I've had my new 2021 Fender Player Stratocaster a little over a month now. I've written before how my #1 guitar is my 1991 Fender Standard Strat, so it's been interesting seeing what 30 years of Ensenada production has evolved into.
I love the neck, the weight is perfect, comparing the Player's black finish to my 2014 American Standard's black finish is like looking at the same guitar... Ensenada has done a great job putting together a basic workhorse Stratocaster.
However, as the threads title points out, I am just not feeling the pickups. My #1 '91 MIM Strat of course had ceramic single coils until I upgraded to Vintage Noiseless years ago. The Player Alnico pickups are more traditionally "Stratty" than ceramics are, but they are just very ho-hum to me.
I know my 2014 US Strat's Fat 50 pups and my 50's Road Worn with upgraded Custom '54 pups are so good they can spoil you but I'm really trying to dig the Player's pickups and it's not happening.
I am considering using the Tex Mex set that originally came with my Road Worn or getting some Custom Shop Fat '60's pickups to replace the stock Player pups. I heard Greg Koch playing a new 2021 75th Anniversary Strat that comes with Fat 60's and it incredible (of course Koch's going to make anything sound insane.)
Anyone have any experience with the Fat 60's or Tex Mex pickups? I've heard them in videos of course but I never had a guitar with Tex Mexxers.
Anyone else who has a newer Player series have a better experience with the Player pickups? Maybe I got a weak set or something?
Any input is appreciated...
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I love the neck, the weight is perfect, comparing the Player's black finish to my 2014 American Standard's black finish is like looking at the same guitar... Ensenada has done a great job putting together a basic workhorse Stratocaster.
However, as the threads title points out, I am just not feeling the pickups. My #1 '91 MIM Strat of course had ceramic single coils until I upgraded to Vintage Noiseless years ago. The Player Alnico pickups are more traditionally "Stratty" than ceramics are, but they are just very ho-hum to me.
I know my 2014 US Strat's Fat 50 pups and my 50's Road Worn with upgraded Custom '54 pups are so good they can spoil you but I'm really trying to dig the Player's pickups and it's not happening.
I am considering using the Tex Mex set that originally came with my Road Worn or getting some Custom Shop Fat '60's pickups to replace the stock Player pups. I heard Greg Koch playing a new 2021 75th Anniversary Strat that comes with Fat 60's and it incredible (of course Koch's going to make anything sound insane.)
Anyone have any experience with the Fat 60's or Tex Mex pickups? I've heard them in videos of course but I never had a guitar with Tex Mexxers.
Anyone else who has a newer Player series have a better experience with the Player pickups? Maybe I got a weak set or something?
Any input is appreciated...
View media item 34767