Fender American Professional II

The Fender American Professional II Telecaster has upgraded features such as a sculpted neck joint, push/ pull tone pot, hard shell case, and higher output pickups compared to the American Performer Telecaster. 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That goes for the bridges Greasebucket tone circuit, too, which stops your tone getting muddy or losing gain as you roll back the tone. As you know, the various grades are recipes, mixtures of different materials, so Alnico 4, in terms of its power and its recipe, ends up somewhere between Alnico 2 and 5. Classic Gear Tuners. ) The two pickups are custom humbuckers which both sit at an angle opposite to that of a standard Stratocaster or Telecaster bridge pickup. Well be exploring this technology further on other new models! New with the American Performer Mustang Bass: Questions about Fender American Performer Series instruments? They have that trademark Strat compression, with that snap and sizzle in spades. New enhancements and a special split-coil pickup, replicated from the original 70s drawings, that make it even more inspiring to play. If you're looking for a high output Gibson bridge pickup then the 498T and 500T are your best options, but what's the difference between them? Call 1-800-800-0087 to speak with one of our gear experts. American Professional II guitars have thicker necks and higher output pickups giving them a more modern tone compared to the American Performer guitars. If youre using a catalysed lacquer, then that cures like cement. MusicRadar is supported by its audience. Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 3 Single-coil Pickups - Honeyburst, Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 2 Single-coil Pickups - Honeyburst, Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Maple Fingerboard, and 3 Single-coil Pickups - Satin Lake Placid Blue, Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Maple Fingerboard, 2 Single-coil Pickups, and 1 Humbucker - Satin Surf Green, Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Maple Fingerboard, 1 Single-coil Pickup, and 1 Humbucking Pickup - Vintage White, 4-string Electric Bass with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 1 Single-coil Pickup, and 1 Split Single-coil Pickup - 3-tone Sunburst, Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Maple Fingerboard, and 2 Single-coil Pickups - Vintage White, Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 3 Single-coil Pickups - Arctic White, Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 2 Single-coil Pickups - Satin Sonic Blue, 4-string Electric Bass with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Maple Fingerboard, 1 Single-coil Pickup, and 1 Split Single-coil Pickup - Satin Lake Placid Blue, 4-string Electric Bass with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 2 Single-coil Pickups - Arctic White, Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Maple Fingerboard, 1 Single-coil Pickup, and 1 Humbucking Pickup - 3-tone Sunburst, Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fretboard, 2 Single-coil Pickups, and Vibrato Tailpiece - Satin Lake Placid Blue, 4-string Electric Bass with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Maple Fingerboard, and 2 Single-coil Pickups - Satin Surf Green, Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fretboard, 2 Single-coil Pickups, and Vibrato Tailpiece - 3-tone Sunburst, 4-string Electric Bass with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 2 Single-coil Pickups - Satin Surf Green, 4-string Electric Bass with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 1 Single-coil Pickup, and 1 Split Single-coil Pickup - Arctic White, Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 2 Single-coil Pickups, and 1 Humbucker - Aubergine, Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 2 Single-coil Pickups - 3-tone Sunburst, Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 2 Single-coil Pickups - Vintage White, 4-string Electric Bass with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 2 Single-coil Pickups - 3-tone Sunburst, Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 2 Single-coil Pickups, and 1 Humbucker - 3-tone Sunburst. Designed and built in Fenders Corona, California factory, these instruments represent the pinnacle of a professional yet affordable instrument. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Thanks for visiting! New with the American Performer Jazzmaster: The Mustang is a Fender guitar chock full of indie-rock vibe. By Here is a table showing the similarities between the Fender American Performer and Professional II Telecaster. Thank you for signing up to Musicradar. It appears that the coils are offset to keep the magnets in line with the strings, although they are potted in epoxy so the magnets cannot be seen. Bath First off, pull up on the bridge tone control and you engage the neck pickup along with the bridge and middle pickups, making for two additional tones while a reverse-wound, reverse-polarity middle pickup allows for hum cancellation when you are in positions two and four. This unique, patent-applied-for design combines humbucking and single-coil voices, while eliminating volume loss in single-coil mode. The new DoubleTap pickups in the Strat HSS and the Tele HS have a patent-pending technology in the way the coils are wound. Learn More. Squier are now making guitars with aged hardware, 5 songs guitarists need to hear by The Cure, Gregg Rollie on the recording of Santana's Abraxas and the classic instrumental Samba Pa Ti: "We put things on there that nobody would do. Looking for a fresh take on your favorite Fender guitar or bass? As the most affordable entry point to bona fide USA Fenders, the American Performer Series is a big deal because it represents that first serious step, and it also brings it a little bit closer to the Player Series, to the point where we are asking if it is really worth that extra outlay? You will receive a verification email shortly. ", Technics at 50: how the SL-1200 series accidentally changed music forever, 10 essential guitar solos and what you can learn from them, Legowelt shows off his cheap 'thrift store' vintage synth collection, Road Worn for less? The tuning machines are found on the upper edge of the triangular headstock and a locking nut clamps the strings behind a plastic nut, as typically found on Fender guitars. That formed the basis for the American Performer pickups. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I shellacd for years instead of waxing and now I do both. The 24-scale American Performer Mustang stands out with a unique feel and new player-oriented features that make it even more inspiring to play. Joey Brasler [Fenders VP, Product Development] and I spent a week here, listening to prototype pickups, winding more, and determining what the voice of each guitar should be. A lot of times when youre using an alternative magnet material you wind something with a spec you know, then you see what it does and make changes. The American Performer Jazzmaster has a slimmer neck profile compared to the Professional II. This is a bass that will become your #1 instrument. Certainly, if you listen from a spec sheet, youre going to struggle with these pickups. Many of the electrics in the American Performer Series have a dedicated push-pull tone pot to tease some additional sounds out of a familiar format. Its an iconic Fender look that harkens to the sounds of Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, and Ritchie Blackmore. The bridge is a floating System I tremolo. On the American Performer Mustang Bass, we went back to the original drawings for inspiration and designed a new pickup that pairs very well with the new American Performer Jazz bass bridge pickup.. Fenders Strats of late have had plenty low-end on the bridge pickup to ensure a little body in the bite. Here is a table showing the similarities between the Fender American Performer and Professional II Jazzmaster. Not everyone is a fan of vintage bent-steel saddles. There was a problem. Enhanced Electronics. And the shellac potting? The Fender American Professional II Stratocaster has upgraded features a sculpted neck heel and bone nut. People just don't need it as much, do they? The rosewood fretboard has 24 jumbo frets and features a locking nut. Performer Mustang Bass includes the Yosemite split-coil Mustang Bass middle pickup and a growling Yosemite single-coil Jazz Bass bridge pickup, designed for rich, expressive tones. Recent sales of 26 Very Good through Excellent quality Performers on Reverb.com show an average sold price of $1747 USD. He liked the way it sounded and the guitars been on quite a few recordings in the past year and a half. These new features include: He had an Esquire with a pickup that had been replaced or rewound many times and he couldnt use it, so he asked me to come up with something interesting. To my ear, shellac breathes more than wax does; the pickups are a bit more responsive with shellac than they are with wax, and thats an important component of the sound of the Performer Series pickups. Coming straight from the talented builders at Fender, the American Performer Precision Bass delivers the grit and punch you expect from the classic Precision soundalong with new, player-oriented features that make it even more inspiring to play. You'll find amp controls guides, tips to improve your tone, and answers to loads of specific issues. Tim Shaw seems to take it all in his stride. Aside from the flat polepieces, once installed on the American Performer Strat, the neck pickup looks standard, Pull it out and take the cover off, however, and youll see the different shellac-dipped coil wound around moulded coil formers, Suzi Quatro talks about her incredible career as a rock 'n' roll trailblazer and plays her first bass; a '57 Fender Precision, Pixies' Black Francis: "In the internet age, rock music has been knocked off its pedestal. Take a closer look and you will notice that the Stratocaster were reviewing here comes in the all-new Penny finish a copper bronze metallic that wont be to everyones tastes, and yet, paired with the black scratchplate, we reckon it is pretty cool. The Fender American Professional II Jazzmaster has higher-output and more modern sounding pickups and additional switching options compared to the American Performer Jazzmaster. The American Professional has a 2-point tremolo whereas the American Performer has a 6-point tremolo. Find us in print, on Newsstand for iPad, iPhone and other digital readers, Don't miss the latest deals, news, reviews, features and tutorials. Bath Humbuckers typically have two coils connected in series. Alnico 4 is a bit more powerful than 2 - some measurements are higher, some lower - but its kind of in the ballpark. Here is a table comparing the specifications of the American Performer and American Professional II Stratocaster models. 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. Pickups with no coating (or potting), sound a bit microphonic and live, even when the wire is wound as tight as possible on the bobbin. In an ingenious design tweak the vintage-modern Mustang bridge features grooved saddles that keep your strings where they belong, no matter how hard you play. We asked Tim if he was using a finer wire. If you seek a trusty workhorse Strat with a full complement of excellent tones, top-quality hardware and a super-smooth neck, the American Performer is just the ticket. Okay, we might argue that the age-old plastic tone knob doesnt lend itself to quick and easy tugging but the look will please traditionalists. Fender has introduced American built versions of the Mustang and Mustang bass along with the new Telecaster HUM in addition to re-envisioning classics like the Stratocaster, Stratocaster HSS, Jazzmaster, New with the American Performer Jazz Bass: Fender brings a whole new bass playing experience with the short-scale American Performer Mustang Bass. It's nice to see that here. I now own an acoustic guitar and several electric guitars including my personal favourite, a PRS SE Custom 24. I made Dave a Tele bridge pickup with alnico IV magnets and a unique winding spec. Most notably, the Fender American Performer Series Jazzmaster will definitely make you do a double-take the iconic floating tremolo found on Fenders iconic offset guitars has been replaced with a Stratocaster-style synchronized tremolo tailpiece. You will receive a verification email shortly. Heres why you can trust us. All rights reserved. While the patent involves more than what were using here, the original idea was simple enough. On our review Strat, the setup is a little different. Fender marks the return of the large CBS-era headstock on Stratocasters and 70s style logo in silver on all models. RH = right handed version, LH = left-handed version. Here is a table comparing the specifications of the American Performer and American Professional II Telecaster models. So the coils get a fiveminute dunk. While this technique increases things like handling noise at lower volumes and can cause a high-pitched squeal when played very loud,it also promotes a more airy and transparent sound at lower volumes. Really interesting. The Fender Performer was available in the following poly finishes: Brown Sunburst (532), Frost White (555), Burgundy Mist (566), Emerald Mist (567) and Gun Metal Blue (568). BA1 1UA. If youre looking for an American-made Fender guitar then the Performer and Professional ranges are the most affordable options to look at. Created exclusively for the American Performer series, Fenders ClassicGear tuning machines combine the aesthetics of vintage tuners with the modern functionality that players have been asking for including an 18:1 gear ratio for smooth action and easy fine-tuning. Designing a new pickup and making it in your shed can be a fun pastime. Cast your mind back to when we reviewed the Fenders Player Series. Now is the perfect time to get the gear you want with simple, promotional financing. Shellac basically doesnt. Here is a table showing all the models (and pickup configurations) available at the time of writing in the American Performer and Professional II series. It gets hard, but to rate them in descending sparkle modification order theres nothing, shellac, most lacquers, and then wax. We used it in the 60s [at Fender]. Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com (opens in new tab), in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. Each guitar has a unique pickup set, and all of them have at least one pickup with alnico IV magnets. It certainly helps that hes been doing it a while and, based in Nashville, he has some helpful and talented friends - such as Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb who unwittingly helped Tim onto the trail that would lead to the new Fender Yosemite single coils. 70s Fender Logo & Headstock. The American Read our review of the American Performer Strat and Tele, and the American Performer P-Bass. Special financing options exist if you use your Sweetwater card. The main differences between the Fender American Performer and American Professional guitars are the neck profile and pickups. The American Performer Series is a dynamic and exciting successor to the Fender American Special Series and expands upon and features the classic Fender models and body styles youve come to know and love. Check out my comparison between 2 and 6 point tremolos to learn more. Leo Fenders workers dipped pickups in wax, but in the 1960s many Fender pickups were dipped in shellac instead of wax, and the specific reason for that is long lost. New with the American Performer Stratocaster: Expanding upon the tonal versatility of the iconic Strat, the American Performer Stratocaster HSS gives the Strat lover a hot-rodded sonic versatility that modern guitarists demandwith new enhancements, like the DoubleTap humbucking pickup, that make it even more inspiring to play. Id been experimenting with alnico IV in rod magnet form; it had been used in the 1960s as a bar magnet by several companies. [2] The Performer was also available as an electric bass. There's no questions: a blendable neck pickup is very welcome addition on a Strat, expanding its tonal arsenal and making it even more versatile. Dog Ear vs Soapbar P90 Pickups: Is There a Difference? Prosoundhq.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk. The Yosemite single coils are stunning. Don't miss the latest deals, news, reviews, features and tutorials. Fenders new George Harrison Rocky Stratocaster is a psychedelic masterpiece, How to recreate the sound of Teenage Engineering's OP-1 and OP-1 field - absolutely free, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood explore challenging rhythms in new The Smile outing, Vince Clarke on sequencers: "the revolution in electronic music didnt happen with the DX7 or the Prophet-5 it happened with the sequencer", Epiphones new Power Players Les Paul and SG beginner guitars are hard to beat, See Slash audition for a teenage band in new commercial, Watch Universal Audio designer James Santiago give the best overview of Vox AC30 amp sounds we've seen, Cast an eye over the best of both worlds with. But all things considered. The attack is pronounced and will cut through any amount of dirt, and all the while theres a glassiness in its tone that capably straddles vintage and modern voices. The colors include Arctic White, Aubergine, Honeyburst, Penny, Satin Surf Green, Satin Sonic Blue, and Satin Lake Lake Placid Blue. link to Gibson 498T vs 500T: Bridge Pickup Comparison, comparison between 2 and 6 point tremolos, Fender American Professional II Stratocaster, Fender American Professional II Telecaster, Fender American Performer vs Player Series, Fender American Professional vs Player Series, Fender American Professional II vs Original (50s and 60s) Series, Fender American Professional II vs American Ultra, 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronised Tremolo, Additional switching options (on the Tele and Jazzmaster models), Bone nut (instead of synthetic bone on all models), Tremolo system improvements (on Strat and Jazzmaster models), Hard-Shell Case (instead of a soft gig-bag with all models). And while the Fender American Performer Series offers classic Fender charm, there are some new surprises in store for modern guitar players, too. The Penny and Satin Lake Placid Blue finishes are only available with maple fretboards. Combined, Yosemite and DoubleTap pickups produce dynamic sounds ideal for any musical situation. New Colors & Finishes. On all humbucker equipped models, the Double Tap Humbucker gives you full-throated humbucking and expressive single coil tonalities without the volume losses typical in split coil pickups so you get all the tonal flexibility without compromise. P90's are single coil pickups but with a wider and shorter bobbin compared to standard single coils where the wires are closer to the pole pieces. Dave Cobb is one of the best producers and engineers in the industry, says Tim Shaw, the engineer behind the all-new Yosemite pickups in Fenders American Performer Series. Introduce the neck pickup into the mix and you get a fat, wide-range tone thats hugely addictive and very musical. What do you think of them?. Not only does the Fender American Performer Series offer updates for the Precision Bass and Jazz Bass, including Yosemite pickups and the Greasebucket tone circuit, fans of deep, punchy short-scale bass tone can rejoice in the Fender American Performer Mustang Bass. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, The Performer was first introduced in 1985, and was assembled by Fender Japan, Ltd. Each of these models offers Fenders iconic style, exceptional playability and authentic Fender tone with modern features in demand by gigging musicians. Loaded with a Yosemite Jazz Bass single-coil pickup at the bridge, and the Yosemite Mustang Bass split-single-coil pickup in the middle position, the Fender American Performer Mustang Bass is essentially a short-scale P/J bass with independent volume controls for each pickup theres a world of tone to explore here. Alnico 4 had never been extensively used before as rod magnets; there is no reason it couldnt have been. New with the American Performer Stratocaster HSS: The American Performer Telecaster combines exceptional Fender tone and authentic feel with modern materials and player-oriented features designed to inspire while propelling your playing to new heights. Michael Astley-Brown We played and he approved most of the pickups that week. In this article I'll compare everything you need to Hey, welcome Pro Sound HQ. Double Tap Humbuckers. The October 2021 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! Alnico 4 is 28 per cent nickel, 12 per cent aluminium, 5 per cent cobalt and, again, the rest is iron. The Yosemite single coils are stunning. The American Performer Stratocaster includes the Yosemite single-coil pickups, designed for rich, expressive tones. I started playing an electric guitar when I was given a Squier Strat for my birthday around 15 years ago. Tony Hawk surprises fans at a London pub by jumping on stage to sing with a Tony Hawks Pro Skater soundtrack cover band, Derek Trucks on David Gilmour: Hes created his own universe, Watch Pearl Jams Mike McCready destroy his $15,000 guitar, amp and pedalboard to close out European tour, Watch: Metallica and Stranger Things star play Master Of Puppets backstage at Lollapalooza 2022. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Gear of the Month: 1985 Fender Performer", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fender_Performer&oldid=1057015302, Articles needing additional references from July 2011, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Various solid metallic and sunburst finishes, This page was last edited on 24 November 2021, at 22:35. Please refresh the page and try again. published 20 March 19, We catch up with Fenders pickup guru in his Nashville lair. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). By The Performer Telecaster has a thinner neck compared to the Professional II Telecaster. The first ones I made, which were entirely stock, were a little brighter than Id like, so, yes, theres a little more wire on them than vintage pickups have, but thats kind of what it seemed to want. This is a new breed of Jazz Bass. The bent steel saddles, for instance, wont be to everyones tastes they tend to be uncomfortable for heavy palm muting. Happy customers, one piece of gear at a time! Every pickup is custom-voiced for each instrument and position, and calibrated for equal volume in all switching combinations. The biggest changes are found with pickups that were newly wound for all models in the range: the Yosemite single coils and DoubleTap humbuckers, and with the circuits that control them. In this article, Ill be comparing the American Performer and Professional II ranges of the Stratocaster, Telecaster and Jazzmaster so you know which series is best for you. published 16 November 20. Digital: http://bit.ly/GuitaristiOS So what part did Dave Cobb play? 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As for the tone controls, Fender has performed one of our favourite after-market Strat mods in-house; one tone control adjusts the neck and middle pickup, while the second tweaks the bridge. When we engage a coil split, we short the wires that connect the two coils to ground, which leaves one of the coils operating. At Fender, we tend to use words like potting and coating as the same thing: both involve submerging the pickup in a material that will stick the tiny strands of magnet wire together to keep them from vibrating. As Joey was playing the new pickups he said, These sound like youve recorded them in a great studio with a good amp and youre hearing them back in post-production. Precisely what you said., Unlike a vacuum wax potting process, which penetrates the whole coil, shellac doesnt do that. BA1 1UA. Its not used hot; its Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac, about as generic in America as it gets. It's unlikely you'll find this upgraded Strat perfect, because personal preference plays such a big role here. Only the American Performer range includes the Mustang shape. MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Exclusive deals, delivered straight to your inbox. Wax-dipped pickups are ready for production use as soon as theyre cool enough to handle, while shellac has a drying time, and that may help explain why Fender has continued to use wax most often. All Orders Placed Before 3PM EST Qualify For Free Same Day Shipping. The Performer was commissioned to combat lost sales to the "Superstrats" that were flooding the market in the mid-80s. Prosoundhq.com is also a member of other affiliate programmes. He replies: Yes, its a little bit finer. Alnico magnets have different recipes or chemical compositions, and these have a major effect on how they sound. link to Dog Ear vs Soapbar P90 Pickups: Is There a Difference? We know the 63 P-Bass-era is shellac, [but] we dont know why. There was a problem. The wax will chop off more high-end than the lacquer, which chops off more high-end - to my ear - than the shellac, which chops off a little bit more than nothing at all. The Fender Performer was an electric guitar designed by John Page [1] for rock and metal guitarists in the mid-1980s. As with the American Pro Series, we already knew the basic specs for the guitars and basses, and our test guitars were selected accordingly.