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Fender Player II Stratocaster
PRS CE 24
VS
Playability
67
Sound
74
Build
65
Value
74
Score
69
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Playability
72
Sound
76
Build
72
Value
63
Score
73
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Fender Player II Stratocaster vs PRS CE 24 Specs Comparison
Fender Player II Stratocaster PRS CE 24
General
Brand: Fender PRS
Year: 2024 2016
Configuration: SSS HH
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Mexico United States
Series: Player II Bolt-On
Colors: White, Blue, Red, Yellow Black, Blue, Green, Brown, Red Burst, Dark Cherry Sunburst, McCarty Sunburst
Left-Handed Version: Yes No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Alder Mahogany
Bridge: 2-Point Synchronized Tremolo with Bent Steel Saddles PRS Patented Tremolo, Molded
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Fender ClassicGear PRS Low Mass Locking
Fretboard: Slab Rosewood Rosewood
Neck Material: Maple Maple
Decoration: White Dot Birds
Scale Size: 25.5" 25"
Shape: Modern "C" Pattern Thin
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver 24 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" 10"
Nut: Synthetic Bone PRS Propietary
Nut Width: 41.9mm (1.65'') 42.9mm (1.688'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Player Series Alnico 5 Strat Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive) PRS 85/15 (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup: Player Series Alnico 5 Strat Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Player Series Alnico 5 Strat Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive) PRS 85/15 (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 5 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Bell Speed
Pickup Mods: None Coil Split
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 2 1
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Chrome Nickel
Show Diagrams Comparison
Fender Player II Stratocaster pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Fender Player II Stratocaster's switch options
PRS CE 24 pickups switch and push knobs diagram
PRS CE 24's switch options

Reasons to Get
Fender Player II Stratocaster over PRS CE 24

Weight Relief
Yes vs None
Lighter Body
Release Year
2024 vs 2016
From a more recent year
Switch Positions
5 vs 3
More tone options
Tone Knobs
2 vs 1
More tone control
Pickups
SSS vs HH
Beautiful cleans and good tone versatility
Nut Width
1.65'' (41.9mm) vs 1.688'' (42.9mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm) vs 25'' (635mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
9.5'' (241.3mm) vs 10'' (254mm)
Easier to play chords without muting strings
Value Score
74 vs 63
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
PRS CE 24 over Fender Player II Stratocaster

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs Mexico
Built with higher quality standards
Decorative Top
Maple vs None
Finished with beautiful natural wood patterns
Pickup Mods
Coil Split vs None
Splits humbuckers into single coil pickups
Pickups
HH vs SSS
High output without hum
Number of Frets
24 vs 22
Allows to reach higher notes
Locking Tuners
Yes vs None
Easier to change strings
Nut Width
1.688'' (42.9mm) vs 1.65'' (41.9mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Scale Length
25'' (635mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Fretboard Radius
10'' (254mm) vs 9.5'' (241.3mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend

Other Key Differences
Fender Player II Stratocaster vs PRS CE 24

Bridge Pickup
Player Series Alnico 5 Strat Single-Coil vs PRS 85/15
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Player Series Alnico 5 Strat Single-Coil vs PRS 85/15
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Alder vs Mahogany
Different Body Wood
Headstock
6 vs 3-3
Different Headstock
Nut Material
Synthetic Bone vs PRS Propietary
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Fender Player II Stratocaster vs PRS CE 24

Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood
Same Fretboard Wood
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Tremolo
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
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
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

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

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • 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

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the PRS CE 24 favors large hands more than the Fender Player II Stratocaster.

Fender Player II Stratocaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands
PRS CE 24:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Fender Player II Stratocaster meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the PRS CE 24 meets only 5. 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.

New Player Friendliness

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

New Player Friendliness

PRS CE 24
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale

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

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.

Woods Used in the Fender Player II Stratocaster

Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder

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.

Woods Used in the PRS CE 24

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Winner: PRS CE 24.

Pickup Configuration

The Fender Player II Stratocaster has an SSS configuration while the PRS CE 24 has HH pickups.

SSS is perfect for players who like to play clean. The definition you get between notes and the crispiness is unmatched by most other configurations. You can still use it for distortion, but you won't get the same kind of output and power compared to a humbucker, and the hum they produce also makes them less adequate for high gain.

On the other hand, Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.

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.

However, the Fender Player II Stratocaster has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.

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: Fender Player II Stratocaster.

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

The Fender Player II Stratocaster gives you 5 switch options while the PRS CE 24 gives you 3. This means that the Fender Player II Stratocaster gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Only the PRS CE 24 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: PRS CE 24.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender Player II Stratocaster
Pickups 100
Sustain 60
Versatility 72
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 74
PRS CE 24
Pickups 85
Sustain 65
Versatility 79
Tuning Stability 75
Sound 76

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 compares to the PRS CE 24.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Fender Player II Stratocaster is built in Mexico while the PRS CE 24 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: PRS CE 24

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.

The Fender Player II Stratocaster has a Synthetic Bone nut. 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.

On the other hand, the PRS CE 24 comes with a PRS Propietary nut. It's similar to TUSQ nuts, but they're not as hard, and the tone is not as bright. However, the material is self-lubricating, and it's usually well cut, so they have good tuning stability.

Winner: Tie.

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

The PRS CE 24 has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.

Winner: PRS CE 24.

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
  • 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
PRS CE 24
  • Locking Tuners
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • PRS Propietary Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Coil Split Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • 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
Quality of materials 66
Features 60
Quality Control 70
Build Quality 65
PRS CE 24
Quality of materials 50
Features 70
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 72

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 Nut Width
Fender Player II Stratocaster Nut Width
PRS CE 24 Nut Width
PRS CE 24 Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the PRS CE 24 has the wider nut with 42.9mm (1.688'') vs 41.9mm (1.65''). This is a 1mm (0.038'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the PRS CE 24, 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's Scale Length
Fender Player II Stratocaster's Scale Length
PRS CE 24's Scale Length
PRS CE 24's 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.

The Fender Player II Stratocaster has the longest scale: 25.5". The PRS CE 24 is only 25" long. This is a 0.5'' (12.7mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

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 Neck Profile
Fender Player II Stratocaster's neck profile
PRS CE 24 Neck Profile
PRS CE 24'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 and the PRS CE 24 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 Fingerboard Radius
Fender Player II Stratocaster's Fingerboard radius
PRS CE 24 Fingerboard Radius
PRS CE 24's Fingerboard 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.

In this case, the Fender Player II Stratocaster's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the PRS CE 24's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the PRS CE 24.

Still, both are closer to a Stratocaster radius than a Les Paul, so both of them will favor chord playing rather than soloing.

Fret Size

Fender Player II Stratocaster and PRS CE 24 Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium Jumbo fret size

Both have a Medium Jumbo fret size. These are slightly shorter than full Jumbo frets, so you'll still feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. However, they interfere less with your fretting hand than medium-size frets. This is a good size if you like easy-to-press frets, but would still like to feel a bit of the fretboard when playing.

Final Playability Scores

Fender Player II Stratocaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 60
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 60
Playability 67
PRS CE 24
Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 75
Playability 72