Fender American Ultra: The Perfect Guitar?
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- Опубліковано 5 сер 2024
- The Fender American Ultra. Is it worth the $2100 price tag?
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Thomann: www.thomann.de/intl/fender_am...
Sweetwater: imp.i114863.net/oEEBY
0:00 Alright everybody!
3:27 Rundown
4:28 The sound
8:55 Specs
10:53 the lost Priest riff!
12:23 I'm not changing ANYTHING
14:44 If I had $2150
16:20 Until Next time...
Disclosure: Fender sent me this guitar. My opinions are my own.
About Spectre Sound Studios:
I'm Glenn Fricker, engineer here at Spectre Sound Studios. I love making records, and after doing it for sixteen years, I want to pass on what I've learned. On my channel you can find tutorials on how to record guitar, bass, real drums and vocals. There's reviews and demos of tube amps, amp sims, drums, mics, preamps, outboard gear, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, and plugin effects.
We've covered Moon on the Water, played Bias FX, given you the absolute best in Stupid Musician Texts, ranted & raved about bass guitar, and this channel is where The Eagle has Landed.
Everything you've wanted to learn about recording Hard Rock & Heavy Metal can be found right here on this channel!
I also respond to your comments & questions: The best make it into the SMG Viewer's Comments series of videos. Loads of fun, lots of laughs.
Thanks for checking out my channel & please subscribe!
The Stratocaster has to be one of the most iconic and influential design blueprints of the 20th century. Almost nothing has changed from the original, 1950s models to the present day Player Stratocaster.
I LOVE lower output humbuckers for metal! The "squishy" tones they produce are so dynamic and they can be tightened up pretty easily if needed.
Same. I put some zone dimarzios in my explorer and it’s amazing.
This is why I love coil tap humbuckers because you can go from 10k+ to 5k-6k with the push/pull.
Its always good to have a low output guitar and one with actives and high output. I feel like low output is best for leads and I use the high outputs for rhythm in my mixes.
Same AF. I have a set of PAF7's in one of my MIJ Ibanez RG7421s and they're awesome with high gain.
I play Jackson high output hums and don’t love low output but would love to have a lower output sometime
Having actually worked in the Guitar Gallery, I can confirm that said Fender does come standard with a TSA approved hard-shell case
2-refrets, a vol knob replacement (started crackling), 5 dents and 3000+ hours of playing and my fender elite Strat is still the goat even with the les Paul sitting next to it.
One of the best features is having the D shape neck near the 12th fret and having an open C shape in the back near the 1st. Just this one little modification they made makes a shredding so much easier
Early 80s Elite? Yeah, those were in many ways the best Strats ever made. I miss mine. The ONLY Strat I ever owned that I miss. I had the matching Precision Elite II bass, too. And that was a KILLER.
@@Turboy65 Wow, I didn't know they had an elite series back then. I was wondering how he managed to wear out the frets that quickly, lol.
I find it funny in a bad way that Leo Fender made his guitars to be the Volkswagon in price for the everyday man, something they (we) can afford and great in play ability. Now Fender has Gibson prices too. Leo's rollin'. Oh yeah...... Hey ya Glenn, Great show! ;)
You try making and distributing a guitar made in the US. See how that goes.
They are still cheap compared to the competition. They have a bunch of USA guitar in the $1000 - 1500 range which is hard to find anywhere else. Prices for everything are just high. This example happens to be the top of their line, so the price reflects that.
I just wanna say, it's "Volkswagen".
Not "Volkswagon".
I understand that it's not easy, to pronounce a german word.
I can't pronounce all english words perfectly either.
But at least, i learn how to write them.
Or look it up, before i write it.
It's not like Fender doesn't have an affordable line that is also a lot better than what Gibson offers across the range. Made in Mexico Fenders are a really good option for gigging instruments. I think it's totally fine for a guitar company to have a premium range that is produced at lower volumes and therefor more expensive. I wouldn't buy into that, but it's cool to see some of those instruments.
Adjusted for inflation, a new 54 strat was almost 2000 bucks
Was never really attracted to Fenders. But had a buddy needing some cash and picked up his Mexican Strat for around 200 if I remember right. The blue swirl finish was just too pretty to pass up at that price. And I was really impressed with the guitar. I did decide to go with some hotter pickups. Went with the Dimarzio Andy Timmons set. Humbucker and two hot rails. Easily my favorite guitar now. I brushed off every strat and tele I saw. Guess never to late to learn
The Mexican Fenders offer simply incredible value, ESPECIALLY IN BASSES, seriously, anything above a good Mexican Jazz bass is pretty much greed at this point!
I never really liked Strats and I tried and tried and tried. However I found a Made in Mexico Strat for $200 at my local music go round and it was really nice and played better than any Strat I ever played. Thought about it for too long as I tried to buy it the next day but it was gone. The one that got away
check Squier Telecaster Contemporary series...frigging amazing for 399
I was never into them either. My two gripes with Strats are: very few hardtails are available and I much prefer them. Second, the damned volume knob is in the most inconvenient, stupid ass spot. It’s in the way, period. Possibly a third gripe would be very few dual humbucker models. Otherwise, the quality of Fender is pretty good.
I have a fender parts caster.... Mexican body Korean neck.... lace sensor red blue and silver single coils.... easily my go to for the Gilmour sound
I just got home from two gigs, singing out loud all night, taking breakfast right now and probably I'll be sleeping a few hours to recover for tonite's gig, and this video reminds me that hard work pays off, keep on rocking, Glenn!!!
TY!
Im a Fender person myself. Defended my decisions for years when people slated them. I love other brands too but I started on a cheap Squier and now have a Mexican Fender. I love how easy they are to play and the fact that they stay in tune helps quite a bit. Nice review :)
Last fall I got an Ultra Luxe Telecaster from Sweetwater, and it is nothing short of exceptional. And same as your review strat, it came set up perfectly. Plays amazing, sounds amazing, feels amazing, looks amazing (green, of course!). In all my years of buying guitars, I've never purchased an "off the wall" guitar that was just perfect as is. Major props to Fender for what they are doing these days. Totally worth the money, and it's now tied for favorite out of my whole collection (along with a hand made Robin from 1993). Oh, and if you don't think Teles can "metal".... hahaha Boy are you in for a surprise when you find out what was actually used on many of your favorite recordings.
I was a Gibson player for years, but for the last few years I've been playing Fender's, and I love them!
LOL Great Intro! I dig your channel man. It's inspiring that you didn't stop working towards your goals. Thank You for constantly giving us honest reviews and quality tips. I can only imagine how much work and time your having to put in to run your studio plus your UA-cam Channel and other Social Networks! even with help I know it's time consuming. I know I'm not the only one who appreciate's it, so Rock On Glen! Thanks for keeping it real!
Out of all the tones on your channel, this one speaks to me the most! Good job.
Biggest issue I find with all fender style guitars...is I eventually hit the volume knob turning it down. Always thought the placement of them was not always ideal....depending on style
We put rubber washers behind the volume knob or the make a knob that is very hard to turn.
I removed the knob (left potentiometer in place) and it solved the problem. Ok, I can’t do volume swells
My biggest issue with them I would say is the bridges. I mean there's no variation with those. I would love a floyd rose on my strat but there aren't very many of those. That and, every strat I've touched so far has a gloss neck that are always sticky.
@@RobertJones-rd5wl they make a pedal for that🤟🏻
@@wingsoficarus1139 pool cue conditioner takes care of that.
I've almost gone completely to Fenders. The last two I've purchased are excellent - Mod shop strat VERY similar to the one in this demo although hardtail w/ 70's headstock and recently a MIM tele, that for the price is amazing.
That tone is absolutely gorgeous. Really loved this one.
Bro... your playing is so amazing. You have made a ton of progress. Definitely makes the videos more entertaining
I have multiple Fenders and multiple Gibsons as well as some other guitars (only because I've been playing long enough to acquire a small collection of instruments that I really enjoy playing). Love both for different reasons but I have to say that my fender USA deluxe Strat is my desert island guitar. More or less an older version of this with SSS config. It is literally perfect. NEVER goes out of tune. I don't think I've ever even locked the locking tuners in eleven years because there is no need! The s-1 switch paired with the noiseless pups give so much tonal variety it's insane. I can pretty much get that guitar to sound like anything. Anyway, just my thoughts.
After watching the video I can say I'm impressed. That's a great tone for some old school black or doom metal. Between that, the hardshell case and the locking tuners I'd say $2100 is a fair price for what you're getting. Good job, Fender. Also, great job on the old school Priest riffs, Glenn 🤘🎃🤘
🤓🤓🤓🤓✡️✡️✡️🕎🕎🕎💀💀💀
What about the the Schecter sun valleys?
Love the intros! Great content, as always!
Awesome guitar Glenn, the smile in your face when nail the riff is contagious. Keep up the good work, I love your channel and F U Glenn!!!
Love my two 'proper' Fenders but my Partscaster is still my favourite guitar. The fact that Charvel, Jackson and EVH all fall under the Fender umbrella does it for me too.
My part caster would crush just about any Strat at a Guitar Center. I carefully collected top shelf parts. Suhr pups: SSH. Graphite nut and custom neck. Alder “California” body off of eBay. Now I just need to practice to be worthy of this axe.
@@racpa5 although almost anything from any other store beats Guitar Centers... they really have them battered🤷🏻
It’s my understanding that the fender mod shop only ships in the continental US, but I’d compare this guitar to an iteration that you can build in the mod shop, and these guitars are freaking insanely good to play.
I built a left handed, hardtail mod shop in 2021, with an alder body, noiseless HSS, locking tuners strap locks and a roasted maple, jumbo fret neck.
For 1800, or so US, i got a MiM, set up in corona, with the same hard shell case as Glenn’s. And i love it. If you are able, I’d highly check out the options/combinations possible in the mod shop
I have a Mod Shop Strat, and I love it.
I think you’re right that the Mod Shop only ships in the USA. I’m in Australia and we can “make a guitar” but cant actually purchase it.
I'm in Scotland in the UK and I got the Miami Blue, American Pro II about 8 months ago and I LOVE it.
The push-push pick up switch is awesome.
It came with that same case and was fully set-up out of the box.
Ultra was just a bit out of my price range.
Great video.
Hey Glenn! Good playing and glad you enjoyed the guitar! Hearing those old Priest riffs was a thrill. I might be only 30 years old, but when in my early teenage years I've became a huge fan of Priest after hearing Nostradamus (I know, controversial album, but I love that and also one of the big merits of Priest for me: an always changing, evolving band capable of pulling off so much from Before the Dawn to Painkiller) and then gone for to listen to all of their albums in order of release date. This way I got hooked up on their early albums pretty soon.
Oh and Glenn, I use my guitar players ultra (and my Carlson modified with lace pickups) as clean guitars. They’re perfect and versatile for cleans specifically… or so I’ve noticed…
Hey Glenn the difference you're hearing in the sound has to do with two different things about this guitar. I've had a lot of these show up in my shop for mods and when it comes down to that most people don't like is a fender made humbucker is actually shorter coils than a standard paf like a Seymour Duncan. The coils are just not quite as tall but they sound good. Fender also uses 250k pots in these guitars which we all know is suited better for single coils. Most the time I just recommend changing the single coils into hot rails and changing the pots to 500k. These two modifications make the guitar sound much more ballsy.
Lol no. Just add swap for a 500k pot and wire a 473k resistor in parallel with the single coils. You don't even need a super switch.
@@davidfaustino4476 I didn't say there weren't other things you could do I just said that's what I recommend to customers that require a different sound. Sometimes they decide to go with something else. Sometimes I just replace the humbucker with an actual Seymour Duncan.
the thing I like most about this video is how much fun glenn has with the guitar haha
LOVE the vintage 70/80s metal tones your squeeze out of that guit-fiddle. Well done, nice playing.
Ty!
"I was not expecting locking tuners on a Fender" they've had their own version of Schaller's for as long as I can remember 😂😂😂
Since converting from guitar to Bass I have had 2 Fender Ultra Jazz and 1 Fender Elite Precision Special and they came with the same case. Only bigger and they where flawless in every way. I actually play extremely hard with a pick and set the action a little higher than factory. Other than that perfect. 🥰
I find that odd that a pick player would set the action high. I Play with fingers and i've always gone with higher action because I whack the strings pretty hard and fast. too low of action it just creates too much fret buzz. But that's not a problem with a pick due to a pick's attack angle so odd a pick player would go higher.
@@DenverStarkey Depends on your string gauge, pick thickness, and where you pluck.
Right there with you! I have the 5 string American Elite Jazz and a 4 string Mod shop Precision. Flawless bass guitars. Setup was perfect right out of the box. And yes, the cases are very nice. I gig with both of them regularly and they sound great no matter where I am. The Precision sounds even better when I tune down to D standard. Every note sounds a little more full and defined, especially when using a pick.
Great review Glenn! Been waiting for it for a while! One small thing you forgot to mention is the 10"-14" compound radius. It makes easier to play chords in the first frets and easy to solo in the upper frets. This is something classic strat guys might not like since it is a modern guitar feature (like Suhrs). Keep on the good work! If you ever come to Ottawa there's a beer waiting with your name on it !!!
Nice to see your progress on playing guitar, Glenn!
You should experiment with a single coil in the bridge. You're always telling us to experiment. Dig into it, Glenn. Lead by example.
I remember him saying once that a hotrail in the bridge of a tele created one of the heaviest guitar tones he's ever gotten
which isn't exactly the standard single coil, but it definitely isn't your average humbucker either
@@perryborn2777 Hot rails sound terrible...
@@creamydistortion
I'm not advocating for or against them, just restating something Glen said in a vid
I've never used one
lol pretty sure an hss would be considered more of an experiment
not even 2 minutes in, but had to comment. The listing on Sweetwater does say that it comes with a hardshell case, so that must be the standard case....which is really nice.
incidentally, the price of the case alone on Sweetwater is $229
I really enjoy watching Glenn having fun with the gear he plays/presents!
Yeah, a scammer, only a few minutes after i posted this comment. Glenn already did post a video on that. Don´t answer this "you have been choosen" bullshit!
Your loud and energetic presentation is captivating. I normally don't have the patience to sit through people talking and can't wait to hear the actual playing but I don't find this to be the case with your videos.
Glenn, you should do a fearless review of the G&L S-500 fullerton deluxe with the MFD pickups, I think you'll find that Leo's final design of the single coil pickup superior to anything on a Fender. My best Fender is a G&L
This! Or the Espada, you can get some nice humbucker tones out of those Z coils.
My worst Fender was a G&L L2000. Sounded great. Was unplayable
@@fatarry did it have like 8 switches and knobs that you never figured out, too?
@@chrispodesta8105 this is why the stereotype that bass players are idiots still exists
Try adjusting the bridge pickup height small increments, that can help lower output pickups get a good chug. Also boosting the amp with an OD :)
Absolutely! Easiest 'mod' ever. Was thinking about buying higher output pickups. But then I decided to remove the pickup cover, slightly raise the pickup. Now it sounds awesome and more aggressive and it didn't cost a thing.
@@mrcoatsworth429 physics be wildin
it looked to me like the switch was in second Position, not bridge only... am I wrong?
now I'm sure... at the beginning of the video he didn't riff with the bridge pick up only, what made the guitar sounded fuzzy
If you start raising your pick ups towards the strings, you need to help the guitar sustain with a sustain pedal of some sort. Because the closer your pick ups are to your strings, the less sustain you’re going to get.
Always a pleasure to watch. Go Glenn.
I appreciate seeing another metal player reviewing these guitars and pushing them into some proper higher gain territory! There’s an infinite supply of reviewers noodling on these in clean or low gain crunch tones, but precious few throwing them in a metal context. Weird, because they really seem to pull it off!
I’ve had nothing but an Ibanez RGD 7 string Prestige for like 6 years now, and I want a Strat (again) for standard D and drop C. Pretty sure it’s gonna be one of these. I tried the single coil Ultra Luxe version in a store and it was crazy comfortable - the non-Luxe HSS model is exactly what I’m looking for. Not cheap, but it seems to justify its price tag. And if I’m going to have just one do-it-all 6 string that isn’t quite as much of a pure metal machine as my Ibanez, I’m cool spending a bit more.
I've never been a fan of Fender, or Gibson for that matter. Always been a Charvel/Schecter guy but I believe that guitar plays incredible. It sure looks nice.
ESP all day every day for me
Fender also owns jackson.
My Ultra Jazz reminds me of the old Jackson necks from the 90s.
These aren't your grandpa's Fenders.
The Stratocaster is the classic rock blues version of your Charvelle/sch. It’s probably missing a few features like having a solid body ash. But you’re never going to notice it
Charvel, Jackson, Squire, Bigsby, EVH all owned by Fender. The Charvel DK22 and 24 might be more of a Metal machine, they have some Floyd equipped models as does Fender. Love my Fenders, for that same price though you could get a pretty nice Kiesel made up with Fender specs with yer' personnel wood/pickup/neck preference.
And a business arrangement with Gretsch
Great vid, I've had my USA ultra for a year now and love it. It hasn't been without fault though. Two weeks after getting it and the fretboard started bubbling, it went back to fender and they replaced the neck. The new neck had a terrible nut so the thing just wouldn't stay in tune so it had to go back again for a full setup. I was back and fourth to the shop 6 times in all but now it's fantastic, holds tune and plays like a dream!
Hmm, Glenn's Gibson didn't even have all those problems.
@@216trixie The shop were fantastic as we're Fender with regards to getting it all sorted out. The shop did say that Fender's quality control is bad at the moment.
@@216trixie Yeah… No… I’ve dealt with Gibson and fender with brand-new guitars before. And I can tell you that if you have a minor complaint, Fender will bend over backwards. You tell that same thing to Gibson, and they will tell you to buy another guitar. Word for Word example of what I experienced
i have the player plus version of the ultra and i love it. i seem to have a love/hate relationship with strats, but this one just makes me feel good when i play it. also, love the noiseless pickups.
If Fender would make 24-fret guitars and either neck-thru or set-through, I'd pay them a lot more attention. I DO think playability on a strat is really good, and I like all the pickup combos you can do. But are they still doing 21 frets? Not right. And I'd definitely have to switch out to a hotter HB. My favorite pickup of all time is the SD Full Shred. Go ahead and laugh all you want, it's a freaking beast after you've set your amp up right.
I agree 100%. I put a S/D in my jackson, and it sounds SO good. I've owned around 60 different guitars, but I'll never part with my Jackson.
The ultras have 22 frets
@randy's rides *Dave Mustaine has left the room*
A hidden gem from Fender is the HM strat. Still bolt on, but 24 frets and a Floyd. You could go with a late 80s MIJ original for 2-3K or pick up a 2020 reissue for about 1000.
You can easily get the 24th fret note by hitting the harmonic above the neck pickup. That high E rings out like crazy. You can also bend up to those notes - it's easy, and I use heavy strings. If you really nail it, you can get the 36th fret harmonic as well, which is painfully loud and high!
"You can't put a humbucker in a strat!!"... Looks like this IS a strat, made by fender, with a humbucker. So I guess you CAN put a humbucker in a strat XD
You “shouldn’t”
Not “can’t”
“Shouldn’t”…
@Jim Herleva Dave Murray exists to prove that wrong with his triple humbucker setup.
And he does a great job of it.
You can put anything in a strat. They are the most customisable guitar platform in the world. I have never really gotten the results I want with any other guitar, and I like playing heavy stuff.
I’ve never owned a high-end fender guitar, but I picked up a Fender Blacktop Jaguar about 12 years ago. They were going for $600 brand new and I just fell in love with the thing. I ended up buying a second one about 6 months later and I still use them all the time. Such fun guitars to play!
I got a 2021 player series strat last year and it is fantastic, so many American features but at the Mexican price point. What I love about strats is the flexibility and easy way one can just put on a new scratch plate with different pickups, mods etc and change the sound of the entire instrument with relative ease. Good stuffm
How is this any better than your standard 1000$ HSS Strat? In your other videos, price seems always to be the driving factor for your critique. But this time it seems to be unproblematic.
It’s not about that. It’s about value to price. This is a guitar that gives you what you pay for.
i bought a 2011 deluxe american (the precursor to the elite and ultra lines), and its indeed nicer, even compared to an american standard. its hard to describe. thats not saying the $1000 models arent nice. its not too different from a good average priced steak dinner thats $25 vs a steak that youll pay $75 and is worth every penny. tho its hard to describe its not utter horseshit to say that the ultra/elite/deluxes are la creme de la creme. just imagine waking up from a dream about a guitar where everything was literally perfect. thats the difference. and these differences are not things that are upgradable. if you try to analyze by yes but i could buy 2-3 steaks/guitars for the same price, youre missing the point, the value and cost that goes into getting from 90% perfect to 99% perfect follows a curve, its not a straight line, they could also make 2-3 guitars for the same cost and trust me, you would enjoy one guitar thats 99% perfect more than 2 that are 90% perfect. what would you rather have - two acuras or one porsche... (dont get me wrong porsche has had their duds) that might be a personal question, but theres also a reason ppl fall in love with super well made things. if it were bs ppl would say so, theres no hypnotism in why $75 steaks, porsches, and fender ultras leave people on cloud 9.
Attention all Strat purists: if you aren't supposed to put humbuckers in a Strat, then why were the old Standards routed at the factory for HSH?
Not only the old.
Noone saying that??? That's the one thing that irked me alittle, Strats are first in class when it comes to customizability...
Although it's a whole other thing if you put a humbucker in the vintage ones from the 50s and 60s, those ARE only routed for single coils
my 20th anniversary affinity series squire is routed that way too i got Seymours sitting in a box for modding it just need to make or find a guard
@@1972LittleC Not to mention the old swimming pool route from the 90s
Love your channel my Brother. I have both Fenders and Gibson guitars. No problem with either brand, ever. I do have the new Fender Telecaster ULTRA and it's wonderful. At the same time I have a new Gibson SG Modern and it's flawless. Everyone has preferences. The best thing to do is to play whatever you've got. Try to create music of value and above all....PLAY WITH PASSION! rock on my brother. jake in Detroit.
I might need a towel to clean off my chin after this comment but your playing has improved so much. Listening to you play used to just be a requirement on this channel, now it’s actually a highlight. Love old Judas Priest stuff too.
The problem is, when you accept on of those guitars, they can sent an nearly perfect instrument. If you go to the guitar shop, the experience can be different.
At least they have perfect instruments to send.
Unlike Gibson it seems...
Fenders way of saying it "Suck it" to Gibson lol
Glenn did mentioned that in a previous video when he did a fearless gear review with a Harley Benton guitar. He said he plans to have a buddy order one for him and review it for just that thing.
good point, but one of the main points of a strat is the simplicity of construction and assembly. there is a lot less to get wrong because of the block colour rather than sunbursts.
I am a fat strat through and through.
I've always found Fenders to be very consistent. They don't make much that isn't good.
That is what Gibson does.
Great review, i'm surprise that you have not mention the that the volume is too near the bridge, and that you can cut the sound off without realizing it, for me it's the biggest issue with all the fender and the same for older jackson soloist/dinky, finally they have move the volume out of the way !!
Never had that issue. But your experience is equally valid. What I do like about the volume knob being close is the ability to do easy volume swells.
I think you're taking the wrong lesson from your experiences. There are plenty of people - some who suck at guitar like me, and some like Yngwie, or Jake E. Lee - who manage to play a Strat ot Strat style without accidentally rolling the volume off.
you can solve this by putting a pick under the knob, a felt pad that some companies make to add more resistance to the knob, or, because it’s a Fender, you can just get a new pickguard and move it. it’s not a difficult fix if you dislike it
@@vexedpixels in fact it's what i always have in mind, bypass both tone and move the volume, and when talking to some luthier in my area, it's the mod that they do mostly on strat, remove 1 or both tone knob and move the volume
This must be one of the ones where they got rid of that damn button on the volume knob that inverts everything. Jesus Christ… That thing you would have to clean before any recording session or gig with industrial metal cleaner otherwise it would start crackling mid riff
Nice man! I recently got the arctic pearl as well with a rosewood finger board. I ended up converting it to an HSS with a bare knuckle stormy monday, and some john mayer big dippers for the single coils. It's the perfect mix of heavy and pretty and I couldn't be happier with it!
That sounds sick. I have an elite strat HSS. It's basically an ultra with a few differences. I would miss the noiseless pickups. They really are that good. I gotta google those Mayer pups 😊
Pssshhhtt, way out of my price range 😂
Nice and muddy like all of your demos!
Yes, the truth revealed, I love Fender and just got an Am pro, it is perfect, I owned Gibsons and none of them hold a light to any of my Fenders, hell, Gretsch streamliners are a better guitar than Gibson, hands down! Thanks, Glen!
I got thr dark night finish, flawless. Love the vmod pickups, plays great high gain even with the single bridge pickup3
Subjective. I own lots of Gibsons and Fenders…
Had a Gretsch and it was awful (and I love Gretsch), twisted neck - horrible to play…
Oh but that doesn’t fit the internet echo chamber….
@@jimherleva4541 well, I am sure that the "Echo Chamber" echoes because of fact, Gretsch would replace it though and one naysayer to the "Echo Chamber" of Gibson sucking a fat pile of shit, Gibson quality is sub-par and for the price, it should be perfect, I am sure if you ordered 10 Gibson and 10 Fenders that the Fenders, hands down would be superior, you are just trying to justify buying expensive canoe paddles
Please review a microwave oven next time. Thank you.
Maybe he should play the Cherry Orchards riff?
@@johnmurphy5739 Not metal enough... 😁
@@johnmurphy5739 Not posh enough 🤣
I did remember to turn my volume down today...a much less irritable good morning, Glen!
Cool video Glenn! I own a Made in USA Yngwie Malmsteen signature Fender Stratocaster and it absolutely kills. Great 80s metal tone, and especially amazing lead sound as you would expect.
By the way! I can definitely see that you have been practicing guitar and you have developed your chops a lot. However, seeing the way you play scales and stuff, I have some advice: when you play an ascending run try keeping all fingers down on the string you are playing on until it's time to change string, without lifting them up as you fret a note with the next finger like you seem to do sometimes (e.g. if you play a note with your index finger on the D string, don't lift your index finger off when you play the next note with, say, your third finger on the same string). It's something that helps a lot with control. Moving your fingers as little as possible really helps getting faster and more precise.
Keep up the good work!
Cheers from Italy!
Fender actually delivers on the quality which should be expected from the price tag unlike gibSHIT
Can't wait to see the Gibson fanboys coming in strong suggesting you only trash Gibson because you're on Fender's payroll. If the last few months have shown us anything, it's that there is no end to the stupidity of a corporate fanboy when it comes to defending their chosen brand.
Man, i loved the old priest riffs in that beautiful Fender, great job!!!!
Just wanna note Glenn yes the hardshell does come with it! It's an excellent quality case, I assume it hasn't changed since 2015 when I got mine but if it has my bad!
As much as I hate Gibson, this schtick is getting old.
Never
I love how you cut to the chase. It stays in tune, feels good, good action and good paint job. Take the name off the headstock and it's still badass.
You mean take the price tag off…
@@jimherleva4541 I own Squiers and MIM Fender, I see why this guitar costs more and it is a gorgeous instrument
I like the tone of that thing it would be great for my doom sludge stoner project I’m want to accomplish soon your great man love the video as usual you kick major nuts bro🤘🏻⚡️⚡️🖤💎
I WAS GOING TO ASK IF YOU WOULD TRY A FENDER!!!! It's like you read my mind! Love you Glenn and your channel!
My dad has had a Strat my entire life, and of all his guitars he's got it's the only one I'm making sure I get when he's gone. I haven't played guitar in over 10 years, but I can still recognize a great one when I see it.
Sweet guitar! Once again, I wish I had your chops more than the guitar. I enjoyed this review.
Hey Glenn I use a Hughes and kettner trilogy and I notice it has a very flubby honky tone, what do you recommend to tighten it up? My pedals I use are a fender tread light wah, rat pro-co and a way huge green rhino and a azor noise gate but I find it's still flubby, hope to hear from you soon! Thanks!
I have the SSS Cobra Blue with maple, can't get that combo with a humbucker, and after getting it I sold all my other strats... gone through many over years wanting to love them but never bonded until this Ultra. The neck may be my favorite neck of all times (40 years of playing). Mine is flawless except for a rough spot in the nut on the B string (easy fix) but I did try some, this was 2 years ago, with bad fret sprout. It does come with that case. The humbucker is lower output to keep it consistent from a volume perspective with the singles. I love mine... seriously considering an Ultra Tele because as a Metal guy... I don't own a Tele but love the neck on the Ultra so much I may give it a shot! Happy to see this video! They have definitely increased in price the past couple of years but again, for me it's the first strat I've truly loved and everyone who plays it is in awe as well.
I have the Ultra American Jazz Bass. It’s really solid. I love it.
I love you when you shout good morning when I watch you 12 minutes past 1am.
I know the main focus of this channel is in regards to studio recordings and metal etc but I like your gear demos better than anyone else on UA-cam because it’s done by a real person that tells the harsh truth that some people may not want to hear…
Also, love those classic metal tones.
Now that's how you Open a SHOW!
Totally Appreciate Glenn's 'BALLS OUT' Candor!
Never Change Dude!
I got myself a fender american original 50s p bass in gold lately and it is disgustingly nice to play. Maaaaan, really top of the notch quality. I mean for sure not necessary but Inläjust love all the vintage specs and the colour. It just is nice and I must smile everytime i see it
Sounds killer 🤘🎸
Sweet tones!
White on white strat with an all maple neck is THE combo for a strat. Love it.
And I love single coils even for heavy tones. Most of the time when I'm playing my 8 string, I have the humbuckers split. Maybe it comes with age or maybe it just sounds cooler since it's not as muddy. The split humbucker in this demo sounded much better to my ears.
friend had a jim root tele with twin humbuckers. pretty neat. i was tempted at picking up the squire version used.🤘🏻🍻
I have a 2001 made in Mexico Fender Stratocaster that I absolutely love; about a year or so ago I changed out the white pickguard and traditional single-single-single setup to the black hardware humbucker-single-single drop-in kit and the wine-color body of the guitar just looks killer! I recently bought an Ernie Ball Music-Man Majesty (because I'm both a Petrucci fanboy and after playing one of those guitars I fell madly in love with the Piezo), and the coil tap on the middle position gives that guitar such a beautiful Strat-like quality, but with much clearer and brighter (to me) tone. Always been a Stratocaster fanboy, and I will never let go of my old Strat, even if I rarely play it in favor of my Majesty!
The scream at the beginning of these videos is becoming iconic!🤘
Great video and playing. You’re exactly like me, I don’t care what guitar I play, give me some overdrive and distortion and I will rock the hell out of it. Even if it’s made for country music, I’m still cranking that distortion. 🤘🏽🎸
Dude! Fender is knocking it out of the park. The mexican made stuff is phenomenal. I love my Player strat. It did need a little bit of love and attention on the frets, and I added my personal mods to it, but all in all it's just a solid guitar. And their USA stuff is well worth the money.
Definitely get a Charvel in to review! You won't be disappointed (I bought one of those too recently and it's a killer guitar)
I purchased a new Fender Player Strat (MIM) and Vintera 60s Jaguar (MIM) this year.
The fit, finish and condition were flawless, no issues, no sharp fret ends. Minor setup and intonation were quick and easy.
I purchased a new Jackson JS32T Rhoads (Made in China), black with white bevels. Again, fit, finish were flawless, the fretboard looks like dark, even rosewood and the sharktooth inlays have no flaws, no sharp fret ends, smooth satin finish on the natural maple neck. I paid US $236 new. Even the stock Jackson pickups sound great, my only complaint is they lack some clarity at full volume, dialing volume back to 7-8 cleans up well, and the volume makes noticeable differences through its' entire range.
I've purchased and tried guitars in the thousands of $ that weren't this good in build quality as this MIC Jackson!
Always liked Fender, even the Squier stuff, one of my main axes is a converted baritone Telecaster with a hot rail in the bridge, its my fave.
I'm not a metal head. I'm a Classic Rock and Blues head. However, I find your gear reviews helpful as well as some of your other topics. Over the last couple of years, I've owned 4 American made Strats and one Mexican made (I came into some unexpected cash and went a little crazy). All but one was HSS. Before this I've owned a Squire, and Japanese made from the 80s, a fake made in China and long ago I had an HSS Strat style guitar made by Epiphone. I gotta agree with you. The guitars coming out of the American and Mexican factories today are top notch quality. Maybe they aren't what a Metal player is looking for. But, if you want Classic Rock and Blues tones, you can't beat the modern HSS Stratocasters. Combined with my Boss Katana MKll Artist I can cover almost anything from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Keep on ROCKING Glen!
I just bought that guitar a few weeks ago. I had to get the neck pickup fixed. It shorted the week after I got it. It’s definitely an amazing guitar for bluesy stuff and metal!
I like the finish/pickguard because it reminds me of one of Bruce Kulick's early 90's ESP guitars. I think Bruce's pickguard had more red in it but still, it reminds me of when he stopped using the 2 handed tapping technique and started playing more gnarly leads. That Fender is a cool guitar, though.
One thing I do have to say...every time I watch one of your vids, I'm always slightly distracted by that Revv amp behind you. That snakeskin covering is awesome!
Glenn I have no idea why people trash you're playing. You're a fantastic guitarist.
until 6:50, is the PU selector at position 2? i mean it both seems and sounds so..
Hey Glenn/Fans of Glenn,
I’m building a home studio, monitor recommendations in the 80 dollar price range? I heard in a previous video to stay away from the Mackie set with the green lining.
I have a MIM strat and I love it. its not my go to but it definitely has its uses. I find it funny that so many guitar companies offer coil splitting pickups and stuff to sound like a strat, when if you want that sound, just get the strat.
This video is 11 months old and I have been subscribed longer than that. How did I miss this video?
I have one Gibson, but I have a few mid-range Squires, and they are excellent instruments. I'd expect the same of your Fender. When are starting/joining a band, Glen? Your playing is great!!
I have the 3 Single coil version of this exact guitar including the same finish and its amazing... Yes its expensive however to me in terms of overall quality its easlily as good as my Core PRS Custom 22 which was quite a bit more expensive than the Fender... As for the tone some people look down on the noiseless pickups but to me as a non-purist they sound great... Now where this guitar really shines is the playability - the compound neck radius makes it so comfortable and combined with the body/neck contours makes it a dream to play... Really an amazing guitar...
The Fender Ultra series is the real deal. I have a Fender Ultra Jazz bass AND an Ultra Telecaster. Both phenomenal.
Nice guitar for sure good show!
I had been wanting to get one of these for years, they had about everything I wanted in a strat, played one once and really liked it, decided to just upgrade a Squier to similar specs. It’s pretty solid but your mileage may vary.