Fender Player II Stratocaster review

The Player II Stratocaster is the step up for a beginner who is sure they will keep playing, and the only Fender-branded guitar on this list. Fender lists three Player Series alnico 5 single coils on a 5-position blade switch, with separate tone controls for the neck and middle pickups and for the bridge. The Modern C maple neck has a satin finish on the back, a 9.5 inch radius and 22 medium jumbo frets, which are easier to fret cleanly than the narrow tall frets on the Classic Vibe. Body options include alder, chambered ash and chambered mahogany, and the 2-point synchronized tremolo uses bent steel saddles. Fender's specs list a synthetic bone nut. It is the strongest guitar here on paper, but as a Fender rather than a Squier it should be expected to cost more, and Fender's store showed local currency from our location, so we left the US price pending and scored value conservatively. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not test it.

Who it is for

Committed beginners and returning players who want a Fender-branded Strat they will not need to upgrade.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Three Player Series alnico 5 Strat single coils
• Modern C maple neck with satin back, 9.5 inch radius, 22 medium jumbo frets
• Alder, chambered ash or chambered mahogany body options
• 2-point synchronized tremolo with bent steel saddles
• Fender USA 250L strings installed

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Fender's own pickups and hardware
• Strength: Medium jumbo frets and a satin neck back
• Strength: Wide choice of finishes and body woods
• Weakness: Fender-branded, so expect it to cost more than the Squier models
• Weakness: Three single coils only, no humbucker on this model
• Weakness: US price not verifiable from our location

Key facts

• Pickups: Three Player Series alnico 5 single coils (SSS)
• Body: Alder, chambered ash or chambered mahogany
• Neck: Modern C maple, 22 medium jumbo frets
• Radius: 9.5 inches (241 mm)
• Bridge: 2-point synchronized tremolo, bent steel saddles

Where it ranks

Fender Player II Stratocaster is No. 5 in our Best Beginner Electric Guitars verdict.