I just don't like PF so I ignored the Player series, very happy to see rosewood return! The rolled fretboard edges, slab fretboard and new pickups sound great as well! Amazing Demo!
I own two first generation one Player Plus basses. I think the whole series (Player and Player Plus) is great value for the money. I bought both of my Player Pluses from Anthony at Empire. I am tempted to get a new Player 2.
i would at least wait until player plus 2 if you already have 2 player plus basses. you just dont stand to gain much the player plus doesnt already do or even do better. and even then, i doubt the player plus refresh will have anything that makes your already excellent instruments obsolete. i got the player plus stratocaster and i am confident i can play this thing as my main guitar for the rest of my life. a good instrument can last decades. its not like a phone, to be replaced every few generations
I'd be excited to see a comparison between the first Player series and these Player II's in both Precision and Jazz models! Especially some thoughts on the necks (rolled vs unrolled) and the pickups 👌
Essentially an advert for Fender but nonetheless still useful. Fender are still playing catch-up on features as others are surpassing them for value. Who can't resist a Fender though.
I’m am torn right now between the Sire V5 with roasted maple neck and the Fender Player ii jazz! I think it’s a dead heat, the only tip to Fender is if you ever want to trade or sell it you’ll get more for the Fender than Sire! I have a Sire V5 5 string with roasted maple neck and it is impressive for the price! One last thing the Sire pickups are somewhat lower output but some amp tweaking covers that.
I have just about ZERO experience w/ Sire gear, other than playing another bassists after their set a few years ago. Seemed nice though... and resell doesn't seem to bad on them. So many cool bass options out there. Thanks for watching - Anthony
You missed the most impressive upgrade for the price point. Fender has the Player II Jazz listed as coming with a slab rosewood fingerboard instead of laminate rosewood. Impressive.
Yes. I was looking for confirmation of this as well. Fender advertises it as a slab board, but I haven't seen an up close look at that yet. In other words, I'll believe it when I see it!
@@hunpisi8829 The firsts J-bass Fenders were the only ones made with slab rosewood.Slab rosewood fingerboard is denser/thicker than a laminated(thinner) rosewood fingerboard.
@@hunpisi8829 Yes. As @sourcesin says it's a much thicker piece of rosewood. Originally Fender glued a thick slab of rosewood fingerboard material over a non-radiused maple neck and then radiused the rosewood. Later to save time and money the maple necks were radiused first and then a thin rosewood veneer was glued over it.
As someone who went with a cheaper bass to start and now after learning some is looking to upgrade, how does this fair vs the Player 1 you think? Also considering the Squier CV since I know its pretty good for the price but I am honestly considering making the step up to a Fender.
Sadly, considering Fender apparently thinks of the 5-string products as their red-headed stepchild, likely not. I’ve waited YEARS for the Mod Shop to do a 5-string bass option and… I’m still waiting.
Great way to start a video, and I think the slap technique is CRITICAL to understand and hear the top end of a bass, whether or not the player is a funk player or whether one is or isn’t interested in playing funk or slap bass. A well-recorded slap portion of any bass demo video is the main (but not only) criteria for my serious consideration of a bass, or aftermarket pickups. Although I’m an active 5 string Jazz Bass and 5 string Stingray guy, this one sounds right for a passive Jazz Bass, and it’s well-played and well-recorded. Based on this demo alone, if I was going to buy a passive 4 string Jazz Bass, I’d buy it. Thank you.
Thanks for your comment! I agree.. I rarely play slap-style. However it is a great gauge of the possibility of the "J Sound". Plus I just love Larry Graham and Marcus! Thanks for taking the time to comment and for watching - Anthony
I always forget to say it. 6 years of content, and you'd think I remember. It's very simple.. Rumble 200 all flat EQ. Mic is a Sure SM94. 70/30 DI/Mic combo. Thanks for watching - Anthony
They forgot about the lefties with this new series. I guess I'll stick with my original player series Jazz. It's a shame because these look and sound fantastic...
I disagree. I own a Rumble 500 combo amp, and while it does have a bit of Fender bass amp flavor that is different than Eden, SWR, Trace Elliott, Ampeg, etc… one of the reasons I bought this amp was it’s weight, it’s price and its SOUND. I’ve owned this amp for years and trust a longtime owner and pro player here that owns Alembic and Bag End- my active and passive Fender basses of both the Precision and Jazz types, as well as Stingrays sound like they should through the Rumble 500. This is an amp where the amp sounds like the basses, rather than the basses sounding like the amp. That has always been the primary purchase criteria of any bass amp I’ve ever looked at.
Interesting, though the other brands you mention have quite coloured sounds to me too. I was thinking that something like an Aguilar AG 700 would be the ticket. Maybe everyone that does demos with a Rumble has the Vintage button engaged (?), but from my experience (I’ve played them) they’re coloured and always sound compressed. Different perspectives I suppose.
Pau Ferro is an awesome sounding fretboard wood. Fodera (among others) has been using it for a long time... yes the color (especially when they hit the pink hues) can be devisive. Sonically I would actually recommend it as a perfect medium between Maple and Rosewood. That said... nothing like good ol' Rosewood on a Fender! Thanks for watching - Anthony
I got mine today and I am sending it back. There are sharp fret edges which hurt fingers when sliding and this slab of a neck - my goodness. I have to fight against the instrument. No fun at all.
Sucks to hear that! If you need another, call us at 412-343-5299... we do a thorough setup and inspection on everything we sell. 3 great techs here. Thanks for watching - Anthony
Historical brand, but also a Overrated brand :)))) why pay 800/900€ to buy a bass that Sire (not to mention Harley Benton...) sells at 500/600€ and is way way way better realized? Because is a Fender. Ok :)))
I have mostly Fenders, but I also have a Sire. I agree that Sire is a remarkable instrument for the money, but I am not so sure it's better than the Fender Player series. That's very subjective.
@@RoadKing-ky2bs I agree with you, I have two Fender Player P basses and a Sire P5, the Sire sounds great but it's not as comfortable to sit with on my leg. It's pickup is much lower output with less character (imo) than the Players and the neck is much thicker, good for some but less so for me. But for the money it really is outrageous how good it is
Don’t buy it then but there something reassuring for me about buying a Fender. Maybe because all the greats for the most part played them. Also they are tough and robust instruments but definitely there are other options out there.
Extra notes are always good, but honestly 20 has always been enough for me (and I own a few up to 24). Purely up to the individual player what the needs are. Was a cool bass regardless. Thanks for watching - Anthony
I stayed for a review of the bass and just got samples of your playing with you sitting there talking. I still know nothing about the bass? you need close-up footage of the instrument.
You get a good bass for the money now with the Player series...sadly the first Player Series was nowhere near as good, bad sounding pickups ,tiny polepeices...nothing special...now you get DS pickups, fancy headstock decals like the American Elite series...bit gutted as i had to spend £500 to get a playable decent bass...why did we have to wait 6 yrs for QC ?...ii was a Jaguar PJ with ebony fretboard,the only good thing about it, i feel conned to be honest...the differences are unreal...thanks Fender, loyal for 45+ yrs & i got the rubbish early ones... really annoyed looking at the terrible pickups that came with my FSR Player Series PJ Jaguar...how come Fender make decent bass's just after we all buy badly built ones...never again Fender...been insulted, having to spend £500 extra to get a playable bass, that came with 500K volume & tone pots....wtf Fender ? Now yous make decent bass's when i'm 60 yrs old, unreal....no wonder kids are not interested...so angry i paid a grand for a piece of junk then they start making real bass's...unreal, i give up
@@maciejbrusio8321 ...i dunno, the pickups on my Player Series have tiny pointed polepieces & are underwound, & you even got SD QP's pickups on a couple of Player Series models...i flung them in the bin as i've got '66 & '70's Jazz & P pickups...nothing near the same bud...strangely & luckily for me the guy that runs Epic Custom pickups ,Dallas Texas, hand wound me 2 pairs of 1/4" polepiece pickups, a Jazz set & a PJ set...great pickups for $48 each pickup back then...sadly it's a full time business now so he gets others to wind them, shame as his are so well wound & sound great, i still think the pickups that came with my FSR Player Series Jaguar PJ are the worst sounding ever but my Player Series was well built, great ebony fretboard & now with pretty hot pickups, 10K Epic Custom's with the P pickup reversed but with the E & A half in original position & D & G put on neck side...kinda Mark Hoppus style...a bit more bass on the D & G strings & much more balanced across the fretboard, well i prefer it now...the pickups on the Player Serious II are different from my Jaguar ones but it is an early FSR Player Series....4-5 yrs ago...& it was a fair bit cheaper but now my modded 1 bass does all if i can only take one bass to a gig.... i like the Player Series ll as passive though what is with these tiny little very low frets a couple of yrs ago ? Tall & slim ?...1.36mm high, give me good old jumbo frets anyday...still waiting for Fender to make a 3 string, string tree for that A string on there bass's...i'll probably have to buy a Sadowsky 3 string tree....lol...
@@maciejbrusio8321 ...the decals were all gold for some Player Series, like the USA Elite ...mine is all gold spaghetti style with just Fender on it & the headstock is black lile thr body..
Fender should use your demo of this jazz bass, your demo is AWESOME!!!!
I occasionally go back and watch some of the older videos just to take in the tasteful playing, he knows how to make a fender sound good
👍🏾100% Agreed 👊🏿
I just don't like PF so I ignored the Player series, very happy to see rosewood return! The rolled fretboard edges, slab fretboard and new pickups sound great as well! Amazing Demo!
Its SLAB rosewood, so it feels chunkier than the laminate they used before. Nice. Anthony forgot to mention the new bridge too.
Yep with rosewood back I’ll probably buy 2 Player II models.
The other change is in the tint of the neck finish. It’s a little darker on the Player II. I dig it!
Loved the color
I own two first generation one Player Plus basses. I think the whole series (Player and Player Plus) is great value for the money. I bought both of my Player Pluses from Anthony at Empire. I am tempted to get a new Player 2.
i would at least wait until player plus 2 if you already have 2 player plus basses. you just dont stand to gain much the player plus doesnt already do or even do better. and even then, i doubt the player plus refresh will have anything that makes your already excellent instruments obsolete. i got the player plus stratocaster and i am confident i can play this thing as my main guitar for the rest of my life. a good instrument can last decades. its not like a phone, to be replaced every few generations
Thanks for Sharing Anthony 🎶🎵🎸
Sounds amazing!!!
I'd be excited to see a comparison between the first Player series and these Player II's in both Precision and Jazz models! Especially some thoughts on the necks (rolled vs unrolled) and the pickups 👌
I believe the pickups are the same... but either way, I'll be filming that video soon. Stay tuned and thanks for watching - Anthony
That's a nice sounding J pickup Mr. Pecora :) Great review as always!
lol!! Thank YOU for watching and the support. - Anthony
Excellent review! Hope the QC stays steady with this generation
Yea I had 2 player precisions before. The first one was amazing and the second one was literally firewood.
We'll keep an eye on it for sure. So far, they've been great! Thanks for watching - Anthony
Essentially an advert for Fender but nonetheless still useful. Fender are still playing catch-up on features as others are surpassing them for value. Who can't resist a Fender though.
Wow, a store selling Fender basses is advertising them! Who would have thought?
I’m am torn right now between the Sire V5 with roasted maple neck and the Fender Player ii jazz! I think it’s a dead heat, the only tip to Fender is if you ever want to trade or sell it you’ll get more for the Fender than Sire! I have a Sire V5 5 string with roasted maple neck and it is impressive for the price! One last thing the Sire pickups are somewhat lower output but some amp tweaking covers that.
I have just about ZERO experience w/ Sire gear, other than playing another bassists after their set a few years ago. Seemed nice though... and resell doesn't seem to bad on them. So many cool bass options out there. Thanks for watching - Anthony
Hello Anthony are you guys shipping internationally?😊
You missed the most impressive upgrade for the price point. Fender has the Player II Jazz listed as coming with a slab rosewood fingerboard instead of laminate rosewood. Impressive.
Yes. I was looking for confirmation of this as well. Fender advertises it as a slab board, but I haven't seen an up close look at that yet. In other words, I'll believe it when I see it!
What is slab rosewood?
@@hunpisi8829 The firsts J-bass Fenders were the only ones made with slab rosewood.Slab rosewood fingerboard is denser/thicker than a laminated(thinner) rosewood fingerboard.
@@hunpisi8829 Yes. As @sourcesin says it's a much thicker piece of rosewood. Originally Fender glued a thick slab of rosewood fingerboard material over a non-radiused maple neck and then radiused the rosewood. Later to save time and money the maple necks were radiused first and then a thin rosewood veneer was glued over it.
This sounds great. A lot of the new jazz basses have too much high end and sound brittle
As someone who went with a cheaper bass to start and now after learning some is looking to upgrade, how does this fair vs the Player 1 you think? Also considering the Squier CV since I know its pretty good for the price but I am honestly considering making the step up to a Fender.
Will these EVER be available in a 5-string?🙏🏾
Sadly, considering Fender apparently thinks of the 5-string products as their red-headed stepchild, likely not. I’ve waited YEARS for the Mod Shop to do a 5-string bass option and… I’m still waiting.
They have typically done a 5-String in their "Standard" Mexi lineup. Stay Tuned! -Anthony
What Bass Amp are you on?
Rumble 200 all flat EQ. Thanks for watching - Anthony
Great way to start a video, and I think the slap technique is CRITICAL to understand and hear the top end of a bass, whether or not the player is a funk player or whether one is or isn’t interested in playing funk or slap bass.
A well-recorded slap portion of any bass demo video is the main (but not only) criteria for my serious consideration of a bass, or aftermarket pickups. Although I’m an active 5 string Jazz Bass and 5 string Stingray guy, this one sounds right for a passive Jazz Bass, and it’s well-played and well-recorded.
Based on this demo alone, if I was going to buy a passive 4 string Jazz Bass, I’d buy it.
Thank you.
Thanks for your comment! I agree.. I rarely play slap-style. However it is a great gauge of the possibility of the "J Sound". Plus I just love Larry Graham and Marcus! Thanks for taking the time to comment and for watching - Anthony
Amp settings?
I always forget to say it. 6 years of content, and you'd think I remember. It's very simple.. Rumble 200 all flat EQ. Mic is a Sure SM94. 70/30 DI/Mic combo. Thanks for watching - Anthony
They forgot about the lefties with this new series. I guess I'll stick with my original player series Jazz. It's a shame because these look and sound fantastic...
Nice! The Fender Rumble amp is too coloured to give a true representation of the differences between basses.
I disagree. I own a Rumble 500 combo amp, and while it does have a bit of Fender bass amp flavor that is different than Eden, SWR, Trace Elliott, Ampeg, etc… one of the reasons I bought this amp was it’s weight, it’s price and its SOUND. I’ve owned this amp for years and trust a longtime owner and pro player here that owns Alembic and Bag End- my active and passive Fender basses of both the Precision and Jazz types, as well as Stingrays sound like they should through the Rumble 500.
This is an amp where the amp sounds like the basses, rather than the basses sounding like the amp. That has always been the primary purchase criteria of any bass amp I’ve ever looked at.
Interesting, though the other brands you mention have quite coloured sounds to me too. I was thinking that something like an Aguilar AG 700 would be the ticket. Maybe everyone that does demos with a Rumble has the Vintage button engaged (?), but from my experience (I’ve played them) they’re coloured and always sound compressed. Different perspectives I suppose.
🤘🏻🦢🐟
Don’t apologize for loving rosewood. Pau ferro is hideous and everyone hates it. Let’s just be honest.
Pau Ferro is an awesome sounding fretboard wood. Fodera (among others) has been using it for a long time... yes the color (especially when they hit the pink hues) can be devisive. Sonically I would actually recommend it as a perfect medium between Maple and Rosewood. That said... nothing like good ol' Rosewood on a Fender! Thanks for watching - Anthony
I got mine today and I am sending it back. There are sharp fret edges which hurt fingers when sliding and this slab of a neck - my goodness. I have to fight against the instrument. No fun at all.
Sucks to hear that! If you need another, call us at 412-343-5299... we do a thorough setup and inspection on everything we sell. 3 great techs here. Thanks for watching - Anthony
Historical brand, but also a Overrated brand :)))) why pay 800/900€ to buy a bass that Sire (not to mention Harley Benton...) sells at 500/600€ and is way way way better realized? Because is a Fender. Ok :)))
The reason I sold my 2 fenders and got 2 passive sires instead. Couldn’t be happier
I have mostly Fenders, but I also have a Sire. I agree that Sire is a remarkable instrument for the money, but I am not so sure it's better than the Fender Player series. That's very subjective.
hardly benton i’ve always found the QA terrible fender will hold its value better than sire especially in this terrible used guitar economy
@@RoadKing-ky2bs I agree with you, I have two Fender Player P basses and a Sire P5, the Sire sounds great but it's not as comfortable to sit with on my leg. It's pickup is much lower output with less character (imo) than the Players and the neck is much thicker, good for some but less so for me. But for the money it really is outrageous how good it is
Don’t buy it then but there something reassuring for me about buying a Fender. Maybe because all the greats for the most part played them. Also they are tough and robust instruments but definitely there are other options out there.
Still 20 Frets... NAH!!
Extra notes are always good, but honestly 20 has always been enough for me (and I own a few up to 24). Purely up to the individual player what the needs are. Was a cool bass regardless. Thanks for watching - Anthony
I stayed for a review of the bass and just got samples of your playing with you sitting there talking. I still know nothing about the bass? you need close-up footage of the instrument.
You get a good bass for the money now with the Player series...sadly the first Player Series was nowhere near as good, bad sounding pickups ,tiny polepeices...nothing special...now you get DS pickups, fancy headstock decals like the American Elite series...bit gutted as i had to spend £500 to get a playable decent bass...why did we have to wait 6 yrs for QC ?...ii was a Jaguar PJ with ebony fretboard,the only good thing about it, i feel conned to be honest...the differences are unreal...thanks Fender, loyal for 45+ yrs & i got the rubbish early ones... really annoyed looking at the terrible pickups that came with my FSR Player Series PJ Jaguar...how come Fender make decent bass's just after we all buy badly built ones...never again Fender...been insulted, having to spend £500 extra to get a playable bass, that came with 500K volume & tone pots....wtf Fender ? Now yous make decent bass's when i'm 60 yrs old, unreal....no wonder kids are not interested...so angry i paid a grand for a piece of junk then they start making real bass's...unreal, i give up
Player and Player II have the same pickups, polepieces and headstock decals.
@@maciejbrusio8321 ...i dunno, the pickups on my Player Series have tiny pointed polepieces & are underwound, & you even got SD QP's pickups on a couple of Player Series models...i flung them in the bin as i've got '66 & '70's Jazz & P pickups...nothing near the same bud...strangely & luckily for me the guy that runs Epic Custom pickups ,Dallas Texas, hand wound me 2 pairs of 1/4" polepiece pickups, a Jazz set & a PJ set...great pickups for $48 each pickup back then...sadly it's a full time business now so he gets others to wind them, shame as his are so well wound & sound great, i still think the pickups that came with my FSR Player Series Jaguar PJ are the worst sounding ever but my Player Series was well built, great ebony fretboard & now with pretty hot pickups, 10K Epic Custom's with the P pickup reversed but with the E & A half in original position & D & G put on neck side...kinda Mark Hoppus style...a bit more bass on the D & G strings & much more balanced across the fretboard, well i prefer it now...the pickups on the Player Serious II are different from my Jaguar ones but it is an early FSR Player Series....4-5 yrs ago...& it was a fair bit cheaper but now my modded 1 bass does all if i can only take one bass to a gig.... i like the Player Series ll as passive though what is with these tiny little very low frets a couple of yrs ago ? Tall & slim ?...1.36mm high, give me good old jumbo frets anyday...still waiting for Fender to make a 3 string, string tree for that A string on there bass's...i'll probably have to buy a Sadowsky 3 string tree....lol...
@@maciejbrusio8321 ...the decals were all gold for some Player Series, like the USA Elite
...mine is all gold spaghetti style with just Fender on it & the headstock is black lile thr body..