Fender Player Plus Telecaster

Is the Fender Player Plus Tele the best deal for a Fender Tele?

As a follow-up to the successful Player Series, Fender launched the Player Plus Telecaster last year. We already liked the the Fender Player Series because we think it offers great value in a North-American made guitar. Naturally, we wanted to check out the Player Plus to see if it delivers at the same price to value ratio. In this article we’ll discuss Fender Player Plus Telecaster features, and compare it to the similarly priced Player Telecaster to determine if the Player Plus is a true upgrade.

Player and Then Some

Whenever a company appends a product with the “Plus” label, it usually means they’ve added something. With guitars however, it’s about the type and/or quality of the features, and sometimes tinkering with a proven formula doesn’t yield real-world benefits. Often, the features added are different, but not necessarily better. Let’s take a look at the Player Plus to see if that’s the case.

Player Plus Telecaster Features

The Player Plus Tele takes aim at the middle price tier. As I often mention here on GK, I believe that this range is where some of the best guitar values can be found. While not overly expensive, the price point allows for upgraded hardware and pickups. The Player Plus demonstrates this with its Fender Noiseless Telecaster pickups and Locking Tuners. Let’s look at the notable features of the Player Plus Tele:

Alder Body
Player Plus Noiseless Telecaster pickups
12” radius fingerboard with rolled edges
Modern 6-saddle Tele bridge with block steel saddles
Push/Pull tone control engages both pickups wired in series
Locking tuning machines
Tummy Cut Body Carve

Modern Features on a Classic Chassis

Clearly, this is a feature list of a modern version of a classic design. And, we feel that this is the essence of the Player Plus line. In fact, you could look at the Player Plus as a Mexican-made version of the American Ultra Telecaster, because there are similarities in the modern classic formula. Namely, the flatter 12” fingerboard radius (though the Ultra is a compound 10-14”), Noiseless pickups, and locking tuning machines. These features are what separates a “vintage” style Tele such as the American Vintage II Telecaster, from the Player Plus.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these features:

1. Alder Body

No alternative tonewoods here—Alder remains Fender’s most common body wood. Although Ash would be a the more vintage choice, Alder’s tonal qualities make for a versatile guitar that works for both vintage and modern sounds.

2. Noiseless Pickups

For electronics, the key differences are the locking tuners on the Player Plus, and the Noiseless pickups. The Player Series Alnico 5 Tele® Single-Coils are good sounding, but some players, especially fans of modern leaning sounds with higher gain may favor the Player Plus Noiseless™ Tele® pickups. The Regardless, I don’t put a whole lot of weight on the stock pickups, since pickups are easily changed.

3. 12″ Radius Fingerboard

Personally, I get on with flatter fretboards, but many players like to stick with what they know, and 9.5” on a Fender is the most common modern radius. Similarly, some swear by vintage tuners, but I find that good locking tuners offer tuning stability benefits with no downside.

4. 6-Saddle Bridge

Though purists will say not to mess with the original Tele bridge design, the 6-Saddle Bridge is as popular as ever, and for good reason. The 6-saddle bridge offers intonation and string height adjustment that is superior to vintage-style bridges. True vintage hounds will want to swap back to a 3-Saddle bridge, and thankfully that’s easy to do. I would argue also that if you’re looking at a Player Plus model, you’re most likely not concerned with having all vintage specs anyway.

5. Push/Pull Tone Control

The Push-Pull tone control is one of the upgrades you get with the Player Plus vs. the Player models. The push/pull is on the tone knob, and it engages both pickups wired in series. This offers access to a loud, clear, double pickup sound.

6. Locking Tuners

Locking tuners are always a welcome upgrade for me. Personally, I don’t understand the objection to locking tuners. No, they are not vintage. And, they aren’t necessary in many cases—I have guitars with standard, non-locking tuners that I enjoy and that play in tune. But, all things equal, a locking tuner can’t hurt, and can possibly help your tuning stability.

7. “Tummy Cut” Body Carve

There is debate about how much body contouring is acceptable on a Telecaster. My personal opinion is that I’m completely fine with a tummy cut, but the top of a tele should be flat. That means no arm cut for me! Closely held opinions aside, comfort should be your guide. I find that the tummy cut helps me position the guitar closer to my body. In addition, as a longtime Strat player, the tummy contour feels familiar to me.

Colors

The Player Plus comes in some awesome colors, too:

Sienna Sunburst
Butterscotch Blonde
Fiesta Red
3-Color Sunburst
Aged Candy Apple Red
Cosmic Jade
Silver Smoke

These colors are based on the classic vintage colors, but with a few twists. In particular, the Silver Smoke has a horizontal burst that goes from dark smoke color towards the rear to a white cloud color at the upper bout. I think this may be the best looking finish in the bunch, and it’s also the only one that comes with a Pau Ferro fingerboard. And, Cosmic Jade is the color for the player who leans more modern than vintage.

Fender Player Plus Nashville Telecaster

The Player Plus also comes in a Nashville format, which means that it has an additional single coil in the middle position. This model comes with everything that the standard one does, with the addition of a Noiseless single coil for Strat-like “in between” tones. It’s the Telecaster for people who can’t live without one of the Strat’s best features. Fans of the now discontinued Fender Modern Player Telecaster will find a lot to like here.

Player Plus Tones

The Player Plus series will give you the expected dose of classic meets modern Telecaster tone. The Noiseless pickups are a great choice if you like to play with higher gain levels.

Here’s a tone demo from Fender:

Fender Player Plus vs. Player Telecaster

The Player Plus is priced approximately $200 more than a comparable Player Series model. Is it worth it? Well, that depends on which features are important to you. Here is a comparison of the features of the Player Plus Telecaster vs. the Player Telecaster.

Specification	Fender Player Plus Telecaster	Fender Player Telecaster
Body Wood	Alder	Alder
Neck Wood	Maple	Maple
Finish	Poly	Poly
Fretboard Radius	12″	9.5″
Frets	Medium Jumbo	Medium Jumbo
Neck Shape	Modern C	Modern C
Tuning Machines	Standard	Deluxe Locking
Pickups	Player Plus Noiseless™ Tele®	Player Series Alnico 5 Tele®
Bridge	6-Saddle American Tele®	6-Saddle American Tele®
Switching Options	Yes (Push/Pull Tone Control)	No

As you can see, the Player Plus takes the Player’s already solid feature set and bumps it up a notch. They are thoughtful upgrades, and the way we see it, there are only two potential dealbreakers:

Tummy Cut Body Contour – If you insist upon having only traditional Telecaster body lines, then the tummy cut might be a deal breaker, since this isn’t easy to change.
Flatter Fretboard – If you prefer a 9.5” radius fretboard, and cannot live with the Player Plus’ 12” radius.

Conclusion

The Player Plus is not Fender’s least expensive Tele, nor anywhere near the most expensive. However, if you’re looking for a versatile guitar that won’t break the bank, the Fender Player Plus Telecaster is well worth considering. For around $1000, this is a modern Tele that keeps you grounded in a classic package.

If you don’t need the modern features—flatter fretboard, locking tuners, noiseless pickups, and pus/pull tone know—you’ll probably enjoy the Fender Player Telecaster just as much. Either way, the Player Plus features and price point makes it a great option for all types of guitarists. Click this link to check today’s price of a Fender Player Plus Telecaster. Happy Playing!