Master Chef

More aged nitro finishes and a new US-made line-up that pares back the modernisms. Are our tastes changing?

- Words Dave Burrluck

One of our gear highlights of this year has to be Fender's American Ultra Luxe Vintage mini-range, which combines the modernist style of the ongoing American Ultra II models with a lightly bashed and aged nitro finish. While those guitars top the USA Fender line in price, the new American Professional Classic models – which replace the American Performers in the lineup – are effectively half the price, centring on that modern/vintage duality. Is there a theme emerging, we ask Max Gutnik, chief product officer at FMIC?

“Yes, the American Performer had pretty much run its course,” he confirms, “and we’ve been very successful with the American Professional II models. So the thinking was, instead of having a different-tier guitar, could we have a different trim level but at the same level for the working musician in both cases? The American Professional Classic is a more traditionally styled guitar with vintage-y features like the ClassicGear tuners, the classic bridges and vintage-style pickups... but all with a bit of a modern twist.

“The Performer was a very modern guitar,” he continues. “A lot of folks were wondering which one they should be getting – the Performer or the American Professional II. We wanted more distinction for the player who wants this trim level but without necessarily a dip in quality. I mean, all of the American guitars still have some 150 hand-processes in the making of every one of these guitars; they’re really high-quality.”