Fender American Ultra Stratocaster Review

The best got better...

Thirty years ago I was blessed with my first American strat in vintage sunburst. Several guitars later I'm drawn back to the best of the best. A mocha burst finish with the slightly darker maple fretboard takes perfection to a new level ... and thats just aethetics. It plays even better. I am so blessed. Hats off to Fender -- Ric

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Excellent, professional and powerful

Pair this Fender Stratocaster American Ultra with the iconic Twin Reverb "Tone Master" AMP to exponentially increase your professional sound. The right equipment is an investment in your future. This is a powerful fender, from the moment you pick it up "something's different" it feels right, the balance is perfect. Craftsmanship is unsurpassed, this is a selection that will… read more last a lifetime.

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Fantastic guitar, incredibly well made

This is my 2nd Fender American Ultra Stratocaster, and it is really just an outstanding guitar. The build quality and fit-and-finish are perfect. If I have 1 complaint it is that this particular guitar is a bit heavier than my other Ultra. But overall, I would highly recommend the Ultra (or American Professional if you wanted a somewhat less costly option).

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TexT maple board Ultra sss

Bought in 8/20 and after playing and drooling at its sight for 1.5 years it's officially a great buy worth every cent. Ended up swapping the gold guard out for a 3 ply black one and I couldn't be happier. Looks absolutely amazing. Experimented with pickup height and found that lower / increased distance from pickup to string gave me an airy, more stratty tone that I appreciate.… read more Simple living room setup sounds great: Strat-tube screamer-pro junior IV. After a little setup experimentation and adjustments to my liking it sounds and plays like a dream.

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Needed a little work

I have alot of guitars in my collection and I wanted a REAL USA FENDER after owning several guitar which were made over seas. My only other made in USA guitar is a Peavey Bass which I purchased in 1984. When I opened the case and picked up the Stratocaster, I noticed 2 things. 1. The bridge was setup floating, so I fixed that since I have 4 Floyd Rose guitars and hate a floating… read more trem on a Strat. 2. I noticed the strings were not centered on the neck. The 6th string was closer to the edge of the fret board than the first. Although it was an easy fix to loosen the screws on the back plate and move the neck a few millimeters, this should have been addressed at the Fender Factory, and even left Sweetwater going un-noticed? I have been doing my own set-ups for years so it was just a bit of my time to fix these issues. That being said, I Love the guitar, and I Love the color. I haven't checked the intonation yet, but that's next, followed by string height to where I like it.

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My New American Ultra

I just got it today, and it sounds great! Real easy to play, and love the color! I play it threw my EVH 5150 Stealth 100 and it Rocks!

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New fender

Awesome guitar

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A Great All-Around Axe

I had played a friend's Ultra and really liked it. I had an older USA Strat but this Ultra was something different. So I contacted my rep, Jordan Garrett, and my white Ultra was delivered. I love the compound radius neck and the "D" neck. I had my own guitar tech set the tremolo and action. The weight and size of the guitar just sit right with me, allowing me to concentrate… read more on my playing. Its a beautifully crafted instrument with no flaws. I feel this Ultra is a lot of guitar for the money. Its a nice price point. Jordan has secured for me a few guitars over the years and this is my first shout out to him in a review. Jordan also secured an Ultra Tele for me which I love. Jordan makes me feel valued as a customer.

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New #1

I love the design, playability, and look of this guitar. I did change out the pickguard and think it might look even better with a silver one Like the Texas tea Telecaster. I put on a MOTO aged white pickguard, giving it a look reminiscent of root beer/Guinness Stout, or maybe coffee and cream. As I see more photos with the gold pickguard, I'm thinking of putting it back on.

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Ultra sound

I bought this for my husbands B-day. I had him write the review: This is my disclaimer for the fender Stratocaster ultra I'm 63 years old I've been playing guitar for over 50 years I am a guitar tech and working musician I demand easy playing and high performance out of my guitars That being said right out of the box my strat ultra was so close to being in perfect tune it's still… read more wowing me if your a seasoned player you can tell within a few seconds if a guitar is a winner or loser this ultra is an Olympic gold medalists its feels like it should in your hands no sharp edges the rounded edges on the neck are a welcomed change polished string nut locking Mechine heads comes set up for 9 gauge strings the new contouring on the body for complete access to the 22nd fret the new ultra noiseless pickups are amazing I am a fan of fender noiseless pickups and run them in many of my Stratocasters the balance between string volume is perfect you can use all five positions on the pickup selector switch in a live stage performance and still cut through the mix including the S-1 switching options the only adjustments I made were very minor neck relief and float tremolo not because of any issues just personal preference I'm very satisfied with money spent verses product received It's a great playing sounding and beautiful instrument

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A step in the right direction for Fender

I purchased the Arctic Pearl version of the American Ultra Strat HSS. The setup from Sweetwater was spot on when it arrived. The tonal palette lends well to everything from blues, to country, to rock and jazz. One of my go to guitars in the studio for those genres. Fit and finish is excellent. I did end up re-polishing the frets as I prefer a highly polished fret when I play. The… read more rolled fretboard edges makes the guitar comfortable to play. The added bevel on the lower bout and the contoured asymmetrical heel make this Strat what it should have been back a decade ago (when their sister company Jackson, was doing something for upper fret accessibility). A great guitar for playing various styles..

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True Strat.

Best production Stratocaster in a long time. The 5th Gen vintage pickups are the best sounding noiseless yet. Neck, finish and everything else are flawless. Just buy it. I bought two. Cobra blue with a maple neck and this ultraburst with a rosewood fretboard. That's how much I like them. Also both from Sweetwater. The best place to buy online.

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Ultra Amazing

The neck on this Strat is absolutely perfect. I really believed my "89" Strat plus deluxe was as good as it got until I played this Ultra. Really appreciate the way Sweetwater has taken care of me on every one of my purchases. Strongly recommend this guitar and Sweetwater!

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Texas Tea Ultra Strat

Fantastic guitar! Quality is outstanding and is very comfortable. The anodized pickup was difficult for me due to the "chalkboard" texture (just a personal preference). However it looks great with the Texas Tea color. I swapped out the metal pick guard for a mint green plastic one and I really like the looks and playability. I highly recommend this model.

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The best stratocaster yet.

It's amaizing......sound like the 70 strat.

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American Ultra Strat in Cobra Blue

I have an american pro, american ultra strat in sunburst and an mij tele. This american ultra strat in cobra blue is an amazing addition to my collection and to be quite honest, it is my favorite. The color is so unique, the feel of the maple fingerboard is amazing, i can literally noodle with it for hours. And again, a special shout out to Mr. Rob Parker for yet another great customer… read more service! Thank you so much. And btw, i just recently purchased the Fender mustang micro amp. And i can't wait to play with it on my cobra blue ultra. Thanks again you guys are awesome!

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An Incredible Deal

This guitar wasn't initially on my radar when I had decided it was time for a new axe and I was pretty sure I wanted something else but after looking at the features I just couldn't get it out of my head. After a few days, I called up my Sales Engineer Nate, told him this was the one and it was at my door less than 48 hours later. I could not rate the buying experience higher. It… read more was perfect. As for the guitar, it is without a doubt the best playing guitar I've ever put my hands on. I know that I had made the right choice because since getting this guitar I haven't experienced a shred of regret over my purchase. Instead I find myself loving this guitar more and more everyday. The sparkle of the cobra blue is eye-catching. The versatility of the S1 switching with the noiseless pickups always delivers on tone. The neck (my favorite part), which is both plekked and satin, plays like butter. On top of just loving how it plays and sounds, I can't stress enough how great of a deal it is for the other features you get and that's not even including the hardshell case. Everything about this guitar screams quality and you can tell that Fender really outdid themselves in their attention to detail and ability to meets the needs of the player. So much in fact that I worry if this guitar has ruined other guitars for me because as far as I'm concerned it is the pinnacle of guitar craftsmanship.

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I love this guitar

Unbelievably happy with this purchase. Was trying out a ton of different fenders and when I picked up this one I just had to have it. Not to crazy over the color but it grew on me. ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE FENDER ULTRA LINE.. the tones are awesome. Plays like butter. Love the D shaped neck and the flat finish.

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Amazing guitar

I love this guitar!!! I bought the arctic pearl and from the photos it appears pure white. It's not it's actually sparkly. I personally like it but wasn't expecting the sparkles. Very happy with this guitar.

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Beautiful guitar

Just received this one today from SweetWater. This thing is stunning! Ive never had a new Strat before but own a couple Fenders from the 70's. Cant wait to plug in and hear how clean this is. Guitar arrived in a bullet proof packaging,UPS couldn't destroy Sweetwaters packaging! Andy Scheer was my sales engineer and did a fantastic job getting me squared away with this and some… read more other stuff. Very knowledgeable guy and great to deal with. Thanks again Andy, cant wait to call you for something else soon.

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Ultra Burst Strat

I have to start out by saying I'm no pro when it comes to playing guitar, but I don't mind spending the money on a guitar that will last a lifetime. This guitar is one that will be passed down for generations! I own two other high end guitars, Gibson LP and a PRS CE 24, but this one is hard to put down. The neck feel is very similar to my PRS, but the PRS has 24 frets and the fretboard… read more seems to go on forever. The spacing on the Strat on the higher frets is more to my liking, and the neck joint is like not even there when playing in that register. Finish on the guitar is flawless. The tones from this guitar are too many to mention, but typical for a Strat I would guess. I cannot thank Dave Hoffman enough for all the work and advice he has given me on all my Sweetwater purchases! Sometimes its like he's reading my mind. Thanks to all those who work at Sweetwater, you are in a league of your own!

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Fender American Ultra Strat

This is the best playing guitar I've ever owned, and I've owned many.My sales engineer,Nick Rice made it all happen faster than I thought possible. I ordered my Ultra on Friday, and it arrived the next day before I could wipe the sleep from my eyes! It was PERFECT! Sweetwater,you're the best! Thanks Nick for making it all happen so fast.

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The Rolls Royce of guitar

the excellent quality of materials as well as its finishes feels fantastic, the pickups are very good and I love the color in mocha burst it is very beautiful to see it in person!

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Ridiculous

This is by far the nicest strat I've ever owned (it's my 4th). The noiseless pickups actually sound like strat pickups, and the neck plays really smoothly. The combination of the new shape and the silky smooth stain on the neck make moving up and down the neck really easy. I didn't think I would use the S-1 switch, but the sound of the neck and bridge pickup together is really great… read more (almost sounds like a hard tail strat). The mocha burst finish is incredible, the pictures don't do it justice. Way more sparkle, and almost a purple tone in the dark mocha section. Just breathtaking. This is now my go to axe.

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Best Non Custom Shop Strat Ever

Purchased the Red Flame, this guitar is unbelievable. While not a custom shop guitar; it was the custom shop guys who made this guitar and it shows. The neck is wonderful and with the additional cutaway its just easy access any fret or string. The S1 switch pushed in is my fav quack tone, just amazing. Fender out did themselves w this guitar, while pricey its worth every penny in… read more my opinion.

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American Ultra Strat

Love the satin finish on neck for playability. Neck shape is comfortable. This strat looks and sounds great!

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Classic style with modern features

This guitar is incredible. Pictures don't do it justice, it's absolutely beautiful. The pickups sound great, the locking tuners make changing strings a breeze, the carve below the top of the neck allows easy, comfortable access to all 22 frets. The S1 switch allows me to play with the neck and bridge pickups, giving it a very Tele like sound; the guitar is very versatile as far… read more as the sounds you can get. The pickups are fuller and less "quacky" than the Lace Sensors on my '86, but again they sound great. But the biggest thing is the neck; once I adjusted to the width and radius I find this guitar to be extremely playable and the neck to very fast for a Strat. This guitar is light, gorgeous, easy to play, and sounds great, I highly recommend it.

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AWESOME GUITAR

Thank you to Kurt and your wonderful employees. After I got through drooling over it and put NYXL 10-46 strings on it, I was impressed with the ease of play. The 10 - 14 inch radius on the neck is very enjoyable. THE Ultra burst color is beautiful and the tones I'm getting out of it so far are the best bluesy tones I've gotten out of a Strat yet and is very satisfying. This baby… read more Strat was delivered and weighed 8lb 10oz. THANKS AGAIN.

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Just what the doctor ordered

Only been playing a year but wanted something to go with my LGXSA which has dual humbuckers. Figured a Strat would be the perfect compliment and it has turned out to be so. Love the neck and the body contours. Easy to play, slippery smooth and fast. Put a set of 10 - 46 strings on her and tightened the input jack which was loose and been having fun ever since.

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Wow!

After letting it acclimate for 24 hrs, I got a look at it and it made my jaw drop! Just as pretty or prettier than my Scarlett PRS CE or Lake Placid Blue Fender Strat! When I plugged it in, it sounded terrific, aggressive, sustained well... I am 100% satisfied with everything about this new beast! This may be my new "go to" guitar! Thank you to Shauna and Sweetwater for another… read more awesome buying experience! Pic of Lake Placid on the left and the new Cobra blue on the right.

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