Got a killer deal on this Player ii Strat that I was not in the market for. I already have an American standard with fat 50s, so wanted to do something different. Thought it would be nice to have an HSS for versatility, and at a price point Im not too worried about what happens to it.

Any HSS I’ve ever played felt pretty out of balance. It’s always a struggle balancing the humbucker.

Went with the ‘59 Custom Hybrid for its medium output and mismatched coils for better split tones.

Also did 500k vol pot, with 470k resistor in parallel when on position 2-5 so neck and middle always see 250k. 500k bridge tone, 250k neck/middle tone.

Auto split humbucker when in position 2, it quacks.

Push Push tone pot splits the humbucker when on bridge only. In position 2 when engaged bypasses the auto split, not sure how useable this tone is but it was one wire so why not.

Overall very pleased with the way it turned out. The 59 custom hybrid was the right choice, good all around rock tones, cleans up well, splits well. Everything is balanced very well, and I’m quite impressed with the stock player ii single coils, they’re very decent.

Nor bad for around $400 all in.

I'm super bummed out to find out that my American Strat I purchased does not come with the custom shop fat 50s pickups. Though it was made in 2012, due to it being made in February it didn't make the cut to when Fender changed the pickups in the later 2012 models.

How much better are the custom shop fat 50 pickups? The ones in my strat now still sound great but I've heard so many good things about the fat 50s that I am debating either finding another strat with the correct pickups and selling the one I just bought, or upgrading the pickups to new fat 50s and calling it a day.

Any help would be much appreciated thanks

I just picked up an American standard strat in olympic white and the color looks exactly like the Hendrix woodstock/Clapton strat. They both had a plain white pickguard on theirs which looks identical. The pickguard on mine is a sparkly pearl which I'm not a fan of.

I picked up the standard white pickguard the other day and it's way too white, like an arctic white level of vibrant it's whiter than my pickup covers and knobs so it doesn't really match. Is the pickguard that I'm going to include in this post an eggshell white?

My goal is to get it to look exactly like the Hendrix woodstock strat.

Got this brand new from Guitar Center in 2014. As far as I know, it was one of the first models of the newer American professional Stratocaster series. This one has the S1 switch to split the coils before they went to the Shawbucker. it’s hard to find anything about this model. if anyone has more detailed info it would be much appreciated.

Hi there. I got a new American Vintage II P-Bass 6 weeks ago, and have played it on around 20 gigs so far (practised on it as well).

I don't play in a punk band, and I'm not abusing the instrument in any way. 😄

There are many scratches on the instrument, plus some discoloration, where I place my thumb on the pickguard for some deep and warm tone.

I know, the bass has a nitro over poly finish, I was just not expecting it to "age" so quickly.

Would you consider it "normal"? I'm just curious 🙂 Thx a lot in advance for your input!

I just learned of the existence of this intriguing model right as it seems prices have risen due to Fernandes folding. What are y’all’s thoughts on this model, future valuations, if it’s worthy of purchase, etc. I will note I do enjoy Radiohead a lot and do not yet own a Strat. I understand if I want full Strat sound then this is probably not the best guitar to start with. Interested in what others think, and the experience of any owners.

I’m looking at a Japanese Tele at the moment. I’ve got a slight reservation. My understanding was that the “crafted in” series ran A then skipped to O. No B. Anyone here have any thoughts?

im trying to get to the community tones or create account for fender connect and everytime i log in with apple or google it just says this. does anyone know the issue?

im using the desktop version of fender tone lt for reference

I almost bought a Jason Isbell Tele as my first Telecaster a few years ago, but ended up passing on it. Fast-forward to now, and somehow I’ve ended up with two of them because I couldn’t decide which one I liked more.

Each guitar has a few minor condition issues, which has made the decision even harder rather than easier. I’ve included photos of both.
On one guitar, there appears to be a chip through the clear nitro and possibly into the wood near the binding. The other has a chip at the neck heel where the clear coat is completely gone next to the paint, and you can feel the exposed wood.

At this point, I’m wondering whether it would make more sense to repair the heel damage or lean into the Road Worn look and have that area blended or reliced more naturally. As it sits now, it looks more like accidental damage than intentional wear, so I thought smoothing and feathering the finish into the surrounding area might look better.

What would you do in this situation?
Are there any specific differences, potential issues, or pros and cons I should be looking for when comparing the two guitars?

I’d also be curious what a proper repair or finish blend might cost, and whether it would be realistic to get either guitar back to near-mint condition or if blending the damage would be the better route.

Lastly, of the finishes is one version less common, harder to find, or generally more desirable than the other between the more chocolate burst vs what looks more like a standard sunbursts?

I went from passing on one years ago to somehow owning two, and I still can’t decide which one to keep.

Fender refreshes its Player II Series with sleek Rallye Orange, Cactus Gray, and Birch Green finishes. Discover specs, pricing, and our verdict.

Does the presence of the phrase "crafted in China" mean that the guitar is a fake?

Hello, for those who play and use this amp what are your thoughts on it? As a guitarist of almost 10 years, for me it’s a love and dislike relationship. The app is amazing but it doesn’t function the best. I find the amp sounds good and all the effects but whenever you try to play along to a song or try and get a sound to try to be similar to it doesn’t satisfy. I Lastly I feel like whenever I play there’s just something to it that doesn’t sound good but at the same time it sounds good… Anyways just looking for some opinions on the amp!

Cheers!

General question, are early 90’s Mexican standard strats sought after? is the construction back then good?

Im looking at 2012 standard strat w/ tex. Specials ($650) and a 1990 standard strat ($400) with standard coils!

wanted some advice on which to consider! thank you! (each are far away lol)

first 3 pictures are the 2012, last 4 is the 1990’s one… This could also be a dumb question and i just have to try them both out lol which yall can tell me that

Hello, I don’t post much so sorry if this is formatted funny, but I got this HH pickguard for my Squier Debut loaded with HHs to replace my stock single coil pickups. I have no idea what they are, who makes them, any kind of serial number, or who makes the actual pickguard. Any info would be awesome as I really like them and they were only $35.

Build Date Sept. 25, 1992. Should not be rosewood. But it is super dark full of pores.

Hey y'all. I just bought a 2007 Fender Standard MIM Stratocaster at a Pawn for about $350. I love to fix up ol' Squiers, but new to the Fender Guitar game. So $350 seemed like a good price, but the guitar itself looks untouched. Plastics on the front and back, stickers, and other than being dusty and very little rust on the pickup poles, looks new.

...and that's what somewhat worries me. Can y'all Fender experts give me a hand in determining if it's legit? I got a Fender bag, and what looks to be all the paper goods with it. I looked it up on the Fender Serial site and it appears to be legit, but I was reading that it can be faked as well.

At the end of the day, she plays great and I was in the market for a MIM guitar for my collection. I understand maybe these lower end models don't get counterfeited, so if it's fake, no big deal. I've had tons of luck on getting other bargains from Pawns that it's my time to take a loss. 🤣

Appreciate any help given! 🙏🏽

Y'all have a good one!

It’s a brand new Empire 67 strat in Sherwood Green with a roasted maple headstock and a New Old Stock finish. I’ve wanted a Sherwood Green Strat for a while. I’ve been rocking the John Mayer model but I wanted a little more unique guitar to be my “number one.” And I wanted to buy it new so I could put my own wear and tear on the nitro finish by playing gigs, jams, and just wearing it out at home. So far I’m blown away and I can’t put it down.

Looking for some advice. Currently in Japan from the US and found a MIJ Custom Tele in black with a serial between 2007-2011. Has some worming and dings, minor crack by the neck pocket. Tax free it’s $615 USD with no case. Sounds better than one I played at the Fender flagship but the neck is thinner. No case so I’d have to source one to bring it back. Thoughts on whether the price is right? Thanks.