Fender Classic Player '50s Stratocaster

It is very hard to keep up with Fender's Stratocasters, because it is probably the most duplicated model and Fender releases dozens of different models of the Stratocaster each year. This is the new Classic 50s series. It is made in Mexico, but think Baja series where the quality falls somewhere between MIM and MIA.

The guitar sells for $699 with a gigbag. I tried it out at my local music shop through a Fender Twin Reverb Reissue for about an hour.

The tint of the maple neck and yellowed pickup covers, knobs and switch tip are not tacky or cheesy like the Roadworn stuff. That is just my opinion, but this proves Fender can make a classy reproduction of a vintage guitar without making it look like it got ran over by a truck.

$699 felt just a little steep. If it had been priced $599, I would have probably brought the guitar up to the front of the store and pulled out the plastic!

The maple neck is V-shaped. The body is either alder or poplar depending on the finish. The tremelo is the standard vintage style. I think it is what is on the MIM Standards Strats. The finish was a cool Daphne Blue with is similar to baby or sky blue with just a hint of green to it. The pickguard is era correct being a 1 ply white guard instead of the 3-ply WBW.

Overall the Classic 50s Strat is very 'stratty' Purists will not be let down. The V neck gives it that old strat feel and the pickups aren't overly high output giving it the classic tone you would expect.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I get the guitar thru a friend from a guitar store. I´ve paid $935 for the unit(I´m outside the USA, so is not a bad price at all).
I was looking for a maple fingerboard Strat since I already have an American Floyd Rose Classic Strat (Floyd Rose tremolo, HSS pickup config) and wanted a dose of pure classic Strat sound.
The American is awesome, but with DiMarzio PAF Pro hum and 2 standard single coil (plus the Floyd trem) just can´t be as vintage as I wanted.

The look: the guitar finish is simply awesome. The neck is perfect, no defects at all. The tinted maple neck is a beauty. Mine is two color sunburst and is so well finished that is hard to determine where the wood junctions are (it really looks like 1 piece alder body!!). I would like the Daphne Blue version but I was lucky getting this one, I live in Argentina and many things are unavailable, specially on these bad days we are running; So I´m grateful having this one.
The feel and playability: comfortable "V" shape neck, nice for open chords and phrasing. The maple fingerboard behaves very expresive when finger picking; I just love this. I felt this neck more comfortable than the American Series Strat but if you´re looking for an Ibanez fast neck type then this one is not for you.
The body is maybe smaller than an American Series, very comfortable too.
I think the guitar´s weight is similar to the American Series.
The sound: Ultra ultra clear. Neck PU very SRV likes (not so hot, but close) Mid PU nice David Gilmour sound and Bridge PU with good bite. Neck+Mid PU, airy rhythm sound, very detailed for finger picking and arpeggio executing. Mid+Bridge PU, I liked this blend but can´t get a comparition that depict the sound you get with it.

The noise: all the PU positions have it´s noise dose. No noise cancelling on pos 2&4 at all. Is a little annoying but I believe you can deal with that.
The machine heads aren´t perfectly aligned, is not that bad but I don´t have any other complaints to fill this section.

Maybe I should read all the questions BEFORE I start writing, but for the moment please refer to the "Likes" section to get the info about quality and contruction you´re looking.
Uh, I´ve got something to add: This is a MIM guitar. The quality achieved on this Classic line is very close (if not better in some cases) to the MIA series. I´m serious: I´ve played alternating my American Classic Floyd Rose Series (remember this is an American Special Series) and this ´50s babe for a while and I´ve noticed this: equal quality construction and beautiful tone (while different) on both guitars.
I´ve played some MIA Standard Series (and an ugly "American Traditional" series) that sounded and felt just as ugly as my fat ass.
So the Mexican buddies have a very well done instrument. And for a reasonable price.
Congratulations and thanks pals.

I´ve never played a "real" vintage Strat but I guess this guitar must be close to that sound: very clean (while a little noisy on the background) classic guitar.
As you´re suspecting at this stage I liked the guitar a lot.
Highly recommended.



This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

If you have seen one Fender Stratocaster you have seen them all pretty much. If you have heard a Fender Stratocaster you have heard them all. American made or Mexican made their tones are only hairs between he the two. Fender Stratocaster guitars have that classic look to them that countless guitar builders and makers have copied time and time again. These guitars stand out just like anything else in rock n roll history.

UTILIZATION


Body: Alder
Body Finish: Poly

Neck
Neck Shape: Soft "V" Shape
Number of Frets: 21
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm)
Fretboard: Maple
Neck Material: Maple
Neck Finish: Gloss Urethane
Nut Width: 1.650” (42 mm)
Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm)
Neck Plate: Custom 4 Bolt Neckplate
Electronics
Pickup Configuration: S/S/S
Bridge Pickup: American Vintage Strat® Single-Coil Pickup
Middle Pickup: Reverse Wound/Reverse Polarity American Vintage Strat® Single-Coil Pickup
Neck Pickup: American Vintage Strat® Single-Coil Neck Pickup
Pickup Switching: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup
Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Middle Pickup)
Hardware
Hardware: Nickel/Chrome
Bridge: Vintage Style 2-Point Synchronized Tremolo with Stamped Steel Saddles
Tuning Machines: Vintage Style Locking Tuning Machines
String Nut: Synthetic Bone
Switch Tip: Aged White Switch Tip
Tremolo Arm/Handle: Vintage Style Tremolo Arm

SOUNDS

Every Fender Stratocaster I have ever played needed the pickups replaced. It amazes me that someone like Fender who have build some of the world best guitars and amps completely and utterly fail at making pickups. Their pickups have to be the most horrible garbage sounding pickups in the world. I'm sure that someone out there has topped them but their pickups are just trash.

So for every Fender STratocaster out there you are going to have to replace the pickups. That being said the rest of the guitar is sort if a wash. This is a decent guitar but not for not for the money. You will have to replace pickups like I said but the feel of the guitar is not what I you would expect. Once you have felt the difference between an American and Mexican made Fender Stratocaster then you know what I'm talking about. These guitars do not meet the same requirements that the American ones do. They feel cheaper and they the balance is way off. All that being said the tone isn't much different.

OVERALL OPINION

At new these guitars come in right at around $799. That is about $300 cheaper than an American made one. I would not buy one of these new and buy an American made one for about the same price and probably even less. You will still have to replace the pickups for some Seymours or Fralins or something but you'll have a much better guitar.

The Fender Classic Player 50's Stratocaster is a product released to help rejuvenate and bring quality to the Made in Mexico line of guitars. The guitar is similar to the old school '50s strats in that it has an alder body, maple neck, 21 medium jumbo frets, vintage tremolo, a 9.5'' radius, SSS configuration with a 5 way switch, one volume and two tone pots.

UTILIZATION

The guitar is similar to the regular Mexican line of guitars, but the one I played seems to have both better pickups and better fit + finish. The body is pretty much the standard '50s strat body that has been used for awhile in their line up, but the neck is a softer V shaped neck. Since it's a V neck, it won't be for everyone, but I find the soft edged V shape to be very comfortable to where it shouldn't be a big issue. The 9.5'' radius is standard on these guitars, and while I'm not a fan of the smaller radius, it works for a lot of people. I really wish it had 22 frets, but considering it's meant to be a '50s strat, it's forgivable. The fretwork on the one I played seems to be better than the normal MIM line. Not sure if that's due to luck or what.

SOUNDS

The guitar sounds quite nice, and I could easily live with the stock pickups in this. The singles have that signature hum going on, but they also have all the great qualities that most people look for in singles. They're vowely, quack nicely, have some decent power and work great in both clean and mid gain tones.

OVERALL OPINION

If you're looking for a nice quality MIM strat without breaking the bank, you should really look into checking this guitar out. They go pretty cheap on the used market, and it can rival some of the MIA strats out there. Like all Fenders, you should really play one before you actually buy, but I don't think you'll be too disappointed with this guitar as long as you're not one of those people who absolutely needs the Fender custom shop quality guitar.