Who wants to be the center of attention? Anybody?
Whether you wanted a Strat as it looks super cool, or just want to get good at it to impress a certain somebody, we’ve all been there. As a shy person unable to casually speak to strangers, guitars have helped me get rid of my anxieties.
There are many who worry that Strats may be a tad too pricy but I’m here to assure you- it’s certainly not the case! Your fantasy is about to come true with the Fender Player Stratocaster.
The affordable Strat (for both beginners and intermediate players) is loud and boisterous.
Let’s see what the Fender Player Stratocaster is all about.
Table of Contents
Overview of Fender Player Stratocaster
Fender Player Stratocaster Electric Guitar – Maple Fingerboard – Polar White
Specification
- 22-fret maple neck
- Tremolo bridge with a whammy
- Full scale with a beautiful gloss finish
Our Verdict
The smooth maple neck with 22 jumbo medium frets is very easy to play with. Alder wood with chrome finishing touches is also a good choice.
For an entry-level guitar, the Fender Player Stratocaster with single-coil pickups sounds quite good. If you are trying to get your feet into learning guitar or looking for practice gear, this guitar is a good choice for you.
The iconic Strat is in a reasonable price range yet often compared to pretty expensive high-end electric guitars with better quality and updated features.
In terms of business, Fender introduced Strat to challenge the current market’s craze and was able to bite the market with this product. This Strat is the best deal for all guitarists who want a budget-friendly Strat with high-end looks and a modern character that works for both beginners and intermediate players.
Design
The body is skillfully carved out of ash wood and made up of two or three parts that were bonded together.
Carved on the back (to fit against the player’s body) and slanted on the front with the player’s arm picking armrest, the design is flawless, with its classic logo in the head and rear of the guitar’s body completed in chrome.
The fingerboard features standard dot inlays and the neck is coated with a satin polyurethane gloss finish. This provides the playing motion a great smooth feel, and some people believe it makes it faster; I was the same way.
It’s a bolt-on neck with a dual-action truss rod. This simple rod will provide either a convex or concave contour for the fingerboard depending on how hard the strings are pulled.
Headstock
The eye-catching subject here is a stylish headstock with a skillfully done curve and a chrome finish plate with the traditional Fender emblem.
Here, a chrome-finished tuner set gives off a distinctive impression. The tuners are of decent quality, as provided by Fender, and it’s simple to tune the instrument appropriately.
If you want, you can always opt for one that holds in tune better than the stock ones, but if you don’t play much, it’s perfectly okay too.
Neck
The unusual 9.5” neck radius makes the fretboard ideal for holding barre chords and doing quick legato runs. It’s well suited for players with small hands as well.
The neck boasts a modern C-shaped design with a 9 1/2 inch radius and 22 medium jumbo frets on the neck. Pair that with a cutaway for easy access- and you’ve got solid playability for upper frets!
The neck scale length is 25.5 inches, which is ideal for chord formation. Scale length is just the distance between the nut and the part at the bridge where the string sits.
Anything equal to or greater than 25″ is considered fullscale and a playing standard. This way, getting a Fender Player Stratocaster will also help you get comfortable with the neck design most modern guitars use.
The back of the glossy maple neck has a lovely smooth touch that keeps the hand from sticking due to sweat while playing. This speeds up playing and allows for easy shifting between frets. This is one of the small things I like about this guitar the most.
Fender provides the neck with a beautiful finish. The frets are made of Pau Ferro and fret inlays that are simple dot inlays. The inlays on major frets help a player with knowing which fret is which.
Even though the nut is made of plastic, the white hue looks nice. If you decide to improve the playability, you might consider changing the cheap nut for a bone nut.
Body
The Fender Player Stratocaster features a suitable body that is not too heavy and has a curvature that makes it extremely simple to handle and play with.
It has a sleek horn that can help a player easily reach up to the 22nd frets of the gloss neck and is really convenient.
All of the hardware, including the tuner and bridge, is chrome-plated, giving it a luxury finish.
Front and the backside of the headstock feature the famous Fender logo. The logo is perfectly polished with a smooth finish and chrome plating.
All of the pickups and controls are well-placed.
With a slim body and a contemporary charter made up of alder woods, the killer body fits perfectly with the slim neck. The bridge pickup arrangement is very well.
The 6-String on its own is pretty nice looking and perfectly playable for a beginner.
However, you may replace it if you want the greatest quality, but it works fine for me.
Pickup and controls
The pickups on the guitar are Alnico 5 single-coils (some models have Alnico 2 or Alnico 3 magnets), which produce a well-balanced tone across the bass pickup, middle pickup, and treble frequencies, as well as a great open tone control with the classic Fender sparkle. Other Stratocaster models, like the Fender Deluxe Roadhouse Stratocaster, feature unique pickup configurations and specialized tone controls for even greater versatility.
Master volume and tones control for the neck, middle pickup, and bridge pickups, as well as a typical Stratocaster five-way pickup selector switch, are included in the controls.
Bridge, bridge+middle, middle, middle+neck, and neck are the five pickup combinations available with the 5-Way Blade Switch. This is pretty common for Strats and you are probably familiar with the controls if you’ve ever picked up an electric before.
Bridge
The Bridge on the Strat doesn’t have a Floyd Rose (just means that it doesn’t stay in tune as nicely as it would if it had a Floyd Rose).
This is a two-point bridge with bent steel saddles. It’s an upgrade from the six-points bridge on the older standards models. The bridge here is called as Tremolo Bridge.
The stick you see near or held on the bridge is referred to as a whammy bar. The vibrato mechanism on your electric guitar includes a whammy bar.
When you utilize your whammy bar, the pitch of the strings you’re playing changes quickly. By using a whammy bar, you may make your playing sound more pleasant and ambient.
Whammy bars are very acceptable in this Strat. Although using a whammy bar has no detrimental effects, you may have some tuning stability issues, which is probably due to the quality of the bridge used.
Sound
With a bell-like high end, robust mids, and robust bass end, combined with crystal-clear articulation, the tone is the best component of the instrument.
The Fender Player Stratocaster is filled with the original Fender feel and flair, making it the greatest of the greatest entry-level guitar that emulates the iconic sound of hundreds of Guitar Heroes.
The Fender Player Stratocaster is versatile for all genres including country, blues, soul, funk, but doesn’t lend itself that well to shred or tap-intensive genres like metal.
Combine this instrument with reverb and looper, and you’ve got yourself an easy set-up that sounds great.
This instrument is an ideal platform for expressing inner sentiments and letting them out via the wonderful amplified sound produced by the instrument’s strings and player’s dexterity.
Score
Who It’s For?
Because I am a fantastic (and natural guitarist) who loves experimenting, this electric guitar is ideal for me as a practice guitar. I use this to test out my techniques and usually flesh out my ideas on them.
I believe it would be suitable for both beginners and experts. It is really basic and easy to play for beginners, and for professionals, it has a lot of character.
The Fender Player Stratocaster, as a simple vintage-style guitar with contemporary components, is a great choice for everybody. For those looking for portable practice solutions, pairing it with one of the best mini amps can enhance its versatility and make it ideal for any setting.
Bottom Line
In the low-budget range, the Fender Player Stratocaster is a great budget electric guitar for both beginners and intermediate players.
This electric guitar unexpectedly offers the greatest built-in quality product for the entry-level, as well as the added bonus of having cool tones.
FAQ
Is it possible for me to rock the stage with this electric guitar?
It’s not a rock, is it? Making anything sound good takes a certain amount of commitment.
If you have the talent (or none) and are willing to put in a bit of hard work, the stage is all yours. You can rock the stage in your preferred style of music. Just starting out, technique and playing are certainly more important than a high-end instrument.
Is it possible to modify the pickup on this Strat in the same manner as the pickup on a high-end Strat is modified?
Of course, you can change it but I advise against it as you could purchase a high-end Strat for almost the same price that doing the upgrade would cost.
Selecting the Ideal Beginner Electric Guitar
When embarking on your musical journey, selecting the right instrument is a pivotal first step. The Fender Player Stratocaster, as reviewed here, is an excellent option, but many factors contribute to finding the best electric guitar for beginners. Considerations like budget, playability, and preferred music genres all play a crucial role. Opting for a guitar that is comfortable to hold and easy to fret can significantly impact your learning curve and overall enjoyment. Exploring various models and understanding their unique features can help new players make an informed decision that aligns with their aspirations and learning style, setting a solid foundation for their guitar-playing future.