Fender Player Jaguar

AUGUST 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
THE TG TEST
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A
t this point in time, most players are
familiar with Fender’s aspirational
path for guitar players: you start with
a Squier, then upgrade to a made-in-
Mexico Standard model, before
making your way into ‘it will be mine’
American-made territory. It’s a
stairway to six-string heaven that’s
courted guitarists for as long as most of us care to
remember. But times have changed: good guitars are
more aff ordable than ever, and many electrics
hovering around the £500 mark can more than cut
it as pro gigging and recording instruments.
And perhaps that’s why, for 2018, Fender has given
its mid-priced made-in-Mexico line a comprehensive
overhaul. That means the Standard Series is no more;
let us introduce you to the Player Series. While four
new fi nishes are on off er (Sonic Red, Buttercream,
Sage Green Metallic and the turquoise-ish Tidepool)
and the use of pau ferro fi ngerboards rather than
rosewood to avoid CITES wrangles, there’s more to
these new models than meets the eye – namely,
all-new Alnico pickups, while the F logo that adorns
the neck plate is a nice touch, too. Best of all, the new
models sell for roughly the same price as the
Standards before them.
It all means that each guitar in the Player line makes
a pretty compelling prospect on paper, and makes us
all the more eager to get to grips with The Big F’s latest
takes on three of its longest-serving models. So,
without further ado, let’s put 2018’s Strat, Tele and
Jaguar through their paces…
TGR308.gear_test.indd 99 6/21/18 12:30 PM