GEAR REVIEW
FENDER PLAYER PLUS METEORA HH | Doug Doppler
KEY FEATURES
• Offset Alder Body
• 22 Fret Maple Neck
• Pau Faro or Maple Fingerboard
• 25.5 ” Scale with 12 ” Radius
• Medium Jumbo Frets
• 2x Fireball Humbuckers
• S-1 Coil Split Switch
• Locking Tuners
• 2 Post Tremolo
OVERVIEW The Meteora originally appeared in 2019 as one of Fender ’ s Alternate Reality offerings and was so well received that Fender opted to officially add it to the line with a few noteworthy improvements that include a 2-post vibrato , locking tuners , 2 Fireball humbucking pickups , and an S-1 coil split switch . The end result is one of the most versatile guitars I ’ ve played regardless of price point .
THE BODY The Alder body features a rather radical shape that judging by the comments on YouTube , the vast majority of people are loving . Considering this guitar ’ s closest siblings are Strats , Teles , Jazzmasters , and Jaguars , that is saying a lot . While I like the body shape , I love the comfort it affords . When seated , the front and back contours on the upper bout are so form fitting that you almost forget the body is even there . Where most Teles tend to poke you in the ribs and the ‘ surface plane ’ of a Strat takes up a certain amount of geography , this guitar sits perfectly , and I never found myself having to shift in the chair to play a certain part . Maybe it ’ s just me , but I find that my much beloved Jaguar and Jazzmaster offsets tend to slide of my lap when I play them sitting down . In spite of the glossy finish , the
Meteora HH stays put and in so doing doesn ’ t keep me from the business at hand .
THE NECK Comfort being the operative word here , I love the Modern C neck profile . The 12 ” neck radius is great for choke free bends ( and speedy legato runs if needed ). While we don ’ t tend to think of the interaction between the neck shape and the fingerboard radius , both are integral to a great play when using the thumb over the top of the neck when bending or playing ‘ Hendrix chords ’. I find that runs that integrate bends really tend to suffer when the ‘ shoulders ’ on the back side of the neck get too big . The Modern C profile is super comfortable to play and again doesn ’ t distract you , regardless of what you ’ re trying to play .
THE PICKUPS The humbucker on my American Original ‘ 70s Telecaster Custom delivers one of the greatest sounding clean tones I ’ ve ever heard , especially for Bluesy vibes with a hint of Jazz . It is not however the guitar I reach for when I ’ m looking for a great dirty tone . As the Player Plus Meteora HH name implies , this guitar is made in Mexico and features dual humbucking pickups . The Fireball pickups in the guitar are simply amazing . In combination with the S-1 coil split switch , they deliver a massive range of clean and dirty tones that rival any other pickups I ’ ve heard . Clean tones range from jangly to plush , and with a bit of hair added the middle position sounds like an ideal blend between a Jazzmaster and a Strat . At higher gain settings you can get as smooth as Carlos and as crunchy as Malcolm . Honestly , from classic Strat to luscious legato , these pickups deliver an authentic array of classic tones that you kind of have to watch in my demo video ( hint hint ) to believe . I was shocked .
CONTROLS The ‘ push-push ’ S-1 coil split switch is