Fender decided to ask: how do you improve a seemingly perfect design? Beginning to seamlessly combine Fender’s deep and unmistakable aesthetic history with the quest to be the most advanced music company on the planet, the new American Professional II can do just that.
American Professional II from the beginning
Leo Fender built the company by listening to musicians and responding to their needs, and the American Professional II series continues that trend. This Stratocaster, the standard triple single pickup model and the HSS variant with a humbucker Vintage Mod II Double Tap on the bridge, they reflect Fender’s classic design, contours and playability, as well as its latest, most advanced designs and features.
The guitars offer a long list of standard and expected Fender specs, as well as a list of modern changes to refine this Stratocaster and improve it when compared to some of the best guitars on the market, and at a very reasonable price for its build quality and electronics. advanced. Think about the design.
The American Professional is a primary line of products for professional musicians, but the American Professional II series offers those musicians an upgrade, so to speak.
Improvements at a glance
The first notable improvement over the original American Professional series is the “Super Natural” satin finish on the back of the neck, while the headstock retains the classic Fender look with a gloss urethane finish.
The neck shape is a deep “C,” which feels thin enough for more contemporary players, but also comfortable for guitarists more accustomed to classic or vintage Fender neck shapes.
The “Super Natural” satin finish allows the 22 tall, narrow frets to glide smoothly, and these feel especially good for livening up solos while playing chords.
Although it has a fairly standard 25.5-inch scale length, tension is especially good on these new Strats, thanks in part to the bone nut on one end and the two-point synchronized tremolo on the other.
The new Vintage Mod II pickups are as powerful as you could want them to be, while delivering the refined, dynamic punch and 5-pickup combinations and push pull we all crave.
The new American Professional II Stratocasters have an alder body, with the exception of the pine variant, and depending on the color you choose, they are available with a rosewood or maple fingerboard.
The guitars have a glossy urethane finish that looks solid and high quality while allowing the wood to breathe and resonate.
This new model is much more than we expected
They are similar in weight to standard Stratocasters and feature a rounded heel at the neck joint for better access, as introduced on the American Elite, refined on the American Ultra, and now included in the American Professional II line.
Both Stratocasters feature a tone knob that can be pressed for a treble roll-off which actually opens up more tone options than you have with the popular Strat wiring. The tone is enhanced by the cold-rolled steel block that anchors the tremolo and helps sustain and brighten the bell-like tone Strats are known for.
Overall, the American Professional II series is perhaps the brand’s most comfortable movement to date; continuous improvement fused with classic design and aesthetics. The American Professional series was a huge success, but it wasn’t just that, the “II” series builds on Fender’s success and creates an even more refined line of instruments with improved pickups and electronics. Masterful designs and fantastic build quality.
A comfortable neck shape with a satin urethane finish along with well-finished frets, comfortable string tension, and a well-balanced bridge, designed and refined for an incredible playing experience.
The American Professional II series in general is everything you’re used to, which is why we keep coming back to Fender, but they also push their own designs so we can advance our playing.
Conclusions
The big news for the tones here is that the models feature push-push switching for the new V-Mod II pickups to improve their versatility. And after testing the new Tele and Strat recently, we can attest to that.
And, as with any new Fender update, there are new finishes including Miami Blue, Dark Knight for Telecaster and Mercury.
In addition to new features to improve neck comfort, the bridges on all models have also been redesigned.
Now that you know everything you need to know about this new Fender, are you ready to try it out?
Here we leave a small summary of all its features:
- Pickguard: 4-Ply Tortoiseshell (3-color Sunburst, Olympic White), 3-Ply Aged White (Sienna Sunburst), 3-Ply Black (Roasted Pine, Mercury, Dark Night), 3-Ply Mint (Miami Blue, Mystic Surf Verde , black)
- Pickups: V-Mod II Single-Coil Strat (bridge, middle, neck)
- Pickup change: 5-position switch: 1: bridge, position 2: bridge and a half, 3. middle 4. middle and neck pickup position, 5. neck pickup
- Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (neck/middle pickups), Tone 2. (bridge pickup)
- Auxiliary Switching: Push-Push tone control adds neck pickup pickup
- Control Knobs: Antique White Plastic, Black Plastic (Dark Night)
- Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome
- Strings: Fender USA 250L nickel-plated steel (.009-.042 gauges)
- Case: Molded Deluxe Case (included)
- Left-handed options: Yes
