Which Telecaster Deluxe? Vintera Roadworn or American Professional II models

[@robertmcfall8288]

I have the American Pro II and although loved the look and feel, was not blown away by the sound when playing with dirt. However, I then realised that the pickups were set too low in relation to the strings. I brought them closer to the strings and now it rocks and rasps nicely!

[@briant40]

Vintera with revoiced pickups sounds great! Happy with mine and I have an original 72 tele deluxe. Very happy with the vintera

[@Lalairu]

So you think they made a nice work? I was very interested when I saw they revoiced the pickups and they released the American Original series.

[@pharmerdavid1432]

Road worn blond for me, coming next week, the thin nitro finish and worn esthetic more than price was the difference. This video is what got me gassing for one, never even thought about it before for some reason. I've seen people playing the telecaster Custom, but not too many telecaster Deluxe. I only went for the Deluxe because I have so many traditional telecasters already. I like having the four knobs, a volume and tone for each pickup can be useful. If I don't like the pickups, then I may upgrade it with 4-wire pickups for coil splitting, but probably not needed - I'm getting it for its humbucker tone. They have adapter rings for this larger route, making a traditional Gibson sized humbucker hole, which gives you even more possibilities. You make it sound so good, and it has its own distinct tone, which I could perceive even through cheap speakers with youtube. An old video, so this comment will likely go to cyberspace purgatory........cheers!

[@DirtyDirkDiggler]

Neither of those guitars in the video comes in a nitro finish so you might be confused. Also, Fender only uses nitro on specific high-end guitars so the price point is a giveaway.

[@guitarplayer5805]

@@DirtyDirkDigglerthe MIM roadworn is definitely a nitro finish. I have one. They’ve stopped making them now. It was never originally a nitro finished guitar so it isn’t period correct, but the nitro finish is so good! Lovely checking all over mine….

[@deanathan]

That tap feature is really only noticeable on the cleans but man does is bring versatility it cool. The satin neck on the Pro II sounds nice. Wish that it came with locking tuners at that price point though.

[@elwoodblue977]

Have the MIM 2014 version. I replaced the saddles with solid brass, cleaned thick clumps of polishing compound from the interior cavities, added shielding (would hum like crazy when I took my hands off the strings), dressed the sharp fret ends and set the nut action lower. Now I have a guitar worthy of the Fender name. I am not complaining, I got it for $500 CDN. It sounds awesome played through a vintage Traynor Studio Mate tube amp.

[@michaelbuckner9846]

Amp dialing is crucial for humbucker tone. Bright switch and treble up with a scooped mid . It’s amp dialing that gets rid of the “wooly”

[@misterknightowlandco]

Funny how people always think it’s the guitar when the eq and the speaker makes the biggest difference

[@jamesmcgrath6938]

Great comparison. I’m considering another guitar, I like the Vintera but I like how much the American Pro II Tele sounds, I’d remove the taps though, no need for them, give me the Humbucker goodness 💪🏻💪🏻

[@doubleobar]

Would have been great to see him play around with the volumes when he was exploring the "7,000 sounds" of the Pro II middle position. Like, how is it when you dial in a bit of neck humbucker to go with a split bridge? Even just doing an example of each combination with one volume on 5 and the other on 10 would have been cool to hear to get a sense of the nuances possible.

[@diggdugg2169]

Great review. Just what I was looking for.

[@StephenW86]

Great comparison!

[@johnrasmussen4144]

The American wins for clean tones, the Ventura smokes it on the dirty stuff. I much prefer a non-gloss nitro finish so I bought the vintera. It had sharp fret ends which I had to have a tech fix, and the neck was a little misaligned, but she's running great now 👍

[@Squall6575]

I find that Mexican guitars more often than not come with these issues, and sure they require some fixing, but after that, they can be great guitars that rival their American counterparts

[@thecentralscrutinizerr]

Guarantee you it will sound different through a Fender, Mesa, or Marshall. I play mine (the American Pro II) through a Headrush Modeling Amp with Fender, Marshall, and MESA impulse responses coupled with flat response Headrush speakers running in stereo. Oh what a joy it is!

[@towi7303]

I checked both guitars out ( unfortunately, I could not play them side by side) and was surprised by the Wide-Range Humbuckers of the Vintera. They really sounded great to my ears. Hence, when I later checked the American Pro, I had high expectations on the pickups ,since the guitar is much more expensive. But I got a bit disappointed. Maybe the pickups were comparable, but not better. Especially when played clean. And the split coil sounds were not convincing, either. I liked them more in an overdrive setting. On the other hand, I didn't like the used look and feel of the vintera. A mixture of both guitars would be great.

[@TheWelhaven]

Fender is kinda tricking us with those pickups, even though they sound good. None of these guitars has Wide Range humbuckers, they are just voiced like the true CuNiFe Wide Range, and they got the Wide Range cover to look like them. They are actually just normal humbuckers (Pro has V-mods, I think). The American Original is the only model using a real CuNiFe Wide Range humbucker. But you can buy them from Fender, and I’m going to put one in my Vintera Custom soon.

[@Sensates85]

Yes they were night and day compared to Fender previous reissue WR pickups. I'm pleasantly surprised!

[@gslide06]

I think you're on the right track there. Having heard demos of the Vintera 70s those WR Humbuckers are the job. Really killer tones and diverse. Fender just needs to up their game with their finish offerings. For example, I love the 50s Vintera traditional color but can't do the big necks and prefer the WR Humbuckers. Now I see why there are a gazillion partcasters.

[@bmark7951]

You sound like a woman

[@lloydrummell2509]

I've got the road worn Vintera in Daphne blue

[@allrain]

How is it, one month later? Worth it? It looks awesome from here!

[@gslide06]

The lighting in thumbnails on the Daphne blue is tricky and some pics look like they have some light green mixed. Having owned one is it more a lighter baby blue?

[@douglasgreen5234]

Thank you. That was very informative.

[@bdogjr7779]

Bravo◇¿.Nice comparison. My Squire Classic vibe Tele Deluxe volume knobs are wired the same. If I turn 1 volume down I don't have any sound in the middle position. I guess it's not a problem🖖😁

[@VanguardShags]

To me, the American Professional II sounds FAR better. Normally, I don't care for the bridge pickup tone of any Fender guitar other than the traditional Telecaster, but this one is an interesting exception. It actually sounds full and clear and pretty nicely balanced, whereas the Vintera suffers from that typical overly honky mid-centric hump of an EQ curve on the bridge pickup that is so common on these sorts of Deluxe models.

[@MartirosHakopianMarHak]

I like the the pro ii , like the look of the vin terra ...

[@monkofwar]

My best and favorite guitar I own is my Telecaster Deluxe APii. I love Fender guitars and Gibson semi hollows, but I have an aversion to maple fingerboards. They just look wrong. All my Fenders are rosewood fingerboards.

[@BigBobbyBoLo]

I have the pro ii and love it! It's a clean machine and excells at those tones. Not really going to get LP sounds out of it though if that is what you ae looking for. It's more like a tele standard and 335 had a baby. Dont get me wrong though, Im sure it can rock but I use it for everything but that......... which is why I also want to get this damn Vintera.. correction, I do use it for some rock but not heavy/ hard rock. Someone mentioned the split sounds not being great. They sound ay better than the youtube compression would have you believe and I could honestly just live on split settings and be happy. If you are a rocker and just want to do that... Hands down get the Vintera. If you want an excellent all rounder that comes up a bit short with gain, get the AM II

[@johnladdsmusic]

I bought one of those "Blacktop" MIM Tele's back in 2014. The stock PU's were way too hot & muddy for me, so I had some custom low wounds made for it. I also changed out the pots and wired them 50's style...it's SO dynamic now...it's hitting all the boxes of both these guitars imo...nice demo tho!

[@TheHumbuckerboy]

I am not a fan of coil taps so I think that the ideal Tele Deluxe for me would be similar to the Vintera if it had a chunkier neck and also a 4 bolt neck joint .

[@sebastiangomez5068]

Gracias y a todos 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@drewg3087]

Gotta try the Kingfish Tele Deluxe… the notes just sing!

[@753Jackson]

Good video 👍

[@Velghe87]

Too bad the Vintera was out of tune... Difficult to not hear it.

[@VintageRadius]

Yeah a bit out. Intonation could also need some attention. I don’t have perfect pitch but I can’t continue playing a guitar when it’s off like that

[@jamesmcgrath6938]

And that’s the only take away you’re taking from a good comparison comparison of tones?There’s many elements that go wrong in the middle of filming and playing and unfortunately intonation has a good way of screwing up a video. You’re not actually here to hear the comparison you’re here to have a f**ken whinge. Jog on pal!

[@Velghe87]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@jamesmcgrath6938No need to get personal. It’s a good comparison, just too bad the Vintera has intonation issues. It’s a guitar, not a person. That’s all pal.

[@voiceofexperience]

The Vintera pups sound better to me than those on the Pro ll, which is more expensive, isn't it? I like the Vintera color better too, but it could've done without the silly-looking "ageing"! Actually, the more I listen to the P2, the less impressed I am with it. (Don't like those white control knobs either.) Might check out the Vintera 70's CUSTOM... Good review btw. Subbed.

[@artwerkmedia8616]

You do know that it’s not Ventura, right?

[@andsoistopped]

The whole thing with Vintera is that they are Vintage Era in design not that they are road worn. Some are not all.

[@dannybeeler1122]

I think telecaster guitars don't sound good with humbuckers.. they were designed for single coils. The American Pro 2 in the Dark Night is a fabulous guitar both to play and listen to either clean or dirty sound,,,, 😊

[@hankspank222]

The American pro II definitely sounds meatier. The Vintera is a bit shrill in the highs in comparison!

[@75Pollux]

my only concern about mexican made fender is the thick gloss varnish. Don't care about nitro or poly, but the sickness give me the feel of playing a plastic guitar.

[@gkott78]

Oh jeez this is a tough choice. I already own the Strat and Tele in the American Pro II line but want a 70's deluxe. That Vintera sounds a little brighter to me. I am leaning towards the Vintera just not certain if I want the road worn look.

[@gkott78]

@Wendy Starfall I actually just got home from buying the vintera road worn. I couldn't stop thinking about it. It is such a cool guitar and it sounds amazing

[@davidgordon7673]

@@gkott78 Hi. Are you still liking the guitar 7 months later? Thank you

[@gkott78]

@@davidgordon7673 yes I still own it but I don't play it as much now as I've acquired some very nice guitars since my original post. The Vintera does sound great, very clear and articulate. The pickups are wonderful. My main complaint is fretwork, specifically fret ends. I had to put a lot of work into filing them down and shaping them. They were level which was great but jeez the neck had a ton of fret sprout. I have also sanded the back of the neck and did some further relic work. Mine looks much more like a CS guitar now than a road worn.

[@DotM68]

I had the Roadworn. Pick ups were dreadful. More life in my Auntie Edna.

[@McAdamstry]

Drop the switch to full bridge. Then add dirt. That’s the sound.

[@VirtuoseGuitaristGB]

Great Sound \m/

[@josecarlosturner]

Vintera aaaaaall the way! 😎

[@kosmonument2682]

Vintera and put some CuNiFe buckers in it. Less money than the American, and a much better sound.

[@markfla]

I spy a reverend BC1

[@simonsmith2642]

But the neck… Strat headstock, but is the neck all Tele? I don’t like strats. Is it just a strat neck? Or a Tele neck with a strat headstock? Being a Tele player you know…

[@MooreMusicGuitars]

Although Fender necks are hand finished and can vary from guitar to guitar, the deep C neck carve should be consistent with both guitars. The headstock and heel are the differences between Strat and Tele necks.

[@MrNatahi]

dude u sure talk a lot

[@BB-pi2wd]

The second I ever see "designed by Tim Shaw" I know I am going to hate the sound of the pickup, whatever the guitar. After watching this review I still stand by that.

[@benallmark9671]

Out of curiosity what is it that you don't like about the tone of them ?

[@voiceofexperience]

@@benallmark9671 Tim once rejected his advances 😆

[@keithclark486]

All Shaw pickups suck except for the ones that come in the 50's Ventura telecaster.

[@johnhennessey5]

@@keithclark486and they suck in what way? Why even say that without elaborating, you sound dumb + no one’s gonna take your opinion seriously by doing that

[@burntvirtue]

What clickbait bullshit. "Which tele?" 'I'm not gonna tell you."

[@taokichavez9319]

rule #1 of guitar review videos, intonate your fu©%ing guitar

[@HanlonRazor]

How disappointing to see what I thought was going to be a good review for it to be ruined because the guitars are out of tune.