Fender Player Stratocaster HSS Plus Top Maple Fingerboard Limited-Edition Electric Guitar Blue Burst

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Lifetime Guitar

I bought this guitar online during the Memorial Day sale so I paid ~$230 less than full price; However, if I were able to try it out in person, I still probably would have walked out with it at MSRP. The blue top with cream hardware is beautiful and it came exactly as shown in the pictures. My ONLY gripe is the same one I have with all stratocasters: the saddle set screws are too tall and can dig into your hand when palm muting. It's a very inexpensive fix, so I'm not taking off any stars for it, but it should have been taken care of at the factory. The pickups are mid-tier, but so is the Player line of guitars. I'm able to get every tone I need out of it, so I'm not bothered at all, but it's all up to your taste. I'd say with the HSS configuration, you can play just about any genre without a hitch. Single coil hum is minimal and most people probably wouldn't be bothered enough to apply shielding or install noiseless pickups. The frets came polished, so bends are smooth. The fret ends aren't exhibiting any signs of sprouting, but they could use a little bit more love. Still, it's more than I expected. The fingerboard is glossy and the finish on mine is flawless. A quick wipe with a microfiber cloth and it's good as new. The neck has a satin finish and does not become gummy even after playing for extended periods. The tuners hold pitch well even with heavy use of the two point tremolo, though I plan to deck it for even better stability. The weight is very manageable; it feels like a quality instrument. Not light nor heavy and no neck dive to speak of. Looking at other reviews, don't take mine as a prime example of what you may receive. That's the risk of ordering online, but sometimes there's no way around it since this guitar was not in stock anywhere close to me. I've had good luck with Guitar Center in replacing and returning instruments that didn't meet expectations and I'm very picky. I heavily considered the Sire S7 with all of its upgrades over your average Fender Strat, but with how modular Strats are and how ubiquitous parts are, I ultimately found more value in this instrument. I suspect this will be my main guitar for the foreseeable future.