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Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS
VS
Playability
67
Sound
74
Build
65
Value
74
Score
69
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Playability
70
Sound
79
Build
65
Value
71
Score
71
FIND IT ON:
Amazon logoMusician's Friend logoSweetwater logoFender logo
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Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS vs American Performer Stratocaster HSS Specs Comparison
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS American Performer Stratocaster HSS
General
Brand: Fender Fender
Year: 2024 2019
Configuration: HSS HSS
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Mexico United States
Series: Player II American Performer
Colors: White, Sunburst, Blue, Green, Red, Yellow Sunburst, Black, Green, Red
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Alder Alder
Bridge: 2-Point Synchronized Tremolo with Bent Steel Saddles 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Fender ClassicGear American Performer
Fretboard: Slab Rosewood Rosewood
Neck Material: Maple Maple
Decoration: White Dot White Dot
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.5"
Shape: Modern "C" Modern C
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver 22 Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" 9.5"
Nut: Synthetic Bone Synthetic Bone
Nut Width: 41.9mm (1.65'') 42.8mm (1.685'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Player Series Alnico 2 Humbucker (Humbucker / Passive) Fender Double Tap Humbucking (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup: Player Series Alnico 5 Strat Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive) Fender Yosemite Single-Coil Stratocaster (Single Coil / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Player Series Alnico 5 Strat Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive) Fender Yosemite Single-Coil Stratocaster (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 5 Way 5 Way
Knobs: Bell Bell
Pickup Mods: None Coil Split
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 2 2
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Nickel Chrome
Show Diagrams Comparison
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS's switch options
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS's switch options

Reasons to Get
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS over American Performer Stratocaster HSS

Weight Relief
Yes vs None
Lighter Body
Release Year
2024 vs 2019
From a more recent year
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo vs Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Nut Width
1.65'' (41.9mm) vs 1.685'' (42.8mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Avg. Weight
7.9375lbs (3.6kgs) vs 8.0005lbs (3.6kgs)
Tends to be lighter
Value Score
74 vs 71
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS over Player II Stratocaster HSS

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs Mexico
Built with higher quality standards
Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Type of Frets
Jumbo vs Medium Jumbo
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Pickup Mods
Coil Split vs None
Splits humbuckers into single coil pickups
Nut Width
1.685'' (42.8mm) vs 1.65'' (41.9mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle

Other Key Differences
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS vs American Performer Stratocaster HSS

Bridge Pickup
Player Series Alnico 2 Humbucker vs Fender Double Tap Humbucking
Different Bridge Pickup
Middle Pickup
Player Series Alnico 5 Strat Single-Coil vs Fender Yosemite Single-Coil Stratocaster
Different Middle Pickup
Neck Pickup
Player Series Alnico 5 Strat Single-Coil vs Fender Yosemite Single-Coil Stratocaster
Different Neck Pickup

Shared Features
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS vs American Performer Stratocaster HSS

Body Wood
Alder
Same Body Wood
Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood
Same Fretboard Wood
Headstock
6
Same Headstock
Nut Material
Synthetic Bone
Same Nut Material
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Switch Positions
5
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
2
Same tone control
Pickups
HSS
High output with beautiful cleans and tone versatility
Number of Frets
22
Same maximum octave
Tuner Ratio
18
Same tuning precision
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Tremolo
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Fretboard Radius
9.5'' (241.3mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Neck Joint
Bolt-On
Allows you to detach and swap the neck

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Locking Tuners
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Price History Comparison

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SET PRICE ALERT

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Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both favor small hands .

Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

Both meet 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.

New Player Friendliness

Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in Both

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood
Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder

Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.

Winner: Tie.

Pickup Configuration

Both pickup configurations are HSS. HSS provides a great balance if you like to play with a lot of distortion, but also love to use clean tones. You'll get a lot of output at the bridge position, but you'll be able to play bright clean tones at the other positions.

Pickups Quality

Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.

We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS's online:

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: Tie.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.

Only the Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS comes with some kind of pickup modification: Coil Split.

Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS
Pickups 90
Sustain 70
Versatility 72
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 74
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS
Pickups 90
Sustain 80
Versatility 82
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 79

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS compares to the Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS is built in Mexico while the Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS is made in United States.

Mexico has been for a long time where Fender has built their semi-premium series. If you don't want to overpay for a wellp-built instrument, a guitar built in this country by a good brand always offers good value for the money.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

Winner: Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

In this case, both have Synthetic Bone nuts. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

Both come with a similar bridge: Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS's are Fender ClassicGear while the Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS's are American Performer

Both of them have a 18:1 tuner ratio. This means that it will take 18 turns of the keys to give the tuning posts an entire turn. Higher ratio means more precise tuning (and more time spent tuning your gutiar). Most guitars have a 18:1 ratio, while the most precise tuning can be achieved with a 21:1 ratio.

Winner: Tie.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS
  • Expensive Wood
  • Synthetic Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Weight Relief
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Mexico
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Synthetic Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Coil Split Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS
Quality of materials 66
Features 60
Quality Control 70
Build Quality 65
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS
Quality of materials 51
Features 60
Quality Control 85
Build Quality 65

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS Nut Width
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS Nut Width
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS Nut Width
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS has the wider nut with 42.8mm (1.685'') vs 41.9mm (1.65''). This is a 0.9mm (0.035'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS and Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS's Scale Length
Both have the same scale length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

In this case, both have a scale length of 25.5".

This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.

However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS Neck Profile
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS's neck profile
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS Neck Profile
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

Both the Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS and the Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

Both the Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS and the Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS have the same fretboard radius of 9.5". This is the most common radius for Stratocaster guitars. It's considered curved when compared to most other models. This allows you to play chords very easily without muting strings accidentally and gives you more space between strings for fingerpicking. However, this curve also gives the guitar less allowance for lower action. If you bend too hard at the high frets, some of your notes might get muted because the curve will make the string fret out.

Fret Size

Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS Frets Size
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS's Frets Size
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS Frets Size
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS's Frets Size

The Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS's Medium Jumbo frets.

Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.

Final Playability Scores

Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS
Bending & Vibrato Ease 60
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 60
Playability 67
Fender American Performer Stratocaster HSS
Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 70
Playability 70