Guitar World Verdict
There is a bit of a price hike over the Ultra II models, and we’d guess the Heirloom finish has plenty to do with that, but these are considerably less money than going down even the light-relic route in the Fender Custom Shop. Ultimately, it’s about choice and that’s not lacking in Fender’s USA production line-up. Which would you go for?
Pros
- +
Inviting ‘old’ finish contrasts modern hardware style.
- +
Excellent playability with classic sounds and added series/parallel switching.
- +
Haymaker ’bucker plays well with the Strat's classic single coils.
Cons
- -
Limited colour choice and hefty price tag.
You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
What is it?
Originally introduced back in 2019, we last caught up with Fender’s most advanced USA production models earlier this year after they’d received a Mk II refresh that was announced in October 2024. These American Ultra IIs are fine modern-style guitars that top the USA line with a choice of Telecaster, Stratocaster (including a left-hand model), Strat HSS and the more futuristic Meteora.
But you might have missed another modern strand in the form of the American Ultra Luxe models that were actually launched back in 2021: four guitars with stainless-steel frets, the Ultra’s compound radius fingerboard, and an ‘augmented D’ profile neck shape.
The HSS Strat and dual-humbucking Tele featured alder bodies and Floyd Rose vibratos; the Strat and standard Tele used ash bodies with the same hardware as those refreshed Ultra II models.
Now, introduced just a few weeks ago are their replacements: the longer-titled American Ultra Luxe Vintage models (we understand the Ultra II models will be ongoing). This time we get five guitars: a ’50s Stratocaster, ’60s Stratocaster, ’60s Stratocaster HSS, ’50s Telecaster and ’60s Custom Telecaster.
While there are plenty of modern features, the immediate difference – aside from the decade-specific names and headstock logos – is a new ‘Heirloom’ lacquer (aka nitrocellulose) finish with, as Fender states, “a meticulously aged lacquer finish that lets the tone wood breathe as it wears naturally and uniquely”.
There’s no truck with the noise-cancelling single coils of the Ultra II or prior Ultra Luxe models. The Luxe Vintage models return to Fender’s long-running Pure Vintage pickups (with the exception of the Haymaker humbucker, which we first saw on the refreshed Ultra II’s Strat HSS).
But in contrast to this return to the past is a raft of modern features in terms of hardware (but no Floyd Rose vibratos) and stainless-steel frets – like the Ultra Luxe but not the Ultra IIs.
“With the American Ultra Luxe Vintage series, we’ve redefined the balance between heritage and innovation,” says Max Gutnik, chief product officer, FMIC, in the launch PR. “This collection honours our iconic legacy while pushing the boundaries of modern craftsmanship. Every detail is built for exceptional tone, feel and timeless style. We’re proud to offer players an elevated experience that respects tradition and sets a new standard for performance.”
To us, these come across as a ‘greatest hits’ package that clearly pares back the modernism of both the Ultra Luxe and Ultra II models: a vintage-aimed aesthetic and voicing but with modern hardware and playability. Let’s take a look at a couple.
American Ultra Luxe ’50s Telecaster
If the overall old-meets-new concept can hardly be called unique, pulling this one from its tweed guitar case there’s a moment where we wonder if we’ve been sent the right guitar. The classic colour is here, but the Heirloom finish is a duller low-gloss with plenty of quite subtle cracks and a few minor dings; it almost has the appearance of a well-used but not abused instrument.
It appears a similar finish is applied to the neck – because although it feels pretty similar to the satin sheen of the earlier Ultra IIs, there is some cracking around the portion of the neck before it’s screwed in and behind the nut and lower fret positions.
The chrome-plated bridge plate, the electronics control plate and even the neck pickup cover don’t look aged, but they don’t quite look box-fresh, either. And at the start of our test there were no pick marks on the five-screw single-ply black pickguard. Here, too, the pickguard of the Tele and the larger scratchplate on the Strat revert to classic-looking plastic instead of the Ultra II’s anodised aluminium.
Of course, the guitar retains plenty of Ultra-isms. The classic Telecaster slab body is contoured in the usual Strat-like forearm and rib-cut positions, and another cutaway scoop is added behind the treble cutaway, while the heel is both chamfered and has a more rounded nose. You can also see the wavy ash grain through the translucent finish, as you should, and at 3.44kg (7.58lb) it’s no boat anchor.
Like the Ultra IIs, the necks on both our samples aren’t the trendy roasted maple but are lightly tinted, and both are quarter-sawn as opposed to slab-sawn
Like the Ultra IIs, the necks on both our samples aren’t the trendy roasted maple but are lightly tinted, and both are quarter-sawn as opposed to slab-sawn, which in theory should provide a little more stiffness.
The actual hardware choice follows the Ultra II closely and is pretty much the same as the original Ultra models. Although the brass block bridge saddles aren’t chromed here, the rest of the parts look the same as the Ultra IIs: the rear-locking tuners have short posts, and the standard control plate has the angled pickup selector switch with heavily knurled control knobs.
As we said, the pickups change from the more modern Noiseless humbucking style to Pure Vintage ’51 single coils: the push-in S-1 switch adds neck and bridge in series (with the pickup selector in any position) as it does on the Ultra II.
American Ultra Luxe ’60s Stratocaster HSS
The modern antique illusion continues with this rather fetching Strat in the same lower gloss finish with its slightly pinkish hue. It also retains the same contouring of the Ultra II. The body wood swaps to alder with an overall slightly heavier weight of 3.76kg (8.27lb), which, for some of us, will be the top of the weight range for a good Strat.
The hardware continues to follow that of the Ultra II: the rear-lock tuners, the two-post vibrato and its stainless-steel saddles, cold-rolled steel block and push-fit tension adjustable arm.
Another minor bit of ‘modern-ish’ to these models is the glow-in-the-dark Luminlay side dots, first introduced with the Ultra IIs
As with the Tele, the neck and middle pickups swap from Noiseless to Pure Vintage ’61 Strat single coils with aged-looking vintage-stagger poles, while our HSS model has the open zebra-coiled Haymaker full-size humbucker in the bridge position.
The knobs are those nice-feeling ‘Soft Touch’ types, with an S-1 push switch on the volume, which, when engaged (pushed down), simply splits the Haymaker to voice the neck-facing slug coil. No change there, then.
Here, though, the ebony fingerboard of the Ultra II models changes to classic rosewood with subtle orange-hued stripes and almost pinkish clay dots. Another minor bit of ‘modern-ish’ to these models is the glow-in-the-dark Luminlay side dots, first introduced with the Ultra IIs.
Specs
Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage ’50s Telecaster
- PRICE: $2,999/£2,949 (inc case)
- ORIGIN: USA
- TYPE: Single-cutaway solidbody electric
- BODY: Ash
- NECK: Quarter-sawn maple, modern ‘D’, bolt-on
- SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.”)
- NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech Tusq/43.2mm
- FINGERBOARD: Maple, black dot markers, Luminlay side dots, 254-356mm (10-14”) compound radius
- FRETS: 22, medium jumbo,
stainless steel - HARDWARE: Fender Tele bridge with 6x brass block saddles and through-body stringing, Fender Deluxe rear-locking tuners (short posts); nickel/chromed-plated
- STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 53mm
- ELECTRICS: Fender Pure Vintage ’51 bridge and neck single coils, 3-position lever pickup selector switch, master volume and master tone
- WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.44/7.58
- OPTIONS: Colour only
- RANGE OPTIONS: The American Ultra Luxe Vintage ’60s Custom Telecaster (£2,949) features top-edge binding to the alder body, rosewood fingerboard and Pure Vintage ’63 single coils in Lake Placid Blue and 3-Color Sunburst
- LEFT-HANDERS: Not at launch
- FINISHES: Butterscotch Blonde (as reviewed), White Blonde – lightly aged ‘Heirloom lacquer’ low gloss to body and headstock, satin neck back
Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage ’60s Stratocaster HSS
- PRICE: $2,899/£2,949 (inc case)
- ORIGIN: USA
- TYPE: Offset double-cutaway solidbody electric
- BODY: Alder
- NECK: Maple, modern ‘D’, bolt-on
- SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
- NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech Tusq/43.4mm
- FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, ‘clay’ dot markers, Luminlay side dots, 254-356mm (10-14”) compound radius
- FRETS: 22, medium jumbo,
stainless steel - HARDWARE: Fender 2-point Deluxe synchronized vibrato with stainless-steel block saddles and cold-rolled steel block with pop-in arm, Fender Deluxe rear-locking tuners (short posts)
- STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 53mm
- ELECTRICS: Fender Pure Vintage ’61 Strat single coils (neck, middle), Haymaker bridge humbucker, 5-position lever pickup selector switch, master volume, tone 1 (neck & middle), no-load tone 2 (bridge)
- WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.76/8.27
- OPTIONS: Colour only
- RANGE OPTIONS: American Ultra Lux Vintage ’50s Strat with Pure Vintage ’57 Strat single coils and American Ultra Lux Vintage ’60s Strat with 3x Pure Vintage ’61 Strat single coils (both £2,899)
- LEFT-HANDERS: Not at launch
- FINISHES: Fiesta Red (as reviewed), Sea Foam Green – lightly aged ‘Heirloom lacquer’ low gloss to body and headstock, satin neck back
- CONTACT: Fender
Playability and sounds
The Ultra II models, with a wide and quite modern colour choice, are in contrast to not only the finish type but the classic colour palette. So if your audience will think from a few feet away that you’re playing an ‘old’ Fender, your hands will be telling you something different.
Both guitars use a bigger-than-vintage medium jumbo fretwire gauge that’s quite wide and a good height, certainly on the rosewood-’board Strat. Technically, due to the finish on the maple-’board Tele, the fret height is microscopically reduced, but neither feel over-big; it’s a good ‘refretted’ choice.
On both guitars, too, the frets are well fettled and polished, a fairly mainstream modern setup with 0.009s, minimal neck relief and string heights at the 12th fret of 1.53mm on the treble and bass sides on our Tele, and fractionally higher on the bass side of our Strat.
Both guitars have lightly rolled fingerboard edges. The Tele’s maple edges are a little neater; the Strat’s are not as smooth as perhaps you should expect on what is a nearly $/£3k guitar.
While there was some trumpet-blowing about the ‘modern’ compound fingerboard radius of the Ultra IIs, it’s not mentioned in the launch PR here, but it measures the same 254mm to 356mm (10 to 14 inches).
If you only play small-radius vintage-style Fenders with small frets then you’re going to notice a difference, but Fender’s standard ‘modern’ radius is 241mm (9.5 inches), PRS has pretty much exclusively always used 254mm (10 inches) and, of course, Gibson goes for 305mm (12 inches), so this isn’t exactly alien. Both guitars are really clean players.
The necks measure very closely to previous Ultra and Ultra II models that we’ve evaluated and are slightly wider at the nut, which measures just over 43mm on both our guitars, with a very similar depth of 21mm at the 1st fret and 22.4mm by the 12th.
The ‘modern D’ profile could just as easily be called a fuller-shouldered C, which is what it feels like. Nothing radical at all.
If the overall feel of both guitars is obviously very familiar, so are the sounds. As we prefer, we sound-tested both before we checked the pickup specifications and there’s a very present contrast. The Tele isn’t as beefy at the bridge as many early ’50s examples and sounds lighter and considerably brighter.
If you’re looking for that steely Tele-bite and snap, it’s here in spades. And, of course, you can just round-off the spiky high-end with the tone control. It’s quite addictive, not least with a basic overdrive kicked in from our pedalboard. The more refined feel means it’s less of a struggle to produce pretty classic Tele tones, too.
The neck pickup isn’t over-powered, with a smooth top-end and a nice midrange character – the classic dual-pickup parallel mix. Well, that’s why many of us use Telecasters, isn’t it? The extra sound – both pickups in series – adds considerable beef and a lift in output but still retains a more humbucking-like smoothness.
Played clean with a little volume reduction, this series link is great for jazzier, bluesier styles, not to mention big, ringing and fulsome but jangly cleans. Sound-wise, then, it’s not really reinventing any wheel and perhaps it’s better off for that – a good-sounding, quite classic Tele with that extra bit of oomph if you need.
The slightly weightier, beefier feel of our Strat sort of comes over plugged in. There’s a typically different response here with more bounce to the voice that’s subtly less direct than the Tele.
The impression that this HSS is the more powerful starts with the Haymaker: a pretty classic humbucker with good midrange thickness but plenty of definition to the high-end. It suits the hot-rod ‘modded’ style, but it’s not too hot.
In contrast, there’s slightly lower output but good depth to the neck – nice and choppy and with enough depth to clean up the overall voicing after rocking out on the Haymaker. There’s a slight high-end lift to the tougher-sounding middle single coil, and both mixes do their funky job.
Plus you have the choice of the fuller middle and bridge with the full humbucker, or slightly cleaner, snappier sound of the mix with the bridge humbucker split. Voiced in isolation, that coil-split is pretty usable, too – more classic, less rock, and well-balanced output-wise with those Pure Vintage single coils.
On both guitars the volume tapers feel good under the hand and retain clarity as you wind them down without becoming too shrill. Like the guitars themselves, these circuits and the sounds they produce are well sorted.
Overall, tuning stability is very good, too, and the well-proven vibrato on the HSS holds its tuning once everything has settled down.
Verdict
Verdict: ★★★★½
Presuming these new Ultras are intended to sit alongside the current Ultra IIs and offer an older aesthetic and more classic sound, they certainly achieve their goal.
The modernisms in terms of hardware, neck and fingerboard profile and overall playability provide a nicely mainstream feel and playability
The modernisms in terms of hardware, neck and fingerboard profile and overall playability provide a nicely mainstream feel and playability, too, not least with the well-finished stainless-steel frets.
And whereas some of the more modern colour finishes of the Ultra II range might not appeal to all classic rockers, these more familiar hues certainly will.
Guitar World verdict: There is a bit of a price hike over the Ultra II models, and we’d guess the Heirloom finish has plenty to do with that, but these are considerably less money than going down even the light-relic route in the Fender Custom Shop. Ultimately, it’s about choice and that’s not lacking in Fender’s USA production line-up. Which would you go for?
Hands-on videos
Fender
Guitar Center
The Guitar Geek
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
