring a Stratocaster-style angled headstock and a distinctly "West Coast" aesthetic. Positioned at the core of the California series, it targets today's musician seeking a reliable electro-acoustic guitar with an iconic look, electric-like playability, and a strong visual personality on stage.

For Which Musicians and Styles?

Thanks to its auditorium body shape and slim neck, the Fender Newporter Player is suitable for both motivated beginners and intermediate players transitioning from electric guitar. It excels in folk, pop, indie, country, and vocal accompaniment: defined enough for fingerpicking, yet lively enough for energetic strumming, with enhanced playing comfort thanks to the cutaway.

Sound Characteristics

The solid spruce top delivers a crisp attack, great clarity, and wide dynamic range, allowing smooth transitions from delicate playing to strong rhythm without losing definition. The sapelli (back and sides) adds natural warmth in the midrange, with well-controlled lows to maintain a balanced tone, especially effective in mixes. The scalloped X bracing promotes resonance and projection, while the Newporter auditorium format maintains good focus and quick response. When plugged in, the Fishman Flex electronics emphasize a credible acoustic tone, and the phase switch helps manage problematic frequencies in live settings.

Recommended Compatible Accessories

To maintain original tension and balance, prefer 12-52 gauge steel acoustic strings (80/20 type) like the factory-installed gauge. A 6-string acoustic capo, a standard strap, and a clip-on tuner complete a simple and effective setup. Finally, a suitable humidifier for acoustic guitars can help stabilize the instrument in dry environments.

Technical specifications

Format	Auditorium	Fingerboard	Walnut
Left handed	No	Nbrs of frets	20
Cutaway	Yes	Neck Type	Glued
Strings	Steel	Electroacoustic	Yes
Nbr of strings	6	Color	Blue
Top	Sitka Spruce	Finishing	Satin
Back&Sides	Sapelli	Hardware	Nickel

Shape	Fender Newporter auditorium-style cutaway	Frets	20 (approx. 0.094 inch / 2.4 mm size)
Back and sides	laminated sapelli	Truss rod	modern heel adjustment (4 mm hex key)
Bracing	scalloped X	Nut	Graph Tech NuBone, width 1.69 inches / 43 mm
Body finish	satin	Bridge	Modern Viking
Binding	aged white	Tuners	Vintage-Style (nickel finish)
Rosette	black/white/black double ring	Factory strings	Fender Dura-Tone 880L 80/20 .012-.052 (PN 0730880303)
Pickguard	3-ply black	System	Fishman Flex
Wood	nato (urethane satin finish)	Pickup	under-saddle piezo
Profile	"Slim C"	Controls	volume, tone, phase switch
Headstock	Tilt-Back Stratocaster with six inline tuners	Series	California
Radius	15.75 inches / 400 mm	Orientation	right-handed
Scale length	25.6 inches / 650 mm	Quick glossary	X bracing = internal reinforcement structure affecting projection; scale length = vibrating length of the strings; nut = piece guiding strings at the headstock and bridge; radius = fingerboard curvature; cutaway = notch allowing access to higher frets