GuitarPlayer Verdict
The Fender Player II Modified Telecaster blends classic style with modern playability. Its noiseless pickups, three-way selector and push-pull tone knob add versatility, offering both traditional Tele sparkle and a beefier, series-wired tone ideal for rock, country or clean textures. Built with quality hardware and a resonant alder body, the guitar feels solid and reliable onstage. Overall, the Player II stands out as an inspiring, noise-free, and adaptable instrument — a modern Tele that respects tradition while expanding tonal possibilities.
Pros
- +
Excellent tones and great playability
- +
Push-pull tone pot puts the pickups in series for a beefier sound
Cons
- -
None
You can trust Guitar Player. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Part of a new series that Fender refers to as classic electric guitars for modern players, the Player II Modified Telecaster on review here is designed for those who prefer such amenities as a wider radius neck, bigger frets and noise-free operation, all of which set it apart from Fender’s vintage-spec offerings available at different price points.
As with the Player II Modified Strat that we reviewed, the "modified" part really says it all. The Player II feels great in the hands thanks to its silky smooth maple neck with Modern C profile and rosewood fingerboard slotted for 22 evenly crowned and polished medium-jumbo frets. Strings load from the back through brass ferrules and glide over a nicely worked TUSC nut out to a set of Fender short-shaft locking tuner with a string tree keeping the E and B strings at the proper height.
The alder body is fitted with a Fender string-through-body bridge with satin-nickel-plated brass-block saddles and a pair of Fender Player II Noiseless Tele pickups. A three-way blade switch makes the usual neck/both/bridge selections where the signal is passed to the volume and tone controls, the latter featuring a push-pull switch that puts both pickups in series when in the “up” position.
This hip feature doesn’t change the stock look one bit but it produces a louder, meatier tone that sounds great with distortion, but also beefs up the clean tones in a nice way. And when you push the chrome-plated knob down you still get that classic Tele sound.
I used the Player II with a Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue (with hand-wired circuitry by Alessandro Amplifiers) and a PRS DGT-15 head through a Bogner 1x12 cab loaded with a Celestion Vintage 30. On gigs varying between rock and country covers to mostly original instrumental music, the Player II did it all so well.
The heftier response with the tone knob pulled made it perfect for rhythm and lead, and because the pickup selector is defeated in that mode (both pickups are always on) you can just rock out and not think about switching pickups because the balance is so good. This is cool too, because you can leave the selector in the bridge, neck or middle setting for an instant transition to a classic Tele tone.
The Player II is an inspiring guitar that feels great under the fingers and, like all Teles, is versatile and can handle pretty much anything you point it at. The “modified” control system is a real advantage for those who appreciate vintage-style Tele but can really use the more muscular, pickups-in-series tones this guitar delivers.
A classic guitar with modern attitude, the Player II Modified Telecaster offers excellent playability, a high-quality build and noise-free tones that can suit any application. Bottom line: This timeless design constantly improves as Fender continues to evolve and refine the venerable Telecaster. So get your hands on a Player II Modified Tele and give it an audition.
SPECIFICATIONS
CONTACT fender.com
PRICE $1,049, gig-bag included
NUT TUSC, 1.650" wide
NECK Maple bolt-on, Modern C shape, satin-urethane finish
FINGERBOARD Rosewood, 25.5" scale, 9.5" radius, dot inlays. Also available with maple fingerboard
FRETS 22 medium jumbo
TUNERS Fender Deluxe short-shaft, die-cast locking
BODY Alder
FINISH Dusk, gloss polyester
BRIDGE String-through-body Tele with six adjustable block-brass saddles
PICKUPS Fender Player II Noiseless Tele single-coil (neck and bridge)
CONTROLS Volume with treble bleed, tone with push-pull series switch, three-way blade selector
EXTRAS Available in six colors: Dusk, Electric Blue, 3-Color Sunburst, Harvest Green Metallic, Olympic Pearl, Sunshine Yellow. Player II Modified Telecaster SH ($1,079) features a humbucker in the neck position and a push-pull coil-split pot
WEIGHT 8.8 lbs (as tested)
BUILT Ensenada, Mexico
PRO Excellent tones. Great playability. Push-pull tone pot puts the pickups in series for a beefier sound
CON None
