FENDER PLAYER PLUS METEORA HH

20
GUITARIST JUNE 2022
FENDER PLAYER PLUS METEORA HH
FENDER PLAYER
PLUS METEORA HH
PRICE: £999 (inc gigbag)
ORIGIN: Mexico
TYPE: Original offset solidbody
electric
BODY: Alder
NECK: Maple, Modern ‘C’ profile,
bolt-on
SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
NUT/WIDTH: Synthetic
bone/42.78mm
FINGERBOARD: Maple, black dot
markers, 305mm (12”) radius
FRETS: 22, medium jumbo
HARDWARE: Fender 2-Point
Synchronized vibrato with Brushed
Steel Block Saddles, ‘F’ logo rear
lock tuners
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE:
52.5mm
ELECTRICS: 2x Fender Fireball
covered humbuckers, 3-position
lever pickup selector switch, master
volume (with S-1 switch for coil
splits), tone 1 (neck), tone 2 (bridge)
with knurled knobs
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.86/8.49
OPTIONS: Bass version at £1,149
RANGE OPTIONS: Player Plus Strat
and Tele (£939), Strat HSS and
Telecaster Nashville (both £979)
LEFT-HANDERS: No
FINISHES: Cosmic Jade (as
reviewed), 3-Color Sunburst,
Belair Blue and Silverburst – gloss
polyester body with satin neck back
Fender Musical Instruments EMEA
01342 331700
www.fender.com
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we hear here. In fact, these humbuckers
seem like quite close cousins to the
identical-looking Shawbucker pickups
we tested on the American Professional
Telecaster Deluxe Shawbucker back in
2017. They ‘clonk’ like an unpotted pickup
when you hit the cover, although Fender
tells us that the team “went with a double
potting method, so both the coils and cover
are potted”.
So, fire-breathing metal they are not. Both
pickups measure in the mid 7kohms range
and, not dissimilar to an early Gibson T-Top,
they combine clarity with enough power for
light classic crunch on a cleaner amp. These
are nothing like 15k ‘hot’ pickups. It means
the coil-splits, which voice the outer coils of
each pickup, however, do sound rather thin
– not least when you compare them with
real single coils – but they certainly work as
a thinner option. But it’s the humbucking
mode that gets more play time here. If
you like lower-output ’buckers, especially
designs from Gretsch or Guild, then you’ll
be at home.
Although the DCR measurements of
the pickups are pretty much the same,
they’re actually well balanced between
the bridge and neck positions, while the
master volume and two-tone setup is
rather Stratocaster-like. Mind you, we
couldn’t help thinking that lower-profile
knobs might work better – these Tele-style
knurled knobs do seem a little high.
Verdict
While plenty of us obsess about vintage-
accurate details, the Player Plus guitars
released so far have impressed us as very
fit-for-purpose instruments. The addition
of this Meteora to the range doesn’t change
that one bit: it might look a bit out-there,
but it feels surprisingly normal and the
sounds we hear have plenty of appeal.
A slightly beefier but far-from-hot Fender
that’s very pedalboard friendly indeed.
Perhaps not one for the blues jammers,
but, then again, why not?
PROS Surprisingly comfortable
shape; neck, ’board and fretwork;
weight; vibrato setup; excellent
low-output humbucking sounds
CONS A divisive shape – you’d
need a special stand, too;
coil-splits are on the thin side
Both pickups are mounted
in rings – not on the
scratchplate as it’s not big
enough! Speaking of size,
Fender uses its two-post
Strat vibrato design,
rather than the classic
Jazzmaster style
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
It might look a bit out-there,
but it feels surprisingly
normal and the sounds we
hear have plenty of appeal
GIT485.rev_fender.indd 20GIT485.rev_fender.indd 20 12/04/2022 10:0912/04/2022 10:09