I just picked one up....very excited to get my first Strat....the guitar of legends.. . Love it....changed the strings and went to school Not disappointed in any way
I agree man, my friend got a new player series strat and there are just ridiculous build quality issues. The pots were not even screwed down properly, and some screws on the pickguard were just spinning in their holes meaning it felt like the pickguard could just fall off.
I’ve owned a few strats (Fender and not) and the partscaster I have now blows them all away. Has an amazing bird’s eye maple neck and upgraded pickups and electronics. Sounds totally vintage and plays like a dream. And I’m only intro it for about $500. Couldn’t get a Fender as good for anything like that. These days you’re better off building your own strat than buying the real thing.
This is super true. If you don't want to buy from another brand then the quality you can get out of a partscaster now is unreal. Thanks for checking out the video too, I appreciate it! 🤘
I just picked up the black/anodized gold model last night, and EVERYTHING you have just said about this guitar is 100% spot on. This is not a $1200 (CAD) guitar. My $600 Omen 6 blows this thing out of the water in every department. I'm pretty sure I am returning it.
I ordered a player series in 2019 and had to send it back because it had various defects. The second one I got is impeccable and I love how it feels and plays. Somehow you have the feeling that everything will be more expensive but not better, no, many things don't even stay good
Had a Player tele, sent it back immediately for more or less the reasons you articulate here. On the the other hand I have a Classic Vibe Tele, a Chinese one, that I've been delighted with.
Same here. I sent a Player HH Tele straight back. All sorts of issues with the fit and finish of the guitar but worst was the fretwork. Really bad. My vintera strat's great, no problems there, and i've enjoyed squiers for years with only some minor issues.
Once the screws on the bridge are at the right height you can take them out and grind them down at the contact end using a scrap saddle as a holder, no more scratch on the hand.
Yeah man, oldest trick in the book isn’t it but you’re kind of screwed if you need to make any future adjustments. Also, I just don’t think we should be having to file stuff on a guitar to make it comfortable and Fender should just stop making trash parts but that’s just me 😂 Thanks for watching dude!
last april i bought my first ever strat (after all my years of playing) a fender player plus in olympic pearl...looks great. plays cleans so nice, feels nice, but as soon as i got to use any gain or go for a gilmour lead sound, it just sounds awful...despite tweaking and doing eq stuff. i hate the noisless pickups it comes with. My 80 quid harley benton strat actually sounds more like a stat (can get that classic SRV bends out of it)....i have had the guitar up for sale on gumtree for a while now at 650 quid. the guitar is in brand new condition and i paid just under 900 quid for it. no one seems interested lol. Saving up for my first standberg. good vid bud
The bent saddle are not there as a cost cutting mesure (block saddle in pot steel will be cheaper to produce). It is just that the bent saddle are an integral part of the Strat sound, and for once, it is not a guitar myth, people are able to tell the difference in most cases, that is why Fender when back to them even for higher end Strat (except the more modern series)... You may not like them but it is not the same thing as saying that they are bad and just a way for Fender to segment its market...
I'm sure you're right mate but if people are worrying about the tone from their saddles after running through how many hundreds of pounds worth of pedals then they need their heads screwing on imo 😂 Thanks for the info though and for checking out the video 🤘
i dunno man, could be a dud, i bought player series strat last year, no issues with build quality on mine. i did end up changing the pickups. There were nothing wrong with originals but i wanted to pimp it up for metal. tuners are just fine, they hold the tune for weeks without spanking the tremolo. I do not have experience with more expensive guitars, build quality is compareable to PRS SE i had before. for the price tag of 700€+ its fine for what it is imo
I’m glad you like yours dude and I guess you could be right but I don’t think this was a dud. Like I mentioned in the video, it’s got problems but it’s a fine guitar. It’s just lacking for the price, people just buy the brand name but the market is full of much better guitars for much cheaper. I played £300 Cort at a store the other day and it put this particular Strat to shame. Either way, thanks for listening to my opinion and sharing yours. I appreciate it! 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars i do agree, if brand name is not important for buyer, people are better off buying 300-400€ indonesian made guitars, ltd, cort, squier, etc. Brands allways slaps that brand tax on. This one was the cheapest fender branded guitar sold as new, so i had to buy it to see if that brand means anything. Im satisfied with that purchase but i do recognize i could have gotten same quality cheaper.
Yeah man and like, I do get it, it’s the same with cars, clothes, whatever and people should absolutely play what makes them feel good. I just think it’s time big brands started doing better and looking after their players a bit more. In a perfect world, right? 😂 Thanks again dude!
There is a Rule of Thumb to Always get the Best Guitar available, it means if there are 12 of Guitar you want on the wall, You Play all 12 or otherwise you are settling for whichever one was closest or you picked up first. Trust me, most Guitar's in this range are Average but among those are a few exceptional ones and possibly one or two duds. If you don't play them all, how do you know you truly got the Best Instrument
I do agree with you if you have the luxury of being able to try multiples of the guitar you want. Unfortunately, with more stores closing and guitar becoming less and less popular it's super hard to physically try the guitar you want before you buy it a lot of the time. The other issue I have is why should we be the ones who have to do the QC checks in the store? Crazy idea but maybe Fender and other big companies should be reliable enough not to let sub par instruments leave their factories. We put up with too much of that as guitar players imo. Appreciate your thoughts and thanks for watching mate 🤘
Bought one of these recently and sent it back. I did intend to do the set up myself which I'm competent to do. A more thorough check of the neck revealed further problems which were a hump at the body joint, high frets above 12th fret, Fret ends rough as f**k, nut unevenly cut, E and A strings cut so low no room for adjustments and the other 4 strings way to high. The intonation was way out a small point but taking account of the other issues not worth touching. Although it was sold as a new guitar the serial number suggested August 2022 so a COVID era guitar, probably been sitting in a shipping container for months on end. A lot of the problems though it left the factory with. I'll mention that I bought it from GAK and that they were superb in picking up the instrument and refunding my account via PayPal.
I've been hearing this a lot about the covid era Fender stuff. I'm sorry you ended up with a dud too.A TH-camr I like a lot said recently in a video how stores were basically forced to buy all the Fender stock they'd made because they massively overestimated demand and, if they refused, then Fender would stop stocking them. That's pretty stinky to me and explains why loads of us keep getting garbage guitars. I'm glad you got it sorted man and thanks for checking out the video 🤘
My brother bought a player series telecaster. The tone knob had to be replaced it wasn't working properly. The nut had to be replaced the frets leveled neck had to be fitted in the pocket better because the top e was to close and would fall off of the fret edge while playing. It's nice now but it shouldn't have left the factory.
Got one 2 years ago, maple. In winter fret ends are scratchy. Apart from that little mods in process like string tree, nut, locking tuners, maybe some hot rails in the bridge.
Thanks for watching man! Absolutely, a few mods and some work and these guitars are very good. I just think it kinda sucks to pay this price for something you need to work to that extent. That said, I like working on guitars so I guess it's swings and roundabouts! Cheers dude 🤘
You can buy shorter grub screws for those bent steel saddles so they won't poke out. Having said that, block saddles ftw. SO much more comfortable on the palm. Congrats on getting to 5k subs, dude. Love your channel :)
They really are so much better. If people like the bent steel ones, Highwood make some great super comfortable saddles. I'd highly recommend them. Thank you my dude, that means a ton! 🤘
the Jet Guitars JS-300/400 strats are just way better feeling and for 200 BUCKS AT THAT! The neck on the Jets are sooo much better than the fender player series ones ive tried
I've personally not had the best experiences with Jet so I wouldn't go for them but I know a lot of people really do like them which is awesome. They've got a lot going for them for sure. Thanks dude 🤘
I found some brand on Amazon last year called M Musi and I have to say I bought a few and they're really good guitars. Roasted maple necks (some with rosewood boards), SS frets, compound radius 9.5" - 12", mahogany body, locking tuners, decent pickups with Alnico magnets and a good bridge. I bought a Virgo Fusion and two Capricorn Classics for next to nothing and I really like them. They're all unavailable now and I'm not sure they're coming back in stock so I'm happy I got them. They went under the radar for a year and then more people noticed them.
Congratulations on the 5k 🎉 I totally agree on these type of saddles, there is no need to have something so badly designed thst literally cuts your hand! Shame about the other QC issues, it looks like a grest guitar with that roasted neck and the upgraded pickups. I want to try a more expensive strat to see how it compares against my Silversky SE.
Thank you so much mate! Couldn't have gotten here without dudes like you, I appreciate it massively! Yeah man, it could be something special but it just doesn't cut it in todays market. Only thing it cuts is my picking hand 😂 That SE you have is lovely, I'd like to know how it stacks up too. Thanks again mate 🤘
Congrats on the 5k, mate! I've never gelled with a Strat before, despite the fact that I want to get a guitar that can do their position 2 and 4 sound (I might as well just add center coil on my RG for those sounds, when push comes to shove). Not sure why, I just can't find a reason to want to add a Fender in my arsenal. I always end up looking for alternatives, and not too long ago, I stumbled upon a brand called Aguda Guitars. Their S-style and T-style looks kinda unique, they have the MusicMan Stingray style control plate on them, and there's one feature on them that is unique to their guitars, that I don't see other brand does. I'll mail you the pictures after this.
Thank you my dude, couldn't have done it without all the awesome people like yourself being here with me 🙇🏻♂️ Those guitars sounds sick man honestly. Thanks again bro 🤘
Maybe in general it's not a good time for you to get a Fender? I used to own a lot of different guitars. Some time ago i had an AmPro Tele and you know what? I was also not satisfied. It was well done in a beautiful Sonic Gray color, with a good sound, but no love:) Once i woke up with a first mind in my head that i want some Fender. I went to my local shop and i liked even Squiers. It's a pair of tool+expectations. If you are mostly metal player, you should expect, that Fender can do it somehow, but Ibanez/Jackson/E-II will do it perfectly. Vise versa, Fender will do perfect clean and crunch, while shredder-types will be slightly worse. Heel, radius, volume knob position, output... if you are ready to deal with it, go on, or do mods. Or just don't believe in brands, get Charvel, basically they are modified strats that can do metal and has modern construction. Cheers.
Nah, I don't think it's that. I've historically been a big strat fan (even though I tend to play far more heavy stuff). This one is just not a very good example of what Fender is capable of. Thanks for checking out the video dude 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars Make sense, probably just a unit:) From my last good Fenders it was a Mustang in VW produced in 2022 (more yellowish than 1st gen of 2019 or so). I used to spend an evening with a screwdriver to set it up after factory + to set a tremolo. As far as i remember from all Fenders that i had before, this one was the best. But pickups:) I decided to put it on sale, if no one will buy it quickly, i would swap them for DiMarzios or SDs. But i sold it in a couple of days:) TBH regretting. Build quality was very good, playability, inspiration to play, only pickups were so-so especially for heavy genres. Cheers! Wish you to find your good Fender:)
I built a partscaster Tele using a Fender roasted maple neck with a rosewood fretboard and I think the neck is fantastic. It feels amazing and looks great. I do think it came in the mail looking a bit ashy though. I had to lightly oil the whole thing up to get it darkened and even looking. I can't complain about it now but I do agree that for a $450 neck it should look perfect from the get go.
Thanks for watching mate! I've had a couple of the roasted necks for builds too and those have been great, if not a bit ashy like you said. Insane prices though tbh. Also, this neck wasn't quite the same quality as the. genuine parts necks I had. Appreciate you watching dude, thanks again 🤘
Strats have its own character and I'll admit that nothing is quite like a Strat. But today it doesn't have the edge over the other brands that makes Strats for a cheaper price but with a better QC and offers a lot more of the budget. Tagima, PRS, Yamaha and even Schecter is in the game aswell
i love the feeling of strats but i 100% agree, first thing i do with mine is replace the pickguard with the ones that have the volume in the tom delonge spot
Roasted wood might turn out darker or lighter in color in the process even if the pieces were treated equally, the physical properties should be the same in regards of its hardness, modulus of rupture, elasticity modulus, and weight. Fender is a staple in the world of electric guitars and basses, and they have been used in many of the most famous rock, blues, metal recordings, can't go wrong with them. But, there are indeed so many options nowadays that offer so much better specs at the same price range or even cheaper.
Thanks for the interesting comment dude! You're right, Fender are a staple and that's why this is such a disappointment. You shouldn't have to worry about their instruments being sub-par in my opinion. Cheers dude! 🤘
Yo bro! I was wondering if you noticed a difference between how ebony and maple fretboards feel. Some people say that they don’t notice a difference and some others claim that ebony is almost a glass-like to your hands. Let me hear what you think and btw, AMAZING video and big congrats on your 5k subs! Peace bro!
Thanks so much my dude, that means a ton to me 🤘 So yeah man, I do feel a difference. Maple feels softer to me, ebony feels hard and slick. My personal preference for feel is definitely Ebony out of the two. Hope that helps bro and thanks again! 🤘
I bought the black special run with fat 50 pickups and it's an excellent guitar £8.99, The reason you're not happy is probably why they're sold at 200 pound cheaper. All brands have there ifi guitars,some worse than others,
Thanks for watching the video dude. Sure, if it was listed as b-stock and discounted then you'd be right but this wasn't that. If you think yours was worth the money man then that's totally cool and I'm glad you're happy with it! I just think we should expect better from companies like Fender. It's not like they aren't known for dropping the ball on QC as of late 🤘
Fender's QC has sucked since the plandemic. I have a 2015 MIM Fender Stratocaster, all the frets are level, no sharp ends, no issues at all with the rest of the guitar. I set the action to my liking years ago when I bought it and that was it. Plus I personally like the ceramic pickups in my 2015 Strat. The only change I made was I decided last year to swap out the bent steel saddles with stainless steel block roller saddles with brass rollers and I installed a roller string tree. I also put Fender locking tuners on it. It stayed in tune without them but I like locking tuners. Anyway, I bought a Player Strat about three years ago and it was a POS. Witness lines on the top of the body where they glued the body pieces together, the frets were f'd up, the pickups sounded weak, etc...I returned it. My 2015 smoked it. Then I decided last year to pick up a Charvel San Dimas HH FR, it was made in 2022. The first one I received had several frets that weren't even crowned. I kid you not. That went back. I got a replacement and although it was a lot better I still needed to re-crown the last four frets. They had flat spots running the length of them and it was not from playing. They were shiny but no crown. It actually looked like an idiot from the factory went back after they were crowned and hit them with a flat file and left it like that. The guitar was new. I wound up getting 30% off on it. I talked to a few people and they told me the garbage fret work (no crown, sharp edges) is something that started during the scamdemic. My advice is to avoid the post 2020 MIM Fenders for now. It doesn't help the prices suck now too. I have a few Squiers as well, they had no issues out of the box.
People can get Chinese EART strats for $210 on sale that are made even better than that and with supposed Stainless Steel frets to boot. Harley Benton's Fusion series might be better too, Blacksmith brand SS frets for less than $400.
Buy the PRS Silver Sky SE. Better build quality and consistency in same price class. just replace the ugly gray tuners with PRS vintage locking. Much better S Style guitar. sorry, Fender. You've lost your edge
Congratulations, dude, you hit 5 thousand subscribers !!! I'm so proud 👏. I'm kinda shocked to see you with a Fender guitar ! I've got a Fender acoustasonic and happen to really love it. It's a made in mexico model and I drop tune it because otherwise I find I have to push down too hard. Anyway curious to see how this guitar sounds :). Once again I'm so happy for you Jack!! Take care !! 😊
Speaking of Stratocaster and Telecaster . I would recommend people to pick up an Ibanez AZ any day over a Fender guitar. Or a Charvel ? I really love Ibanez so much. I do own some Ibanez Quest who sound better than any Fender I've played 😅 Although after hearing you play the Fender it does sound really nice !! It's got a fair bit of chunky aggressive tone. Or maybe that's your effects and neural dsp!?
Thank you bro, that means a lot to me! The demo track is recorded how I'd record this guitar for like a release or something. I feel like that's how the guitar would sound on a record so it should sound like that here too if that makes sense? The ultimate goal is for it to make music. Yeah, I swore a bit too much I think, I'm sure people wish they could put bleeps on me in real life 😂
😆 I um just rewatched the video and your joke about warhammer got me . Girls can be so cruel 😂! I honestly feel lucky because anime and video games used to be so nerdy 🤓. That's alright I like being a bit nerdy. ( they were when I was in highschool) but for some reason, anime and video games are cool now !? Not that I really give a shxx whether people like what I like.
As a first guitar, you'll love it I'm sure but I wouldn't personally waste the money when you can get something damn close to this for less than half the price. Then you've got more put away for a mod shop when you come to buy it! If you're dead set on a fender then look second hand for these. If you're happy to try something else the Squier Classic Vibes are great, Harley Bentons are also amazing for the price. Congrats on deciding to pick up a guitar, that's super cool! I hope you enjoy it 🤘
I love my player strat. Sounds and feels amazing. If you get a crappy guitar these days it's your own fault. There are so many quality instruments at an affordable price. Should probably try a guitar out before you buy it.
I’m glad you found a good one dude! I don’t agree that it’s the individual player’s fault if they received something sub standard though. We as the consumer should be able to trust a manufacturer like fender to make a product that matches their reputation every time and not give them the benefit of the doubt or have to stick up for our instruments when someone else doesn’t like them. Appreciate you watching mate 🤘
So about four months ago I decided that I would break my tradition of getting decent Korean, Chinese, and Indonesian guitars and buy a quality American guitar. Had my heart set on a T-style and played the full Fender offerings including both the Player and Player Plus. I wasn't impressed by either of those or the Pro ll. I ended up buying a Godin Stadium Pro which I absolutely love, This Canadian axe has better pups and an amazing neck
Great critical review, thanks. Some of the Players are on sale at GC this month and I'm going to try them in store to see what's going on. Build quality and feel are important. Feel is very subjective. I know what you mean, I'll try several of the same model and one might do it for me while the others did not. Ordering one can be hit and miss. IMO the roasted maple neck on yours, especially the fretboard visually didn't appeal to me, looked kind of weird.
I remember getting the Nick Johnston s-style from Schecter and that was the straw that broke Fender's back for me. There are just too many better guitars to waste money on most Fenders these days. If you want the name, fair enough, but you're really not getting much more than that from a Fender, especially under about $1500.
My 2018 player beats me up every time I play it. It's a battle for an experienced player to get a good setup on it. But it's the strat sound that sucks me back in like a riptide and once again I'm tossed around in the whitewash and wondering which way is up. I even bought a roasted maple neck because sineone told me the original neck was twisted I'm going to give Fender one more chance with the AM pro 2 hss then I'll quit trying. I've had 100 dollar copies that didn't piss me off this much. Might be because I'm not a beginner anymore but I guess we'll find out
100% man, I keep falling down the same hole. I love strats, I love Fenders, but I feel like they just aren't pulling their weight considering how good the competition is. I'd love for you to really like the AM pro 2 when you give it a go man but I guess we'll see. Thanks for watching dude, I appreciate it 🤘
Yeah man, I think that could be entirely possible. I guess I could rest a bit easier if that was the case but it’s still kinda crappy of them banging this stuff out! Cheers for checking out the video bro, I appreciate it 🤘
Fender is tied up by private equity investors so they really don't give a damn about QC issues or the fact that fairly recently Fender laid off some of its workforce once a company gets taken over by Private Equity there is less accountability with the brand/name.
Hi Jack . Sorry about your dilemma with your PS strat. In I982 I bought a USA model from Dawson's Music for 400 Quid brand new, but it didn't Inspire me much. It had the bent steel grub screw saddles that I had to paint on my girlfriends nail polish 💅 to stop them vibrating,like a thread lock.Eventually I had to grind the grub screws down as they cut into my hand.The neck was well twisted from the factory and caused buzzing on the high strings. At that time as a classical player I thought everything was hunky dory and that's what Rock and Roll guitars were all about. I thought that I was the King of Rock and Roll, when people used to see the case and ask me ? Is that a Strat you have. I made some modifications to It and few years later I sold it for peanuts 🥜. The best thing I ever did it was like a cross I was carrying around. To cut a long story short, I set my Sonic soul free and have never strayed from the path of right teous tone since . Hope you find your Sonic destination. Best regards 😸. John. 8:168:16
Couldn't agree more about Fender phoning it in because they know people will buy for the name. How I ended up with my PRS SE Silver Sky instead, I've never played a Fender Strat I've liked.
Few months ago I got a player series Jaguar. It was terrible. Buzzed like crazy and the neck was uneven and uncomfortable. Fender is a joke at this point
That sucks man! It's so hit and miss it seems. My best mates Jag is awesome but it's a few years old now. Might have been a pre covid model before they starting bashing them together fast 😂 Thanks for watching dude! 🤘
Fender QC went massively downhill from the time of covid onwards. Ive spoken to a guy who worked at Ensenada at the time, and just after, and he said they were put under massive pressure by management to... "Get stuff out the door". Ive played loads...and 90% have been not great...especially fret jobs. Get a Harley Benton instead. A quarter of the price...and better QC.
Only issue with Harley Benton is if you buy it from Thomann and you live in the US and you have to return it, have fun. I went through that BS about 8 years ago, never again. So I said f*ck Harley Benton. If you're going to buy one buy it from their Reverb store which supposedly pulls stock from a US warehouse. Yes, the fretwork on post plandemic Fenders suck.
I’d definitely consider it dude! It’s on the list but, right now, there’s only one Fender that I really want to spend money on. Thanks for watching mate 🤘
The first 5k of many more About the strat, well, always need a single coil guitar, and I'm with you about the finished. I got mine in FB marketplace, and it's pretty well for the price
Thank you so much my dude! I think you did right, I'd have been happier if I got this 2nd hand but you live and learn. I'm glad yours is good though! 🤘
I love Fender and Strats in particular (I own 4) but this Player series is an absolute miss. Couldn't agree more with everything you mentioned, for a very simple reason: the player series should be the most versatile ever. Vintage saddles are for vintage models, same for fat 50's for fox's sake ... crappy machine heads, barely acceptable frets (stainless steel jumbo? anyone???) ... what are they doing?!
I agree its bad they don't come properly set up, of course i do. But these guitars are really popular, so are the fat 50s pickups. The playability of the neck is really good and bent saddles are found in numerous models of fender strats. If the guitar doesn't inspire you it may just not to your taste, rather than it actually being 'bad' This is my dream guitar once the saddles have been swapped out. Going to purchase soon
I'm aware dude, I've played a lot of strats in my lifetime. Of course, this is all personal opinion but my biggest issue is that this guitar is not worth the price aside from the garbage spray job. You're buying the brand name, not a guitar that warrants this price tag. If you're into it though, don't let me stop you. My advice though would to be to read the comments on this video and make up your mind from there. In any case, you're not wrong for liking and wanting the guitar, all I can do is share my experience with this based on my experience with guitars of all price points. Cheers dude 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars That’s fair enough, i’m not big into Fender and wouldn’t buy for the name. this guitar just happens to have every single spec i want including colour and right down to neck radius and obviously pups. its not easy to find without spending a lot and im quite particular about little things. but Fender really need to have better quality control and its a shame they charge what they do. i hear you
Ah I see dude, I guess you are limited for options then. There's a lot to be said about getting a guitar that matches exactly what you want so by all means grab one. Hopefully you get a good one, I'm sure there's more good than bad, but if you're prepared to do a little work to make it even more tailored to you then even better. Thanks again man and best of luck with the Strat! 🤘
Not knocking Fender, but asside from the perfect design of a strat, I have never been amazed with the performance of one. So many great options for a super strat, G & L, or PRS strat out there, why would buy one?
It’s a very good point mate. For me, I want to love Fender but the Strat is not the best option for an s-type right now, which is kind of a shame I suppose. Thanks for watching mate! 🤘
It does from a specs perspective, absolutely. The problem is the price tag for me. There are so many other guitars I'd get before the player plus but that is just my take. Appreciate you watching mate, thank you 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars Thanks for the reply - what suggestions do you have? I am looking for an HSS - but with those Player Plus type specs. I do like the Fender neck shape.
My immediate suggestion for an alternative would be the Nick Johnston Schecter, it's about the same price and is a far better guitar but there are s-types from Cort and Harley Benton that would save you a decent chunk of money and play better. Hope that helps mate!
I disagree that any of this is unique to Player Strats. QC can be an issue with many guitars and that’s the reason you play a guitar before you buy it. The majority of forums / communities / reviews / guitar players on the internet have great opinions of player strats, these MIM’s are better than the MIM’s of 20 years ago, are good value for money, and generally play well. Most issues are easily sorted with a setup and they play and feel great.
Thanks for watching and weighing in mate! I totally agree, you can get QC issues with any brand. I also wish it was possible to try every guitar you could want before you buy it but with availability in local stores and how online shopping is affecting guitar buying habits it’s just not possible but that’s another conversation. My biggest issue with this guitar is that it’s Fender, *the* strat company. They shouldn’t be given free reign to pump out a huge amount of guitars with low QC because of the pandemic and not be held to a higher standard. Value you for money I have to politely disagree, Fender strats are acceptable but the value for money comes from other brands making s-types with much better features for the same price or less. I get where you’re coming from though and totally accept your opinion, I’m just of a different mindset that Fender need to do better and I liked Fender, I was a fan but I can’t help but feel they’re no longer a guitar maker and are moving more into a money making lifestyle brand. That doesn’t sit right with me personally. I appreciate you taking your time to watch and share your thoughts though mate. There needs to be more healthy discussion about this sort of stuff!
Just bought a Squier CV 60s and it was awful. Took it to a luthier and changed pickups, sanded frets, truss rod was way off and had to buy a tusq nut because it was unsalvageable.
Thanks for watching mate! My immediate suggestion would be the Schecter Nick Johnston Traditional, just a much better guitar. From there, if you went second hand you can get an Ibanez AZ for around the same price but far better. They’d be my first two suggestions if you’re shopping in that price range. Hope that helps! 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars thanks for your recommendations man really appreciate it! Where I am schecter is like 200 euro more expensive. The player series is selling for around 700 euros here. What would you recommend if one would go the cheaper route 300-600 eur?
No problem mate! At a cheaper price point, I'd say the Sire Larry Carltons are great, the Cort G models like the G300 or similar play incredibly well, or if you can get Harley Benton where you are from Thomann then they're awesome too. Also ESP LTD SN models are awesome. Cheers dude!
Totaly agree, and thanks for the heads up on the gg custom strat. I take it thats the guitarguitar custom strat? Thats disgusting poor quality for that price. I had an Epihone les paul. Was realy disapointed with it and returned it. Had some frets higher than others, rough fret ends and I wasn't prepared to start dressing frets on a brand new guitar. Biggest bug bare of a lot of guitars you have to order nowadays. At the least a guitar should come with good frets that are all level and trus rod should be set so no buzzing.
Thanks for watching man! Yeah it was one of the limited guitarguitar models. I'm with you dude, I know it's not a 'premium' guitar or whatever but it isn't inexpensive and should really be much better at that price point. Appreciate you checking the video out dude 🤘
I recently purchased one in Fiesta Fed from a Musician’s “Friend”ly online retailer. Everything was quite nice as it should be, save the pickups. They were NOT fat 50’s, but rather regular player almico 5 pups. Plastic bobbins, regular wire, non staggered pole pieces, no Custom Shop stickers on pups and so on. Huge, huge, huge quality issue from Fender and a huge disappointment to me. Everything else was excellent about the guitar. MF paid return shipping and were very kind and apologetic, so kudos to MF, but Fender? Probs ran out of Fat 50’s and figured nobody would notice.
Yeah I think you're posting this for attention. I bought a player strapped in March of 2024 and it is a limited plus top made in Ensenada and it is the best guitar I've ever played or owned. I also just received my mod shop fender Strat which is built to perfection. -Cheers
Hey Lukas. Thanks for watching mate, I appreciate it. I'm sorry if I upset you by being critical of something you like. It's totally fine for you to like something that I don't and we all have different tastes and expectations when it comes to the guitars we play. I personally thought this guitar was fine, like I said in the video. It was ok but it had problems like I explained and it's not the quality I'd expect from Fender, especially at this price point. If yours is good then I'm happy for you man, keep playing it and enjoy it! 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars Definitely some good changes! I wish they would make the pickups better though! That's an easy upgrade though. No problem, I loved the video!
You lost me at Boomers. Please explain what you're dribbling on about? Boomers are like 60 plus years old now mate and very likely own a lot of guitars you could never afford on a millennials wage. Do you really think Fender have made the player series for 60 to 80 year Olds? I myself am GenX buddy. I've owned a Player series Strat for years and it's fantastic. Play more instead of buy more. You'll never sound like Rabea no matter how much gear you buy.
😂 I know, I know. Maybe I'm being a little harsh when it comes to specs. I just think the industry has moved forward and we as consumers should expect better for our money now, you know what I mean? Thanks for watching mate, I appreciate it 🤘
They won't dude, no. The American saddles have a different string spacing so they're slightly wider. If you're looking for some, get Highwood saddles. They're super comfortable and still bent steel, they're just much better! Thanks for checking out the video mate 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars ok thanks. I think I've found some block ones that fit Mexico strats, Wilkinson ones. Hopefully they'll fit. Want to try a different option than the bent ones. I got a limited edition inca silver player and agree the finish was a bit sloppy but it plays well otherwise.
Glad I watched this because I've been looking at these, I mean switching tuner's or pickup's is a choice but having to correct factory flaw's?? I'm over that S**T.. I know I'm not Paying a Grand and having to work on one from the factory at that price anymore .Mehh!!! I'll just stay with my LP's and to think I was thinking about coming back to the other side...🤣🤣🤣🤣
"It Sucked ALL the Inspiration out of me like a Vampire that feeds on Joy." Why don't you tell us what you really think? Sounds like a "winner"... Not.
I dunno mate, I don't think I've gotten bigger (hopefully) 😂 It's definitely full size but maybe it's the wide lens I use to film. Thanks for watching mate!
It’s because it’s shot with a wide angle lens at close distance from an elevated angle. The perspective is giving him a big head and small guitar. It’s like when people take pictures of puppies with wide angles right above their head making it look huge compared to the rest of the body. You can see this effect go in and out with the different perspective cuts from 5:30 on. Notice how when the guitar head is close to the camera it dwarfs the guitar body. Perspective.
Actually, none of the big makers can sell me anything. I've discovered tools, videos and the joys of maintaining, modding and upgrading, I do the work, I save money and I REALLY own the guitar!
@@JackTaylorGuitarsI started modifying pawn shop prizes some years ago, and then got into modding cheap new guitars. My most recent cheap acquisitions have needed VERY little. I did acquire skills as well as tools over time, along with the gear. These have helped make most of my guitars play and sound much better than their age and cost of acquisition would suggest. The main reason, though, why the big guys can't sell me anything is because I have all I can store. I have like 15 instruments in toto, including 10 six string guitars, 2 bass guitars, 2 MIDI keyboard controllers, and 1 MIDI drum controller. All this for a non-gigging musician. After this, I have to sell something to make room for anything else!
Ah I see! I think you're going about it the right way tbh mate. I like new gear, sure, but I like working on my own stuff too. I totally get it! Thanks again 🤘
To a certain extent, definitely. There's a lot of opinion in this video but I would say the facts of poor quality control being evident can't really be ignored. I'm stoked you got a good one though man, thank you for checking out the video 🤘
Thanks for watching dude! So that's about £420 which I don't think is a terrible deal, leaves a little spending money to put a few upgrades on and make it much better. I'd still try and find a Schecter Nick Johnston instead but that's just me. Good luck dude 🤘
Save yourself half the sticker and grab a Squier CV. Every time I've picked a Player series up at the store it's outclassed by the CV hanging a few pegs down.
i was looking at getting a fender player i played one and i was like ok it seemed lifless so i played a squier sonic $200 new and it sounded way better than the player.i could not believe a squier sounded that much better so i ask the salesman i said im i crazy i like the squier way way more than the fender player.he said your not crazy squier has really stepped up there game rivaling the big ones its nuts whats fender doing?do you and me a favor and check on youtube the squier classic vibes and squier sonics and the squier 40th anniversary and you will be suprised you will freak and let me know what you found out yourself i cant waite to hear how it went.the days of cheap junk budget guitars are long gone you will see.
Thanks for watching the video mate! Cool info man, cheers! I've actually been thinking about trying out a recent Classic Vibe. I had one years ago that I got for pennies used and it was awesome. Might be time to revisit! Thanks again 🤘
You're reviewing the wrong guitar. It looks like you should be playing surf music or Hank Marvin tunes. I'm sure you'd forgive it's faults if it had a different vibe. Having said that it sounded good with your heavy riffs.
I dunno if I would you know, dude. Granted, it's not the right guitar for what I usually play but it still is just sub par. I played a £300 Cort in a store yesterday and it put this to shame 😂 I do wish I liked it though. Thanks for watching man, I appreciate it 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars Fender can take the piss with their pricing because they have the name. Having watched reviews of strats I've become convinced that you'd have to spend £2k+ to get a really decent guitar.
It’s a somewhat upsetting and laughable that my guitar prep on the stuff I create seems to be much better than fender…and I’m an amateur 😂 Keep trying strats, but they’re just not for me
It really is dude! They should be doing better than this. I'm definitely a strat enjoyer but to be honest dude, I'm with you, I think I'm done with them now. Thanks mate, hope you're well! 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars I’m good, trying to find a house for rent atm so it’s all go 😂 hood you and yours are well 👊🏻 I recently had pup, wiring change, Gilmour mod, treble bleed…sounded fantastic, but just not me. Strangely enough the 1980’s Indian encore strat is one I really enjoy playing, but it’s in the middle of restoration atm
We have to be careful not to take one poor guitar with issues and extrapolate that across tbe whole range. Theres great Player Series Strats out there.
You’re completely right dude. That’s why I tried my best to levy my criticisms at the product and not specifically the problems it has. What the guitar feels like won’t vary much instrument to instrument given the nature of production. I don’t even think this is a poor guitar, I definitely didn’t say that in the video. It’s just not what I’d expect for the money or from the brand. Cheers for watching dude, I appreciate your thoughts 🤘
Yet to try a Tagima but heard great stuff. Not a big fan of Jet from personal experience but a lot of people seem to like them so that's cool. Thanks for watching mate! 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars I hav no personal experience with Jet either. I was just going off of what others have said. But I do have quite a bit of personal experience with MIM Fender and Tagima. I would take the Tagima over anything other than a US Fender.
I can’t find a single thing to say Fender has multiple colours of roasted maple neck dude. I think you’re confused with finishes of regular maple. Cheers for watching though.
Hey bro. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings explaining what I think about this guitar. It’s totally cool you like yours, especially after having it worked on by your very own personal luthier. We don’t all have to like the same thing. I don’t even think this is a bad guitar, I said it’s fine in the video, but I do think it’s low quality coming from *the* brand for strats. As players, we should be able to expect value for money and I don’t think this is it. If you do then that’s cool! I checked out your playing. Your shred licks are pretty good man, keep shredding 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars yoo too have a point , the QC I'm Fender has become non existent, but still - I wouldn't trade my player for Performer or Professional series 🙂🙂🙃
It's a fair point mate. The issue I have is I like to actually give the guitars I do videos on a fair shot so I have them a little while before making videos generally. I don't like the guys who'll review a guitar 30 seconds after opening it 'cause I think it's a bit disingenuous. I can fix it up though, maybe I'll mod it, maybe I'll sell it on at a fair price. Just the nature of the game I guess! Thanks for watching 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars I was refering to another one to look at.. the Fender Made in Japan JV Modified 50s Stratocaster. was a limited run from Japan and it is phenomenal .. priced between the player you bought and usa strat. just a thought. worth a look
Thanks for watching the video Erroll, I really appreciate it. Man, I'm sorry if I upset you by criticising something you like. That's totally cool that you disagree but I just think Fender should be doing better. It's not like they care about us more than they care about shifting units and the only way they'll start putting more effort in is if people voice their opinions and vote with their wallets. But if you like them that's awesome man, keep enjoying them 🤘
That continuous flow of words on top of an audio background is unbearable after a while. Why not talk normally like a human? What you say is interesting, you should talk to people.
I picked up the surf pearl Player a while back from Musicians Friend, and there wasn't anything wrong with it other than I had to adjust the intonation.
That’s awesome mate, I’m glad you’re happy with yours (great colour too)! Don’t get me wrong, all brands will have good and bad guitars. This one was fine apart from the QC I talked about, I just think the value isn’t there with Fender right now in some cases. Cheers for watching dude, I appreciate it 🤘
Not just Player. I had to return the Vintera 60 and then had to change tuners on the replacement.
That sucks! Sorry you ended up with a bad one too! Thanks for checking out the video 🤘
guitar got roasted more than the maple neck did, lol.
🤣 I guess it did haha Thanks for watching my dude 🤘
Hahaha--good one.
I just picked one up....very excited to get my first Strat....the guitar of legends.. .
Love it....changed the strings and went to school
Not disappointed in any way
That's good mate! I'm glad you're satisfied with it. Have a blast playing it and thanks for watching 🤘
I agree man, my friend got a new player series strat and there are just ridiculous build quality issues. The pots were not even screwed down properly, and some screws on the pickguard were just spinning in their holes meaning it felt like the pickguard could just fall off.
It's just crazy how they're managing to put this stuff out. Super disappointing! Thanks for watching mate, I appreciate it 🤘
I’ve owned a few strats (Fender and not) and the partscaster I have now blows them all away. Has an amazing bird’s eye maple neck and upgraded pickups and electronics. Sounds totally vintage and plays like a dream. And I’m only intro it for about $500. Couldn’t get a Fender as good for anything like that. These days you’re better off building your own strat than buying the real thing.
This is super true. If you don't want to buy from another brand then the quality you can get out of a partscaster now is unreal. Thanks for checking out the video too, I appreciate it! 🤘
If building is your thing, it is definitely worth doing this. Fender started getting overpriced in late 2010s I think. Same with Gibson.
I just picked up the black/anodized gold model last night, and EVERYTHING you have just said about this guitar is 100% spot on. This is not a $1200 (CAD) guitar. My $600 Omen 6 blows this thing out of the water in every department. I'm pretty sure I am returning it.
Duuuuude that absolutely sucks. I hope you get it returned alright and find something that you like more! Thanks for checking out the video man 🤘
I ordered a player series in 2019 and had to send it back because it had various defects. The second one I got is impeccable and I love how it feels and plays. Somehow you have the feeling that everything will be more expensive but not better, no, many things don't even stay good
I'm really happy you managed to get a good one in the end dude. Thanks for checking out the video! 🤘
To me, the player series is hit or miss.Never had a problem with any of my USA made Strats.
5K subs!!!!! YEAH BROTHER! C'MON PEOPLE! LETS SUPPORT OUR GUY! 💪
Thank you so much my dude! I'm humbled that we actually got here 🤘
Had a Player tele, sent it back immediately for more or less the reasons you articulate here. On the the other hand I have a Classic Vibe Tele, a Chinese one, that I've been delighted with.
Same here. I sent a Player HH Tele straight back. All sorts of issues with the fit and finish of the guitar but worst was the fretwork. Really bad. My vintera strat's great, no problems there, and i've enjoyed squiers for years with only some minor issues.
It's just not what we should expect from Fender, I'm sure. Thanks for watching dude! 🤘
Once the screws on the bridge are at the right height you can take them out and grind them down at the contact end using a scrap saddle as a holder, no more scratch on the hand.
Yeah man, oldest trick in the book isn’t it but you’re kind of screwed if you need to make any future adjustments. Also, I just don’t think we should be having to file stuff on a guitar to make it comfortable and Fender should just stop making trash parts but that’s just me 😂 Thanks for watching dude!
last april i bought my first ever strat (after all my years of playing) a fender player plus in olympic pearl...looks great.
plays cleans so nice, feels nice, but as soon as i got to use any gain or go for a gilmour lead sound, it just sounds awful...despite tweaking and doing eq stuff.
i hate the noisless pickups it comes with.
My 80 quid harley benton strat actually sounds more like a stat (can get that classic SRV bends out of it)....i have had the guitar up for sale on gumtree for a while now at 650 quid.
the guitar is in brand new condition and i paid just under 900 quid for it.
no one seems interested lol.
Saving up for my first standberg.
good vid bud
Thank you my dude, I'm glad you liked the video. Mate, I don't know what they're doing honestly 😂
Can you change the pickups?
@@drewwesley9506 sold it mate, it was a boat anchor too , wich is strange for a strat
The bent saddle are not there as a cost cutting mesure (block saddle in pot steel will be cheaper to produce). It is just that the bent saddle are an integral part of the Strat sound, and for once, it is not a guitar myth, people are able to tell the difference in most cases, that is why Fender when back to them even for higher end Strat (except the more modern series)... You may not like them but it is not the same thing as saying that they are bad and just a way for Fender to segment its market...
I'm sure you're right mate but if people are worrying about the tone from their saddles after running through how many hundreds of pounds worth of pedals then they need their heads screwing on imo 😂 Thanks for the info though and for checking out the video 🤘
i dunno man, could be a dud, i bought player series strat last year, no issues with build quality on mine. i did end up changing the pickups. There were nothing wrong with originals but i wanted to pimp it up for metal. tuners are just fine, they hold the tune for weeks without spanking the tremolo. I do not have experience with more expensive guitars, build quality is compareable to PRS SE i had before. for the price tag of 700€+ its fine for what it is imo
I’m glad you like yours dude and I guess you could be right but I don’t think this was a dud. Like I mentioned in the video, it’s got problems but it’s a fine guitar. It’s just lacking for the price, people just buy the brand name but the market is full of much better guitars for much cheaper. I played £300 Cort at a store the other day and it put this particular Strat to shame. Either way, thanks for listening to my opinion and sharing yours. I appreciate it! 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars i do agree, if brand name is not important for buyer, people are better off buying 300-400€ indonesian made guitars, ltd, cort, squier, etc. Brands allways slaps that brand tax on. This one was the cheapest fender branded guitar sold as new, so i had to buy it to see if that brand means anything. Im satisfied with that purchase but i do recognize i could have gotten same quality cheaper.
Yeah man and like, I do get it, it’s the same with cars, clothes, whatever and people should absolutely play what makes them feel good. I just think it’s time big brands started doing better and looking after their players a bit more. In a perfect world, right? 😂 Thanks again dude!
There is a Rule of Thumb to Always get the Best Guitar available, it means if there are 12 of Guitar you want on the wall, You Play all 12 or otherwise you are settling for whichever one was closest or you picked up first. Trust me, most Guitar's in this range are Average but among those are a few exceptional ones and possibly one or two duds. If you don't play them all, how do you know you truly got the Best Instrument
I do agree with you if you have the luxury of being able to try multiples of the guitar you want. Unfortunately, with more stores closing and guitar becoming less and less popular it's super hard to physically try the guitar you want before you buy it a lot of the time.
The other issue I have is why should we be the ones who have to do the QC checks in the store? Crazy idea but maybe Fender and other big companies should be reliable enough not to let sub par instruments leave their factories. We put up with too much of that as guitar players imo. Appreciate your thoughts and thanks for watching mate 🤘
Bought one of these recently and sent it back. I did intend to do the set up myself which I'm competent to do. A more thorough check of the neck revealed further problems which were a hump at the body joint, high frets above 12th fret, Fret ends rough as f**k, nut unevenly cut, E and A strings cut so low no room for adjustments and the other 4 strings way to high. The intonation was way out a small point but taking account of the other issues not worth touching. Although it was sold as a new guitar the serial number suggested August 2022 so a COVID era guitar, probably been sitting in a shipping container for months on end. A lot of the problems though it left the factory with. I'll mention that I bought it from GAK and that they were superb in picking up the instrument and refunding my account via PayPal.
I've been hearing this a lot about the covid era Fender stuff. I'm sorry you ended up with a dud too.A TH-camr I like a lot said recently in a video how stores were basically forced to buy all the Fender stock they'd made because they massively overestimated demand and, if they refused, then Fender would stop stocking them. That's pretty stinky to me and explains why loads of us keep getting garbage guitars. I'm glad you got it sorted man and thanks for checking out the video 🤘
My brother bought a player series telecaster. The tone knob had to be replaced it wasn't working properly. The nut had to be replaced the frets leveled neck had to be fitted in the pocket better because the top e was to close and would fall off of the fret edge while playing. It's nice now but it shouldn't have left the factory.
That’s the problem isn’t it, some work and they’ll be alright but we shouldn’t have to be doing that! Thanks for watching mate 🤘
Got one 2 years ago, maple. In winter fret ends are scratchy. Apart from that little mods in process like string tree, nut, locking tuners, maybe some hot rails in the bridge.
Thanks for watching man! Absolutely, a few mods and some work and these guitars are very good. I just think it kinda sucks to pay this price for something you need to work to that extent. That said, I like working on guitars so I guess it's swings and roundabouts! Cheers dude 🤘
You can buy shorter grub screws for those bent steel saddles so they won't poke out.
Having said that, block saddles ftw. SO much more comfortable on the palm.
Congrats on getting to 5k subs, dude. Love your channel :)
They really are so much better. If people like the bent steel ones, Highwood make some great super comfortable saddles. I'd highly recommend them. Thank you my dude, that means a ton! 🤘
the Jet Guitars JS-300/400 strats are just way better feeling and for 200 BUCKS AT THAT! The neck on the Jets are sooo much better than the fender player series ones ive tried
I've personally not had the best experiences with Jet so I wouldn't go for them but I know a lot of people really do like them which is awesome. They've got a lot going for them for sure. Thanks dude 🤘
I found some brand on Amazon last year called M Musi and I have to say I bought a few and they're really good guitars. Roasted maple necks (some with rosewood boards), SS frets, compound radius 9.5" - 12", mahogany body, locking tuners, decent pickups with Alnico magnets and a good bridge. I bought a Virgo Fusion and two Capricorn Classics for next to nothing and I really like them. They're all unavailable now and I'm not sure they're coming back in stock so I'm happy I got them. They went under the radar for a year and then more people noticed them.
I'd love that color in lefty. I want one like Malina Moye's with the reverse headstock and upside-down logo.
Thanks for watching bro! I haven't seen the one but I'll surely check it out 🤘
Congratulations on the 5k 🎉
I totally agree on these type of saddles, there is no need to have something so badly designed thst literally cuts your hand! Shame about the other QC issues, it looks like a grest guitar with that roasted neck and the upgraded pickups. I want to try a more expensive strat to see how it compares against my Silversky SE.
Thank you so much mate! Couldn't have gotten here without dudes like you, I appreciate it massively!
Yeah man, it could be something special but it just doesn't cut it in todays market. Only thing it cuts is my picking hand 😂 That SE you have is lovely, I'd like to know how it stacks up too. Thanks again mate 🤘
Congrats on the 5k, mate!
I've never gelled with a Strat before, despite the fact that I want to get a guitar that can do their position 2 and 4 sound (I might as well just add center coil on my RG for those sounds, when push comes to shove). Not sure why, I just can't find a reason to want to add a Fender in my arsenal.
I always end up looking for alternatives, and not too long ago, I stumbled upon a brand called Aguda Guitars. Their S-style and T-style looks kinda unique, they have the MusicMan Stingray style control plate on them, and there's one feature on them that is unique to their guitars, that I don't see other brand does. I'll mail you the pictures after this.
Thank you my dude, couldn't have done it without all the awesome people like yourself being here with me 🙇🏻♂️
Those guitars sounds sick man honestly. Thanks again bro 🤘
Maybe in general it's not a good time for you to get a Fender? I used to own a lot of different guitars. Some time ago i had an AmPro Tele and you know what? I was also not satisfied. It was well done in a beautiful Sonic Gray color, with a good sound, but no love:) Once i woke up with a first mind in my head that i want some Fender. I went to my local shop and i liked even Squiers. It's a pair of tool+expectations. If you are mostly metal player, you should expect, that Fender can do it somehow, but Ibanez/Jackson/E-II will do it perfectly. Vise versa, Fender will do perfect clean and crunch, while shredder-types will be slightly worse. Heel, radius, volume knob position, output... if you are ready to deal with it, go on, or do mods. Or just don't believe in brands, get Charvel, basically they are modified strats that can do metal and has modern construction. Cheers.
Nah, I don't think it's that. I've historically been a big strat fan (even though I tend to play far more heavy stuff). This one is just not a very good example of what Fender is capable of. Thanks for checking out the video dude 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars Make sense, probably just a unit:) From my last good Fenders it was a Mustang in VW produced in 2022 (more yellowish than 1st gen of 2019 or so). I used to spend an evening with a screwdriver to set it up after factory + to set a tremolo. As far as i remember from all Fenders that i had before, this one was the best. But pickups:) I decided to put it on sale, if no one will buy it quickly, i would swap them for DiMarzios or SDs. But i sold it in a couple of days:) TBH regretting. Build quality was very good, playability, inspiration to play, only pickups were so-so especially for heavy genres. Cheers! Wish you to find your good Fender:)
That's interesting man! And thank you, I hope I find it too 😁
I built a partscaster Tele using a Fender roasted maple neck with a rosewood fretboard and I think the neck is fantastic. It feels amazing and looks great. I do think it came in the mail looking a bit ashy though. I had to lightly oil the whole thing up to get it darkened and even looking. I can't complain about it now but I do agree that for a $450 neck it should look perfect from the get go.
Thanks for watching mate! I've had a couple of the roasted necks for builds too and those have been great, if not a bit ashy like you said. Insane prices though tbh. Also, this neck wasn't quite the same quality as the. genuine parts necks I had. Appreciate you watching dude, thanks again 🤘
Strats have its own character and I'll admit that nothing is quite like a Strat. But today it doesn't have the edge over the other brands that makes Strats for a cheaper price but with a better QC and offers a lot more of the budget. Tagima, PRS, Yamaha and even Schecter is in the game aswell
I 100% agree with you dude. Thanks for watching mate 🤘
The bridge volume knob could only be in a worse spot if it were between the bridge and middle pickups.
i love the feeling of strats but i 100% agree, first thing i do with mine is replace the pickguard with the ones that have the volume in the tom delonge spot
This is a great call dude!
Roasted wood might turn out darker or lighter in color in the process even if the pieces were treated equally, the physical properties should be the same in regards of its hardness, modulus of rupture, elasticity modulus, and weight.
Fender is a staple in the world of electric guitars and basses, and they have been used in many of the most famous rock, blues, metal recordings, can't go wrong with them. But, there are indeed so many options nowadays that offer so much better specs at the same price range or even cheaper.
Thanks for the interesting comment dude! You're right, Fender are a staple and that's why this is such a disappointment. You shouldn't have to worry about their instruments being sub-par in my opinion. Cheers dude! 🤘
Congratulations on the 5K!🎉
Dude thank you! Hope you’re well mate 🤘
Yo bro! I was wondering if you noticed a difference between how ebony and maple fretboards feel. Some people say that they don’t notice a difference and some others claim that ebony is almost a glass-like to your hands. Let me hear what you think and btw, AMAZING video and big congrats on your 5k subs! Peace bro!
Thanks so much my dude, that means a ton to me 🤘 So yeah man, I do feel a difference. Maple feels softer to me, ebony feels hard and slick. My personal preference for feel is definitely Ebony out of the two. Hope that helps bro and thanks again! 🤘
I bought the black special run with fat 50 pickups and it's an excellent guitar £8.99, The reason you're not happy is probably why they're sold at 200 pound cheaper. All brands have there ifi guitars,some worse than others,
Thanks for watching the video dude. Sure, if it was listed as b-stock and discounted then you'd be right but this wasn't that. If you think yours was worth the money man then that's totally cool and I'm glad you're happy with it! I just think we should expect better from companies like Fender. It's not like they aren't known for dropping the ball on QC as of late 🤘
👍 thanks
Wanted a Strat; went to the Guitarcenter and returned with a Squier CV - was the best deal and just feels great
I've got to be honest mate, I wish I'd got the classic vibe. Maybe I still will. I'm glad you're happy with yours and thanks for watching dude! 🤘
There's one in a second hand shop and it's 399 quid. It looks brand new. Im getting it tomorrow.
If it's in good shape and that price dude then that's a good deal! Thanks for watching mate 🤘
Fender's QC has sucked since the plandemic. I have a 2015 MIM Fender Stratocaster, all the frets are level, no sharp ends, no issues at all with the rest of the guitar. I set the action to my liking years ago when I bought it and that was it. Plus I personally like the ceramic pickups in my 2015 Strat. The only change I made was I decided last year to swap out the bent steel saddles with stainless steel block roller saddles with brass rollers and I installed a roller string tree. I also put Fender locking tuners on it. It stayed in tune without them but I like locking tuners. Anyway, I bought a Player Strat about three years ago and it was a POS. Witness lines on the top of the body where they glued the body pieces together, the frets were f'd up, the pickups sounded weak, etc...I returned it. My 2015 smoked it. Then I decided last year to pick up a Charvel San Dimas HH FR, it was made in 2022. The first one I received had several frets that weren't even crowned. I kid you not. That went back. I got a replacement and although it was a lot better I still needed to re-crown the last four frets. They had flat spots running the length of them and it was not from playing. They were shiny but no crown. It actually looked like an idiot from the factory went back after they were crowned and hit them with a flat file and left it like that. The guitar was new. I wound up getting 30% off on it. I talked to a few people and they told me the garbage fret work (no crown, sharp edges) is something that started during the scamdemic. My advice is to avoid the post 2020 MIM Fenders for now. It doesn't help the prices suck now too. I have a few Squiers as well, they had no issues out of the box.
Definitely seems that way dude. My 2015 MIM Strat was fantastic too, I wish I’d never sold it tbh. Thanks for your thoughts mate 🤘
People can get Chinese EART strats for $210 on sale that are made even better than that and with supposed Stainless Steel frets to boot. Harley Benton's Fusion series might be better too, Blacksmith brand SS frets for less than $400.
Did you look at the guitar bedore buying it?
Buy the PRS Silver Sky SE. Better build quality and consistency in same price class. just replace the ugly gray tuners with PRS vintage locking. Much better S Style guitar. sorry, Fender. You've lost your edge
I think you're probably right my dude! Thank you for checking out the video man, I appreciate it 🤘
Congratulations, dude, you hit 5 thousand subscribers !!! I'm so proud 👏. I'm kinda shocked to see you with a Fender guitar ! I've got a Fender acoustasonic and happen to really love it. It's a made in mexico model and I drop tune it because otherwise I find I have to push down too hard. Anyway curious to see how this guitar sounds :). Once again I'm so happy for you Jack!! Take care !! 😊
Speaking of Stratocaster and Telecaster . I would recommend people to pick up an Ibanez AZ any day over a Fender guitar. Or a Charvel ? I really love Ibanez so much. I do own some Ibanez Quest who sound better than any Fender I've played 😅
Although after hearing you play the Fender it does sound really nice !! It's got a fair bit of chunky aggressive tone. Or maybe that's your effects and neural dsp!?
You swore a lot in this one 😂. I feel bad for Fender 😢. Thank you for being so honest man. I will not go near any Fender guitars in the future.
Thank you bro, that means a lot to me! The demo track is recorded how I'd record this guitar for like a release or something. I feel like that's how the guitar would sound on a record so it should sound like that here too if that makes sense? The ultimate goal is for it to make music. Yeah, I swore a bit too much I think, I'm sure people wish they could put bleeps on me in real life 😂
😆 I um just rewatched the video and your joke about warhammer got me . Girls can be so cruel 😂!
I honestly feel lucky because anime and video games used to be so nerdy 🤓. That's alright I like being a bit nerdy. ( they were when I was in highschool) but for some reason, anime and video games are cool now !? Not that I really give a shxx whether people like what I like.
@@JackTaylorGuitars
I thought the Fender sounded pretty kick ass . But the fact that you hated it that much tells me it's not that great.
As someone who’s gonna get one as their first electric guitar I’m fine with the issues as I’m already saving for a mod shop once I get a little better
As a first guitar, you'll love it I'm sure but I wouldn't personally waste the money when you can get something damn close to this for less than half the price. Then you've got more put away for a mod shop when you come to buy it! If you're dead set on a fender then look second hand for these. If you're happy to try something else the Squier Classic Vibes are great, Harley Bentons are also amazing for the price. Congrats on deciding to pick up a guitar, that's super cool! I hope you enjoy it 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars yeah,as a leftie it was a little hard to come by but I found one for a good price second hand
That's awesome mate! Good find and enjoy playing!
I love my player strat. Sounds and feels amazing. If you get a crappy guitar these days it's your own fault. There are so many quality instruments at an affordable price. Should probably try a guitar out before you buy it.
I’m glad you found a good one dude! I don’t agree that it’s the individual player’s fault if they received something sub standard though. We as the consumer should be able to trust a manufacturer like fender to make a product that matches their reputation every time and not give them the benefit of the doubt or have to stick up for our instruments when someone else doesn’t like them. Appreciate you watching mate 🤘
So about four months ago I decided that I would break my tradition of getting decent Korean, Chinese, and Indonesian guitars and buy a quality American guitar. Had my heart set on a T-style and played the full Fender offerings including both the Player and Player Plus. I wasn't impressed by either of those or the Pro ll. I ended up buying a Godin Stadium Pro which I absolutely love, This Canadian axe has better pups and an amazing neck
Yeah they're really not doing great work atm tbh. Never tried a Godin electric but I've heard so many good things. Thanks for watching dude 🤘
Great critical review, thanks. Some of the Players are on sale at GC this month and I'm going to try them in store to see what's going on. Build quality and feel are important. Feel is very subjective. I know what you mean, I'll try several of the same model and one might do it for me while the others did not. Ordering one can be hit and miss. IMO the roasted maple neck on yours, especially the fretboard visually didn't appeal to me, looked kind of weird.
Thanks so much dude, I hope it helped! Yeah, definitely. Always best to try first and I hope you find one you like. Cheers mate, have a good one 🤘
Congrats on the 5k bro \m/
Thanks so much mate! 🤘
I remember getting the Nick Johnston s-style from Schecter and that was the straw that broke Fender's back for me. There are just too many better guitars to waste money on most Fenders these days. If you want the name, fair enough, but you're really not getting much more than that from a Fender, especially under about $1500.
I 100% agree my dude. Thanks for checking out the video 🤘
My 2018 player beats me up every time I play it. It's a battle for an experienced player to get a good setup on it. But it's the strat sound that sucks me back in like a riptide and once again I'm tossed around in the whitewash and wondering which way is up. I even bought a roasted maple neck because sineone told me the original neck was twisted I'm going to give Fender one more chance with the AM pro 2 hss then I'll quit trying. I've had 100 dollar copies that didn't piss me off this much. Might be because I'm not a beginner anymore but I guess we'll find out
100% man, I keep falling down the same hole. I love strats, I love Fenders, but I feel like they just aren't pulling their weight considering how good the competition is. I'd love for you to really like the AM pro 2 when you give it a go man but I guess we'll see. Thanks for watching dude, I appreciate it 🤘
Congrats on 5k 🎉
Thank you!!! 😁
Is it plausible there's tons of hastily built stock leftover from Covid?
Yeah man, I think that could be entirely possible. I guess I could rest a bit easier if that was the case but it’s still kinda crappy of them banging this stuff out! Cheers for checking out the video bro, I appreciate it 🤘
Fender is tied up by private equity investors so they really don't give a damn about QC issues or the fact that fairly recently Fender laid off some of its workforce once a company gets taken over by Private Equity there is less accountability with the brand/name.
Yeah dude 100%. Thanks for watching man 🤘
Hi Jack . Sorry about your dilemma with your PS strat. In I982 I bought a USA model from Dawson's Music for 400 Quid brand new, but it didn't Inspire me much. It had the bent steel grub screw saddles that I had to paint on my girlfriends nail polish 💅 to stop them vibrating,like a thread lock.Eventually I had to grind the grub screws down as they cut into my hand.The neck was well twisted from the factory and caused buzzing on the high strings. At that time as a classical player I thought everything was hunky dory and that's what Rock and Roll guitars were all about. I thought that I was the King of Rock and Roll, when people used to see the case and ask me ? Is that a Strat you have. I made some modifications to It and few years later I sold it for peanuts 🥜. The best thing I ever did it was like a cross I was carrying around. To cut a long story short, I set my Sonic soul free and have never strayed from the path of right teous tone since . Hope you find your Sonic destination. Best regards 😸. John. 8:16 8:16
Thanks so much for checking the video out and the kind words dude. I'm glad you found where you needed to be dude. All the best man! ✌️
Couldn't agree more about Fender phoning it in because they know people will buy for the name. How I ended up with my PRS SE Silver Sky instead, I've never played a Fender Strat I've liked.
The Silver Sky is definitely seeming like a more appealing option now tbh. Thanks for watching mate, I appreciate it 🤘
Few months ago I got a player series Jaguar. It was terrible. Buzzed like crazy and the neck was uneven and uncomfortable. Fender is a joke at this point
That sucks man! It's so hit and miss it seems. My best mates Jag is awesome but it's a few years old now. Might have been a pre covid model before they starting bashing them together fast 😂 Thanks for watching dude! 🤘
Man that sucks. I got one when they were first released and it was flawless.
If you're considering a strat check out the Schecter Nick Johnston, it's way better in every way with amazing specs.
100%. It's leagues ahead of this thing. Thanks for watching mate! 🤘
I bet a Squier Classic Vibe strat from 5-10 years ago puts that strat to shame.
No doubt. I had a classic vibe about 10 years ago and it was so much better than this 😂 Thanks for watching dude!
Fender QC went massively downhill from the time of covid onwards.
Ive spoken to a guy who worked at Ensenada at the time, and just after, and he said they were put under massive pressure by management to...
"Get stuff out the door".
Ive played loads...and 90% have been not great...especially fret jobs.
Get a Harley Benton instead.
A quarter of the price...and better QC.
This is pretty damning stuff dude to be honest and I fully believe it! Thanks mate 🤘
Only issue with Harley Benton is if you buy it from Thomann and you live in the US and you have to return it, have fun. I went through that BS about 8 years ago, never again. So I said f*ck Harley Benton. If you're going to buy one buy it from their Reverb store which supposedly pulls stock from a US warehouse. Yes, the fretwork on post plandemic Fenders suck.
Maybe try Player 2 series with rosewood?As it gives you a darker tone.
I do want to give one a go mate! Thanks for watching, I appreciate it 🤘
Maybe the Player II models are better and that you might do a review on one to note the differences.
I’d definitely consider it dude! It’s on the list but, right now, there’s only one Fender that I really want to spend money on. Thanks for watching mate 🤘
The first 5k of many more
About the strat, well, always need a single coil guitar, and I'm with you about the finished.
I got mine in FB marketplace, and it's pretty well for the price
Thank you so much my dude! I think you did right, I'd have been happier if I got this 2nd hand but you live and learn. I'm glad yours is good though! 🤘
I love Fender and Strats in particular (I own 4) but this Player series is an absolute miss. Couldn't agree more with everything you mentioned, for a very simple reason: the player series should be the most versatile ever. Vintage saddles are for vintage models, same for fat 50's for fox's sake ... crappy machine heads, barely acceptable frets (stainless steel jumbo? anyone???) ... what are they doing?!
Me too man, I'm a big strat fan but this is just not it! Thank you mate, I appreciate you checking out the video 🤘
I agree its bad they don't come properly set up, of course i do. But these guitars are really popular, so are the fat 50s pickups. The playability of the neck is really good and bent saddles are found in numerous models of fender strats. If the guitar doesn't inspire you it may just not to your taste, rather than it actually being 'bad' This is my dream guitar once the saddles have been swapped out. Going to purchase soon
I'm aware dude, I've played a lot of strats in my lifetime. Of course, this is all personal opinion but my biggest issue is that this guitar is not worth the price aside from the garbage spray job. You're buying the brand name, not a guitar that warrants this price tag. If you're into it though, don't let me stop you. My advice though would to be to read the comments on this video and make up your mind from there. In any case, you're not wrong for liking and wanting the guitar, all I can do is share my experience with this based on my experience with guitars of all price points. Cheers dude 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars That’s fair enough, i’m
not big into Fender and wouldn’t buy for the name. this guitar just happens to have every single spec i want including colour and right down to neck radius and obviously pups. its not easy to find without spending a lot and im quite particular about little things. but Fender really need to have better quality control and its a shame they charge what they do. i hear you
Ah I see dude, I guess you are limited for options then. There's a lot to be said about getting a guitar that matches exactly what you want so by all means grab one. Hopefully you get a good one, I'm sure there's more good than bad, but if you're prepared to do a little work to make it even more tailored to you then even better. Thanks again man and best of luck with the Strat! 🤘
Congrats on 5k! So you're going to keep the guitar?
Thanks so much mate! I don't think I am no...😂
Not knocking Fender, but asside from the perfect design of a strat, I have never been amazed with the performance of one. So many great options for a super strat, G & L, or PRS strat out there, why would buy one?
It’s a very good point mate. For me, I want to love Fender but the Strat is not the best option for an s-type right now, which is kind of a shame I suppose. Thanks for watching mate! 🤘
The Player Plus seems to address these shortcomings and adds a lot more features. Of course, its over 1K new.
It does from a specs perspective, absolutely. The problem is the price tag for me. There are so many other guitars I'd get before the player plus but that is just my take. Appreciate you watching mate, thank you 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars Thanks for the reply - what suggestions do you have? I am looking for an HSS - but with those Player Plus type specs. I do like the Fender neck shape.
My immediate suggestion for an alternative would be the Nick Johnston Schecter, it's about the same price and is a far better guitar but there are s-types from Cort and Harley Benton that would save you a decent chunk of money and play better. Hope that helps mate!
You can send the guitar to me, in Brazil. I'd love it.
We'd all love a free guitar bro! Thanks for checking out the video 🤘
I disagree that any of this is unique to Player Strats. QC can be an issue with many guitars and that’s the reason you play a guitar before you buy it. The majority of forums / communities / reviews / guitar players on the internet have great opinions of player strats, these MIM’s are better than the MIM’s of 20 years ago, are good value for money, and generally play well. Most issues are easily sorted with a setup and they play and feel great.
Thanks for watching and weighing in mate! I totally agree, you can get QC issues with any brand. I also wish it was possible to try every guitar you could want before you buy it but with availability in local stores and how online shopping is affecting guitar buying habits it’s just not possible but that’s another conversation.
My biggest issue with this guitar is that it’s Fender, *the* strat company. They shouldn’t be given free reign to pump out a huge amount of guitars with low QC because of the pandemic and not be held to a higher standard. Value you for money I have to politely disagree, Fender strats are acceptable but the value for money comes from other brands making s-types with much better features for the same price or less.
I get where you’re coming from though and totally accept your opinion, I’m just of a different mindset that Fender need to do better and I liked Fender, I was a fan but I can’t help but feel they’re no longer a guitar maker and are moving more into a money making lifestyle brand. That doesn’t sit right with me personally.
I appreciate you taking your time to watch and share your thoughts though mate. There needs to be more healthy discussion about this sort of stuff!
Just bought a Squier CV 60s and it was awful. Took it to a luthier and changed pickups, sanded frets, truss rod was way off and had to buy a tusq nut because it was unsalvageable.
That's super rough dude. How's it playing now? Thanks for watching too dude 🤘
what brands do you recommend in the same price range if the fender isn't worth it?
Thanks for watching mate! My immediate suggestion would be the Schecter Nick Johnston Traditional, just a much better guitar. From there, if you went second hand you can get an Ibanez AZ for around the same price but far better. They’d be my first two suggestions if you’re shopping in that price range. Hope that helps! 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars thanks for your recommendations man really appreciate it! Where I am schecter is like 200 euro more expensive. The player series is selling for around 700 euros here. What would you recommend if one would go the cheaper route 300-600 eur?
No problem mate! At a cheaper price point, I'd say the Sire Larry Carltons are great, the Cort G models like the G300 or similar play incredibly well, or if you can get Harley Benton where you are from Thomann then they're awesome too. Also ESP LTD SN models are awesome. Cheers dude!
@@JackTaylorGuitars thanks for taking the time my man!
Anytime! Happy to be of some use 😂
Totaly agree, and thanks for the heads up on the gg custom strat. I take it thats the guitarguitar custom strat? Thats disgusting poor quality for that price.
I had an Epihone les paul. Was realy disapointed with it and returned it. Had some frets higher than others, rough fret ends and I wasn't prepared to start dressing frets on a brand new guitar. Biggest bug bare of a lot of guitars you have to order nowadays.
At the least a guitar should come with good frets that are all level and trus rod should be set so no buzzing.
Thanks for watching man! Yeah it was one of the limited guitarguitar models. I'm with you dude, I know it's not a 'premium' guitar or whatever but it isn't inexpensive and should really be much better at that price point. Appreciate you checking the video out dude 🤘
I recently purchased one in Fiesta Fed from a Musician’s “Friend”ly online retailer. Everything was quite nice as it should be, save the pickups. They were NOT fat 50’s, but rather regular player almico 5 pups. Plastic bobbins, regular wire, non staggered pole pieces, no Custom Shop stickers on pups and so on. Huge, huge, huge quality issue from Fender and a huge disappointment to me. Everything else was excellent about the guitar. MF paid return shipping and were very kind and apologetic, so kudos to MF, but Fender? Probs ran out of Fat 50’s and figured nobody would notice.
Yeah dude, fair play to Musician's Friend but that's not cool from Fender at all. Thanks for watching dude, I appreciate it! 🤘
Yeah I think you're posting this for attention. I bought a player strapped in March of 2024 and it is a limited plus top made in Ensenada and it is the best guitar I've ever played or owned. I also just received my mod shop fender Strat which is built to perfection.
-Cheers
Hey Lukas. Thanks for watching mate, I appreciate it. I'm sorry if I upset you by being critical of something you like. It's totally fine for you to like something that I don't and we all have different tastes and expectations when it comes to the guitars we play. I personally thought this guitar was fine, like I said in the video. It was ok but it had problems like I explained and it's not the quality I'd expect from Fender, especially at this price point. If yours is good then I'm happy for you man, keep playing it and enjoy it! 🤘
🎸@@JackTaylorGuitars
You should check out the new player ii series
It's definitely a consideration dude! Would be nice to see how it checks out. Thanks for watching mate 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars Definitely some good changes! I wish they would make the pickups better though! That's an easy upgrade though. No problem, I loved the video!
I’ll add it to the list mate, thanks for the suggestion! And cheers man, I’m glad you enjoyed it 🤘
No one ever says gee, I wish I hadn't gotten this Squier CV strat.
You’re right mate. The classic vibes are awesome! Thanks for watching 🤘
You lost me at Boomers. Please explain what you're dribbling on about? Boomers are like 60 plus years old now mate and very likely own a lot of guitars you could never afford on a millennials wage. Do you really think Fender have made the player series for 60 to 80 year Olds? I myself am GenX buddy. I've owned a Player series Strat for years and it's fantastic. Play more instead of buy more. You'll never sound like Rabea no matter how much gear you buy.
This is the most boomer thing I’ve ever read 😂 Thanks for watching mate, I appreciate it 🤘
What? You paid 800 bucks and you didn´t even get a real bone nut and stainless steel frets ?!! You got robbed, call the police.
😂 I know, I know. Maybe I'm being a little harsh when it comes to specs. I just think the industry has moved forward and we as consumers should expect better for our money now, you know what I mean? Thanks for watching mate, I appreciate it 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars Hey, its no problem. What matters is that YOU love that guitar and will keep playing it for many years. Enjoy it !
Thanks dude! I’ll pass the message on to the shop that bought it from me 😂
@@JackTaylorGuitarsinflation
Will any strat block saddles fit these player strats?
They won't dude, no. The American saddles have a different string spacing so they're slightly wider. If you're looking for some, get Highwood saddles. They're super comfortable and still bent steel, they're just much better! Thanks for checking out the video mate 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars ok thanks. I think I've found some block ones that fit Mexico strats, Wilkinson ones. Hopefully they'll fit. Want to try a different option than the bent ones. I got a limited edition inca silver player and agree the finish was a bit sloppy but it plays well otherwise.
Yeah, wilkinson ones are good. Or there are some graph tech ones that fit too. Nice man, I hope you enjoy it! 🤘
Glad I watched this because I've been looking at these, I mean switching tuner's or pickup's is a choice but having to correct factory flaw's?? I'm over that S**T.. I know I'm not Paying a Grand and having to work on one from the factory at that price anymore .Mehh!!! I'll just stay with my LP's and to think I was thinking about coming back to the other side...🤣🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for checking the video out mate 🤘 Yeah man, me too. It's not good enough really.
Absolutely not worth it at all and the Player tele even worse. So many better guitars for the cash
Yeah dude, I'm afraid you seem to be spot on with that! Thanks for watching man 🤘
"It Sucked ALL the Inspiration out of me like a Vampire that feeds on Joy." Why don't you tell us what you really think? Sounds like a "winner"... Not.
😂 Sometimes you’ve just gotta say what you think I guess! Thanks for watching mate I appreciate it 🤘
Jack why does that strat body look smaller? I like it
I dunno mate, I don't think I've gotten bigger (hopefully) 😂 It's definitely full size but maybe it's the wide lens I use to film. Thanks for watching mate!
It’s because it’s shot with a wide angle lens at close distance from an elevated angle. The perspective is giving him a big head and small guitar. It’s like when people take pictures of puppies with wide angles right above their head making it look huge compared to the rest of the body. You can see this effect go in and out with the different perspective cuts from 5:30 on. Notice how when the guitar head is close to the camera it dwarfs the guitar body. Perspective.
Actually, none of the big makers can sell me anything. I've discovered tools, videos and the joys of maintaining, modding and upgrading, I do the work, I save money and I REALLY own the guitar!
So are you building partscasters dude or just buying second hand? I'm with you, if you can do the work it's a good skill to have. Thanks for watching!
@@JackTaylorGuitarsI started modifying pawn shop prizes some years ago, and then got into modding cheap new guitars. My most recent cheap acquisitions have needed VERY little. I did acquire skills as well as tools over time, along with the gear. These have helped make most of my guitars play and sound much better than their age and cost of acquisition would suggest. The main reason, though, why the big guys can't sell me anything is because I have all I can store. I have like 15 instruments in toto, including 10 six string guitars, 2 bass guitars, 2 MIDI keyboard controllers, and 1 MIDI drum controller. All this for a non-gigging musician. After this, I have to sell something to make room for anything else!
Ah I see! I think you're going about it the right way tbh mate. I like new gear, sure, but I like working on my own stuff too. I totally get it! Thanks again 🤘
He’s complaining about a $799 guitar
Lol
Alright Mr Moneybags 😂
Like everything, it's an opinion. Apart from mine requiring the usual setup from the shop, mine is great for the price.
To a certain extent, definitely. There's a lot of opinion in this video but I would say the facts of poor quality control being evident can't really be ignored. I'm stoked you got a good one though man, thank you for checking out the video 🤘
Put the boot in, my boy. Good to see some critical reviews on TH-cam. Good work. ❤
Thank you mate, I’m really glad you enjoyed the video! It doesn’t make me feel good to be negative but I’ve gotta be honest 😂 Thanks again 🤘
Is it worth 550 US? Face book market place got me tempted
Thanks for watching dude! So that's about £420 which I don't think is a terrible deal, leaves a little spending money to put a few upgrades on and make it much better. I'd still try and find a Schecter Nick Johnston instead but that's just me. Good luck dude 🤘
Save yourself half the sticker and grab a Squier CV. Every time I've picked a Player series up at the store it's outclassed by the CV hanging a few pegs down.
I 100% believe you dude. I should have got a classic vibe. Thanks for watching man! 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars Just found your channel. Love your take and appreciate your candor!!
That means a lot to me dude, thank you! Happy to have you around! 👊
i was looking at getting a fender player i played one and i was like ok it seemed lifless so i played a squier sonic $200 new and it sounded way better than the player.i could not believe a squier sounded that much better so i ask the salesman i said im i crazy i like the squier way way more than the fender player.he said your not crazy squier has really stepped up there game rivaling the big ones its nuts whats fender doing?do you and me a favor and check on youtube the squier classic vibes and squier sonics and the squier 40th anniversary and you will be suprised you will freak and let me know what you found out yourself i cant waite to hear how it went.the days of cheap junk budget guitars are long gone you will see.
Thanks for watching the video mate! Cool info man, cheers! I've actually been thinking about trying out a recent Classic Vibe. I had one years ago that I got for pennies used and it was awesome. Might be time to revisit! Thanks again 🤘
You're reviewing the wrong guitar. It looks like you should be playing surf music or Hank Marvin tunes. I'm sure you'd forgive it's faults if it had a different vibe. Having said that it sounded good with your heavy riffs.
I dunno if I would you know, dude. Granted, it's not the right guitar for what I usually play but it still is just sub par. I played a £300 Cort in a store yesterday and it put this to shame 😂 I do wish I liked it though. Thanks for watching man, I appreciate it 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars Fender can take the piss with their pricing because they have the name. Having watched reviews of strats I've become convinced that you'd have to spend £2k+ to get a really decent guitar.
They will never make a good mid level guitar. They know people wouldn’t buy the American ones then
I'm scared you're probably right on that dude! Thanks for watching mate 🤘
I had a standard player strat sold it and bought a Jet js300 Guitar plays better than the player strat and a 3rd of the price.
I'm glad you found something you're into dude and saved a decent chunk of change too! Thanks for watching mate 🤘
It’s a somewhat upsetting and laughable that my guitar prep on the stuff I create seems to be much better than fender…and I’m an amateur 😂
Keep trying strats, but they’re just not for me
It really is dude! They should be doing better than this. I'm definitely a strat enjoyer but to be honest dude, I'm with you, I think I'm done with them now. Thanks mate, hope you're well! 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars I’m good, trying to find a house for rent atm so it’s all go 😂 hood you and yours are well 👊🏻
I recently had pup, wiring change, Gilmour mod, treble bleed…sounded fantastic, but just not me.
Strangely enough the 1980’s Indian encore strat is one I really enjoy playing, but it’s in the middle of restoration atm
Oh man, I don't envy you! That's always a hectic time. We're good thank you dude! Hope all goes as smoothly as it can looking for a new place 🤘
That colour doesn't look right with the roasted maple...my opinion.
That's totally fair dude! Thanks for watching, I appreciate it 🤘
We have to be careful not to take one poor guitar with issues and extrapolate that across tbe whole range. Theres great Player Series Strats out there.
You’re completely right dude. That’s why I tried my best to levy my criticisms at the product and not specifically the problems it has. What the guitar feels like won’t vary much instrument to instrument given the nature of production. I don’t even think this is a poor guitar, I definitely didn’t say that in the video. It’s just not what I’d expect for the money or from the brand. Cheers for watching dude, I appreciate your thoughts 🤘
Great content, sub'd!
Thanks so much mate, I really appreciate that!
If you aren't buying a USA Fender get a Tagima or a Jet.
Yet to try a Tagima but heard great stuff. Not a big fan of Jet from personal experience but a lot of people seem to like them so that's cool. Thanks for watching mate! 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars I hav no personal experience with Jet either. I was just going off of what others have said. But I do have quite a bit of personal experience with MIM Fender and Tagima. I would take the Tagima over anything other than a US Fender.
That’s interesting to know mate, thank you!
Fender has two colour of the maple neck what you have there is what Fenders calls a Caramel... just saying
I can’t find a single thing to say Fender has multiple colours of roasted maple neck dude. I think you’re confused with finishes of regular maple. Cheers for watching though.
Problem is you, learn to play. My Player Strat kills it , I do hqve a pesronal luthier who adjusted it to my specs though
Hey bro. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings explaining what I think about this guitar. It’s totally cool you like yours, especially after having it worked on by your very own personal luthier. We don’t all have to like the same thing.
I don’t even think this is a bad guitar, I said it’s fine in the video, but I do think it’s low quality coming from *the* brand for strats. As players, we should be able to expect value for money and I don’t think this is it. If you do then that’s cool!
I checked out your playing. Your shred licks are pretty good man, keep shredding 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars yoo too have a point , the QC I'm Fender has become non existent, but still - I wouldn't trade my player for Performer or Professional series 🙂🙂🙃
Take it back to the shop if it's that crap _ why keep it
It's a fair point mate. The issue I have is I like to actually give the guitars I do videos on a fair shot so I have them a little while before making videos generally. I don't like the guys who'll review a guitar 30 seconds after opening it 'cause I think it's a bit disingenuous. I can fix it up though, maybe I'll mod it, maybe I'll sell it on at a fair price. Just the nature of the game I guess! Thanks for watching 🤘
The Mexican Fenders are very inconsistent. Horrible action, fret sprout, intonation, tuning stability. They should be ashamed.
Yeah dude, it’s such a shame that we can’t count on them to make a solid guitar consistently. Cheers for watching mate 🤘
JV Modified 50s Strat
I don’t know what this is referring to but thanks for watching mate 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars I was refering to another one to look at.. the Fender Made in Japan JV Modified 50s Stratocaster. was a limited run from Japan and it is phenomenal .. priced between the player you bought and usa strat. just a thought. worth a look
Ah ok! Thanks mate, I appreciate it. I’ve never played a Japanese built Fender but I would definitely like to. I’ll keep an eye out, cheers!
Stop crying about the player series and he probably crying a out it bc he can't play
Thanks for watching the video Erroll, I really appreciate it. Man, I'm sorry if I upset you by criticising something you like. That's totally cool that you disagree but I just think Fender should be doing better. It's not like they care about us more than they care about shifting units and the only way they'll start putting more effort in is if people voice their opinions and vote with their wallets. But if you like them that's awesome man, keep enjoying them 🤘
That continuous flow of words on top of an audio background is unbearable after a while. Why not talk normally like a human? What you say is interesting, you should talk to people.
Thanks for watching mate, I appreciate the feedback! I can’t change who I am though dude so I’m sorry I won’t see you on any other videos 🤘
Fender has the worst quality control in the business right now. It’s a mill. They don’t check anything. Nothing. They ship totally broken guitars.
Definitely seems like that could be the case! Cheers bro 🤘
Yeah man I bought my fender player jag and it came with a hairline crack just on top of the baseplate 😭
I recieved mine last week fender player plus,but it's totally perfect,no dents
I’ve owned a ton of Fenders I’ve never had an QC issues. But Gibson on the other hand….
@@mrmgma Hilarious. I could pick up just about any Fender in any store and find something wrong with it.
I picked up the surf pearl Player a while back from Musicians Friend, and there wasn't anything wrong with it other than I had to adjust the intonation.
That’s awesome mate, I’m glad you’re happy with yours (great colour too)! Don’t get me wrong, all brands will have good and bad guitars. This one was fine apart from the QC I talked about, I just think the value isn’t there with Fender right now in some cases. Cheers for watching dude, I appreciate it 🤘
@@JackTaylorGuitars , for sure! 🤘