SE Fender American Pro II VS Ultra - YouTube 0:00 / 15:49 Fender American Pro II VS Ultra astringsuk 11K subscribers Subscribe 753 71K views 2 years ago We see how well the Pro II stacks up. You could then perhaps argue that the Fender American Professional II guitars, which have been refined with Ultra-like tweaks, offer more bang-for-your-buck and are clearly better than their predecessors from the original American Pro range. Youll also find rolled fretboard edges on guitars in both series. How do tailpieces affect a guitars tone? I will then talk about their main specs one by one, and link you to some other interesting articles I have written about these specific features. You'll find amp controls guides, tips to improve your tone, and answers to loads of specific issues. 17:53 How Does It Sound? Tailpieces are often forgotten when thinking about guitar parts, however, they have been there for centuries, and there are many different designs with alternate features. Even better, the neck has rolled edges for premium playability and comfort. Here is a video comparing the tones of the American Professional II (Butterscotch Blonde) and American Ultra Telecaster (white). The Gear Page is the leading online community and marketplace for guitars, amps, pedals, effects and associated gear. You'll find Stratocasters, Telecasters, Jazzmasters, Jazz Basses and Precision Basses, along with a few tweaked instruments that include HSS Strats, Tele Deluxes, 5-string basses and even a few fretless models. The nut of a guitar is a small but very important part of the instrument. These new Strat (opens in new tab), Tele (opens in new tab), Jazzmaster (opens in new tab) electric guitars and Precision and Jazz Basses come with some notable new features, including brand new switching options.. What Telecaster necks feel most like a 2011 American Standard Stratocaster? Im obsessed with everything gear-related and I thought it might be worth sharing it. Wound differently to their older counterparts, Fender describes its V-Mod IIs as some of the best sounding pickups it has ever made promising extra note definition and more mid-range punch. Interested in finding out more about music gear and expanding your knowledge? Five iconic guitar and bass shapes make up Fender's American Professional II series. They're definitely a winner with Danish Pete and The Captain! to switch position 1 which means that you can somewhat mimic a Telecasters pickup configuration. But the pickups are an easy fix and the S1 series / parallel switching is pretty cool, I think the ultra just has a D shape neck, the elites had a C to D. Id suggest going to your local shop and checking them out, lefty or otherwise youll still get to see and feel them. Fender American Ultra Telecasters: Introducing the Fender American Professional II Series, with new colours, refined hardware & re-voiced pickups, their iconic American Pro range just got a whole lot better! Elliot is a Senior Digital Guitar Marketer at Andertons. For the last 70 years, Fender has largely set the tone in the guitar industry. Read the full Fender American Professional II Stratocaster review (Image credit: Fender) 8. You are using an out of date browser. That being said, the Ultras are some of the most playable guitars I've ever played (although the Am Pro IIs play great as well). But which is the best? It is going to come down to which specs you like better. Differences, PRS SE vs S2 vs CE vs Core lines [Main differences], Les Paul: Solid vs Chambered vs Weight Relieved, 2-Point Synchronized Tremolo with Cold-rolled Steel Block, 2-Point Fender Deluxe Synchronized Tremolo, Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat Single-coil (SSS) / Ultra Noiseless Hot Strat Single-coil (HSS), Fender V-Mod II Single-coil / Fender V-Mod II Double Tap Humbucker, Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat Single-coil / Ultra Double Tap Humbucker, Coil-tapping (HSS), Neck pickup blend (SSS), Noiseless, Coil-tapping (HSS), S-1 neck pickup blend, 1 x Master Volume, 2 x Tone, push/push add neck blend (SSS) / 1 x Master Volume, 2 x tone push/push coil-split (HSS), 1 x Master Volume (with S-1 switch), 2 x Tone. American Ultra guitars and basses are unique in the Fender catalogue for their non-typical Modern D-shaped necks. In terms of the neck designs, the Pro II Jazzmaster has a slightly thicker deep C neck and narrower fingerboard radius compared to the Ultra Jazzmaster which has a slightly narrower modern D neck and wider fingerboard radius. Who do you pick as one of the best guitarist of all time, Alnico5 single coil pickups in a 2019 player strat. Pattern Regular However, theres no single answer to whether a lighter or heavier guitar will sound better than the other. Nitro wears off with time but has a more organic feel to the touch and is said to improve sustain and resonance. [Complete guide], Fender American Professional II Stratocaster, American Professional II Strat vs Vintera 50s Strat, Musician Jobs: 7 Reasons Why AI Is Not a Threat. Strats and teles are pretty simple guitars and $1000 will get you all you need. Whether your guitar has a standalone one or a bridge that works like one too, you might be interested in broadening your knowledge about tailpieces here: The Fender American Professional II Stratocaster has a bone nut. The function of this switching varies for the Strat, Tele and Jazzmaster so Ill discuss them later in the article when we look at each shape individually. But do guitar pickups make a difference in sound? You must log in or register to reply here. The Fender American Ultra Stratocaster is built with a solid body. This is a tiny tweak, but these simply offer an extra layer of finesse by blending beautifully into the shapes of their sculpted neck heels. I bought a demo model that was practically brand new and got a great deal on it. TrevorG likes this. In this article, Ill be comparing the two series head-to-head so you can decide which is the best for you. [Complete guide], Do pickups make a difference in sound? I looked into the ultra, and I just cant justify the cost vs what you get. The Fender American Professional II Stratocaster has a 9.5 radius. Based on what I'm seeing, they seem to be the same aside from that. Here is a brief description of these 2 guitars: The Fender American Professional II Stratocaster is made in USA, has a solid alder body, a bolt-on Deep C maple neck, maple / rosewood fingerboard, and SSS / HSS pickups. American Pro II vs American Pro vs American Ultra. I know there are better options out there for the same price, but I want to have another Fender Strat in the near future. The American Pro series seems just in that goldilocks zone of high quality for a good price, so Im hoping that itll work out. If youre looking for a modern, top-of-the-line Fender Strat, Tele or Jazzmaster then your best bet is to consider the American Professional II and Ultra series. [Complete guide], Do guitar tuners affect tone? Deep is probably a misleading description, it really a slightly fuller C - and it is quite good! Does a guitars nut affect its tone? The body on the Pro II is made from a slab of wood, whereas on the Ultra youll find contouring on the back to make it more comfortable. Lightweight tuners are also installed on these basses, which prevent neck-dive and thus make the instruments more balanced in standing positions. Here is a table highlighting the differences between the Fender American Professional II and American Ultra Stratocaster models. The American Professional II Stratocaster is loaded with a trio of V-Mod II single-coil pickups that pump out a vintage tone with modern refinements. But fret work and fit/finish on the American Pro is very good. Five iconic guitar and bass shapes make up Fenders American Professional II series. American Original 70's Tele Custom neck finish, Cap outer foil tester build -- Peegoo Custom Special. The PRS range consists of 4 different lines: Guitar weight is an important factor when it comes to finding the right guitar for you. Their Ultra Noiseless Vintage models deliver authentic single-coil sounds, while the Ultra Noiseless Hot versions dish out more output catering for modern performance needs. I'd say not really. Main difference on the Ultra is the C to D neck carve and the noiseless pickups. I have literally never had issues with Fenders in that price range. On both guitars youll get additional switching which is activated by the push/ pull tone control. The American Ultra Jazzmaster sounds clearer and cleaner due to its noiseless pickups compared to the American Professional II Jazzmaster which sounds warmer and crunchier. A more comparable choice is the American Original Series - that's where I have settled after stints with both CS and Am Pro guitars. Hello there, my name is Ramiro and Ive been playing guitar for almost 20 years. The Fender American Ultra Stratocaster is made in USA has a solid alder body, a bolt-on Modern D maple neck, maple / rosewood fingerboard, and SSS / HSS pickups. Youll find medium jumbo frets on the Ultra version and narrow tall frets on the Pro II version. Luckily for you, Ive compiled some general information about each different type of guitar neck shape so you can make an informed decision when choosing your next guitar: The Fender American Professional II Stratocaster has a Fender Stratocaster headstock. JavaScript is disabled. Fender American Ultra Strat HSS Maple Fretboard Arctic Pearl - https://tinyurl.com/y6ar99k4 Guitarists who are searching for a high-end offset guitar . Do fret size and material affect tone and playability? The II plays smooth and feels great, I remember thinking the same about the original. These also have a push-push pot for series-parallel switching. With balanced Alder bodies bolted to bright-sounding Maple necks, this classic construction design yields the snappy and articulate tones that Fender instruments are so renowned for. Sealed locking tuners and a 2-point Deluxe Synchronised Trem with pop-in arm equip todays players for classic Strat colorization with demanding modern intonation. I really like the Ultras compound radius, C to D neck carve and recessed heel I dislike the truss Rod dial on front and the pickups. If you want to know more about how its measured and the effect it has on the playability of a guitar, you should look at the following article: The Fender American Professional II Stratocaster has 22 narrow tall nickel silver frets. Fenders American Professional II Stratocaster offers multiple upgrades from its inaugural configuration. I love the deep C neck carve and the pickups sound stellar. The electric guitar models also feature newly-designed string trees that are engineered to prevent unwanted tuning slips. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. The following article will explain what guitar tops are and why they matter, as well as provide guidance for those who want to learn more about these options. Fender American Pro II Telecaster in Mercury | https://tinyurl.com/yxz2e2gk Fender American Ultra Tele Rosewood Fretboard Arctic Pearl - https://tinyurl.com/yxo3fm6f The scale length of a guitar refers to the longitude of the vibrating part of the string. If you find that it's a struggle to remove and insert the tremolo arm, Fender suggests removing and bending the retainer clip outward slightly and re-inserting it. Here are Amazon links to each version so you can check the current prices: Considering other Stratocasters? May 19, 2020 #3 707GK Most of the CS Relics have VERY THIN nitro finishes while the AM Pro has a much thicker (compared to CS) poly finish. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Fender American Ultra Tele Rosewood Fretboard Texas Tea - https://tinyurl.com/y6kv9bdr Pretty neat! A host of new Fender colours were introduced for the American Ultra series. 1:25 What's New? Fender American Ultra Series - Their Most Advanced Guitars Ever? On the humbucker-equipped HSS Strat and Tele Deluxe models, this serves as a coil-split switch instead. Here is a video comparing the tones of the American Professional II (blue) and American Ultra (red/ orange) Stratocasters. Youll find Stratocasters, Telecasters, Jazzmasters, Jazz Basses and Precision Basses, along with a few tweaked instruments that include HSS Strats, Tele Deluxes, 5-string basses and even a few fretless models. Only some minor updates have been executed. Hence, if you are using a lot of distortion then the Ultra will probably be more suitable. In many cases, the manufacturers dont inform the same features about the instruments that you want to compare and you have to start digging all over the web to find them. The Fender American Ultra Stratocaster is built with a Fender Stratocaster headstock. Guitar tuners dont have a direct effect on how a guitar sounds. The Pro 2 is probably the more traditional 'stratty' of the two, but both play really well. But is one of these flagship Fender series clearly better than the other? For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. From guitars, pedals, amps, and synths to studio gear and production tips, I hope you find what I post here useful, and Ill try my best to keep it entertaining also. The Fender American Professional II Stratocaster has a 25.5 scale length. However, if you take good care of a guitar, storing and maintaining it properly, even a cheap one, it should last decades. I see the II had a different profilehavent played it yet, but I prefer thinner necks and deep c sort of scares me at face value. No, not really. The Fender American Ultra Stratocaster is a modern take on the traditional strat with every luxury you could think of. Thanks. 13/10/20 2:00pm - 11 min read | 35 min watch. If it were a choice of upgrading from a Pro 1 to a Pro 2, I'd say it's . Headrush vs Helix vs Kemper vs GT1000 vs AX8: Which is best? This is measured from the nut to the bridge, and for intonation purposes, the middle point is always the 12th fret. The much-adored 2-point synchronised tremolo remains on the Stratocasters, but these are now fitted withcold-rolled steel blocks that increase sustain, clarity and top-end sparkle. Fender American Ultra Strat Rosewood Fretboard Arctic Pearl - https://tinyurl.com/y57233cl The frets on a guitar have a deep impact on its playability. I compared it and a Japanese made one that was 30% less and equally enjoyed the feel, only marginally preferred the sound of the Pro. My favourite guitar in 25 years. 111 NE 1st St, Miami, FL, Miami-Dade, US, 33132 Set necks attach to a pocket in the guitars body and stay put with glue. Privacy Policy. We will outline how pickups work and what are the central factors that determine how they influence the tone of your instrument. IMO the hard finish sounds.well.harder. Additionally, youll find narrow tall frets on the Pro II version and medium jumbo frets on the Ultra. Fender Launch American Professional II Series. However, if you want to know all there is about guitar tops, go here: The Fender American Professional II Stratocaster has a gloss polyurethane finish. A guitars bridge is one of the 2 points of contact the strings have with the body and neck. Many players dont consider this as important as other features, but more experienced ones will be very picky about this. Or $300/month for 6 months. Even the resale value thing is a myth. Fenders NEW & Improved American Professional II Series - What's The Difference? Further performance upgrades include a contoured heel joint, Super-Natural satin neck finish, and upgraded electronics. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Check out my complete guide to the different Stratocaster models to make sure you get the best option. They also have slightly different properties that some players argue can influence the tone of your guitar. All guitar and bass models now sport bevelled neck plates too. In this blog, we've pitted Fender's brand new American Professional II series guitars against their top-of-the-line counterparts from the American Ultra range! And Fenders new Panorama tremolo gives their American Professional II Jazzmasters a smoother vibrato arm action, of which can easily be popped in and out on-the-fly. Fenders American Professional II models have a contemporary twist, but the brands American Ultra guitars go one step further. Want To Sound Like The Captain & Pete? So its time for an upgrade. The Ultra Series (opens in new tab) earlier this year seems to have . The versatility of the new American Professional II Fender Jazz Bass (or J Bass) comes to life thanks to twin V-Mod II single-coil Jazz Bass pickups and its HiMass vintage bridge for increased sustain. The Stratocaster wears the American Ultra's contemporary stylings well. The words Fender, Telecaster, Stratocaster and the associated headstock designs are registered trademarks of the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Different scale lengths have varying influences over things such as string tension, and of course, fret gap size. In the following article, I dive deep into the most common questions players ask about tuners, and their functionality: Guitar pickups are one of the main components of any electric guitar. [Complete guide], Does guitar weight affect tone? The neck heel on the Pro II is still sculpted but just not as dramatically. The American brands trendsetting instruments have helped to shape contemporary music as we know it, with todays artists using theirguitarsand basses to pioneer the exciting sounds of tomorrow. The push-pull thing seems interesting, although I was never a fan of the S1 switch on other models and thought it a bit gimmicky. In these articles, I dive deep into how important are frets for a guitar. Simply put theres tonnes of variety! The neck is really nice, but its a little different from other Fenders. If youre looking for a guitar with a vintage voice and modern feel, the American Professional II Stratocaster is worth your consideration., Introducing the Fender American Ultra Stratocaster: Fenders high-performance iteration of the modern Stratocaster. I have a 2014 fender american deluxe strat which I love and adore and it cost around $1200 used. Danish Pete's Rig | https://www.andertons.co.uk/danish-petes-rig Now, Fender has revised these with their newly-designed V-Mod II pickups. Knowing the differences between each joint can help you decide which is best for you. I also recently needed to replace my wah pedal, and I tested the new one out with a Pro-II Strat. There are also many factors that could determine what weight of guitar would be best for you. I'm very happy with the guitar, love the neck profile and the playability of the guitar (you have to learn to set up any guitar by yourself to get the best results). Chapman Charvel Cort D'Angelico Dean Epiphone ESP E-II ESP ESP LTD EVH Fender Custom Fender Fender Squier Gibson Custom Gibson Gretsch Harley Benton Ibanez . Fender has decided to retain its popular Deep C neck shape for its American Professional II electric guitars. Youll find medium jumbo frets on the Ultra models and narrow tall frets on the American Pro II models with the following dimensions: There are some model-specific differences between guitars in the American Ultra and Professional II series. Fender American Ultra Tele Maple Fretboard Mocha Burst - https://tinyurl.com/yyf4y8g8 Fender American Ultra Strat HSS Maple Fretboard Texas Tea - https://tinyurl.com/y5ropcpv Different guitar body tonewoods and their effect on tone, Do guitar tops affect tone? You are using an out of date browser. I was thinking about getting a Professional. There is a truss rod, of course, with 22 frets with dot inlays inset. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. You have some benefits to an American made Fender - the two off the top of my head are the bone nut and the neck profile. In conjunction, both these 2 parts have a deep impact on the final tone of the instrument. Having yet to play one the marketing reads like they are just doing even more rolling on the fingerboard edges - much like what they started doing on the American Ultras last year. Modern guitar and bass players have never had more exciting creative tools at their disposal! #Andertons #Fender #AmericanProII, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_0nq4xgWJ3U/default.jpg. But ultimately, these small refinements bring these instruments more up-to-scratch for contemporary musicians looking for greater tonal flexibility and added playing comfort. Fender's reimagined American Pro II series brings over features from the popular American Ultra line, including a truly ergonomic neck heel.