Fender American Professional II Jazzmaster - Rosewood/Dark Night

Favourite Jazzmaster I've owned. Love the new neck, 'natural feel' satin finish feels great and the shape, rolled edges, neck heel is great too. Just all round improvements from an original or vintage unlike the American Pro first series which kinda sucked. Feels like the quality you would expect from a well made American Pro guitar, way better than Jap made, like way way way better. The one I got, visually is floorless, the maple is perfect and same with the rosewood and frets, all parts and the finish is all perfect and consistent. So quality control at Fender in Corona, California must be top notch and they are using excellent material (I wouldn't have said that a few years ago and sure can't say that for Gibson these days) They've used some nice timber for mine ... MoreFavourite Jazzmaster I've owned. Love the new neck, 'natural feel' satin finish feels great and the shape, rolled edges, neck heel is great too. Just all round improvements from an original or vintage unlike the American Pro first series which kinda sucked. Feels like the quality you would expect from a well made American Pro guitar, way better than Jap made, like way way way better. The one I got, visually is floorless, the maple is perfect and same with the rosewood and frets, all parts and the finish is all perfect and consistent. So quality control at Fender in Corona, California must be top notch and they are using excellent material (I wouldn't have said that a few years ago and sure can't say that for Gibson these days) They've used some nice timber for mine (not a fan of weird, although natural colour variations in the wood)The tremelo now has more range and saddles are brilliant, always stays in tune even after giving it a workout, bone nut too. Pickups have good output unlike the deluxe I tried (that was awful) and the push pull knob and rhythm circuit are just awesome. Great guitar and great investment. Fender really got it right with the American Pro II Jazzmaster. Case is quality, as you'd expect, deluxe moulded and has that new smell that makes any guitarist happy 😂

Dark Night version = pretty rad

Dark Night version- Notable coolness: Color is pretty amazing - metallic Tidepool'burst over Black. The wiring and elec setup on this Jazzmaster is different, push/push bridge option is fun - upper controls = series option (why? its a jazzmaster). Really nice fretting & rolled neck edge feels buttery & you cant even see it. Neck's got satin back w polished front (clever) - kind'a full feeling but not fat/chunky. Full neck + 9.5" radius = unfamiliar, but plays beautifully (got small hands). This guitar is supposed to have V-Mod pickups, but mine appears to have Vintage '65's(?). No worries, they're actually my fav and they do sound diff with this new (experimental) wiring - sound awesome w ProCo You Dirty Rat pedal. Oh yeah, comes w strings frm D'Adarrio!! Great ... MoreDark Night version- Notable coolness: Color is pretty amazing - metallic Tidepool'burst over Black. The wiring and elec setup on this Jazzmaster is different, push/push bridge option is fun - upper controls = series option (why? its a jazzmaster). Really nice fretting & rolled neck edge feels buttery & you cant even see it. Neck's got satin back w polished front (clever) - kind'a full feeling but not fat/chunky. Full neck + 9.5" radius = unfamiliar, but plays beautifully (got small hands). This guitar is supposed to have V-Mod pickups, but mine appears to have Vintage '65's(?). No worries, they're actually my fav and they do sound diff with this new (experimental) wiring - sound awesome w ProCo You Dirty Rat pedal. Oh yeah, comes w strings frm D'Adarrio!! Great quality for the price imo (+primo flight case!) - Fender did an exclnt job on this one. Overall, I'm really happy with this guitar.

FANTASTIC

I rec'd my Jazzmaster dark knight back in early Dec 2021, after being put on a wait-list just a few days before. Apparently GC shipped me one from a store, so I was worried it wd have demo wear n tear on it, but it was flawless. Plays fantastic. I play my other cheap (under $900) guitars and I think they're great until I play this one again(!) I hate to say it, but sometimes you get what you pay for. Great job to the American craftsmen/women that made this guitar. It sounds dumb, but this guitar is more "musical" than all my others. Maybe lyrical is a better word? It just makes a more beautiful sound than my 4 other electrics (none Jazzmasters). It's a pleasure to look at and to play. I Love the rhythm side b/c it has a beefier tone to fill out the sound. The ... MoreI rec'd my Jazzmaster dark knight back in early Dec 2021, after being put on a wait-list just a few days before. Apparently GC shipped me one from a store, so I was worried it wd have demo wear n tear on it, but it was flawless. Plays fantastic. I play my other cheap (under $900) guitars and I think they're great until I play this one again(!) I hate to say it, but sometimes you get what you pay for. Great job to the American craftsmen/women that made this guitar. It sounds dumb, but this guitar is more "musical" than all my others. Maybe lyrical is a better word? It just makes a more beautiful sound than my 4 other electrics (none Jazzmasters). It's a pleasure to look at and to play. I Love the rhythm side b/c it has a beefier tone to fill out the sound. The push/push switches are brilliant. Note- I broke the hi E string and barely got the replacement ernie ball .09 to reach all the way to the tuner! This guitar is seriously long from the bridge to the top E tuner. I'm wishing I hadn't sold my Fender Twin Reverb amp.

Fender really nailed it with Professional II series

Playability and build quality: First of all the guitar was fully set up and ready to gig out of the box. The neck plays like a dream and is very comfortable. The frets, the knobs and the vibrato system is just perfect.Looks: Dark Night color looks absolutely stunning, the pictures do not do justice.Sound: It sounds as good as it looks too. Jazzmasters are usually a bit difficult to tame in loud situations, which is not the case for the Professional II. With my Fender Vintera II and Squier Classic Vibe jazzmasters, it is a bit tricky to make them sound professional at gigs. Whereas for the Professional II, it is really difficult to get a bad sound out of the instrument, it has a very refined and fine tuned sound. The vibrato system and the bridge do not make any ... MorePlayability and build quality: First of all the guitar was fully set up and ready to gig out of the box. The neck plays like a dream and is very comfortable. The frets, the knobs and the vibrato system is just perfect.Looks: Dark Night color looks absolutely stunning, the pictures do not do justice.Sound: It sounds as good as it looks too. Jazzmasters are usually a bit difficult to tame in loud situations, which is not the case for the Professional II. With my Fender Vintera II and Squier Classic Vibe jazzmasters, it is a bit tricky to make them sound professional at gigs. Whereas for the Professional II, it is really difficult to get a bad sound out of the instrument, it has a very refined and fine tuned sound. The vibrato system and the bridge do not make any noises or rattling (as opposed to the Vintera and Classic Vibe series)It is not a very affordable guitar, but if you want something that you can use in any circumstance without having to worry about anything, this is what you need. I would definitely buy it again, zero regrets so far.

Great guitar

Love this Jazzmaster. This is actually my first Fender (I've never owned a Strat, and I've always been more of a Les Paul guy). That said, I really wanted something to get cleaner, brighter tones for surf and jazz tones, so I decided to skip the Strat and go straight to the Jazzmaster. Plus, I remember playing my friend's Strat, and I hated the volume knob placement. This guitar is bright and a great compliment to my Gibson. Absolutely love it.Note on the color, as Mystic Green looks different on every site I went to, but this photo is a pretty accurate representation. Also, Chicago Music Exchange delivered this quickly.

I would buy this guitar again

Great playability, smooth, comfortable neck that feels comfortable in your hand. The case is sturdy and makes any kind of travel possible. The 'dark night' finish is beautiful, pictures don't do it justice. Another great Fender product

If You Don't Have a True Jazzmaster, You're Missing Out

Jazzmasters don't sound like anything else. Or put another way, nothing sound like a Jazzmaster. I love P-90s, humbuckers, etc., but I decided that if I was going to get my first Jaazzmaster, it was going to be the real deal. And man, this is the real deal. The tone is pure Jazzmaster. To fit my style and taste I switched to flatwound 11s. It is incredibly versatile and more sensitive to the onboard controls than any other guitar I own. The fit and finish are excellent, as expected from a Fender AmPro II. The neck is super comfortable. The frets are perfectly rounded. The color is a little lighter than the photos show, which I'm very happy with - beautiful. It really is a wonderful instrument.

Mostly great, but QC wasn't the best.

I got one in the sunburst last August, but the electronics didn't work properly (it wouldn't select the bridge pickup), and the strings would creak when trying to tune them. After deliberating, I sent it back. I ordered another one immediately after, in Mystic Surf Green, direct from the Corona factory. They sent me the wrong vibrato arm (a threaded one, when the AmPro2 uses a push-in), which they did finally replace, but also, the grub screw used to adjust tension on the vibrato arm, was missing from the housing. Also, the guitar comes with 9 gauge strings, and though the panorama vibrato system is supposed to allow for dive bomb range, the spring Fender uses is too weak, and needs replaced, esp. if using heavier gauge strings. The arm, as is on mine, bottoms out ... MoreI got one in the sunburst last August, but the electronics didn't work properly (it wouldn't select the bridge pickup), and the strings would creak when trying to tune them. After deliberating, I sent it back. I ordered another one immediately after, in Mystic Surf Green, direct from the Corona factory. They sent me the wrong vibrato arm (a threaded one, when the AmPro2 uses a push-in), which they did finally replace, but also, the grub screw used to adjust tension on the vibrato arm, was missing from the housing. Also, the guitar comes with 9 gauge strings, and though the panorama vibrato system is supposed to allow for dive bomb range, the spring Fender uses is too weak, and needs replaced, esp. if using heavier gauge strings. The arm, as is on mine, bottoms out after about 2 steps down with stock spring. Okay, but not up to potential. For a guitar that costs this much, it shouldn't come with missing and incorrect parts (Fender did lay off some of its staff recently...). If I didn't love this one this much, I would send it back, too. Neck is comfy, it plays and sounds great, and the electronics work as intended on this one.

New to Fender; it was a good choice

I've had P90 guitars as my rhythm section in my band for years. I really liked the looks of this Jazzmaster (Dark Night) and the overall aesthetic. So I took a chance and bought one, initially to try it out. After playing it for a week it has now replaced my trusty Gibson SG p90 guitar. I'm going to compare this Fender to my Gibson SG p90 with the faded natural finish. The feel the guitar is different from my Gibson which has the faded / satin finish. This finish is quite durable (I've banged it a few times without a single mark) and the neck is a satin smooth finish - which is nice but not as nice as the Gibson. Something about either the look or the feel makes me notice the Poly finish more than the satin Nitro finish on the Gibson. The fretboard is rosewood and ... MoreI've had P90 guitars as my rhythm section in my band for years. I really liked the looks of this Jazzmaster (Dark Night) and the overall aesthetic. So I took a chance and bought one, initially to try it out. After playing it for a week it has now replaced my trusty Gibson SG p90 guitar. I'm going to compare this Fender to my Gibson SG p90 with the faded natural finish. The feel the guitar is different from my Gibson which has the faded / satin finish. This finish is quite durable (I've banged it a few times without a single mark) and the neck is a satin smooth finish - which is nice but not as nice as the Gibson. Something about either the look or the feel makes me notice the Poly finish more than the satin Nitro finish on the Gibson. The fretboard is rosewood and looks/feels as expected. The color of the body is super! What a great look. It's like a dark metallic blue burst. Looks as good as it does in the pictures. I dig the Witch Hat knobs (more on that later), I think it looks really cool with them. No issues with the cosmetics. The pickups are really good. Different than the P90 but pretty similar in a general sense. The JM has wide, flat single coils as opposed to the Gibson which has taller bobbins. You are familiar with the P90s ripping tone. Well Fender gave this JM a similar tone. The bridge pickup is way overwound - north of 11k on my meter (my Gibson bridge is 8.0k). With that in mind, using the exact same Marshall 2061 amp/cab, the JM really hits the amp harder and has a nice full, almost ripping, almost p90 on the edge, tone. It's a touch brighter than the P90 but seems a little more 'mid scooped', and thus a touch cleaner. But it's every bit as mean. Definitely not your typical JM bridge pickup. I know thos because this guitar has a coil tap feature that gives you the same number of windings as a 'traditional' JM bridge pickup. In tapped mode, yeah, i'm not into the pickup. If Im honest, the overwound bridge does it for me, a vintage JM bridge would not, and I would have returned this guitar if the bridge only had the vintage winding. Not really enough output to match my Gibson P90 tone. It's very 'meh' by comparison. If you want a vintage JM bridge then you should buy a JM with the those pickups. The neck pickup is excellent and a real shining point. Full, bright (not ice picky) and never muddy even with gain. Different than my p90 neck but very close in tone. The switch gear is fine once you see how it works. Lead circuit is both pickups with three way toggle and master vol / tone. In this guitar Fender tries to cater to lefties with left hand wired controls but Right Handed knobs! Ugh! My OCD wouldn't abide. I couldn't find lefty witch hat knobs so I literally re-wired the volume and tone pots using a couple of 500k emerson's I had. On this guitar with these pickups you need to use the Treble Bleed circuit (which is factory installed on the volume pot) otherwise the volume taper is strange and doesn't feel right. I use Emerson pots almost exclusively (until they stopped selling them) and I know how they react - these pickups need the extra treble when rolling the volume down. I installed a nice set of right handed pots and matching witch hats. My OCD is happy now. I want Fender to either wire it this way or make lefty knobs to match their (excellent) lefty wiring scheme. The coil tap works but I won't use it. The rhythm circuit is great. It's not the old school JM dark jazz mode. It set the pickups into Series mode. This turns the pickups into a big, asymmetrical Humbucker. It sounds great in this mode. It's like having a one pickup humbucker. The upper bout controls have volume and tone as well for this series mode. Because it's asymmetric it retains a little bit of sparkle and air despite being quite overwound (at least compared to a PAF). It's useful and I am glad it's an option. I would not likely use the old school Jazz mode. The neck feel is great with a satin back finish and rolled edges. The fretwork is excellent and what I would except on such an expensive guitar. No issues with the neck at all. The frets feel nice and the fret edges are wonderful. The satin neck feels better than it looks. I don't really like the poly look in the neck, it looks like poly (plastic) but it's not Epiphone - thick and it does really feel nice. Fender needs to use Mother of Pearl inlays - this clay dots nonsense on an expensive guitar is not attractive. The guitar is about 8.5# and well balanced especially sitting down. Excellent design choice by Fender. The factory setup and action were excellent and I made only slight adjustments out of the box. I literally used the tremolo to see if it works and then removed the handle and placed it back in the case. The guitar comes with a large plastic case that should survive almost any trauma. Overall the quality and workmanship is excellent for an expensive instrument. My modifications to the pots because it's left handed should have been done by Fender prior to. The overwound bridge pickup is the key to me keeping this guitar.

Versatile yet simple.

I bought this 2020 model despite having the 2016 sunburst version with the rosewood fretboard. I was really interested in getting a model with a maple fretboard instead, and I am so glad I did! The biggest change between 2016 and 2020 models is that Fender FINALLY did something about their stupid bridge design. I know that they have now released a Version II of the American Professional, but I love NOT having a rhythm circuit! Bottom line, if you buy one of these, make sure it either has the updated bridge, or be ready to buy a StayTrem or Mastery as an immediate upgrade.