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Fender Player II basses!


jd56hawk
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Posted (edited)

The link to the information from an Italian website has already been taken down. Same thing happened last year when a German site jumped the gun with info about new Fender basses. Regardless...

 

Step into the spotlight and experience iconic Fender® sound and style with the Player II Jazz Bass® — a stage-ready bass guitar with contemporary updates to power your performance and inspire your playing.

The Player II Jazz Bass radiates timeless Fender charm, but under the hood, it’s primed for today’s players. Everything about the neck is designed for fast and fluid playability, from the Modern “C”-profile with silky satin urethane finish on the back to the comfy 9.5”-radius slab rosewood or maple fingerboard with smooth rolled edges and 20 medium jumbo frets. A classic alder body is available in both timeless Fender finishes and never-before-seen colors unearthed from the archives. Player Series Alnico V Single-Coil J bass® pickups offer sweet highs, growling mids and seismic lows that elevate any genre. An adjustable 4-saddle bridge, single-groove steel saddles and open-gear tuners ensure precise tuning stability for the flexibility to explore endless sonic possibilities.

 

As for never-before-seen colors, I doubt it, especially since they've been "unearthed from the archives." I'm betting they'll be offering Black, Polar White, 3-Color Sunburst...and thinking outside the box, Lake Placid Blue instead of Tidepool, Dakota Red instead of Candy Apple Red, and Surf Green instead of Sea Foam Green. Hey, maybe they'll surprise me and offer Candy-Apple Green, though!
I've noticed that there aren't too many Player basses available at some stores and a markdown in price for what's left.
Other than that, is this the year the price jumps to $949.99 for Player basses?

Edited by jd56hawk
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This is very attractive but apparently Fender is now a follower instead of a pioneer in the bass market.

But still i welcome the rolled edge and rosewood.

 

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Posted (edited)
5 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Which can only be good thing imo, just not keen on the look of it 

 

I'm the same, I know it's just because I've been used to seeing Rosewood used for dark boards for most of my life but Pau Ferro never looked quite 'right'  to me.

 

Weirdly I don't mind Indian Laurel though as long as it doesn't have that greyish tint you see sometimes.

Edited by Cato
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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, Martin E said:

Yes indeed. I quite like the Birch Green colour though, is that a new one or has it been seen before?

Yes, it's been seen before...first few seasons of Bewitched, the phone in Darrin's den.

Regardless, other than the Coral Red with the black pickguard, they're not offering anything close to exciting and new.

The Aquatone blue, not bad, but is it really any different than last year's MIJ Maui Blue?

I've said it before, they should call this the Fender Humdrum series.

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Edited by jd56hawk
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Oooh, rolled fingerboard edges, which you can have on a Sire P bass for less than half the price and the return of rosewood but apart from that not much difference from the old models.

 

And £839? :o

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Posted (edited)

It always makes me laugh when people accuse companies like Fender of not pushing the boat out regarding colour choices or technology, when they probably wouldn’t buy one anyway. 
 

I’m pretty sure Fender, being the multi million pound business that it is, knows its demographic and that part of launching an upgraded range would be to look at sales figures for different colours across said demographic and offer something they know will sell. It’s a business after all, not a company driven by artistic freedom. 


On a side note I see they’ve changed made in Mexico to made in Ensenada which I’m pretty sure is in Mexico 😂. Looks like the marketing team are trying to disassociate the idea of a Mexican made bass being a negative thing and make it sound fancier?

Edited by Bassybert
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23 minutes ago, Bassybert said:

It always makes me laugh when people accuse companies like Fender of not pushing the boat out regarding colour choices or technology, when they probably wouldn’t buy one anyway. 
 

I’m pretty sure Fender, being the multi million pound business that it is, knows its demographic and that part of launching an upgraded range would be to look at sales figures for different colours across said demographic and offer something they know will sell. It’s a business after all, not a company driven by artistic freedom. 


On a side note I see they’ve changed made in Mexico to made in Ensenada which I’m pretty sure is in Mexico 😂. Looks like the marketing team are trying to disassociate the idea of a Mexican made bass being a negative thing and make it sound fancier?

Exactly!

That's why they have the Fender Mod shop, which allows you to mod your bass the way you want it!

Correction, the way Fender 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 you to mod it.

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Worth remembering that the Fender group includes Charvel, Jackson, Gretch and EVH.

 

They don't need to radically shake up their Fender range because they've already got most of the rest of the market covered by their other brands.

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Bassybert said:

It always makes me laugh when people accuse companies like Fender of not pushing the boat out regarding colour choices or technology, when they probably wouldn’t buy one anyway. 

Yes, as soon as they do anything different, folk recoil in horror. The Dimension bass seemed like a good, new design, without being too radical (unlike the Meteora) but it was mostly studiously ignored.

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Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, ezbass said:

Yes, as soon as they do anything different, folk recoil in horror. The Dimension bass seemed like a good, new design, without being too radical (unlike the Meteora) but it was mostly studiously ignored.

Missed out on this one for a great price back when they were first discontinued.

Now, the prices for mint ones are crazy!

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Edited by jd56hawk
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1 hour ago, Cato said:

Worth remembering that the Fender group includes Charvel, Jackson, Gretch and EVH.

 

They don't need to radically shake up their Fender range because they've already got most of the rest of the market covered by their other brands.

 

Exactly.  If you want something a bit flash, Charvel and Jackson are there for you.  If black and maple, sunburst or white are your thing, Fender won't let you down.

 

Personally, I like flash stuff, so the only colour I like from the new range is the blue.

 

The only differences I can see are rounded edges on the fretboard and a satin urethane finish on the neck, instead of gloss.  Still, that is two improvements.

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