You can’t improve on a classic. You can, however, make some really cool tweaks.
The Fender Player II Strat is a good example of this. The re-designed electric guitar is a modern classic because it has such a precise feel and a warm and predictable tone. I say “predictable” in a good way — the Strat just sounds good no matter what you use for an amp. It’s all purpose electric that has stood the test of time.
New for the Player II series? Fender has tweaked many things while keeping the basic design roughly the same. There are now more vintage looking gear tuners, although the company says the ratios and the way they work has not been changed or refined that much. In my tests, tuning the Player II was just as reliable and predictable as ever.
A more noticeable change for people who can spot materials used in guitars is the return of a rosewood fretboard. I played some old Pink Floyd songs and followed along with guitar solos on songs like Comfortably Numb and just felt like my fingers glided right to the next string or the next chord. My all-time favorite guitar solo, played without any of the actual dexterity and precision of David Gilmour, still sounded passable with a brilliantly long sustain.
I used a “personal amp” called the Fender Mustang Micro Plus which connects right to the quarter inch jack and has a headphone out port. Using a setting called Big Fuzz, I tried to mimic the master. I liked the rosewood because it felt smooth and my fingers landed where they were supposed to land. Fender says they brought back rosewood because of customer demand.
I tend to hook my thumb over a lot and the fretboard just seemed ideal for my playing style. I played a choral red version of the Player II Strat — the new colors are borrowed from the world of cars, but the new colors they offer with the Player II have never been used before. To be honest, I am not into the choral red myself, it’s a bit too pinkish for me, but that didn’t impact my impression of the actual guitar.
The headstock on the Player II looks more aged as do the knobs (they are essentially now off-white but look like they’ve been aged). The overall design feels more lived in and vintage, like you’ve been playing the guitar for a while.
Because it is such a classic, Fender left some of the basics untouched. They didn’t change the pickups at all, and the tone they produced was warm and loud to my ears. On the personal amp I used, the tones coming out of the Player II Strat sounded smoother than I remember from testing a Tele a while ago, which is admittedly meant to be a little brighter sounding guitar (after all, Buddy Holly played one).
Overall, I really enjoyed playing the Player II and had a great time using some of the effects and settings on the personal amp. I even tried to emulate the U2 sound and found another effect that repeated the tone in a way that made me want to keep playing longer than usual. An hour went by and I was still loving the rosewood fretboard, the vintage look, and the warm and predictable tones of the Player II Strat.