“I’ve dreamed of having a Strat like this since I was a kid.” We review the Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage ’60s Stratocaster HSS

There are so many types of Strats, so what’s up with this one? Well, it’s integral to the launch of American Ultra Luxe Vintage, which stands on the shoulders of American Ultra II models and represents the pinnacle of Fender production.

These American creations come off the line in Corona, California. Ultra Luxe models feature top-shelf hardware such as stainless-steel frets and Pure Vintage pickups. The core collection pays homage to classic ’50s and ’60s Telecasters and Stratocasters, and then there’s this modern/classic HSS ’60s Strat that includes two ’61 Strat single-coils plus a Haymaker humbucker in the bridge position equipped with a coil tap. Fender aimed this electric guitar at traditional Stratocaster fans with a spirit for modern sonic adventure.

I remember becoming enthralled by the Plus and Plus Ultra Strats of the late ’80s that had Lace Sensor pickups, including a bridge humbucker on Ultra models, with Wilkinson tremolo systems and locking tuners. It was Fender adopting production according to the popularity of super Strats and based on modifications from pioneers such as Eddie Van Halen.

I remember the other guitarist in my first band got an Ultra, and I eventually picked up a used ’89 Strat Plus that I still play to this day. I figured it would be fun to compare it to the Ultra Luxe and put it through all the paces. I ended up bringing it out on many gigs over a period of a few months, including on a Jeff Beck tribute mini-tour in Northern California.

The HSS Ultra Luxe Vintage ’60s Strat comes in Fiesta Red and Sea Foam Green, the finish option offered on my sample. The color is darker and more toward teal than classic Surf Green, and it appears, in real life, like a photo seen through the Vivid Cool filter on an iPhone.

The aged Heirloom satin lacquer finish is muted, yet still very vibrant. You can see it from across a large venue, yet look closely, and it appears slightly cracked like a vintage guitar, otherwise known as “checking.” That unique finish, combined with the zebra humbucker in the bridge and rosewood fretboard, makes it look like the coolest modern/classic Strat I can imagine.

This review unit is a Vintage ’60s, and it truly does have that ’60s vibe and feel. I would have guessed that my ’89 is heavier, but it’s not. It’s literally just a different vintage with a fuller neck profile and a standard neck heel.

The Ultra Luxe features a tapered neck heel and an upper back body contour. When I showed that to ’60s Strat connoisseur Johnny A., he wasn’t stoked about the missing body mass, but I found that the recessed heel does make it a bit easier to navigate upward of the 17th fret. I actually found the whole neck easy to navigate, with an appreciation for the slim profile. If you prefer a thicker one, check out a Vintage ’50s model.

The guitar is slinky as funk. It’s the kind of guitar Ike Turner could make sing with stinging note bends and syncopated chicken-necking rhythms. String bendability is off the charts. It facilitates all sorts of high-wire tricks that don’t even come to mind on most guitars.

I wound up doing extensive finger stretches on the fretboard that don’t usually just happen, so I was curious if the scale length was short, but it’s a full 25.5 inches. I suppose the slim neck profile, compound radius and neck heel taper are responsible.

Playability out of the box is super easy, and I was surprised to discover the tremolo set up to float perfectly. When you pull up on the vibrato arm, the top three strings ascend in pitch by a half step from open on the first string, a whole step on the second and a step and a half on the third. The intro to Jeff Beck’s “People Get Ready” is a great test, and the Ultra Luxe passed with flying colors.

The guitar comes with .009-gauge strings, which makes playability very easy. I prefer a bit more tension, so I put on a set of .010s, which then messed up the precision balance of the two-point American Ultra synchronized tremolo.

To accommodate the increased tension, I followed the instructions of legendary tech Gary Brawer: Once you change the strings to heavier gauges, start by opening the back plate and adjusting the tension on the tremolo springs until you get that same relationship of upward mobility for the top strings described in the previous paragraph. Then make any necessary adjustments to the truss rod to get the string height right.

This tremolo system is impressive for being so simple. The headstock tuners lock, but it doesn’t have a fancy nut like the Wilkinson Roller Nut on my Strat Plus. And the bar simply pops into the slot with no threads. You end up with a bit of give, but it’s quite convenient. I always found that screw-in bars need a bit of plumber’s tape to get the connection perfectly snug. Doing the Jeff Beck tribute was the ultimate test of this tremolo system, because no player ever worked a floating trem with as much style and nuance as JB.

I found the Ultra Luxe tremolo to be sufficient for pretty much anything except intense Beck-isms. Lubing the nut helped quite a bit, but I was never able to get the system to stay perfectly in tune with heavy vibrato use the way I can on the Strat Plus, nor can you get that same warble from a quick upward snap of the bar when you have it perfectly snug. To reiterate, this tremolo is wonderful for doing all sorts of floating whammy moves — you just can’t go too crazy.

I appreciated the tones from these Pure Vintage ’61 Strat single-coils and the Haymaker humbucker. Coil tapping is rather accessible on the fly via an S-1 switch inside the volume knob, although my fake nails made that a bit of a challenge. I mostly tested tones through a two-channel 1983 Fender Super Champ combo at home and a 1966 Fender Pro onstage.

The bridge and middle position pickups sounded super open and balanced like classic single coils, yet with more power and very low noise. I wound up raising the neck pickup toward the strings for a bit more girth. And then there’s the Haymaker, which offers a serviceable single-coil sound with the coil tap engaged, or one that thickens up the tone in humbucker mode and pushes the output without being overbearing or losing its sting.

I almost always prefer a humbucker in the bridge position and was most happy in humbucker land here. I found pick squeal and fretboard harmonics happening so readily that they’d sometimes occur by surprise. Using the articulate Haymaker humbucker in combination with the middle pickup yields a lively thick-and-thin sound that’s kind of like J.J. Cale or Mark Knopfler, but ultimately a tone all its own.

I’ve dreamed of having a Strat like this since I was a kid. I still love my ’89 Strat Plus for what it does, but it’s so cool to have a more traditional ’60s-style Stratocaster that has all the necessary upgrades and modern functionality. You can play some of the more aggressive music that came in the wake of the ’60s, yet truly be able to cop those vintage tones on a bona fide, period-correct guitar hot rod.

I’d recommend the Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage ’60s Stratocaster HSS to players who truly want a ’60s-style instrument, especially the thinner neck profile, upgraded with modern features such as locking tuners and noiseless, flexible pickups.

Single-coil sounds sparkle, and the humbucker is super handy on a noisy stage. Pros will find it worthy onstage and in the studio. Beginners will dig its easy playability out of the box. Hobbyists will love how well it shows off hanging on the wall. It steals the limelight in the studio, hanging next to a bunch of other cool axes.

SPECIFICATIONS

American Ultra Luxe Vintage ’60s Stratocatser

CONTACT fender.com

PRICE $2,899 with hardshell case

NUT Graph Tech Tusq, 1.69" wide

NECK Quartersawn maple w/ Modern “D” shape, 25.5"scale

FRETBOARD Rosewood, 10"-14" compound radius, Luminlay side dots

FRETS 22 medium jumbo stainless steel with rolled edges

TUNERS Deluxe staggered cast/sealed

BODY Alder with Ultra Contours and Tapered Neck Heel

FINISH Aged Heirloom nitrocellulose lacquer

EXTRAS Available in Fiesta Red or Sea Foam Green (as tested)

BRIDGE Two-point Deluxe Synchronized Tremolo with pop-in arm, polished stainless steel block saddles, cold rolled steel block, and deluxe locking tuners

PICKUPS Two Fender Pure Vintage ’61 Strat single-coils plus a Haymaker humbucker in bridge with coil-tap

CONTROLS Volume (with coil-tap button) and two tone knobs (one designated for humbucker), 5-way blade pickup selector. S-1 switch on volume coil-splits humbucker

STRINGS Fender USA 250L Nickel Plated Steel gauges .009 - .042

WEIGHT 8.3 lbs. (as tested)

BUILT USA

PROS Fabulous marriage of vintage and modern features and tones. Very easy playability and upper register access. Great factory set up with floating tremolo. Striking color

CONS Upper back bevel may not appeal to those preferring a chunkier body. Just don’t go too crazy with the whammy or tremolo system can get caught a bit flat or sharp