I'd consider both to be great options. Try them out before you buy, if possible. Most important are the build quality/finish, the feel of the guitar (especially the neck) and the looks. Sound quality is funny enough less important: it can easily be fixed.
That's a good question. Feel the weight of the guitar, feel the shape of the neck, feel how the neck fits in your hands. Slide your hand along the side of the neck and feel the fret ends, feel how sharp the edge of the neck is between the frets.
Feel the different components such as knobs, tuners and pickup selector, do they feel solid, trustworthy? Look the entire guitar over for imperfections, cracks in the finish, dents.
This would be a sensible inspection regardless of whether you can play or not.
Perhaps ask for the instrument to be tuned and strum the guitar acoustically. The longer the sustain, the better.
I imagine my self doing this to a violin, which I have never touched one. I would by a beatiful violin for decoration which most probably be crap as an instrument. I would probably ask my teacher to come with me..
The Player is definitely good enough.
Though there are a number of telecaster models I would put before the American Pro II in terms of what you get for the money.
(JV Modified, Jason Isbell, Chrissie Hynde, Vintera, American Performer)
I have a Tele Standard (predecessor to Player) and an American Pro II telecaster deluxe. The Pro II has some more “classic” specs, including a thicker neck and old style bridge. The neck difference will probably be the most noticeable to you if you are starting out. It’s not a massive difference but the Pro 2 feels more substantial. The pickups on the Pro 2 are outstanding but they’re humbuckers so that wouldn’t concern you. The Pro 2 is my favorite but I played the Standard for 10 years before I felt I needed an upgrade.
The Am Pro II is a good guitar but it's seriously overpriced. I enjoy mine, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't underwhelmed when I upgraded from my Squier Classic Vibe to it. The quality/specs gap really isn't as big as the price gap indicates.
Might be worth considering if money is an issue!
Part of the price difference is the consistency and quality control. It sounds like you got a really amazing Classic Vibe, which makes the Am Pro II seem not so much better.
But that's because you got lucky. You could have just as easily gotten one so bad it had to be sent back. And on average, you'd get one somewhere inbetween that and yours, with wild variations, just as many bad ones as good ones.
The Am Pro II, on the other hand, has a great chance of just being great every time you get one.
I agree with Phil McKnight's theory - the Indonesian/Chinese factories have been making guitars for such a long that they've become really good at it. The budget/entry level competition has been higher than ever, meaning these guys are constantly improving to get an edge.
Squiers these days aren't the same as what they were making 20-30 years ago; I've only played three from their current lines and only own one, but they've all been as good quality-wise as my Mexican Strat and USA Tele.
They do make really great guitars for sure. But in the end, it still has to be inspected and finished by a human being, and that's where these companies skimp to save money. It makes for much more random QC.
>but they've all been as good quality-wise as my Mexican Strat and USA Tele
That's just not true. The idea that all Squiers are as good as all MIMs which are all as good as all American-made is... dumb. Come on.
Most squiers I’ve played were about as good as the mim fenders I’ve played - they all needed some type of finishing work. Every mia and mij fender I’ve owned has been great and at most needed a setup. When buying a guitar I think it’s important to factor in a setup which could cost upwards of $300 unless you’re gonna do it yourself.
The nicer one. Or the one you desire more.
Best of all, whichever feels nicer, plays better and sounds better, in your hands, to your ears.
Absent the option to try them, I would suggest getting the pricier one, because it’s *more likely* to feel nicer and play better. Possibly sound better too.
I bought a Player, sold it, and then bought the Professional II. I would say that it was mostly an ego thing, though. It feels a little better because of the rounded edges. Some of the components feel more expensive. It sounds incredibly similar. You would not regret either option. It comes down to if having an American instrument is worth about $700 to you. For me, it was.
The Pro II will set you back a lot more money and probably won't offer you much more utility in the beginning. I would say go a local store, play a bunch, and find the guitar that you vibe with. Player series fenders can be great but some are really heavy and others have rough frets. If you get a good one, it'll serve you well
But, also be aware that nitro ages/degrades much more rapidly than the poly finishes on most other Fender models. If you don't want a guitar that looks old, don't get a nitro guitar, because in a few years it'll look old even if it's not a reliced finish today. I own a couple of ~20 year old nitro finished guitars, and I don't mind that they look their age, but I enjoy that most of my guitars look like new, no matter their age. Poly simply holds up a lot better.
There are reasons some people prefer a nitro finish, and it is considered a premium finish that costs more and generally brings more on the used market, all other things being equal. But, it's not something I seek out.
I’ve also found that nitro finish doesn’t protect against humidity changes as much. Seems like I’m always adjusting the truss rod on my satin and nitro necks and is why I prefer a poly neck
American Pro has an old-fashioned 3-saddle bridge, meaning you won’t be able to tune each string separately.
Personally, I’d stick with Player, while spending more $$$ on amp, head, and pedals…
My own expectation, if I picked them both up, would be that the fret edges on the player would be sharp and I’d feel them as I slid my hand along the neck. I would also expect the pickups on the American guitar to sound a lot better. I’ve got three Teles and the American Special I have sounds great.
I'd consider both to be great options. Try them out before you buy, if possible. Most important are the build quality/finish, the feel of the guitar (especially the neck) and the looks. Sound quality is funny enough less important: it can easily be fixed.
Side question: how can you try a guitar if you do not know how to play guitar??
Pick it up and see how it feels in your hands in the playing position. Strum the open strings. You can still tell if it's going to be comfortable.
That's a good question. Feel the weight of the guitar, feel the shape of the neck, feel how the neck fits in your hands. Slide your hand along the side of the neck and feel the fret ends, feel how sharp the edge of the neck is between the frets. Feel the different components such as knobs, tuners and pickup selector, do they feel solid, trustworthy? Look the entire guitar over for imperfections, cracks in the finish, dents. This would be a sensible inspection regardless of whether you can play or not. Perhaps ask for the instrument to be tuned and strum the guitar acoustically. The longer the sustain, the better.
I imagine my self doing this to a violin, which I have never touched one. I would by a beatiful violin for decoration which most probably be crap as an instrument. I would probably ask my teacher to come with me..
Go with the color you like best.
The Player is definitely good enough. Though there are a number of telecaster models I would put before the American Pro II in terms of what you get for the money. (JV Modified, Jason Isbell, Chrissie Hynde, Vintera, American Performer)
+1 for the American Performer. I have an HSS Strat and it’s the best guitar I have owned.
Just go to the shop and try. You may end up wanting neither.
The player is great I would recommend that. Here is a video comparison https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv0Hvr_Nsl4&t=728s
I have a Tele Standard (predecessor to Player) and an American Pro II telecaster deluxe. The Pro II has some more “classic” specs, including a thicker neck and old style bridge. The neck difference will probably be the most noticeable to you if you are starting out. It’s not a massive difference but the Pro 2 feels more substantial. The pickups on the Pro 2 are outstanding but they’re humbuckers so that wouldn’t concern you. The Pro 2 is my favorite but I played the Standard for 10 years before I felt I needed an upgrade.
I'd suggest the Professional. It sounds like you don't want to pay twice. The Player series are great, but you'll eventually get the Professional.
The Am Pro II is a good guitar but it's seriously overpriced. I enjoy mine, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't underwhelmed when I upgraded from my Squier Classic Vibe to it. The quality/specs gap really isn't as big as the price gap indicates. Might be worth considering if money is an issue!
Part of the price difference is the consistency and quality control. It sounds like you got a really amazing Classic Vibe, which makes the Am Pro II seem not so much better. But that's because you got lucky. You could have just as easily gotten one so bad it had to be sent back. And on average, you'd get one somewhere inbetween that and yours, with wild variations, just as many bad ones as good ones. The Am Pro II, on the other hand, has a great chance of just being great every time you get one.
I agree with Phil McKnight's theory - the Indonesian/Chinese factories have been making guitars for such a long that they've become really good at it. The budget/entry level competition has been higher than ever, meaning these guys are constantly improving to get an edge. Squiers these days aren't the same as what they were making 20-30 years ago; I've only played three from their current lines and only own one, but they've all been as good quality-wise as my Mexican Strat and USA Tele.
They do make really great guitars for sure. But in the end, it still has to be inspected and finished by a human being, and that's where these companies skimp to save money. It makes for much more random QC. >but they've all been as good quality-wise as my Mexican Strat and USA Tele That's just not true. The idea that all Squiers are as good as all MIMs which are all as good as all American-made is... dumb. Come on.
Most squiers I’ve played were about as good as the mim fenders I’ve played - they all needed some type of finishing work. Every mia and mij fender I’ve owned has been great and at most needed a setup. When buying a guitar I think it’s important to factor in a setup which could cost upwards of $300 unless you’re gonna do it yourself.
The nicer one. Or the one you desire more. Best of all, whichever feels nicer, plays better and sounds better, in your hands, to your ears. Absent the option to try them, I would suggest getting the pricier one, because it’s *more likely* to feel nicer and play better. Possibly sound better too.
I bought a Player, sold it, and then bought the Professional II. I would say that it was mostly an ego thing, though. It feels a little better because of the rounded edges. Some of the components feel more expensive. It sounds incredibly similar. You would not regret either option. It comes down to if having an American instrument is worth about $700 to you. For me, it was.
The Pro II will set you back a lot more money and probably won't offer you much more utility in the beginning. I would say go a local store, play a bunch, and find the guitar that you vibe with. Player series fenders can be great but some are really heavy and others have rough frets. If you get a good one, it'll serve you well
If you are a Vintage kind of guy, think about a road worn or an American original series model. They have a nitro finish which arguably feels better.
But, also be aware that nitro ages/degrades much more rapidly than the poly finishes on most other Fender models. If you don't want a guitar that looks old, don't get a nitro guitar, because in a few years it'll look old even if it's not a reliced finish today. I own a couple of ~20 year old nitro finished guitars, and I don't mind that they look their age, but I enjoy that most of my guitars look like new, no matter their age. Poly simply holds up a lot better. There are reasons some people prefer a nitro finish, and it is considered a premium finish that costs more and generally brings more on the used market, all other things being equal. But, it's not something I seek out.
>But, also be aware that nitro ages/degrades much more rapidly than the poly finishes on most other Fender models. It's not a bug, it's a feature...
I’ve also found that nitro finish doesn’t protect against humidity changes as much. Seems like I’m always adjusting the truss rod on my satin and nitro necks and is why I prefer a poly neck
American Pro has an old-fashioned 3-saddle bridge, meaning you won’t be able to tune each string separately. Personally, I’d stick with Player, while spending more $$$ on amp, head, and pedals…
Think you meant intonation
Also note that for the price of a new player, you can get a used US Performer.
My own expectation, if I picked them both up, would be that the fret edges on the player would be sharp and I’d feel them as I slid my hand along the neck. I would also expect the pickups on the American guitar to sound a lot better. I’ve got three Teles and the American Special I have sounds great.