The Problem with the new Fender Player Series
After far too long, Fender has finally got around to replacing the Mexican Standard line of guitars, which had about as much sex appeal as Leo Fender in a bikini.
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| You're picturing it now... Aren't you? |
Full credit to Fender. Taking a series that is ubiquitous in it's plainness and making it exciting is no small feat, and when you consider how little they had to change to make it happen, you're left wondering why they hadn't done it years sooner.
Not wondering for long mind you. Given a bit of thought, it's pretty easy to conclude that they needed to move the mark up on the "Standard" American instruments, now dubbed the Professional, before they could make a move like this. Fender had to be concerned that any meaningful improvements to the Mexican Standards would cannibalize American sales, especially since what we've been presented with are American Standard instruments that just happen to be made on the wrong side of the border.
Part of the Problem...
From all accounts, almost all of the parts, save the pickups, are now identical to the American Professional. Quality switch and pots, Fender/Ping tuners, two point tremolo on the Strats, Mustang bridges on the offsets. In fact, the only thing that I can recall being different after watching a cornucopia of YouTube videos is that the necks, which are the same shape as their more expensive American cousins, do NOT have rolled finger board edges.
The pickups are different too, but the new Mexican Players now have Alnico pups, leading me to believe that they're likely the same pickups that they were putting in the American Series between 2000 and whenever the "Standard" came back with custom shop pups.
Back to the People Eating...
I just can't see how this isn't going to cannibalize the American Professional series. Spec-wise, the new Players Series Telecaster is pretty close to my American Series Telecaster circa 2000. Sure, you can't get Pau Ferro (Rosewood's replacement) in every color, and the string tree is the older style as opposed to the less obtuse modern design, but beyond that...
Basically, all the parts that you'd replace on the American Professional, like the string block on the Stratocaster (ludicrously undersized), or the entire bridge assembly on the Telecaster, or the pickups on all of them, you'd replace on the Player Series as well... Mostly because they're exactly the same parts.
So how important are those rolled finger board edges to you again?
Yes, on the American's you get actual rosewood, and the color choices are a bit more varied (though not necessarily better). The "custom shop" Fat 50s pickups are probably better too, though I can't see how a mass produced instrument's pickups can be "custom shop".
The very notion of custom shop is the antithesis of mass produced. Right?
So how important are those rolled finger board edges to you again?
Yes, on the American's you get actual rosewood, and the color choices are a bit more varied (though not necessarily better). The "custom shop" Fat 50s pickups are probably better too, though I can't see how a mass produced instrument's pickups can be "custom shop".
The very notion of custom shop is the antithesis of mass produced. Right?
