Having teased a major product announcement last week with a video trailer promising that you will "never play a Fender the same way again," Fender has launched the American Ultra Series, a premium, US-built lineup that replaces the 2016 American Elite Series and brings a multitude of contemporary features to the table.
Fender describes the American Elite Series as "the most-advanced modern" electric guitar in its catalogue, and here it has made some sweeping changes to enhance playability and performance, with a new D neck profile, updated compound radius fingerboards with "extremely rolled edges", satin-smooth necks, heavily sculpted four-bolt neck joints, treble-bleed circuits and noiseless pickups applied across the series.
Gone, too, is the rotary truss rod adjustment at the bottom of the neck – this has moved back to the headstock.
The American Ultra Series is our most advanced series of guitars and basses for discerning players who demand the ultimate playing experience in precision, performance and tone
Justin Norvell, EVP of Product at Fender
The body contours have also been revised to make the American Elite Series more comfortable. The American Ultra Series also sees the debut of the Ultra Noiseless Vintage pickups, which as the name suggests offer old-school Fender singlecoil tones without the hum, and the Ultra Noiseless Hot pickups, which run that bit hotter to hit the front end of your amp harder and work well for overdriven styles.
The American Ultra Series Stratocaster HSS is the first Fender guitar to deploy the Double Tap Humbucker, which is overwound so that the pickup volume is matched the middle and neck singlecoils when using the coil-splitter – a little thing that makes a huge difference.
The Precision and Jazz Bass lineup is updated with the HiMass bridge, which looks great and, says Fender, offers "serious sustain, precise intonation and rock-solid tuning stability," plus a redesigned preamp with a three-band boost/cut EQ and switchable active or passive circuits.
"The American Ultra Series is our most advanced series of guitars and basses for discerning players who demand the ultimate playing experience in precision, performance and tone,” said Justin Norvell, EVP of Product at Fender in a statement. “Blending state-of-the-art engineering and nuanced design to provide a high-performance experience for today’s player, American Ultra is the next chapter in Fender’s legacy of cutting-edge innovation. American Ultra has truly been decades in the making and is a result of our tireless commitment to meet the needs of today’s working and touring guitar players looking for a modern feel and tone.”
And, of course, no new series would be complete without some new finishes, and the American Ultra Series is available in Cobra Blue, Mocha Burst, Texas Tea, Arctic Pearl, Aged Natural, Plasma Red Burst and Ultraburst. Protecting that finish is a custom moulded hard case included with each instrument.
Watch the company's video demo:
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