Fender Player Jaguar

BODY: Alder
NECK: Maple
SCALE: 648mm
(25.5")
FINGERBOARD:
Maple
FRETS: 22
PICKUPS: 2x Player
Series Alnico V Tele
single coils
CONTROLS: 1x
volume, 1x tone,
3-way pickup
selector switch
HARDWARE:
6-saddle string-
through-body Tele
bridge, synthetic
bone nut
LEF T-HANDED: Yes
FINISH: Black
(reviewed), 3-Colour
Sunburst, Tidepool,
Butterscotch
Blonde, Polar White,
Sonic Red, Polar
White
CONTACT: Fender
EMEA 01342 331700
fender.com
AT A GLANCE
TOTAL GUITAR AUGUST 2018
100
T
he humble Telecaster remains
the guitar world’s most
enduring workhorse, and its
Mexican-built 2018
incarnation is in rude health.
Key additions this time around include
a 22nd fret, all-purpose 241mm (9.5")
fretboard radius (which appears across
the range), a set of old-school
bent-steel saddles and Alnico V Tele
single coils. Besides this maple-
fi ngerboarded spec, you can also get a
pau ferro ’board for an extra tenner,
while the hot-rodded dual-humbucker
Tele HH comes in at £579.
The Player Tele instantly wins points
for its satin maple-fi nished neck,
which handles like a dream. It makes a
welcome change from the over-
glossed necks that once populated
Fenders in this price range and below,
and it’s hard to imagine a guitarist who
wouldn’t get on with the comfortable
modern C-shaped neck. The fi t and
fi nish is spot-on, and the only gripe we
can level is down to personal
preference: players who rest their hand
on the bridge while picking may wish
to swap out those bent-steel saddles
for standard blocks, although
tonehounds will cite an increased
treble snap as a reason for the originals
to stay put.
Plug in, and the sonic heft is
immediate: the Alnico V magnets
employed here lend this Tele some
serious punch. That bridge single coil is
one of the most well-rounded Tele
bridge pickups we’ve heard at this
price point – neither brash nor
overloaded in the low-end, it’s
perfectly balanced, ideal for Keef-style
open G chordal riff age and big, open
chords with a touch of drive. The neck,
meanwhile, provides that mellow,
jangly texture that Jeff Buckley put to
such good use, but give it some gain
and it will do big Tom Morello riff s to a
tee – after all, the Rage Against The
Machine guitarist has employed a
90s-era Mexican Tele for well over a
quarter of a century now. The
underused middle position is
wonderfully glassy, too, and it’s not a
world away from a Strat – it will
certainly cop a decent Hendrix/SRV
solo tone in a pinch.
Of course, the trade-off of using
hotter Alnico V magnets means the
sounds won’t satisfy the ears of fi ckle
vintage enthusiasts, but that’s not who
this guitar is for: anyone after an
easy-to-play Tele that delivers a clutch
of classic tones and handles gain like a
champ won’t be disappointed.
FENDER PLAYER
TELECASTER
Old faithful gets a makeover
TH
E G
AS
S
T
A
T
I
O
N
£549
THE TELE INSTANTLY WINS POINTS
FOR ITS SATIN MAPLE-FINISHED NECK
The Alnico V Tele
single coils on the
Fender Player
Telecaster pack
a serious punch
FENDER PLAYER
TGR308.gear_test.indd 100 6/21/18 12:30 PM