Fender Player II Modified Stratocaster HSS Floyd Rose review: “you may have just found your soul mate”
$1,189/£1,049, fender.com
It’s been 30 years since a Floyd Rose vibrato was first seen on a production Fender Stratocaster. And for many of us, a locking nut in such close proximity to a Fender logo can feel just as alien as it was back then.
READ MORE: Fender Standard Stratocaster review – “I can’t shake the feeling it should be better than this”
And it shouldn’t really. After all, the whole idea of a ‘SuperStrat’ would not exist without well… a Strat. Perhaps this is because back in the 80s, when every brand under the sun was taking an S-type body and sticking a humbucker and a Floyd in there, Fender held firm with the classic synchronised tremolo. That’s why there are vanishingly few images of back-combed guitar heroes sporting genuine Strats with Floyds.
But that was a long time ago, and Fender is a brand much more open to giving the public what they want now. Indeed that’s broadly the entire point of the Player II Modified range – to cater to the needs of pro players not met by the core line.
Image: Adam Gasson
Fender Player II Modified Stratocaster HSS Floyd Rose – what is it?
So what exactly do those ‘needs’ entail in this day and age? Well, the Modified series is effectively a replacement for the Player Plus – Fender’s first foray into creating upgraded instruments for those who wanted things like noiseless pickups, flatter radiuses, enhanced switching options, and some pretty out-there finishes.
The Modified guitars have carried most of that over, though the finishes are much more reserved this time. You can have this Floyd Strat in black, sunburst or this Olympic Pearl option. What price a Tequila Sunrise or Belair Blue?
In terms of player comfort on this HSS Strat, the main differences between this and a regular Player II are a slim ‘C’ neck profile and a flatter 12-inch fretboard radius to eliminate string choking. As with Player II you get the factory-rolled fingerboard edges.
In terms of hardware, there’s the Floyd Rose Special double-locking trem of course, and you’ll find locking tuners up beyond that locking nut, too. In terms of tuning stability, that won’t make any difference here of course, but it should at least speed up string changes.
In terms of actual noise-making power, you get a pair of Fender’s Player II Noiseless Strat pickups paired with Player II Modified Humbucker in the bridge. It’s all controlled by a standard five-way plus a trio of push/pull pots – giving you access to a treble bleed, neck and middle pickups in series, and a coil-split on that humbucker.
Image: Adam Gasson
Fender Player II Modified Stratocaster HSS Floyd Rose – feel and sounds?
With its chunky Floyd Rose hardware, it’s not the lightest Strat in the world, weighing in at 8.3lbs. What must be said however is that the rosewood ‘board is deliciously dark and an indication of the quality of woods used – as with the Player II it’s a welcome return from the pau ferro days.
One thing that is a little disappointing is the lack of any kind of chamfering or sculpting on the heel of this guitar. Given that it’s so clearly aimed at those of a more technical bent, it would have been nice to see, but I suppose generations of Strat players have got by without finding the standard four-bolt square heel too much of an impediment.
Upon getting it out of its box, I lower the action a little – it’s the most straightforward part of setting up a Floyd Rose bridge, and the 12” radius allows me to get it quite low. In conjunction with the slim C neck we are now ripe for ripping.
Image: Adam Gasson
I plug into my Mesa Mark IV on a saturated setting. On the bridge setting I’m met with a full-throated rock sound that in its essence is Strat-like (plenty of snap and bite) but with a focused low end and an enhanced midrange.
Quick legato lines sound fluid and, as is the strength of the Floyd Rose, all our harmonic-driven dive bombs return to pitch nicely. The bridge comfortably handles any heavy riffage I throw at it, too – it’s firmly of the medium-high output category.
The single coil neck pickup will forever remain a go-to location on a Strat and through a slightly overdriven rhythm channel, Hendrix-style doublestop licks sound wonderfully authentic, retaining the character of a single-coil but minus the hum. I’ve not had great experiences with noiseless single-coils in the past, but these are a very pleasant surprise.
Image: Adam Gasson
Fender Player II Modified Stratocaster HSS Floyd Rose – should I buy one?
The mid-price SuperStrat is one of the most oversaturated areas of the guitar market, but the reality is the Player II’s biggest competition is from Fender’s subsidiary brands: Charvel and Jackson.
That being said, Fender is shrewd enough to believe that there is a market out there for rock and metal players who want to play a Strat, and they’re probably right. The iconic model will always prove alluring to guitarists and at one point they will inevitably become embroiled in a showroom tryst with one.
“Once you play Strat, you never go back” may sound like a threat but it’s true – the design is so timeless and comfortable, you’ll soon realise that it can do anything. If the only thing that has stopped you flirting with a Strat until now is the lack of a double-locking bridge, then you may have just found your soul mate.
Fender Player II Modified Stratocaster HSS Floyd Rose – alternatives
Charvel were one of the first producers of the SuperStrat and the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR ($1,099.99/£969) features a set of medium-high output Seymour Duncans, rosewood neck, and black hardware, all in an instantly recognisable classic design.
The Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder (£1,049/$899) offers quite a bit of bang for your buck and firmly aimed at those who require a little more output in the gain department, featuring the uber-powerful EMG Retro Active Hot 70 in the bridge and a Sustainiac in the neck.
A cheaper alternative would be the Jackson X Series Signature Adrian Smith SDX ($629.99/£569), which is the Chinese-manufactured version of the Iron Maiden’s guitarist signature guitar.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
