It's not wrong. However, the Player series sounds a lot more like a classic strat is supposed to sound, so maybe you just don't like strats that much lol
gdawgs101 I tried the Player Series at Guitar Center this weekend and was not impressed. The one I tried looked awesome, but had a cheap feel. Not sure if it was because of the maple fingerboard vs. the rosewood type, but I played a few notes and hung it right back on the wall. Fretwork and feel were the issue.
Shahid K Some say it affects the tone others refuse to believe it. I think that rosewoods are a little fuller sounding then a maple board but that’s just me.
Bought a player based on your comments. Wonderful guitar! As far as changes I have played my Les Paul for the past 30 years so a new game for me but am loving it so far.
Same. It's awesome. My frets needed some work (smoothed the edges which weren't sharp but could be felt), but otherwise it was basically perfect. The wood of the neck in particular felt spectacular. Too many guitars I tried in the price range had super-shiny necks that weren't nice to move my hands around on. The satin-ish finish on the Player was absolutely perfect.
I went from a Fender Bullet to the MIM Player HSS Strat in Tobacco Sunburst with Rosewood neck and just have to say the quality and look of guitar is awesome. I am not an expert by any means but these guitars are awesome. You can't go wrong on the price either.
Ive got a player tele. It feels great and sounds great completely stock. It also wont hurt if you want to mod it and i comes with the fender name and mexican quality.
Best video on the new player series yet. Everybody has been saying contradicting things about the new player series. You actually showed us and compared every feature. Thanks.
I've been waiting for this video for DAYS lol! I liked the "gut shots" especially showing that the new MIM has the same pots, wiring, and bridge as it's big brother. I think the new single coils sound a lot better than the old standard ones. I'm definitely going to get one of these, but with the maple fretboard and aged cherry burst plus top. As always, a great video and thank you.
Thanks Phil, swapping the bridges was something I hoped someone would try. Thanks for verifying the AM Std. bridge is interchangeable. Also the under the hood peek is always great too.
25 year guitarist and I've never owned a Strat. Yesterday I went to the guitar shop and spent about 2 hours playing 5 different Strats which ran the price spectrum of 650-1800. I was ready to pay for the one I liked the best and, price aside, the Players is the one I preferred for my tastes of response, feel, and sound. So it's the one I bought.
Just bought a 2018 Sonic Red Player Stratocaster (in 2022) and came back to reference the details and features. Thanks for going into it in great detail! Hope to see you again at NAMM😁
I preferred the sound of the other guitar, frankly. Had more oomph! More substance. The player model sounded a little thin and brittle to me. Of course, taste is utterly subjective.
I like the Player clean but damn! The Standard sure did sound mean in the dirty mode through that runt! And I had ceramics in my old Mexi strat, but they sounded like an icepick through the eyeball by comparison.Dimarzio Areas for me...
Well, I'm playing Strats over 20 Years, now I got my new Player Strat and it' s one of the best Stratocaster s I`ve ever played! Super review Man. But funny, mine got a big Block in the Trem:-)
Just bought a mind blowing player series telecaster yesterday. Incredible for the price. I’m going to buy some “rich dad” boutique pickups for it but everything else is bang on.
Great review - this is why I like your channel Phil (and why I support you on Patreon), you're thorough and straight up. After watching this, I really want a polar white one of these. Lovely guitar. Keep up the good work!
Thank you Philip, it was great to be able to see inside the guitar and I loved that Fender let the back springs hole unpainted, I did this to my strats and it allows the body to "breathe" and resonates more and "woodier", I loved that.
The bridge on the Player Series may LOOK identical to the American Standard, but it's actually different. While replacing the tremolo block with a Callaham model, I found that the holes for the strings don't line up properly. I bought a genuine Am. Std. tremolo plate to solve the problem. Also, the trem block for the Player Series is made from zinc. Look to upgrade to a proper trem block made from steel. Definite sound improvement.
Player Series is a great upgrade for mexican strats. But the Standard MIM always will be a favorite guitar to upgrade by yourself. I love my MIM Standard FSR 2010 when I upgrated her based on David Gilmour Black Strat. She sound's great for me.
I have to say that I’m not always completely some of the esoterica you chose to dig into, but when I do have something that I’m currently trying to gather information on, you usually nail all the salient points that I need to understand. Case in point with this topic, I learning something about Pau Ferro, tremolos and the jack that I hadn’t really considered. Thanks for this review, great work.
Thank you Phil, you are just awesome. Many reviewers only tell what you can read on Fender's website anyway, but you go straight for the guitar's guts and offer real information. The unlaquered tremolo chamber doesn't surprise me. It's the same with my 2017 mim standard. I guess Fender made this change not too long ago during the transition phase. It's cheaper after all. Nitpick: Pao Ferro is not pronounced payoh- but more like pow-. Roll dat rr for extra flavour
The pickups on the player series sound so much better than the standard. I was surprised to see the bridge comparison to the mia. These are going to be insane value once they start popping up used. I think new they're even worth it because of the pickups and bridge.
Prasanth Selvadurai I just bought some Squier cv 60s strat pickups aka tonerider classic blues for 30 euros. I put them on a Japanese Squier e series strat. Replaced the stock ceramics now it sounds soo good ☺ Best 30 euro I ever spent
Bought a Fender player series strat, love the darn thing, I'm 66 and have just started learning guitar, although I do have the gas syndrome ( guitar acquisition syndrome). I also own a Gretchen center block 5622, a PRS mark tremonti and a Yamaha A1M. Crazy for someone my age, just havin fun, Pedals and all
i read this comment 8 months later but, did u really start learning at 66? thats amazing! i wish this year or the next i can save for a Player Series strat. I want to start learning guitar as well and i want to do it in a proper guitar that lasts for many years. i hope in these 8 months u have advanced a lot!
I think these new Player series is an awesome move from Fender. I completely love the ironwood fretboard, i actually prefer it a thousand times over the rosewood one. These guitar is 99% as great as the American Standards were, just not 100% because of the jack that is inferior and also because i think the American Standard had cloth wires instead of plastic. Though the exposed wood on the cavities are surely an awesome improvement, i really loved to get to know that trough this video. And all of that for 65% of the price of an American Standard. I just wish my country(Brazil) one day will have a way higher level of economic freedom and considerably lower tax burden than it has know so Fender could produce guitars here. By the way awesome video, it was a joy to watch it.
Great video. I prefer a darker fretboard so dye them with a Sharpie. Yep, that's right, a Sharpie! Do one gap at a time, don't allow it to dry, use a wet cloth (cotton preferably), squeeze out the excess water then wipe the ink off. Use some fetboard oil after. Afterwards the wood looks fantastic, and has not damaged the wood at all. If you get any marker on the dots then use the damp rag followed by some isopropyl on a cotton bud.
Great Video Phil! Thank you for being so quick to review the new series. If you are ever looking for video ideas, maybe a video on how to roll the edges of the fretboard at home. Especially since the rolled fingerboard edges on the Americans are what make them feel so great to play.
I cannot wait to get the polar white with maple board. I will make one mod however. I will rewire it to be master volume, master tone, blend pot. That way I can dial in the neck pickup with the bridge or with the bridge/middle for all three.
If you want to do the mod yourself and don't like soldering, check out an Obsidianwire solderless harness assembly. They have a blender mod option, and if you want to try out multiple pickups, easy peasy lol.
@@surfdigby alnico pickups and 2-point bridge sold it to me (alternative was MIA with hot Texas Specials that are too harsh imo). It really depends on what you want from your guitar.
@@surfdigby I have big hands so neck profile doesn't really matter for me (unless it is baseball bat used in old soviet guitars). Anyway, I really like Fender's range now and that I got exactly what I wanted for good price.
I'm sooo glad that you compared the Player and Standard so quickly. I will be purchasing a Player. Thanks for being thorough and professional. (also clean language) Dennis
Thanks so much for this video! I bought the Player based a lot on this review, basically (also on, y'know, playing it for an hour in the store). It's awesome. My frets needed some work (smoothed the edges which weren't sharp but could be felt), but otherwise it was basically perfect. The wood of the neck in particular felt spectacular. Too many guitars I tried in the price range had super-shiny necks that weren't nice to move my hands around on. The satin-ish finish on the Player with the pau ferro fretboard was absolutely perfect. I went for the HSS model (a humbucker is an absolute must for me, yes I play Metallica on my Strat, don't @ me) and *adore* it.
I suspect my dad got me a new Player Series with a Polar White finish for Christmas. If I'm right, I can't wait to play on it and thank you so much dad for being amazing and thank you, Phil, for showing me how great the guitar really is in detail (even though I have tried it at the store before and loved it)
Just got a Player Strat LTD in Inca Silver... So far, I love it. Feels like the American Pro series. For the price difference I couldn't justify the price for the Pro as this seems so close as to be good enough! Your review matched my thoughts. I did find that it was easily improved by setting the string height and intonation and adjusting the pickup height.
I got the same one Inca silver ltd. I like it. Fret edges are a little rough but I can fix that. There is some dust underneath the finish I noticed why I was surprised passed qc but I can live with that. Frets are nice and I got the action low. Also I had a set of old fender locking tuners so put them on. It’s perfect now. No gig bag is just mean.
I go both ways on the neck. I have one of each right now. The Pao Ferro was used on the Stu Ham Urge bass and I really only saw it used in high end or custom instruments. So its not like its crap wood.
Smelly Web I definitely like the darker rosewood better, maybe on sweetwater you could compare the ones in stock and get a darker slab of the pau that looks like rosewood. If not I’m sure there will still be new standards for the next year and used ones forever.
Smelly Web It's like a diluted rosewood. I would personally like to see fingerboards with wild looking grains in it. Where you are coming from is what the past 15 years have been, cool but slightly off veneers in cheap instruments. I feel ya!
Definitely can hear that alnico high end sparkle. Also like that the bridge pup is attached to a tone knob. Easy fix though, and I love the way my old std mim feels and plays.
I’ve never been a Fender guy, but I tried one of these over the weekend and was impressed. I’m looking forward to actually buying one when my wife gives me the ok!
I have the MIM standard and I live it. When I purchased it I had all the electronics replaced including the pickups. I then had those items installed in my 20th Anniversary Squier since they seemed to be worn out. Great video as always!!
The ceramic pickups on my Mexi strat weren't bad but kind of muddy sounding and that twang was not present on each string,which made me swap them with SSL1,but really this is the biggest change you can do to a mexi Strat,those alnico SSL1 give me the best vintage strat tone I was looking for.The new alnico pickups on the players series sound brighter and more articulate.But I guess people will be changing them too,cause who doesn't want a proper sounding Strat with third party Alnico pickups.I do.
Man, I remember when you bought any guitar, even the cheapest, you got a hard case. Protecting the instrument was considered part of buying that instrument, and was always built into the price. I bought a mid-range Les Paul and it came with an excellent, padded hard case. I get that these guitars don't cost what that did, but are you just supposed to lean it against a wall if you're a first time guitar owner and don't have stands? How can you transport it? It's ridiculous.
@Luke yeah I don't think that 700 dollars merits a case,but on the other side of that there are 1500 plus dollar guitars that still only come with a gig bag.I say 1200 or more should come with a proper case.
Amazing video bro, really. Just one thing: it's "páu"-ferro, not peo ferro. It sounds more like the word "pal" in the English language. Just being a bit annoying, sorry about that.
Terrific side by side Phil. I feel pretty solid about picking a few of these up after seeing the ability to more easily find/swap parts. Agree with others regarding gig bag. I’ve watched several other vids on these, even some that talked to parts swapping, but most were just guesses...your physical side by side and drop-ins made this a much better review. Congrats!
I just picked one up for gigging (3 color sunburst w/ pau ferro) so I can leave my American Strats at home. To me, the player series FEELS like an upgrade over the Standard. It feels in my hands like a American Standard just made in Mexico. The neck is better, and the guitar is lighter. The pau ferro on mine is darker and has some amazing grain to it. If you are a gigging musician, you should consider this series of guitars and basses. Leave your cherished expensive gear for recording and gigs at venues more "secure."
Great video Phil! FYI, not sure what you could have done to piss off YT, but in the last month, I've had to re-subscribe to your channel 3 times. This morning, they only unchecked the bell. Imagine my surprise when I accidentally found out you put out a new video on the Strats... Bob in Germany
I have a MIM Jazz Bass. My buddy has an American Jazz . I paid $500. He paid $1399. He likes mine better and so do I. I put a Gotoh bridge on mine and did shim the neck. Why do you need to pay $900 more just because it’s a American made. To me it’s about playability and sound. Any thoughts.
Mark Viereck The old argument that I have heard was "what do you care if your guitar was assembled in Mexico by Mexicans or assembled in California by Mexicans?" Not making that up. That said American models usually had better woods and parts. More attention to detail in the setup. The Mexican guitars always scream to be hotrodded! I've owned American, Mexican and Squire and they all are pretty great. Just go with the guitar that you find is sexy. I do miss my MIM Jazz Bass...
There's absolutely nothing wrong with MIM strats. What you're paying for in an American strat is better quality control, better woods, and a better initial set up (which you'll end up having to redo anyway). Outside of that you're paying for the "'Murica!" value of the guitar, completely just branding and the illusion of supporting American workers. My MIM P/J bass feels better and sounds better than my MIA Jazz standard.
Great comparison and totally informative and helpful, as usual. You can always come here for unbiased, honest, and applicable information, I can't believe Phil doesn't have 1M subs yet. How does someone dislike this?? We clearly have 12 thumbs down from jealous channels, pedal builders who didn't like their honest reviews, and trolls. Don't worry, more to come I'm sure...haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate hate ...I think Ghandi said that
The AM Standard had rolled edges on the neck and micro tilt adjustment - I don't think the Player series does - and it certainly makes a difference. But if you want a real Fender / Strat you need to start at the AVRI - anything below that is just a guitar marketed toward people that don't know any better. I'd be happy to see the AVRI as the entry point to Fender and anything below that including these to be given the Squier badge. Nothing wrong with these MIM guitars either - just not a fan of the dodgy Fender marketing telling people it's a real Fender with the heritage / pedigree of the classic Pre CBS guitars - when it's got little if anything to do with the guitars by Leo and George which made the companies place in music folklore.
@Danilo Caretta And usually the same Mexican techs from the Corona factory driving back home and making them in Mexico. Having said that, I haven't picked up a Strat in quite a while that felt worth a damn. I ordered one off line, big mistake, a few years ago and the frets were rough, the pick guard was crooked, and it won't stay in tune. Looking at Warmouth now.
@ tdunster2011 I'm not following your argument- do Fender not get to decide what they call a Fender? And if Fender are no longer qualified to decide what to call a Fender and what is/ isn't a 'real' Fender, are they qualified to put the Fender badge on even the AVRI? If I'm not qualified to tell you you're not ill, I'm probably not qualified to tell you you are ill either. In the same way, if Fender are getting it wrong with regards to 'real' Fenders then they should have their right to call anything a Fender revoked. This argument is kind of like saying Ford can't call a modern Mustang a Mustang because the guys who designed and worked on the original Mustang didn't make it. Any car that isn't all original is no longer a Mustang. When you're saying 'dodgy Fender marketing', you're kind of missing the fact that that's what a brand is. Marketing. There's not some magical point in time when products were pure and perfect which has been diluted by market influences, those times you hark back to are just as subject to marketing concerns, that's what Fender always was- a mass marketing machine. Bolt necks saved money, that's why they did it. The features of these guitars 'which made the companies place in music folklore' are features dictated by the market every bit as much as the PF fretboards are today. This is why Gibson are dying, imo- kids in bands choose Fender because they get 'bang for their buck', because Fender is simply a more effective marketing machine.
Marshticks - It's not specific to just guitars. Many premium brands from all around the world have been bought up by people with little to links to what made the brands famous in the first place. Anyone calling a Veyron a Bugatti for example is kidding themselves - it's a VW. Ford Mustangs is a good example as well. The original 60's Gt-350 was named as such due to its horsepower. Ford in recent times made a Gt-350 which looks nothing like the original, and doesn't even have 350hp for fucks sake ? If that's not simply bullshit marketing and badge whoring I don't know what is. Where it irks me with Fender is that people crap on and on about owning a genuine Fender when what they have a is a guitar made by a company that bought the Fender name from CBS, who bought the company from Leo himself. AVRI and some custom shop versions are at least following the original plan - but again they are no more Fender than any of the many very good strat and tele's made by other companies. Then you have the modern designs, which for the most part are piss poor versions of the guitars Leo and his team crafted up until CBS took over circa 1965 / 1964. And While we are here lets talk Fender amps. The only thing they have in common with the original designs is the badge and naming. Gone are the point to point wiring, high quality transformers, dove-tailed real wood constructed cabinets and so on - not too mention the cheap caps, and resistors, or chinese and rusky valves used now which are no match for those used in the 50's and 60's. As a result plate voltages are now either lower or circuits have been redesigned to cope with modern tubes being less rigorous. Compare a 1964/5 Princeton Reverb with the reissues Fender are pawning off to customers todays and again you'd need to be drawing a very long bow to say the two amps were one in the same. Other companies out there build much better replicas of the Princeton Reverb, Super Reverb, 59 Bassman, ... and a host of other Fender amps. To buy one of these reissues from"Fender" makes no sense at all. Admittedly we get the occasional Custom Shop reissue Fender amps done right - but it's still only a replica which others can make just as well [often better] for the same price or less.
Great job with the comparison. It looks like Fender found a way to raise the price from the Standard but at least included some nice upgrades with the Players Strat.
So what, really, is the difference between these new Player Strats vs. the older American (not MiM) Standard Strats, beside the country of origin? Same electronics, same bridge, same pickups (as before changed to Fat 50's), same frets, tone pot for bridge pickup, yes? So what really is different... the tuners, nut, and pao ferro? It seems like some people are upset about the $50 price increase for "the same guitar with an extra fret...", but to me, it seems more like getting an American Standard for $650. Personally, I feel the improved Alnico 5 pickups alone are worth the $50 increase... IMHO. Full disclosure, I bought one about a week before they were announced publicly by Fender. But I had intended on *possibly* buying a MiM Standard. I came across the Player Series (which I hadn't even heard of nor could find online) hanging on the wall and picked it up. I compared it to a Standard, Classic Player 50s, and Classic Player 60s, and it won easily over the other models. Again... IMHO.
Less hardware (no vintage bridge with big sustain block). No rosewood (pao ferro is cheaper). Wow, they added a wire to allow tone for the bridge (LMAO). No gig bag (That's $70 alone). Less paint on the guitar (no paint in cavities). The neck on the American Standard is like butter. Way better than this neck. A $50 price increase on the guitar. So what is it that's so great about this guitar that they would raise the price of it? Those Alnico V's? Spare me. Not a damn thing. The Mexican Standard pickups in this video sounded way fuller and warmer than the thin sounding Alico V's the Player strat had. Keep your Mexican Standard, save your money and buy an American Standard if you want to upgrade and bypass all of the gimmicky guitars (Player, Hendrix Strats, Deluxes, Reissues, Classics..etc)
@@harleyrider9166 there's gear snobs and then there's you. lol. What do you expect Fender to do? Keep selling Rosewood that continues to rise in cost and logistically gets more and more expensive? Or move to something (that has been used countless times in other guitars) that creates a cost effective product and isn't a logistics nightmare? You can't eat your cake and have it too. This is reality.
Im so glad there are guys like Phi on youtube. We need outside sources to give us the "real deal" review and having no skin in the game helps the consumer out. When companies send people like phil a product they are basically saying we know we have a great product so why not let someone else tell the world.
This is small, but all the promo material is saying they changed the radii of the bodies or whatever, and you said that the body shapes are identical. Did I just not pay attention to the promo material, or is it just a small difference that you didn't notice?
What are you guys' impressions so far? I'm thinking about the HSH or HSS but we don't have anywhere within an hour drive or more that has one to play. Maybe more like a 2-3 hour trip.
I bought the HSH version. I like the guitar, but don't seem to love it. Not crazy about the shape of the neck, it is a tad chunkier than I expected. I could be a bit bias though, because I also have a '62 Strat Reissue with a thinner neck and a smaller radius. Maybe I just like that guitar better or I should have went with the HSS model. Remember if you are ordering online, just make sure you understand the return policy in case you decide you want to send it back.
layladystay yeah I disagree alot and zi mean alot of people wanted to be able to mess with the tone of the bridge pickups literally the most wnated thi ng on standard strats so im happy they did it and the tone is so much better on the bridge noe
My first mod on any strat is to put a Duncan strat sized humbucker in the bridge, went with the new Billy Gibbons model on my MIM Standard and an Obsidianwire harness which has a bridge dedicated tone and auto split in position 2.
As I learn more about guitars and gear, I sometimes wish companies would cut out all of the confusing names and just label their products low, medium, high. Seriously, how does a noob like me know what a Korean-Mexican-American-Professional-Elite-Standard-Vintage-Limited Edition-Player-Strat Is? 😂 Guess I'll just look at the price tag and start there!
yeah id say in a perfect world have it catagorized by vintage spec, modern spec. then by cost. I would also like fender USA still made vintage spec guitars because since earlier this year only the mexican factory and the Japanese factorys make vintage spec models (Original switching, 7.25 radius, 1.5 neck width
Well done especially comparing the electronics. Like the changes but the affordable MIM line is starting to get up there in price. I remember when they were under $500. To me that’s the tipping point.
Robert H 2000 was almost 20 years, in 2000 you couldn't buy things for the same price as 1982. These current guitars are way better guitars than the standard you could buy in 2000.
Seriously. Costs for materials, labor, shipping, everything goes up. I remember paying less than 2 dollars a gallon of gas 20 years ago, now it's more than doubled in price. Food, energy, EVERYTHING goes up in price. I had no qualms about shelling out 650 for one of these after watching this video.
As always a thorough comparison. Thanks once and for all ending the "mim's use cheaper electronics". One thing unclear to me is several sources specs the new body as a different radius...that confuses me.
wouldent be the first time fender marketing litrature is off. they might be reffering to body contour, the old MIM standards are a bit shallower in contour compaired to more vintage spec ones like the Japanese ST62 and 57 models which have very heavy countouring. mabey they upped it more like the japanese ones
I just picked up the Tobacco Burst Pau Ferro. I am a G&L guy, and never thought I would ever buy another Fender...until I played this one. It really is an American standard made in Mexico. I love the neck and tone. No fret issues at all.
I like the sound of the Player Strat, has more distinct Fender-y twangy sound. The standard sounded a bit generic, if I close my eyes I could imagine it being a non-Fender single coil guitar.
I own 6 Strats and had to try the 2021 player series MIM HSS. Bought new at GC and it has a fatter, heavier block and after setting it up for me, It plays like a dream. I wouldn't hesitate using it for any gig. I'm playing it more than my other Strats now,
My second guitar was a MIM Fender Stratocaster back in 1998, I really miss this one, seeing this video makes me consider pulling the trigger on the new player series.
Thanks for checking out the new series Phil!
Strap locks along with making the humbucker versions slightly higher output and it’s the perfect guitar.
Is it wrong I like the sound of the standard series more? Like way more.
It's not wrong. However, the Player series sounds a lot more like a classic strat is supposed to sound, so maybe you just don't like strats that much lol
gdawgs101 I tried the Player Series at Guitar Center this weekend and was not impressed. The one I tried looked awesome, but had a cheap feel. Not sure if it was because of the maple fingerboard vs. the rosewood type, but I played a few notes and hung it right back on the wall. Fretwork and feel were the issue.
Bryan Sexauer have you played a previous model MIM to compare?
I love how they routed it out after painting it. To have the exposed wood in the cavities. Pretty sweet.
i just wish they had a red player strat with a maple fretboard
Victor Osorio man what is the difference between mapple neck and rosewood,and is that subjective ?
Just curious
Shahid K Some say it affects the tone others refuse to believe it. I think that rosewoods are a little fuller sounding then a maple board but that’s just me.
Carson Kilo 🙌
It does
Shahid K haha this is late but i didn’t even care about the slight change in sound, i just liked the way maple fretboards looked and felt better
Bought a player based on your comments. Wonderful guitar! As far as changes I have played my Les Paul for the past 30 years so a new game for me but am loving it so far.
This is exactly what I’m looking to do. I love my les paul but I would like to play something completely different to see how my playing changes. 👍🏼
Same. It's awesome. My frets needed some work (smoothed the edges which weren't sharp but could be felt), but otherwise it was basically perfect. The wood of the neck in particular felt spectacular. Too many guitars I tried in the price range had super-shiny necks that weren't nice to move my hands around on. The satin-ish finish on the Player was absolutely perfect.
This is the most detailed technical breakdown i've seen of these guitars 👍
The player looks like it's gonna be my first strat.
A based on this review, you won’t feel like you’re missing out on the $1,000 Strats.
Good, go for it
I went from a Fender Bullet to the MIM Player HSS Strat in Tobacco Sunburst with Rosewood neck and just have to say the quality and look of guitar is awesome. I am not an expert by any means but these guitars are awesome. You can't go wrong on the price either.
Ive got a player tele. It feels great and sounds great completely stock. It also wont hurt if you want to mod it and i comes with the fender name and mexican quality.
Love these honest types of reviews. They give me more confidence as a consumer when I go look at guitars. Thank you Phil.
Best video on the new player series yet. Everybody has been saying contradicting things about the new player series. You actually showed us and compared every feature. Thanks.
I remember when pao ferro was seen as a posh upgrade to rosewood.
Thanks for your good reviews. Playing guitar for 15 years and ordered my First Strat after your video. Thanks
Verdict: cant afford either
Rudy Ayoub lol
Bruh
Buy yourself a Squier classic vibe and get all of this without being over charged by Fenders continuous upgrades.
Another good video Phil. I learn a lot watching your channel. You're kinda like a teacher of "all things guitar." Thank you.
Thank you Philipp!!! I just bought a Player Strat (HSS) - I have to say its just a wonderful instrument 👍🤘
Only found out today that the standard series had been discontinued! Yours is the only in-depth video on it. Helped a lot. Thanks Phil.
I've been waiting for this video for DAYS lol! I liked the "gut shots" especially showing that the new MIM has the same pots, wiring, and bridge as it's big brother. I think the new single coils sound a lot better than the old standard ones. I'm definitely going to get one of these, but with the maple fretboard and aged cherry burst plus top. As always, a great video and thank you.
Great review. Thanks. Have to see if I have a clear card.
Was waiting for this! Thank you Phil.
I hope they will sell these in Korea.
Thanks Phil, swapping the bridges was something I hoped someone would try. Thanks for verifying the AM Std. bridge is interchangeable. Also the under the hood peek is always great too.
25 year guitarist and I've never owned a Strat. Yesterday I went to the guitar shop and spent about 2 hours playing 5 different Strats which ran the price spectrum of 650-1800.
I was ready to pay for the one I liked the best and, price aside, the Players is the one I preferred for my tastes of response, feel, and sound. So it's the one I bought.
Just bought a 2018 Sonic Red Player Stratocaster (in 2022) and came back to reference the details and features. Thanks for going into it in great detail! Hope to see you again at NAMM😁
Player model is brighter and clear on neck, sounds better imo
to me too
yes I agree, and thx Phil!
Agreed. The standard sounded muffled by comparison.
I preferred the sound of the other guitar, frankly. Had more oomph! More substance. The player model sounded a little thin and brittle to me.
Of course, taste is utterly subjective.
I like the Player clean but damn! The Standard sure did sound mean in the dirty mode through that runt! And I had ceramics in my old Mexi strat, but they sounded like an icepick through the eyeball by comparison.Dimarzio Areas for me...
Well, I'm playing Strats over 20 Years, now I got my new Player Strat and it' s one of the best Stratocaster s I`ve ever played! Super review Man. But funny, mine got a big Block in the Trem:-)
So pumped for this video. Awesome stuff as always Phil. Cool axe
I bought the HSS plus top. Love it. Your review makes me love it more. Thanks for taking the time to put your review online.
those guitars are expenisve but man are they beautiful and unique certainly more than your run of the mill start. congrats.
Just bought a mind blowing player series telecaster yesterday. Incredible for the price. I’m going to buy some “rich dad” boutique pickups for it but everything else is bang on.
Hey Phil, Excellent, Detailed Comparison! You're the Best!
Another great video from one of my favorite UA-camrs. Keep up the great work!
Great review - this is why I like your channel Phil (and why I support you on Patreon), you're thorough and straight up. After watching this, I really want a polar white one of these. Lovely guitar. Keep up the good work!
Thank you Philip, it was great to be able to see inside the guitar and I loved that Fender let the back springs hole unpainted, I did this to my strats and it allows the body to "breathe" and resonates more and "woodier", I loved that.
The bridge on the Player Series may LOOK identical to the American Standard, but it's actually different. While replacing the tremolo block with a Callaham model, I found that the holes for the strings don't line up properly. I bought a genuine Am. Std. tremolo plate to solve the problem.
Also, the trem block for the Player Series is made from zinc. Look to upgrade to a proper trem block made from steel. Definite sound improvement.
Player Series is a great upgrade for mexican strats. But the Standard MIM always will be a favorite guitar to upgrade by yourself. I love my MIM Standard FSR 2010 when I upgrated her based on David Gilmour Black Strat. She sound's great for me.
I did the same lol. Black body with black pickguard and Lace Sensors lol
I have to say that I’m not always completely some of the esoterica you chose to dig into, but when I do have something that I’m currently trying to gather information on, you usually nail all the salient points that I need to understand. Case in point with this topic, I learning something about Pau Ferro, tremolos and the jack that I hadn’t really considered. Thanks for this review, great work.
Thank you Phil, you are just awesome. Many reviewers only tell what you can read on Fender's website anyway, but you go straight for the guitar's guts and offer real information. The unlaquered tremolo chamber doesn't surprise me. It's the same with my 2017 mim standard. I guess Fender made this change not too long ago during the transition phase. It's cheaper after all. Nitpick: Pao Ferro is not pronounced payoh- but more like pow-. Roll dat rr for extra flavour
Vrrrrrooom...
Love does rrrrolled Rrrr's!
Best Fender Player's Strat video review period! Practical and thorough.
The pickups on the player series sound so much better than the standard. I was surprised to see the bridge comparison to the mia. These are going to be insane value once they start popping up used. I think new they're even worth it because of the pickups and bridge.
even those new pickups dont sound as good as my SSL1 in my mexi strat.Nothing sounds as good as thise pickups,real vintage sound.
My thoughts exactly!
Prasanth Selvadurai I just bought some Squier cv 60s strat pickups aka tonerider classic blues for 30 euros. I put them on a Japanese Squier e series strat. Replaced the stock ceramics now it sounds soo good ☺ Best 30 euro I ever spent
Bought a Fender player series strat, love the darn thing, I'm 66 and have just started learning guitar, although I do have the gas syndrome ( guitar acquisition syndrome). I also own a Gretchen center block 5622, a PRS mark tremonti and a Yamaha A1M. Crazy for someone my age, just havin fun, Pedals and all
i read this comment 8 months later but, did u really start learning at 66? thats amazing! i wish this year or the next i can save for a Player Series strat. I want to start learning guitar as well and i want to do it in a proper guitar that lasts for many years. i hope in these 8 months u have advanced a lot!
I think these new Player series is an awesome move from Fender. I completely love the ironwood fretboard, i actually prefer it a thousand times over the rosewood one. These guitar is 99% as great as the American Standards were, just not 100% because of the jack that is inferior and also because i think the American Standard had cloth wires instead of plastic. Though the exposed wood on the cavities are surely an awesome improvement, i really loved to get to know that trough this video. And all of that for 65% of the price of an American Standard.
I just wish my country(Brazil) one day will have a way higher level of economic freedom and considerably lower tax burden than it has know so Fender could produce guitars here.
By the way awesome video, it was a joy to watch it.
Great video. I prefer a darker fretboard so dye them with a Sharpie. Yep, that's right, a Sharpie! Do one gap at a time, don't allow it to dry, use a wet cloth (cotton preferably), squeeze out the excess water then wipe the ink off. Use some fetboard oil after. Afterwards the wood looks fantastic, and has not damaged the wood at all. If you get any marker on the dots then use the damp rag followed by some isopropyl on a cotton bud.
Awesome video Phil! This is why I watch your videos!
First video I've seen by you. Great presentation! I loved the sound clips interspersed with the technical in depth knowledge. Subscribed. :)
Hey Phil love the videos keep up the great work
Great Video Phil! Thank you for being so quick to review the new series. If you are ever looking for video ideas, maybe a video on how to roll the edges of the fretboard at home. Especially since the rolled fingerboard edges on the Americans are what make them feel so great to play.
I cannot wait to get the polar white with maple board. I will make one mod however. I will rewire it to be master volume, master tone, blend pot. That way I can dial in the neck pickup with the bridge or with the bridge/middle for all three.
If you want to do the mod yourself and don't like soldering, check out an Obsidianwire solderless harness assembly. They have a blender mod option, and if you want to try out multiple pickups, easy peasy lol.
Awesome review, quite in-depth for only 11 minutes of video ! Probably going to buy this Fender soon. Subscribed.
I'm a little annoyed that I just bought a mim standard a few months ago. I totally would have gone with the player series
I played them side by side and preferred the MIM standard. The only thing I wish the standard had is a 22nd fret.
@@surfdigby alnico pickups and 2-point bridge sold it to me (alternative was MIA with hot Texas Specials that are too harsh imo). It really depends on what you want from your guitar.
Thorneyed the two point trem made it very tempting to go with the Player, but I preferred the shape of the old neck.
@@surfdigby I have big hands so neck profile doesn't really matter for me (unless it is baseball bat used in old soviet guitars). Anyway, I really like Fender's range now and that I got exactly what I wanted for good price.
Some people were rushing to get the last Standards available. So you can sell it very well if in very good or excellent condition.
I'm sooo glad that you compared the Player and Standard so quickly. I will be purchasing a Player. Thanks for being thorough and professional. (also clean language) Dennis
Thanks so much for this video!
I bought the Player based a lot on this review, basically (also on, y'know, playing it for an hour in the store). It's awesome. My frets needed some work (smoothed the edges which weren't sharp but could be felt), but otherwise it was basically perfect. The wood of the neck in particular felt spectacular. Too many guitars I tried in the price range had super-shiny necks that weren't nice to move my hands around on. The satin-ish finish on the Player with the pau ferro fretboard was absolutely perfect.
I went for the HSS model (a humbucker is an absolute must for me, yes I play Metallica on my Strat, don't @ me) and *adore* it.
I just received my Player Series Strat in Sage Green yesterday. I love it. The pau ferro took some getting used to but now I love it.
You"re right Phil it feels a lot like my American standard, frets could have been rounded a bit more but Yay Fender
The lack of rounded frets was my only complaint also :)
I suspect my dad got me a new Player Series with a Polar White finish for Christmas. If I'm right, I can't wait to play on it and thank you so much dad for being amazing and thank you, Phil, for showing me how great the guitar really is in detail (even though I have tried it at the store before and loved it)
Were you right?
Just got a Player Strat LTD in Inca Silver... So far, I love it. Feels like the American Pro series. For the price difference I couldn't justify the price for the Pro as this seems so close as to be good enough! Your review matched my thoughts. I did find that it was easily improved by setting the string height and intonation and adjusting the pickup height.
I got the same one Inca silver ltd. I like it. Fret edges are a little rough but I can fix that. There is some dust underneath the finish I noticed why I was surprised passed qc but I can live with that. Frets are nice and I got the action low. Also I had a set of old fender locking tuners so put them on. It’s perfect now. No gig bag is just mean.
I've been thinking about my next purchase being one of these. You have convinced me. Thanks.
I really like all of the changes with the player series, I prefer maple fretboards on fenders anyway so I’m not bothered by the rosewood change
I hate it.
I go both ways on the neck. I have one of each right now. The Pao Ferro was used on the Stu Ham Urge bass and I really only saw it used in high end or custom instruments. So its not like its crap wood.
Gringo Green I agree is not crap wood, but it looks like a cheap Chinese knock off. They just don't look good to me for whatever reason.
Smelly Web I definitely like the darker rosewood better, maybe on sweetwater you could compare the ones in stock and get a darker slab of the pau that looks like rosewood. If not I’m sure there will still be new standards for the next year and used ones forever.
Smelly Web
It's like a diluted rosewood. I would personally like to see fingerboards with wild looking grains in it. Where you are coming from is what the past 15 years have been, cool but slightly off veneers in cheap instruments. I feel ya!
Definitely can hear that alnico high end sparkle. Also like that the bridge pup is attached to a tone knob. Easy fix though, and I love the way my old std mim feels and plays.
Locking tuners and rounded but stock. Love the alnico v pups. Quack Quack.
Good in-depth review. I can always expect that type of quality from you. Thanks.
A contoured heel and a 12" fretboard and I would have said Fender brought the guitar into the 21st century.
I’ve never been a Fender guy, but I tried one of these over the weekend and was impressed. I’m looking forward to actually buying one when my wife gives me the ok!
For the price Fender ask for these fine instruments it seems almost unbelievable what they cram into them.
Bravo Fender!
Ummm, $1700 and up I think we should get a lot more.
@@fredsavina4965 Player strats are around $650 i think. Bought mine for £580
Great video! You showed all the nuanced differences between the two. I love the Player series and I got 1 yesterday.
I love the unfinished trem cavity...much neater :)
I have the MIM standard and I live it. When I purchased it I had all the electronics replaced including the pickups. I then had those items installed in my 20th Anniversary Squier since they seemed to be worn out. Great video as always!!
The ceramic pickups on my Mexi strat weren't bad but kind of muddy sounding and that twang was not present on each string,which made me swap them with SSL1,but really this is the biggest change you can do to a mexi Strat,those alnico SSL1 give me the best vintage strat tone I was looking for.The new alnico pickups on the players series sound brighter and more articulate.But I guess people will be changing them too,cause who doesn't want a proper sounding Strat with third party Alnico pickups.I do.
Awesome you covered every detail, i don’t remember ever seeing a more complete comparison, Thanks!
Forgot to tell what woods the bodies are made of.
Man, I remember when you bought any guitar, even the cheapest, you got a hard case. Protecting the instrument was considered part of buying that instrument, and was always built into the price. I bought a mid-range Les Paul and it came with an excellent, padded hard case. I get that these guitars don't cost what that did, but are you just supposed to lean it against a wall if you're a first time guitar owner and don't have stands? How can you transport it? It's ridiculous.
@@brooklynboy1000 Try flying with a gig bag, or throwing it in the back of a van with drums and amps.
Awesome job Phil I never miss a video of yours, great job on the way you explained everything and thank you for taking the time to do it
Screw the gig bag, give me a case! :P
Especially an iconic guitar like a Strat - there gotta many used ones at a pawn shop near you!
@Luke yeah I don't think that 700 dollars merits a case,but on the other side of that there are 1500 plus dollar guitars that still only come with a gig bag.I say 1200 or more should come with a proper case.
Phil you really do the most thorough reviews and comparisons. Thank you for being such a well informed and informative UA-camr.
Amazing video bro, really. Just one thing: it's "páu"-ferro, not peo ferro. It sounds more like the word "pal" in the English language. Just being a bit annoying, sorry about that.
it's Portuguese right? what does pau ferro mean?
@@billygoat12 It means "Iron Wood"
@@billygoat12 exactly, iron wood!
Terrific side by side Phil. I feel pretty solid about picking a few of these up after seeing the ability to more easily find/swap parts. Agree with others regarding gig bag. I’ve watched several other vids on these, even some that talked to parts swapping, but most were just guesses...your physical side by side and drop-ins made this a much better review. Congrats!
I just picked one up for gigging (3 color sunburst w/ pau ferro) so I can leave my American Strats at home. To me, the player series FEELS like an upgrade over the Standard. It feels in my hands like a American Standard just made in Mexico. The neck is better, and the guitar is lighter. The pau ferro on mine is darker and has some amazing grain to it. If you are a gigging musician, you should consider this series of guitars and basses. Leave your cherished expensive gear for recording and gigs at venues more "secure."
Great video Phil! FYI, not sure what you could have done to piss off YT, but in the last month, I've had to re-subscribe to your channel 3 times. This morning, they only unchecked the bell. Imagine my surprise when I accidentally found out you put out a new video on the Strats... Bob in Germany
I have a MIM Jazz Bass. My buddy has an American Jazz . I paid $500. He paid $1399. He likes mine better and so do I. I put a Gotoh bridge on mine and did shim the neck. Why do you need to pay $900 more just because it’s a American made. To me it’s about playability and sound. Any thoughts.
Mark Viereck
The old argument that I have heard was "what do you care if your guitar was assembled in Mexico by Mexicans or assembled in California by Mexicans?" Not making that up. That said American models usually had better woods and parts. More attention to detail in the setup. The Mexican guitars always scream to be hotrodded!
I've owned American, Mexican and Squire and they all are pretty great. Just go with the guitar that you find is sexy. I do miss my MIM Jazz Bass...
There's absolutely nothing wrong with MIM strats. What you're paying for in an American strat is better quality control, better woods, and a better initial set up (which you'll end up having to redo anyway). Outside of that you're paying for the "'Murica!" value of the guitar, completely just branding and the illusion of supporting American workers. My MIM P/J bass feels better and sounds better than my MIA Jazz standard.
Great comparison and totally informative and helpful, as usual. You can always come here for unbiased, honest, and applicable information, I can't believe Phil doesn't have 1M subs yet. How does someone dislike this?? We clearly have 12 thumbs down from jealous channels, pedal builders who didn't like their honest reviews, and trolls. Don't worry, more to come I'm sure...haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate hate ...I think Ghandi said that
Basically an American standard made in Mexico?
The AM Standard had rolled edges on the neck and micro tilt adjustment - I don't think the Player series does - and it certainly makes a difference. But if you want a real Fender / Strat you need to start at the AVRI - anything below that is just a guitar marketed toward people that don't know any better. I'd be happy to see the AVRI as the entry point to Fender and anything below that including these to be given the Squier badge.
Nothing wrong with these MIM guitars either - just not a fan of the dodgy Fender marketing telling people it's a real Fender with the heritage / pedigree of the classic Pre CBS guitars - when it's got little if anything to do with the guitars by Leo and George which made the companies place in music folklore.
@Danilo Caretta
And usually the same Mexican techs from the Corona factory driving back home and making them in Mexico. Having said that, I haven't picked up a Strat in quite a while that felt worth a damn. I ordered one off line, big mistake, a few years ago and the frets were rough, the pick guard was crooked, and it won't stay in tune. Looking at Warmouth now.
@ tdunster2011 I'm not following your argument- do Fender not get to decide what they call a Fender? And if Fender are no longer qualified to decide what to call a Fender and what is/ isn't a 'real' Fender, are they qualified to put the Fender badge on even the AVRI? If I'm not qualified to tell you you're not ill, I'm probably not qualified to tell you you are ill either. In the same way, if Fender are getting it wrong with regards to 'real' Fenders then they should have their right to call anything a Fender revoked. This argument is kind of like saying Ford can't call a modern Mustang a Mustang because the guys who designed and worked on the original Mustang didn't make it. Any car that isn't all original is no longer a Mustang. When you're saying 'dodgy Fender marketing', you're kind of missing the fact that that's what a brand is. Marketing. There's not some magical point in time when products were pure and perfect which has been diluted by market influences, those times you hark back to are just as subject to marketing concerns, that's what Fender always was- a mass marketing machine. Bolt necks saved money, that's why they did it. The features of these guitars 'which made the companies place in music folklore' are features dictated by the market every bit as much as the PF fretboards are today. This is why Gibson are dying, imo- kids in bands choose Fender because they get 'bang for their buck', because Fender is simply a more effective marketing machine.
No, but you can get the American special for pretty cheap anyway
Marshticks - It's not specific to just guitars. Many premium brands from all around the world have been bought up by people with little to links to what made the brands famous in the first place. Anyone calling a Veyron a Bugatti for example is kidding themselves - it's a VW. Ford Mustangs is a good example as well. The original 60's Gt-350 was named as such due to its horsepower. Ford in recent times made a Gt-350 which looks nothing like the original, and doesn't even have 350hp for fucks sake ? If that's not simply bullshit marketing and badge whoring I don't know what is.
Where it irks me with Fender is that people crap on and on about owning a genuine Fender when what they have a is a guitar made by a company that bought the Fender name from CBS, who bought the company from Leo himself. AVRI and some custom shop versions are at least following the original plan - but again they are no more Fender than any of the many very good strat and tele's made by other companies.
Then you have the modern designs, which for the most part are piss poor versions of the guitars Leo and his team crafted up until CBS took over circa 1965 / 1964. And While we are here lets talk Fender amps. The only thing they have in common with the original designs is the badge and naming. Gone are the point to point wiring, high quality transformers, dove-tailed real wood constructed cabinets and so on - not too mention the cheap caps, and resistors, or chinese and rusky valves used now which are no match for those used in the 50's and 60's. As a result plate voltages are now either lower or circuits have been redesigned to cope with modern tubes being less rigorous.
Compare a 1964/5 Princeton Reverb with the reissues Fender are pawning off to customers todays and again you'd need to be drawing a very long bow to say the two amps were one in the same. Other companies out there build much better replicas of the Princeton Reverb, Super Reverb, 59 Bassman, ... and a host of other Fender amps.
To buy one of these reissues from"Fender" makes no sense at all. Admittedly we get the occasional Custom Shop reissue Fender amps done right - but it's still only a replica which others can make just as well [often better] for the same price or less.
Great job with the comparison. It looks like Fender found a way to raise the price from the Standard but at least included some nice upgrades with the Players Strat.
So what, really, is the difference between these new Player Strats vs. the older American (not MiM) Standard Strats, beside the country of origin? Same electronics, same bridge, same pickups (as before changed to Fat 50's), same frets, tone pot for bridge pickup, yes? So what really is different... the tuners, nut, and pao ferro? It seems like some people are upset about the $50 price increase for "the same guitar with an extra fret...", but to me, it seems more like getting an American Standard for $650. Personally, I feel the improved Alnico 5 pickups alone are worth the $50 increase... IMHO.
Full disclosure, I bought one about a week before they were announced publicly by Fender. But I had intended on *possibly* buying a MiM Standard. I came across the Player Series (which I hadn't even heard of nor could find online) hanging on the wall and picked it up. I compared it to a Standard, Classic Player 50s, and Classic Player 60s, and it won easily over the other models. Again... IMHO.
The difference is just around 85miles.
lapk78 the tuning keys are the same; @3:13
@@mantinizz, yeah, both are pretty much the same spec, both made by mexicans, just on different sides of the wall.
Less hardware (no vintage bridge with big sustain block). No rosewood (pao ferro is cheaper). Wow, they added a wire to allow tone for the bridge (LMAO). No gig bag (That's $70 alone). Less paint on the guitar (no paint in cavities). The neck on the American Standard is like butter. Way better than this neck. A $50 price increase on the guitar. So what is it that's so great about this guitar that they would raise the price of it? Those Alnico V's? Spare me. Not a damn thing. The Mexican Standard pickups in this video sounded way fuller and warmer than the thin sounding Alico V's the Player strat had. Keep your Mexican Standard, save your money and buy an American Standard if you want to upgrade and bypass all of the gimmicky guitars (Player, Hendrix Strats, Deluxes, Reissues, Classics..etc)
@@harleyrider9166 there's gear snobs and then there's you. lol. What do you expect Fender to do? Keep selling Rosewood that continues to rise in cost and logistically gets more and more expensive? Or move to something (that has been used countless times in other guitars) that creates a cost effective product and isn't a logistics nightmare?
You can't eat your cake and have it too. This is reality.
Im so glad there are guys like Phi on youtube. We need outside sources to give us the "real deal" review and having no skin in the game helps the consumer out. When companies send people like phil a product they are basically saying we know we have a great product so why not let someone else tell the world.
This is small, but all the promo material is saying they changed the radii of the bodies or whatever, and you said that the body shapes are identical. Did I just not pay attention to the promo material, or is it just a small difference that you didn't notice?
drrocket 8775, I heard that, too.
Yeah also read about that.. what’s the story, Phil?
I think that's in reference to the jazzmaster and jaguar. Those both got 7.5 in vintage, but they're 9.5 now.
They did say body radii, but it's probably subtle.
drrocket 8775 it's the neck that has been changed somewhat supposedly I believe
Awesome review Phillip! Really looking forward to trying the new guitars!
I actually kinda preferred the sound of the ceramic pickups.
Amazing work, Phil. Cannot thank you enough for making videos such as these.
I ordered the HSH version in Sage Green. It will be here on Wednesday!
McRCN I just ordered the sss one is Heritage Cherry yesterday! I cant wait for mine to get here either!!
What are you guys' impressions so far? I'm thinking about the HSH or HSS but we don't have anywhere within an hour drive or more that has one to play. Maybe more like a 2-3 hour trip.
I bought the HSH version. I like the guitar, but don't seem to love it. Not crazy about the shape of the neck, it is a tad chunkier than I expected. I could be a bit bias though, because I also have a '62 Strat Reissue with a thinner neck and a smaller radius. Maybe I just like that guitar better or I should have went with the HSS model. Remember if you are ordering online, just make sure you understand the return policy in case you decide you want to send it back.
Jorge Gonzalez who did you order from?
Sweetwater - Kurt Cripe is the sale rep I use.
Got mine in today. I can tell the difference from the MIM standard. So far, I really like it.
I like the new tone knob feature (the one thing you've said was kinda unnecessary lol). Plan on getting any use out of it?
layladystay yeah I disagree alot and zi mean alot of people wanted to be able to mess with the tone of the bridge pickups literally the most wnated thi ng on standard strats so im happy they did it and the tone is so much better on the bridge noe
My first mod on any strat is to put a Duncan strat sized humbucker in the bridge, went with the new Billy Gibbons model on my MIM Standard and an Obsidianwire harness which has a bridge dedicated tone and auto split in position 2.
Good review Phillip. I was wanting one of these Player Strats and now I am going to pull the trigger.
As I learn more about guitars and gear, I sometimes wish companies would cut out all of the confusing names and just label their products low, medium, high. Seriously, how does a noob like me know what a Korean-Mexican-American-Professional-Elite-Standard-Vintage-Limited Edition-Player-Strat Is? 😂 Guess I'll just look at the price tag and start there!
Melissa Bates haha i totally agree names can get ridiculous
Marketing would label it as high, higher and highest. Nobody want's to buy a "low" guitar :-)
yeah id say in a perfect world have it catagorized by vintage spec, modern spec. then by cost.
I would also like fender USA still made vintage spec guitars because since earlier this year only the mexican factory and the Japanese factorys make vintage spec models (Original switching, 7.25 radius, 1.5 neck width
Melissa, from 5 November you can add Ultra to your list of names!
Thanks good advice, with all different stratocasters this really helps.
Shoot me, but I have always liked the ceramic pickups better.
Get the gun ready
Go get a Les Paul with P90s, Strats are not for you lol
Nothing wrong with that, but the glassy bell-like tone of the alnico pickups is sorta the traditional strat sound
Awesome review Phil, I can't wait to get my hands on one
Well done especially comparing the electronics. Like the changes but the affordable MIM line is starting to get up there in price. I remember when they were under $500. To me that’s the tipping point.
Steven Ohata b I bought one in 2000 for 300 plus tax and it came with a case.
Robert H 2000 was almost 20 years, in 2000 you couldn't buy things for the same price as 1982. These current guitars are way better guitars than the standard you could buy in 2000.
Seriously. Costs for materials, labor, shipping, everything goes up. I remember paying less than 2 dollars a gallon of gas 20 years ago, now it's more than doubled in price. Food, energy, EVERYTHING goes up in price. I had no qualms about shelling out 650 for one of these after watching this video.
Your'e so right. Some people expect to get things these days for a song..lol
I remember paying a penny for a Mars bar and still having change for a bag of coal and enough pickled walnuts to see the kids through the winter!
Excellent Phil, really looking forward to you reviewing the Player Tele as well
As always a thorough comparison. Thanks once and for all ending the "mim's use cheaper electronics". One thing unclear to me is several sources specs the new body as a different radius...that confuses me.
wouldent be the first time fender marketing litrature is off. they might be reffering to body contour, the old MIM standards are a bit shallower in contour compaired to more vintage spec ones like the Japanese ST62 and 57 models which have very heavy countouring. mabey they upped it more like the japanese ones
I’m a gigging musician and I bought 2 2018s fender players strat instead of 1 American pro, this review says it all. Thanks Phil!👍👍👍👍👍
Man that Red Player strat Kicks ass!! Sounds amazing
I just picked up the Tobacco Burst Pau Ferro. I am a G&L guy, and never thought I would ever buy another Fender...until I played this one. It really is an American standard made in Mexico. I love the neck and tone. No fret issues at all.
I like the sound of the Player Strat, has more distinct Fender-y twangy sound. The standard sounded a bit generic, if I close my eyes I could imagine it being a non-Fender single coil guitar.
I own 6 Strats and had to try the 2021 player series MIM HSS. Bought new at GC and it has a fatter, heavier block and after setting it up for me, It plays like a dream. I wouldn't hesitate using it for any gig. I'm playing it more than my other Strats now,
Anyone else wanna join the playas club?
My second guitar was a MIM Fender Stratocaster back in 1998, I really miss this one, seeing this video makes me consider pulling the trigger on the new player series.
Marc Ouellette its a huge upgrade from the mim standarts, worth every penny of it