Fender Player Strat Tidepool MN

What we say:

Fender’s most famous creation gets a subtle facelift here for the Player Series. It’s fair to say that there really isn’t much to improve about the Stratocaster so Fender have wisely dodged any notions of reinventing the wheel, instead going for upgrades in quality and finish options over anything more contentious.

So what do we get here then? Firstly, the pickups are redesigned units with alnico V magnets for a sweet, vintage tone. Fender have clearly spent the time on these units because they sound excellent: that famously glassy Strat sound is perfectly achievable, as are a myriad of satisfying crunch tones. For harder styles, Fender also offer HSS and HSH Player Strats but this model sticks with tradition.

The bridge design deploys a range of player preferences: a modern 2 point pivot is matched up with vintage bent steel saddles, a canny and sensible choice from Fender.

As with the rest of the Fender Player range, the Stratocaster’s neck has a Modern C carve with a 9.5” radius fingerboard and medium jumbo frets. This is a neck that everyone can enjoy playing on: it’s not too retro and not too modern.

Fender have really succeeded with the Player Stratocaster: this is a lot of guitar for the money. It preserves the tradition and history of this most iconic of guitars, and brings a modern edge without being slavishly so. In other words, it’s pretty perfect. This Strat has a Maple fingerboard and a Tidepool finish.