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Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster

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Electric Guitar

Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster

Fender · American Ultra II Stratocaster

Price: 53 EUR – 4.040 EUR

Price history 07.09.2026 19.09.2026
Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

Availability: 9/10 (Common)

Fender's most technically advanced regular-production Stratocaster pairs a quartersawn Modern D maple neck with a 10-14 inch compound-radius fingerboard, revoiced Ultra II Noiseless pickups, and glow-in-the-dark Luminlay side dots - a first across Fender's entire lineup. It replaced the original 2019 American Ultra in 2023/24, refining rather than reinventing a series built explicitly for technically demanding players.

Where available? Go to the best price – 54 EUR About this instrument

About the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster

The American Ultra II continues a lineage that began in November 2019, when the original American Ultra replaced the American Elite series as Fender's most technically advanced regular-production tier - explicitly marketed as built for 'discerning players who demand the ultimate in precision, performance and tone.' The alder body carries sculpted contours, and the quartersawn maple neck in a Modern D profile is finished in Ultra Satin, paired with either an ebony or quartersawn maple fingerboard on a 10-to-14-inch compound radius that flattens progressively toward the body for easier bending up high. Ultra Rolled fingerboard edges and a tapered neck heel continue that same upper-fret accessibility theme. One detail is unusual enough to be worth noting on its own: every instrument in the American Ultra II series, across the entire lineup, ships with Luminlay side dots - fluorescent markers that glow in the dark, a first for any Fender series. Electronically, the three Ultra II Noiseless Vintage single-coils were completely revoiced for this generation, aimed at improving tone while making an already-quiet pickup set quieter still. The patented S-1 switch, built into the volume pot, adds two extra pickup combinations beyond the standard five-way selector - bridge-plus-neck in parallel, and all three pickups in parallel - a genuinely useful but comparatively modest expansion next to the five additional combinations the earlier American Elite series offered through its own switching system.

Where to buy

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Sound character of the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster

The Ultra II Noiseless pickups deliver impressively clean, bright tones without the top-end dulling that has historically plagued noiseless single-coil designs - one reviewer called it their best experience of noiseless single-coil technology to date, particularly once gain is added and the pickups reveal genuine dynamic response rather than a flattened, hum-canceling compromise. The bridge pickup runs noticeably bright, which most players will welcome for cutting lead tones but which some may find edges toward excessive brightness in certain amp setups.

Bright Crisp Modern/Hi-Fi Resonant

What owners of the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster say

Owners and reviewers consistently rank this as one of the most immediately comfortable Stratocaster necks Fender currently produces, and the Noiseless pickups draw specific praise for delivering genuine single-coil brightness without the dulled top end that noiseless designs from other eras and other makers are sometimes accused of. The S-1 switch is the recurring point of mild disappointment - useful but seen as undersold compared to Fender's own earlier American Elite switching system, a case of the feature doing its job without quite living up to its billing.

Playability & handling of the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster

Reviewers describe the satin-finished quartersawn neck as exceptionally smooth - one review called it possibly the silkiest neck feel they'd experienced - with a slim D profile that still has supportive shoulders and body contours that genuinely open up upper-fret access rather than just looking sculpted. The one recurring critique is that the neck doesn't gain much bulk toward the headstock, which some players used to a fuller vintage-style carve may find offers less support in lower positions.

Recommended accessories & strings for the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster

Standard 25.5-inch scale takes .009-.042 or .010-.046 sets equally well. The S-1 switch is worth using actively rather than ignoring - its two extra parallel-wiring combinations open up thinner, more hollow tones distinct from the standard five-way positions, even if the overall switching range falls short of what the earlier American Elite series offered.

Technical data for the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster

Type Solid-body electric guitar, double cutaway, bolt-on neck
Production Fender American Ultra II series, launched 2023/24, built in Corona, California, USA
Body Alder, sculpted body contours
Neck Quartersawn maple, bolt-on, Modern D profile, Ultra Satin finish, tapered heel
Fingerboard Ebony or quartersawn maple, 10-14 in. compound radius, Ultra Rolled edges, Luminlay glow-in-the-dark side dots, medium jumbo frets
Scale length 25.5 in.
Nut Graph Tech TUSQ
Pickups 3x Ultra II Noiseless Vintage single-coils, revoiced for this generation
Controls Master volume with S-1 switch (adds 2 parallel-wiring pickup combinations), 2 tone controls, 5-way selector switch
Bridge 2-point American Ultra synchronized tremolo, polished stainless steel block saddles, cold-rolled steel block, pop-in arm
Tuners Deluxe locking tuners
Predecessor Replaces the original American Ultra series (2019-2024), itself the successor to the American Elite series

Price history for the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster

Cheapest seen: 53 EUR  ·  Most expensive seen: 4.040 EUR

4.040 EUR52 EUR 07.09.2026 15.09.202616.09.202618.09.2026 19.09.2026
Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

The history of the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster

The American Ultra name first appeared in November 2019, replacing the American Elite series as Fender's technically most advanced regular-production tier and running until September 2024, when the Ultra II succeeded it. Rather than a ground-up reinvention, the II generation refines a formula that was already well received - adding a quartersawn maple neck option, an ebony fingerboard choice, revoiced Noiseless pickups, and the Luminlay side dots that Fender rolled out across the entire Ultra II series for the first time in company history. That last detail is a small but telling signal of the tier's positioning: Ultra II is aimed squarely at technical, high-output players who value practical stage details - glow-in-the-dark markers among them - as much as tone and build quality.

About Fender as a manufacturer

Built at Fender's Corona, California plant as the company's technically most advanced regular-production Stratocaster tier, sitting above the American Professional II series and positioned specifically for players who prioritize modern ergonomics and switching flexibility over vintage-accurate specs.

Notable players & recordings featuring the Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster

No verified professional endorsement ties a specific touring artist to this 2023/24 American Ultra II model in the sources reviewed for this research round.

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