“Ash and mahogany bodies available in never-before-seen colors”: Fender’s Player II range has been expanded with new tonewoods and forgotten finishes unearthed from the archives

Exploring the Player II Ash and Mahogany Stratocaster Models | Player II Series | Fender - YouTube

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Earlier this year, Fender unveiled its Player II range, which elevated the best-selling Player family of electric guitars and bass guitars to new heights thanks to a wealth of updated appointments.

Now, Fender has continued to firm up the foundations of the fledgling Player II family by introducing two new tonewoods into the mix: ash and mahogany.

Specifically, chambered ash and chambered mahogany bodies will now be an option across the range’s Stratocaster, Stratocaster HSS and Telecaster designs.

In true Player II style, the new ash and mahogany models stick to the original spec sheet that the updated Player guitars ushered in.

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That means rosewood fingerboards – where maple isn’t used – are present, along with rolled fingerboard edges for a more vintage feel. They also offer updated hardware and improved bridge designs.

For a reminder of what the Player II Strat is all about, the ash and mahogany Stratocasters offer a modern C-profile neck, 9.5” radius fingerboard, Player Alnico V single-coils – plus an Alnico II humbucker for the HSS – and ClassicGear tuners, as well as a two-point tremolo and 22 medium jumbo frets.

It’s a similar story for the Telecaster, which also offers a C-profile maple neck, 9.5” radius fingerboard, and Alnico V single-coils.

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Of course, the big thing here is the new tonewoods: ash – a once-mainstay Fender tonewood that was actually pulled out of production-line guitars for a while back in 2020 – and mahogany, a slightly more unusual option that one might more commonly associate with Gibson guitars.

Alder continues to be the most popular option for Fender Strats and Teles, but the addition of chambered ash and mahogany to the range will no doubt please a bunch of players – especially those who are looking for a more resonant, lighter-weight guitar.

And, as was the case with the original drop, it looks as though some forgotten finishes have been drafted back for these new models, with Fender writing, “Introducing chambered ash and mahogany bodies available in both classic Fender finishes and never-before-seen colors unearthed from the archives.

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“The Player II Stratocaster and Telecaster radiates timeless Fender charm, but under the hood, it's primed for today's players.”

The whole list of colors includes Aged Cherry Burst, Transparent Cherry Burst, Transparent Mocha Burst, White Blonde and Butterscotch Blonde.

Prices for the Player II Strats and Teles start from $799, while the HSS models are slightly more expensive, strating from $829.

Visit Fender to find out more.