Fender Player II line

Surfadelphia

Joined: Sep 04, 2017
Posts: 434

Posted on Jul 11 2024 11:40 AM

Check YouTube. Big Ryan from 60 Cycle Hum just put up his review video for the new Fender Player II Series Jaguar.
One thing I did notice in checking out the Specs for the Player II Jag is that the Bridge PU is Alnico 5 and the Neck PU is Alnico 2.

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synchro

Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4463
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
United States

Posted on Jul 11 2024 11:53 AM

Surfadelphia wrote:

Check YouTube. Big Ryan from 60 Cycle Hum just put up his review video for the new Fender Player II Series Jaguar.
One thing I did notice in checking out the Specs for the Player II Jag is that the Bridge PU is Alnico 5 and the Neck PU is Alnico 2.

I had noticed that, with regard to the pickups. I have AlNiCo 2 on my Warmoth Jaguar, and like the sound. Not quite as hot as AlNiCo 5.

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The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

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AgentClaret

Joined: Jan 30, 2024
Posts: 133
United States

Posted on Jul 11 2024 05:42 PM

The more I think about it, the more I could have grown to love one of those Jags if they made it in the green colors they're making some of the other Player II's in.

I mean, how hard can it be to route out some wood?!?

I bet a lot of these loaded Jag bodies end up on Reverb when people buy them to switch out the pau ferro necks on their Player I's and Vintera I's

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synchro

Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4463
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
United States

Posted on Jul 11 2024 07:28 PM

AgentClaret wrote:

The more I think about it, the more I could have grown to love one of those Jags if they made it in the green colors they're making some of the other Player II's in.

I mean, how hard can it be to route out some wood?!?

I bet a lot of these loaded Jag bodies end up on Reverb when people buy them to switch out the pau ferro necks on their Player I's and Vintera I's

Having just built a Jaguar from Warmoth parts, I’ll weigh in. The body came pre-routed, but I had to expand the Rhythm Switch route and it was a job. The clearances are tight and it would be very easy to get it wrong and destroy the body.

Honestly, the FMIC-build Jaguar I like best, feature wise is the CV Squier. I would have bought a Vintera, but I didn’t want the 7.5” fingerboard radius. Once I got to the price point of the American Vintage, I figured that I’d go for the Warmoth and get the exact specs I wanted. There is no AV II Jaguar listed on the site, but maybe someday.

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The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

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synchro

Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4463
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
United States

Posted on Jul 11 2024 11:24 PM

I watched Ryan’s video tonight and came away with a good opinion of the sound of the Player II. On the bridge pickup, it was super bright, but not harsh. I was surprised at how beefy the sound of the neck pickup could be. While I’d miss the Rhythm Circuit, and especially the Strangle Switch, I could see the Player II as being a decent sounding Surf axe. I certainly wouldn’t fault anyone for choosing one.

However, for my money, I’d actually prefer the CV Squier, which has the typical Jaguar control set. With the leftover money, is put on an AVRI tailpiece and a StayTrem arm, which is exactly what I did with my CV.

Ryan lifted the pickguard and showed the route, which was pretty wide open and looked like what you’d see on any other MIM Fender. Nothing looked to be of poor quality, but the route would definitely involve less labor to manufacture.

Watching the video of Ryan’s Player II, I was struck by how different it looked without the control plates and that black pickguard. It just didn’t look right, to my eye.

—

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

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edwardsand

Joined: Jun 29, 2018
Posts: 776

Posted on Jul 12 2024 03:31 PM

Surely those Player II guitars and the Squiers are CNC routed, which means the effort/labor to do the pickup and control routing is pretty minimal - they would save very little in terms of cost to eliminate the Rrythm circuit. A big rout (or swimming pool rout) mainly allows for easy configuration changes, like for adding humbuckers - they can crank out a bunch of identical bodies and use them for different models.

On the other hand, they save money and labor eliminating the rhythm circuit and slider switches, since they are leaving out a bunch of parts and really simplifying the wiring. How much the parts and labor are worth is hard to tell (obviously, Fender is not paying retail for the parts). Maybe parts & labor savings of ca. $50?

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BB_Bunny

Joined: Sep 13, 2020
Posts: 182
New York
United States

Posted on Jul 12 2024 04:00 PM

AgentClaret wrote:

The more I think about it, the more I could have grown to love one of those Jags if they made it in the green colors they're making some of the other Player II's in.

I’ve been looking to pick up a cheap jazz bass at some point and that green definitely caught my eye…

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nismosurf

Joined: Mar 04, 2013
Posts: 76
United States

Posted on Jul 13 2024 06:52 AM

edwardsand wrote:

Maybe parts & labor savings of ca. $50?

Whatever it is, you have to multiply that by thousands of guitars. Heck, $50 times 1,000 guitars is $50,000, so it’s no small savings.

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chiba

Joined: Sep 02, 2022
Posts: 520
Central VA
United States

Posted on Jul 14 2024 03:01 PM

edwardsand wrote:

Surely those Player II guitars and the Squiers are CNC routed, which means the effort/labor to do the pickup and control routing is pretty minimal - they would save very little in terms of cost to eliminate the Rrythm circuit.

100% they are CNC. At the rate Fender no doubt puts wood through their CNC machines, saving a few seconds (say ... 30) on each body adds up over the course of a day, allowing them to produce more routed bodies.

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Surfadelphia Joined: Sep 04, 2017 Posts: 434	Posted on Jul 11 2024 11:40 AM Check YouTube. Big Ryan from 60 Cycle Hum just put up his review video for the new Fender Player II Series Jaguar. One thing I did notice in checking out the Specs for the Player II Jag is that the Bridge PU is Alnico 5 and the Neck PU is Alnico 2. Top
synchro Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4463 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.	Posted on Jul 11 2024 11:53 AM Surfadelphia wrote: Check YouTube. Big Ryan from 60 Cycle Hum just put up his review video for the new Fender Player II Series Jaguar. One thing I did notice in checking out the Specs for the Player II Jag is that the Bridge PU is Alnico 5 and the Neck PU is Alnico 2. I had noticed that, with regard to the pickups. I have AlNiCo 2 on my Warmoth Jaguar, and like the sound. Not quite as hot as AlNiCo 5. — The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. Top
AgentClaret Joined: Jan 30, 2024 Posts: 133	Posted on Jul 11 2024 05:42 PM The more I think about it, the more I could have grown to love one of those Jags if they made it in the green colors they're making some of the other Player II's in. I mean, how hard can it be to route out some wood?!? I bet a lot of these loaded Jag bodies end up on Reverb when people buy them to switch out the pau ferro necks on their Player I's and Vintera I's Top
synchro Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4463 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.	Posted on Jul 11 2024 07:28 PM AgentClaret wrote: The more I think about it, the more I could have grown to love one of those Jags if they made it in the green colors they're making some of the other Player II's in. I mean, how hard can it be to route out some wood?!? I bet a lot of these loaded Jag bodies end up on Reverb when people buy them to switch out the pau ferro necks on their Player I's and Vintera I's Having just built a Jaguar from Warmoth parts, I’ll weigh in. The body came pre-routed, but I had to expand the Rhythm Switch route and it was a job. The clearances are tight and it would be very easy to get it wrong and destroy the body. Honestly, the FMIC-build Jaguar I like best, feature wise is the CV Squier. I would have bought a Vintera, but I didn’t want the 7.5” fingerboard radius. Once I got to the price point of the American Vintage, I figured that I’d go for the Warmoth and get the exact specs I wanted. There is no AV II Jaguar listed on the site, but maybe someday. — The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. Top
synchro Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4463 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.	Posted on Jul 11 2024 11:24 PM I watched Ryan’s video tonight and came away with a good opinion of the sound of the Player II. On the bridge pickup, it was super bright, but not harsh. I was surprised at how beefy the sound of the neck pickup could be. While I’d miss the Rhythm Circuit, and especially the Strangle Switch, I could see the Player II as being a decent sounding Surf axe. I certainly wouldn’t fault anyone for choosing one. However, for my money, I’d actually prefer the CV Squier, which has the typical Jaguar control set. With the leftover money, is put on an AVRI tailpiece and a StayTrem arm, which is exactly what I did with my CV. Ryan lifted the pickguard and showed the route, which was pretty wide open and looked like what you’d see on any other MIM Fender. Nothing looked to be of poor quality, but the route would definitely involve less labor to manufacture. Watching the video of Ryan’s Player II, I was struck by how different it looked without the control plates and that black pickguard. It just didn’t look right, to my eye. — The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. Top
edwardsand Joined: Jun 29, 2018 Posts: 776	Posted on Jul 12 2024 03:31 PM Surely those Player II guitars and the Squiers are CNC routed, which means the effort/labor to do the pickup and control routing is pretty minimal - they would save very little in terms of cost to eliminate the Rrythm circuit. A big rout (or swimming pool rout) mainly allows for easy configuration changes, like for adding humbuckers - they can crank out a bunch of identical bodies and use them for different models. On the other hand, they save money and labor eliminating the rhythm circuit and slider switches, since they are leaving out a bunch of parts and really simplifying the wiring. How much the parts and labor are worth is hard to tell (obviously, Fender is not paying retail for the parts). Maybe parts & labor savings of ca. $50? Top
BB_Bunny Joined: Sep 13, 2020 Posts: 182 New York	Posted on Jul 12 2024 04:00 PM AgentClaret wrote: The more I think about it, the more I could have grown to love one of those Jags if they made it in the green colors they're making some of the other Player II's in. I’ve been looking to pick up a cheap jazz bass at some point and that green definitely caught my eye… — Premiere Single Out Now! - Keep On Running Psychic Chime - Instagram Psychic Chime - Twitter Professional Website (film-scoring) Top
nismosurf Joined: Mar 04, 2013 Posts: 76	Posted on Jul 13 2024 06:52 AM edwardsand wrote: Maybe parts & labor savings of ca. $50? Whatever it is, you have to multiply that by thousands of guitars. Heck, $50 times 1,000 guitars is $50,000, so it’s no small savings. Top
chiba Joined: Sep 02, 2022 Posts: 520 Central VA	Posted on Jul 14 2024 03:01 PM edwardsand wrote: Surely those Player II guitars and the Squiers are CNC routed, which means the effort/labor to do the pickup and control routing is pretty minimal - they would save very little in terms of cost to eliminate the Rrythm circuit. 100% they are CNC. At the rate Fender no doubt puts wood through their CNC machines, saving a few seconds (say ... 30) on each body adds up over the course of a day, allowing them to produce more routed bodies. — -- Project: MAYHEM by Hypersonic Secret now available! Top

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Fender Player II line