New Fender Player Series Announced – Adios Mexican Standard

Fender have just unveiled their brand new range of electric guitars – the Mexican-made Fender Player Series. This is set to replace the old Mexican Standard range, with some new models, upgraded specs and some great new colours. The lineup includes Strats, a Tele, a Jag, a Jazzmaster, a P-bass and a Jazz bass.

Is there a huge difference between the old Mexican Standards and the new Fender Player Series guitars? Not really, but the subtle differences that are there, are nice little upgrades. This reinvention of the Mexican Standard range also brings the Player Series more in line with Fender’s other collections – the American Pros, Elites and Originals.

The biggest thing for me with the new Player Series is the revoicing of the pickups; they seem to be a little clearer and have a little more character. The Strat and Tele in particular sounded like they were voiced more like vintage instruments. The Strat has also been wired so that you can adjust the tone of the bridge pickup in positions one and two – not a huge thing, but nice to have, particularly for contemporary players who want complete control over their sound. Also, models have now got 22 frets – is it a game changer? No, but some people will like to have that option higher up the neck. I’m a big fan of the new finishes too. You’ve got your classics like sunburst, white and black etc but you’ve also got some nice, vibrant new finishes.

Also, if you look at the various models, you’ll see a range of new pickup configurations. The Jaguar is fitted with a coil-splittable humbucker in the bridge, and a Jag single coil in the neck. The Jazzmaster has a pair of humbuckers, again that you can split to get classic single coil tones. There’s a few different Strats in the new Fender Player Series too – you’ve got your regular SSS, a HSS, a HSH, and a Plus Top – options galore. Here’s a rundown on the models in the new Mexican Fender Player Series.

– Alder body with gloss finish
– Player Series Alnico 5 single-coil Stratocaster pickups
– “Modern C”-shaped neck profile
– 9.5″-radius fingerboard
– 2-point tremolo bridge with bent-steel saddles

– Alder body with gloss finish
– Two Player Series Alnico 5 single-coil Telecaster pickups
– “Modern C”-shaped neck profile
– 9.5″-radius fingerboard
– String-through-body bridge with bent-steel saddles

– Alder body with gloss finish
– Player Series Alnico 3 humbucking bridge pickup and one Alnico 2 single-coil Jaguar neck pickup
– “Modern C”-shaped neck profile
– 9.5″-radius fingerboard
– Slide switch to coil-split humbucking bridge pickup

– Alder body with gloss finish
– Two Player Series Alnico 2 humbucking pickups
– “Modern C”-shaped neck profile
– 9.5″-radius fingerboard
– Push/pull pot to coil-split humbucking bridge pickup

– Alder body with gloss finish
– One Player Series Alnico 5 split-coil Precision Bass® middle pickup
– “Modern C”-shaped neck profile
– 9.5″-radius fingerboard
– Master volume and tone controls

– Alder body with gloss finish
– Two Player Series Alnico 5 single-coil Jazz Bass pickups
– “Modern C”-shaped neck profile
– 9.5″-radius fingerboard
– Two volume controls, master tone control

– Alder body with gloss finish; flame maple top
– Player Series Alnico 5 single-coil Stratocaster pickups
– “Modern C”-shaped neck profile
– 9.5″-radius fingerboard
– 2-point tremolo bridge with bent-steel saddles

– Alder body with gloss finish; flame maple top
– One Player Series Alnico 2 humbucking bridge pickup; two Player Series Alnico 5 single-coil Stratocaster middle and neck pickups
– “Modern C”-shaped neck profile
– 9.5″-radius fingerboard
– 2-point tremolo bridge with bent-steel saddles

– Alder body with gloss finish; flame maple top
– Two Player Series Alnico 2 humbucking neck and bridge pickups; one Player Series Alnico 5 single-coil Stratocaster middle pickup
– “Modern C”-shaped neck profile
– 9.5″-radius fingerboard
– 2-point tremolo bridge with bent-steel saddles