AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL II STRATOCASTER AND AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL II TELECASTER DELUXE

TESTED BY ART THOMPSON

THE AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL II series are the latest evolution of guitars that have been updated to suit the needs of today’s players. The series comprises two Stratocasters (standard and HSS), the Telecaster and Telecaster Deluxe, the vibrato-equipped Jazzmaster and five basses. For this review, we’re focusing on the Strat and Tele Deluxe models, which were tested with a reissue Fender Deluxe Reverb (with hardwired circuitry by George Alessandro), a Mesa/Boogie Mark Five: 25 1x10 combo, and a selection of boost and distortion pedals from Xotic, Fulltone and Hermida.

AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL II STRATOCASTER 

Resplendent in its Sienna Sunburst finish and off-white pickguard with matching knobs and pickup covers, this nicely made guitar sports a maple neck that’s carved with what Fender calls a Deep C profile. It’s more rounded on the back and designed to be even more comfortable than the previous “American” neck. The new silky smooth Super-Natural finish adds to the terrific playing feel of this neck, and sitting atop it is a 25.5-inch scale maple fingerboard that has a 9.5-inch radius, rolled edges, a nicely worked bone nut and 22 polished Narrow Tall frets. Another update is a contoured heel that makes it easier than ever to reach the high positions, and a spot-on factory setup brings it all together for an excellent playing experience. The action is nice and low, string buzz is practically nonexistent, and the intonation is well dialed-in and musically tuneful in all registers.