Fender Player Stratocaster HSS Strat Review with Mustang GT-40, GTX-50, and GTX-100 Amp Tones (2020)

[@ZackTSchwartz]

Great review man, convinced me to go for this model. Looking at the tidepool, maple neck, sss. Keep up the great videos!

[@SteveGuitar]

ZackTSchwartz thanks Zack, glad you like it! And were you the one who requested a review of this guitar? I was going to go search my comments and see who it was, probably last week. More to come!

[@SteveGuitar]

ZackTSchwartz By the way, I also want that same model you’re talking about! A blue SSS would go great with the white HSS :-)

[@josephlerz6889]

Do you think a mint green pick guard would improve your strat Steve? I actually have the same guitar accept in Black finish because I wanted a versatile HSS stratocaster that looked like a Eric Clapton Blackie guitar. I like vintage guitars but I prefer modern poly because the nitro apparently can crack during the weather, Unless you get the modern nitro finish. I also prefer how poly keeps the colour from blending or changing. Definitely the modern headstock is nice to me, more slimmer.@@SteveGuitar

[@PirateJazzAJ]

Excellent review....I have got the white and the Tidepool Player getting delivered on Tuesday, as I can't make my mind up, but this video has made me crave it so badly now for my gig next week. Cheers, buddy.

[@FtheIneffable]

Ordered the same one today with a Blues Jr.. Can’t wait to run some blues through it!

[@scottrempel7243]

Great thorough and thoughtful review Steve..... I really liked how you added your own commentary to the specs and features. Well done!

[@SteveGuitar]

Thanks Scott! 👍👍👍

[@Lateral032]

Been looking to get this exact guitar. Thank you for giving us a look at your Strat. I already have the tide pool SSS, and I love it. The feel and sounds are incredible when upgrading from a squire contemporary Stratocaster to a player series. This and a black tele is all I need now to complete my dream line up.

[@SteveGuitar]

Awesome, glad it was helpful! And interestingly, I’m selling a mint white one just like this now on Reverb, except it’s the SSS 👍

[@CaanDo01]

Really nice relaxing Outro on this one.

[@SteveGuitar]

CaanDo01 Thanks! You deserve extra credit for sticking around to the very end to find it :-)

[@ThiagoMaiaSs]

Thank you, very informative video!

[@aks1008]

do you get footswitch for fender champion. 20 watts or 40 watts amps...

[@vectortonto1]

Nice Demo, Had to look up the Player Strat to see where it was in their product line. Seems like it replaced the Standard MIM which I hated the pickups on. Fortunately, this guitar is getting rave reviews and so I started looking for the HSS one on Craigslist and found one mint for about $450. Not crazy about the color though, It's Tidepool Blue. Steve, did you have a chance to play this against the Non-HSS Strat? Wondering what the tone differences are especially in the bridge pickup. My favorite color is the Cream followed by the Sienna Burst(I think only at GC). The Alnico 5 pickups give it more of classic strat sound than the past Standard Strat. Great tones. Great Demo

[@SteveGuitar]

pat brown Thanks, and I agree with all your points. About the comparison, no, I didn’t play the single coil, but I am most positive that it sounds killer as well … Just doesn’t have that really kicked up notch of growl and volume that the humbucker does. But I don’t think you can go wrong. The new 5 pickups are way better than the previous model.

[@louissanderson719]

Nice detail review! Ceramic pick ups were in the previous generation

[@melissaknell7802]

Dream guitar right here 🙌

[@atb1325]

That is a killer Strat!! Wow great sounds on that one! I have a HSS Squire, but that Fender is super nice!

[@SteveGuitar]

Yep, it's great, especially for the price! Great tones

[@proteusmax420]

Wow nice guitar! After the tidepool colour, I really like the polar white one. Also, it's sounds incredibly amazing!!

[@raymondcortez890]

One of my dream guitars, I do hope that someday I might own one. I'm still young so it would take a while before I acquire it. Keep up with the great content!

[@kerutra]

What a nice sounding and looking guitar. Thanks for the review.

[@SteveGuitar]

Artur Stefaniak glad you like it, Artur! Welcome to the channel 😀🎸

[@anthonygonzalez8684]

Players series is excellent. I have a tri sunburst w pau ferro. That one polar white maple neck hss is my next. Amazon has an 800 package deal. Im sure will have to lower the dual trem for tgat more straty tone i like. Do not like a tinny sound. So i found this to work to obtain a much more natural tone. Love the Player Series. Especially the price.

[@NobleJamsRock]

Great Review Steve!

[@SteveGuitar]

NobleJamsRock thanks much! Glad you like it 🎸

[@mcwiccan]

Thanks for the demo

[@robertclarkguitar]

I absolutley love this channel. This guitar is super. I've got to get an HSS strat. I love that Polar White!!!! Wow! I bet the only change I'd do, is chrome the Humbucker only becuase looks cool. It looks great as is and sounds legit out of box. There is a rumor going around that these pups were same as the up to 2008 American Standards. I absolutley love MIM. You nailed it....This is why it's hard to buy an expensive USA as I would keep it in case afraid to dirty it up. Hahaha I do this with my MIM already. I cannot imagine a USA hahaha. But I'll get a Used one , one day. Hehehehe

[@AidentheAnderson]

What does it look like with tort pickguard

[@thomaslbrandshaug4301]

Great review!

[@SteveGuitar]

Appreciate it Thomas! Glad you liked it, and thanks for subscribing. See you around!

[@Wabin22]

Great review man! I really love my Player Strat and I can't imagine my life without it. However, the older Standard models did not have Alnico pickups, there were ceramics. All about taste, but I prefer the Alnico 5 since it sounds more like a Strat and it works better for playing Indierock and Punk.

[@SteveGuitar]

Wabin22 Hey, that’s awesome you like yours too! And you’re right, they were ceramics, right? I guess I thought they were more like alnico 1 or something, and this new batch was alnico 5, but I believe you’re correct. Anyway, I like indierock and punk! I’ll have to do more of that too 🎸 Thanks for watching!

[@Wabin22]

@@SteveGuitar They are amazing guitars :) Yeah I think they had some ceramics, at least my old Fender Standard from 2005 had that but I didn't really like them. A bit hotter than the Alnico 5 and worked for Metal, but it just didn't sound like a Strat when I tried out some Mark Knopfler stuff. That would be awesome, thanks for sharing your great videos with us :)

[@michaelhanson2689]

Fender has significantly upped their game with the production of Mexican made Strats. Both the Classic series and Ventera Series are excellent Strats.

[@ozoneswiftak]

I liked the tan color so much more. But I ordered one soon to check it out I might change my mind. Polar is really white.

[@jeanpierre8248]

I’m not too much into Strats, I’m into Tele’s, but that one looks AMAZING🥴🥴🥴😭

[@toneydavis9802]

Player series guitars are a great value. You proved they sound as good as any Fender USA model. Funny how Fender competes with itself MIM vs USA. Good for us though. I have a FSR MIM Tele and a Custom Shop. If there is a difference in playability and tone I cant feel or hear it. Good job Steve!

[@SteveGuitar]

Toney Davis that’s really interesting. And I agree, I think the MIM models are so good. And what color are both of those guitars? I need a Tele in my life ;-)

[@toneydavis9802]

@@SteveGuitar Cherry Burst and an Olympic White.

[@SteveGuitar]

Toney Davis awesome. Is that Olympic white Nitro? And True white? Or creamy yellow? Either way, sounds nice!

[@toneydavis9802]

@@SteveGuitar gloss poly with matching painted headstock and mint pickguard. I swapped the neck out for a TV Jones Starwood and put in a 4 position selector and upgraded pots from stewmac. Ernie Ball super slinky 9s.

[@CaanDo01]

@@SteveGuitar Yes, you do need a tele. Its calling you. Then you could do some Tele tones and lessons. Haha

[@edocamera]

HSS! Very cool. Play it with your teeth ;) Then behind your back. I guess you could close the show with some pyrotechnics .... no don't do that!

[@SteveGuitar]

hahahaha, I better not, or else I might end up setting it on fire like Hendrix 🔥

[@jeanpierre8248]

I’m not too much into Strats, I’m into Tele’s, but that one looks AMAZING🥴🥴🥴😭