FENDER AMERICAN PRO II STRATOCASTER HSS

Hum’s the word
Why the Pro II’s pickups
offer a distinct proposition
T
he pickups here are the
result of some carefully
considered R&D. Fender’s
Double Tap humbucker is not
a traditional coil-split aff air and
features some unique wiring
plus mismatched coils to reduce
the diff erence in output when
switching between single-coil
and humbucker modes with the
push-push tone control. The
other two V-Mod II pickups are
an enhanced version of Tim
Shaw’s original Pro design using
mixed magnets to create
hum-cancelling single-coils;
the neck uses Alnico II on the
bass-side magnets and III for
the treble while the middle
again uses Alnico II for the
bass with V for the treble.
some hot rod ‘bucker – it’s an extra
voice to transition to. So it’s not
ideal for death metal, but is
articulate and doesn’t jar when
transitioning too and from the
positions. In off ering two extra
voices (bridge and position 2),
it brings the total to seven.
That makes for a serious array of
tones when combined with the two
volumes’ incredibly eff ective treble
bleed circuits that encourage you to
explore the extremes of their taper
in combination with the tone pot.
You can eff ectively set the controls
here to activate tone presets
without touching a pedal.
The Strat spank and sparkle is all
here, and the more we play, the
more we discover. We can’t resist
some heavier riff s and rhythm
through a Victory Countess with
an EHX Soul Food pedal and this
guitar just keeps revealing more
versatility with every test. The
neck pickup handles higher
gain very well – articulate
and percussive.
So yes, this is as close to a stock
do-it-all Strat we’ve played, and
yes, you do get a real prize
workhorse for your asking price.
The pine fi nish will turn some
people off , but other options are
available and, along with the
standard version, it’s the most
user-friendly and seamless
switching we’ve played in
a Strat. It’s another great
example of a timeless design
that’s found another way to
successfully evolve here.
Rob Laing
FENDER ULTRA
STRATOCASTER
HSS
Rosewood fingerboard
only for this higher-priced
sibling, but five exclusive
finishes with a Double Tap,
noiseless single-coils,
locking tuners and
|10”-14” compound-
radius fingerboard.
AMERICAN
PERFORMER
STRAT HSS
If you can’t stump for the
Pro II or Ultra, this is a
great way to enjoy the
original Double Tap
equipped Strat. Its
Yosemite single coils
are some of the best
examples we’ve heard.
CORT G290
FAT
An affordable but
versatile s-type from
2019, with coil-splits
as part of it’s five
positions, recessed
trem and a roasted
maple neck.
ALSO TRY...
£1919
£999
£549
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
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TGR341.gear_lead.indd 88 22/12/2020 18:52