I went to the guitar store because I wanted to finally get a great tele. I had my heart set on the American pro 2 in mystic surf pearl. But I saw the ultra tele in Texas tea and I knew there was no way I was leaving without it. It's hard to overstate just how gorgeous the finish is. Under stage lights it just shimmers and shows different hues from every angle without looking cheesey.
I feel the same way about my Lake Placid Blue Srat. Love the way it subtly alters with hints of Royal Blue to Ocean Turquoise to Mystic Seafoam Green in the lights.
I am just about to start to learn but I have been watching these videos for too long now. I can't tell a difference between any sounds, at least over these RU-vid videos but I wanted to comment and say, that I think you playing here Shane, is the best I have heard. I can't help thinking that 2022 is going to be a big year for you.
I don't need any more guitars, but just the fact they've made this in lefty has my wallet tingling. The fretboard/headstock finish on these is so beautiful.
I have this exact guitar in a lefty. I love it. The noiseless pickups are great in this for what I play. Playing at home with my usually buzzy wiring in the house makes this guitar the one I play the most. Mine weighs right at 8 lbs, I noticed all the Utra’s weigh about the same. Good review Shane, thanks for what you do!
Hey Greg ran across your comment. I chose the absolute noisest room in my house to use as my man cave. Bought a fishman power conditioner and the noise is gone! Highly suggest one and protects your gear Incase of surges etc if you didn't know. I wouldn't buy anything originally priced under $100 they don't have the needed components to ground that EMI. 🎸
I bought one three months ago. Ultra Burst/Rosewood fingerboard. Love this guitar, and have a hard time picking up my other guitars. I find the difference in the noiseless is that they have made me more creative in that I give more thought to my tone. The S1 switch I find makes more of a difference when playing clean, although the bridge/neck combination with a medium overdrive sounds fantastic. I’m probably going to buy one more, that being the model Shane used. Thank you.
I don't know if you noticed Shane, but the tone pot for the bridge pickup is a no-load pot, and to me it has a very noticeable effect on the pickup when you turn it to 10. The middle pot controls middle and neck pickups tone at the same time. The Ultra (and Luxe) Strats have a lot of range to control guitar tone without touching your amp at all. Some people don't like this configuration, but I enjoy it a lot.
The "only" reason I would buy the ultra version is because of the Texas Tea color!!! That's it!!! While I love the S1 switch (I have 2 American Professional II Strats with the S1 Switch) I am not a fan of noiseless pickups, which means, I will not pay extra for noiseless pickups. The noiseless pickups are the only reason I see for the difference in price between the American Professional II. Soooooooooo...No Ultra for me. Great Video and Review, Shane!!! Please keep them coming!!!
if you still can, I think it'd be really cool to do a short video comparing these noiseless pickups with the single coils on your am original, I think that's the best way to "visualize" their difference. and I really dig these ultra
I have this same exact guitar. I also have Seymour duncan antiquities in my custom shop strat deluxe and I prefer these noiseless pick ups with this fast neck. Im over sounding exactly like my heroes. Also its So much easier to dial new clean tones with the S1 switch. Big fan of playing this while walking around the garden with a fender mustang micro. No noise in headphones and you get the bells and whistles of a fender guitar. Awesome review!
I absolutely love that color! I really want the American Ultra Telecaster in this color but I haven’t seen it in a lefty. This might be my first Lefy Stratocaster!😲😲😲😲😲🤙🏾🤙🏾🤙🏾🤙🏾
All three pickups sounded great to me but you’re hearing something different in your studio from what I’m hearing through my Sony earbuds. Keep up the great work sir. Happy Holidays
Very nice review and it's nice that you were able to properly show the Texas Tea colour. I bought a 40th Anniversary Strat in 1995 and have since sold it. I'm a drummer since 1965 but I want to learn to play guitar again and stick with it. I just ordered an Ultra HSS Strat in Texas Tea finish from Sweetwater. Personally in my opinion, for the most part the only difference that I really can hear is that the the noiseless pick ups are, "noiseless". Thanks for the review.
Great review. I bought the ultra telecaster vs the strat. I've had five teles... including three USA models... performer, pro II, and now an ultra. I love the look and feel of the Ulta significantly more than the others. I don't think any of the three sound better than the other... just slightly different. In playing these guitars side by side for hours... and next to my American standard strat too I think the new Ultra pickups sounds just as good and organic as the others. The only thing I notice is that the neck pickup sounds good on the ultra but muddier when using the neck pickup alone or using the "s" switch as compared to on the pro II or my performer using my performer added freeway switch. That's my only gripe with the ultra... otherwise it's the perfect guitar...sleek and beautiful...my others looked like canoe paddles in comparison... the ultra looks and feels like a Ferrari vs a VW beetle...
Shane as a fellow leftie I have been watching your videos for a while now. I find the gear reviews useful but man is your playing on point! Keep it up, mate! : )
Happy New Year. What I always wanted to tell you, the great thing about your reviews is that you always play in a real amp and then only use classic pedals. Many reviews today actually only show programs from Helix or Kemper. It has nothing to do with guitar reviews. Please continue Shane, thanks a lot 🙂🎸
Yeah, was all set to say I’m not interested in noiseless pickups, and then you switched to the neck and out came some pretty spectacular tone. Just weld that switch to the 5 position. And now I have to look into that pedal….
Def sounds good. And LOVE how the Royal Flush pedal adds to it. Yep the exact word that came to mind with all 3 pickups: MUD. Actually like the middle pickup sound too.
Great clip as always Shane. Excellent sounding guitar. Noiseless pickups are a little rounder than regular single coils, a tone I prefer. Very keen on the Ultra but the HSS is more my bag. Be great if you could get your hands on one of them.....
Very nice jam. This is one of the best colors that Fender has come out with. Its hard to see how amazing it actually looks on camera but your lighting has done the best job thus far. I would love for it to be offered with a rosewood board and anything but noiseless pickups. They are hands down the worst Fender pickups out there. I wish they would stop pushing them.
This is sounding better.... but I've not yet heard the Fender Noiseless Pickups that I've ever thought were "good". I Do like the old Seymour Duncan "Cool Rails" pickups much better personally....if I had to choose (I do own one guitar that does have them, and I don't feel any need to change them out...or get a different guitar! In fact it was the first 3 single coil style guitars that I ended up keeping for any length of time. This is a Hamer Mirage.) Give me some lower output vintage style true single coil pickups...and I'm usually much happier.
This look with the traditional no fuss pickup and wiring option would be a no brainer buy for me. Still something flat about the tones at my end.. Have a great new year..
I’m new to the fender world, but I love this “stereotypical”? fender style music that is played in the video. Where do I start learning this style of playing? And hearing it??
1 of the best sounding Strats I've heard Shane! I think the 2 extra sounds would have been BETTER with B & N in parallel AND, another pair, either B & N again or B & M in SERIES! All 3 on in parallel was pretty scooped & muddy sounding!
So why not put a noisy single coil in the middle position and have the best of both worlds ? By the way I do own this very guitar and looking to swap out the pick guard. Cheers and great playing !
Hey! You're playing it backwards!! Haha, just kidding. You're an excellent guitar player, I'm a rank rookie beginner, I just bought the American Ultra Luxe in mystic black. After listening to you I've come to realize I want to learn to play the blues, didn't know it until now. Thanks for the excellent playing and review!
Nice playing. The guitar would look even better with a dark Ebony fretboard and Texas Tea matching headstock. You could always take an Ultra to your luthier to wire in some other pickup combinations. There are 3 positions on the S1 that just replicate the same positions as the standard 5 way lever switch.
I made the same mistake....this noiseless pickups are ok, but the one int he player series are just Great....the real Strat sound...excelent dynamics and depth....I finally removed the noiseless and install fender alnico 5 from a friend that have a set.... now i have the most inspiring sound in the most beautifull guitar ever
@@ScottDMoore on my experience Yes, I have installed a set of tex mex lately and they sound so good... The tone is iconic as I was looking for... Noiseless are good, but with noiseless the guitar will never be able to sound like D Gilmour...
