Fender Deluxe Player's Stratocaster Guitar Review

Many guitar players out there serious about their music simply don't have the money to drop $1,000 or more for a guitar. Most guitar making companies, in response to this fact, have recently been coming out with instruments that can handle professional-quality playing without running up the price tag. By outsourcing the work and cutting back on a few aesthetic features, they can produce extremely high quality guitars at a fraction of the cost of the higher end instruments. One example of this is the Fender Deluxe Player's Stratocaster. Let's take a closer look at it to see how well it compares to the high end, American made guitars.

Features: The Deluxe Player's Stratocaster is, of course, made in Mexico. This alone explains the lowered price tag. Its body is made of alder wood, which gives the Strat its signature feel and tonal range. There are several finishes available on the Player's Strat. These include old standbys like the three tone vintage sunburst, and more modern looks like sapphire blue. All of them have a high gloss finishing effect that is very pleasing to the eye. And, each model comes with a 4-ply brown tortoise shell pickguard. The neck is made of maple, and has either a maple or rosewood fretboard. Personally, I think the maple looks and feels a little superior to the rosewood. There are twenty one medium jumbo frets on the fretboard, and, depending on the make, have either black or pearloid dot inlays. The hardware on the Deluxe Player's Stratocaster, in a deviation from the standard chrome, is all gold. This includes the locking tuners, vintage six saddle bridge, and input jack. There are three single coil pickups on the Player's Strat, all of which are American made and put on the guitar in Mexico. Also, there are one volume and two tone control knobs with a five way selector switch. Then, in an extra effort to literally give the player every tone option available, there is a push-button switch that controls tone past just the five way selector switch. Every pickup combination is possible with the Player's Stratocaster.

Playability: The fact that the Player's Strat is made in Mexico, surprisingly, doesn't have much bearing on its playability. The 12" radius neck is finished well and nice and smooth, unlike some other models that tend to have rough grains. The gold finished bridge and tuners keep the strings in tune nicely, and the action is set nice and low to the fretboard. There is very little noticeable difference between this guitar and the American Standard Strat.

Sound: The fact that there's an extra push button switch to further manipulate the tone control is a huge plus with me. If you thought regular Strats were versatile, you should really give the Deluxe Player's Strat a shot. Its tonal range, combined with the right effects, can accomplish any sound from the classic bell-like Strat tone, to hard rock, to blues, and even some jazz.

Overall: For the musician who doesn't have a ton of money to spare, but is still very passionate about the sound and quality of his or her instrument, the Fender Deluxe Player's Stratocaster is an excellent option. If you get a chance, try it out. You can find the Deluxe Player's Strat in music stores for about $630.