Longtime readers of this site know that it sometimes goes dormant for weeks, as my attention is elsewhere. But inevitably I end up back here, reviewing and discussing guitars and amps because, well, I love them. So when Fender announced the Players Series a while ago, I patiently waited for an opportunity to get my hands on one to play and review. The big question was this: Was this Mexican-made Strat simply a Standard Strat with some small upgrades and a price hike, or was it something more?
It’s a Standard Strat with some small upgrades and a price hike.
But that doesn’t make it a bad guitar. So let’s do our usual review and in the spirit of Clint Eastwood, discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Good
This guitar plays fairly well and sounds better than the Standard Strats of yesteryear. The two biggest upgrades are the Alnico V pickups and the upgraded dual-post tremolo system. The guitar sounds like an American Strat from about 10 years ago, when Fender was putting good quality but somewhat generic Alnico V pickups in their American models. It’s a good sounding and good looking guitar. The neck played comfortably. At the right price, I’d happily own one of these.
The Bad
The setup on the model I reviewed was poop. The high E string reminded me of a banjo. Dreadful. I have no doubt that the guitar was set up correctly at the factory in Mexico, and somewhere between there and Florida things went a bit out of whack. If you grab a Player Series Strat off the wall at your local Guitar Center, it might be better, the same, or worse. Not to pick on Guitar Center, because Sam Ash is no better, but they don’t waste 10 seconds worth of time doing any setup on any guitar under a grand. Maybe you’re loaded, but this guitar sells for around $650, and where I come from that’s not pocket change. Perhaps I shouldn’t blame Fender for the fact that no one cares. But the reality is that most new Fenders you pick up for under a grand (and some for over a grand) are not set up correctly.
Actually, yes, I DO blame Fender. I’ve played a lot of PRS SE guitars off the shelf, and they’re almost always set up extremely well. And South Korea is father away than Mexico.
The Ugly
This is a good guitar. But it’s not a great guitar. Fender’s price increases over the past 5 years have gone up faster than inflation. And I don’t think these Strats are that much better than they were 5 years ago. I think it’s the same process and the same wood. I applaud the changes to the bridge and pickups. Again, it’s a good guitar. But I don’t think it’s the best guitar out there for $650. I think the guitars coming out of South Korea for that kind of money are better. If these guitars sold for $500 I’d be jumping up and down and calling them the best value on the market. But Fender has been slowly but surely increasing the price, and I think it’s not worth it. The guitar market is flooded with new and used guitars. I don’t think jacking up prices is the best strategy for Fender.
Does that mean that if you buy one you got ripped off? Not at all. I’m a Strat guy. I love Strats. Again, this IS a good guitar. If you are thinking about buying one, well… I’d say save some money and buy a used Standard. But at the end of the day, I do like this guitar.
But Fender used to have an awesome product lineup where no matter how much or how little money you had, there was a Strat. From the Squier Bullet up to the American Custom Shop Strats, you could get a good value for your money. I think the Squier line still has some good deals – the Bullet is priced too high at $149, but the Affinity at $199 isn’t a bad deal, and the Standard at $249 is a very solid buy. Even the $399 Classic Vibe isn’t bad. But after that, you’ve got the $599 Fender Standard and the $649 Player Series. There’s a big hole in the product line. And why buy a $600 Standard Strat when you can easily get one used for between $300 and $350? The market’s full of them. I don’t think the Standards are much better than they were 5 years ago. I think they just increased the price.
But if you want a brand new Fender Strat and you don’t have a grand, the Player Series is a better deal than the old Standard Series. For $50 more you get a better trem system and better pickups.
It could be worse. The Classic 50’s guitar is selling for almost $800 and you can get a used American for that. And it’d be a better guitar.
