review 74 FENDER AMERICAN PRO II TELECASTER & STRATOCASTER HSS GUITARIST DECEMBER 2020 GIT466.rev_fender.
FENDER AMERICAN PRO II TELECASTER & STRATOCASTER HSS review Signs Of The Times It’s barely four years ago that Fender replaced its long-running American Standard range with the American Professional. Now it’s been refreshed. So, what’s new? Words Dave Burrluck Photography Neil Godwin DECEMBER 2020 GUITARIST GIT466.rev_fender.
review FENDER AMERICAN PRO II TELECASTER & STRATOCASTER HSS FENDER AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL II TELECASTER & STRATOCASTER HSS £1,599 & £1,649 CONTACT Fender Musical Instruments EMEA PHONE 01342 331700 WEB www.fender.com What You Need To Know 1 American Original, Ultra, Performer and now Professional II? I still play an American Standard Strat. What’s going on? Keep up! If you’re that vintage guy, you can head to the American Original series. More of a modernist? It’s the American Ultra for you.
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra FENDER AMERICAN PRO II TELECASTER & STRATOCASTER HSS review One of the drivers for the American Pro II range is to introduce the DoubleTap humbucker, previously seen on the Performer series. It’s a very clever patented design hard to source – certainly in the quantities that Fender consumes – and is replaced by roasted pine as used right back at the start of the Fender story (although it wasn’t roasted back then) and for various limited runs over the years.
review FENDER AMERICAN PRO II TELECASTER & STRATOCASTER HSS 1. The rib-cage contouring seen here on the Stratocaster HSS leaves quite a thick edge to the bass side, but the roasted pine body is an excellent weight 2.
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra FENDER AMERICAN PRO II TELECASTER & STRATOCASTER HSS review UNDER THE HOOD A look inside the reimagined models T he modded vibe of these new Mk II American Professionals is very evident in their expanded wiring. Each model features at least one fast-action push-push switched tone pot that introduces the extra sound. On our Strat HSS it splits the DoubleTap humbucker, and on our Tele it combines the two pickups in series, when both are selected.
review FENDER AMERICAN PRO II TELECASTER & STRATOCASTER HSS 3. All the new American Pro II models use a push-push switch on the tone controls to introduce more sounds. On this Tele we get both pickups in series 4.
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra FENDER AMERICAN PRO II TELECASTER & STRATOCASTER HSS review MODS FOR ROCKERS T he patented Fender DoubleTap humbucker is a little different to a regular humbucker, for example, with a standard coil-split, which effectively just dumps one coil, or most of it, to ground. Firstly, the DoubleTap has mismatched coils: the screw coil is wound to a measured DCR of 5.17kohms and that’s the coil that’s voiced in the split mode. The slug coil measures 3.88k.
review FENDER AMERICAN PRO II TELECASTER & STRATOCASTER HSS 5 Is roasted pine the new ash? Impossible to say… but it’s definitely in the right ballpark Verdict Is roasted pine the new ash? Impossible to say on the evidence of a single guitar, but listening to this Strat in comparison with both alder and light ash references, it’s definitely in the right ballpark and perhaps sits between the two. Obviously, you’re not just hearing a body wood, but what we’re hearing overall is extremely good.
