Fender American Professional II Telecaster RW, Mercury, Ex Display

Taking the guitar world by storm is the newly announced American Professional II. An upgrade from its relative, the American Professional, the Pro II combines everything that makes a guitar an absolute pleasure to play. 

Overview:

This Tele features a roasted pine body which is a less conventional option but still traditional nonetheless. Fender have been using pine since 1950 but now they’re bringing it back as a standard production option for the American Professional II series. Lightweight with a strong grain pattern, roasted pine is a great option if you want something different from the standard alder.

The neck, however, has seen some refinements over its predecessor. The Deep C profile remains but now with a softer edge to make it even more comfortable in the hand. The neck finish has also been improved with a new “Super-Natural” satin feel to allow your hand to glide up and down the neck with ease. The neck heel has been sculpted for improved upper fret access and there’s a new asymmetrical, bevelled neck plate to match.

The fingerboard has the same great feel thanks to the smooth maple/rosewood fingerboard with rolled edges. The 9.5” fingerboard radius and narrow-tall frets make it a breeze to play chords and string-bends alike.

The American Professional series introduced the V-Mod range of pickups which were each voiced for their specific position. For the American Professional II Tele, they’ve been tweaked for improved clarity with greater twang, snap, and bite. These single-coils offer smooth cleans in the neck through to cutting, aggressive tones in the bridge and everything in between. The V-Mod II pickups have that classic Tele sound, just taken to the next level.

The bridge on the American Professional II Tele has been re-designed for improved tone and versatility. The bridge now gives you the option of top-loading the strings in addition to the usual stringing through the body. The top-loading bridge was a design that lasted from 1958 to 1962 and while it may have been short-lived, many see them as highly desirable. Fender give you the option to string it either way so you can decide for yourself based on your preferred tone and feel.

Specifications:

• Body: Roasted Pine
• Body Finish: Gloss Urethane
• Body Shape: Telecaster®
• Neck Material: Maple
• Neck Finish: “Super-Natural” Satin Urethane Finish on Back of Neck with Gloss Urethane Headstock Face
• Neck Shape: Deep "C"
• Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Fingerboard Radius: 9.5" (241 mm)
• Number of Frets: 22
• Frets Size: Narrow Tall
• String Nut: Bone
• Nut Width: 1.685" (42.8 mm)
• Position Inlays: Black Dot
• Bridge Pickup: V-Mod II Single-Coil Tele®
• Neck Pickup: V-Mod II Single-Coil Tele®
• Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
• Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
• Pickup Configuration: SS
• Bridge: 3-Saddle Top-Load/String-Through Tele® with Compensated Brass “Bullet” Saddles
• Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome
• Tuning Machines: Fender® Standard Cast/Sealed Staggered
• Pickguard: 3-Ply Black
• Control Knobs: Knurled Dome
• Strings: Fender® USA Bullets® 3250L Nickel Plated Steel (.009-.042 Gauges)