An unaccompanied Tele bridge pickup can be abrasive in a band context it is often vital. In the mix position, the series switch reveals a wider voicing for the Telecaster, which is a neat alternative to the stock neck and bridge options, and it's a tone that works well with overdrive, or when rolling back the volume to clean it up.Īs with the Strat, don't be afraid to use the volume and tone controls. This is where the bridge pickup really excels, balancing that sharp-elbowed quality with a midrange that reveals itself as you take some of the tone back. It takes some of the high end off allowing the midrange to shine. Pleasingly, its neck pickup has a touch of the Strat about it, albeit with a less upfront attack. It holds up well to light use, with a very well-cut push-fit arm. The tone controls are not there for decoration.Īs for the vibrato, it's stable, lightweight and has a nice response. It is one bright humbucker but you can always take some of that treble off – much easier than having to brighten up a dull guitar. You expect the sharpness and the treble, but then the power and the width hits you. It's always a little bit of a shock when you shoulder an HSS Strat and strike a power chord on that bridge humbucker. There's a good matching of output between the single coils and the split 'bucker. With the tones on 10 you've got a real bite there, with plenty of travel as you back it off, and in doing so, bringing to light some more vintage voices to play with. Tone-wise, the Strat is sharp, detailed and bright. The American Performer has just enough playability and extra tonal options to make it worth spending that little bit more on a US-model over its Mexican-built rivals. From the tones, the playability to some of the coolest new Fender finishes we have seen, there is a lot to like.Īll these Ultra features tools at your disposal add up to a really impressive and versatile Strat, and that’s the standard we’d expect for this money. The American Ultra Telecaster has a very classy modern build with more than a hint of Fender's showing off about it. This is the working player's guitar, after all, so it is only right that these should be so player-friendly. It is very nice to the touch.įactory setups are tip-top on both guitars, slinky, easy enough without being ridiculous. The finish on the neck is not going to gum up on you either. The Am Pro II models have largely a similar feel to their predecessors, but the rolled fretboard edges add a touch of luxury. The Tele neck is slab-sawn, the Strat’s one-piece maple neck and 'board is rift-sawn. Performance and verdictīoth guitars have a maple, modern ‘deep C’ profile, bolt-on neck that is exceptionally comfortable in the hand, with not too much meat as to put off the contemporary player raised on slimmer builds. The controls are dome-topped knurled knobs. Here we have V-Mod II pickups and, again, a push-push tone control to allow you to run both pickups in series when you are in the mix position on the three-way lever. Similarly, the outer ends have been smoothed off and are shaped a little like a bullet truss road adjuster. They are compensated, with the height adjustment screws buried in the saddle to make a smoother platform for your picking hand. As with the Strat, the hardware has been changed, with a newly designed bridge that can be configured as a top-loader a la Jimmy Page or through-strung, and featuring a bridge plate with side walls that have been paired down so it is more ash-plate than ashtray. A muted Silver Burst in all but name, this Tele wears it well on an alder body. First of all, two thumbs up for the new Mercury finish.
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