Fender Participant Plus Meteora HH Evaluate

After many a long time of sticking with flagship physique shapes, Fender spent the final a number of years getting extra playful through their Parallel Universe collection. The Meteora, nevertheless, is without doubt one of the extra vital departures from these classic profiles. The offset, more-angular profile was created by Fender designer Josh Hurst and first noticed mild of day as a part of the Parallel Universe Assortment in 2018. Since then, it has headed in each upscale and inexpensive instructions inside the Fender lineup—reaching the heights of master-built Customized Store high quality within the palms of Ron Thorn, and now on this rather more egalitarian guise because the Participant Plus Meteora HH.

Physique profile and humbuckers apart, the Meteora could be very a lot a Fender, with a bolt-on neck, 25.5″ scale size, and that iconic headstock profile with spaghetti brand. Even nearer examination reveals a formidable array of options that make it an extra-impressive instrument for the value, and a cool various to conventional Fender choices.

The neck is usual from a single piece of maple and 22 medium-jumbo frets are arrayed throughout the 12″ radius fretboard, which measures 1.685″ on the synthetic-bone nut (Belair blue and cosmic jade variations function a pau ferro fretboard). The neck is carved in Fender’s widespread “Fashionable C” profile, which feels nice in hand, and the general ergonomics are aided by a properly rolled fretboard edge. The one-action truss rod might be adjusted on the headstock, which is residence to Fender’s deluxe sealed locking tuners and a contemporary curler string tree for the primary and second strings—all of which suggests you should utilize the two-post synchronized tremolo with a little bit extra peace of thoughts. The return-to-pitch capabilities are spectacular.

Although the recent physique profile stands out as the preliminary draw for a lot of, the electronics—and the chances they allow—will in all probability seal the deal for lots of potential clients. They definitely make the guitar a number of enjoyable to discover. The comparatively new Fireball humbuckers look rather a lot like smaller Fender Vast Vary pickups. Underneath the covers, although, they’re fairly customary PAF-style humbuckers, with adjustable pole items in all six positions of every coil, although half of those are inaccessible with the duvet on.

And whereas the title implies that the Fireballs are scorching, the specs are just like medium-wind alnico humbuckers, with the neck studying round 7.24k ohms DC resistance and 4.0 henries inductance, and the bridge measuring 7.68k ohms and 4.5 henries. The pickups are wired via a 3-way toggle swap on the higher horn, with a grasp quantity and devoted tone controls for every pickup under. The amount knob additionally capabilities as a push-button swap to separate the coils of each pickups.

This pickup recipe makes the Meteora a world’s-your-oyster type of performer. With a cranked amp, lead channel, or overdrive (on this case a Tsakalis Six and Wampler Tumnus Deluxe), the Meteora produces scorching power-chord and rhythm sounds and singing lead tones with ease, with wealthy, articulate cleans on the prepared once I backed the guitar quantity down. It’s arduous to gauge how a lot impact the maple neck and alder physique have on the humbucker voicings. However count on the Meteora to sound higher balanced and crisper in contrast with the common PAF-equipped instrument. There’s little or no mud and the coil-split tones are good and jangly—though, as with many cut up humbuckers, they’re a little bit on the skinny aspect with out a booster or compressor engaged. Nonetheless, they do the trick, and add one other helpful arrow to the Meteora HH’s already packed quiver.