Fender: Marauder (Modern Player series)

Come on, this isn't the real 1960s Fender Marauder. The body is off its original lengthy design, has 1 more fret, the wrong whammy bridge is seen here, wrong pickup selector type & darn, those are definitely not the right pickups in there. Frankly, this is a Marauder only because the manufacturer says it is. Sheesh.

But hey, this isn't a critical entry, it's appraisal inclined & here we go... The Marauder is a value-for-money instrument considering it bears 'Fender' at the headstock & doesn't even exceed $550. It's ironic that this interpretation of the Marauder looks more acceptable despite still being eccentric & dare I say it; more functional. The body wood here is of the koto make, which is more commonly recognized in the interior paneling circle, quite the buzzword for the home improvement guys as opposed to the guitar dweebs. Anyway, it emulates the crispy attack of alder & that's quite the signature Fender tone in there considering the pickups aren't quite the flagship single coils responsible for that hallowed Fender chimes. But we get fat single coil tones coming from the neck Jazzmaster-type pickup; hear it clean, please. It's the pickup's forte, it can pull-off a good jazz tone in this mode. The bridge pickup, in summary is a drive/distortion wonder; just sounds good in isolated use. Whatever triple-humbucking hype there is in there is distracting the fact that this pickup is definitely above-average in all applications.

The playability here is an absolute cracker, the body sports those critical cutaways for all manner of playing & this shouldn't hinder shred mongers whose upper fret foray seem second nature. The quirky body design is as balanced as it gets played both sitting & strapped-on so don't let ugliness get in the way of needful judgment. The neck here is a little deceiving, Fender says it's their typical C-profile but after a personal encounter, it's a 'C' alright but there's that added slimness that could only be felt by players who spend adequate time with skinny profiles. Also- it's gloss finished, so be warned.

Okie-dokie, let's not kid ourselves into believing that it's a convincing Marauder interpretation- it's a clear NO. But it's a good utilitarian guitar less that true single coil tone so not quite a Start or Tele content in there. It's a member of the Moder Player series so it's made in China a definite contender for a pariah guitar just by virtue of this consideration but it'll sift those genuinely interested in well-built instruments from the posers concerned only with elite brand names.

PS: Thanks to the good people @ Swee Lee Bras Basah for the 'review' test- Yadni for telling me it's new in store, Faizal for the set-up. You guys rock!

Fender: Marauder (Modern Player series)
Price: $539 NET (bag not included)
Availability: Swee Lee Co.