American Telecaster vs Mexican Telecaster! American Professional II vs Player Series!
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- Опубліковано 13 чер 2024
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Hey thanks for being here!
In this video I compare the Fender American Professional II Telecaster (USA) with the Fender Player Series Telecaster (Mexican). There is a bit of a price difference between these two guitars so I wanted to see if it is worth it or not! Keen to hear what you guys think!
0:00 - Intro Track
2:03 - Prologue
3:51 - Key Differences
7:12 - How Do They Feel?
9:08 - Tone Comparison!
10:25 - Verdict! Which Is Better?
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@thebenmneal
I bought a Mexican Player series during the lockdown and I'm amazed at how much I love playing it. It's a brilliantly made guitar.
They're great hey!
Had to make a choice about 18 months ago. Buy a single US tele or go player and get the strat as well. Went for the two and can't say I've regretted it for one moment. Invested in a good setup on both and they are both absolute keepers.
That intro was absolutely spectacular, bravo!
Holy crap that intro. Amazing. Just ordered a Player Tele after learning on and loving a bullet Tele for 2 years.
Thank you! You’ll really notice the difference!
From your video production to your chord phrasing, everything about this video rocks! Had to rewind the intro to hear it again. I have been playing guitar for over 30 years, and this video gets me excited and makes me wanna grab one of my strats and wail along side it. Instant subscriber here. Thanks!
Wow thanks so much for this comment! 🥹
Actually Mex tele has individual intonations that better than UA tele that has two strings intonations screw and as I said Mex in better it has individual string intonations. That fact No video had mentioned. It's because US is SUPOSEDLY superior then mexican tele. Moreover, no video will Ever say something that isn't good about any guitars, because they're there to promote and not give objective and real critics. That all guitars video do it's there job to Only promote guitars, regardless of some of them saying we're not pay by manufacturer and we buy guitar on our own. That's a lie because if they do that then they would be out of business. That's a there's job to promote regardless what they're saying. End of bs.
That was such a sick song ! I came here for the review and was blown away with the playing and music! Good job man holy
Me ha gustado mucho tu review, muy informativa y sincera. Y la grabación y edición es muy buena también. Gracias.
Really great review/comparison! Well done!
I appreciate this video, brother. Thank you. Beautiful intro playing btw.
Great video on this! MIM is definitely a great value. My wife and I really enjoyed this video as well as your JM vs. Jag comparison. +2 subscribers!
Thanks so much!
That intro is so insanely good. I've listened to it over and over. I've been trying to figure out the lick with my Taylor Acoustic but when you start ripping at the bottom I can't even pick it up LOL. I'm buying a tele this weekend and my goal is to try and play your song best I can. Great info, appreciate it.
Hahaha thanks so much! Tag me in a video on Instagram once you get the song nailed!
Backing tracks will be added to my Patreon page soon as well…..
The Mexican and US factories are within an hour drive of each other, and both factories share parts, machine tools, materials and processes. My MIM telecaster is every bit as good as either of my US models.
Wow man, I just found you bro and immediately I'm blown away. These guitars are stunning but you are a truly great player. So much feel. Such dimension in your playing. Hard to find
Holy sh*t, that was some awesome playing !
Very good video and audio too. Liked and subscribed.
I recently got a Player Tele and I absolutely love it.
Thanks so much! They're so good!
Ben, I've watched this video multiple times over the past year. Your playing on that intro is solid. Sometimes I think I'm going back to the video just to hear your intro. BTW, I own the player series tele.
You're not only a great guitarist, but a great musician as well. Stellar playing! Thank you for the thorough review, I think I'll get the Player one sooner rather than wait to save up for the US model!
Fantastic job on this video Ben; both on content and production! Awesome audio and video quality. Also very informative and helpful. Is the piece you play in the beginning your own composition? If not, what is it?
Thanks so much! Yep, I wrote it for this video!
@@BenNeal It available on Spotify or Apple Music? Your music is great! I would buy it.
This guy can make any guitar sound good. Definitely the player that stands out here. Insane performance!!!
I’m very surprised, but I leaned towards the Mexican-made Tele in the side-by-side comparison. There seemed to be a very slight more brightness to it, yet there was a clear, ethereal quality to the American one. Again, I’m very surprised by my opinion here.
Thanks for this, Ben. Really helpful.
Supernatural playing skills, dude! I have a road-worn series MIM tele from 2018. It's a very faithful recreation of a 50's black guard tele, down to the 7 1/4 radius and three saddle brass, non-compensated bridge. Even a 5 screw pick guard. I wish I could make it sing half as good as you did those two.
That opening song unlocked memories I didn’t even know I had. Amazing job
Thanks heaps Devyn!
Thanks for the great review!! I have a player series on the way 👍
No worries! Hope you enjoy it!
Great review Ben.
I got a MIM player and it sounds amazing, quickly became my main guitar. The pickups are actually really great, I don’t see any reason or need to upgrade them. Really love this guitar. Highly recommend. This is a frickin workhorse for sure, can play anything and it does it all well.
Same here! I own a much more expensive guitar and I've heard people criticizing the Player over the pickups, however I thought they sounded great right out of the box! Very impressed, I don't want to do any modifications except replacing the volume/tone knobs.
What’s wrong with the knobs? I have a 2022 player and they’re fine for me@@Tarantula_Fangs
Thank you! This was great! I’m a newish player, and just bought a Road Series Martin acoustic (MIM). I was looking for a similar type electric, and the player fits the bill. Your review helped me decide. Thank you!!
Awesome! Thank you!
Nice playing. Really nicely produced as well. As a left handed player these are basically my only options short of the ultra. I prefer the current colours in the american series but i might just hang on to see what new colours they update to in the player although im not holding my breath as it'll be the usual colours i think.
Hey mate, Steve here in Melbourne. What sort of sound gear were you using for this excellent video? Amazing tones especially at the beginning...cheers.
I am absolutely broke and don't plan on buying one of these any time soon but this is the best comparison of these two guitars. Cheers
Haha aren't we all! Thanks heaps!
I've been playing bass for a little over 20 years and for some reason just never learned guitar, and I kick myself for waiting so long because learning to play multiple instruments really helps to become a better musician overall. Anyway, better late than never so I decided to plug that hole a bit and pick up my first guitar and ended up getting the Player Tele because it seemed like a good first guitar that would last awhile and man what a lovely instrument! I'm genuinely blown away by the build quality. It's ridiculously stable! Love it!
Really well done video!
Sounds like Plini, awesome playing. Once again, Telecaster rules!
Beautiful playing! Such a great vibe.
Thanks!
This video autoplayed and when the intro started going I had to find out who was playing. Very beautiful
This is seriously like one of the best tele tones I've heard. Please share details on this tone with me and I will love you forever!
Great help!
Thank you!
Great demo. Great playing.
Hey man, good video and sweet playing!
I own an Am Pro 2 and recently got a used Highway One as a backup, also tried a few Player Series ones at my local music store.
All points you make are spot on; the Am Pro 2 feels a tiny bit better which I contribute to the neck: the rolled off fingerboard edges, the finish and the Deep C profile feel very satisfying and inviting to play, the guitar feels very broken in when you pick it up.
However I believe that this is something you can have your luthier do to your Player Series Tele as well for a lot less money than what you have to spend to get the American one.
Also the Am Pro Series has a new style of bridge with the mounting screws sitting behind the string through holes instead of in front, so you can't just go and swap bridges without having to drill new holes. That is something to keep in mind if you ever wanna mod the guitar. I installed a thicker modern Gotoh bridge and had to have new holes drilled. Just food for thought if you like customizing your instruments.
So I agree with your conclusion: if you habe the dough, the American Pro 2 is a fantastic choice; however you're not gonna miss out on anything if you buy the Player Series, they are a fantastic bang for your buck and great feeling and sounding as well.
Liked and subbed! 🤘🏻
Your playing is very inspiring. I'd love the guitar tab for the Intro tune 🙂
What bugs me is the fact that the pro doesnt even come with locking tuners..but man does it play amazing!
Agreed . Locking tuners would be great . Gonns put some on my pro2 strat i think .
My Review is little bit late, but in my opinion a nice and honest review.👍🏼
Great vid, thanks!
Love the intro :)
Thank you! 🙏🏽
Thank you for the video!Im from the states and i just got a fender player series special top with fender locking tuners and a really nice hard case for 599. I traded in some old gear at my local music shop . I have a les paul tribute and PRS custom 24. Ive had the Tele 2 days and today was the first day that i really got to play it. I did a slow bluesy chord progression on my looper and ran the tele in neck potion through the Julia and the Slo by Walrus Audi and i had a spiritual experience, i just connected so strongly to this guitar right then and there. Thats the first time thats ever happend. That hasnt hapoend like that with the les paul or prs. I love this guitar! If you get a chance do it. You can modify it over time. If your looking for a guitar that can sound good in any musical genre, this is it. Ive been playing guitar for 26 years , and all i can say about this guitar is WOW!
The same. I have been playing for 30 yerars. I have go gibson, fender and prs. I had the oportunity to play a tell of a friend of mine. I felt the same. This creature sounds like to string, pure string, round, you can perceive clearly each of the notes even when crunchy and it is a perfect cushion to support your voice when singing, highly appreciated from that moment ahead and Im going to get one for me to add to my frinds the electric guitars. And sure, it´s going to be one of my favorite.
Excellent video thank you. I ordered the made in Mexico players series. It intrigues me because it has alnico 5 pickups.
Brilliant video, is the finish on the neck the same on both?
Very good honest review. Player is spot on for me, prefer the neck and frets, so kinda weird it’s cheaper, because it’s what neck you prefer. luckily the more expensive one wasn’t the better one for me! The American does look more traditional though if that’s your thing. Mexican used to be a bit cheap hit and miss, think they got it sorted with the Player and it’s closing the gap?
Great video Ben, and wow there is not much in it from a tone perspective. I felt like you played them a little differently (slight), like you were digging on the Professional series a little more ;-) but hard to say that its twice the guitar for the price!
Thanks Matthew! Yeah not much in it hey. And yeah that might have been the case 😂
I don't know if that's your own tune you're playing in the intro but if it was, it was just excellent! I really liked it! Very nice playing as well. And frankly, I rather preferred the sound of the Mexican Player. It seemed to have more Tele bite. On my TV, anyway! Cheers!
Came for the guitar comparison. Now want to know if this guy makes his own music because I loved the play through!!
Hey man thanks! All the tracks on my channel are originals! 😊
I own a Pro 2 Strat and just bought a Player Tele and I'm very happy with it. The noticeable difference---apart from being a different model----is the width of the neck. I have smaller hands and reaching all the notes seems to be much easier on the tele. I was very impressed by the overall build quality of the MIM Tele, my only criticism is really the tone knobs and tuners, they seem to be a little on the cheaper side and could potentially need replacing later on. I think tone wise it sounds great to me, however we all know that it is subjective to the player. I play off a Fender Custom 68' and it sounds absolutely magical, lol. The quality those Mexican factories are producing now is pretty impressive, I personally would get a player and utilize the rest of my budget on some really good amps. I forgot to mention that I did in fact get the Player on a killer holiday deal, paid about $700 + tax , saving about nearly $200. Anyway, the Pro 2 strat is a pretty high-quality guitar, however I don't always want to take it around if I'm jamming at my buddies houses, sometimes I worry about dropping it, scratching it, chipping it, getting it stolen, etc. Normally, I wouldn't care as much, but for the price of currently $1,700.00, It's become more of my home playing guitar. I think overall, can't go wrong with the Player, still very affordable and sounds great, plus It seems to be an easily upgradable guitar, probably save more money by buying different pickups and installing them yourself, along with maybe the bridge, tuners and knobs. Well, to each their own.
You're an excellent guitarist, who also makes great videos as well, not to mention that your down to earth analysis of both Telecasters is done without unnecessary superlatives.
I have a 2020 Player HH, and it's pretty decent, although the volume pot has a 60 cycle hum below 80%, so I am going to replace the pots and entire wiring harness.
However, I bought a Player because I knew I wanted to upgrade the humbuckers to Brandonwound 1959 clones, and get the fretboard leveled and frets dressed, because even the MIA models seem to need a bit of fret leveling sometimes. So, upgrading my Player will probably cost almost as much as a MIA Tele, but, I get the sound I absolutely want for Blues, and my Jazz Studies.
However, in another year, or two, when I'm starting to play Jazz a little better, I do plan to put together a Tele Partscaster, with a Fender 12" radius neck, Classic 60s series body, a vintage ashtray bridge with compensated brass saddles, and Lollar Tele Vintage pickups.
Dang homie. Came for the review stayed for the sick tonez
Thanks!
That intro sounded incredible! I'm pretty sure I want a Telecaster but am still debating between the American Pro II (for its added Humbucker-like effect) and the Deluxe Nashville (for its Strat-like effect).
Thanks! It’s a tough choice!
Get the deluxe and have the wiring mod done for $40
@@dingusfuzzklonnkt2755 what wire mob ? I have the Vintera custom with the humbuker in the bridge and it’s going in for an upgrade on the wide range humbucker so if there’s a wire mod I should consider please , tell me. ?
Great review. Love both teles, it depends on the person. I have a classic vibe thinline telle 60,s , plays great slim neck fits me. Had a mim strat that played great too. Cant beat a good Fender for the money.
I have both. I have a Player Plus and a 75th Anniversary American model. I prefer the sound of the US version, it’s just a little brighter but I much prefer to play the Mexican one, the neck is just beautiful and it’s much more in tune!
I am very satisfied and luv my black Player Tele. I did put on locking tuners.
I bought a mim a few months ago, my dreams came true!
So glad!
Seems like a very honest view. I have a USA Tele and love it but I'm looking for another but price is a factor. I will try both though but thank you. 👍
I tried the MIM and USA tele's and yes they feel slightly different. I preferred the neck profile of the MIM tele but liked the heel cutaway a lot on the USA version. However there were not enough difference to justify buying the USA tele . I bought the MIM tele and swapped out the tuners to fender locking tuners and the pickups to fender vintage noiseless. I also threw on a set of fender Infinity strap locks. I think the MIM tele is a great guitar with options to modify. This guitar is now my joint favourite guitar, along with my Ibanez JS2450MCP
Love it Bro 👍👍👍
the intro track is giving Knuckle Puck vibes. Dig it!
Great video mate ,subbed.
🤘🇦🇺
Thank you!
@@BenNeal Deserved.
No gimmicks ,love Aussie content man.
I brought a player series Strat two years ago and I have no regrets it is an amazing guitar. I am about to buy a player series Telecaster on the strength of my Stratacaster purchase and im confident i will fall in love with a Mexican Telecaster.
They sound more similar then I would have imagined. If I'd closed my eyes, I wouldn't have been able to guess which is which.
Also, that Miami Blue color looks nicer on video than the stock pictures I keep seeing on store websites. Hmm... Might invest in one of these soon.
Thats exactly what I thought as well, I even closed my eyes to see if I would be able to distinguish the tones between the two, nope not even a little bit, if I'm being honest. lol
I'm in the market at the moment for a Tele and I'm looking at the Player. My only concern is neck. I have an American Strat and the edges of the neck are rolled and feel very comfortable to play 4-5 gigs a week with. I tried the Player and noticed the edges of the neck are a bit sharper and not as comfortable. Did you find the neck comfortable enough compared with the American one? Loved the video, by the way.
That intro track is so damn good!
brilliant playing, while sliding across the frets which one feels more comfortable? because both have different fret sizes
Nice review. Maybe compare the Pro II to the American Performer sometime.
Great review 👊🏻
I went into GuitarGuitar in Camden today and tried out the player, player plus and pro II. My favourite was the player plus so I bought that. I didn’t like the thicker neck on the pro and both the pro and player plus sounder the same to me in person. I couldn’t understand the £1000 premium on the American version at all.
A fender made in mexico by mexicans or a fender made in the US by mexicans?
Hahahah exactly 🤣
It's not just who it's made by.Its how it's made,the process, amount of time put in,the parts that are used etc.
@@jordanpratt3821 the gap between the two is pretty small
Lol….so true. Still different guitar
@@jldkrank Like the gap between the two factories
Just played both of them side by side earlier @ GC and the deep c neck on the pro 2 in combination with the tall frets and slightly wider nut actually made it a stretch for my hands after the player. I preferred the player on feel and playability, and was pleasantly surprised over all specially in comparison to the Vintera models.. Some serious lack of quality control there. The player series felt exactly like the american ones in my hand with the satin neck except for the medium jumbo frets and modern c which It turns out my hands preferred. Your first Fender can be tricky , you gota find your size every brand uses different terminology and dimensions.
I’m going to have to spend some time in the store comparing the necks. The Pro II neck feels really, really good, I didn’t compare it to a player unfortunately, was with my son who was looking at the Jazzmaster player. I just grabbed a black tele because it was there and my hands were empty.
I had both and love the Professional II sound! I sold my2018 MIM standard butterscotch tele , the new MIM player series may be better now. Most people don't have the $$ for US . the us tele is routed for additional humbucker pup and it has the tap to sound like humbucker.
Nice vid, well done! I particularly like the American Performer, the cheapest US made tele. The Yosemite pickups in the AP sound fabulous to me. Maybe a good comparison would be Fender Player Plus vs Fender Performer. The pricedifference is quite small, so I think a lot of players toss the coin to go Mex or USA. But the Fender Player (non plus) is a lot of guitar for the money.
Yeah if I can get my hands on one! Great idea!
I really like the Yosemite pickups too. I also like stroopwafels.
I just purchased a Player Plus Nashville Tele as I love the ability to make it also sound a bit like a Strat especially in the 2/4 positions. It is a very versatile instrument. I know there will be purists that only want the two pickup variants, but from a practical standpoint having a wider set of tones is a good thing. The player plus versions also have the rolled fingerboard edges and locking tuners. It also has the push/pull feature to add the neck pickup in the 1/2 positions.
I just ordered the AP in vintage white. Hope the quality control is better than the player series (which is garbage).
I have a CV 50s and a American performer. They sound completely different... but both insanely good. I would take the classic vibe any day is the week over a lower end player... but I'm sure the player plus is very good. I honestly don't know which of my telecasters sound better...the classic vibe is shockingly that good... just a much brighter snappier tone because of massive neck I think... but built quality on both of mine are astounding. I just ordered a professional in dark night.. I'm very curious to play it next to my others. I really don't think it can sound any better than my other two but I guess we'll see...the push push may be nice to have...who knows. When the CV series is so good no reason to spend more... I just collect guitars and like different tones...
Great video. What amp(s) are you playing through here?
Thank you! All tones from the Strymon Iridium 😊
I was going to get a Mex tele and have a tech put Seymour Duncan pickups in it. Then I am now looking at the 🇺🇸 professional 2 telecaster because I held one and I knew that this was the 🎸 for me and I won't change anything ( I like the push pull knob). I prefer the thicker neck. There is no comparison between the two 🎸‼️
THANKS, BEN!
I have a Mexico Tele. I put American made vintage pickups in it, and i love it!
Thanks for your video, awesome playing! Very helpful video for people who don't decide between American or Mexican. The sound is looking quite similar and you explain all the differences very well even so I wanna ask you if I can buy Mexican one, will i lost to many things or will I feel sorry ? Thank you.
I think if you can afford the American Pro II, go for it. The differences are slight but worth it if money isn’t an issue. But if it’s a stretch, you seriously won’t regret the Player in my opinion. It’s great!
@@BenNeal Thanks.
I have an American elite series.. Stratocaster with SSS conf. And one fender player series MIM…with HSS conf…and the Mexican made nice than my elite…
@@herreratomemh Thanks !!
Great informative video that told me everything I needed to know.....I've gone for the Player !
Epic!
I'd love to see a focus group test where they give people these guitars without badges and get em to pick their favourites after a week and see the results.
You did such a good job promoting the Fender Telecaster that Fender should hire you.Then relocate you.And pay you well.
Hahaha thank you 🙏🏽
Came for the review, but that opening tune stole the show!👍
Well done, sir!
Thank you!
Great review. I have the sunburst version of this guitar. It is a good guitar, but it required some work. I had to file the ends of all the frets!!! My tuner on the low E string is too loose. The high E string had an annoying "sitar" sound. I upgraded the bridge saddles to solid brass and that took care of the problem with the high e. I like the sound of the pickups. No hum and bright enough for me. 🎶🎵🎸
Nice review
Cheers!
This review - thanks for it! - isn't bad, but the ton comparison is way too short and varies not much, and the fact they sound nearly the same it all depends on the feeling playing the guitar.
I'm listing the bad YT audio with high-end headphones and there aren't really differences. Great on one hand, on the other *wow*. There's much more hearable between the Pro II and Performer (and the Yosemite also sounds great).
Great video, love your channel! I’m an Aussie too - maybe we can collaborate - where are you based?
I purchased a Player telecaster last week and the tone knob is faulty. Also had an issue with my Jazzmaster American pro 2. What's going on with Fender's quality control? Pretty disappointed.
player sounded good actually I was surprised but theres something extra to the pro, extra warmth, richer and rounder to me.
🙏🏽
I tried an American Tele and then, I tried a Tele Player and I liked the MIM better ! I bought a MIM and yesterday a late 90s Korean Fender Telecaster Special Edition Custom FMT HH Amber with Seymour Duncan 59 at neck and Pearly Gates at Bridge
Great video Ben! The tones you get from these two are phenomenal, hard to distinguish in a pure blind test! Although, I think you should've mentioned that the Pro II comes with a deluxe hard shell case, which covers a good chunk of that price difference, and not super sure with the Player, but the edges are rolled on the US version, that also takes a bit of time and care to do. Anyway, I'm waiting for my Pro II to arrive in a few weeks from Port Mac Guitars. Where'd you get these two babies by the way? Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!
Yes I should have mentioned those things for sure! I actually don't own either of them unfortunately! They're both for sale at www.coffsguitarshop.com.au
I rolled the edges of my neck on a Squier using the round metal side of a large screwdriver. Only try it if you don't have a finish on the neck that would crack. IF there's no finish to crack then it's super easy to do yourself.
ua-cam.com/video/muw3X6lVFZs/v-deo.html
Amazing playing! I have a player series tele and it just screams. My only complaint is the neck profile, which feels like a toothpick in my hands. But it has an incredible tone and responsiveness that inspires me.
Thanks! Yeah the player necks are definitely a bit thin
Great Post Sir!
I finally “ pulled the trigger “ on a Tele.
I tried out 9 or 10 different Tele’s & Tele Type guitars. At the end of the day, just through feel and sound, I opted for the AM ii in Butterscotch Blonde. I did not wish to spend that much money, nor was I looking for the prestige of owning American.
It just ‘ worked ‘ for me.
Now……it’s Ramon noodles and hot sauce for the next 4 months.
🤦🏼♂️
🤣🤣
Cheers Buddy
great review thanks, honestly the player sounds like a gorgeous tele, like its suposed to sound, and beautifully made (i have one). i cant see the point in paying more for the U.S
Sound the same to me. Can guarantee both would sound even better with Lindy Fralins...my Custom Vibe (with Fralin Blues Special) holds up well against its USA and Japanese brethren especially after you sand off the neck's poly with scotchbrite. Love it!!
I have a 2001 Mexican thinline
& the bridge is like that American tele
with rising sides.
Good job 👍
The pickups in series "that's something you only get on the Professional": yes and that's also something that you can do yourself in 10 minutes.