Spent a few hours trying them all a few weeks ago. You can change the sound with an amp, pedals, eq...but you can't change the feel...and that Ultra Strat stood out to me, by a long shot. The build quality and feel is up there. IMO
I agree. I didn't dig the sound completely so I bought a Performer, which I liked best. However, the Ultra is really smooth to play. With an Ultra, you definitely do not need to go for a custom.
I've had the Ultra Strat for about a month now......that thin compound radius neck is by far the best feeling and playing strat I've ever played! Congrats Fender!
really difficult to detect any difference in any of the Strats; if I really had to choose, the best sounding ones to my ears were the Original and the Professional. When it came to the Teles, though, the Ultra sounded much beefier than the others (besides just looking ridiculously good) and the Professional Tele sounded strangely wimpy compared with the others, which surprised me a little. In this test, the noiseless quality of the pickups didn't come through at all on any of the guitars - obviously as we only heard them when they were being played. Still a great comparison video though thanks to the seamless back-to-back playback of identical riffs.
As long as the pickups are noiseless I'm happy. The difference sound-wise on the Tele are marginal and I suggest the Elite has more mid range. If you're not a shredder, then the differences between the Elite and Ultra appear a waste of time, unless you want one of the a new colours. When the Elite was first issued, the relocation of the truss rod adjuster was a big hit, but it now it seams not a big deal, are reviewers sucking up to Fender by not criticising the back-flip Fender made in this regard?
Love the sounds, but I want to add that the Performer has the ability to add the Neck pickup to the other positions too, and has the greasebucket tone circuit which really makes the tone pot sound great.
Performer telecasters are waaaay underrated. I have one... and an ultra. I had an American pro II also... and I like the tone and feel of the performer just as much as the other two. I much prefer the performer neck pickup clarity over my ultra but I prefer my ultra in overdrive...
So Guil and Kris are human loopers🤘🏽I can’t play the same thing twice that tight even if I wrote the piece 😳 Great tone demo for the ultra series from some ultra players 🤘🏽🎸🔥
Hi, I just subscribed because I never saw anyone do a comparison so well put together like you do . . Congrats. . I really enjoyed listening to the differences. . . It just goes to show that the extra effort in editing really pays off 😉👌 Take care. Cheers.
This video answers its own question in the intro part. Ultra sounds exactly like Ultra. Be it tele or strat. I couldn't tell the difference between the ultra tele in the bridge position from the ultra strat in the bridge position. Same exact sound. It boils down to whether or not you are a purist. I'm a purist, so I prefer the American Professional series because they use true single-coil pickups. And not cheap ones either, these are designed by Tim Shaw. Tim is a pickup guru. If he makes a pickup, it's a great pickup. The Fender Noiseless pickups are in their 4th generation, for a reason. Because noiseless singlecoils are never quite right. Fender has been doubling down on this idea for over two decades now, so they cannot give up on it now. But to be honest, just get some "real" singlecoil pickups if you want that authentic tone. It also saves you nearly $300 in the cost of your American-made guitar. I recommendation, buy the American Performer and Professional guitars. Leave the "Ultra" series guitars alone. Although, the "Texas-Tea" finish is nice. Not nice enough for me to pay the premium for pickups I will need to replace.
I just ordered the American Ultra Strat HSS in Texas Tea finish along with the Fender Tone Master Twin Reverb 2x12". Thanks for playing the exact same thing when demonstrating each guitar. That's the way it should be done when comparing guitars. Thanks Guys.
Elevated Jam Tracks Can you give a hint which backingtrack it is exactly. I try to understand the intro solo. There is this A-Note played in the 24th second. Here i link a bit earlier 0:18 that sounds super cool in this situation and I want to know why.
For left-handed players the Ultra is a step backwards as there are no lefty options at all (there was one lefty Elite Strat). There are also no lefty Performers.
Fr Qd - just like Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Eric Gales, Otis Rush, Albert King, Dick Dale, Tony Iommi, Kurt Cobain, Doyle Bramhall II, Slim Whitman, Elizabeth Cotten, Cesar Rosas, Ollie Halsall, Toronto Cannon among many others.
Strats: anyone else think those with the six-screw trems sounded better than those with two-screw trems? Teles: all sounded much the same to me. The S-1 switch added a really useful tone, and the Texas Tea colour is superb. What's going on with the woodgrain on the Elite fingerboard? That should never have passed quality control. On the whole, this is a very well produced/presented/edited video which gets straight to the point. Well done Thomann.
Very cool shootout thanks for that!!! I think the Ultra Strat sounded better than the other Strats. More bass and but also crisp. The Professional sounded very thin to me. The sound of the Tele's was quite identical to my ear.
Oh the Strat is Stratin’ and the Tele is twangin’! Great job guys! These are sweet guitars indeed. The changes are nice but I’m old and what will I do to fill the 60 cycle hum void? Later!
Thank you so much !! :) Yeah they're superb appointments for modern players but I'm right there with you, who doesn't like a good humming on his strat !? // Guillaume
Hey Thomanns - come out with a budget Ultra S style Harley and you'll sell thousands. In other words, give us a S style guitar with a 2 point Wilkinson Trem and an Ibanez style contoured heel, along with good alnico pickups and Alder or Ash body woods. Please & Thank you.
got the very same texas tea tele - beautiful cameras don't do it justice - whatever anyone says the ultras lack, you will not play are more comfortable guitar. The neck and the feel as soon as you first take it out the new case is a breath of fresh air. It sounds awesome too but the contours especially that sleeker neck heal, are something you miss as soon as you play another tele. And hey if you can afford one, then getting some vintage pups won't break the bank, though I do a lot of studio work and any noise cancellation is just what i need - i toyed with the Luxe but $400 for stainless frets over some upkeep in fret polishing, not that the frets weren't polished to a high standard, but it's not something i'm bothered about and the ultras have better choice in finishes imo. I might get a rose floyd HH luxe tele in the future but that would be for the trem more than anything.
I think talking about the telecasters, the performer has an awesome sound. It sound better to my ears than my strat with fat 5o's. Nice comparation, nice playing!
It is the Stratocaster Standard/Professional all day, every day, for me. I have an FSR - Fender Special Run - version with an Ash body, a Roasted Maple neck and fret-board + Custom-Shop 69' pick ups, so I'm probably biased. My guitar was £1.500.00 if anyone's interested. The main difference between ''mine'' and the regular Strat Pro's, are the pick-ups, which are V-Mods I think, however they sound amazingly clear and 'bell-like' to me.
This was the best presentation of all the related videos in which I tried to spot the sound differences in these guitars !!! I would also like to suggest another way to compare the sound of these instruments. DRY DI recordings !!! (And we could also use them for reamping and compare the sound of these guitars on a personal level with our amplifiers. :) Thank you !!! )
how many times can you reinvent the wheel,nice guitars,but are they any better than the elite series they are replacing,apart from removing trusswheel and different neck heel cut theres not much difference.the elites are now popping up in stores like andertons at massive discounts 1300 quid,whereas the ultra is 2000 quid,no brainer
You really can’t go wrong, can you? Unlike some, I think the Ultra brings plenty to the table compared to previous models. The new and noticeably better (re:noise) pups and the cuts & contours alone help it stand out. The whole neck is new and a great mix of vintage looks and modern playability. Add the electronics and new finishes (Tea and Cobra are amazing) and you’ve got a good update. Compared to some other makers? But that’s not what we’re doing here. :) That said, the Ultra sounds a little less *articulate* compared to the Professional and Original which just seemed to *enunciated* each note more clearly and sounded, to my ear, the most like a Strat. The Performer continues to perform very well, but it may or may not be worth it to *you* to get the advantages of the Pro. Either way, it’s a great time to be a guitarist. There’s something for everyone. Just buy one used, and since it’s a Fender you’ll retain most of your resale value, too. Not something you can say about most brands - regardless if those other guitars are “better.” Great demo! Thanks.
Nice and informative demo. I like a lot these new noiseless pick-ups in the Ultra. Never liked the previous noiseless generation in Elite guitars. In this comparison the Ultra has the best sounding, to my taste at least, and the Original comes 2nd, Pro 3rd, Performer 4th and Elite last. Now considering the price difference, I could go for the Original instead of the Ultra; Also because I don't need all those S1 possibilities, and do not fit with thin modern necks. So that I'll stay with my 2012 American Vintage 62 reissue. By the way, I like your playing !
Thank you very much Gilles ! I'm glad that helped you figure out which you liked best, and I completely get why you'll stick to your guitar, the American Vintage 62 reissues are killer!!! :) // Guillaume
Agree. I laugh at all the comments saying this one is so much better than that one. If you weren't watching them play you wouldn't know which is which. That's not to say the ultra isn't better, but the sound isn't meaningfully different. The improvement is in the features and the cosmetics. It's obviously a personal decision but I would (and will) still pay the extra for the Ultra.
Had a hss deluxe Strat with n3 noiseless, great guitar but the pu sounded a bit cold and synthetic so I replaced them with a Lollar Blackface set. I think this 5th generation is a great improvement although not a lover of noiseless pu.
Just got in the Ultra HSS in Cobra Blue. Loving it. Never played the elite. Love how the ultra keeps its volume when splitting the humbucker. It has a surprisingly good single coil sound when tapped. I also love the easy access high on the neck. Overall, its the best playing guitar I have ever owned. It may not have my favorite fender pickups, but they are my favorite noiseless pickups.
The am pro Tele sounded the thinnest of all the teles. But still very rich sounding. Not sure if it's a good or bad thing. I guess that depends on the setting
I would like to win the voucher because I have chosen a guitar that I want to have. My favorite video is the review of the new Fender AM series. This video made me even more want to own one of them.
Why cant i find in Thomann online shop the fender ultra that Gill plays at the start? it is the fender ultra SSS in Plasma Red but with Maple fingerboard. In the site i can find only plasma with rosewood fingerboard. Is the one that Gill plays available for order?
I was checking for a Telecaster on second hand market. Than i found a Stratocaster red plasma hss. Gonna pick it up tonite. Cant wait. @ kris. The tele has to wait !
Hi Rick, I'll have to ask some people over there if they have lefty models in the works but so far I'm sorry to say they haven't disclosed any yet. // Guillaume
Unlike Taylor, that says all models are available in left handed models and no extra charge, the answer is NO. Fender is in the dark ages. Only a few tried and tru models are available in left handed. Sucks. That is why my guitar on the way is a Semi-Hollow body from Taylor. The T3/B and what a tone producing machine it is too. I do have a Tele and an American Standard Strat, but that is about all she wrote from Fender.
Sure these are nice, I would say very nice, but it seems so odd That the Thomann logo in video completely took my attention off of what was being presented... I have been blown away by their products, and prices... Thus making me re-think when purchasing a new guitar. Especially for people like myself who were not born with a silver spoon... I have the elite fender, which took me a very long time to save up for... but after playing it for a year I found that I actually missed the sound that the American Standard fender gave me. Money was tight after those purchases... So I ventured over to the Thomann site (never thought I would) and thought I would give the HB's a chance and a try... After receiving two different guitars, I was filled with excitement, like a kid with new candy, and quickly re-did the set up to me personal specs, and I can say this, "I'm glad I did" Sorry to hype down the Fender ultra, (which I think is a re-vamp of the Elite) with some obvious small changes... don't get wrong, if I had money coming out my ears, I would go for it... But I have played guitars from Thomann that are incredible, the feel, the sound ufffff!!! AND that price is just "mind blowing" Nice chops guys for the. Comparison of different sounds of those very cool Fenders :-)
@@u2dva my two beautiful guitars are the equal two best guitars in the world.thats why I bought a second one.i played today,all day sporadically.I never thought I would have been able to have this sound,this playability.all through my mesa boogie amp that I have had for maybe 20 years
I have a Am.Original, where the previous owner had it in a non-Nitro suitable stand .. at that points it has unfortunately a little brownish discolored spots.Is it possible to polish that out (he claims its possible at least with each nitro polish)? Hope somebody can help :)
Great video as usual. Been a fan of the channel for years. Chris I can’t quite place your accent there’s a couple different things in there. Where are you from or where have you lived?
nicolamontoro Thanks a lot brother! I was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary. Moved to Queens, New York at the age of 9, for two years. Moved back to Budapest, then to Spain, then to Germany. Man, it’s a long story! Haha! //cheers, Kris
I guess the moral here is don’t break the bank to grab a strat based on cost unless you are a top player and will notice the difference. To the rest of us mortals they all sound great and the performer is £1000 less than the Ultra...
hey Sean, Kris here. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the room. We even had all amps, all cameras, audio interface, Macbook for audio recording AND 2 LED spot lamps on the same circuit... figure that out. haha! To be fair, I've played my 53 reissue tele with traditional single-coil pickups for 3 years now, at 300+ live shows and dozens of video recordings. Never had any issue with noise. I'll just leave it right there. :) Cheers!
Of the Strats, I thought the American Performer sounded best. Warmer and less abrasive. That's fortunate for me because it's on the lower end of the price scale.
Are you sure you're listening to it with the right speakers / headphones? They do sound different to me. Well, to us. And I'm not talking about huge differences obviously, they are all well built and very similar guitars, from the same brand. It all about the spices. One likes a little less pepper, others want a little more. //cheers, Kris
@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses yes great headphones thanks u guys are awesome! But honestly such a slight difference if any all depends on the quality..build neck, feel...but no revelations in sound here ..I was very surprised..Thanks for all your vids!
Sound difference is minimal. If 10 great players played these the guitars would sound good according to the way they play. The guitar doesn't make a player...the player makes the guitar. Driving a Ferrari doesn't make you a better driver.
