Fender Player Plus Stratocaster vs. American Ultra Stratocaster Comparison
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- čas přidán 3. 08. 2024
- Today we're running down one of the most obvious comparisons since the introduction of Fender's new Player Plus series-- Player Plus vs. Ultra! Both of these guitars have noiseless pickups, rolled fret-edges, and locking tuners; but are the extra carves and extra features of the Ultra series worth a $1000 upcharge? Check out the demos and let us know what you think!
0:00 Intro/Specs
15:02 Fender American Ultra Stratocaster Demo
17:18 Fender Player Plus Stratocaster Demo
19:35 Wrapping Up
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Does anyone else here intend on practicing for three hours but then just ends up watching videos like this for four?
I'm glad I'm not the only one who suffers from this. I just try to duplicate what they play most of the time and that's my practice lol
Happens all the time! Ugh!
its meeeee
Ives spent most of the year practicing. I am enjoying watching these Vids foe 3 hours
🤣......😔......
**** TONE COMPARISON ****
5th Position : Player Plus - 17:18 | Ultra - 15:01
4th Position : Player Plus - 17:41 | Ultra - 15:24
3rd Position : Player Plus - 17:55 | Ultra - 15:38
2nd Position : Player Plus - 18:17 | Ultra - 16:00
2nd Position (switch Pulled/Pressed: all 3 pickups) : Player Plus - 18:32 | Ultra - 16:14
1st Position (Switch Pulled/Pressed: Neck and Bridge) : Player Plus - 18:49 | Ultra - 16:39
1st Position : Player Plus - 19:09 | Ultra - 16:47
The best comparison I've ever seen of these guitars. So informative.
always enjoy your reviews, guys!! Cooper, you rock!
excellent demo and discution !! thanks from France !
After trying both guitars at my local guitar center, the ultra just felt so much better in my hands. I also ever so slightly like the ultra noiseless pickups a little better. They just sound a little more melodic to me. That's not to say that the player noiseless pickups aren't an amazing. They're absolutely a great deal for how they sound.
Unfortunately, they didn't have the ultra strat in Texas tea so I had to order one online and now I'm waiting lol. Thanks for the demo guys.
I just bought an Ultra from you guys on Reverb. Great review and thanks for the business!
I would purchase the player plus right away if only the fiesta red guitar came with a rosewood fingerboard, great demo thankyou, this guy can play ! 🙂👍🇬🇧
Great comparison fellas! I have a green HSS Player Plus and love it WAAAAAY more than I thought I would as I've been playing mainly teles since the age of the dinosaurs. The neck is just incredible and feels SO good. Have a subscription!
bought the bel-air blue, i didnt know what premium was before this guitar lol. decided MIM fenders are damn near identical sounding and couldnt beat the store discount i got.
I have the Player Plus Strat in Tequila Sunrise (SSS) and I am crazy about that guitar, far more than I ever expected to be.
just bought a player plus HSS in cosmic jade for my wife, had it pleked from sweetwater and it is a epic guitar, first strat i ever bought and cant say i regret it at all.
that cosmic jade though is gorgeous- got one hanging on my wall screaming ‘play me’ everytime i walk by it
Great comparison. Maybe just the slightest edge to the Ultra pickups.
Both are impressive, for the money the player plus is a true winner. I have a 3 tone burst, pau-ferro player tele and so far i love it. I just threw on some fender locking tuners and it's even better. great video and great playing/demo. thanks from Alberta Canada wild rose country. I also have 91 stratplus i bought it new and it has been fantastic, just got the frets replaced and it plays like new.
Loved this video! I totally agree that the player plus line is punching above it’s weight class. I hope you guys do a telecaster version of this video also, no pressure but that would be cool 🙏✌️
That's what I was looking for was the tele version. But this is appreciated.
@@harrodsongs Anderton’s did a great one recently. A blindfold episode comparing the American Ultra with Player Plus, and the teles are included. Rob thought on both occasions that the player plus strat and tele were the ultras! I bought the player plus tele! And it’s so true, it feels like one of the best production models you can find from Fender and does not feel like your typical Mexican although Mexican Fenders have been great for decades. But the player plus is kinda ridiculously good. I practice on my player plus tele every day, I’ve forgotten it’s a Mexican it feels like an equal with my custom shop strat honestly. Feels like Fender did this by accident, that a much cheaper model rivals the top of their line 😸. I feel as if I grabbed one before Fender have realized and corrected this mistake or something ✌️
@@harrodsongs I ended up going for the regular tele instead of the Nashville personally because well I have a strat but I fell in love with the in series humbuckery tone you get from the pull of the tone knob on the regular version. But it’s a win either way, the pickups are super nice on these models. The neck pickup is a nice telecaster neck pickup, really nails that chewy tele neck pickup sound I love even if it is noiseless. I thought I’d want to change the pickups but I don’t think I will. Player plus is easily the best bang for your buck in my humble opinion ✌️
I already own a Player Plus and it's that good that I ordered a second one though I also have top of the line US-strats. Compared to my Elite strat there isn't anything justifying 1000€ more to expend.
At 9:38ff you mean "specificat-i." ;)
Fantastic video! Thanks. Keep it up!
You're just a terrific guitar player!
Fender's Charvel guitars out of Mexico are in the $999. range and should be compared to the Player Plus.
That green light is making that blue Strat look magical. Cooper's hair too, but that's beside that point.
Great rundown. Can't afford either an Ultra or a Player Plus atm so had to settle for one of your awesome AMC retro t-shirts! :D
Same except I should have gotten one when I was able to.
I bought a player Plus Strat. Love it!
As an Ultra owner I'm surprised to say these Player Plus Pickups sounded really really good.
I've been debating on getting an ultra but I also need a jazz bass. Do you think it's worth it to spend 2000 on the ultra strat or buy the player plus strat and the player plus jbass for the same price?
@@ISaudio you really need to try them. In these situations I normally advise you to get the guitar you really want. Otherwise you'll end up still thinking about the Ultra. Save up for the Bass.
@@czechplastik you’re absolutely right. Had to get rid of my elite strat after some neck problems but loved the way it sounded and played. Gonna get the ultra and save for an ultra jbass as well. Cheers
@@ISaudio I've done something similar before. I ended up still lusting after the more expensive guitar and ended up buying it eventually. Could have saved a bunch of money just buying it the first time! Good luck with the Ultra.
Noiseless too!
Great rundown and Cooper you are a super tasty player!
Both looks super cool! But I think I go for the player plus but different color
very nice playing
Very helpful
That little jam was beautiful
Excellent demo with beautiful music, I have to admit that I found both sounding great, very little difference in how they sound and probably the decision might be taken on some extra features, colours and budget. I wish Fender had a hardtail option, I don't use (like) trems and I favour hardtail guitars.
Check out the Robert Cray mim signature.
I put trem totaly against the body and put all spring creating strong tension. So it is almost hardtail, but still on rare occasions I can use trembar to create subtle vibrato on chords.
Squiers have them lol
Nashvile Telecaster
On the Player Plus Strat version, you can replace the knobs with fender aged white “soft touch” knobs like the ones that came out on the Elites around 2017 (although one was an S1 push push). That may help with the grip on the push pull. Fender should have considered this in the design…a 50 cent knob rather than a 25 cent knob. Great comparison and demo, btw.
I've got an American deluxe Strat which kicks so much ass. I'm seriously contemplating these player plus guitars. Probably the tele.
I have a Cobra ultra👌
i love the mango chamoy one!
Great review! I would like to ask you two what do You think about the Fender Signature H.E.R. (Blue Marlin modelo)
I wasn't even looking, just listening and I had to look when heard some particularly scrumptious tone from your playing. To my surprise it was the Player Plus.
The player plus neck pickup has all kinds of warm fuzzies going on.
Yeah bro! Me too! I said to Michele yesterday, ‘if I spent as much time practicing as I did looking for a new guitar I’d be great!!😂😂
Neither one is better than the other both are brilliant
Hey Guys, Excellent comparison! Any added preferences/comments on the necks?
That boy can play
That colour fade looks edible!
My advice would be to build a Warmoth guitar and get EVERYTHING you want. It took me 20 years to make that decision and boy am I glad I did.
On my phone speakers the difference was negligible. But when I switched to headphones I can hear that the ultra strat has a more balanced tone across the strings and easier to EQ in a mix. A bit more definition and brighter.
Not enough of a difference in tone to justify the difference in cost...both sound great
In person it is. Can't accurately judge over youtube
I have both, trust me there's a massive difference in tone and sound. The ultra is far superior.
Great comparison video, and fantastic playing. That Plus is one of the prettiest guitars I've ever seen, and to my ears, sounds at least as good as the Deluxe. I don't think there's a better value for the money on any electric guitar, of any brand or model, than the Player Series Strats and Teles, and particularly the Player Plus guitars. Yes, $1000 is far from chump change, but there are some features on the Plus that you would ordinarily expect to get only on high end guitars (such as the Ultra or Vintage Series) Fender knocked it out of the park on this one!
in person the difference is pretty large. Over youtube with less than studio quality recording, the difference is fairly minor. Also both use noiseless pickups so they will sound more similar than say player plus vs professional II
@@eurly93 You make a fair point. I would think the Ultra should both sound and play better than the Player Plus, given the significant price differential. However, the similarity in tone underscores how much of a factor the pickups are in a guitar's tone.
When you've played an Ultra you just fall in love with it.
Need to try one before pulling the trigger, that texas tea is stunning
My fingers your playing sounds so good. If u can play the same things in the Telecaster comparison that would be too good.
I am fortunate enough to own a cobra blue American Ultra strat and it is a great guitar. However, the Player Plus series looks like a huge win to me. More compelling, to me at least than say the PRS SE models that I have seen. Thinking about the Player Plus Tele since the American Ultra Tele's have been out of stock forever, or so it seems.
I was deciding between a Gibson standard 2019 in blueberry and a Fender Ultra in Cobra Blue. Found the Gibson for a super low price so went that route, now trying to get a fender ultra also
A made in Korea PRS SE, is next level, compared to a Player Plus. Then again if you don't like the PRS design and scale length, you're not gonna like any PRS!
@@Mexxx65 I am pretty sure that all modern SE's are ,made in Indonesia. Not sure if it matters. I like my PRS but it is a made in America model.
Can't keep track of 'em all.
It's always nice to discover new players. Mr.Cooper is an awesome guitar player playing beautiful music. And the guitars sound great as well.
If they made a Nashville Ultra i would DEFINITELY buy it !
thanks very much, for this guys.
this channel is really good ;)
cheers from Portugal
I’ve just bought a Olympic pearl player plus . It’s a beautiful guitar . 12 inch radius is very nice . The colours in the player plus are awful I think , apart from the sunburst and Olympic pearl . Personally I’ve herd guys make a squire sound phenomenal so I believe paying considerably more for a USA fender is really only nice to say you own one .
So I purchased the cobra blue ultra. It was a great guitar but I really couldn’t justify the price when I went back and played an Olympic white player plus. It was half the price. So I returned the ultra and now own the player plus. It really does play well. The push/pull pot is quite difficult to pull up and you have to shove a pick under it but all in all, the plus is a great deal. Only downside I’m seeing is that it’s resell value wouldn’t be as good since it’s MIM and not American.
the MX20 MX21 and MX22 serial number mims of any special run or model other than a standard are definitely holding their used prices as the market is seeing them as far superior to the old mim standard series
the Ultra has relevant advantages over the Pro ii.
Once home with the Ultra, I will always remember positively the spectacular neck and the fact that this guitar makes much less noise than the Pro II. As for the sound, it is so good that without a direct comparison with a Pro II type guitar next to it the difference is not even remembered. If I had had it with a Pro II all the time I would remember the Ultra's neck and the hum noise.
What was the song that Cooper was playing for the demo on the guitars?
So I need one. The plus I mean. That will be strat 3. I have one American Std and one MIM. I actually embarrassed to say I like the MIM more. Anyway I never thought I’d go for an Hiss. Or HSS. So I was gonna go for the blue one. But I like the orange one better and I want the maple. So my idea is get the orange one and order an Hiss loaded pick guard from Dylan Talks Tone.
Any thoughts or opinions on this? Thanks
I've had a chance to try both, the ultra is very compellingbut I wouldn't sleep on the the player plus
Good work men
Thought I was watching Wayne’s world for a minute
The Ultra Rosewood Fretboards are better than the Player Plus Pau Ferro Fretboards. I would guess the Maple ‘boards are similar.
I would hope so !! I got a fender ultra strat Texas tea last week and it’s maple. I have a Mexican player series from 2 years ago and it’s also maple. Although when comparing them the ultras maple looks better in regards to coating (darker). The player plus maple is probably not that different from player series tbh
I think i prefer the noiseless pups on the Player plus, they sound more pokey and more open to my ears
honestly difficult to tell as never let the notes chime out not ring out - PP sounded great for the price point but i’m gonna eager the ultra likely feels like velvet; i own an hss pp and that neck is amazing however i also own a compound radius tele deluxe and that compound radius is likely to win in overall satisfaction for how good it is compared to any fixed radius
@@jonnyz5772 I recently tried the ultra tele neck.. that D neck profile was amazing and much more natural feeling to me than the American professional deep C neck
@@arisl2370 I agree 100% - the high end USA Fenders do have great necks while not saying at all the mim pp neck is bad; I just really see the USA ones have that extra velvet to them. 👌
seriously tho, I keep coming back to this video just to listen to the demo. Can we get the tabs to it?
i really like the new plus series strat ,i got the red one.still cant keep my hands off my squier tho.
both guitars needed serious adjustment s and were unplayable new.love em both now
Hello gentlemen could you please do a fender road house please I may have missed one that you have already done.thanks .
Oh and the pickups on the Player are Gen4 and on the Ultra Noiseless Vintage (no Gen specified). So there you go.
thanks - i had ‘99 deluxe with factory’s ice-pick scms in it and had to sell it as it seemed a bit artificial and scratchy -
@@jonnyz5772 You sold the guitar or the pickups? I hope just the pickups....
@@supersonicsroots i sold the guitar - took a long time to sell and didn’t get a great price for it all things considered as it was a decent guitar all-in - the pups were on the sterile side and a bit harsh
I looked at both, and decided that 1/2 the price for the same logo was a no brainer. The player plus is an excellent guitar. In fact I wonder how much fender is costing in lost American sales? I had the money for an American, but thought £800 is better in my pocket.
Exactly my thoughts - I own US strats twice the price and the Player Plus is just as good. Maybe the pickups lack a little dynamic compared to the Texas Specials but other than that they are more than I ever expected from MIM strats.
In a future sale, at most, the ultra would be priced at the price of the player plus.
In other words, the purchase of an expensive guitar, or other expensive equipment, could be seen as a rental. later, if there is a sale, a large part of the money will be collected.
Don't agree on the Ultra won't disappoint. I bought one and sold it (Texas Tea, actually traded it) within a month. Loved the looks but not the feel of the neck or tone compared to others. A number of other players seem to feel the same. I'm now leaning to getting either a pro 2, 60s JV or player plus. I like the necks in all of them better and the pickups over the ultra. More vintage. The ultra is trying to be more modern which in my opinion strays from why you by them. If you like it thats fine but not for me.
Hi guys.
I need your help to make my decision.
I want to buy the Ultra Strat but I can not decide between HSS and SSS. I want the versatility of the HSS but I like the idea of vintage setuop in the SSS.
These days the stocks, in Europe, are not so great and it is difficult to test them side by side.
Can you do a proper comparison between Ultra HSS and SSS?
Thanks!
As someone who finds the flatter Epiphone necks really comfortable, the player plus stuff has me curious just on the neck alone; the rest of the specs are just a cherry on top.
I own a player plus and it’s a nice guitar. Never tried the ultra before purchasing. Just played an ultra, it played a lot better than the player plus imho. Like way better. Could have been the one I have vs that ultra being very well made, but it was a big difference. Enough of a difference that I may trade for the ultra.
all in the set up
Funny thing, I both own a Player Plus Stratocaster and an Elite Telecaster... I think they play and feel exactly the same, both great feeling necks. The only difference is the 12" radius of the Player Plus, the Elite has a compound radius. Both feel great though, just a very subtle difference.
It's also in our heads I think, a guitar with a price tag twice as high should feel and sound better, right? That's not always the case, I think the Player Plus nails it.
I work at Music and Arts. We recieved a Player Plus Strat with no tremolo bar, no bridge spring, sprouted frets and gouges in the back. We have no choice but to discount it. Huge, huge fail.
Great play and complete review!
Can you confirm, the song you played for the demo is : "favorite son - Pearl"
(edit: you are part of this band? XD)
Yep, that’s my song and my band!
@@AlamoMusic very cool song, I'll try to learn it 😁
@@AlamoMusic So Finally grab the telecaster over Strat. And also finally managed to learn your song from your video xD
czcams.com/video/futDVHlB6Gw/video.html
Very cool to play, thanks again !
Davis Gilmour never seemed to have a problem bending 7.25 radius.
I have an ultra Cobra Blue and i want to buy a player plus,is it stupid to buy it in controverse with the ultra?
The player plus is hss configuration
The player plus pickups sounded much nicer than the ultra.
I couldn't hear much of a difference between the two initially. I think the plus had deeper base notes. That being said i like the Tequila Sunrise alot better than the blue. I own an Orange squire Tele. I really want a Fender strat. It would be redundant to buy a fender Tele. I want the tremolo bar. I tried a fender strat with a fender delux reverb and it was an angelic experience.
That ultra strat sounds soft rounded with chime that dont pinch your ears , thats why its so expensive. That player plus strat sounded harsh. Too tinny
I find the player plus more toneful it's about the sound you are chasing
To my old ears...
Player Plus had more authentic Strat Quack! Spank! Sounding like a Nile Rodgers Strat!!!!
Just replace the push-pull pot for an S1 pot
Is it compelling.
You are very correct at approximately 20:02 I have a 76 Gold Top and it weighs almost 10lbs. ! It's not like a chambered LP at all. There's nothing like it.
can you share the tab of the demo song?
I have always wanted a Strat. But as I reach for the Strat, I'll see a Tele. I'll buy the Tele and get a Strat next time. Next time a Gibson jumps in my hand, or an Ibanez. Finally bought one online and it was delivered to the house. Aztec Gold anniversary model.
Apparently, I didn't properly inform my wife at the time of the purchase. I got mad and sent it back. A few days later she says "so where's your new guitar? That was a real pretty color. Does it sound pretty too?"
Yeah, that really happened. So now I have been looking at the American Ultra Stratocaster Texas Tea. For a while now. I crawled out of bed, 16 days of battling that stupid virus, and yes it was bad but I had a clear vision now. I was buying a Stratocaster. An American Ultra Stratocaster Maple Neck Texas Tea!
Now that I've watched this video it's looking like I've been Strat blocked yet again! This time though, blocked by another Strat.
Damn, that was funny to read. But I feel for you.
Personally I think the gen numbers are all the same technology, but just different voicings. I could be wrong, but I doubt they spent too much money repeating what DiMarzio has been doing since Yngwie hooked up with them. And of course, Yngwie's stacked hummers are all from Fender these days.
I like the player plus
pretty sure ultra is medium jumbo -or they changed
Im kind of regretting my ultra purchase at this stage ouch...
Can you make the tabs for that solo lol. Fender ultra first video lol please
I’ve played both and there’s no comparison, the American ultra is the best guitar I’ve ever played
Are you relaly paying more for the us label
But i have read in an ancient lore book of the same similar creatures that dwell in the anartic same similar descriptions with the exception that their hair is white as the snow. And it has been known that explorers have never returned from their exploration of those creatures. But have been found violently torn to pieces or dismembered.. The last report of those incidents has been in 2000-2015. Give or take a little.
I was really no more appreciating strats, didn't like the big neck they used to have. Then I have tested an old 30 years japan made fender strat, and it was a new reveal. Still not my favorites guitars, but strat sound is unique, you need one ^^
Then I have tested both Ultra and Player Plus. Let say, Ultra neck is awesome, player plus is quite good. Let say player plus is more classic, et ultra is very modern.
For the rest, we can't say ultra is twice better than the player plus for twice the price...
The main 2 things missing on the player plus for me are : push/push option instead of the push-pull, and a trebble bleed like on ultra and American pro 2. I have it on my Ibanez PIA and this is now a feature I want on all my guitars (except lespaul/sg maybe)
So to conclude : if you are a strat fan and modern player, go for the ultra. If you need a strat and not as your favorite guitar, go for the player plus, you will have 1000 bucks remaining for a very nice Amp ;)
Last question : @AlamoMusicCenter what is the song you play?
I am still thinking about having a tele or strat player plus with the third pick up and your song is good to play for testing clean sound fender :)
Thanks for this review!
Hi, I think the PP do have a treble bleed, don't they?
Ultra neck is too thin
@@surfinjim normally player plus are not equipped with treble bleed, but I hope I am wrong
@@ilyasrayan4791 thanks! 👍
@@kennytseguitar8574 I actually own a schecter reaper, and neck is even thiner compared to the Fender Ultra so it wasn't too thin for me. But I like thin neck too. It really depends of your preferences !
Mango Mahalo!
La única diferencia es que la ultra tiene los graves un poco más acentuados. A mi parecer conviene más la plus, casi el mismo sonido por mucho menos $$$
Ultra warmer...
The only reason to by an ultra over a player plus is because CME is releasing a purple Ultra in June or July, so like duhhh.
What were they thinking with those colors on the player plus ?…
Don't really go for noiseless so it would be interesting to see if a loaded USA scratch plate (fat 50's for example) would drop straight into the Mexican body.
It will with no problems. You can even upgrade the Squier Classic Vibes with a loaded USA pick guard without any problems.
Of course, its a matter of person preference. I like them.
I feel like Fender has to many options. They should focus three price categories. $800-$1000, $1400-$1600 and $2000-$2200
I’ve owned an ultra and an American Pro II and I prefer the pickups of these. I loved everything about the ultra (best neck I ever played and beautiful finish), but I found the pickups to take off too much high end. My favorite tone actually was the single coil sound of the hss as they added gain to it so it wouldn’t drop volume. I tired and played a player plus and to my ears it had more high end. I can’t say they sounded “better”, but definitely had more high end. There is no question of the value of the player plus strat as that is a lot of guitar for the price. Plus, if I ever wanted to swap out pickups, it’s still affordable to do so.
Mango chamoy!!! 😂😁
Holy crap …immediately the plus ,to my ears ,sounded so great …better by far than the ultra …I know I’m probably in the smallest minority but I’m sold ! And they make a few player pluses in lefty too!
Next time write somewhere which pu combination your using….thanks