FENDERS FOR UNDER £1000!

SO MUCH MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

Fender has unveiled the latest addition to its sub-£1000 line-up, this time expanding on the success of the Player series with the Player Plus - running above the Player series as a more ‘contemporary’ take on the classic Strat and Tele designs, and borrowing a few features from its Us-made models in the process. The Player Plus series offers two Stratocasters and two Telecasters, and while at a glance these may look like more of Fender’s famous pairings, there’s a bit more going on than first meets the eye. And meet the eye they certainly do, because the first thing you’ve probably noticed are those finishes (more about that shortly).

Starting with the configurations, both models are available in their traditional format: that’s a triple-single coil-loaded Stratocaster (£939), or a dual-single coil Tele (£939). But further to this are the Stratocaster HSS (£979), adding a high output humbucker in the bridge position, and the Nashville Telecaster (£979), which plonks a Strat single coil in the middle position for even more options. But the most important pickup change on all four guitars is that the single coils are all Player Plus Noiseless models. Great news if you’re after classic single coil sounds, minus the inevitable hum.

There are switching options on all models too via a push/pull on the tone pot. In the case of the Stratocaster and Nashville Telecaster that means you can engage the neck pickup alongside the bridge unit, split the HSS’S humbucker, and achieve Series wiring on the Telecaster for massive output power.

But the features don’t stop there. Fender has also tweaked the fingerboards (available in maple or Pau Ferro depending on the guitar’s finish), which are offered with a wider, flatter 12” radius (rather than 9”) and it’s rolled the ’board’s edges for greater comfort while playing.

Meanwhile there are some hardware swaps, too. The two-point tremolo remains on both Strats, but all Player Plus models come with block-steel saddles in place of the standard Player’s bent steel versions, plus Fender has added locking tuners for extra stability and faster string change speed.

For those who’d like the modernised features sans the jazzy paint jobs, fear not. While both Stratocasters and the Tele model are available in ‘gradient burst’ finishes, (Tequila Sunrise and Belair Blue, respectively), there’s also a range of less loud options including sparkle, pearl and traditional bursts available. The Fender Player Plus Series is shipping now.