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Post subject: Modern Player mahogany HSH.....anyone tried one?
Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 3:31 am
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Ok, so I havn't seen many new Fender Strats that I've really fancied over the past few years until this came along. I know it's made in China and not necessarily the best there is out there (MIMs are suposidly a fiar bit better for not much more outlay) but I really fancy a true Mahogany bodied Fender which I could eventually upgrade the pickups to APH1 or similar with a lace in the centre but...........

What are the necks like re finish and frets? finish on the body doesn't bother me as I'm not precious about my guitars, they are there to be gigged and used!

I've checked out the youtube vid which makes it sound awesome, which is why I don't believe it!! lol

All comments welcome.

Thanks

Sacha

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Post subject: Re: Modern Player mahogany HSH.....anyone tried one?
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 8:29 am
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I just got the Modern Player HSH Crimson Red last week. Let me first say this is my first strat. I've played a 70's Gibson Les Paul for over 30 years, but this past spring I started having an interest in strats. With that out of the way I spent the last several months going to different stores and playing around with different strats from all price ranges. The best one that I played was an American Deluxe which I expected to be. I played an American Standard that I liked. I also played one of the BlueWave that felt good and a couple of the Blacktops with the dual humbuckers along with MIM Strats, Squire CVs, and a JV Squire from the 80's (?) that the local GC had. I'm only posting all of that to say I have at least tried to check out other strats before deciding on this one. Now with all of that out of the way let me chime in with my first post.

From what I've read in different forums the Fender Modern Player is made in the same factory as the Squire Classic Vibe. Can't prove it, but that is what I've read in different post. When I picked up a CV and compared the two they felt very similar. In researching this particular guitar the impression that I got was Fender made this as an entry level point to there line. Some of the comments that I've read seem to indicate the Modern Player was supposed to be a Squire model, but again no hard evidence on that. So I went in with low expectations and came away surprised by what I've found so far.

This is a HSH and the way Fender configured it position 2 and 4 are a combination of the middle pickup with one of the coils from the neck or bridge, so only position 3 is a true single coil sound. So if you are looking for a traditional Fender Strat 3 single coil sound you won't find it here. As for the pickup themselves......I don't know what they are and I can't find any info on them. Them seem responsive and good for the money. When I tested the guitar in the store I played it through a Roland Cube 40 on the clean setting, no effects and eq set to flat. I really wanted to hear the guitar not the amp. The bridge humbucker has the gain and the brightness that you would expect and the neck humbucker has the darker tones. So in a tone sense I have my Les Paul in a much lighter guitar.

The neck is what Fender refers to as a "Modern C". Coming from a thick Les Paul, it's very comfortable and fast. The Medium Jumbo frets feel good. I've played it every night for the past week and it just feels comfortable. This is in comparison to a Gibson neck, a Taylor acoustic neck, and an Ovation Acoustic neck.

The finish is the Crimson Red see through and I really like it. The color is really nice in person. I looked it over and I can't see any flaws on the body or the neck. Most all the guitars that I've ever owned have been natural finish, so this one really caught my eye. Fender has had a few others that I really liked the finish, but the price points went up quickly.

As for the hardware Fender states the bride is a "2-point tremolo" and the keys are "Vintage style". I've not played with the tremolo enough to make a comment and as far as all the hardware and electronics I'll have to leave that to the more experienced strat users.

So with that all written out, where does this guitar leave us? I personally think it's a good guitar, not great, but good. I've got to have more time with it to really get to know it. The American Standard and the Deluxe that I played felt better and I would expect them to for the jump in price. Compared to the MIM ones that I played.......I felt it held it's own. Those may have been bad MIM strats or maybe this is a good guitar. After playing around with the sounds I can really see where a traditional strat fan may not like this pickup configuration. But for someone coming from a humbucker background this is great and it makes me want to learn more about the rest of the Fender guitars.

My advice for people as with any guitar is to go and play one if you can. Out of all the shops where I live only one had the Modern Player series. I spent two days in that shop and played nearly every guitar that they had comparing all the sounds and features. The price point on this one puts it just above the Squire CV series and below the Fender Blacktops. For me personally it's a really nice guitar to get started with in the Stratocaster world.

My apology for such a long first post, but I've not seen much info on this guitar. So I thought I would share my 2 cents on this.

Joe


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Post subject: Re: Modern Player mahogany HSH.....anyone tried one?
Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 11:43 am
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Great post Joe! To be fair your thoughts on this model Strat seem to tie in with exactly what I expected to hear from someone with a decent guitar playing background to say about it! Suffice to say I'm now seriously wanting one!

I've played a fair amount of Strats, the best one being my 89 Strat Plus Deluxe, BUT some of the closest Strats to mine in terms of quality of feel have been MIMs (not the pickups mind). I recently tried a £1500 Nash Strat which felt and sounded like a £1500 Strat should but left me cold, it was just another Strat. I've also played an SRV which was not to my tastes at all.

So I'm definitely going to be seeking one out in the near future to try and probably buy especially at the price if them.

Any other views out there?

Sacha

PS Joe keep us posted in your ongoing use of your new baby!

_________________
89+91 Strat+Dlx
MIM FSR Strat
LP Std
MIM Tele
Tele Lite-Rswd
MP Jag
Homebuild Colt
Dano U2
Charvel SDI Lacewood US
Tokai V
Hondo II LP Jnr
Martin 00028-EC
Hand-made 000 acoustic

Marshall DSL100H/TSL100/MA100H
Fender Bls Dlx
Bugera V5
Orange Micro-terror


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Post subject: Re: Modern Player mahogany HSH.....anyone tried one?
Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 12:05 pm
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As HSH guitars become increasingly popular, Fender just added an American Deluxe Stratocaster sporting a N3 noiseless pickup sandwiched between dual Modern Twinhead humbuckers!

Image

This guitar deserves a Mini Floyd Rose Bridge Assembly! :P

Image


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Post subject: Re: Modern Player mahogany HSH.....anyone tried one?
Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 2:08 pm
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That American Deluxe reminds me of the one that I played at GC with the S1 Switching system. 9 different tones from all the combinations.


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Post subject: Re: Modern Player mahogany HSH.....anyone tried one?
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 2:26 am
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Wow, that deluxe almost looks like a Plus!!

Oh why do you guys do this, that's another Strat added to the want list DOH!!!

The Strat Want list now sits like this:

90's Ultra
New Modern Player II (in brown)
New US Deluxe
MIM Road Worn player
A vintage 70's strat (don't know why though!)
Custom Shop to to my spec

Oh dear......... GAS trouble again!!! lol

_________________
89+91 Strat+Dlx
MIM FSR Strat
LP Std
MIM Tele
Tele Lite-Rswd
MP Jag
Homebuild Colt
Dano U2
Charvel SDI Lacewood US
Tokai V
Hondo II LP Jnr
Martin 00028-EC
Hand-made 000 acoustic

Marshall DSL100H/TSL100/MA100H
Fender Bls Dlx
Bugera V5
Orange Micro-terror


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Profile
Post subject: Re: Modern Player mahogany HSH.....anyone tried one?
Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 5:10 pm
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Ok so I'm in Florida and visited the guitar centre down here. Long story short I bought a Tele which I'll be posting about shortly BUT I also tried 2 Modern Player 2 Mahogany HSH Strat's.

Well let's keep this simple:

1. Both sounded way better than I expected which I think could be due to the inclusions of 2 humbuckers but I was very very impressed for the price. I'd actually go as far to say that if I bought one I'd keep the pickups in for a good while rather than changing them out straight away

2. Body weight on both was great and the one I tried with a strap was well balanced

3. The neck felt good but......

4. The frets although feeling a lot better than I expected had a deal breaker on them. They were both too rolled on the edges and caused a drop off of the low e. One more than the other but both did it. A deal breaker as I wouldn't want a new guitar to need a re-fret. A redress for sure on a cheap strat I would expect but not new frets.

Now please note that this was an issue for me (might not be for others) as I really wanted to add one to my package I was buying to lower the price of the Tele. But unfortunately it wasn't to be.

This may have been a bad batch or badly cut nuts but it put me off on this occasion and to me it looked like poorly rolled fret edges.

I hope this helps some of you.

Cheers

Sacha

_________________
89+91 Strat+Dlx
MIM FSR Strat
LP Std
MIM Tele
Tele Lite-Rswd
MP Jag
Homebuild Colt
Dano U2
Charvel SDI Lacewood US
Tokai V
Hondo II LP Jnr
Martin 00028-EC
Hand-made 000 acoustic

Marshall DSL100H/TSL100/MA100H
Fender Bls Dlx
Bugera V5
Orange Micro-terror


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Profile
Post subject: Re: Modern Player mahogany HSH.....anyone tried one?
Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2014 7:50 am
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Just thought I'd add a bit on here from my new experience of buying a Modern Player Jaguar.

After playing the Jag for the last few weeks and comparing it to my experience with the MP strats I’d state the following:

My first experience with the Jag with standard strings was the same as the strats (tendency for the low E to drop off the fret edges a bit)

After installing my choice of strings it’s much better, so much so that it’s hardly noticeable

Conclusion,

Firstly as I run a heavy low E (52) and on all my electrics I have a heavy fretting style and would notice low E drop offs more than most people especially with a 42 low E which I think is generally standard on Fenders.

Secondly, I think that the issue (for me at least) isn’t with the frets which in comparison to my other guitars are closer to a custom shop guitar re rolled at the edge with a nice feel (yes, really!!). The more likely cause of this is the nut as when I compare it to others, the Low E is very close to the edge of the finger board.

So, what I’m saying is, go buy a Modern Player whilst they’re available, I think they are in the same ball park as the original Japanese manufactured Fender badged guitars of the mid-eighties. They may not become collectable due to the number of units likely to be sold but are great guitars.

The most recent news I’ve heard is that our local fender dealer reckons that these Chinese Fenders are better finished than some of the standard MIMs.

I now NEED an MP strat asap!! ;)

_________________
89+91 Strat+Dlx
MIM FSR Strat
LP Std
MIM Tele
Tele Lite-Rswd
MP Jag
Homebuild Colt
Dano U2
Charvel SDI Lacewood US
Tokai V
Hondo II LP Jnr
Martin 00028-EC
Hand-made 000 acoustic

Marshall DSL100H/TSL100/MA100H
Fender Bls Dlx
Bugera V5
Orange Micro-terror


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Modern Player mahogany HSH.....anyone tried one?
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 12:54 pm
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Joined: Fri Oct 10, 2014 12:19 pm
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Hi Fellows!

First off, sorry for my english mistakes, I'm from Brazil and a self-student of that awesome language!.. But, straight to the point,, and looking for my new guitar, and I've been thinking exactly about that, the Modern Player Stratocaster HSH.. There isn't many informations on the internet about that guitar so far, but the infos here posted from you guys is really helpfull!

That question about the frets vs the low E seems to me a real issue..
I don't tested anyone of that yet and I was looking to buy it from internet, but from now I think it will be better walk around here in some guitar stores, try to find one, test it and see what is my impression about that, but I think that I won't find the HSH model, just the HSS.

But, I really appreciate your time spent here with your impressions!!

As soon as I get my own, I'll contribute here too!

Thnks fellows!


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Post subject: Re: Modern Player mahogany HSH.....anyone tried one?
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 5:11 pm
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Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2013 2:11 pm
Posts: 820
Location: Iowa, USA
AnalogJoe wrote:
I just got the Modern Player HSH Crimson Red last week. Let me first say this is my first strat. I've played a 70's Gibson Les Paul for over 30 years, but this past spring I started having an interest in strats. With that out of the way I spent the last several months going to different stores and playing around with different strats from all price ranges. The best one that I played was an American Deluxe which I expected to be. I played an American Standard that I liked. I also played one of the BlueWave that felt good and a couple of the Blacktops with the dual humbuckers along with MIM Strats, Squire CVs, and a JV Squire from the 80's (?) that the local GC had. I'm only posting all of that to say I have at least tried to check out other strats before deciding on this one. Now with all of that out of the way let me chime in with my first post.

From what I've read in different forums the Fender Modern Player is made in the same factory as the Squire Classic Vibe. Can't prove it, but that is what I've read in different post. When I picked up a CV and compared the two they felt very similar. In researching this particular guitar the impression that I got was Fender made this as an entry level point to there line. Some of the comments that I've read seem to indicate the Modern Player was supposed to be a Squire model, but again no hard evidence on that. So I went in with low expectations and came away surprised by what I've found so far.

This is a HSH and the way Fender configured it position 2 and 4 are a combination of the middle pickup with one of the coils from the neck or bridge, so only position 3 is a true single coil sound. So if you are looking for a traditional Fender Strat 3 single coil sound you won't find it here. As for the pickup themselves......I don't know what they are and I can't find any info on them. Them seem responsive and good for the money. When I tested the guitar in the store I played it through a Roland Cube 40 on the clean setting, no effects and eq set to flat. I really wanted to hear the guitar not the amp. The bridge humbucker has the gain and the brightness that you would expect and the neck humbucker has the darker tones. So in a tone sense I have my Les Paul in a much lighter guitar.

The neck is what Fender refers to as a "Modern C". Coming from a thick Les Paul, it's very comfortable and fast. The Medium Jumbo frets feel good. I've played it every night for the past week and it just feels comfortable. This is in comparison to a Gibson neck, a Taylor acoustic neck, and an Ovation Acoustic neck.

The finish is the Crimson Red see through and I really like it. The color is really nice in person. I looked it over and I can't see any flaws on the body or the neck. Most all the guitars that I've ever owned have been natural finish, so this one really caught my eye. Fender has had a few others that I really liked the finish, but the price points went up quickly.

As for the hardware Fender states the bride is a "2-point tremolo" and the keys are "Vintage style". I've not played with the tremolo enough to make a comment and as far as all the hardware and electronics I'll have to leave that to the more experienced strat users.

So with that all written out, where does this guitar leave us? I personally think it's a good guitar, not great, but good. I've got to have more time with it to really get to know it. The American Standard and the Deluxe that I played felt better and I would expect them to for the jump in price. Compared to the MIM ones that I played.......I felt it held it's own. Those may have been bad MIM strats or maybe this is a good guitar. After playing around with the sounds I can really see where a traditional strat fan may not like this pickup configuration. But for someone coming from a humbucker background this is great and it makes me want to learn more about the rest of the Fender guitars.

My advice for people as with any guitar is to go and play one if you can. Out of all the shops where I live only one had the Modern Player series. I spent two days in that shop and played nearly every guitar that they had comparing all the sounds and features. The price point on this one puts it just above the Squire CV series and below the Fender Blacktops. For me personally it's a really nice guitar to get started with in the Stratocaster world.

My apology for such a long first post, but I've not seen much info on this guitar. So I thought I would share my 2 cents on this.

Joe

Thanks Joe...nice informative non-biased view. This is the kind of review I like to read.
Been a couple months now...anything new to say about the guitar? More love? Less love? Total regret?


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