Fender’s Stratocaster and Telecaster can be the top among a large amount of guitars . These legendary instruments are revered for their natural playability and iconic tone. And yet Fender is never quite satisfied – that’s what makes them Fender. With their new American Professional Series, they successfully added cool modern innovations to their American Standard Series, while preserving the rich heritage of some our favorite instruments. As soon as the first models arrived at Sweetwater, we eagerly put the new guitars through their paces. We were not disappointed.
New pickups
The American Pro Series features Fender’s new V-Mod Single Coil Pickups, which use a proprietary blend of alnico magnet types for both the neck and middle pickups. The V-Mod pickups, and newly designed ShowBucker™ humbucking pickup are custom-voiced specifically for each position to bring out the subtleties of your own playing style.
New Necks
Most of the guitars in Fender’s new series have the American Professional “Deep C” neck profile, with substantial shoulders measuring somewhere between a “Modern C” and a “U”-shaped profile. All that mass and an altered geometry work together to feel more natural, providing speed and comfort whether you’re strumming a chord or picking individual notes. The American Professional Precision Bass has the ’63 P Bass®, the gold standard of bass neck profiles. The back of this neck wears a satin finish for smooth fret-handling. The American Professional Jazz Bass sports a slim “Modern C” neck profile for increased comfort and performance.
New Models
Fender’s new American Professional Series introduces two new “left of center” models, the Jazzmaster® and Jaguar®. Unique style, feel and flexibility are going to make both of these models instant favorites.
New Colors
New guitars, new colors – doesn’t get much better than that. Three exciting new colors, Sonic Grey, Mystic Seafoam, and Antique Olive just might be overshadowed by the return of the iconic Fender Butterscotch Blonde, available on Telecaster models.
Narrow-Tall Frets
Narrow-tall frets are, well, narrower and taller than medium jumbo frets. They make it easier to bend notes and take play notes up the neck without losing intonation.
New Hardshell Case
An instrument this special deserves to travel in style. The new hardshell case features body-hugging contours and TSA latches for increased protection and security. It also has nested stacking ability, making it easy to store or take on the road.
Meet the Fender American Pro Lineup
Along with the new features we’ve already mentioned, each model in the new series comes with unique features of its own. Here’s a quick rundown of entire Fender American Pro Lineup.
American Pro Stratocaster
One of the biggest new features on the American Pro Stratocaster is a Pop-in Tremelo Arm. It stays securely in place, no matter how hard you’re rocking. The tension can be adjusted to fit your preference. The other big feature is a Treble Bleed Circuit, which maintains high end even when you turn the volume down to reduce gain. You’ll sound great, even if you don’t “go to eleven.”
American Pro Telecaster
The first thing you’ll notice about the American Pro Telecaster is the new bridge. It has three compensated brass barrel saddles for perfect intonation and tone with a vintage vibe. Fender also redesigned the “ashtray” cover to stay out of the way, even if you’re palm muting. The American Pro Telecaster also has the Treble Bleed Circuit – maintaining high end at any volume setting.
American Pro Jazzmaster
Once you get past the stunning looks of Fender’s new American Pro Jazzmaster, you’ll notice the new bridge. It has brass Mustang saddles to keep the strings in place through the roughest play. It also has a screw-in arm that lets you set the arm tension right where you want it. Like other guitars in the American Professional Series, it has a Treble Bleed Circuit to maintain high end at every volume setting.
American Pro Jaguar
The American Pro Jaguar shares the same good looks as the Jazzmaster, and adds a few bells and whistles of its own. Of course it has the bridge with brass Mustang saddles to hold the strings in place through the most enthusiastic playing. It also has the Treble Bleed Circuit to protect the high end at any volume level. The American Pro Jaguar also has a flashy new nickel-silver pickup claw and four-way pickup and pickup phase switches.
American Pro Precision Bass
When it comes to the American Pro Precision Bass, Fender added several special features. The HiMass™ vintage-style bass bridge has single-groove saddles for that authentic early Fender look, stability and sustain. New fluted tuner shafts force the string windings downward, keeping them tight to create a sharper, more consistent break angle over the nut. That means you’ll enjoy more sustain and tuning stability. Finally, the ’63 P Bass® neck is reinforced with Posiflex graphite rods to keep it strong and steady in fluctuating venues.
American Pro Jazz Bass
Fender’s American Pro Jazz Bass shares a lot of the same features as the Jaguar, including the HiMass™ vintage-style bridge with single-groove saddles for authentic early Fender look, stability and sustain. It also has the fluted tuner shafts to force the string windings downward, keeping them tight to create a sharper, more consistent break angle over the nut. It’s slim “Modern C” neck is reinforced with Posiflex graphite rods to keep it strong and steady in fluctuating venues.
With the new American Professional Series, Fender has done the impossible. They have found a way to add to the incredible heritage of the Stratocaster, Telecaster and the rest of the Fender family. Experience the American Professional Series for yourself – your next Fender guitar is ready and waiting now at Sweetwater.com.