FENDER AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL II STRATOCASTER HSS

reviewFENDER AMERICAN PRO II TELECASTER & STRATOCASTER HSS
77
DECEMBER 2020 GUITARIST
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. Fender is playing catch-up a little
here because pine is quite popular in the
modding and DIY partscaster world, not
to mention among some elevated boutique
makers. Fender tells us that the timber
offers a very focused bright tone and that
the roasting stabilises the wood and can
make it a little lighter.
We then get a raft of refinements to
continue the already refined Am Pro vibe.
The contoured heel, for example, is hardly
new, but it knocks the old square edge off
the treble side of the heel, something Leo
would have probably done back in the day
had he realised there was money to be
made noodling around in those high-fret
positions. Fender has sensibly retained the
Micro-Tilt neck pitch adjustment here, too.
The other subtler changes are to the
necks. Along with a ‘smoother’ satin back
finish – coined ‘Super-Natural’ – and a
rich but not overdone amber tint, there’s
a heavier rolling to the fingerboard
edges. The deep C profile of the Am Pro
I is retained, but all in, along with the
narrow/tall wire on that everyman 241mm
(9.5-inch) radius, it’s hard to think how
Fender could have improved things further.
The range of models, at least the initial
releases, tick all the best-selling boxes, too:
Strat, Tele, Strat HSS, Tele Deluxe (now
with a larger 70s Strat-style headstock) and
Jazzmaster. There’s no Strat HH this time
around; the launch range here seems very
focused on the big-hitters. And why not?
American Pro II Stratocaster HSS
As with ash, which was only used on
specific colours, here pine is employed
for the Sienna Sunburst and Roasted Pine,
which most of us would simply call natural
because Fender tells us the finish here is
basically just clear coats over a sanding
sealer. The roasting process clearly deepens
the colour, creating a very rustic furniture
vibe that was all the rage in some homes
back in the 70s. We’re suckers for heavier
contours that enhance the sculptural beauty
of the best guitar design ever. Here, that top
body edge is a little thick.
As for hardware, it’s pretty much only
the staggered-height modern tuners that
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
remain completely untouched. The two-
post bridge now boasts a cold-rolled steel
block that, says Fender, “increases sustain,
clarity and high-end sparkle”. Fender’s
Justin Norvell elaborates: “The previous
blocks were cast. These are usually resin
impregnated, which makes it musically
less like a bell when you hit it. It’s got mass
but doesn’t have the same resonance or
musicality. We were actually using an
improved style of cast block that was
copper-infused instead of resin, so it was
homogenous metal all the way through, but
it was still a sintered block. Here, we still
have the chamfering for extra travel, but it’s
milled out of cold rolled steel, which has
long been what the aftermarket people with
their upgraded hardware use. It’s what we
do on American Original and in the Custom
Shop: it’s the original recipe that Leo was
using. So, again, it’s just another tweak that
adds musicality and enhances tone.”
A major part of the first Am Pros were the
mixed-magnet V-Mod pickups (see Mods
For Rockers, later in this feature). Here we
have V-Mod IIs: the “Stratocaster single-coil
pickups are more articulate than ever while
retaining bell-like chime and warmth”, says
Fender. The DoubleTap humbucker – again
upgraded to II status – first appeared on the
American Performer range and the bridge
facing cream coil cleverly helps to ape the
classic three-single-coil look, at least from
These II versions
are nicely polished,
very everyman
instruments with
colossal appeal
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
GIT466.rev_fender.indd 77 29/10/2020 12:19