Fender 70th Anniversary American Professional II Stratocaster | Demo & Overview with Isaiah Sharkey

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The Fender 70th Anniversary American Professional II Stratocaster honors the spirit of the 1954 original but adds some modern updates to the mix. Enhanced playability features include a deep C-shaped neck in a satin finish, a rolled rosewood fretboard with a 9.5" radius and 22 narrow-tall frets.

The 70th Anniversary V-Mod II single-coils are absolute ravers but are also extremely dynamic and expressive. You can dig in or back off, and your stylistic intentions will be delivered just as you want them to be. Interestingly, the pickups are crafted with a mix of Alnico II, III and V magnets. Looking back to the pre-CBS era of the Stratocaster, the 1954 and 1955 models used Alnico III single-coils, while the guitars manufactured from 1956-1965 went with Alnico V magnets.

“This neck is super comfortable,” says guitarist, producer and session musician Isaiah Sharkey (D’Angelo, John Mayer, Patti LaBelle, Keith Urban, Paul Simon). “It fits right into my hand. Add the nicely rolled fretboard edges, and it’s so easy to navigate around the guitar neck. I find myself in all kinds of musical situations, and with a Stratocaster, I’m able to achieve a lot of different tones without having to keep switching guitars. As a professional guitarist that’s super important when touring and doing sessions, because I can ask myself, ‘What guitar will do the trick for most of the things I need?’ I never go wrong with a Stratocaster.”

The Fender 70th Anniversary American Professional II Stratocaster also features an alder body with flamed-maple top in a stunning comet burst finish, an upgraded two-point tremolo (with cold-rolled steel block), a push/pull Tone control and locking tuners.

Check out our Guide to the Fender Stratocaster:
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Read our exclusive interview with Fender about the 70th Anniversary Stratocaster Collection:
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Chapters
00:00 - Intro with Isaiah Sharkey
00:32 - Isaiah’s First Impressions
01:10 - The Versatility of the Fender Stratocaster
02:19 - Isaiah Sharkey’s Ideal Strat Tone
03:14 - Neck Pickup on the Strat (Position #5)
05:27 - Adding Overdrive to the Neck Position
07:35 - Playability and Tuning Stability of the American Professional II Stratocaster
08:27 - Neck and Middle Pickups on the Fender Stratocaster (Position #4)
13:03 - Isaiah’s Musical Inspirations
14:09 - Middle Position on the Stratocaster (Position #3)
16:50 - Adding Overdrive/Distortion to the Middle Position
17:58 - The Responsiveness of the Fender Stratocaster
19:10 - Middle and Bridge Pickups on the Strat (Position #2)
21:50 - Achieving Ambient Tones in the Second Position
24:03 - Bridge Pickup on the Fender Stratocaster (Position #1)
27:45 - Surf Tones in the Strat’s First Position
29:00 - Exploring the Sonic Possibilities of the American Pro II’s Push-Push Tone Control
31:05 - All Pickups Engaged in the Second Position with the Push-Push Tone Control
33:11 - Isaiah’s Final Thoughts on the Fender American Professional II Comet Burst Strat
33:43 - Outro