new fender standard

[trey85stang2]

Finally found them at GC, and for the price just get the $2-300 cheaper squire, or spend $100-200 more and get the mexican imo. The fret sprout was horrible on all 4 of the ones i picked up. I expect it on a cheap squire, but not a fender labeled guitar. Add to that and guitrcenter had 4-5 mexican player ii's for 699 so only $100 more got you a big leap in quality. Lame I really liked the price point and I am glad I waited to try one instead of just ordering from sweetwater sight unseen.

[I'MAPUNKROCKERDAMNIT]

Sounds like GC may be selling Chifders?

I bought a bass and one guitar online... the necks weren't too bad but, going forward, I'm only buying guitars in person.

[nightflameauto]

Those player series axes are fine guitars all the way around. I've probably picked up and played about half a dozen of them, and not a one was a dud. Not my priority or I probably would have taken one or more of them home when they were clearancing the first round of Player series for the Player IIs.

I wonder if the new standards are going to have a couple years of growing pains before they start to get the quality up to par?

[broslinger]

I’ve had very mixed luck on mexican fenders.

My vintera jaguar was a piece of shit all around. bad frets. Pickups were mounted wonky. One of the tuners showed up broken. Just spinning. Shittiest jm/jag trem available. Etc. total piece.

My mjt/warmoth pine jag just smokes it.

My vintera mustang was nice, but i sold that too .

My player jazzmaster was nice, but it weighed a ton. The trem couldn’t hang with the usa trem.

[Guitarbilly]

I've had luck with MIM guitars for the most part. Back in the 90s/00s the MIM Fenders were rough but could be upgraded into something decent with a few better parts and set up.
But since the Player series started, most of them have been fine right out of box. The MIM Charvels and EVHs are fine too.

I honestly think this is more of a problem with GC not doing any setup to the guitars they sell. Pretty much every time I play something at GC, it's worse than I remember it being.
I recently played a PRS S2 McCarty at my local GC that was stiff as fuck. Not sure how they managed to pull that one, since PRS guitars are the opposite of stiff.

[nightflameauto]

I've had luck with MIM guitars for the most part. Back in the 90s/00s the MIM Fenders were rough but could be upgraded into something decent with a few better parts and set up.
But since the Player series started, most of them have been fine right out of box. The MIM Charvels and EVHs are fine too.

I honestly think this is more of a problem with GC not doing any setup to the guitars they sell. Pretty much every time I play something at GC, it's worse than I remember it being.
I recently played a PRS S2 McCarty at my local GC that was stiff as fuck. Not sure how they managed to pull that one, since PRS guitars are the opposite of stiff.

Don't know if it's true where you are, but around here GC tends to put the nicer guitars closest to the door. In the winter, with the ridiculous wind whipping through and flashing the LPs, PRSes, and Fender Customs, it's amazing the haven't cracked the finish on some of them. I'm never shocked by how bad they play right off the wall.

[Endtime]

I’ve had very mixed luck on mexican fenders.

My vintera jaguar was a piece of shit all around. bad frets. Pickups were mounted wonky. One of the tuners showed up broken. Just spinning. Shittiest jm/jag trem available. Etc. total piece.

My mjt/warmoth pine jag just smokes it.

My vintera mustang was nice, but i sold that too .

My player jazzmaster was nice, but it weighed a ton. The trem couldn’t hang with the usa trem.

Basically this. I’m not gonna say I’m an expert BUT, a Mexican Fender is easily the number one guitar I work on thru the shop. The bones are generally good. Meaning the bodies and necks are all fine. But Frets are all pretty terrible. They ALL need a fairly significant level. And I mean all. They clearly do not do any leveling after install. Their nuts are usually pretty badly cut and the setups are all off.

I think the paint on these is the best aspect. I rarely see any defects in the paint, so they got that going. And they can be a bit heavy at times. I don’t mind but I do seem to feel the Mexican stuff is heavier overall.

And while it’s a different price bracket, American Fenders smoke em. Those frets are done proper and almost every guitar I’ve ever seen. Well into the 1000s now, when I go to level a board, and I may be talking a few that are just a cunt hair low(altho majority of guitars have WAY more than just a few lol) but EVERY guitar I’ve ever leveled and that’s standard work on our setups, has had some low frets. Except 2. A Private reserve PRS and a Suhr. But for major brands the American fenders rarely need more than a few swipes to see all frets are level. The Mexican shit I grind on those frets for minutes sometimes.

[Endtime]

When the Player Series are “blown out” for $649 or thereabouts instead of the normal $1k price point. Thats when I feel you are getting a guitar that will end up worth what you paid. Level the frets, get a good setup and at least change the saddles on most of the trems those come with, or simply replace the trem, you’ll end up paying around that original $900-1000 price point but it’ll be a great guitar.

And unfortunately this goes for ALL the Mexican stuff including EVH and Charvel. They all suffer the same problems. Altho those usually ship with a Floyd. So the nut and trem issues are usually solved.

[bleedingwhiskey]

These are not Mexican made. They are made in Indonesia. It says it on the back of the headstock. I have a Jackson that was probably built where these are being built. It's a great playing guitar with decent hardware and stock pickups. Is at good as any of my other more expensive guitars? No, but for $370 new it's a great guitar.

The MIM Player II series are great guitars. The Player II Strat I picked up in December plays as good, if not better, than my 2003 MIA Strat Standard. I did swap the stock pickups out for some Duncans. They stock pickups were alright, but just felt a little bland. Still, for $800 it's an incredible bang-for-buck Fender. I don't think this new Standard series is going to be comparable to Player II series.