Fender Player vs Player II - What’s New?

Among the many upgrades in the Player II series, the rolled fingerboard edges stand out as one of the most notable improvements. These rolled edges enhance comfort and playability by softening the sharp edges of the fingerboard. As a result, the guitar feels smoother and more ergonomic in the player’s hands, reducing finger fatigue during extended playing sessions and making it easier to slide along the neck without encountering the sharp edges of the fretboard. This feature also gives the guitar a more broken-in, “played” feel, similar to a vintage instrument that’s been used for years, enriching the overall playing experience.

A key feature of the Player II series is its return to traditional features. Fender’s product team listened to feedback from players around the world and made some changes, such as replacing the pau ferro fingerboards from the original series with rosewood, which is now available alongside maple.

One of the main advantages of rosewood is its porous nature, which means it doesn’t need a finish, allowing your fingers to feel the raw wood directly. Other types of wood typically require a finish for protection. Additionally, rosewood has more natural oils, making it better at resisting moisture.

And from a “cool-factor” perspective, many iconic artist signature models feature rosewood fingerboards. So even if you can’t play like Jimmy Page or George Harrison, you can at least capture their look.

The original Player Series came with Alnico V pickups, delivering that classic Fender vibe—clear highs, rich mids, and tight lows. They gave players that familiar, bright Fender tone everyone loves.

With the Player II Series, though, things get an upgrade. The pickups are still Alnico V, but now they’re “re-voiced” for more versatility and modern sound options. You get even more clarity and articulation, plus a slightly hotter output for extra punch and dynamic range. Basically, the Player II pickups are more adaptable, giving you a wider tonal range that works across more genres than the originals.

When it came time to pick the color palette for the Player II Series, the Fender product team dove into the color archives for inspiration. They sifted through a treasure trove of vintage color catalogs from the 50s, 60s, and 70s before selecting four stunning shades: Birch Green, Aquatone Blue, Coral Red, and Hialeah Yellow.

These four colors are brand new and exclusive to the Player II Series, yet they have a timeless quality that makes them feel like they’ve always belonged in the Fender family!

At its core, an electric guitar is basically a chunk of wood with some wires, hanging around your back/neck — and that can get real uncomfortable, real fast. But a chambered body? That's a game-changer. It's hollowed-out sections make it lighter than your average solid-body guitar, which means you can jam for hours without feeling like you've been carrying a boulder.

This is especially helpful with heavier woods like mahogany. Add to that a lighter wood like ash, and suddenly, you're cruising in comfort city. So, if you've got back or neck issues — or just want to play without feeling like you're bench-pressing your guitar — chambered body models might be exactly what you're looking for.

The Player Series Fender Jaguar and Jazzmaster guitars now come with upgraded Mustang-style saddles, fixing a lot of the common issues found with the older bridges.

First off, these new saddles prevent string slippage, a big problem with the traditional threaded saddles that often let strings pop out during heavy playing. Mustang saddles have deeper grooves, keeping the strings locked in place, even during aggressive strumming or bending.

They also offer better stability. The Mustang saddles have a simpler design, with a fixed radius and fewer moving parts compared to the old vintage-style bridges. This means fewer chances for things to shift or go out of alignment, which helps keep your tuning stable and your setup consistent.

Intonation gets a boost too. The Mustang saddles provide better, more consistent intonation across all the strings, so your guitar stays in tune more reliably across the fretboard—solving a common issue with older Jaguar and Jazzmaster bridges.

And let’s not forget about that annoying bridge buzz. The old designs are known for creating unwanted buzzing sounds due to their moving parts, but Mustang saddles, with their solid, no-nonsense design, cut down on those noises, giving you a cleaner, smoother sound.

ClassicGear tuners blend the cool, vintage Fender vibe with modern functionality. They’ve got that classic, retro look that fits perfectly with the traditional Fender aesthetic, but they offer much better tuning stability and smoother operation than the old-school tuners.

With a higher gear ratio (usually 18:1), you get finer control when tuning, making it easier to really dial in the exact pitch you want. Plus, the updated gearing mechanism means smoother, more accurate tuning. Changing strings? Way easier thanks to the slotted post design, which speeds up the whole process.

ClassicGear tuners are also built with modern materials, making them lighter and more durable than the bulkier tuners of the past. This helps keep the headstock balanced, reducing neck dive and making the guitar more comfortable to play.