Fender American Ultra Luxe ’50s Telecaster and ’60s HSS Stratocaster Review

Fender’s new American Ultra Luxe Telecaster and Stratocaster have an intriguing mission: Retain the essence of two platforms so iconic that some see them as the guitar equivalent of Coke and Levi’s and win over players tempted by modernized variations on the Strat and Tele themes.The American Ultra Luxe Vintage Stratocaster and Telecaster each appear in ’50s- and ’60s-inspired versions. I did not get to play the bound ’60s Custom Telecaster or the maple-fretboard ’50s Stratocaster. But I tested the $2,899 Vintage ’50s Telecaster and the $2,899 ’60s Stratocaster HSS with a vintage Ampeg Gemini II and a modified Fender Vibro-Champ with an extra gain stage and a tone-bypass for tweed gain levels.Both instruments feature quartersawn maple necks with 10'-14' compound radius fretboard, 22 stainless-steel jumbo frets, and what Fender calls a modern D profile. Other modern touches include low-profile neck joints, lacquer finish, locking tuners, and advanced switching and controls. Each guitar comes with a deluxe hard case.Ultra Luxe Vintage ’50s TelecasterEffects of the American Ultra Luxe Vintage makeover are most obvious on the ’50s Telecaster. There’s the contoured body (something Strats have had since day one), an angled pickup-selector switch, and individual string saddles for more precise intonation than on a three-saddle Tele bridge. There’s plenty of vintage flavor, though. The ash body looks great and the butterscotch finish really pops the grain. The weight, on the test guitar at least, is neither especially hefty nor light—a little heavier than my own 1974, though that guitar has had its finish stripped off for decades.The vintage-ness extends to the playability too—it has a broken-in feel right out of the case. I’m used to compound radius fretboards, so I did not have to adjust to the 10-14' shift (versus the 10-16' I’m used to) and it will probably feel more natural to players new to compound radii. Upper fret access was effortless. The build is super tight, giving the guitar a strong unplugged sound that offers the pickups lots of resonance to work with.I admit, I was initially resistant to the angled switch. Somehow, as a guy who’s wrestled with a traditional straight switch angle for decades, I think of it like driving a manual. Once you learn it, you love it—until you’re in heavy traffic. But like a high-performance automatic with paddle shifters, the angled switch is a blessing that gets you in gear faster. If you play a Strat, the angle will be very familiar. The three-position blade switch gives you the traditional Tele combo of neck, bridge and both in parallel. A subtle push/push S-1 switch mounted in the volume knob bypasses the switch settings to give you the two pickups in series for some extra oomph—way easier than four-way blade switches wired to accomplish the same goal. In real world performance situations, the combined switching system is a godsend, especially if you want to kick in the series setting for leads.Strength in SeriesOverall, the Pure Vintage single-coil pickups deliver the Tele spank you’d expect. I’ve always thought the traditional Tele neck pickup underrated and Fender nailed it here. Through the clean Ampeg, the guitar delivered twang and detail. I was able to go from country to jazz tonalities without adjusting the amplifier, and I especially like the way that rolling back the volume doesn’t come at the expense of detail.- YouTube“Telecasters are so good at that specific combination of detail mixed with grit—those singing overtones that are so hard to find in other designs. Not all Teles get there. This one does.”Those qualities were even more apparent with the Vibro-Champ, which took the Tele from clean to scream. The neck pickup was clear but not overly thin; the middle-setting offered that classic Tele jangle. I was impressed by how much body the bridge pickup delivered on its own. It cut but it wasn’t strident or papery, which some Tele bridge pickups can be. Telecasters are so good at that specific combination of detail mixed with grit—those singing overtones that are so hard to find in other designs. Not all Teles get there. This one does.Activating the series mode takes the guitar a step farther—it’s hotter and fatter than the lead pickup on its own but doesn’t sound dark or humbucker-like. And thanks to the balance between the pickups, the series mode isn’t an extreme step up in volume from all the other settings.While the playable neck and great tone might get the headlines, it’s worth noting the contours, which made this guitar way more comfortable to play than a standard blocky Tele, especially sitting. The finish is way cooler up close than it is in the pictures, with vintage-style checking giving the lacquer a broken-in look to go with the broken-in feel.American Ultra Luxe Vintage ’60s Stratocaster HSSLike the Telecaster, the American Ultra Luxe Vintage ’60s Stratocaster HSS combines vintage cues and modern features. The most obvious non-vintage addition is the Haymaker humbucker, but this guitar also features a two-post vibrato bridge with a pop-in arm (as opposed to the six-screw vintage design), and shares the Luxe Vintage Telecaster’s 22-fret, compound-radius fretboard and contoured neck joint.Like the Tele, the Strat feels broken in from the start. The neck’s smooth satin finish made for easy movement. Access to the 22nd fret was easy, and the rosewood fretboard looks great and contributes a lot to the guitar’s authentic ’60s-era look.Multitude of TonesI was especially impressed with the pickups. The single-coils had that sought-after bell-like quality, and while humbucker-equipped Strats can sound imbalanced, the pickups here work well together. The S-1 switch on the Stratocaster splits the humbucker into single-coil mode, and it actually sounds good on its own that way. Moreover, it gives you a couple of nice variations with the middle/bridge combo. Single/single for “Wind Cries Mary”-style chime; single/bucker for a Clapton-esque lead tone.“A Strat begs for a great vibrato system and the action on this unit feels smooth and light.”Through the Ampeg, the single-coils’ detail reigned—think the rhythm guitar on Steve Miller’s “Take the Money and Run” with its carved out middle, punchy bass, and crisp top. Clean, the humbucker sounded fine, but I found myself liking the combined pickup position with it more than on its own. Through the Champ, however, the humbucker comes into its own as a lead pickup. It’s rich but not dark, and drives the amp considerably more than the single-coils. As with the Telecaster, the tone controls worked well. Sensibly, the neck and middle pickups mate to the front tone pot, and the bridge pickup to the second. When the middle/humbucker are engaged, the front pot is in control.A Strat begs for a great vibrato system and the action on this unit feels smooth and light. I really like the pop-in arm, which offers a nice direct feeling of control with no extra play, and the locking tuners keep the guitar in tune when you cut loose.Overall, the Ultra Luxe Vintage ’60s Stratocaster HSS has a luxury-workhorse vibe—like a Porsche SUV that can pop the radar gun on the freeway but also hit the trail from time to time. As cool as the hidden coil-split switch was, I would have loved a second one to activate the neck or bridge pickup in any position. That would add two more combinations—neck-plus-bridge and a combination of all three. It’s one of my favorite Strat mods because the neck-plus-bridge mix adds a hint of Tele flavor, and with split humbuckers, those two extra options would really expand the tonal palette. That’s much less traditional, but then again, so is having a humbucker in the bridge, and none of the genuine improvements here detract from how beautifully ’60s this guitar looks.