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Mandolin

Fender FM-52E

Name: Fender FM-52E
Brand: Fender

Fender · FM52E Acoustic-Electric Mandolin

Price: 200 EUR – 200 EUR

Price history

Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

Availability: 0/10 (Very rare)

A budget A-style acoustic-electric mandolin from a brand better known for guitars: laminated spruce top and nato back/sides rather than solid, hand-carved tonewoods, with a built-in single-coil pickup as the main draw.

Where available? Go to the best price – 205 EUR About this instrument

About the Fender FM-52E

The FM-52E is built to a price rather than to bluegrass-performance standards: a laminated spruce top over laminated nato back and sides, versus the solid, hand-carved tops found on step-up mandolins from dedicated builders like Eastman or Kentucky. The A-style teardrop body keeps costs down further compared to a carved F-style shape, with F-holes, a 2-ply black pickguard, and 4-ply body binding for a more finished look than the price point typically allows.

The nato neck carries a rosewood fingerboard at 21 frets and a 13.7-inch scale, with 4-in-line chrome tuners and white plastic knobs rather than the open-back or enclosed premium tuners on pricier models. What sets it apart from most mandolins in its price range is the built-in single-coil pickup with master volume and tone controls, wired for a standard 1/4-inch output - letting it plug directly into a guitar amp or PA without a separate soundhole pickup purchase.

Where to buy

Reverb 205 EUR Best price View details

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Source: https://reverb.com/item/100234638-fender-fm52e-acoustic-electric-mandolin-w-gig-bag-used-sunburst

Sound character of the Fender FM-52E

Laminated tops and back/sides vibrate less freely than solid wood, giving a thinner, less resonant acoustic tone with shorter sustain than Eastman- or Kentucky-level mandolins - a real limitation unplugged, but the built-in single-coil pickup means this is meant to be heard through an amp anyway, where the laminate's shortcomings matter far less.

Bright Crisp Modern/Hi-Fi

Technical data for the Fender FM-52E

Top	Laminated spruce
Back/Sides	Laminated nato
Body style	A-style
Fretboard	Rosewood
Frets	21
Scale length	13.7"
Pickup	Single-coil, built-in
Output	1/4" jack

Price history for the Fender FM-52E

Cheapest seen: 200 EUR · Most expensive seen: 200 EUR

Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

The history of the Fender FM-52E

Fender is not historically a mandolin builder, and the FM-52E - part of a small line of Fender-branded folk instruments manufactured overseas - is aimed at guitarists and beginners wanting an affordable, already-amplified mandolin rather than players seeking a serious bluegrass instrument.