Fender American Ultra Series - ???

[Heavy Blue]

For the custom Jazz, I would like a solid color body with a maple neck. My MIM P bass is 3-Tone Sunburst with a Pau Ferro neck. Great look, but I like the look of a maple neck with a solid color body. The custom would run around $2K or a little less.

View attachment 3772575

My other option is to get a MIM Player P bass. There is a black lefty with a maple neck. New they are $700 but I think you can find a deal on

I like a maple board with a solid colour also but if I’m buying new I really don’t want to get yet another black bass. I don’t like tidepool either which is the other option for a lefty P bass with a maple board. Tbh I wish Fender had just used the same colour scheme for the P as they used for the J. A red or white P with a maple board...hmmm hmmm good. Would’ve gotten one already.

That being said I played a used ‘16 MIM Jazz in black about a month ago and I would buy it at the right price if I could because I actually played it and even though the setup was less than awesome it played well and sounded good. Nice rosewood board too. That one would be worth a refin to me.

 

[bassix]

No kidding there Martín, the VM sounds and plays nice for it’s bracket and it’s a particularly nice bass for learning new material on but it does weigh a bloody ton and now with my shoulder the way it is I don’t gig and stand up with it. On the waiting list for a replacement, currently 3-9 months but likely to be set back now due to covid-19 which is fine. I don’t want to be anywhere near a hospital right now.

I bet the American Performers are great but I’m a lefty and my current Fender Jazz options are either a Squier CV70’s, a Player Series or American Professional. Am Pros do not have the maple board option (and are C$2,100) and colour choices are limited in both Player and Am Pro series. This sucks but actually is slowly improving. I couldn’t buy a MIM lefty P bass at all until 2018 and now white is finally available if not with both board options.

Yeah, I admit. I tend to roll my eyes when reading about righties complaining about “limited choices” irt colour/neck/pup options lol. Come on Fender, listen up! Lefty Mustang Bass, in white w/tort. Also, a white, bound and blocked rosewood boarded 5-string P and both an active J and a fretless J not black or burst (NOTHING else burst or especially black please for the love of man lol). Send me one for evaluation.

Fender fans are an interesting variety of opinions. I love the new colors of the Ultras , but how many complaints have I seen on this thread alone talking about the unnecessary 'un fender' colors. A local shop didn't order the Plasma Burst because ' it's a Gibson color '!???

Personally, of I could afford it, I'd but a Plasma Burst, a white, and a Moca Burst. All beautiful imho!

 

[Jinobass1]

I love Mine
slap:


finger(“E”1 string Bass line )

Elite & Ultra’s

 

[JaseOfBase]

I’m thinking about purchasing an Ultra Precision in Artic Pearl.

I currently have an AO 60’s with La Bella Flats but I’ve been wanting a P/J with rounds as well. I love the AO but that neck is BIG. I like how it has changed my playing but it’s tough to play faster lines.

Someone talk me out of this? But on the real don’t even try to talk me out of this.

 

[TrevorG]

@JaseOfBase
Got this just before Christmas. You won't get over the neck after what you've been playing. It is sublime. Very fast, very smooth. The bass itself is very warm and punchy. The Jazz pickup has that classic "fat burp" tone while the P has that throaty growl you've heard on so many famous tracks. The active circuit has a massive range of tone but I will repeat my only genuine complain that it eats batteries (now using rechargeable batteries) but I will concede I have been playing this bass like a madman since I bought it. That said, without batteries the passive circuits mean it is no less of a guitar - it's classic Fender. The heel of the neck is so comfortable that playing high up on your AO 60s will start to feel like treading on a lego brick. "In general" the pickups are noiseless but not infallible. I had a little extra shielding added to mine along with a general setup at the Bass gallery. It seems Fender have scored big with the new bridge too. It has immense sustain (though I still think it looks a little out of place). The whole thing has a boutique feel but there are definitely better made basses out there. Whether they sound like a Fender or feel as comfortable as this is another question.

 

[JaseOfBase]

View attachment 3808389
@JaseOfBase
Got this just before Christmas. You won't get over the neck after what you've been playing. It is sublime. Very fast, very smooth. The bass itself is very warm and punchy. The Jazz pickup has that classic "fat burp" tone while the P has that throaty growl you've heard on so many famous tracks. The active circuit has a massive range of tone but I will repeat my only genuine complain that it eats batteries (now using rechargeable batteries) but I will concede I have been playing this bass like a madman since I bought it. That said, without batteries the passive circuits mean it is no less of a guitar - it's classic Fender. The heel of the neck is so comfortable that playing high up on your AO 60s will start to feel like treading on a lego brick. "In general" the pickups are noiseless but not infallible. I had a little extra shielding added to mine along with a general setup at the Bass gallery. It seems Fender have scored big with the new bridge too. It has immense sustain (though I still think it looks a little out of place). The whole thing has a boutique feel but there are definitely better made basses out there. Whether they sound like a Fender or feel as comfortable as this is another question.

Damn. Just like that you got me going, haha. That bass is beautiful! Congratulations!

I read somewhere that the tone control isn’t available in active mode. I understand the benefit of using the 3 band EQ but it would be nice to set everything down the middle and make a quick adjustment on the fly while playing live as well. Can you confirm?! Thanks man!

 

[TrevorG]

Damn. Just like that you got me going, haha. That bass is beautiful! Congratulations!

I read somewhere that the tone control isn’t available in active mode. I understand the benefit of using the 3 band EQ but it would be nice to set everything down the middle and make a quick adjustment on the fly while playing live as well. Can you confirm?! Thanks man!

It is set up as you say. I'm guess everybody uses tone controls differently but I've found I only bring in the active when the passive tone is missing something or I want a bigger sound. The active tone in default position seems to match the full up passive tone (it just sounds a lot louder). I've never played a bass wired the way you're suggesting so I'm not clear on the advantages. Wouldn't rolling the passive tone off make it sound the same whether the active circuit was involved or not?

 

[bassix]

I just had an email exchange with Fender, and apparently their gonna discontinue the ash version of the Ultras due to a shortage of the wood. They said the alder version will still be manufactured. So,, I'm guessing the ash versions will become a little more valuable pretty quickly.

 

[hands5]

So the "Big News" was in fact the announcement of the American Ultra. Doesn't look like they made many changes from the Elite other than getting rid of the truss wheel (I like the truss wheel). It claims a redesigned preamp so maybe that is improved. And the new Ultra Noiseless pickups. Could be hit or miss.

The thing I really can't get though is the color choices at launch. For the jazz you get Natural or Sunburst. Not a lot of options there. The precision is worse though. 5 color choices, and 3 of them are bursts. You get Natural, Sunburst, Ultra burst? (dark sunburst), Cherry Burst or something like that, and Olympic White. So they released it in 5 finishes, and all but one are a wood grain finish. No interesting colors at all. Poorly chosen IMO.

IMO..I thought it was a step backwards by going back to the Noiseless pickups as far as tone is concern..It sounded like a Deluxe but with a higher price. Needless to say I passed on getting one.

 

[Brassmonkey71]

I cannot see how the Ultra can be worth the extra money in addition to what you pay for the American professional series. I have the 3TSB J-bass (I have owned many J and P basses over the years) and it is flawless. But I may be wrong. Just want to share my love for the American Professional series. Expensive but really worth the money.

 

[scottm]

I cannot see how the Ultra can be worth the extra money in addition to what you pay for the American professional series. I have the 3TSB J-bass (I have owned many J and P basses over the years) and it is flawless. But I may be wrong. Just want to share my love for the American Professional series. Expensive but really worth the money.

I have two professionals and two Ultras. The professionals are amazing and I love them! The Ultras are a little better fit and finish but with active electronics that are really impressive that have an active passive toggle switch.


-ScottM

 

[Raoul_Duke]

I’m gassing pretty bad for a four banger in the cobra blue finish.

I could use a five, but every pic I see of them has the G string right up against the edge of the fingerboard. For the people who have tried one, was the G string an issue for you at all?

 

[tombowlus]

I’m gassing pretty bad for a four banger in the cobra blue finish.

I could use a five, but every pic I see of them has the G string right up against the edge of the fingerboard. For the people who have tried one, was the G string an issue for you at all?

It is my understanding that they used an incorrect bridge on some of the early builds (which may have been involved in some photo shoots), and the string spacing was incorrect on these bridges.

 

[HotelX]

I’m gassing for a tea finish one. It is amazing in person, pictures don’t do it any justice. The blue one would be ok too. I’m looking for one that is relatively light weight. No luck so far.

 

[bassix]

I’m gassing pretty bad for a four banger in the cobra blue finish.

I could use a five, but every pic I see of them has the G string right up against the edge of the fingerboard. For the people who have tried one, was the G string an issue for you at all?

It's not an issue for me, but it sure looks like it would be doesn't it? Even though the Ultra V is a top priority for me, a cursory view of the bridge shows it's obviously a manufactures error. All the saddles are at their extreme left or right travel. I'll probably replace it with a Kickass fairly quickly.

 

[tombowlus]

I’m gassing for a tea finish one. It is amazing in person, pictures don’t do it any justice. The blue one would be ok too. I’m looking for one that is relatively light weight. No luck so far.

+1 Very true. It is almost impossible to capture the magic of that Texas Tea finish in a photograph.

 

[JaseOfBase]

I’m gassing for a tea finish one. It is amazing in person, pictures don’t do it any justice. The blue one would be ok too. I’m looking for one that is relatively light weight. No luck so far.

The Arctic Pearl is very much the same. The finish is gorgeous in person.

What’s the weight your chasing after? The lowest I have seen so far was 9.3 but I haven’t been looking all that long.

 

[HotelX]

The Arctic Pearl is very much the same. The finish is gorgeous in person.

What’s the weight your chasing after? The lowest I have seen so far was 9.3 but I haven’t been looking all that long.

I’d like 8 and a half pounds. I’ve seen a couple under 9 on Sweetwater.

 

[HotelX]

+1 Very true. It is almost impossible to capture the magic of that Texas Tea finish in a photograph.

It seriously is one of the best finishes I’ve ever seen. Pictures are kind of blah though.

 

[Don Vitos]

Hi guys what’s your opinion about the new PJ pups? Are they better than Aguilar?