Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster Review
The Greatest Stratocaster of All Time?
4,5 / 5,0 | 
It is probably common knowledge by now that I have a deep love for the Gibson Les Paul. I love its look and sound! It was the first guitar that ever captivated me. So who better to objectively review the new Fender Stratocaster flagship, the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster? My review.
Originally published at Gearnews.de by Jan Rotring, translation by Julian Schmauch.
Table of Contents
Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster – The Highlights
- Perfect workmanship
- Perfect playability thanks to the quartersawn neck with a compound radius and beautiful neck-body transition
- 5-way switch and S1 switch for an enormous variety of sounds for all situations
- Tuning stability thanks to a finely adjusted 2-point tremolo system, well-filed nut and locking tuners
Unboxing
This is how a guitar should be packed! Inside the slim Fender case is a thick, super-strong ABS hard-shell case with three buckles and a decent lock. The handle is slightly offset to one side, so the (filled) case hangs straight on your arm. The handle has a soft rubber coating. Even without seeing the guitar or knowing what instrument is inside, this screams ‘HIGH QUALITY’.
I quickly open it and lo and behold, the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster shines in a beautiful ‘Sinister Red’. This slightly darker shade of red is the perfect balance between bold impact and elegance, and it goes beautifully with the quartersawn maple neck. The cream-colored single coils contrast nicely with the black pickguard, and the simple chrome hardware is the icing on the cake. I have to admit, I’ve rarely seen a Strat look this sexy. Top grades on the ‘now I have to get my hands on it’ scale.
Finish
The moment I picked up the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster*, I noticed what its looks had already suggested: this is high-quality workmanship. The neck is velvety soft with perfectly (and I mean perfectly) rounded fret ends and begs to be played. Absolutely. In this regard, I completely understand how eagerly everyone has been waiting for the new Ultra II series.
The body shape is also flattering, as is typical for a Strat: even Les Paul disciples have to admit that these curved contours are simply irresistible. The placement and installation of the electronics are perfect. Nothing seems wobbly or somehow ‘cobbled together’— every part is exactly where it belongs.
The saddle is wonderfully notched, and the fretboard and neck are perfectly adjusted (frets are clean, octaves are pure, and the string action is great too – hats off, Fender). If neck adjustments were necessary, you could easily access the truss rod directly from the headstock. But you probably don’t need to.
The 2-point tremolo system (my Achilles’ heel, I must admit) is constructed as a free-floating unit and, in fact, in collaboration with the smooth-running and finely tuned locking tuners, it is very, very stable in tuning.
Oh yes, the finish and varnishing of the entire instrument are exactly as you would expect from a premium guitar. Perfect.
Playability
Can I tell you a secret? In my entire career as a guitarist, I have only owned one (1!) Strat. So who better than me to compare the playability of the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster to other Strats? Well, anyone, probably.
But I know what I know: the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster* plays softly and beautifully. This is certainly due to the very gently executed compound radius and the flat transition between the neck and body. Playing in the higher registers is a real pleasure, and it is actually a bit (just a bit) easier than with my beloved single-cut models.
The quartersawn neck is cut from quartered logs, with the annual rings at right angles to the fretboard. And that is not just a visual highlight. The stability against the constant string tension also has an effect on the tuning stability. The fretboard, carved from the same piece of maple, is mirror-smooth and wonderfully soft to play.
And it’s a damn light guitar, too. At just under 3.4 kilograms, it’s at the lower end of what I personally like. But it’s handy, I have to give that to lovers of light guitars.
Electronics
The guitar’s electronics are clearly adapted to the needs and tastes of modern players. Let’s with the three single-coil pickups.
Thanks to their design, the Ultra II Noiseless pickups work without any hum and interference noise. Why? Because they are not really single coils. Sorry, purists, you’ll have to be strong now. The coils (plural) of the Ultra II Noiseless pickups are superimposed on top of each other and thus work to reduce the susceptibility to interference.
But don’t worry: the sound of the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster is still classic single-coil. The pickups have a fine, glassy sound that is wonderfully fresh and active. But more about that in a moment.
As is typical for Stratocasters, the pickups are switched via a five-way switch (Neck, Neck-Middle, Middle, Middle-Bridge, Bridge). In addition, however, the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster features a so-called S1 switch. This push-push switch on the volume pot activates the neck pickup when set to 4 or 5, allowing you to play the neck and bridge pickups simultaneously or operate all three pickups in parallel.
In practice, this is particularly fun in the 5th position (neck and bridge PU) and produces sounds reminiscent of a twangy Tele. Great!
How does Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster sound?
Ok, let’s get out of my comfort zone of distorted humbuckers. Here comes my little exploration through the Stratocaster spheres. I’m playing on a Laney tube amp (clean), a Marshall Plexi (on loan, thanks to Andi), and electronically via Amplitube 5*.
Part 1: Clean
Well, this sounds just so good. The Ultra II sparkles: the Ultra II Noiseless pickups shine with unexpected clarity and brilliance, especially when picking. The individual notes are audible extremely precisely in the sound and can also be heard for a long time thanks to the almost endless sustain.
Funky riffs (not, I repeat NOT my area of expertise) sound crisp and lively. Nothing gets mashed up, and everything is compact and in its place.
Chords, especially when lightly strummed, sound warm and well-textured – you can hear the fine electronics at work.
Part 2: A Bit of Dirt
If you’ve got a Plexi, you just have to use it. The Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster* quickly brings a nice, simple crunch sound to life. Its sound is super balanced and can be used immediately and without much fiddling in all positions. Bluesy and charming or dirty as classic rock, the Ultra II Noiseless pickups do an excellent job of this in all positions.
Part 3: High-Gain
It’s clear that this is an (if not technically, then at least functional) SSS strat. It should also be clear that sounds like Pantera and the like simply won’t work. Nevertheless, the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster stands out from the mix with an incredibly precise and perfectly broken-down sound. The big solos of the classic rockers (often in combination with a beautiful Walrus Audio Eons Fuzz*) sound simply gigantic. I would not have expected this amount of brilliance.
Conclusion on the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster
The Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster* is a wonderful, extremely high-quality SSS Stratocaster aimed primarily at the modern Strat player. Its workmanship and design are beyond reproach, and it is truly, truly fun to play.
The fretwork, the workmanship of the neck, the electronics, and the three Ultra II noiseless pickups make playing this luxury Strat a real pleasure.
I was particularly impressed by the sound of the three Ultra II Noiseless pickups. With seven pickup combinations, the right sound is available for just about every situation, and the electronics’ response and dynamics are perfect. It’s not a high-gain monster, but with a good drive or fuzz pedal, it does an exceptionally good job.
Even though I will always return to single-cut guitars, I really enjoyed spending almost two weeks with the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster, and to be honest, I’m a little sad that I have to give it back soon. I’m setting up a dedicated savings account as we speak.
If you want to own the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster (I recommend the Sinister Red version), you can find it here at Thomann* for €2399.
Pros and Cons Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster
Pros
- Perfect workmanship
- Perfect playability thanks to the quartersawn neck with compound radius and beautiful neck-body transition
- Clear, very brilliant clean and crunch sounds, never muddy or shrill when combined with fuzz or drive pedals
- 5-way switch and S1 switch for an enormous variety of sounds for all situations
- Tuning stability thanks to a finely adjustable 2-point tremolo system, well-filed nut and locking tuners
Cons
- I had to return it
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2 responses to “Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster Review”
Probably the most useless guitar review I’ve ever read. Go back and read this review as if you were completely unfamiliar with the guitar and tell me if you learned anything about it. What did the different pickups sound like? How did they sound compared to other strat pickups? What pickups worked best for overdrive blues, funk, etc.
I own a Texas Tea 2022 Stratocaster Ultra and expect for the stainless steel frets the Fender Ultra 2 Stratocaster seems to be the same guitar as the Ultra, maybe it’s just me but the Ultra series just seems to be lacking that Strat something.