Fender Player Stratocaster Electric Guitar Review (Hands-On & In-Depth)

This Fender Player Stratocaster review addresses whether this guitar is right for you. Fender makes a wide range of different Stratocasters, and the Player Series is an excellent product.

I’ll admit that the Fender Stratocaster is my favorite guitar. I’ve played several of these over the course of my career and have owned a couple of them myself. The Fender Player Stratocaster is a lower-cost guitar with great value.

You can get a Fender Player Strat for under $1,000, and you’ll get a guitar that plays great and has excellent sound. You can grow with it as a player. Let’s have a look and see what this guitar offers you.

Fender Player Stratocaster Review: About the Fender Player Stratocaster

In the following section, we’ll look at what the Fender Player Stratocaster is all about and what it offers. It’s important to understand what you’re getting before you buy.

This guitar is ideal for an intermediate player or a beginner who wants to step up to a better instrument. You’ll find that the instrument sounds amazing, and it’s easy to play. It also won’t break your budget.

Body

The Player Fender Stratocaster body is usually made with alder, a standard wood used by Fender for Stratocasters. This provides an excellent tone, and it’s lightweight. The body has the same standard Stratocaster shape.

Neck

The neck itself is solid maple, and you can get one with a rosewood fretboard. The type of fretboard you get is up to you. I prefer a rosewood fretboard, while others like the full maple fretboard.

The guitar has 22 medium and jumbo frets, which are comfortable to play. The scale length is 25.5 inches, and the fretboard radius is 9.5 inches. The neck is a modern C-shaped neck.

Pickup

The guitar comes standard with three single-coil Player Series Alnico Vs. There are other models which feature a humbucking pickup along with two single-coil pickups. You can decide which combination you want.

See more: Best Electric Guitar Pickups Buyer’s Guide

Other Parts

It features one volume knob, two tone controls, and a five-way pickup selector switch. It has standard Fender machine heads, two strap buttons, and an input jack for the guitar cable.

Tremolo

The guitar features a standard Fender tremolo bridge, and you’ll receive a tremolo arm with your purchase. The tremolo arm is easy to screw into the bridge, and it allows you to change the pitch of the strings.

Pros & Cons

Fender Player Stratocaster Review: My Experience with the Fender Player Stratocaster

I’ve played several Fender Player Stratocasters. It’s an excellent mid-range guitar for the beginner or intermediate player. It’s also suitable for a professional that’s on a budget.

You’ll get vintage a Fender tone out of this guitar. It doesn’t cost as much as some other Fender models, yet it has the same great sound that you’ll expect. I was impressed by the Alnico V single-coil pickups.

It sounds great whether you play it through a clean channel on your amplifier or use distortion. There’s not much that this guitar can’t do. This is one of the better guitars in the Fender lineup.

Fender Player Stratocaster Review: The Sound

For this Fender Player Stratocaster review, I checked out the sound of this guitar. It’s an excellent instrument for country, rock, blues, and other guitar styles.

You might want to pick up a Stratocaster with a humbucking pickup if you prefer to play hard rock. I have a Stratocaster with an HSS pickup configuration, which sounds great for hard rock.

Single-coil pickups sound their best through a clean channel or one with light distortion. You might pick up some feedback if you try to use too much gain. You’re going to love the sound that this instrument produces.

The Neck

The modern C-shape neck that this guitar has is quite comfortable. Unlike some of the lower-cost Squier guitars, which have 21 frets, this guitar has 22 medium jumbo frets.

All the frets are easy to access thanks to the Fender cutaway, so you shouldn’t have any problems playing solos on this guitar. You’ll find it comfortable to play whether you’re sitting down or standing up.

Finish

The guitar’s finish is a gloss polyester that’s smooth and has a good shine to it. The neck is also smooth with a satin polyurethane finish. The guitar will continue to look amazing if you take care of it.

Setup

You want your Fender Player Stratocaster to sound great. Sometimes these instruments come out of the box with poor action or not sounding quite right. They may have been sitting around for a long time, so they should be set up.

Your local guitar technician can set the intonation for the strings to have perfect tuning across the neck. Other maintenance address things such as the pickup height or adjusting the truss rod.

You can do all of this yourself, but it’s best to have a professional look at your guitar to get it into the perfect playable condition. This can make a world of difference in terms of the sound and how the guitar plays.

Fender Player Stratocaster Warranty

The warranty for your Fender Player Stratocaster will depend on where you purchase it. Please check with the store you bought it from to determine the warranty and what you can expect.

Frequently Asked Questions:

In this Fender Player Stratocaster review, I’ll address some frequently asked questions that people may have about this guitar.

Should I Buy a Fender Player Stratocaster?

I’d recommend the Fender Player Stratocaster to anyone. This guitar can be bought for quite a reasonable price. They come in many different configurations to suit your preferences.

You’ll find that these guitars are well worth their price because they’re easy to play right out of the box. With a little bit of setup from your local guitar store, you’ll have an excellent instrument.

How Can I Make My Guitar Sound Better?

The sound of your guitar comes down to the pickups and your amplifier. Make sure you’re using a high-quality amplifier with your guitar. If you don’t like the sound of the pickups, you can always change them to something else.

Another thing that will improve your guitar’s tone is to ensure that you always use fresh strings. Older strings will lose their tone, and this impacts how your guitar sounds as well as plays.

I prefer to use coated strings on my instruments because they last longer and don’t have the grime buildup like regular strings do. This is entirely a personal preference, so you should use the strings that you prefer.

Can I Play Hard Rock with It?

There’s no reason why you can’t play hard rock with a Fender Player Stratocaster. There are plenty of famous musicians who used Fender Stratocasters to play rock with.

It’s probably a better option to get a Fender Player Stratocaster with a humbucking pickup in two single coils rather than three single coils. You’ll find that this has a much better hard rock sound.

Where to Buy the Fender Player Stratocaster

There are quite a few places where you can pick up a Fender Player Stratocaster. I mention the most common ones below.

Amazon

I buy a lot of my musical products from Amazon. They have a huge selection of products and are always adding new ones. They have fast shipping, good customer service, and you can read reviews before you order your guitar.

Order Online

There are other online locations for buying guitars, including Sweetwater and Guitar Center. These companies offer a great selection of products, fast shipping, and excellent customer service.

Your Local Store

You may want to pick up a new Stratocaster at your local music store. This can be a good option, but keep in mind that they might not have the product you’re interested in. You could have a long wait time for your guitar.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this Fender Player Stratocaster review. Fender makes some excellent guitars, and the Player Stratocaster is one that you’ll want to own. You’ll get a great sound and easy playability with this guitar.

Please like, comment, and share this article with others. I look forward to speaking to you about Fender guitars or guitars in general. Now, put new strings on your new Fender Player Stratocaster and have fun.