A CLOSER LOOK AT YOUR AMERICAN ULTRA II TELECASTER

The American Ultra II Telecaster is the apex of modern Fender design, performance and craftsmanship. A masterful blend of cutting-edge tech and 150 classic hand processes in our Corona, California factory – from streamlined body contours and our fastest-playing necks to new Ultra II Noiseless™ Vintage Tele pickups and a versatile S-1™ switch – the Ultra II Tele both advances the state-of-the-art and stands the test of time.

We caught up with Allen Abbassi, Fender’s Director of Product Management, for a deep dive into each innovative feature, so you’re ready to unleash the crystalline cleans, beefy growls and snappy twang of our most advanced Tele yet – the moment it arrives at your door.

OUR FASTEST-PLAYING NECKS

There’s fast. And there’s Ultra II fast. Designed for the most discerning players, it’s only fitting the Ultra II Series features our fastest-playing necks ever. But what exactly makes the neck so fast? Let’s break it down.

MODERN “D” SHAPE

“The Modern ‘D’ shape is like a Goldilocks of necks; it’s a medium thickness – not too thick, not too thin,” Abbassi explains. “Compared to the Modern ‘C’ we use on the American Performer Series or the old Elites, the ‘D’ has shoulders that slope up a little – but not quite as drastically – so it feels a little flatter and thinner in your hand. A lot of times pros and advanced players gravitate toward thicker, vintage-style necks, and equate thickness with tone. But when they try something geared toward comfort and playability, they’re surprised at how nice it feels.”

COMPOUND RADIUS EBONY OR QUARTERSAWN MAPLE FINGERBOARD

The 10-14” compound radius means the curvature of the fretboard changes – with a smaller radius near the nut and a flatter radius toward the body. “This allows you to play higher registers – it’s easier to bend notes, and you’re less likely to fret or choke out,” he notes. As for the quartersawn neck? “It's a premium cut of wood, which results in a stronger, more stable neck – and you can feel it when you play it. They're more resistant to warping and the grain looks stunning – it's a great high-performance feature.”

EBONY OR MAPLE FINGERBOARD

Typically reserved for Custom Shop designs, ebony is about as premium a wood as you can get. “It’s bright like maple but not as snappy,” says Abbassi. “It’s a little smoother; it can be considered a midway point between rosewood and maple. Players might also find that ebony enhances the fastness of the neck.”

ULTRA ROLLED EDGES

“All the American-made guitars have rolled edges – but there are varying degrees. The edges on the Ultra II are more rolled than on any other Fender. This gives the guitars a more comfortable, broken-in feel. The difference is immediately noticeable.”

ULTRA SATIN FINISH

Many players liken the Ultra Satin finish to the feeling of a well-worn vintage neck – it has that comfortable, broken-in feel that usually only comes with years of playing. “The satin urethane finish on the back is a special treatment we call Ultra Satin – we take a little more time making it smooth and slick, which contributes to the neck being so fast.”

LUMINLAY® SIDE DOTS

For the first time in the history of Fender, every model in the American Ultra II Series features Luminlay® side dots – high-quality fluorescent inlays that glow in the dark. “It’s a great high-performance feature designed for the stage,” Abbassi notes. The feature addresses a common problem players face on tour – inadequate stage lighting – ensuring the fret markers on the neck are always visible, even in a dimly lit room.

ULTRA II NOISELESS™ VINTAGE TELE PICKUPS

Responsive and expressive, new Ultra II Noiseless™ Vintage pickups deliver definitive Tele twang – without hum. “We revoiced every pickup set in the Ultra II Series for improved tone and to make them even quieter – even though they were already very quiet on Ultra I,” Abbassi explains.

The pickups feature an evolved architecture of specialized stacked coils with the top coil wound around Alnico V rod magnets to produce true single-coil Fender tone, while the isolated bottom coil is calibrated to preserve the tone and reject hum.

“When you plug your guitar into an amp and hear that hum – this gets rid of that. It’s a huge benefit, not just for recording in the studio, but for those who play live under fluorescent lights – which can contribute to buzzing – this helps tremendously. We also tweaked the pickups to make them sound more like a real single-coil – so the Ultra II Tele pickups have more of that dynamic, warm, crystalline Fender tone players know and love.”

S-1 SWITCHING

Built for players boldly seeking the best, the Ultra II Series Tele is our most advanced model yet, with a host of upgrades designed to push your playing forward. Concealed within the volume knob, the patented S-1™ switch is no exception. Both highly functional and aesthetically pleasing, the switch makes a wider range of pickup configurations available – adding incredible tonal versatility to your Tele without altering the appearance of the instrument.

“Normally on a Tele the pickups are wired in parallel. But when you press the S-1™ switch on the Ultra II, it activates series mode and automatically turns both pickups on – so it gives you a bump in output and gain,” Abbassi says. “If you’re using overdrive it gives you a little more overdrive; if you’re clean it will give you a little more volume – so people use it to juice their signal. With the two pickups wired in series mode it basically turns them into a humbucker – it gives you a little more fatness, a little more gain.”

While parallel series wiring also featured on Ultra I, the functionality was quite different. “You couldn’t go into series mode unless you were already in the middle position with both pickups on,” he explains. “With Ultra II it doesn’t matter what position the switch is on – you could be on the bridge pickup and when you push that button it automatically activates both pickups and puts them in Series Mode – so it almost operates like a preset. The functionality on Ultra II is a lot more useful.”

ADVANCED ELECTRONICS

Another high-performance, under-the-hood feature on the Ultra II Tele is the treble bleed circuit. “Often when you turn down the volume on an electric guitar, you lose the high-end and the tone gets darker.” The treble bleed circuit allows the higher frequencies to pass through, preserving that coveted high-end – even at low volumes.

And don’t forget about the Orange Drop capacitors. “It’s an inside thing,” Abbassi adds, “but it makes a difference. High-quality capacitors are known for producing smooth, warm tones and improving the stability of your tone. We wanted only the highest quality components for Ultra II.”

Looking for an amp that can stand up to your Ultra? Check out our full suite of guitar amps — from the legendary Twin Reverb to the cutting-edge Tone Master Pro.