New Fender line: American Professional II

[turntable_blues]

Fender's new American Professional II series gets leaked online! - gearnews.com

Fender's American Professional II models have been leaked online! Looks like we'll be seeing new V-Mod II pickups, roasted pine bodies, a new heel joint, and a Dark Night finish option.

www.gearnews.com

roasted pine (novo style), rosewood boards, sculpted neck joint, cool colors, $1500

 

[Kentano2000]

I love my current AP Strats, Tele, and Jazzmaster. Neck specs look to be the same. That Miami Blue is killer! Needs a rosewood board. The list price they list is less than the current models?!

 

[fjrabon]

The Miami blue looks great, but so would have daphne. Otherwise it seems like they threw a sculpted heel, some pine bodies and weird colors and called it a day. I’m guessing “American professional II” won’t be the name.

what’s weird is they mentioned several unchanged specs (rolled fretboard, deep C neck, rosewood fretboard and 2 point steel trem was on the old ampros) like they’re new “upgrades”. Also they seem to describe the new pickups as “more articulate” versions of the VMods. When people who don’t like the VMods usually complained that they were too bright. Never heard anybody say they lacked articulation. Also wasn’t clear of the satin was just in the neck (like the ampros) or if all the guitars were satin body too.

 

[John C]

I love my current AP Strats, Tele, and Jazzmaster. Neck specs look to be the same. That Miami Blue is killer! Needs a rosewood board. The list price they list is less than the current models?!

The specs are similar - from some other threads the changes are going to be:

• colors
• pickups - Fender's calling them V-Mod 2, but no specs yet
• some marketing-speak about the finish of the neck - it kind of looks like it might be the same satin urethane as the American Ultras - not that much different but from when I demoed the Ultras late last year they were a bit smoother than whats on my American Performer Mustang.
• contoured neck heel - the style they used to use on American Deluxes, not the more sculpted style from the American Ultra or the American Elite

Price is $50 more than the outgoing American Professional original versions - older version is $1,449, new version is $1,499 for an alder-body Strat or Tele. Add $100 for the pine body version (same price bump that they were using for ash bodies).

 

[Platypus]

That tele deluxe looks amazing, it would be an instant buy for me with surf green in place of blue with everything else the same

 

[CowTipton]

That dark blue looks nice.

I definitely don't need another Strat but I could go for that dark blue with a roasted maple neck, maple board, locking tuners, HSS config, etc.
Maybe one day I'll re-body one.

 

[Yescaster]

Pine should be pretty light too, interested to see weights.

 

[fjrabon]

That tele deluxe looks amazing, it would be an instant buy for me with surf green in place of blue with everything else the same

Yeah. Will be very interesting to see what pickups it gets. Fenders attempts at WRHBs have ranged from awful (whatever they’re putting in the mexi 72 style deluxes), to standard humbucker fare (last year’s Ampro stuff) to sublime (the reissue cunife they came out with last year)

 

[PatriotBadger]

They are also introducing the American Elite Original Professional Serrano next week.


Totally made that up. I think.

 

[IPlayMetronome]

Dig the mercury finish. Definitely would like a tele deluxe in that color. Hoping for a jazzmaster variant too.

 

[daacrusher2001]

Seafoam green with roasted maple/RW board would be nice...

 

[chikubi]

Not feeling it. Don’t like pine. Also, don’t want a contoured heel, keep that junk on the Ultras.

 

[Frater B]

I‘m liking the mystic green. Interested to see weights on these too.

 

[Jabby92]

Too much money IMO.

 

[jerryratpack]

Would like to see H S S .

I like the deluxe for the double Volume double Tone options,

but I would like to see the HSS offering ?

I have a players strat which feels great, but not in love with the pups. I was thinking of dropping in a new set of HSS Pups, but these new guitars show up. But I just see the SSS ?

 

[TrickinSid]

Pine?

I really like the Dark Blue.

The Gray isn't bad.

The Blue......eh?

 

[Hefalump]

Nice.

 

[shane8]

Pine should be pretty light too, interested to see weights.

prob but there's a million different species of 'pine'

they look good

 

[Mr.db]

Meh. Not a fan of 99% of solid color bursts, and that bright blue is too much for me. The natural pine looks nice enough. Every pickup "upgrade" they come up with is hit or miss. Not what I'd call an exciting new lineup.

 

[sunking101]

Not feeling it. Don’t like pine. Also, don’t want a contoured heel, keep that junk on the Ultras.

If you don't like change or improvements stick to the 1950s versions.