The most successful electric guitar of all time evolves subtly, but substantially.
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RatingsPros:Comfortable neck. Super-sweet neck pickup tones. Combination neck/bridge setting. High-quality build. Sensitive tremolo. Cons: Combination neck/bridge tones can sound muddy in chord settings. Street: $1,599 street (with pine body, $1,499 with alder body) Fender American Professional II Stratocaster fender.com | Tones: Playability: Build/Design: Value: |
Fender designers tasked with a Stratocaster re-design probably veer between ecstasy and terror on some days. Such are the thrills and pitfalls that go with the responsibility of rethinking an icon.
But as most modification enthusiasts know, the Stratocasterās elegant simplicity leaves plenty of room for refinement and adaptation to personal taste. Indeed, thatās one of the most beautiful facets of its solidbody, bolt-on-neck designāyou can drill, rout, shim, sand, and shave to your heartās content and retain much of the guitarās essence.
On the surface, the new American Professional II Stratocaster doesnāt look like a radical overhaul. Instead, Fender added incremental but sometimes quite substantial refinements that subtract little in the way of classic Stratocaster-ness. Fender originalists may balk at changes like a carved heel and flatter fretboard radius, but the American Pro II Stratocasterās component parts add up to an instrument that still feels, looks, and sounds very much like a Stratocaster should.
In the Pines
One of the most interesting deviations from tradition in the American Pro II series is the use of what Fender calls roasted pine for the bodyāa move weāre likely to see more often as Fender pivots away from swamp ash, which is now threatened by boring beetles and flooding associated with climate change. Roasted pine is available in only two of the finishes in the American Pro II Stratocaster lineāsienna sunburst and the natural roasted pine of our review model, both of which will set you back an extra hundred bucks. Superficially, the natural roasted pine and maple-neck version is reminiscent of the walnut-finished, black-pickguard-and-maple-neck Strats from the early-to mid-ā70s. But if you, ahem, pine for a more ā50s or ā60s-style Strat, you can opt for the alder-bodied versionāwhich is used for seven of the nine finishes. Several finishes can also be offered with rosewood necks.
The neck itself is a delight. A Stratocaster is the essence of balance. But it always seems to me that a Strat feels extra-well-balanced when the neck is a little bit on the thicker side. The deep C profile featured on this iteration does a very nice job of straddling the divide between the chunkier profiles of ā50s and early-ā60s Strats, and thinner contemporary necks. But the comfort is really compounded by the rolled edges, which create the tactile illusion of making the bend-facilitating 9.5"radius feel like a more curvaceous and vintage-styled 7.25" radius.
The extra sense of comfort is compounded by the carved heel, which is beveled on the treble side in line with the 17th fret. Play a full-step bend at the 18th fret and youāll definitely notice the absence of the hard edges on a blocky old-style heel. It makes it much easier to put extra muscle and nuance into string bends and vibrato at these higher reaches of the neck. Players with smaller hands will almost certainly appreciate the extra reach and room to move
Toasty Tones
While itās hard to determine with certainty what specific effects the pine body might have on the overall tone, you perceive extra warmth and detail in many settings. The bridge pickup feels extra quick, responsive, and spanky, even by Strat standards, but exhibits excellent string-to-string balance. The real star is the neck pickup, which, to my ears, delivers a little extra size and low-mid glow, particularly from the bottom end. Drop tunings sound fantastic on this pickupāespecially that thumping 6th string. And while I didnāt change the .009ā.042 set the guitar ships with, it was hard not to be tantalized by the thought of using heavier strings on the bottom to add mass to the already tantalizingly rich low end.
Fenderās treble bleed circuit (which preserves high end as you roll back the volume) becomes a real asset in these settings. The push/push switch on the second tone knob is another cool addition to the Stratās usual bag of tricksāenabling selection of the lovely neck pickup from both the bridge and bridge/middle positions. The sound is fat, complex, and can feel harmonically cluttered in some chord-centric situations. But leads, especially slow, chord-melody passages, sound balanced and pretty in these positions and make great use of the extra low-end ballast from the neck pickup. This is certainly a Stratocaster soul and jazz players can love.
The Verdict
The American Professional II Stratocaster is a positive evolution of a guitar that was pretty close to perfect in its original incarnation. Refinements like the fluid, bouncy, and precise vibrato, carved heel, and 9.5" radius fretboard with rolled edges manage to represent true improvements without sacrificing what you might call vintage integrity. The wide grain of the pine body on our review specimen may deviate a touch too much from the figuring in natural ash finishes to please hardcore vintage purists. But this particular guitar aligns nicely with Fenderās underappreciated ā70s instruments in stylistic terms, and there are many more vintage-style finishes available in its alder incarnationāalong with some very modern ones, if thatās your fancy. In short, the American Professional II bridges the gap between vintage familiarity and a more expansive, modern tone vocabulary with grace. And the effort Fender put into these enhancements clearly has paid real dividends.
Watch our Fender American Professional II Stratocaster First Look demo:
The worldās most iconic electric evolves againāthis time with a roasted pine body, contoured heel, rolled fretboard edges, and more articulate pickups.
New Fender Artist Series additions: Eric Johnson RW Strat and Ritchie Blackmore Strat
Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW
There is no greater example of guitar hero Eric Johnsonās devotion to his art than his new signature model Stratocaster guitar. With singular attention to detail, the new Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW features a two-piece alder body finished in thin-skin nitrocellulose lacquer, a quartersawn maple neck with bound round-laminated 12ā-radius rosewood fretboard, a three-ply parchment pickguard, pickups voiced by Johnson himself, staggered vintage-style tuners, a custom tremolo block, and four brand-new finish options, three of which (Lucerne Aqua Firemist, Tropical Turquoise and Medium Palomino Metallic) are exclusive to this model.
Medium Palomino Metallic Larger Image | Model | Ā | Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW |
Model Number | 011-7700-(Color #) | ||
Series | Artist Series | ||
Colors | Dakota Red, Tropical Turquoise, Medium Palomino Metallic,Ā Lucerne Aqua Firemist, (Thin-Skin Nitrocellulose Lacquer) | ||
Body | 2-Piece, Deep Contoured, ā57 Style Lightweight Alder Body | ||
Neck | Quartersawn Maple, Soft āVā Shape, (Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish) | ||
Fingerboard | Bound Round Laminated Rosewood, 12ā Radius (305 mm) | ||
No. of Frets | 21 Highly Polished Medium Jumbo Frets | ||
Pickups | 3 Specially Voiced Eric Johnson Single-Coil Pickups with Countersunk Mounting Screws (Neck/Middle/Bridge) | ||
Controls | Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup) | ||
Pickup Switching | 5-Position Blade: 1. Bridge Pickup Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup 3. Middle Pickup Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup Position 5. Neck Pickup | ||
Bridge | American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo | ||
Machine Heads | Fender/Gotoh Staggered Vintage Style Tuning Machines | ||
Hardware | Nickel/Chrome | ||
Pickguard | 3-Ply Parchment, (8-Hole) | ||
Scale | 25.5ā (648 mm) | ||
Width at Nut | 1.650ā (42 mm) | ||
Unique Features | Extra Smooth Neck to Headstock Volute, Special Neckplate with Engraved EJ and Kokopelli, 1957 Style Body Cavities, Countersunk Holes in Pickguard for Pickup Mounting Screws, Pearloid Dot Inlay Position Markers, Height Staggered Vintage Style Tuners which Eliminate the Need for String Trees, Vintage Tremolo with Silver Painted Block and ā57 Style String Recess (No Paint Between Base Plate and Block), 3-Ply 8-Hole Parchment Pickguard, 5 Tremolo Springs and No Back Tremolo Cover Plate | ||
Strings | Fender Super 250R, Nickel Plated Steel, Gauges: (.010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046) | ||
Accessories | Deluxe Blonde Hardshell Case, Levyās Woven Strap, 15ā Koil Kords Cable, āAsh Trayā Bridge Cover |
Ritchie Blackmore Signature
Legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore has been creating memorable guitar riffs for decades. His deft phrasing and unmistakable tone have helped make the phrase āguitar soloā a household term. Blackmore and Fender are now proud to introduce the Ritchie Blackmore Signature Stratocaster guitar, based on his favorite ā70s model and featuring a maple neck with a graduated scalloped rosewood fretboard, Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Flat pickups, and ā70s-style āFā tuners. Deluxe gig bag included.
Larger Image | Model | Ritchie Blackmore Stratocaster | |
Model Number | 013-9010-(305) | ||
Series | Artist Series | ||
Colors | Olympic White, (Polyester Finish) | ||
Body | Alder | ||
Neck | Maple, āUā Shape, (Gloss Polyurethane Finish) | ||
Fingerboard | Graduated Scalloped Rosewood, 7.25ā Radius (184 mm) | ||
No. of Frets | 21 Vintage Style Frets | ||
Pickups | 1 Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Flat SSL-4 Single-Coil Strat Pickup (Neck), 1 Non-Active āDummyā Pickup (Middle), 1 Reverse Wound/Reverse Polarity Seymour DuncanĀ® Quarter Pound Flat SSL-4 Single-Coil Strat Pickup (Bridge) | ||
Controls | Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck and Middle Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup) | ||
Pickup Switching | 3-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickup Position 3. Neck Pickup | ||
Bridge | Vintage Style Synchronized Tremolo | ||
Machine Heads | Fender/Schaller Vintage āFā Style Tuning Machines | ||
Hardware | Chrome | ||
Pickguard | 3-Ply White | ||
Scale | 25.5ā (648 mm) | ||
Width at Nut | 1.650ā (42 mm) | ||
Unique Features | Ritchie Blackmore Signature on Front of Headstock, Flush Mounted Dunlop Straplocks, Large ā70s Style Headstock, ā70s Style Decal, Bullet Truss Rod Adjustment Nut, 3-Bolt Neck Plate with Micro-Tiltā¢ Neck Adjustment, Pearloid Dot Position Inlays, Black Plastic Knobs, Pickup Covers, Tremolo and Switch Tips, Synthetic Bone Nut | ||
Strings | Fender Super BulletsĀ® 3250L, Nickel Plated Steel, (.009 to .042), | ||
Accessories | Deluxe Gig Bag |
For more information:
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