| Category | Value | Rating |
| Features | 20% |  |
| Usability | 25% | |
| Sound | 25% |  |
| Documentation & Support | 10% | |
| Price | 20% | |
| OVERALL RATING = 3.7 Stars, which earns it a WIHO Award! 3.6 stars or better: Outstanding, WIHO Award 3 stars or better: Worth considering 2 stars or better: Suited to specific needs 1 star or less: Not recommended |
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The Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster is definitely not your Grandfather’s Strat. It is so much more! We loved the original Ultra Strat for its high-performance characteristics, and the Ultra II continues to bring Fender's A Game to the table. It is both a Strat in the classic sense as well as a Super Strat that appeals to players seeking a more modern instrument with more versatile, shred-minded characteristics.
Vintage Strat lovers seeking a more traditional instrument need to look elsewhere in the Fender product line, but players wishing the traditional Stratocaster were a bit shreddier and bit heavier sounding will have plenty to celebrate here. Priced in the middle of the road between fancy imports and boutique guitars, the American Ultra II Stratocaster should be a strong consideration for any modern, working guitarist who seeks an instrument that is well constructed, thoughtfully engineered, rocks as hard as you need, and just plain sounds great.
Features
The Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster came to us wrapped in a striking Noble Blue metallic finish with a one-ply, black aluminum pickguard and a dark ebony fretboard, making for a modern Strat presentation.
The American Ultra II features a select alder body with ultra contours and a sculpted neck heel for enhanced comfort and playability. If you’ve ever wished your Strat could have deep cutaways in the back and a shaved-down neck heel like you’d find on instruments from the likes of Suhr, Tom Anderson, etc, that’s what we’re talking about here.
The American Ultra II has a quartersawn maple neck in a modern D profile, paired with a 10"-14" compound radius fingerboard available in either ebony or quartersawn maple. The frets feature vintage-feeling rolled edges and Luminlay side dots for improved visibility on a dark stage.
The electronics include a powerful new Haymaker humbucker, Ultra II Noiseless Hot Strat pickups, and Fender’s advanced S-1 switching system that adds a range of additional pickup wiring combinations to the mix for tonal versatility.
Other hardware highlights include a two-point American Ultra synchronized tremolo with polished stainless steel block saddles, a cold rolled steel block, a pop-in tremolo arm, and short-post locking tuners for enhanced tuning stability. Schaller-style strap locks round out the hardware.
Usability and Sound
The Fender Ultra II Stratocaster retains all the playability characterists that made us love the first generation, from the compound radius fretboard to the two-point synchronized tremolo to the incredible sculpted neck heel. You can read all about the original Ultra in great detail here, but for all the usability and sound details about the latest iteration of the guitar, check out our in-depth video:
Documentation and Product Support
The American Ultra II Stratocaster came with a Fender Control Description guide detailing the use of the S1 switch, pickup selector switches and tone knobs. The guitar also included a certificate of authenticity, a manual which includes a link to more information including warranty information, a Fender sticker and strap locks (very thoughtful).
Fender guitars feature a two-year warranty. Product support through the years has always been very good. We had a warranty issue with our first-generation Fender Ultra Strat a few years ago and Fender handled it quickly and professionally.
Price
The Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster sells for $2,359.99 street, and includes a custom molded hard case. In a sea of rising guitar prices, this remains a very good price for a premium, American-made Super Strat containing all the modern playability upgrades a guitarist might want.
Contact Information
Fender Guitars
www.fender.com
