Guitar Wars - Fender Players Series II - The Battle in the Sub 1K Guitars

Baxter and Jonathan talk about the New Players Series II Guitars and how that fight in the Sub 1k Range is forcing guitar companies to bring their A Game and make the best guitars in that class.
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[@tom.m]

I'm glad the race to $1k "cheap" guitars has shifted back to proper competition. Like Baxter says, it feels like this guitar is things getting back where they should be.

[@MikeRyan77]

I have a Player Series Strat and it’s great. It’s my 1st electric guitar and I love playing it.

[@kcsvantasticvoyages9729]

it caught my eye, both the color and rosewood combo is sick!

[@Jackson1_416]

The Strat knocked the SS out of the water in my opinion which is not at all what I expected! Really excited for Fender with this one!

[@brownandwolfe]

I'm excited to try the new strats! Thanks guys

[@thesmellycatjazz]

As a shreddy boy, the Nick Johnston Traditional with an ebony fretboard gets my vote for a Strat under $1k, but it's because I want a thinner flatter neck but the traditional look. Also love me an Aldi's. They actually bought out Winn Dixie's parent company SE Grocers and I'm super curious to see what they do.

[@Gmarthe]

I have a player 1 Jaguar and it’s alright. I am interested to check out the player 2’s.

[@blues62751]

Another great show guys. Awesome guitar demo, Baxter! 👍🎸

[@RabindraDahal-ie7sb]

I am tempted to buy Player 2 series Telecaster Yellow colour with traditional pickups.

[@mikenadanada7430]

Truthfully I was just looking at buying player series, maybe a series 2 is the way to go... Thanks for giving me something to think on .. I can live without the headache that thought causes however lol...

[@kirbyjakescarborough4515]

YAYUH!!! You guys are the best!! Cheers!

[@sealedgravy3702]

Both are great guitars with great guitar players!

[@jerryknitter2101]

This is the change that needed to happen.

[@DDWyss]

Both guitars sound great!

[@joshualeicht9752]

I have a players plus strat in that same color , Fiesta red, and I absolutely love her.

[@Ridearound2112]

My fiesta red 1997 Mim strat is golden!

[@gregmiller7123]

I have a Players Plus Nashville Tele and like yours, it is great!

[@thomaswhite4876]

This guitar looks great! It hurts to have recently snagged a player strat, and watch these new ones crush

[@wirthwhilemedia]

I have come to really like the Player series. Let Fender know I especially love when they do the "Plus Top" variations! A cool flame maple top gives me even more incentives!

[@Pj32Sr]

Aged cherry +top at SW 😘

[@thesmellycatjazz]

I got a 2018 Plus Top in Tobacco burst in 2018. I got a good deal on it back then, but with COVID, inflation, and quality drop offs, I made out like a bandit for $350. It's not my most played guitar, but I have a hard time selling it because it's a solid player that sounds really good and I got lucky with a little bit of flaming in the maple.

[@wirthwhilemedia]

@@thesmellycatjazz I grabbed a super flamed Tele Plus Top in Sienna Burst for around $500 a couple months ago that blows me away with its looks, tone, and playability!

[@mileswatkinson8135]

Love the look of the new line, and Baxter, truly enjoyed your play out to end this video. The guitars sound great and look great, to be honest, I don't know if the gap between Player II and Pro II is big enough to warrant the price difference at this point. Keep up the good work.

[@joshL28]

I’ll be honest I was ready to get a “real” American Fender last year but wasn’t impressed with it. I was for some reason expecting this huge jump in quality and feel and while I do admit the neck does feel nicer imho it wasn’t worth almost double the cost over the Player series. Plus I don’t care for the extra electronics functions. I just kept my Player series, added new pickups and called it a day. It is nice that they added those classic tuners, rolled fingerboard, and most of all rosewood for the new Player II. But again I’ll just stick to my Player I.

[@rowbags3017]

Great playing and both guitars sound superb - but (although I really like my PRS SEs) I'd choose the Strat any day.

[@mattsainopulos6565]

I was happy to see the offsets are true to the American line again with pickups and bridges.

[@JediJkB81]

I’d probably go with a different brand for a strat style guitar. PRS.. Ibanez.. Yamaha makes good shit.

[@rubbadubdubba]

I bought the Jazzmaster in the same color. Really love the guitar it plays wonderfully. The best part is that now I am officially a Jazzmaster guy. This entitles me to say things like " they aren't P-90's, they're Jazzmaster pickups, they're different". Ahhhhhh breathe in the freedom.

[@19sickboy71]

Really dig the color on that player series 2. Be cool if the did the headstock as well.

[@wirthwhilemedia]

I was thinking same. Love the matching headstock look!

[@riversberndt1837]

0:00 loved the vid

[@petersouthwell5971]

Nice to see you guys doing a guitar for the working man. So what happens to the massive wave of MIM players out there? Do they all turn into $300 guitars on Reverb?

[@iancurrie8844]

Welcome back Fender. Just....keep working on that quality control....still some way to go.

[@sneakerhead6184]

Another awesome review guys 👍 ill take the PRS and convert it to lefty! My options are better than they used to be but still limited lol

[@MrShagsoprano]

you guys make the end of my day better every day!

[@paulallen9375]

2 weeks ago I bought a g and L s500 tribute 480 English pounds !!! You can keep fender i am blown away by how good it is.

[@ericschuppert9011]

Looks like it would be fun to play.

[@smsnc20]

Also i got to check out that waylon jennings guitar sunday. Sean was awesome and the shop is amazing. I have never had better assistance in any music store.

[@travisjgood02]

I’m just happy they put jazzmaster pick ups in the jazzmasters again.

[@flapjack413]

They finally ditched those shitty V Mod pickups?😁

[@JohnLloydDavis]

And then there's Charvel. I really like more modern guitars though so I put Hot Noiseless pickups on my Player Strat and now there's none of that vintage noise :)

[@DarthDirtYouTube]

I may be partial because I have a silver sky but it sounds every bit as good as the strat! I’m wanting to try the player 2 but I find it hard to believe it’s as good as my silver sky 🤘🎸 Baxter looked like he enjoyed the silver sky more 🤷‍♂️😂

[@FoardenotFord]

“That guitar is Mark Knopfler all day” - my dude is speaking my language

[@chrisdavies9197]

i want that red player II, and i'd love to fly over and buy it from you guys.

[@evalonious]

Love it ❤🎸fantastic sound

[@jimmyp2118]

Can’t wait to try this new fender strat.

[@PaulEldridge1]

I'm thinking now is the time to add electric to my acoustic in my learning journey.

[@Draguitar]

After I watched this video, only 1 thing I remember is A1 sauce on eggs

[@CasinoGuitars]

That made me smile too much:)

[@greatvanzini]

The Fender vid says they stuck with the standard player pups on these. Upgrades were on the jag & jazz. I hope they do offer different options down the road. FSR.

[@willheines4]

The red looks close to Hot Rod Red. I'm eyeing the Birch Green myself. I think it would look really sharp with the 3-ply black pickguard and black plastics. I can't afford a Sherwood Green that I like yet haha.

[@adamschronk3620]

Last week I decided I was done buying guitars for a while… Looks like a week will be that while! I needs a new strat!

[@kevinbulgarelli306]

you guys rock. love the broadcasts

[@jameshughes9706]

Outstanding James Franco/The Interview reference 😂

[@garyelmenthaler1608]

Nice to see Fender giving more bang for the buck! Grab that thing and head to the woodshed. Gotta give a shout out to Heinz 57 too.

[@alangreenway6695]

Currently PRS has dropped the SE Right handed Silver Sky prices. Around £549-£700 in the UK. The Left Handed model which is coming out in September is on pre order for £949-£999. Only love for the Righties again.

[@jojojojojojojojojojojojob]

The best sub1k (before tax) guitar at the moment.. in my humble opinion is the charvel socal style 2 hh ht 24 cm. Its a beast for the price. Its the most feature packed guitar with great electronics and hardware and tonewood.

[@jeffreyeagen4896]

I have a Player Series Tele (2014). It was ok, but nothing about it made me want to buy another Player Series guitar. I'm glad Fender have improved on it.

[@mrodriguez4879]

Thank you, great video!

[@72spawndn]

I keep hoping for a black tele with rosewood fretboard.

[@JamesMatthew-Zero79]

Bravo 👏🏾 lovely noodling Baxter

[@peluchingamarra3127]

Correcto, amigos. Dos. …Cool guitars, probably would grab an offset for me. Cheers from Los Cabos Mexico! 🇲🇽

[@rollingstart_90s]

You we're thinking about famous "red strat guys", but forgot to mention Chris Rea. His old "pinky" looks a lot like that new PlayerII coral red Strat.

[@donstewart7445]

It's great to see a more affordable fender

[@EzzyR561]

Epiphone is the only brand that just refuses to put rosewood on a Les Paul, 335, and SG. This is what holds the brand back

[@compucorder64]

I suspect they'll change their mind soon enough. With this Fender change. Even before Sire was using Ebony on it's LP-style guitar, Rosewood on it's 335-style and Guild's Polara Deluxe is much better built than Epiphone's SG. That said, I do think Epiphone's versions do _sound_ really good, their Les Paul Standard in particular, while it doesn't play nearly as well as the Sire, does sound a bit more right.

[@tylerk1013]

That + their hideous headstock and logo

[@compucorder64]

@@tylerk1013 yeah, removed the pickguard and that logo from my Casino. It does look bad. That's one thing Sire have done better than Epiphone too. The headstock looks a lot more professional. Subtle, more like what you'd see from a small run builder. Then again Sire isn't a good brand name either. Like some medieval knockoff of Squier. They'd do better to just drop the Sire name completely, and call the basses Marcus Miller only, and the guitars Larry Carlton only. And not mention Sire at all.

[@ryangunwitch-black]

I have a fantastic 08/09 Road Worn Strat and an AVII 61 Strat so I didn’t think I needed another Stratocaster. But that Player II sounds REALLY STRATTY! And with a rosewood board for $799!? All I can say is… I don’t have a red Strat yet!

[@ImNotOld_ImVintage]

So happy for the return of rosewood. When I can get it on a Vintera road worn thinline tele I'll be buying another guitar, i guess.

[@guitarman11000]

Are the frets made out of pot metal?

[@jfrankcarr]

What kind of frets do they have? Hopefully not the "narrow-tall" ones.

[@timbaxter9932]

About flippin' time.

[@shanerose5348]

They both sound great through that Vox (?)

[@thetonycooper]

Sweet guitar!

[@oscarsoto3343]

The offsets seem legit

[@on3orafter]

Hoping that are setup well when they are sent out of the factory

[@johnlebarton9220]

I wonder how much Sire might have impacted Fender regarding these recent changes?

[@Steve.Cutler]

The only thing that keeps me from buying a prs is they come in a gig purse.

[@wikolib6821]

Just call it a man purse and you'll be fine.

[@Phil91580]

While I would usually agree about Pop-Tarts....Aldi brand Pop-Tarts are actually solid, try them! 😆 I am very torn because I really want a nice Jazzmaster, but not sure if I want to let go of the rhythm circuit. Might get the Squier CV JM and maybe one of these Player II Tele's, loving that Birch Green.

[@paulmassey4796]

Hey IST OFF THANKS SO MUCH for what you DO Nuff Said 😊

[@NintenDub]

If you want one,get one now.cuz in three months they'll be rushed garbage. That's why they continue to do. I just got a vintera 2 mustang 2 months ago, and it came all fuked up. Fender wouldn't help. the trem came scratched. It has the tightest neck pock you've ever seen on any fender guitar ever. There was so much sawdust and polyester shavings under the pickguard I've never seen anything like it. My bullet starts came better

[@EzzyR561]

What year decade was your ventera 2

[@knockaculleen]

Great show boys

[@thesparkedbrain]

I just wish the player 2 series was just the player series, and they could have a ton of colors like the mod shop. The color would be the only thing you can change and then the player series would be on par with other manufacturers.

[@bryancollins6796]

The knobs crack with a slight bump. Very brittle compared to Fender knobs.

[@johnjoy1318]

New HH tele form the P2 series vs Epiphone les paul vs prs dgt se. That would be a cool sub 1k battle.

[@brynjones7371]

On this demo I preferred the PRS. To the Fender

[@friedtaters8940]

A1 for the win

[@b3pahunter546]

I need a PRS...SERIOUSLY

[@DaCajMon]

Love both of those!

[@johnperiard9594]

Great video gents! Pretty rad stuff!

[@dividedbytimestudios]

Ultra 2 and Player plus 2 Gotta be next

[@tallthinkev]

A1 Stake Sauce, another great British invention!!

[@billregan1981]

PRS never made a lefty Silver Sky, did they? At least Fender gives a couple options for us wrong handed ones!

[@carpathus]

Too bad Fender stayed with a black plastic insert at the truss rod access. A walnut insert would have rounded things out nicely.

[@pmrparts]

I have a Dragon Fruit PRS SE Silver Sky. Good guitar but mine came with fret sprout.

[@jjulch]

I wish Fender would move away from the modern C necks. Bought a Player Series last year in buttercream because it was deeply discounted just to scratch the Strat itch. It’s an okay color, but I struggle with the neck. Hate having to go to Warmoth to find a decent chunky neck. Doesn’t have to be an Eric Johnson neck, but a bit more meat would be nice.

[@shred12korn]

i think youll like cutlass sterling its a bit chunkier. If you want more chunk they yamaha pacificas are a bit bigger than cutlass.

[@internaut4257]

Looks like I’m getting a strat

[@PeterMoore350]

I love listening to you two prattle on !! 2:50 If that PRS was HSS then it’s a no brainier purchase for me. Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘

[@jacobpittman1996]

Nice Yimi Yindrix tones ❤

[@jroobz]

rolled fingerboards on entry level fender is a big win

[@tomeasley3538]

The quality of the MX guitars had gotten so bad they were virtually unplayable out of the box , the saddest part was Fender had produced an affordable guitar for years at a minimal cost that most anyone could afford and upgrade into custom shop sound, a couple examples you can find on You tube are Chris Buck would buy a pawnshop guitar replace electronics, pickups and tuners and with a minor set up have a pro grade guitar, another more recent example is a Joe Bonamassa video on the same note. Its hard enough for a beginner player to adjust to learning a guitar without having to deal with fret sprout that will cut your fingers

[@compucorder64]

Definitely moving in the right direction, on build. But, I still think people would be better off seeking out a Vintera, or used Vintera II. I just want my Strat or Tele to have pretty much the classic character. Whereas, the player series has seemed to move away from that character. Fender are odd, they want to make you to pay _more_ for the classic thing (Vintera, American Vintage), and pay less for them to mess around with the formula (Player, Performer). For example, the Player II 'Telecaster' bridge, or similar odd choices they've made with Player 'Jazzmasters'. It doesnt' make sense. Just make lots of the classic thing cheaper, then do cool, great groundbreaking things with the higher models.

[@brianchurilla7060]

More F bias....It took competition from a rival and loss of revenue to get them to improve and keep it budget friendly! Thanks PRS! I own the SS SE and the thing the video can't show is how effortlessly the SS plays.

[@AnthonyTyson-ym5gs]

Sweet notes mou Droogies

[@chrisrockzem3543]

Do you get the Aldi middle isle in the US We have 3 stores in a 5km. Radius 😅😅😅

[@AkaSnugD]

The mystery box aisle? Where you never know what’s going to be there and it’s going to be something different next trip? Oh yeah. Bought a love seat sized patio glider there years ago

[@BlakeCraft]

Glad to see the price not increasing

[@kocherpm]

I'm confused. I thought the old Players Series was $679 retail?

[@BlakeCraft]

@@kocherpmthey got up to around 850 I believe on sweetwater recently and then had a price drop to what it is now

[@BlakeCraft]

@@kocherpm one of the more recent prices I saw on Sweetwater got up to around 850 I believe and then had a price drop to where it is now

[@kocherpm]

@@BlakeCraft well I think $800 is still ok. But it could be time to buy the old player perhaps. I'd like a vintera ii model instead and those listed at $1149

[@BlakeCraft]

@@kocherpm yeah, it’s hard for me to find what I want sometimes since I’m a lefty and my options are limited. In most cases I have to buy new or don’t buy at all. And most sites/stores very rarely have a fender in the $1100 range. They usually are around $800-$900 for the player/player plus and then my next option of purchase is the pro 2 at $1499.

[@Tony_Leonardi.]

Thanks men!

[@josephkeating3597]

The Fender Player Plus series sells for $999.00 and it has Locking Tuners, Noiseless pickups and a push pull pot for the pickups. So why is this ax so special ???

[@MatthewPeskay]

Thanks casino!

[@davegallagher7428]

This is a good thing

[@JamesJonesReverendJ]

ALdi and LiDL are AWESOME!!