Fender American ULTRA vs PROFESSIONAL II

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Comparing the Fender American Professional II and Ultra Strat - High End Fender Head to Head Comparison
John reviews the top pros and cons of the top Fender Strat models.
DROP A COMMENT - What Strat will you buy next?
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[@metalmover]

Been buying fenders for over 30 years. My go to is the ultra. I own 4 (2 starts, 1 tele, and the jazz bass). I skip over my reissues and I play the ultras the most. Before the ultras my go to was my 1989 strat plus....it doesn’t compare to an ultra either. Great guitars...it’s all in the neck. I wish fender would do a fiesta red strat ultra with rosewood neck. Same color in the jazz master please. To top it off....bring back the ash tele and put a humbucker in the neck and use s-switch to split it.

[@mr.astrophysics9115]

Blues player Christone Kingfish played the Fender player series stratocasters live until Fender gave him his signature stratocaster

[@dirktucker77]

Telegibstrat

[@Yumemaru.]

Based Kingfish enjoyer.

[@colbygargiulo101]

player or player plus?

[@ArielCardona]

I own the AP2 and totally love it. I'd get the Ultra only if I really need more overdrive tones; but I already own some LPs, so my vote is for the AP2. It sounds more resonant.

[@adajay9257]

I initially purchased the Ultra Strat and after a week I returned it to the store and purchased a Pro II Strat. What I did not like on the Ultra was the thinner neck (I have an Japanese Ibanez for that). The noiseless pickups were not really noiseless. I also purchased the Pro II Tele. My Pro II Strat and Tele never go out of tune. Believe it or not, I bought them two years ago and I tuned them three times in total. I have no plans of changing the regular tuners to locking tuners. I don’t see an advantage to them even when it comes to the speed of changing strings. My advice is get a Pro II if you want a standard Fender, and if you want a modern Fender get the Ultra.

[@bluwng]

I love the neck on the Ultra vs Am PromII but I see what you mean.

[@barstia7847]

Thanks!

[@jairocampo1992]

Dude but the Miami blue color is just FIRE

[@DrJeebles]

I would be interested in a comparison of Gretsch models, since you are in the Fender family at the moment. Keep it up, guys!

[@alanswanson7515]

Excited to hear the Performer and it's vaunted Yosemite pickups! That Deluxe Reverb sounds sweet.

[@thomaschambers33]

I love the American Utra, tried one out in the pawn shop still was 1699.00 for 2019 model. That to me is the best strat I ever played and I've owned other American Standards in my life. Liked them but didn't love them. Saving up for the Ultra.

[@Fret-knot]

Good comparison. Personally, I like both but err towards the Ultra. I think more apples for apples, I'd like to see what you think about the player plus tele/strat v the Ultra. Both have locking tuners/ noiseless pups/ compound radius fretboards.

[@chetmanley610]

Fiddled around with both for about 2 hours a few years back and ended up walking out with the pro2. The noiseless pickups on the ultra left a lot to be desired. Both felt very good though.

[@Sig8066]

As usual.. A fantastic review guys!

[@danieljoseph8459]

I already own the American pro 2 75th Anniversary edition, I’ve changed up the locking tuners and changed the pickups that came with it, for set of 4th Generation Noiseless pickups with the midrange pickups, as well as a well cut bone nut. This update has improved the sound by the Way !

[@DaveTadros]

There’s no such thing as a 75th anniversary edition. This year, 2024, is the 70th anniversary of the Strat. So unless you went to the future, Marty, lol

[@jasonmyers3847]

Maybe it's just me but, the Ultra sounds better too.

[@austinsandefer649]

Definitely, Ultra All the way!

[@candylaria5414]

Authentic Vintage Strat vs the Ultra for next comparison.. 🎸

[@brianfoster5702]

I've got a custom shop with noiseless pickups with boost control. It only had non locking tuners with it. Which I have installed can't understand why they don't fir lockers on a custom shop.

[@vibhormishra6203]

Great video! Could you please review the Fender JV vintage modified MIJ series?

[@TheAustinGuy]

Ultra is wayyy clearer

[@harrymanilow]

It's noiseless pickups. TBH in person in a side by side they feel sterile, for a studio that may be a necessary sound, but for the stage/gig/music falling anywhere close to soul/blues/etc the am pro 2 edges it.

[@beeps123]

The neck pocket on the ultra is contoured as they’ve reduced the wood there for accessibility which is a turn off for me as that’s the joint where stability is critical. Reminds me of three screw bolt on in the past.

[@MrEvanBacon]

I have the ultra. Love it. Best feeling neck I have ever played.

[@briantreadgold525]

I recently had the good fortune to win an American Ultra in Cobra Blue. I dont have any guitars that expensive - my favourite guitar is a vintage japanese Fujigen strat that just olays like a dream and has upgraded handwound pups and I swapped in Ratio locking tuners. I think it's testament to how good my jaoanese strat is that I was not as "wowwed" by the ultra as I expected. After playing it a while I put it down to the noiseless pickups. They are very good, but they just lack some life or are missing those last few percentage points of feel or something. Physically, the ultra is a phenomenal guitar. I love the neck and the fretboard and it is truly perfect, not a bad fret and the compound radius feels superb. I've ordered some quality single coils for it and then I think it will properly wow me!!

[@ParaBellum2024]

Based on the sounds alone, I prefer the Pro II. Much more lively.

[@vincesforza9479]

Love your show very informative

[@robertlennox3607]

Given that I don't like noiseless pickups, compound radius or locking tuners - my vote is for the Am Pro 2. Plus I'm getting an Am Pro 2 in Dark Night soon.

[@Steinberg707]

How about putting single coil pickups on the ultra? So you have the playability of the ultra and the sound of the professional.

[@SO-bp2uc]

I like everything about the ultra better except I thought the sound was better on the AP2. The sound wasn’t that much better though and if I were to use the guitar for gigging, I’d prefer the noiseless pickups because no one besides fellow gear heads would hear the difference anyway.

[@michaelzschoche2746]

Here I sit with the American professional first gen in my lap lol. I love it though.

[@robertlennox3607]

I have the Gen 1 Am Pro tele butterscotch maple board with ash body. About to get the Am Pro 2 dark night strat with rosewood board.

[@palol6644]

i own APII and absolutely love it. I don't need locking tuners and noislesses . Also neck is better than D in ultra. I had opportunity to try on music shop.. and it's not for me.

[@HBSuccess]

I wanted to like the ultra more… but through tiny iPhone speakers it was pretty harsh to my ear. Consistent with every time I’ve actually tried the “noiseless” Strat PUPs at a store. just something about them stopping me from purchasing. I will agree the ultras have 101% better tuning stability, you almost forget it’s a STRAT 😂

[@jimshorts6751]

Hey PTG, I bought a new Pro-II the day they came out... for $1299 (have the receipt). Plus, my Strat has a 12" radius (not compound) maple Modern-C neck. Did they change the neck to 9.5 Deep-C ? That would be a shame, I found myself loving this thing. I've hated most Strat's my whole life as most didn't Bark like the '62 Strat that fell into my lap years ago. That guitar holds a special place, but my Pro-II surprised me with its quality... even at the $1599 orig. asking price. The pickups were the real suprise. At standard height they sound like most modern SSS pickups, but drop them down and kick in the Preamp and they can bark, but just a little. Great review !

[@robertlennox3607]

12'' is too flat for most players (myself included)

[@brooksphillips2234]

I couldn't agree more. To me the Ultra was just a better guitar. Not to say any of the other Fender's weren't. When I bought mine it didn't even need a set up. Stays in tune really well!

[@shadowhenge7118]

For the ultra it should be choice of 20 colors, sss, hss, hhs, or hhh and 10 color pickguard configs. Ulyra should be a defsult config with all the color and neck options. Otherwise the "ultra" monniker just feels like they had too much stock.

[@mclovin1609]

Love the review 👍

[@ajpyyz]

Do all ultras come with jumbo frets?

[@benallmark9671]

Are the American Originals and American Vintage ll's not more expensive then both of these or am I mistaken ?

[@PlayandTradeGuitars]

Yes both are more expensive, these are just generally expensive ha. Thanks for watching

[@craigthomson3621]

The new Fender Vintage II range provides opportunities for comparisons (eg the ‘57 v ‘61 Strats). A look at what are the best mods on a Strat (after market locking tuners, 10 position Freeway switch, is it worth going for Stainless Steel when it is time for a re-fret). Moving to Gibsons, comparing the larger body ES-335 with the smaller body ES-339 would be interesting.

[@jimshorts6751]

It's funny, on paper the 335 and 339 mostly have the same electronics and hardware... on tape, or digital, they sound very different. The 335 seems to sustain for days (feedback vibration probably), the 339 you can throw tons of gain at and it seems to self-compress. Good idea comparing the two. Personal preference, I bought 335's, a few of them, they hold their value, they look drop dead gorgeous, and garner a bit of attention when you pull one out of th case. I'm guessing heavy Chuck Berry vibes.😂 The 339 shouldn't be overlooked though, it's a real screamer. Much more 'woody' and 'airy' than a Les Paul and the smaller body gives some better access up the neck for speed freaks. Get both. 🤷‍♂️ 😏

[@nsilveira7622]

Can you put the ultra neck on an American pro ii?

[@michaelwhite8737]

Gettin' close to that 50K Subs! That Green Les Paul's lookin better and better every time I see it! 🙌 I can almost picture it making my Marshall sing. 😎

[@michaelwhite8737]

Awesome Strats also. I liked the Ulta more, but both sound great.

[@8FunGuy8]

Fender stratocaster ultra with Fender twin 65 or super reverb with some analog pedals ... 😮

[@andybown68]

Prefer the Pro ii for cleans and the Ultra with gain. Prefer the feel of the Ultra.

[@bustanorms2028]

Utra is perfect if they didnt use noiseless pick up,,vintage pick up still good

[@leonard4054]

I wish Fender would go back to medium jumbo frets instead of narrow tall on their AP2 . Only their high end production models have them. Why Fender??? Also , the modern C neck was perfect imo

[@neilcyrus1244]

I’d like to see you do in Eastman SB59

[@PlayandTradeGuitars]

We've heard that a few times now, I will have to get one of these. Thanks for watching!

[@neilcyrus1244]

It’s my favorite single cut style guitar I have.

[@juanantoniovallesramirez4169]

Me gusta más la american standar, se escucha más agresiva.

[@larrybegnaud7811]

Ultra sounds more open and cleaner and less compressed than the mids-heavy American Pro 2.

[@vincesforza9479]

How do you enter the contesr

[@PaulCooksStuff]

Gleam link in description

[@johns7809]

I'm glad they're both blue.. yellow guitars sound totally different to me

[@phenixreturns]

The maple vs rosewood is not a good thing to make a comparison : 2 different sounds

[@saleasylum]

Fender keeps bringing back the sh*tty eighties bridge. Why they think this is an upgrade on the Ultra is a mystery.

[@Benny-hd2bv]

It’s a two point trem like the Wilkinson. It’s good.

[@thseed7]

🤘

[@bustanorms2028]

Ap2 sounds better

[@neptun781]

Зачем сравнивать клён с палисандром

[@mikaelflodstrom6370]

👍🏻and👍🏻(both)

[@snailsfrogslegs119]

Noiseless (aka chimeless) pickups on a strat... no thanks. The Prof II wins.

[@benrios7902]

The noiseless pick ups sound way too sterile always . The pro 2 has way more life in its sound

[@bustanorms2028]

Yes agree,noiseless pup sucks

[@kristiant6056]

I had bought the ultra in 2016 or so and sold it after 3 years. Barely played it. It’s the ‘too perfect’ guitar.

[@colbygargiulo101]

@@kristiant6056what do you mean by too perfect? just curious

[@kristiant6056]

hey, @@colbygargiulo101. I missed somewhat some character of the ultra. It is versatile and well build but it sounded to me more like a copy of how a strat should sound. In the meantime I heard that the noiseless pickups could kill the fun. the overall build quality of my ultra has been magnificent.

[@Ingeborg323]

Oh, i love playing Stratocaster-guitars, and i love to choose guitars who are better than Fenders, especially better than Fender USA! My first Stratocaster was an end-80ies ,,Fender American Standard Stratocaster“, and it was my worst guitar ever, and i´ve had a second Fender Strat, a mexican-Version, called ,,Fender Standard Stratocaster“ and this guitar have had a Poplar-body and sounded like soft shit. And so I learned that either Fender is cheating us because they deliver poor quality and workmanship or overpriced guitars with wet, poorly stored and less vibrating woods, and trying to compensate for this with overloaded, or fat-sounding, pickups, and that is the reason for the myths of the real, old vintage Strats, because back then they tended to use woods that were stored and had better vibratability were used. Or, and this is certainly true, the production volume is so high that the company is no longer able to get wood of the same quality for the entire production, and then the really good, well-vibrating guitars come from the current production not to Germany - I am in Germany, a country that the USA keeps under military occupation to this day, so we Germans are like modern slaves of the USA Occupation Force, the USA controls Germany to this day and abuses us Germans as a source of money ! At the beginning of the 90s I got my hands on my first ESP-S-400 series Strat, now there are four, but this first one had 42 slanted annual rings and had such a great attack and cracky, bony, twangy and wiry-sound by dry-playing, and this guitar has beaten every Fender USA Custom Shop Strat by far in comparisons, let alone the production models from Fender and also a real, vintage Fender 1963 Strat. Around 2006, based on my good experiences with ESP, I bought an "ESP Vintage Plus" Strat, with the best, densest wood, superbly crafted and with a flattened neck-body transition (SSS variant), this Vintage Plus was once again on point Overtones and sustain are a step better, they easily beat the MusicMans and Suhrs and cost 1100 euros new at the time! Then in 2014 i came across a cheap used BLADE Texas Classic and was blown away. It was good, it could easily compete with the ESPs, yes it plays in the same league as ESP and cost 350 euros used. A short time later I tried a "BLADE Texas Standard Pro" with VMC midboost, similar to the "Fender Eric Clapton Signature USA-Strat", exactly the same again, it was better than any Clapton signature guitar from Fender, had better swingable woods, a flattened neck-body transition (like the BLADE Texas Classic) and therefore much better playability than Fender! So I use a lot of good Strats at home and all of them are better than what I could buy as a Fender in Germany at completely overpriced prices! That's why I prefer to play Strats, but the main thing is that it never says Fender on it, but rather ESP-S-400-Series, ESP Vintage Plus, BLADE Texas Classic or BLADE Texas Standard Pro! Well, I can prove not only purely subjectively, but very objectively in terms of sound, that there are much better things than Fender, in some cases also much cheaper and easier to play! Why should I even buy a Fender, a guitar that is worse in terms of sound and workmanship and less playable at a completely overpriced price???? Why, can someone explain this to me??????

[@Ingeborg323]

After more than 2 years of abstinence, I went to the Music Station again and played 3 Fender American Professional II Strats, and again I noticed that the woods had little vibrancy, the maple necks were not very dense and responsive, there was little twang, little crunch , wiry-glassy, few overtones, sustain, attack, everything you associate with Fender guitars, everything is less than on my ESP 400 Series Strats and less than on my BLADE Texas models. This can be tested objectively and I can only say that I am extremely disappointed with this price-performance ratio. No, I can no longer objectively understand this adulation regarding Fender Strats. My first Stratocaster was a Fender American Standard Stratocaster and that was my worst guitar of all, a Fender Mexico Standard followed after that, but after I played the ESPs and the BLADEs everything was clear to me, and that proves itself again, every time, when I compare, the same result always comes out - what else can I say, it is true! The ESP-400-Series Strats and the BLADEs have objectively, noticeably and audibly better tonewood, the BLADEs even have a flattened neck-body-joint and covered fret slots and therefore much better playability!!! So, I'm done with Fender, I'm playing something clever, and at a much cheaper price. I don't want to talk anyone out of their love of Fender, I have nothing against you buying the (usually) worse guitars for a far too exorbitant price, you're welcome to do that. Then there will be more BLADEs for me, very simple! Thanks for listening!

[@strummercash5601]

And again! Stay abstinent! Work your program. The relapses seem devastating.

[@therockridersband]

1900 dollars affordable???😂😂😂

[@trevorgwelch7412]

If the ultra Strat is really good , above others then why is it that Ronnie Wood , Clapton , Trower , Malmsteen etc don't use them ?

[@leonidaskik8166]

Clapton uses noiseless pickups I can assure you... Regarding the neck of the guitar Clapton always uses either in his Fenders or Martins V neck shape so, by default he would not go to a D shape neck like Ultra after 50 years of playing.. For the rest of the famous musicians I don't have a picture to answer to your question but for Clapton this is a statement. So, I think he really likes the sound and all the upgrades on Ultra except the neck shape, where this is 100% subjective, if you ask me...

[@kenny69lover]

Why would they go with a mainstream production model while they can afford custom shops, masterbuilts built to their specific specs and year or finish.

[@Ingeborg323]

After more than 2 years of abstinence, I went to the Music Station again and played 3 Fender American Professional II Strats, and again I noticed that the woods had little vibrancy, the maple necks were not very dense and responsive, there was little twang, little crunch , wiry-glassy, few overtones, sustain, attack, everything you associate with Fender guitars, everything is less than on my ESP 400 Series Strats and less than on my BLADE Texas models. This can be tested objectively and I can only say that I am extremely disappointed with this price-performance ratio. No, I can no longer objectively understand this adulation regarding Fender Strats. My first Stratocaster was a Fender American Standard Stratocaster and that was my worst guitar of all, a Fender Mexico Standard followed after that, but after I played the ESPs and the BLADEs everything was clear to me, and that proves itself again, every time, when I compare, the same result always comes out - what else can I say, it is true! The ESP-400-Series Strats and the BLADEs have objectively, noticeably and audibly better tonewood, the BLADEs even have a flattened neck-body-joint and covered fret slots and therefore much better playability!!! So, I'm done with Fender, I'm playing something clever, and at a much cheaper price. I don't want to talk anyone out of their love of Fender, I have nothing against you buying the (usually) worse guitars for a far too exorbitant price, you're welcome to do that. Then there will be more BLADEs for me, very simple! Thanks for listening!

[@strummercash5601]

And here is your same cut-and-pasted comment. So ubiquitous, yet, also, so annoying! Like being wet but also cold…

[@nicolasfernando697]

If i close my eyes i can't hear Any difference in the sound

[@PlayandTradeGuitars]

In that case go for the AM Pro II and save some money, thanks!

[@BookClubDisaster]

A guitar salesman recommends the more expensive model…….

[@xXxXxRedEyexXxXx]

I think strats suck. My Les Paul can do it all.

[@maraviyoso8473]

Sadly, YOU can't.

[@jimshorts6751]

Many Strats do suck... as do Les Paul's, 335's, etc. . You can play 20 of the same model and they will sound different, with CNC cut wood and robo winders, many standard model guitars are more closely alike than not these days, and thats a good thing. But there are Strats out there that sound awesome paired with the right amp, and thats the rub. If all your gear was selected with the Les Paul in mind, you've moved away from the Stat's merits. There are many overdrive/distortion boxes that sound horrible with a Strat, then there's the Fuzz dilemma, many vintage ones dont like Strats, but newer pedal builders are much more savvy about catering to SSS and HH pickups. Stay positive playa.😂

[@Yumemaru.]

Les Pauls are ugly.

[@clarksvilletnlandscapingse6985]

Freaked out in a moon age daydream! 😁😆🤣