The latest range from Fender’s Ensenada factory in Mexico is the Player Plus series. An upgrade on the Player series, the Player Plus features the all of the most modern and high-end specs, from ‘Noiseless’ pickups to push/pull pickup switching systems, 12” radius fretboards and locking tuners. These changes make for a superior sonic and playing experience for players seeking a performance instrument. It offers many of the same features as the American Ultra series at about half the price!
Everything about these guitars is designed to improve the playing experience; the neck is a thinner “Modern C” shape than the regular player series, and the flatter 12” radius, rather than 9.5”. This combination of features allows for faster playing up and down the neck. As you play, you will notice the super comfortable rolled fingerboard edges, to give the neck a smooth, played in feel.
The Noiseless pickups are a real upgrade from the Player series, as they eliminate the pesky 60-cycle hum that regular single coils produce. This means you can crank up the gain without the uncontrollable noise! They are also voiced a bit hotter to give a fuller and punchier tone than a true single coil.
With locking tuners and a modern two-point tremolo on the Stratocasters, the Player Plus has excellent tuning stability even if you’re fond of big bends and whammy bar action.
The Strats also have the classic SSS or HSS pickup configurations for a thicker, more powerful bridge sound to get those authentic rock tones. The Telecasters also have two different options, with the time-tested SS or Nashville SSS. On the standard SS you have an additional tonal option with a 4-way switch allowing for the pickups to be combined in parallel for the iconic middle position spank, or in series, creating a rich and full sounding humbucker effect.
The Nashville Tele has a plethora of different pickup combinations, using a 5-way switch like a Strat, with a push/pull tone pot which adds the neck pickup in positions 1 and 2, so you can combine the bridge and neck positions, or all 3!