Fender American Professional II Stratocaster Review

New number 1

This is my forth Fender Strat in a fifty year time period. it is everything I hoped it would be and more. it has great tone and the neck feels very comfortable. this is my new number 1 gig axe. Thanks to Mike Winebrenner for answering my questions and technical help. as always, I got the best service from Mike and the team at Sweetwater.

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Best Strat I've owned to date.

sounds great plays great. pickups nice and quiet, no ground loop hum at all (I live in an old tenement with dirty electricity) The last strat I had, a nice guitar I found after a while to be a bit to "vintage" for me as far as the pickups go. this strat has more modern features, which includes a truss rod adjustment at the headstock and not at the bottom of the neck which had to… read more be unscrewed to access. the push-push tone knob is a great feature for beefing up the bridge pickup signal. And the tremolo floated with 9's stays in tune quite well although I don't do dive bombing. The neck was a little sticky at first but now has broken in nicely, nice and smooth. Was a little apprehensive at first primarily because of the price, it's the most I ever spent on a guitar, and the fact that I'm not a pro made the expense hard to justify at first but in the end, I decided to go for it and the six easy payment plans made it easier to afford. In all no regrets, love the ax.

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Fender American Pro ii Stratocaster

I've had this guitar for 2.5 weeks now. I must say that it is great! When I first opened the case, I could tell I was going to love this guitar. The feel of the neck is so smooth. I love the narrow tall frets. I have other Stratocasters, Player series and Eric Clapton model, and I like the slightly wider neck on this one. The "Deep C" neck feels great in my hand. It feels… read more just substantial enough, without over-filling my hand. This guitar feels and sounds great! I'm impressed!

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HELL OF AN AXE!!

This strat sounds gorgeous and looks gorgeous! What can I say? The guys at sweetwater had this thing set-up right out of the box. I had to put some Ernie ball 10s on her and now she's perfect. This guitar has loads of tonal options with the push-push tone circuit. I also prefer a wider and thicker neck, as opposed to the thinner and narrow strat necks of old. Fender is doing some… read more nice stuff, can't miss out on it! With low interest free payments, you can afford one of these no problem. Might as well get the real McCoy!

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Strat

It might be a little preliminary but I received my beautiful teal blue fender Stratocaster electric guitar today and I'm following the recommendations that we're on the box to hold off playing it for 24 hours to let it get a custom to the temperature and humidity in its new home…… to be continued!

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Awsum Awsum Awsum !!!

Am not a fender fan at all !!! Owned 1 in the 70's and was ok...nuthin wrong with it at all...however never crazy about the strat sound with the sound i personnally liked...am a huge gibson fan and own a few fm sweetwater am tickled with...that being said-i write my own jams and now with what i'm working on i need that strat sound...when i saw this dark nite with a rosewood board… read more it certainly had the looks for me...was hesitant about ordering the rosewood after reading internet fm proffessionals...is split in article i read for getting best strat sound out of it...also had it pleked as do with all my axes...and had j.h. Voodoo bullet strings (.10-.38.) put on since thats what hendrix used...when it arrived i plugged in my supro64 and eventually found that PERFECT strat sound was looking for after tinkering with knobs and switches and was one happy camper !!! Ax arrived almost perfect-trem arm kept falling out and never would snap in...fixed in 1 min...went in back where route strings and wire clip half out...screwdriver popped it back in and no probs...could go on more but will say it is a great ax !!! Thanx once again to matt christoperson for all ur help with questions and recommendations...this is 7th guitar bought thru matt and have yet to b dissappointed !!! God Bless !!!

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The Strat Sound you’re looking for.

Obi-Wan would be well pleased with the Fender American Pro II Strat. The guitar arrived in perfect condition and with a couple of minutes I had it in tune. I'm a beginning guitar player and I appreciate being able to get the guitar in tune easily and it stays there. There isn't a flaw on this Strat, and it is solid in the hand. The classic Strat tones come easily from the guitar… read more as the PU's are voiced well. I also have a Fender Vintera Modified 60's Strat and they sound very close to each other. With the Pro II you get a great locking travel hard case, easier truss rod adjustment, and this cool Miami Blue color with a rosewood fretboard option. My guitar also has the 75 year "decal" on the back of the headstock, which I think is cool. If you're on the fence between this and… what could a person be on the fence about here? This is THE Fender Stratocaster, if you want a Strat this is The guitar you're looking for. I'll include a couple of pictures from NGD in different light to show the color. You may go about your business. Carry on.

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Sweet Strat!

Holy Moly, this Strat is just what I was after.I can't find a flaw on the guitar. Kudos to Sweetwater as usual for an amazing job of getting the Am Pro II Strat to me in perfect condition. This is a SOLID, solid body guitar. You feel the quality when you pick it up and start playing. The pickups have that clear Strat goodness and when you put the Neck PU with the Bridge and Middle… read more it is such a full, wonderful tone… very useful. I also have a Vintera Modified 60's Strat with this function, give one of these a try if you haven't, I think you'll like them if you like that Strat tone.I was going to get the white Strat but the Miami Blue had bonus bucks. This guitar is absolutely gorgeous. I'm glad that I took advantage of the deal.

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Great guitar!

This guitar is incredible to play. Feels super comfortable and sounds as great as it looks! Sweetwater is more than fair to work with and really goes above and beyond to get you the best price and service.

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Awesome versatile guitar

First real USA fender stratocaster, wonderful guitar. Recently gotten into digital amp modeling and I can get perfect Malmsteen tone, Gilmour tone, Dave Murray, you name it, it can do it. Plays great. Push-pull for adding the neck pickup to any position is fantastic. Highly recommend!

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Great guitar. Some quality issues.

The guitar plays and sounds great as expected, although there were some quality issues. This guitar had been played previously although I purchased it "new". There were already light pick scratches in the finish. The frets had some obvious wear. The action had been adjusted extra high and needed a proper setup. There are finger marks in the stain on the neck from the factory. There… read more is a small blue hair/fiber under the clear coat. I still love the guitar too much to bother fussing about it.

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Plays Like Silk

I've been wanting a nice strat for many years now and this one does play like silk. It has all the beautiful tones that a classic strat should have.

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Loved my pro 2 tele so much I bought the strat

Bought my first Fender last year after years of Gibson. What a model to choose. So many nice features and feels great in hand. Loved Sweetwater's setup on my guitar! Going to take some learning to figure out all the strat setups but I love this guitar already! Wish they had fiesta red with maple fingerboard!

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Everything an American Stratocaster should be.

Bought the Roasted pine/RW model from Andrew K at Sweetwater. Flawless in feel and sound, its every bit as good as my 1996 Custom Shop TxSpec. One of the smoothest necks ever. 7 way push/push PU selector allows an amazing range of tones and shines in the area of clean, light touch playing with ZERO noise or hum. Factory setup spot on. Of the 25 i have, the 2021 Pro II is the best… read more in most every category.

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Strats are nice guitars - but can they hang with the competition in this price range?

I have a weird relationship with Stratocasters. Most everyone has played one at some point in their career, and so many of the greats have played one: Vaughn, Mayer, Hendrix, Clapton, Townsend, The Beatles, Fruschiante, Gilmore, Garcia, the list goes on and on. Countless non-virtuoso players have also used it to great effect as a rhythm guitar or a texture instrument. I just… read more never really bonded with my Stratocasters. My first electric guitar was a real POS strat knock off. Almost put me off Strats for life. It was that bad. The first fender Strat I ever had was a Mexican 2000 model. They were great affordable guitars. Poplar body, maple neck, sealed turners. Compared to what they cost now - they were super cheap. The guy at the store saw me eying up a sunburst one. I told him I couldn't afford it. He asked what I had. I told him what I had. Somehow I walked out with the guitar and a SKB case for way less than the guitar went for on MF. The salesman later was fired. I miss that guy. I liked it well enough, but never really got that feel like 'this is my forever, desert island guitar.' 6 years later I was gifted a 1995 USA sunburst model with a rosewood fretboard at absolutely no cost to me. Looking to pay it forward - I gave my MIM strat to an old friend from high school who was a super talented musician who was a little bit of a late bloomer in that he was struggling financially to get through college a few years all of our friends had graduated. I just found the USA strand a little vanilla and uninspiring. It just didn't do it for me. I later swapped the pickups for a Tex-Mex set, which I guess some would say is a step down from the USA stock pickups. I also had them rip out whatever the stupid treble bleed circuit was and wire it to vintage spec. I did feel the new pickups gave it a little more 'shimmer, chime, and grind.' I still wasn't crazy for it. I played it sometimes and ran it through various stomp boxes. The amps I played both Strats through were a 97 Peavey Bandit 112, Peavey Classic 30, and later the USA strat through a first edition Fender Blues Jr. I briefly was gifted a 2002 Mexican Strat which I also never really dug. I got it set up for 1/2 step down tuning for my sub-par Hendrix and Stevie renditions. After a little bit it went into the case and then was just hung up on the wall for decoration. Eventually the person who gave it to me had a nephew who needed an electric guitar, so I gave it back and it went to him. I don't miss it, but the nephew loves it. Although I never really dug the USA strat, after I got the new pickups I took it to a guitar lesson, and my teacher just had to play it. He loved it. So I guess it all comes down to personal preference. I plan on getting the vintage style tuners put on it (purely for looks) and keeping it forever regardless of my lack of affection for it. It was a gift, and it is special to me. Also, peoples tastes change. I play guitars I shelved years ago due to lack of interest - and now I think 'this is great, why did I ever pack this away?' Also, it is one of my few American made guitars and a heritage quality heirloom instrument. Sometimes I think about adding Seymour Duncan Little 59 Humbuckers and seeing what happens. But I won't do anything to it like have new pickup routes or add switches. But here is the real sticky issue - Fenders were designed to be the affordable every man's electric guitar - especially when compared to the 'Three Gs: Gibson, Guild, and Gretsch.' The Mexican Strats are now close to 3 times the price for a Mexican 'a player's series' model. And the new version of the USA standard strat is almost double what it used to cost in the late 90's and early 2000's. This is way more than the rate of inflation. At the current price the USA line is way less than a Gibson or Gretsch standard model, and Guild Electric are no longer made in the USA, so I guess it is still comparatively affordable - but The USA guitars are putting themselves out of the reach of average blue collar and working class people. More and more guitars are only within the reach of doctors, lawyers, and accountants. It just sucks. At the same time there are so many great alternatives for an S Style guitar. There are great values at all price points from the Slick Brand guitars for almost nothing, to foreign made G&Ls, Reverends, and Yamahas that have great quality at much more accessible price points. So I would say this - if you love the strat thing and a USA Stratocaster is your aspirational guitar and prized possession; then shop around and get one. If not - play the field and get something pretty comparable for a lot less money.

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Surpassed my Expectations!!!

I've had other Stratocasters and had debated for a while on which one to purchase and made the right choice!! The feel of the satin neck, the sound of the V-mod II pickups are fantastic. The online photos of the Miami Blue do not do the guitar justice! The case is well built to protect your purchase. I took this 1 step farther and had my guitar Plek'd upon purchase. Every fret… read more has a nice radius to it, and is smooth like glass. The tech did a fabulous job of filing the fret ends and setting up the guitar to my playing style. Glad I took the plunge!!!

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Are you kidding me

Bought my first guitar in the 70's. A solid body with humbuckers. Since then i have owned many high end axes. Every guitar I've owned has been a solid body HH pickup setup. I just purchased the Fender Pro series 2. SSS.. Pulled it out of the box, Packaging was awesome. Tuned it in... Wasn't really impressed...Gave it another chance a bit latter after it settled in. Wow... Totally… read more in love with this axe. Cant stop playing it.. Sounds so amazing and a dream to play. Haven't touched my Les Paul sense. Just get it. You'll be happy...

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Awesome Strat Pro II

I have been vaselating for quite a while to replace a Fender Stratocaster that I use to own. Finally, I decided to give Sweetwater a try because they had so many to choose from however, one just seemed to jump right out at me and get my attention...a three color "sunburst" with a maple neck "Pro II! After that first impulse, and After comparing the other three color "sunburst"… read more pro II's that were very nice indeed, this one seemed like it needed to become my partner. So, I got a hold of my Sales Engineer "Dan Vranic" and let him know that I was interested. But aside from not being able to handle the instrument before purchasing it, I wanted a set up done which Dan assured me it would be no problem and gave me several options. Also, I was very concerned about shipping the Strat clear across the country to Utah, especially during winter. Dan reassured me that the packaging would have multiple levels of protection and that he preferred that I pick up the guitar at a local fedex hub as apposed to having delivered to my front porch. I immediately felt my anxiety over shipping disappear. Long story short, the Strat arrived on February 2 2022 at a nearby FedEx hub. The first thing I noticed was the shipping box was much bigger than what was in it, and, the box was undamaged... when I got the Strat Home, excited as I was to get to the guitar, a green warning label encouraged me to wait 24 hours to open the box--this gives the instrument a chance to acclimate to its new environment, so I waited. Obviously, Sweetwater cares about what they sell and who they sell it to. Finally, when I opened the main shipping box I was equally impressed with the expanding foam that was inside protecting the guitar which was in its very awesome case inside the "Fender" shipping box...I nodded my head several times then got to the Strat, looked it over very carefully, tuned it up, plugged it into my Fender 4x10 Deville and jammed away for several hours... Now, I really needed to send a big thank you to Dan and the Sweetwater folks for creating such an awesome experience and supplying me with such an awesome guitar. Sweetwater really does care about how they do business, and, I felt like My concerns and needs were important and were handled with the utmost concern. The Pro II Stratocaster, to me, just seemed to fit like it was meant for me. It's variety of tones are straight up, what I hope they would be--I couldn't be happier with this addition to my guitar family.

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Pretty much what I've been lookig for

This is my 4th Strat - I've got an 80's MIJ Strat, an SSH Highway One and an Eric Clapton Strat - all of which are excellent guitars and do some things very well but none are *exactly* what I want. After watching 1.2 million youtube review videos I pulled the trigger and bought the Dark Night model. The main thing I was interested in were the V-Mod II pickups - specifically the… read more marketing blurb which claims they have a "vintage-style Strat sound with enhanced clarity" - looking for that early Knopfler sound with some punch and brightness. That is exactly what I got! The narrow tall frets are now my favorite style - making bends easy and fast. The guitar was setup perfect for me out of the case (just luck here - I'm not real fussy as long as the action isn't too low) with the intonation 100% spot on! Seriously - it's perfectly intonated. The deep C neck feels super comfortable and never gets in the way. The star of the show here is the V-Mod II pickups. They really do feel bright and punchy - which makes positions 2 and 4 sound great. A lot of Strats get that quack from 2 and 4 but are a bit on the darker side (my MIJ Strat is that way) - but this guitar really shines on positions 2 and 4. Quacky and punchy and bright. I'll never sound or play like Knopfler but I can get his vibe with his guitar and that's what I wanted. The only downside if I have to find one - is that the extra punch and clarity brings the 60 cycle hum which is a bit more present than my other Strats. Not egregious but maybe a bit more present. Overall this is just a wonderful Strat and now my number one - worth every penny in my mind.

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It made me a strat guy

It's a strat. It does all the strat things. It's got a little more power than typical strats. I love the contour on the back of the neck heel. The finish on the neck is so smooth. My one gripe is the push push knob. I never use the effect so it's not much use to me. The knob sticks up high off the pickguard even when the knob isn't engaged. It looks off. Put the knob aside and it's… read more an amazing guitar that made me (a Gretsch and tele guy) love a strat.

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Beautiful Strat!

Awesome guitar! Added more chrome and Fender locking tuners. Breeze to change strings and tuning is stable. No modifications required.

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Beautiful

Plays great, easy action.

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What a Strat should be

I've cycled through about 6 different Fender strats in the last couple years. This includes an ultra, a Squier CV, an older standard, and some new and used MIM strats. I also had a couple non-Fender examples. This Pro II is what I was looking for to compliment my only other guitar, a PRS S2. Each of my previous strats had something, or a couple things that I didn't jive with.… read more This one got everything right. The neck feel and fret finish, the sound, the execution of build. I took the chance before the price hike, and I'm so glad I did. I like it more each time I play it. I've since swapped the pickguard for a Fender-brand tortoise (for aesthetic) and installed Fender locking tuners. The V-Mod II PUs sound great out of my Supro 1600 Supreme. I'm a home-playing hobbyist, looking for minimal gear, and I think I finally found my one strat.

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Beautiful Guitar

Sweetwater delivered a Stratocaster ready to play out of the box! The ability to select or combine any of the pickups is really neat!

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Plays like a dream,...The best ive ever had !!!!

I own a ton of guitars , but the pro II is by far the most comphy neck ..Buy one you will love it

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Best Strat Ever

I have played for over 40 years. I have had vintage strats and reissues. My fave was my 1957 reissue from the 90's. I bought this as I loved the color and thought I'd hang it on the wall in my music room. WOW! This guitar is pretty much perfect. It kind of plays like a '57 but with a better feel, which I did not think was possible. Very smooth and sultry sound but distorts great… read more also. It's the clean sound that is best rings like a bell! The neck is great and the color outstanding. Sweetwater did a great job hit my target price and the guitar arrived in two days in perfect condition. If you want a great Strat this may be the one!

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Well crafted guitar at a hard to beat price point!

I'm writing this review after having played my Pro II for about two months. I'd like to start by saying the craftsmanship on this guitar is the nicest that I have personally seen and owned. The rounded fretboard makes for an extremely comfortable and fast neck. The fret ends are smooth as butter. The satin finish of the neck feels awesome and looks even better. The electronics… read more in this guitar are also a part of what makes this guitar shine. A lot of versatility here as far as tonal attributes go. The treble bleed circuit is a nice touch. It comes in handy when you want to roll off some of the higher frequencies for a warmer overall sound. The fretwork on this guitar was excellent. Perfectly rounded sides and flat on the top. The pick guard is striking. It really adds the final touch to it all. Excellent work from Fender! Sweetwater always delivers. They're second to none in the industry. Thank you guys for always being helpful and sincere.

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Awesome guitar !

It's a great guitar. Has a wide tonal range, is light, smooth neck, looks great, and even came with a better setup than my CS strat did. And it was a pleasure to work with Tim again ! I recommend !

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Great Strat Tone - Great Buying Experience

I wanted to reward myself with another guitar. Was not sure what to get ... another acoustic, a hollow body or semi hollow body ... ended up with another Stratocaster, the Fender American Professional II. My other Strat is an 88 Strat Plus in Lipstick Red. Beautiful guitar with amazing tone. This new Strat compares very well. The American Professional II sounds like a very… read more crisp Strat. While it has the stereotypical (great) Strat tone (played through a Marshal Class 5 and a Roland Blues Cube Hot 30), the pickup switching is pretty unique in that you can throw the neck pickup on with the middle and bridge giving this Strat a lot of tonal versatility. What really makes this guitar so exceptional is the neck. Fender calls it a "Deep C" which I think is rather misleading. When I first read this description, I thought it would close to the telephone pole I have on a '05 Deluxe Ash Tele (which weighs over 10 pounds). Not even close. This guitar's neck melts into my left hand and is very comfortable to play. Great tone ... an amazing neck ... this is a great guitar. That said ... I need to say that what made my experience with Sweetwater so exceptional was working with Adam Trudel. Adam was able to make buying a guitar for a guy like me who has a lot of guitars a truly wonderful experience. Adam didn't "work me" or "sell me" a guitar ... he collaborated with me to put the right guitar in my hands. And thanks to Sweetwater for sending me such a beautiful guitar. I received in on Friday and waited 25 hours (an hour more than expected because I was at my grandson's basketball game) ... just had to retune and plug in for beautiful tone. Very impressed with my experience with Sweetwater!

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Great Value

Guitar was setup right, quacky fender sound brings it home. Bought the Gibson les paul studio also, classic gibson sound great crunch. don't care for the push pulls on either. but they perform, that's what counts.

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Hesitant

I own a Les Paul, a couple SGs, a few Schecters, a Jackson, an Ibanez and a couple others. I play hard rock/metal, and I consider all these guitars on that end of things, humbuckers on all, rosewood or ebony fretboards. When thinking of a strat I compare it to being a GM guy and thinking about a Ford, not really sure I'm gonna like it. When I saw a Strat was available in the Mystic… read more Surf Green I went for it. It's great! I love this thing. It feels good, it plays great, and that "Strat sound" you've always heard about? It's true, coil tapping a humbucker in the neck position is not even close. That sound is everything you've heard about, it changes the way I play when I pick it up. Channel your inner Jimi Gilmour! If you've been hesitant, take the leap, you won't regret it

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This is a great guitar!

All the features of of a classic vintage Strat, with all the advantages of modern technology. Set up is perfect right out of the box!

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Great Series

I have owned the Telecaster Pro 2 for a little over a year and bought this Strat Pro 2 sight-unseen because I loved the tele so much. The necks on these guitars with the rounded-off frets are the highlight. I added strap locks and Fender Locking Tuners once I got it. My favorite position is bridge pick with the push/push engaged to activate the neck as well. Sounds great thru a… read more helix, Princeton or Deluxe Reverb. This is a keeper for me.

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Perfect..reminds me of my old custom shop

Back in the 90's I owned a custom shop that I had to sell in rough times. This baby has brought it all back to me, feels perfect in every way. Many different sounds and feels coming through the Marshall with this gem. Amazing tone and just feels dipped in honey in many aspects. Shipping was top notch, and arrived incredibly fast..this was a present and a complete surprise. Thank… read more you guys for making it happen, forever grateful.

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Nicely updated Stratocaster with some nice additions

When you get yours, make sure to get a pro-caliber setup. Makes a huge difference. The edges of the satin maple fretboard are rolled, making a smooth and playable maple neck even better. Incredible feel with the right setup. Check your tremolo cavity, because your guitar will have copper foil in its cavities, helping to drastically reduce any possible single-coil hum. I doubt those… read more Shaw-designed pickups have any noise anyway, but this is a nice touch that I've never seen before. My 2021 example is dead quiet. I have mine paired with an '89 Stevie Ray Vaughan pre-production Strat with uniquely voiced Texas pickups and the AP2 stands up to it very well with a different character. Between these two I doubt I'll ever need another single-coil. Hard to pick a number 1 between those two. The neck on this is INCREDIBLE. Non-screwing trem bar which stays put where you want it after you pop it in. Love the sound, feel and look. The mystic green is special. An absolute keeper. Looking to get a matching bass in awhile.

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Great guitar

This might not be the review your looking for but take it from a guy who is very picky about quality and customer service, been only playing for about 2 years and I feel that this will be my only guitar, very comfortable to play and sounds wonderful. Sweetwater delivered the guitar fast and safe and has top notch customer service. I highly recommend buying this guitar from Sweetwater.

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Sweetwater changed my mind!

I bought one of these Strats about a week ago. Some back story...I own the first American pro Strat and absolutely love it! I did however put some Texas specials in the first one due to the style of music I play. I then decided I wanted to get this new American pro 2 to use as a less hairy guitar for my collection. So fast forward...I order the first guitar which is this burst.… read more I get it overnighted and I open it. The guitar is beautiful! I then immediately begin a setup on it. I usually "deck" my Strats so that the tremolo can only be used in a downward motion toward the strings. So I do the same to this Strat...I deck the bridge plate flush with the body...It was then that I notice the pivot bolts are different sizes (miss casting). I go ahead and pull the bridge plate off only to find discrepancies on the bass side under the pivot point making it impossible to sit flush on the body. I then notice some discrepancy in the neck finish...It was some sawdust that had been trapped under the finish. At this point I was extremely disappointed in Fender and their QC department. The quality of this Strat was that of a Mexican made Strat at half the price. Obviously I made Sweetwater aware of these issues and I sent the guitar back. I was overnighted a replacement. Joe Stilwell from Sweetwater guitar tech support went ABOVE AND BEYOND and had the new replacement guitar gone through with a fine tooth comb and even went as far as having the guitar PLEK'D for me at no additional cost. I received the new guitar yesterday. I did a full setup and inspection and this new Strat is PERFECT in every way. THANK YOU JOE STILWELL! it's folks like Joe that make repeat customers. This is the kind of thing that sets Sweetwater apart from the rest! Any other company would have taken the loss and customer...not Sweetwater! They stepped up through and through! I went ahead and removed the Fender V-MODII pickups from this Strat as I don't like these pickups at all! I replaced them with the Fender V-MOD1 pups from my old American PRO 1 Strat. These V-MOD 1 pups are absolutely wonderful...sadly Tim Shaw should have left the pups alone...it's possible to work yourself out of a good tone and that what happened in my opinion with these V-ModII pups. I also went ahead and installed an Emerson Custom wiring harness as I don't like the "push-push" and super switch stuff. This Strat now holds its own with the best! Thank you Sweetwater!!!!!

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A great guitar!

After playing guitar for about a year and a half - I decided to splurge and get a real American made piece. This strat fit the bill. I love playing it and it keeps me motivated to learn the craft of guitar playing. I especially like to run it through my Orange Crush 35R amp with a compressor pedal. The clean tones really sing and I love the gritty crunch tones that come alive… read more on the dirty channel. The case that comes with it is beautiful and the Miami Blue color reminds me of the old 50's and 60's classic cars. Thank you to Ben at Sweetwater for hooking me up with a great deal on this!

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Never Looked Back

Looks great. Plays great. The fretboard has a gloss. That didn't show up very well in the Sweetwater pictures. The tone is everything you'd expect from a Stratocaster. There is a lot to choose from. No unwanted noise from the pickups. My only minor complaint is that the lower tone knob (Push-Push tone knob) sits up higher than everything else, even when it's not engaged. Triggers… read more my OCD a little bit. Sweetwater's packaging was spot on. It shipped in the hard-shell case, in a Fender box, which was in another unmarked box filled with foam. Shipping was fast too. I replaced the pickguard and backplate with mint green ones & upgraded to locking tuners. See pictures for pickguard.

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A step up

I'm extremely pleased with this purchase. Color has a more aqua hint to it than the pictures show. I had a hotrail bridge added, fender locking tuners installed, and had Sweetwater do a Plek. Cannot recommend this enough. This guitar now plays as well if not better than my Fender Ultra Luxe. As always, my dude Matt Kreager took great care of me. She's a keeper!!!

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Couldn’t have asked for a better strat!

This guitar is absolutely stunning. Pictures don't do it justice. As far as quality goes, it's top notch. Plays fantastic, neck is very smooth. Thanks Ian for setting me up with this amazing strat!

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Love my Strat..

Sweetwater sent a fantastic Strat that was ready to play straight out of the box. The guitar was very well packaged and arrived promptly and damage-free. Thanks Tony for helping me getting this Fender Strat Love the Miami Blue color!!! Love love love it..

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It’s a Great American Made Strat

Great Strat! - I needed a no frills single coil Strat for a project, and needed to get quality without a massive price tag. This guitar plays great. Swapped out the white pick guard for a black and it's very Gilmour now. I had gotten away from production fender guitars based on playability but I got the Sweetwater Plek service prior to shipping and it was spot on perfect out of… read more the box. I appreciate Dustin at Sweetwater for helping with this order.

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Wow. Just wow.

This guitar is probably the finest instrument I've come across in over 24 years of being a musician, Drum and Bass included. The satin finish on the neck is killer, and the single coils provide unreal clarity. And don't forget the finish! Probably the most unique looking Strat you'll find. Thanks to Kyle and to Josh for hooking me up with this wonderful Fender product. Top notch… read more gents!

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Guitar blast

Guitar blast Crazy sound is worth every $ Thank you so much for the very good service of SWEETWOTER and especially Jordan Clohessy just amazing service This is one of the best shopping

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Silky smooth neck

Just got this strat , it's the 3rd in my collection I've purchased over the years and man this guitar is amazing,it's honestly one of the most comfortable necks you'll ever grab hold of , sounds amazing very versatile guitar can cover music from all over the spectrum without any issues from super clean cleans to soaring leads and metal she'll have you covered, you'll be flying all… read more over this silky smooth neck with the greatest of comfort , I would buy a dozen more if my wallet and wife would let me , check it out if your in the market for a new super bada$$ guitar that you'll own and will never let you down for a lifetime , I purchased the black with white pick guard, but switched the pick guard out to look like one of my idols "David Gilmour" strats and everyone mentions it's beauty as soon as I open the case , I would definitely recommend this guitar a million times over , kudos to fender, and thanx to Sweetwater for just being Sweetwater always superb customer service , and the payment plans help me and a Lotta other inspiring musicians own on a lot of equipment that We all own , happy pickin people's

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Fender Pro II AMAZING

Received new Fender Pro II last week FedEx from Sweetwater, Guitar was well packed and a lot of suggestions from Eric Mathews (Sales Engineer), helping me with the decision! Ask for Guitar set up and was perfect for me! Have played for week, neck,frets are so comfortable I can't wait to pick it up again! Second Guitar purchase for me from Eric & Sweetwater, would recommend! Thanks!… read more Danny Ryan

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Great Strat

I received my American Professional II about two weeks ago. The only problem is I can't seem to put it down. It plays great! The feel, the tone and action are perfect for my playing style. I compare it to my other guitars in my collection and nothing seems to come close. It's a beautiful guitar and the case is plush yet sturdy and contains my guitar perfectly. This is my… read more "go-to" guitar. My thanks to Nich Magnani, my sales engineer and the entire Sweetwater team for always making my shopping experience a pleasant one.

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They are killer

I was skeptical about some of the features, but man the pickups are incredible and the neck is absolutely amazing. I've played a lot of strats and own a couple others, but this new generation is definitely adding something extra. These aren't just another strat, they feel and sound nearly custom shop level. Fender always delivers, but now they are delivering next level. Couldn't… read more be happier.

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I love this guitar

My wife surprised me with this for my birthday, and as soon as I plugged in, I fell in love with this guitar. The most impressive thing is that it retains its Stratty-ness while having all the strings sound so balanced. Chords sound very full, rich, and round. Each pick-up position is a joy to play, especially the 2nd position plus the neck - it's always been a funkable position,… read more but now it feels much bigger with the neck added. The feel of this guitar is also really pleasing. Every time I pick it up, it is hard to put down, and that is the primary mark of a good guitar to me. I have an American Pro I Tele, and the improvements on this round in the series are noticeable. The neck heel is surprisingly comfortable. I really had doubts because this cut seemed unimpressive next to the Ultra line, but really, it feels great getting up to the top frets, especially compared to my Pro I Tele. Have a hard time seeing why people would make the leap to the Ultra (or especially now the Ultra Luxe). A big thanks to Nick Church (as always). He helped make this gift a special surprise: even though he is my own sales engineer, he worked like a ninja behind the scenes with my wife to make sure I wasn't onto them.

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Good strat but we'll need some modifications.

I wanted to wait a couple of weeks after receiving this to leave my review. First I'm going to start with the appearance of the guitar. It's beautiful. The paint, color combination, the tinting on the neck, all perfect. As far as the feel goes, that's a personal preference, but I love the satin neck. My first complaint has to do with the pickups. They seemed unbalanced to me. This… read more is my fourth American Strat. I'm not a guy who likes extremely bright sounding guitars, and I have to turn the treble all the way up on my amp and the bass almost all the way down to get the higher strings to register and get the same sustain as the lower strings. Any song I play where the cord change is accentuated on the higher strings is almost inaudible. This is the first Strat that I've owned where I have not been happy with the pickups. My other complaint has to do with the tone switch knob. It seems like it's a low-friction pot. It rolls too easy, where the slightest bump will change the tone. As far as Sweetwater goes, they're perfect. Kept me up to date with everything going on, called and made a couple of recommendations before shipping the guitar, and even put Tootsie Rolls in the guitar case.

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Fender professional 2 Roasted pine natural wood Strat

I purchased this gorgeous guitar last week and the pics doesn't do this justice ! It is absolutely beautiful! It also plays like a dream ! I can't stop playing it i play it non stop ! I love the variety of tones that it gives you to choose from ! Fender Stratocasters are my most favorite guitars ! This one is true beauty! The string action is great also! It plays so easy,so easy… read more to chord . No buzzing,only that beautiful sound that a fender Stratocaster can give you !

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Even better than the last Am. Pro I bought

I've always love Strats and own a few MiM ones, for whatever reason I bought my first American Fender and it was an American Professional Telecaster. But I absolutely loved it, and the quality was far better than the other Fenders I own. So it was time to find my new favorite. I like all oddball colors that not everyone loves, so when the Miami Blue came out I knew that was the… read more one. It took a little while to get one available but it was worth the wait! Everything feels great in your hands, electronics are all smooth and clear. The sound can go all directions, perfect and clean and plenty of bite for some metal. Still trying to figure out the push-push switch, but it's always nice to have extra options just in case. Glad I waited to get the color and finally get my first American made Strat after 22 years of playing!

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Love this Strat!

I absolutely love the guitar. It has the feel and playability of a Fender Custom Shop model at a fraction of the price. It handles high gain with ease and sparkles when set to clean with a little reverb. The maple neck feels incredible. My only complaint is the supplied .009 gauge strings are a little splashy for me. I'll be setting it up with tens when I have the time. I have… read more read other reviews about this model not holding tune, but that hasn't been the case for me. I'm no shredder, but I wanted to test it out, so even with some serious EVH-style dive bombs it bounced back quite nicely. I have Gibsons, Fenders and a Gretsch in my collection, and this has become the guitar I pick up the most. Way to go Fender, you knocked this one out of the park.

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