Do you agree with this review on Player Series Strats?

[Jerry D]

A guy on Sweetwater (a purchaser) said the following about a Player series Strat he bought:

American Standard in Disguise
This plays and looks just like my '12 USA Strat.
The body, bridge, pots, selector switch, wiring, isolation... all are identical. (Italics are mine).
The pickups on these are like my Fat 50s but with more bite and treble.
I'm starting to think Fender is re-badging their unsold, more expensive
guitars as cheaper Mexican Made.

I've long been of the opinion that it's stupid to purchase a MIM Fender and then spend money upgrading the electronics. Might as well just bite the bullet and buy an American Strat or Tele and save the expense and trouble.

What say you? (About the reviewer's statements - not about my opinions about the upgrade economics).

[DenverSteve]

No. I don't believe that Fender is re-branding anything. The MIM instruments have been steadily improving for at least 20 years. Their quality is excellent. They are cheaper because of labor not quality.

I do agree that there is no reason to "upgrade" a MIM instrument. The best sounding Fender I owned was a MIM Tele that squawked like a duck and played like a dream.

[fazool]

Ive been gas-ing for a HSS with FRT recently and convinced myself they are a much better deal that the USA models.

[Jaden]

The USA Professional Series Teles and Strats I’ve seen lately have been top notch; I don’t see upper tier Made in Mexico as much, but if I do, they’re vintage reissue type (different product) and I think the Mexican Classic Series is a better value than the American Original, on the other hand.

Do I think Fender may be rebranding guitars? I think some USA stock doesn’t sell due to price, so there may be some truth to the reviewers statement.

[M Hayden]

MIM Fenders are (for the most part) professional-quality instruments that don’t really require upgrades to sound great from day 1, IMHO.

Fender and Squier have been making a lot of really good instruments for quite a while. My primary working tele is an older top-loader maple-neck Squier with stock pickups. The neck pup does jazz box really well, while the bridge is all Bakersfield all the time.

And remember, there’s variability in production and magic can happen......I have a USA strat from ‘98 that’s wonderful, ad friends have CS and other frou-frou instruments, but the guitar my friends and I call TBSITW (the best strat in the world) is an inexpensive old MIM Squier that is just a dream to play. The owner paid $40 for it used and everyone wants it because it it just does Strat that well....plug it into a DR or 5F6A and it sounds like 1959 or 1965 all over again.

[PTony]

The new Player Series share many of the US mades features such as alnico 5 pickups, CTS pots and quality wiring (this really surprised me but I verified when owning my butterscotch/black guard. Typically the biggest letdown in the Mexican made series would be cheap wiring, pots, and pickups. So, having these “upgrades” come standard in the Players Series was a large leap for Fender imho), 22 frets, and on the Strats...2 point trems.

I don’t believe they’re rebranded US mades. But, I do believe they’re on par with the US series in quality and features offered. I’ve personally felt that there isn’t enough difference between the 2 to justify the price difference of the recent US offerings.

I’ve owned many a Strat/Tele and imho the new Players Series are the best offering from Fender in both value and features that I’ve seen in a long time.

[M Sarad]

I put better sounding pickups on both My MIM Strat and Tele.

[Steel and wood]

No need to replace the pickups on Fender MIM instruments.

Great guitars full stop but these days, nearly the same price as their USA made counterparts. (Unless you can get them second hand).

[RP]

PTony sold me his beautiful butterscotch Player Telecaster that looks, plays and sounds amazing. How does it stack up against a US-made Telecaster? I have no idea, but this MIM model is all the Tele I either need or want...

[RoyBoy]

PTony is spot on on the Player Series. The electronics are very high grade, I've heard others say it's the exact same innerds that they put in the American ones. The new alnico pickups are a step up from the ceramics they used to put in the MIMs. I bought a Player Series strat this summer and love it. The neck, frets, fit, and finish are all flawless. Talk to a sales rep at Sweetwater, they won't steer you wrong.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by Steel and wood

No need to replace the pickups on Fender MIM instruments.

Great guitars full stop and these days, nearly the same price as their USA made counterparts. (Unless you can get them second hand).

Agree. Although I wasn’t too impressed with the new Player Telecaster, it was only because I didn’t care for the bare matte finish neck - much prefer gloss* for more sparkling harmonics which can be dialed back. Nothing wrong with the electronics whatsoever. However, if you spend a little more and go for a MIM Classic Series Lacquer, you’ll get vintage specs for a fraction of the American equivalent, and test drive to find a good one, rather than rely solely on model and origin of manufacture.

*part of the secret to success of the Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster

[Tony Burns]

in todays market place , my opinion may not be worth much -
But im a buy american person ( tough on some stuff - takes a bit of looking )
and seems typically to have a higher return when selling it used someday -
plus it helps the economy and people in general
mexican and chinese guitars go on the cheap used - IMO less desirable .
US made maybe worth the difference on the return
I can understand a working guitarist has to feed their family and times are a bit tough
-but many of the American versions ( originals ) are not that much more in most cases -
Just my two cents

[Ian111]

I sold bought and sold a Professional Strat last year and this year bought a Player Strat I'm much happier with. I contributed to the American economy and I have a guitar I'm much happier with. Win. Win.

[Jerry D]

Originally Posted by Ian111

I sold bought and sold a Professional Strat last year and this year bought a Player Strat I'm much happier with. I contributed to the American economy and I have a guitar I'm much happier with. Win. Win.

Player Strats are made in Mexico.

[RP]

Originally Posted by Jerry D

Player Strats are made in Mexico.

At the risk of stating the obvious, purchasing a guitar helps the economy regardless of where the guitar was built...