Hi everyone, it's been a while since I wrote anything but true to form I've just picked up another guitar, secondhand of course, and at a great price. This time its a guitar I've had my eye on for years, but have never got to the point of actually buying one. However when the price is right then you'll probably find me there, thinking that a year or two down the line I can easily make my money back to move onto something new if I don't like what I have bought. In reality this doesn't usually happen I just add to the collection!The Modern Player series of guitars was a huge step for Fender testing out the waters in China. It does make me smile reading the forums to see how conservative guitar players can be. This is particularly evident in discussion about the geographical location of a guitar factory. There has been a long love/hate relationship with Fender guitars made in Japan over the years. Now the same debate rages over guitars made in China and Indonesia.
If you've read more of my blogs you'll know that I think that Asian made guitars can be excellent purchases with a quality and attention to detail that would cost substantially more on a guitar made in Europe or America, but of course you can get poor attention to detail and manufacture evident in a factory made guitar anywhere in the world. If you are buying new there may be some deep moral questions to be faced concerning the relocation of manufacturing globally from West to East that has happened in almost every industry over my life time, but it is a fact of life we live with, from the cars we drive to the computer I'm typing this blog on.
The Fender Modern Player series broke the mould by 'crafting' Fender branded guitars in China, with some quite avant guard (for Fender) designs, and some really attractive (for Fender) pricing. I'm a cheapskate and I still baulked in 2011 at spending the best part of £500 for a guitar that had a Fender logo rather than Squier on the headstock. I ended up at that time with a Squier CV Tele, which is a lovely guitar with a similar pedigree to the Modern Player. It's interesting to note how short lived this MP series of guitars was, mine has a 2017 serial number but in effect most production seems to have stopped by about 2015 if I understand it correctly.So what of the guitar itself?
I've always liked the Thinline versions of the Telecaster. I like a more resonant body on a guitar, and the associated lightness that comes from removing wood from the body. I also like the look and the italicised 'f' that Fender chose for the sound hole.
This guitar definitely doesn't disappoint. It comes with a very nicely executed three piece mahogany back with a thick one piece mahogany plate on the front. This makes it look head on like a one piece body. The neck is a good straight grained piece of maple with a rosewood skunk stripe. The fretwork is good and when I set the guitar up there were no obvious high or low frets. The poly finish is mirror and on mine pretty much unblemished. The tuners are typical vintage which I guess you will either like or hate, but they are well fitted and function well. The bridge is the equivalent of a vintage hard tail Strat, with the usual vintage style Fender branded bent steel saddles, that are as uncomfortable as ever, but part of the history! I've heard some people even trying to argue that they change the tone of the guitar... The controls are Les Paul style with a three way throw switch and four pots.
The pickups are P90s which I like and have on a couple of other guitars, they give a sound somewhere between a humbucker and a standard set of tele single coils. The MP90s are maybe a bit focused towards the mid range and sound a bit woolier than a Wilkinson set I have on a another guitar. This is not necessarily bad, just different, less jangly.
I was intrigued that this guitar was so cheap, less than half its original selling price, secondhand. It's odd to be able to pick up a big brand guitar for so little money and it got me to wondering why it hasn't yet found more appeal in the used market. This is a really good guitar, it plays well, it is light, it sounds good, it is well made - the materials and craftsmanship are excellent. No-one in the audience except another guitarist is going to know that it is a Fender MiC. They'll all be photographing the band with iPhones MiC anyway, driving home in cars made in Turkey or India, and wearing designer clothes made in Bangladesh.
Maybe part of the problem lies in the fact that where a big brand, factory guitar is made is one of the only unique selling points left and therefore this has become a major marketing and reselling point. I know I mention it when selling stuff on EBay. In almost every other aspect Asian guitars are there in terms of quality, from raw materials to craftsmanship. Everything depends on how much the manufacturer puts into and monitors the process of the build.
The MP series guitar is unique in having a 'Fender' transfer on the headstock of a MiC guitar. Labels and brand is almost everything in this fashion conscious time...I'm not immune to this influence. I must admit I like having 'Fender' on the headstock, and if the guitar is well made and sounds good who am I to argue with paying a few pounds more than a Squier for the privilege.