Fender has achieved quite a recognition as one of the most renowned brands manufacturing musical instruments in the world. The quality of guitars manufactured by Fender is arguably superior to every other brand.
The delicacy and perfection of music produced by Fender guitars are second to no one, thanks to its high standards of manufacturing.
The number of Fender guitars playing all across the world is very high, but some of the models have exceeded in popularity and efficiency. It can get difficult to choose one of the models because the features offered by each of them are exceptional.
Most of the confusion is created by Fender Player and Performer. Therefore, it is mandatory to conduct thorough research for each of these models before settling for the purchase of one.
A set of differences between Player and Performer can ease the job of choosing the guitar for you. Make sure you select the one that can suit your needs perfectly.
Fender Player vs Performer
The Key Differences Between Fender Player And Performer
| Features | Fender Player | Fender Performer |
|---|---|---|
| Neck profile | Modern “C” | Modern “C” |
| Headstock | Modern | 70s |
| Pickups | Player Series Alnico V | Yosemite |
| Made in | Mexico | USA |
| Concept | Modern Specs | Entry point to American Fender with modern specs |
| Left-Handed Versions | Yes | No |
| Gigbag | No | Yes |
| Price | Cheaper | In between |
| Fret Size | Medium Jumbo | Jumbo |
| Tuning Machines | Standard Cast | Fender ClassicGear |
| Truss Rod Nut | 3/16” Hex Adjustment | 1/8” American Series |
Fender Player
Most of the people who choose Fender Player are the ones who have aggressive playing styles. They are looking for a guitar that can give them enough room to move their hands around.
With Player, you don’t have to bother about the space because you get ample space to place your palm and allow hand movements to pick the right tones.
Another amazing thing about Player is the location of knobs on the guitar. They are perfectly put on the dual-cut electric guitar of the Player series.
End your concerns about the intonation as well because there is hardly a chance of you getting the wrong edge in terms of intonation. The Player comes with everything you are looking for in a guitar.
The Player series includes multiple guitar types such as Jazz Bass, Precision Bass, Telecaster, Lead guitars, and some Stratocasters. You can get a Fender player in any color of your choice because the color range is quite wide.
Besides, the left-handed options offered by it are the cherry on the top. The appealing factor about the Player is its price tag which is lower than that of the Performer.
You can achieve the best performance while staying within the budget. A guitar that comes at an affordable price includes the right aesthetics and plays great. What more does one need?
Fender Performer
Fender Performer is another popular guitar series from Fender. There is no compromise on the quality of these guitars either. The wooden texture adds a nostalgic touch to the instrument. Talking about the finish, you get it in multiple color range as per your desires.
With Performer, your personal preferences matter the most in terms of settling for the design aesthetics and looks of a guitar. No matter what performance style you have, Performer is bound to meet it.
The double-cut Performer guitar not only eases your access to the tones but also improves them.
Most of the players are worried about their posture and the stretch of their hands while playing the guitar. Well, that’s not the case with the Performer because it is as comfortable as an electric guitar can get.
Fender Performer has pickups called Fender Yosemite. The sound coming out of Performer is gritty and mid-rich. The best thing about Performer is its second tone knob feature that is helpful in addition to neck pickup to the pickup position of your choice.
Talking about the neck shape of the Performer, it is C-shaped on all the guitars. If you need a variety of neck shapes, Performer might not be the right choice for you.
Unlike the three choices of fingerboard materials on the Player, you get only two, i.e., Rosewood and Maple, on the Performer. The price of a Performer is worth the features it possesses.
The Key Differences Between Fender Player And Performer
Although the wood type, strings, scale length and fret number of both Fender Player and Performer are similar, they do have some differences on the basis of their pickups, fret sizes, bridges, and tuning machines.
Performer models are manufactured in the USA, while Player models are made in Mexico.
The availability of some Fender Player models is in the right and left-handed versions, whereas Fender Performer includes only right-handed versions.
- Stratocaster models
The Stratocaster model of Fender Player has a 2-point tremolo while that of Performer has a 6-point tremolo.
Player Stratocaster has standard headstock and medium jumbo frets, unlike Performer’s 70s-style headstock and jumbo frets. The Player has Yosemite pickups, whereas the Performer series has alnico pickups.
- Telecaster Models
Taking a look at the Telecaster models of the two of these, we see that the pickup consideration of Player Telecaster are either SS or HH, while the Performer Telecaster has SS or SH pickup configurations.
The accuracy of intonation is enhanced by the 6-saddle bridge of the Player series. On the other hand, the American Performer has a three-saddle bridge.
The Player series wins on another factor of having Alnico V pickups. The latter is the reason behind more treble and upper mids as compared to the Yosemite pickups of the Performer Telecaster.
- Jazzmaster Models
There are a lot of differences in the Jazzcaster models of Fender Player and Performer. If you want a warm and fulfilling tone, you should get the Player series version of the Jazzcaster model because it includes two humbucker pickups.
On the other hand, people who are fond of bright and thin tones should choose the American Performer Jazzcaster as it has two single-coil pickups. Neither Player nor Performer has the lead circuit.
If you are worried about going out of tune, Performer should be your choice because of its synchronized tremolo. Whereas the Player Jazzmaster is the home to the floating tailpiece tremolo system.
- Mustang Models
The pickup configurations create considerable differences between the Player and Performer Mustang. The two 90 pickups in the Player Mustang give the sound a warm and full touch. If you inspect the Performer Mustang, you will notice two single coils.
The unique thing about the Player series Mustang is that it possesses a thicker C-neck shape, unlike the modern C neck. However, the neck shape of the Performer Mustang is like most of the other models.
The bridge of the Player Mustang is a hardtail, while that of the Performer is a tremolo.
Bottom Line
Although the choice of guitar is a personal and extensive process, getting to know the differences between the features of the two of them makes things easy. Of all the Fender guitars, Performer has got the hottest pickups. It has got a vintage touch to its modern makeup.
The Player series has got great features, too, but there is a little roughness to the edges of its neck. However, it is a great Fender guitar if you are on a budget. Its modern specs beat every other model in the race.