Watch It First
I have now covered most of the Player II range – the Telecaster, the Jazzmaster, a couple of the basses – and I kept putting off the Strat because I assumed I already knew exactly what it was.
Turns out the HSS version is the one I actually keep reaching for.
Not because it is the most Strat-like Strat in the room. Because it very deliberately is not.
What Changed in Player II, Briefly
I am not going to re-explain the whole Player II update from scratch. I did that properly in the Player II Telecaster piece, and the Player II Jazzmaster covers the offset side of the family.
The headline for anyone joining late: rosewood fingerboards are back across the range, the neck finish is smoother, and the tuners are now Fender ClassicGear.
That last one matters more than it sounds. Tighter gear ratio, less slop, and noticeably less nonsense on a guitar with a vibrato bolted to it.
The line now stretches from this all the way out to things like the Player II Modified Jazz Bass V, so the family resemblance is worth knowing about.
The HSS Question Everyone Argues About
Does an HSS Strat actually make sense, or is it a compromise that satisfies nobody?
Depends entirely on the humbucker, and Fender got this one right.
The bridge unit is a Player Series Alnico 2 humbucker. Alnico 2, not the Alnico 5 you would expect – so it is softer, warmer and more compressed than a typical hot bridge bucker.
In practice that is a very smart choice. It does not bulldoze the single coils in positions 2 and 4, and it does not sound like you have picked up a completely different guitar when you flick to it.
The Single Coils
Neck and middle are Player Series Alnico 5 Strat single coils. Standard, and standard is completely fine here – bright without being brittle.
Position 2 is the classic Strat sound and it survives fully intact, which is exactly the thing most HSS layouts manage to break.
- Position 1 – humbucker, thick and warm, takes high gain without fizzing
- Position 2 – humbucker plus middle, the sleeper, half-cocked and funky
- Position 3 – middle alone, clean and glassy
- Position 4 – proper Strat quack, completely uncompromised
- Position 5 – neck, round and woody, lovely for leads
How It Plays
The Neck
Modern C profile, 241 mm (9.5 inch) radius, 22 medium jumbo frets and a synthetic bone nut.
The 9.5 inch radius is the sweet spot IMO. Vintage enough that it still feels like a Strat, flat enough that you are not choking out on a big bend at the top of the neck.
The neck finish is the real upgrade over Player I. It is smoother and does not go sticky once your hands warm up, which is one of those tiny details you only appreciate three songs into a set.
The Tremolo
Two-point synchronised trem with bent steel saddles. Not a locking system and not pretending to be one.
Set up floating it is expressive and holds tune well enough for gentle work. Decked against the body it is rock solid, but you lose the up-bend entirely.
Either is a perfectly valid choice. Just decide early, because the whole setup follows from it.
Build and Finish
Alder body, gloss finish, three-ply parchment pickguard. Nothing exotic, everything correct.
Build quality out of Ensenada has been consistently strong for years and this is no exception. Fret ends were tidy, the nut was cut properly, and it arrived close enough to playable that all I touched was the trem.
The 3-Colour Sunburst is genuinely well done too – not too red, with decent grain showing through the finish.
The Honest Cons
- No coil split on the humbucker, which feels like a real miss at this price
- The Alnico 2 bridge is deliberately mellow – if you want a hot ceramic monster, this is not it
- Nut is synthetic bone rather than the real thing
- Chunky bolt-on neck plate with no heel contouring
- It is still a Strat – if the ergonomics have never suited you, this will not fix that
- No case included, obviously
On that first point, if you do want more output out of the bridge position later, my best humbuckers for Stratocasters rundown is the place to start.
Who Is It Actually For?
Working players who need one guitar to cover an entire setlist. That is the honest answer and it is a very good one.
The single coils handle the clean and funk material, the humbucker covers the heavier songs, and you never swap guitars mid-set.
If you want the SSS version and pure vintage tones, buy that instead. It is the same guitar underneath and nobody will judge you.
If budget is the real constraint, I put this tier head to head with Squier in Fender Player Stratocaster vs Squier Classic Vibe, and the Squier Affinity Stratocaster piece covers the proper entry point.
Specs at a Glance
- Body: alder
- Neck: bolt-on maple, Modern C profile
- Fretboard: rosewood, 241 mm (9.5”) radius, white dot inlays
- Frets: 22 medium jumbo
- Scale: 648 mm (25.5”)
- Nut: synthetic bone, 42 mm (1.650”)
- Bridge pickup: Player Series Alnico 2 humbucker
- Neck & middle: 2x Player Series Alnico 5 Strat single coils
- Controls: master volume, 2 tone, 5-way switch
- Pickguard: 3-ply parchment
- Bridge: 2-point synchronised tremolo, bent steel saddles
- Tuners: Fender ClassicGear
- Hardware: chrome / nickel
- Strings: Fender USA 250L .009 – .042
- Finish: 3-Color Sunburst
- Thomann article number: 595275
Final Verdict
The Player II Stratocaster HSS is the least glamorous guitar in the range and quite probably the most useful one in it.
The rosewood board and the better neck finish are genuine improvements rather than marketing, and the Alnico 2 bridge humbucker is a thoughtful bit of voicing rather than a spec-sheet box tick.
It will not excite anyone who already owns four Strats. It will absolutely be the right guitar for someone who owns none and needs one that covers everything.
Highly recommended – and I would take it over the SSS if I could only keep one, which given the rest of my rack is saying something 😉
