Fender Player Series Strat MN 3TS

I consider myself an »advanced beginner« and I've been hanging around with this beauty for a couple of months now, enjoying every moment. True, it's my first Strat and I have no previous experience with Fenders whatsoever, so my opinions may be biased. Anyway, here are the pros and, if I can think of any, cons worth mentioning.

The instrument itself is a very decent piece of work, the craftsmanship, the looks, the feel … they all live up to the maker's name. Might be, that US made pieces are considerably better, but I find it hard to believe they are 100% so, when this MIM one comes at approximately half their price or less. I believe, however, that in time I may be tempted to afford one and check this out by myself.

The guitar played well right out of the box, however, I took it to the luthier for the initial expert check-up and restringing. Except for a minor action adjustment, no other interventions were needed.

The »modern C« shaped, satin finish neck is very comfortable and the varnished, nicely curved maple fretboard feels great when playing chords, while soloing (bending, sliding, pulling-off …) comes natural as well.

I was a bit worried about the »non-locking« tuners, however, standard tuning machines do their job well. The tuning rarely needs more than normal, slight adjustments, even with extensive tremolo use. Some say that tuning stability is a matter of (tremolo) setup and that 2 point tremolos prove better in this respect. Well, I wouldn't know …

Finally, the 3-tone sunburst finish is a classic and (in my opinion) just the one that doesn't get boring to look at with time.

If there is a »con« as mentioned above, I really can't think of it at the moment. I would agree with some of the guys whose observations I had read though, that the little spring which helps holding the whammy bar in place, would probably present no significant cost for the manufacturer while it might broaden the smile of a grateful customer even more 😊.

Last but not least, thanks to Thomann, all the service, packaging and delivery were first rate! Thank you and keep up the excellent work, guys!

When I received my guitar, which came rather quickly, I was impressed by the quality of the instrument. It is rather hefty although not necessarily a bad thing, if anything it feels more solid. All the features are up to par and work very well. Nitpicking, the neck and saddles came loose, something you can easily fix using 2 hex Allen keys which of course came included. The packaging was also very sturdy, being honest I was quite worried about breakages during shipment but not only was the headstock secured very well but it also had a packet of what I think was silica gel to prevent damages due to humidity overall a 10/10 definitely would buy again.

This is a great guitar. I need to admit that this is my first Fender Strat, I am still very happy to purchase it.
Pros:
Value for price. It sounds good. It plays well. It feels good. It's a Fender Stratocaster! While there is a good reason why there are Fenders that cost way more than this particular guitar, this instrument still allows to taste the sound and feel of the legend. Even if I want to do some upgrades to improve something, there's plenty of affordable parts available. If you ever wanted a Strat this guitar is a good starting point.
I was positively surprised about the build and finish quality. It played perfectly out of the box and I still haven't made any adjustments other than adjusting intonation. Frets, neck, tremolo – everything just turned out to be set perfectly for my playing style.
Cons:
I would prefer better shielding for 50Hz hum when using high-gain amp channel. That's definitely on my to-do list. But I love it's clean sound – and that's what Strat is for, isn’t it?
It would be so much better if the protective film from pickguard and other parts could be removed without removing screws and nuts – but ok – that can easily be done. It's a brand-new guitar after all.