Fender Player II Mod Strat FR RW OLP

Fender Player II Mod Strat FR RW OLP review

The Fender Player II Mod Strat FR RW OLP pairs a familiar Strat-style layout with a locking Floyd Rose tremolo and a bridge humbucker. At $1,035, it sits in a price range where setup and finish quality matter as much as the feature list. Reports from players describe a guitar with real strengths, especially its neck, but also inconsistent quality control that is difficult to overlook on a new instrument.

This model has been available since May 2025. It has an alder body in Olympic Pearl, a bolt-on maple neck, and a rosewood fingerboard with white dot inlays. The supplied package includes a deluxe gig bag. Its HSS pickup layout combines a Player II Modified humbucker at the bridge with two Player II Noiseless Strat single-coil pickups in the middle and neck positions.

Neck feel and build

The neck is the clearest point of agreement in the hands-on feedback. Its Modern C profile and satin finish feel comfortable, while the rosewood fingerboard is described as smooth and attractive. The 305 mm (12-inch) fingerboard radius is relatively flat, which can make bends and faster playing feel more natural. There are 22 medium-jumbo frets, and one player praised their polish and feel.

The scale length is 648 mm (25.5 inches), and the nut measures 42.86 mm (1.6875 inches). The body was measured at 4.45 cm thick, slightly thicker than the 4 cm body cited for a Squier comparison. One report also noted that the light body made the guitar feel a little neck-heavy. That balance may be more noticeable when playing standing up, though the available feedback does not suggest it prevents comfortable playing.

There were serious exceptions to the positive neck comments. One owner found a roughly 3.5 cm irregular section along the skunk stripe, with roughness that could be felt while playing. That is a more consequential flaw than a cosmetic mark because it affects the hand directly. The same instrument had blue-toned marks beneath the finish on the body and neck. The rosewood itself reportedly had pinkish variations that looked appealing with the tortoiseshell pickguard, but those natural color differences should not be confused with the finish defects.

Pickups and controls

The bridge humbucker received praise for a warm, full sound suited to heavier music. The push-pull function on Tone control 2 splits the humbucker, providing a leaner, sharper option. Together with the five-way pickup selector and two tone controls, this gives the guitar a broad range of sounds for players who want a single instrument to cover cleaner Strat-style parts and more forceful bridge tones.

Opinions on the two Noiseless single-coil pickups were less favorable. Some players found them subdued or lacking body, and one report mentioned a slight hum despite the Noiseless name. Pickup response is subjective, but this feedback matters if the neck and middle positions are central to your playing. Several controls were described as sturdy, although one guitar arrived with the neck and middle pickups loose enough to move in their mounts. That points to setup and inspection concerns rather than an inherent limitation of the pickup design.

Floyd Rose performance and setup

The Floyd Rose Special double-locking tremolo was reported to stay in tune reliably once set up. On one guitar, the strings arrived slack, but tuning was straightforward, the bridge was adjusted correctly, and intonation was described as excellent. Another player found the system more stable and easier to tune than a Floyd Rose on a previous guitar.

There is a practical tradeoff. The action on one new example was set notably high, and changing it can take more effort with a double-locking tremolo than with a simpler bridge. Buyers should check the setup promptly rather than assume the guitar will arrive ready to play. One reviewer also questioned the long-term durability of the Floyd Rose Special, describing its materials as less durable and anticipating that replacement might eventually be needed. That is an owner's concern, not a confirmed service-life measurement.

Finish quality and verdict

The most troubling account described wood shavings inside the guitar and gig bag, metal filings stuck to pickup magnets, and a dark mark along the lower body edge that could be wiped off. Small molding holes were also visible around the control knobs. These reports do not establish that every unit has such issues, but together with the rough neck stripe and loose pickups, they make a careful inspection important. At this price, those defects fall short of what the affected buyer expected from Fender.

When the instrument is well assembled, the appeal is clear: a comfortable, well-liked neck, a strong bridge humbucker, useful coil splitting, and a tremolo that players found stable. The guitar can be enjoyable to play and offers a flexible setup. Still, the reports of tactile neck irregularities, finish blemishes, loose pickups, and a high factory action make quality control the deciding factor. Buy from a seller with a straightforward return policy, inspect the neck and finish closely, and test the tremolo and pickup mounting before committing.