Fender Player Stratocaster

DECEMBER 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
103
a
t the age of 64, the Fender
Stratocaster is almost as old as The
Rolling Stones, and in much better
shape. Each one of the guitars in
this group test owes a huge debt to
Leo Fender’s second oldest solidbody, yet
they also have attributes of their own. Even if
it didn’t show its vibrato o to the best e ect
on this occasion, the G&L Legacy scores big
points for its vintage-voiced pickups. The
tonal tweaks available are also pretty
impressive. Likewise, the Sterling Cutlass.
The pickups have that crystal-clear delivery
we expect from classic single coils. We also
loved this guitar’s V-pro le neck. It might
sound weird to the uninitiated but this
old-school 50s shape is something you have
to try. The Chapman ML-1 de nes that old
saying ‘bang for the buck’. Again, we like the
vintage warmth on o er. The sharp frets
ends are annoying but we’ll wager not all
ML-1 Traditional’s are like this.
That leaves the Fender Player Stratocaster.
Ironically, this guitar has less of a vintage
voice than the other contenders. The pickups
o er hi- versions of classic Fender tones.
Yes, you can get all the trademark Strat tones.
There’s just more presence and that extra
touch of grunt works well for dirty settings.
They add up to this guitar’s status as the best
all-rounder here. No matter what music you
like, the Player can handle stu its 64-year-
old grandad couldn’t have dreamed of...
TH
E G
AS
S
T
A
T
I
O
N
FINaL VeRdICt
Choosing the mid-price S-type for you
TH
E G
AS
S
T
A
T
I
O
N
CHAPMAN ML-1
TRADITIONAL
G&L TRIBUTE
LEGACY
STERLING BY MUSIC MAN
CT50 CUTLASS
FENDER PLAYER
STRATOCASTER
features
sound QuaLitY
VaLue for moneY
buiLd QuaLitY
PLaYabiLitY
oVeraLL rating
SUMMARY
features
sound QuaLitY
VaLue for moneY
buiLd QuaLitY
PLaYabiLitY
oVeraLL rating
SUMMARY
features
sound QuaLitY
VaLue for moneY
buiLd QuaLitY
PLaYabiLitY
oVeraLL rating
SUMMARY
features
sound QuaLitY
VaLue for moneY
buiLd QuaLitY
PLaYabiLitY
oVeraLL rating
SUMMARY
best for
Vintage
best
aLL-rounder
best for
bLues
best
VaLue
TGR313.gear_test.indd 103 11/8/18 5:17 PM