New Fender Guitars - Player Lead II & III, HM Strat & More

NAMM 2020 is shaping up to be a pretty big deal for Fender as they have announced the return of the Fender Player Lead Series II & III guitars, HM Stratocaster, an impressive range of new Fender Parallel Universe II guitars and more.

The range of incredible Fender effects pedals are not only budget-friendly, but they're also extremely versatile, often combining a range of features and sounds to suit different styles.

The brand new Fender Tread-Light series of pedals provide far more control than you've come to expect from pedals of this type.

The Fender Tread-Light Wah features an adjustable treble control, three-way mid-frequency switch and switchable buffer.

The Fender Tread-Light Volume/Expression includes a very handy light underneath the treadle for easier stage viewing whilst the rubber and wooden pads on anodized aluminium chassis means it'll survive the most hectic of playing schedules.

Back again for 2020, the Fender Parallel Universe II fuses body shapes and features that will appeal to the collectors and musicians who want something really special to play with.

These are extremely limited and some are only made to order, so if you want one - you best get in quick.

The Fender Parallel Universe II Jazz Stratocaster is a Strat/Jazzmaster mashup. This cool guitar features an Alder body covered in a Lacquer Mystic Surf Green finish with matching headstock. You have an American Professional Jazzmaster bridge for reliability, 9.5” radius, medium jumbo frets for added playability and Pearloid block inlays. A set of Pure Vintage ’65 Jazzmaster pickups provide the powerful sound and a custom Decoboom pickguard finishes it off nicely.

The Fender Parallel Universe II Uptown Stratocaster features a cool-looking Slab Mahogany Body carved into a strat style shape. A Mahogany neck with cream bound RW board and Pearloid blocks adds style. The 9.5” radius, med jumbo frets combined with 60s C neck shape make it comfortable to play. The Am Pro Strat bridge is solid and reliable. A set of custom DoubleTap humbucking pickups with vol/tone for each pickup (push-pull on tones for DoubleTap) provide a massive amount of power. Available in Olympic White lacquer.

The Fender Parallel Universe II Maverick Dorado is an homage to the late 60s vintage oddity. Available in limited quantities, each model comes in Lacquer Firemist Gold, Cadillac Green or Ultraburst over an Alder body with Bigsby vibrato - all models feature matching headstock finishes. The Ebony board with 9.5” radius med jumbo frets, block inlays and binding on neck makes it comfortable to play. Tim Shaw Filtertron pickups give you tonal variety and classic pearl button tuners are accurate and reliable.

This is going to turn some heads. The Fender Parallel Universe II Spark-O-Matic Jazzmaster features a 3-piece chambered body with Mahogany centre and Ash wings. All models come in a lush Lacquer 3-Color Sunburst. A Maple neck with Deep C shape is comfortable to play and the Rosewood fretboard with 9.5” radius, medium jumbo frets allows you to move freely around the board. 3 Seymour Duncan mini-humbuckers offer tonal variety when coupled with the 5-way Strat-style switch. The Am Pro Jazzmaster tremolo system is also a nice touch.

Next up we have the Fender Parallel Universe II Stratocaster Jazz Deluxe. This features a slab Alder body with a 4A flame Maple top for added snap. A double-bound body is visually stunning. The solid Rosewood neck with block inlays, narrow-tall frets with 9.5” radius and modern C neck shape is comfortable to play. 3 Custom Shop Texas Special pickups offer high output power whilst the 5-way switch allows you to choose which sound you want. An American Pro Stratocaster tremolo is strong and reliable. The lacquer trans faded seafoam green finish looks awesome!

The clue is in the name here - this is going to cause a bit of trouble in the guitar community. A familiar colour scheme and pickup configuration will appeal to two specific brand lovers!

Finished in a Lacquer Olympic White, the Fender Parallel Universe II Troublemaker Custom includes a Mahogany double bound body with Mahogany neck. The neck looks awesome thanks to a bound Maple fretboard with black Pearloid block inlays. The medium jumbo frets and 12” radius Modern C neck shape means hand fatigue is reduced. The bound and painted matching headstock finishes off the guitar nicely. You have total control thanks to a Volume and Tone pot for each of the Custom DoubleTap Humbuckers (double tap is activated by push/push tone pots). The pearl button tuners and gold hardware add a touch of class.

Again, this is going to cause a stir. The Fender Parallel Universe II Troublemaker Custom Bigsby features a Lacquer Black, Mahogany double bound body with Bigsby vibrato - sound familiar?

A Mahogany neck with bound Rosewood fretboard feels awesome under your fingertips. The inclusion of Pearloid block inlays, medium jumbo frets and 12” radius Modern C neck shape allows for a comfortable playing experience. The bound and painted matching headstock adds a sinister, yet sleek aesthetic. You have dedicated Volume and tone pots for each of the Custom DoubleTap Humbucking pickups. Need tonal variety? You got it: the Vol push-push splits each humbucker; the neck tone push-push deactivates the middle pickup in position 2 for that neck + bridge tone. Pearl button tuners and gold hardware add to the visual appeal.

The Fender Parallel Universe II Telecaster Magico has been designed by Master Builder Ron Thorn - so you're in good hands! The guitar features a Thinline Ash body with Pearloid bound book-matched top. The flame maple neck with Pearloid binding is visually appealing whilst remaining comfortable and adding extra snap. You also have a 12” radius maple board with white pearl blocks and soft V neck shape.

The guitar is loaded with Gold Foil Ron Thorn pickups so you're going to be heard through the mix! Custom pearl bezels, pearl button tuners, and pearl pickguard all add to the visual appeal. A “cut” Tele bridge with compensated brass saddles offers tuning stability and resonance. Available in Trans Daphne Blue and Trans Surf Green - highly limited.

The Fender American Original Series gets a range of new colours this year, but it's the introduction of the American Original Telecaster Custom and Fender American Original Telecaster Thinline that we're really excited about.

The new Fender American Original 70’s Telecaster Custom features newly made authentic Wide Range Humbuckers built with era-correct CuNiFe magnets. This is the first time these magnets have been used in a Wide Range neck pickup in over 40 years!

The guitar also features a Tim-Shaw-designed ‘70s Telecaster single-coil bridge pickup, individual volume and tone controls and a lacquer finish that allows the wood to breathe.

The new Fender American Original 60’s Telecaster Thinline is a welcome addition to the American Original lineup offering a set of Tim Shaw designed 60s Telecaster Thinline pickups for that authentic vintage tone.

21 Vintage Tall frets and 9.5" radius ensure your playing experience is a comfortable one. Vintage-style hardware and a custom lacquer that allows the wood to breathe for a more resonant sound are all nice features.

Originally developed in 1979, the Fender Lead Series was launched in response to the need for high-quality, low-priced import guitars.

These, simple, yet effective guitars are back with a vengeance for 2020.

The 2020 Fender Player Lead II guitars have been created in homage to the models of the late 70's. These guitars feature dual slanted Player series single-coil pickups as well as dual-toggle switches that allow you to select pickups or put the pickups into reverse phase.

A modern "C" neck shape with medium jumbo frets is comfortable to play and the double-cutaway design allows you to hit those high notes with ease.

Available in Neon Green, Black and period-correct Crimson Red Transparent.

The original models of these guitars appeared briefly and only in 1982. They're back for 2020 and come equipped with a set of hot alnico V Player humbucking pickups. The dual-toggle switches are also there, except this time you can select each pickup or split the humbuckers for single-coil tones.

A modern "C" shape neck with medium jumbo frets makes playing enjoyable.

Available in Purple Metallic, Olympic White and Sienna Sunburst.

Originally released between 88-92, the HM Stratocaster took the heavy metal world by storm, completely blowing the hot-rodded Strat impersonators out of the water.

These new models for 2020 are built in the same factory as the original HM Stratocasters (HM stands for Heavy Metal) yet features an improved narrow “C” neck profile with unique 25” scale. The combination of a 17” radius Maple or Rosewood fingerboard and 24 Jumbo frets makes it very comfortable to play.

Those who love to divebomb will enjoy the Floyd Rose Special recessed bridge and locking nuts whilst the high-gain HSS pickups provide the screaming tones you need. You can even split the humbucker for a straight single-coil sound.

The highly stylized '80s-era "STRAT" silk logo harks back to the style of the 80s.

You also have a choice of four era-correct Day-Glo colours: Frozen Yellow, Flash Pink, Ice Blue and Bright White, each limited to 150 units.

Fender has unveiled a selection of new artist models. Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine/Audioslave gets a signature Stratocaster and Jim Root gets an all-new Jazzmaster.

Tom Morello finally gets a signature guitar from Fender. The Fender "Soul Power" Stratocaster features Fender Noiseless and Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickups for superb power. A Floyd Rose Tremolo system allows you to divebomb and the built-in Kill Switch lets you get that classic Tom Morello scratch/cutout sound.

You also get an iconic "Soul Power" body decal included in the black Fender case.

The no-nonsense shred monster that is the Jim Root Signature guitar gets the Jazzmaster treatment.

The Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster V4 Electric Guitar, White features the Jim Root signature Daemonum open-coil EMG active pickups for pure power. The shred-worthy 12” radius fingerboard with jumbo frets is comfortable to play and the single volume control and 3-way selector switch removes any complications in changing your tone.

Shop all the new Fender gear over at PMT Online today and catch up on all the latest NAMM 2020 News HERE.