We first got wind of the new American Pro Series from a local retailer, but they were unable to give details of this new series from Fender other than, it would be replacing the current American Standard line and that they would be coming out sometime around Winter NAMM 2017. Being huge fans of the American Standard line we have been intrigued to say the least about the up-coming release from Fender.
Then over Black Friday weekend we spotted one of them on Instagram. After spending sometime searching around the web we stumbled across an article from a retailer in the UK that talks about the changes and features of the new American Pro Series. Now from our experience in the music industry sometimes companies will release different colors in different markets so the images below and the new colors we are posting in this article might not be the final ones to hit the states. That being said the other features of the guitars tend to be fairly consistent. Needless to say as we get more information we will make sure to share updates as we have them.
The Lineup
Now let’s get down to business. What has changed as far as models, colors, hardware and pickups in this new line? First up is the different models in the American Pro Series.
Guitars
- Telecaster Deluxe Shawbucker – New
- Telecaster
- Telecaster Left-Handed
- Stratocaster
- Stratocaster Left-Handed
- Stratocaster HH Shawbucker – New
- Stratocaster HSS Shawbucker – New
- Jaguar – New
- Jazzmaster – New
Pro vs. Standard Differences
- The new Pro Strats and Teles will feature a new Deep C profile, which differs slightly from the Modern C on the old Standard line.
- The American Standard line used medium jumbo frets, whereas the new Pro series will feature narrow tall frets.
- The nut on the new Pro series has been upgraded from synthetic to bone.
- The tremolo arm on the Pro series has been changed from screw in to pop-in.
- Pickups have all been re-designed and swapped out.
- Single Coils: V-Mod
- Humbuckers: Shawbuckers
- Jazzmaster & Jaguar: V-Mod
New Finishes
Perhaps the most exciting for us, but also the part that could change before the series’ release in the states, is the color additions to the new Pro series. According to Guitar.co.uk’s blog article these are the colors we can predict will hit the states around NAMM 2017. If we had to pick, if any of these do not get released in the states it will be
- Mystic Seafoam
- Sonic Grey
- Antique Olive
The following guitars are available on Guitar.co.uk confirming some of the colors.