The Player II Series from Fender finds the iconic brand upgrading their attainable line of instruments.

This Player II Tele features a few specs / upgrades that you'd typically find on guitars costing twice as much (if not more). Sometimes these upgrades can sound like marketing-speak, but with this guitar in hand, they definitely add up in a very positive way.

Where we notice the upgrades most are in the feel and playability of the maple neck, and the Player Series Alnico V pickups.

Everything about the neck is designed for fast and fluid playability, from the Modern “C”-profile with silky satin urethane finish on the back to the comfy 9.5” radius fingerboard with smooth rolled edges and 22 medium jumbo frets. The rolled edges are a really nice touch in this price range and essentially creates a broken-in feel along the edges of the fingerboard. This is something you see on high-end guitars and it's a reflection of Fender's desire to deliver value at all price points.

Plugged into our trusty Carr Super Bee, the Alnico V pickups, coupled with the modern-leaning 6-saddle bridge, yielded fantastic cleans that dial back the twang factor a smidge (to really get that sound you ideally need the traditional 3 saddle bridge) which we really liked. Overdriven tones retain a nice clarity while avoiding excessive trebles which can sometimes plague Tele style guitars.

Our biggest takeaway is simply how fun this guitar is to play. The neck is slim and fast and the tones are great - really, what more can you ask of a guitar, right?