Fender American Professional II Stratocaster - Rosewood/3-Color Sunburst

Woah! All of my other strats are "vintage" style. I was never expecting to go for a "modern" strat. This is utterly fabulous. The lighter Pine body, as well as being very pretty, is very resonant and makes for a bright but full-bodied strat sound. The two-point trem is really smooth and, with minor fettling, is very stable, even with aggressive treatment. I love the v-mod pickups too - really versatile and REALLY stratty. Most of my other strats have after-market replacement pickups, I don't see that happening with these. Fabulous guitar, excellent hardcase too.

A Very Beautiful & Great Sounding Guitar

I own four Fenders and two of them are Strats. I bought the Tri-Color Sunburst American Professional II in September 2021 and have had plenty of time to play and test it out, so I figured that it was about time for me to write a review on this beautifully crafted American made Stratocaster. The Rosewood fingerboard is really nice. My old 1954 Tobacco Sunburst Reissue has a maple neck and fingerboard with frets which are a bit lower in height than the more modern Pro II. Upon first playing the guitar, I was getting a lot of buzz, which meant that the action had to be adjusted. I took the guitar to my luthier for a full set up and he easily adjusted away all that annoying buzz. I highly recommend anyone buying a new guitar to set the action up the way you like it soon ... MoreI own four Fenders and two of them are Strats. I bought the Tri-Color Sunburst American Professional II in September 2021 and have had plenty of time to play and test it out, so I figured that it was about time for me to write a review on this beautifully crafted American made Stratocaster. The Rosewood fingerboard is really nice. My old 1954 Tobacco Sunburst Reissue has a maple neck and fingerboard with frets which are a bit lower in height than the more modern Pro II. Upon first playing the guitar, I was getting a lot of buzz, which meant that the action had to be adjusted. I took the guitar to my luthier for a full set up and he easily adjusted away all that annoying buzz. I highly recommend anyone buying a new guitar to set the action up the way you like it soon after purchase, because nearly all guitars will need some attention when you take it right out of the box. I normally use a second hand Fender acoustic as my go too practice guitar, but when I pick up the Pro II Strat, it practically plays itself. The sunburst finish, Rosewood neck and tortoiseshell colored pickguard give this instrument a stunning appearance. The guitar also comes with a nice, sturdy Fender hard shell case. Some may prefer to swap out the tremolo for a more modern system on the bridge, but I prefer to keep everything stock. One thing I'll mention is how well this guitar stays in tune without the need of a locking nut or tremolo system. If you're a lover of American made Fenders like I am, then I guarantee that the American Pro II Stratocaster won't be a disappointment.

About quality control at zzounds and fender

Overall:So this guitar is the best sounding guitar I've ever had at first. Everyone compliments the tone. After waiting since October for the order I picked the black color so zZounds would ship it since it was in stock. Came in janurary. Guitar plays better and sounds better than my McCarty 594 and is super comfortable to play. Qith that being said though What is terrible is quality control and support for 2 reasons. 1. zZounds didn't bother to check everything was there and the whammy bar was actually the entirely wrong type. The rep on the phone admitted the person who checked it before sending probably looked over the guitar but did not check the pocket in the case. 2nd issue. This is a new guitar. 3 days ago I hear an overtly loud overtone on the g string ... MoreOverall:So this guitar is the best sounding guitar I've ever had at first. Everyone compliments the tone. After waiting since October for the order I picked the black color so zZounds would ship it since it was in stock. Came in janurary. Guitar plays better and sounds better than my McCarty 594 and is super comfortable to play. Qith that being said though What is terrible is quality control and support for 2 reasons. 1. zZounds didn't bother to check everything was there and the whammy bar was actually the entirely wrong type. The rep on the phone admitted the person who checked it before sending probably looked over the guitar but did not check the pocket in the case. 2nd issue. This is a new guitar. 3 days ago I hear an overtly loud overtone on the g string ringing over everything. I take it to a Luthier to look at and he tells me there was a filling put in the nut because whether the manufacturer or the company that sold noticed an issue in the cut of the nut they filled it and the filing came out. Needless to say in order to fix this the nut had to have work done and the g string is raised ever so slightly higher than the other strings now to stop the overtone. Although it sounds great again i need to adjust now to the string being higher and Frankly im pretty upset. I have spent well over 4 grand with zZounds in the last year alone. Long time customer. Got no support from them with the whammy bar and instead told me to speak to fender about sending one. Also this issue with the nut and a bad filling being put in is unacceptable regardless of if it was fender or zZounds who did this, im disappointed and feel wronged either way, because even if fender is suddenly losing its quality in craftsmanship zZounds should have noticed this issue instead of sending this out with clearly no inspection actually being done. May start using a different company for instruments at this post as I have found the customer service on the last couple of calls with them to be incredibly unhelpful

An Awesome American Strat - Flawless

I purchased a SSS American Pro II Strat in Mercury, with GC ponying up BOTH a LARGE discount AND 48-month zero financing. I was planning on having a pro setup done, but the guitar came perfectly new and setup right out of the case. I only had to lower the action a small bit and tweak the intonation a very small bit. I am leaving with normal 'float' like Leo intended. Tuning stability is top notch; this never goes out of tune (although I am an infrequent trem user). Regardless, the tuning stability with a 'float' is impressive. I really like a LOT the new push-push neck-pickup functionality as it really goes great with the bridge pickup. The case is awesome, too. Guitar was flawless without any issues whatsoever. It was also very well packaged with GC putting the ... MoreI purchased a SSS American Pro II Strat in Mercury, with GC ponying up BOTH a LARGE discount AND 48-month zero financing. I was planning on having a pro setup done, but the guitar came perfectly new and setup right out of the case. I only had to lower the action a small bit and tweak the intonation a very small bit. I am leaving with normal 'float' like Leo intended. Tuning stability is top notch; this never goes out of tune (although I am an infrequent trem user). Regardless, the tuning stability with a 'float' is impressive. I really like a LOT the new push-push neck-pickup functionality as it really goes great with the bridge pickup. The case is awesome, too. Guitar was flawless without any issues whatsoever. It was also very well packaged with GC putting the Fender box inside another larger box with packing so VERY well packed. New Shaw pickups are great too. Nothing negative to say -- this is a lot of USA-made guitar for the money. Recommend everyone to get one!

Beats the Ultra

I chose it mostly for that incredible, push-push Tele sounding, "Jimmy Page" jangly tone. Its similar to the Performer tone but much better for sure with a little more clarity, far more smoother neck and body than the performer. Best neck I've played. Sounds way more "Stratty" than the Ultra (The Ultra's Noiseless pickups are basically like "vertically stacked mini-humbuckers" that are more mellow and not as Stratty sounding). I ordered the gold pickguard to slap on to give the black more of a not-so-bland look too! Will be reviewing it soon on my channel, "guitarandotherthings" on youtube! Very happy, like it more than my 96 American Standard so that's saying somethi ng! I wanted the Commemorative Annv 75th but its never in stock and also doesnt have that awesome ... MoreI chose it mostly for that incredible, push-push Tele sounding, "Jimmy Page" jangly tone. Its similar to the Performer tone but much better for sure with a little more clarity, far more smoother neck and body than the performer. Best neck I've played. Sounds way more "Stratty" than the Ultra (The Ultra's Noiseless pickups are basically like "vertically stacked mini-humbuckers" that are more mellow and not as Stratty sounding). I ordered the gold pickguard to slap on to give the black more of a not-so-bland look too! Will be reviewing it soon on my channel, "guitarandotherthings" on youtube! Very happy, like it more than my 96 American Standard so that's saying somethi ng! I wanted the Commemorative Annv 75th but its never in stock and also doesnt have that awesome push-push. This has same case as Commemorative (but with grey inner lining instead of blue) and I am very impressed! Clicks nicely, huge compartment, TSA lock for if it gets flagged at airport they can use their master key to open and not damage your lock. If you already have a hardshell you could sell this one for the difference of the Performer price which makes the American Professional ii practically the same price as the Performer! The wammy is an awesome pop in, I may upgrade to locking tuners because nose-dives arent the most forgiving, but it's a cheap price for the Fender locking set, so no biggie there! I rarely use it anyway, so if you dont use the wammy the stock tuners are fine. So for the better tone, better wammy, much smoother neck and body, pay the extra to upgrade from the performer and sell the case to make up for it if thats too much of a difference. It sounds better than Ultra anyways so that's a great deal. Hope you love it!

Better than I expected

I'm pleased to say that Musicians Friend and Fender got it mostly right. I got the American Pro 2 in Dark Knight w/maple fretboard early December and have now used it on 5 or more gigs and the only change I had to make was the string tree on the headstock. Before I put the roller type tree if you touched the whammy bar it would go out of tune bad. String tree fixed it. Does it stay in tune as good as my PRS whammy? No but it's acceptable and usable. Does it play as good as a Custom shop Strat? No but it's pretty good considering the price point. I'm reluctant to buy a guitar without playing it first but I think Fender did a decent job on quality control and Musicians friend delivered as promised. The new pickup controlconfiguration is the best improvement on Strats ... MoreI'm pleased to say that Musicians Friend and Fender got it mostly right. I got the American Pro 2 in Dark Knight w/maple fretboard early December and have now used it on 5 or more gigs and the only change I had to make was the string tree on the headstock. Before I put the roller type tree if you touched the whammy bar it would go out of tune bad. String tree fixed it. Does it stay in tune as good as my PRS whammy? No but it's acceptable and usable. Does it play as good as a Custom shop Strat? No but it's pretty good considering the price point. I'm reluctant to buy a guitar without playing it first but I think Fender did a decent job on quality control and Musicians friend delivered as promised. The new pickup controlconfiguration is the best improvement on Strats ever in my opinion

Fantastic guitar, setup really well from the factory

I'm mostly a Gibson guy (Les Paul and ES335). This is my first Stratocaster. I was torn between the top-of-the-line made in Mexico Player Plus and the American Professional II. I went with the American Pro II finished in Dark Night with a maple fingerboard. I like the sharp contrast between the dark body and the light fingerboard. The instrument arrived factory sealed. Although it was not double boxed, the case and guitar were in perfect shape.My first impression was, WOW this thing plays Great. The factory setup was spot on. 12th fret action was 2.00 mm on 6th and 1.75mm on 1st string. Intonation was perfect. Although I didn't measure neck relief, it felt good and had virtually no buzzing. Both my Gibsons have gloss necks. I was concerned I wouldn't like the ... MoreI'm mostly a Gibson guy (Les Paul and ES335). This is my first Stratocaster. I was torn between the top-of-the-line made in Mexico Player Plus and the American Professional II. I went with the American Pro II finished in Dark Night with a maple fingerboard. I like the sharp contrast between the dark body and the light fingerboard. The instrument arrived factory sealed. Although it was not double boxed, the case and guitar were in perfect shape.My first impression was, WOW this thing plays Great. The factory setup was spot on. 12th fret action was 2.00 mm on 6th and 1.75mm on 1st string. Intonation was perfect. Although I didn't measure neck relief, it felt good and had virtually no buzzing. Both my Gibsons have gloss necks. I was concerned I wouldn't like the "Super-Natural" satin finish neck, but it felt comfortable and fast in my hand. Coming from humbucker based guitars, the single coil pickups do have some hum that can be eliminated by using pairs of pickups in switch positions 2 and 4. The Vmod II pickups sound great, having a classic, bright strat sound. The push-push tone knob is easy to see/use (the Player Plus uses an inferior push-pull knob). The knob adds the neck pickup to any position, however, when the neck and bridge pickup are selected, the pickups are not wired to eliminate hum. For strings, I use D'addario 10-46 on my short scale Gibsons, but I like the Fender 250L 9-42 on the long scale strat. I liked the Fender strings enough to order a few more sets of them.I compared the noiseless pickups of the Player Plus to the Vmod II pickups, and I simply liked the sound of the Vmod II pickups better. The Player Plus pickups lacked clarity, sounding slightly muffled compared to the Vmod II.The rectangular hardshell case is plastic, but looks pretty solid. The Player Plus came with a cheap gig bag.Overall, I am loving this guitar and would highly recommend it.

Fender Nailed This Guitar…

Overall:I've had other Statrocasters in my past (American Professional, Standard, and Perfomer), and I got it say that Fender perfect it this version. The neck is by far very easy to handle, and very smooth. I feel like it has the perfect grip to the point that it feels like it was made especially for my hand. Very comfortable when gripping, and not a constant strain on the wrist. The fretboard? Love it. With those previous versions that I owned, it always felt that my fingers took a while to adapt because they were always hurting. However, this version has been very soothing to my fingers, to the point that it’s been very pleasant to practice for long periods of time, whereas as in the past, I dreaded the experience because my fingers were very sore during or ... MoreOverall:I've had other Statrocasters in my past (American Professional, Standard, and Perfomer), and I got it say that Fender perfect it this version. The neck is by far very easy to handle, and very smooth. I feel like it has the perfect grip to the point that it feels like it was made especially for my hand. Very comfortable when gripping, and not a constant strain on the wrist. The fretboard? Love it. With those previous versions that I owned, it always felt that my fingers took a while to adapt because they were always hurting. However, this version has been very soothing to my fingers, to the point that it’s been very pleasant to practice for long periods of time, whereas as in the past, I dreaded the experience because my fingers were very sore during or after practice. The sound? Come on, it’s a Stratocaster. It sounds amazing, and this version is just superb. The weight? Not heavy at all (the Standard was heavier). Also, the attention to detail? The paint and finish looks much better in person, and the pictures do no justice to her beauty. It looks beautiful, and you’ll instantly fall in love with it. I must say that my other versions that I owned compare to this one were OK (the first American professional comes close to 2nd place), but I am in love with this guitar, and I can’t recommend it enough to anyone that’s new to guitar playing or long-time players. For me, it’s the perfect guitar, and I’m sure it’ll be perfect for anyone considering this stunning beast.

Master of clean tones

The Fender American Professional II really shines on all the clean tones, it's amazing. I can't compare the clarity of the tones with any other guitar I own, including a Fender telecaster and a Gibson les Pauls (they have other merits). The push/push button is a nice added feature, and though they sell it as a telecaster sound, it still can't beat the real deal. It does give you some more sound range nevertheless. The power behind the pickups is also very noticeable which makes it even better.Coming to playability, the maple neck feels like silk. It is so smooth and soft to play you'd just grab the guitar for the sole purpose of sliding your fingers across the fretboard. The entire instrument shows craftsmanship and sturdiness. The tremolo is also quite nice and ... MoreThe Fender American Professional II really shines on all the clean tones, it's amazing. I can't compare the clarity of the tones with any other guitar I own, including a Fender telecaster and a Gibson les Pauls (they have other merits). The push/push button is a nice added feature, and though they sell it as a telecaster sound, it still can't beat the real deal. It does give you some more sound range nevertheless. The power behind the pickups is also very noticeable which makes it even better.Coming to playability, the maple neck feels like silk. It is so smooth and soft to play you'd just grab the guitar for the sole purpose of sliding your fingers across the fretboard. The entire instrument shows craftsmanship and sturdiness. The tremolo is also quite nice and stays where you left it.As with all single coils, it is my feeling this guitar rocks in the clear or low-level distortion (crunch, overdrive, ...), but it fails to deliver on high-level distortion even when combining the pickups in the middle settings. For that you need real hum buckers.The final verdict is that this is an amazing instrument and I'm going to love every minute playing it.

my dark night fender

Sound:i think it sounds great and look forward to making music with itFeatures:it has a really cool single coil feature which i think sounds amazing but this guitar really needed to have locking tuners with it. with the regular tuners it comes with you are going to have highly unstable tuning due to the tremolo system i had to spend extra money to buy the tuners which i will install my self i also think it would have been nice to install buttons that work with strap lock systems i also had to buy those as well i do however under stand that i paid 1600.$ for this which i thought was a good value the case this comes with is amazing has its own lock and everything but it smells god awful has some kind of chemical smell that rubbed of on my guitar and now when i ... MoreSound:i think it sounds great and look forward to making music with itFeatures:it has a really cool single coil feature which i think sounds amazing but this guitar really needed to have locking tuners with it. with the regular tuners it comes with you are going to have highly unstable tuning due to the tremolo system i had to spend extra money to buy the tuners which i will install my self i also think it would have been nice to install buttons that work with strap lock systems i also had to buy those as well i do however under stand that i paid 1600.$ for this which i thought was a good value the case this comes with is amazing has its own lock and everything but it smells god awful has some kind of chemical smell that rubbed of on my guitar and now when i play i am smelling a spray paint type smell its horrible i am going to have to find some kind of scent to cover it up i will be scenting the case in hopes it gently rubs' off on the guitar and makes for a more pleasant smellEase of Use:this works great with my Marshall code 50 along with my wireless cable systemQuality:this is a solid product i think will last a lifetime its well built comfortable to hold it does not weigh to much and sounds greatValue:i think this is worth the price for most part however to be honest if i knew it would smell so bad i might have thought twice and just got another Gibson but i really wanted to try a fender out and i already have a gibson if i could solve the smell it would make it all the betterManufacturer Support:i have not dealt directly with fender but i may contact them due to the chemical smellThe Wow Factor:what is appealing is the great fender sound what is horrible is the smell of the case and the guitarOverall:first this guitar looks awesome i really like this guitarhowever it took a bit of time to setupnumber one when i received the guitar the springs were super loose making it impossible to tune this is my first ever fender guitar i have had other guitars that simular bridge setups for whammy i had to adjust the springs slowly until i got a stable tune i had to do this for my js100 Ibanez as well that one has a floating trem im not sure what to call the one my fender has but it is similar any ways once i got a stable tune i was finally able to intonate the guitar and of course i checked the neck relief which was fine no adjustment was needed for that also adjusted string height i realized doing this throws of intonation so i had to re intonate the guitar any ways when i finally got it setup it sounded awesome and i think this will be more stable tuning wise than my js100 especially when install the locking tuners the feel will take some getting used to it has a slightly thicker neck than my les Paul but is still comfortable i love the twang i get out of it when i play sweet home Alabama and hey joe. one negative thing that really bugs me though is the case and guitar stink to high hell of a spray paint type smell i mean it is stinking up my room fender should take a leaf from Gibson and scent there cases my Gibson had chocolate scent which rubbed off on the guitar and was heaven to smell compared to the fender toxic chemical smell the other thing is there was not much case candy they could have supplied a strap and maybe an inspection sheet and a manufacturer pic like Gibson does other than the toxic stink and lack of case candy the guitar plays fine sounds awesome but took some time to setup