Telecaster Fender American Performer vs American Professional 2

[John C]

There's going to be a 2023 Am Pro II ?

I do not think so as the guitar is currently in stock. Are differences between 2023 guitars vs 2022 professional 2 teles?

There might be some color changes for 2023 since the Am Pro IIs were introduced in the fall of 2020, but they are not due for a model change until the fall of 2024 (assuming Fender is still sticking to their goal of 4-year product life cycles).

 

[John C]

Hi all and thanks for advices

I finally manage to buy a professional II telecaster butterscotch blonde. It will be be there next week. I found a shop 300 miles from my home selling the guitar at a bargain price (-20%) because this was the last one in the shop. They wanted to sell it at a bargain price before the new 2023 ones arrived

Then the price difference between performer tele and professional was below 400 euros which I consider more reasonable
I will keep you informed

Congrats! Sounds like you made the right choice since you like your Am Pro II Strat - plus you can't go wrong with a butterscotch blonde Tele.

 

[henge]

Congrats on your AmPro II Tele. I have a Deluxe AmPro II and absolutely love it. It's my no. 1 guitar right now. Some of the differences from the Performer are important to me, the neck carve, neck heel carve and the bridge with options for different stringing. Fantastic feeling guitar. I'm sure you'll enjoy yours.

 

[scubadoo]

Awesome. You'll love it. My Am Pro II is one of the nicest guitars I've played. The neck carve, rolled edges and neck heel carve just make it a joy to play. Just a really solid guitar with some extra touches that make it feel lovely.

 

[bglaze]

Awesome. You'll love it. My Am Pro II is one of the nicest guitars I've played. The neck carve, rolled edges and neck heel carve just make it a joy to play. Just a really solid guitar with some extra touches that make it feel lovely.

Same here. I only have an Am Pro II strat (no tele...yet), but it is also one of the best guitars I've ever played, for the same reasons. And, the V-Mod II pickups sound SO good to me.

 

[snowshoe red]

Hi, I installed fender, noiseless, telecaster, pick ups in a Mexican made Squire many years ago. I still use the guitar and enjoy it. I must say, however, that the noiseless pick ups do sound somewhat different than what you may expect from a vintage telecaster. Hope you can find what you were looking for in France.

 

[scooter44]

If you plan to modify the guitar, I wouldn't suggest paying the full price of a Professional II. The stock pickups on the American Pro series are unbelievable. Everything I have played with the V mod pickups sounds very clear and symphonic.

I know others will disagree but I don't notice much difference between the fret sizes after a prolonged play. To me, there's smaller vintage frets and NOT smaller vintage frets. I prefer the NOT.

Although blonde/yellow/butterscotch is my favorite Telecaster color, the Dark Night is fantastic. Very unique and beautiful.

If I can offer advice, think more about how you will feel about the guitar in months or years of playing it rather than what it feels like in the store or in a demo. I know I have a very bad problem when I try a guitar I like. Suddenly, it is perfect and everything else in my life especially other guitars are garbage.

One last thing about the professional ii, some come with roasted pine bodies. I don't know enough about that particular material but it is easy to dent and scratch regular pine. I'd just avoid those if possible and stick with alder wood bodies.

There is a vendor here in USA that still has new Performers in Penny color for an excellent price. I don't think shipping to France would be a problem. If you're interested just ask and I'll send you the link.

Best of luck!

The Pine bodied guitars are a pound or more lighter than Alder.

 

[bobio]

For the, the neck makes the difference. I love the modern C of the American Performer, but the Deep C of the American Professional II fills the hand a bit more and is just a touch more comfortable for me.

Most of my Teles have Modern C profile necks, but I have a partscaster with an American Professional neck and an American Professional II Strat and I absolutely love the necks on those two guitars. Again, love the modern C, but the Deep C is just a bit more comfy "for me".

 

[Maguchi]

Hi all, I hope this finds you well
I am based in France, and I am torn between a Tele performer and a Tele Professional 2.
First you need to know that in France telecaster availability especially for the performer is very week. In some shops you need to wait months before being abale to buy a guitar, don't know if it is the same in your country. Then, finding a professional 2 is a bit easier that finding a performer.

I am a Gibson Les Paul player but I already own a fender American Strat professional 2. I would like to add a tele to my collection.

So, my question is does the tele worst the 600 euros extra money compared to the professional. FYI, in France, a tele American performer is around 1,300 euros and a professional 2 is 1,900 euros.

I am not a professional musician, the new tele will be dedicated to play rock and mainly Rolling Stones songs (albeit, I know any guitar may play anything).

Money is not a huge concern as long as quality is there because I will keep the new guitar for years, but if the performer is a good guitar why spending more?

I am waiting for your piece of advice and I wish you all a nice day

I have both and it would be hard for me to choose one over the other. Obviously the Performer is a little less expensive, so there's that. I would say go to some big music stores and try as many as you can. Sometimes there will be one or two that really standout in resonance, feel and playability. If not and they're all similar, choose the best looking one or the one that has the best color. You really can't go wrong with either a Performer or Professional, they're both excellent. Good luck.

PS: There is one difference between the 2020 American Professional and the current 2022 and '23 Professional, some of the translucent colors come in pine wood. Pine wood sounds good but is soft and dents and dings easily from use. Some of the Professional models come in Alder though. IMHO stay away from pine wood and stick with alder wood.

Performer

Professional

 

[Sgt Pepper]

I briefly owned a Performer but wasn't real fond of the jumbo frets. I later bought a Professional II Stratocaster and though I like it ok, I like the American Standard, that I bought later, better than either, considering the neck profile and radius, the frets, and the pickups. The Pro II is for sale. A new Pro II comes with a case. The Performer does not. I like my MIM Standard Telecaster just fine, and a recently acquired American Original 60's Telecaster that I like. Sorry if this doesn't help, but the bottom line is that if I could find a used American Standard or MIM Standard for a decent deal, that's what I would buy.