“Radiating timeless Fender charm”: Fender gives its Player II series some serious pizzazz by launching the ultra-desirable Limited Edition Sparkle range

Fender has officially launched its limited-edition range of Sparkle Player II electric guitars, after the firm confirmed a cosmetic overhaul of the line would be coming at NAMM earlier this year.

The Player Series was launched to bring the look, feel, and sounds of sought-after Fender classics to more humble price tags, with the updated Player II line impressing with their “effortless playability”.

Here, the Sparkle finish, split evenly between electric guitars and bass, is a little muted, making for a classier aesthetic rather than an all-out dazzle fest with the same Three-Color Sunburst Sparkle finish present across the four new instruments.

As Fender says, “The Player II Stratocaster radiates timeless Fender charm, but under the hood, it’s primed for today’s players,” with the specs closely mirroring the rest of the range.

In terms of the Stratocaster ($899.99), that sees Player Series Alnico V Single-Coil Strat pickups, curated for “crystalline highs, musical mids and tight lows that elevate any genre,” sitting at its core. A five-way switch helps extract the most out of its SSS design.

Exploring the Limited Edition Player II Series in Sparkle 3-Color Sunburst | Fender - YouTube

Watch On

A modern C-profile sculpts the neck, which gets a satin urethane finish and a 9.5" radius, has been selected for comfortable playing. Slab rosewood and maple fingerboards, both with smooth rolled edges, are on offer and serve up 22 frets each. Its hardware is capped by a two-point tremolo and ClassicGear tuners.

That spec sheet has been copied over to the Tele ($899.99) with the key differences being a three-position blade switch for its twin single coil pickups and a six-saddle bridge with block steel saddles replacing the tremolo.

The basses and their necks have also been sculpted for fast and fluid playability as the same modern C-profile, 9.5" radius and choice of slab rosewood and maple 'boards is repeated.

Here, the Jazz ($899.99) sets itself apart with 20 medium jumbo frets, and Player Series Alnico V Single-Coil J Bass pickups for sweet highs, growling mids and seismic lows.

Image 1 of 4

Hardware appointments include an adjustable four-saddle bridge, single-groove steel saddles and open-gear tuners.

As for the Precision Bass ($899.99), it features Player Series Alnico V Split-Coil P Bass pickups and the classic P-Bass outline, but otherwise, it shares like-for-like specs with the Jazz.

The subtly sparkling guitars are all available now.

Head to Fender for more information.