Fender American Performer
The latest line from Fender occupies a sweet spot in-between the Players Series and American Professional Series in terms of function, features, cost, and value. In the past, Fender has filled this niche with very nice instruments manufactured in their Corona, California factory but this is by far the most innovative offering of guitars and basses yet. Fender’s new Yosemite pickups were specifically designed and are custom voiced for each instrument in this series. Many of them feature Alnico 4 rod magnets, a first for Fender, which are described as giving, “a crisp and natural clarity” but in terms of tone are much brighter than American Original Series pickups and reminiscent of the single-coils in ‘50’s era instruments.
A push-pull tone knob operates the Doubletap humbuckers on the Stratocaster HSS and Telecaster Hum while activating the neck pickup of the Performer Strat in positions 1 and 2 on the standard 5-way blade switch. The Greasebucket tone circuit lets you dial back treble without losing gain or muddying your tone. The new Classicgear tuning machines designed exclusively for this series offer a vintage look with modern functionality. 70’s-style headstocks, bold transition era logos, new colors and finishes distinguish these instruments from any others in the line. Each comes with a Fender Deluxe Gig Bag that is the preferred method of transporting your instrument for those on the go. True to form, Fender has once again created a distinctive and new line of guitars and basses that rise to new heights, built upon a solid foundation poured over 70 years ago.