Fender American Professional II Stratocaster - Dark Night with Rosewood Fingerboard Reviews

I Finally Got an a American Stratocaster I've Always Wanted One.This Guitar Is Great.And To Put Out A Review On My 60th Birthday Is The Best Birthday Present Ever. Thanks Max Rice You're the Best.This Guitar Rocks And The Neck Is The Best,And The Trem Arm Is Really Cool That You Dont Have To Screw It In.Thanks Again Max Rice For Being The Best Sales Person For All My Musical Instrument Needs At Sweetwater I've Been Using Sweetwater For Years Sweetwater Is The Greatest Musical Instrument Catalog In The Industry. Mr George Cundiff

Had Plek'd, came with Fender case that fits nicely. Polished perfectly, photos don't do the color justice.
Action is nice and low, Ernie Ball 2221 .10-46 Slinky strings installed. Sweetwater Sales Engineer Chris Leonard is one of the best in-house!

Love the instrument, love the amazing service, and love the fast shipping

This thing is just freking awesome. Out the box, ready to go. The quality is impecable.You'd swear this was a Custom Shop rig. Sounds amazing.

After over researching all the possible selections and interviewing all the musicians I know I picked the pro ii strat. Hey Sweetwater , nobody does it like you. The whole process start to finish is a superior experience. Customer service is the difference between a good purchase and a great one. I could go on and on and on about the shopping experience and never say enough. The guitar is incredible right out of the box. The plek set up is amazing and is something I will do with every guitar from now on. I was playing it about two weeks and couldn't find one thing about it I didn't love. I have a friend, a professional musician for more than thirty years that has a studio. I dropped my guitar off with him so he could put it on his bench and check it out. He said the only thing he could do was treat the fretboard because it was a little dry. The set up was perfect, intonation was perfect and so on and so forth.. He couldn't do anything else to make it better. The only thing I could do to make my Fender American pro ii better was change the pickguard. I love how it plays, love how it looks and love the Sweetwater customer experience.

Best electric guitar I ever touched. Got 1 as a gift recently. As dedicated gibson man, this strat changed my playing within minutes. It sounds as great as it looks, plays even better and the pine finish? joila! Fender & sweetwater!!!

This guitar sounds even more beautiful than it looks; Fender really knocked it out of the park with these pickups.

I'm a tinkerer and a bit OCD. Whenever I get a new guitar I expect to make adjustments. This guitar was no exception. My mind kept telling me "the actions a little high"..."the neck could use a little more relief"...after some days of playing I relent that it was just my imagination; I can't make any adjustments; Fender (and more importantly Sweetwater) made sure this guitar was...perfect...there, I said it.

Needed a full setup out of the box, but after that it's fantastic…I did end up decking the trem but that's personal preference

and it's beautiful paint job is icing on the cake

OK lets be honest, It was love at first sight. I gently lifted her out of her case that looked like it was protecting a nuclear missle. The fit and finish are amazing and the rosewood neck is soulful and looks fantastic next to the deep blue and black. Now for the bones. This guitar is what a Strat should play and sound like. These pickups are rich,clean,biting,edgy and so many tones. Thank you Thomas as usual for all your help.Not only did I buy this guitar for myself but Tommy helped me send one and a cord and amp to my bro in Grand Junction for Christmas. Thanks Sweetwater & TOM.

Was looking for a "proper" Strat just to get that sound. Vintage sound, bite, and twang without most of the noise.

Love the sound and looks good

I had been looking at this beautiful guitar since I started taking guitar lessons; about 3 years or so. I've now started playing lead and felt the time was finally right.

I love this guitar! Not only is it great looking, but it's sound matches its looks. It is very easy to play and just the upgrade I wanted.

Guitar arrived in perfect condition and ready to play. Thanks Sweetwater!

I've owned a good number of guitars over the years from Charvel to Schecter. My first guitar was a cheap strat that soured my opinion on Fender. I've owned some of the lower end fender products too and they are god, but they don't compare to this. This thing sounds excellent. Amazing tone, very customizable, and it plays like a dream. This is the first time I've bought a guitar and really feel like my money went somewhere. Give it a look.

I fell in love with the guitar when I saw the picture but when I opened the box and had my first look and it was love at first sight. As for how it sounds and plays, I usually play a Martin acoustic and the action on the Strat was so much easier I was amazed. I consider myself to be an intermediate level player, but all of a sudden I'm holding chords I can't on the acoustic. My son, an expert musician, (but not a Strat Guy), took the guitar and everyone present were able to enjoy the mellow tones and clean sound of the guitar. Love the guitar, can't wait till I can make it sound like my son does, I mean there's always hoping.

This is my first Stratocaster and the second guitar I have ordered through Sweetwater and Zack really came through on both.
It has that clean, biting, sharp tone that you expect from a Strat with a smooth responsive action along neck. Its such an awesome looking guitar that I though about pulling a Nigel Tufnel and leaving the old tagger on it and never playing it or even letting anyone point at it but once I started playing, I couldn't put it down. I'll have this one for a long long time.

I love my new Fender Strat American II. As always Fender and my friends at Sweetwater deliver the best goods. Right out of the box I fell in love with its great looks. From the first strum and pick I fell.in.love with it tones.

This will be another Guitar that I will.play for life and then pass it down to my Grand Son..

This is my first American Fender and it did not disappoint. It is amazing, fast, and instantly comfortable. It sounds great in every position. Some highlights below:

The neck finish is great. I'm usually a gloss neck guy, but the "Super-Natural" satin is a game changer. Instantly comfortable and unique.

I am very picky about neck shape. I typically prefer thinner necks (i.e. Modern C shape). The Deep C was familiar and comfortable. I think this shape is a great compromise (without compromising!) for almost any player - not too thick, not too thin.

The push-push switch activates the neck pickup in positions 1 and 2. These tones are super useful and inspiring. Definitely some Gilmour vibes!

Sweetwater was fantastic through the whole process. I chose my specific (perfect) serial number. Sweetwater took care of me every step of the way, as always.

Am not a fender fan at all !!! Owned 1 in the 70's and was ok...nuthin wrong with it at all...however never crazy about the strat sound with the sound i personnally liked...am a huge gibson fan and own a few fm sweetwater am tickled with...that being said-i write my own jams and now with what i'm working on i need that strat sound...when i saw this dark nite with a rosewood board it certainly had the looks for me...was hesitant about ordering the rosewood after reading internet fm proffessionals...is split in article i read for getting best strat sound out of it...also had it pleked as do with all my axes...and had j.h. Voodoo bullet strings (.10-.38.) put on since thats what hendrix used...when it arrived i plugged in my supro64 and eventually found that PERFECT strat sound was looking for after tinkering with knobs and switches and was one happy camper !!! Ax arrived almost perfect-trem arm kept falling out and never would snap in...fixed in 1 min...went in back where route strings and wire clip half out...screwdriver popped it back in and no probs...could go on more but will say it is a great ax !!! Thanx once again to matt christoperson for all ur help with questions and recommendations...this is 7th guitar bought thru matt and have yet to b dissappointed !!! God Bless !!!

This guitar plays like a dream. It feels great, it looks great, and it sounds great.

This guitar is definitely out of my league as I still consider myself an amateur but I wanted a Stratocaster and could NOT pass up the Dark Night color. Not much else I can say that hasn't already been said. It's beautiful and sounds amazing. The push button to add the extra 2 pickup combinations is super cool. I will need to grow into this guitar but for something I'll be playing the rest of my life on, I have zero regrets. It's awesome!

I was instantly in love with this guitar upon first sight. I received it in perfect condition as described. Sounds incredible, with rich tones that make you want to keep playing. Quality craftsmanship that you feel and hear. No complaints, I find myself thinking after each play, this is a really nice guitar. Sweetwater has been great, keeping me informed when it was on the "Due to Corona Wait-list", came fully ready to go.

I recently bought the American Professional II Stratocaster with the Dark Knight finish and rosewood fingerboard. This is one fantastic guitar. Let me begin by saying I have several Strats: 1996 American Standard, a MIM Deluxe Roadhouse, and a American Professional, plus a slew of other various guitars. This guitar has quickly become my favorite. I was not looking to buy another Strat, but when I zoomed in on this Dark Knight finish it was like a switch went on that said I needed this guitar in my life, and now (there must be a name for this obsession). My order went out that day and I was supposed to get it the next day; however, FedEx had some weather related issues so it was delayed one day. The agony was waiting one day to open the box because the temperatures were in the single digits and it had to acclimate before opening.
The guitar was packaged perfectly, as they always are from Sweetwater. I opened the boxes and was blown away by how beautiful this guitar is. Once I started playing this beauty I quickly forgot the physical beauty because I became absorbed in the beautiful feel and tone. It has that typical Strat contour but the contoured neck heel is very nice. The rosewood fingerboard is absolutely flawless and plays like butter, and the tones out of these V-Mod II pickups are gorgeous, articulate and clear. I originally thought the push-push tone control was a gimmick but I really the love the added dimensions you can get with it. And the neck just feels great in my hands. The best way I can describe playing this guitar is that I seem to become one with it and the world and it's cares just seem to fade away. That may sound strange, but it's the best way I can describe it and I have never had that experience consistently- every time I pick up this Strat to play it. I've had many guitars that I loved when I first got them, but the enthusiasm soon fades away, so I wanted to wait some time before I reviewed this one. After some time has passed I still feel the same way. I can't tell you how long I have been looking for that one guitar that would be "the one" that delivers the perfect tone no matter what I feel like playing. Well, I finally found it. If you are thinking about getting an "S" type guitar you owe it to yourself to check out the American Professional II line, and even if you are a maple neck person you've got to check out this rosewood neck; it is just amazing. I can finally understand how some of the very best players have just one guitar that they always use, and this is mine.

Picked up The Dark Knight Strat from Sweetwater 7lbs 11oz/ish it is the most beautiful Strat I have laid my hands on. Plays like a dream. Sounds beautifully "like a Strat". I hope the line of finishes at Fender that includes The Dark Knight never go out of popularity. It and many of the other 2020, 2021, 2022 finishes are awe inspiring. I bought an Ibanez in late 2020 and they released The Dark Knight in 2021, when I saw it began to haunt my dreams. Only 1 other guitar has made me go to bed thinking about it and then wake up thinking about. My wife finally help me put my torture to rest. I have a new found love for Fender. Fender got it right in every way. Weight was a HUGE factor. I make every purchase online based on the weight of an M4-M16A2. 8lbs is almost a deal breaker. 9 is an absolute No. Keep weighting them Sweetwater.

It sounds as good as it looks , c shape neck, feels perfect , perfect right out of the box . nice finish , good price great guitar !!

Plays great, easy action.

Sweetwater delivered a Stratocaster ready to play out of the box! The ability to select or combine any of the pickups is really neat!

I got this guitar a few months back and have really enjoyed it. It took some getting use to because I've always played Les Pauls. The middle pickup was killing me at first because that's where I pick at so I was always hitting it. I've since changed my picking style and for the most part don't hit it as much. The thing I really like about this guitar is it's versatility. I play lead for our praise team and this guitar covers all our songs. With the bridge pickup it gets good overdrive tones for fast songs and with knob pulled out and in second position on the selector switch gets some really good clean tones for slower songs. After playing Les Pauls for awhile never thought I'd be a Fender guy but this guitar and my Tele are my go to guitars. You'll enjoy the versatility of this Strat it does it all!! Had the plek done and full set up Sweetwater is the best in the business! Thanks again Nick for all your help!

Guitar was setup right, quacky fender sound brings it home.
Bought the Gibson les paul studio also, classic gibson sound great crunch.
don't care for the push pulls on either. but they perform, that's what counts.

All the features of of a classic vintage Strat, with all the advantages of modern technology. Set up is perfect right out of the box!

This American made Stratocaster sounds as good as it looks, and it looks fantastic. The Dark Night with the rosewood fretboard is a stunningly beautiful guitar. The playability, sound, and features of this Strat make for a very versatile instrument.

This guitar's neck is extremely comfortable. The rounded edges on the fretboard and satin finish on the back of the neck really enhance the playability of this guitar. The fit and finish are flawless – a very high quality instrument in every way.

The pickups produce beautiful Strat tones, and the addition of a push-push feature on the lower tone knob allows you to add the neck pickup to any position, so you now have all seven possible pickup configurations available to you.

The American Professional II Stratocaster comes with a very nice hardshell case.

This Strat produces vintage sounds with modern features that make for a very versatile and highly playable guitar. The American Professional II series from Fender is putting out some great guitars, and you really can't go wrong with this Strat.

Great look, playability and supersonic sounds. This guitar has everything you could want from a Stratocaster.

I have to say this strat totally exceeded my expectations. The pics does not do this guitar justice. The playability, sound, new features were spot on. Waited quite some time for this guitar as it was out of stock, but it was well worth the wait. Shout out to my Sales Engineer, Mike Blair for hooking me up with this beauty!

This item was backordered for a while but a demo unit became available so I snatched it up! Sweetwater delivered it as if it were brand new. The thing that sets this AM Strat apart from others I've owned is the satin finish on the neck and the contoured neck heel. The rolled edges and brass trem block add to the quality feel and lives up to the "professional" monicker. I like the pickup configuration and the push-push pot that adds the neck pickup. Since I can't leave well enough alone, I added Fender locking tuners, a black moto pickguard and my go to bridge pickup - an F spaced Duncan Distortion. Now it's an even more versatile rock/blues/everything machine!

Really happy with this Fender Stratocaster. Love the neck, perfect for me. I threw some locking tuners on it (my preference) and I'm good to go! Solid Strat tone and the Fender build quality that I'm used to these day. Love this guitar, go get one!

This guitar looks, plays and feels spectacular. It plays open or bar chords better than any guitar I've ever owned. Solo play sounds amazing as well. Overall just hard to beat the American Fender Sound. I swapped out the pickups with Billy Corgan DiMarzios and the chopper in the middle which gives it a deeper sound on the low end for rhythm play and dirty sound. Before I switched them out I played around with the push/push knob and you can get some really nice tones. I would add a picture, but it doesn't really do it justice. Thanks to everyone at Sweetwater for helping me get a newer, better looking and better sounding version of the Billy Corgan custom Strat.

I agree with the other positive reviews of this superb guitar. It is well worth the extra money, and is an absolute joy to play. The fit and finish is flawless, and the Dark Night color scheme and rosewood neck are gorgeous and well worth waiting for. Parker Denny did an excellent job with prompt, knowledgeable advice on the setup (which I highly recommend, for a modest additional cost). You cannot go wrong with this purchase.

My first professional type Fender Strat. Easy to press on the strings, stays in tune although I don't always use the tremolo. Neck feels comfortable easy to play. My other guitars, a Yamaha FGX800C Acoustic-Electric Guitar cost, $320.00 and my Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top Pro Trans Blue was $599.00. So this was a big jump in price for me since I do not play professionally and only for my self. and after being injured in the Navy in 1972 I am getting back into learning how to play after 49 years to keep my mind working, fingers working and trying to learn new things. You can't go wrong getting this guitar from Sweetwater. No hassle, no problems, arrived in 2 days since I live close, and they even called to check up on me and the guitar.

What a great guitar! That Strat voice,
Hard to beat.

I'll be honest. I'm a lifelong Batman fan, so the thing that attracted me to this guitar at first was the finish. But what I ended up with is now my best and favorite guitar. After playing it for a half hour I put together a piece of music to record and really test it out. IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!!

The neck on this guitar is one of the most comfortable I've ever played. Bends were smooth and required little effort. The tuning keys are nice and tight. Most of my Fender guitars have maple fretboards, but for the Dark Night finish I had to have the backordered rosewood. It was worth the wait.

The new pickups sound great in all 5 positions. The in-between positions produce the great twang/crunch sounds that the Strat is known for. If that wasn't enough the bottom tone control has a push button feature that adds the neck pickup to the bridge and bridge/middle positions. The bridge/neck combo adds a great lead sound similar to the Lead II. All three pickups together are a great sound for playing rhythm.

And Wait There's More!! Fender throws in a great case to store this great guitar. It's a form fitting case made of light wight sturdy plastic. It has a large storage compartment that has a vinyl storage bag that holds the vibrato bar and a certificate of authenticity. The latches easily lock and release. The middle latch has is lockable and the key looks like it might be unique.

This is one GREAT guitar!!! This is my third Strat and it is without a doubt the BEST!!

This guitar is on par with the AVRI Strat and PRS Silver Sky that I own... The pickups are nice, but the neck is what sets this guitar apart from all of the other Fender Stratocasters that I have owned. The fit and finish of the neck is a step above what I have come to expect from American Standards. The paint job is also meticulous. You can't find a flaw on this guitar. Well worth the purchase. Should become the Standard for all Strats that come after.

The best out of the box strat ever the tone bypass does it's job. This easily rivals my John Mayer for neck comfort. The ssh model is a nice Swiss Army knife playing high gain. I have owned countless strats this is hands down the best looking.

Just received the the American Pro II and it is as beautiful to look at as it is to play. Some minor tuning and it was ready to go right out of the box, intonation was spot on and the finish was flawless. I tried bith the Professional and an Ultra in a big box store and I could have gone wither way, then I saw the Dark Night finish with a rosewood neck and it was game over. Bug thanks to my Sales Engineer, Israel Hernandez, at Sweetwater who made the purchase easy and was able to accommodate my last minute change in guitar choice from the Ultra to the Pro II even after the Ultra just shipped. The process was seamless and I received the guitar quickly. This kind of customer service is why I've bought several guitars from Sweetwater.

Not much can be said about this guitar that hasn't been already. It's absolutely beautiful and plays wonderfully. No rough fret edges, perfectly neck, no finish flaws (outside of the insignificant, near invisible spec that put this beauty on the "B" stock list). Bridge was set up from the box as floating, which is okay but I quickly decked it, as a floating trem is more trouble than its worth on a strat.

Shipping was fast and Craig was great to deal with on my order.

While I mentioned that this was a "B" stock, I think it is in name only. Most other stores would have no qualms about selling this guitar at full price, so I really appreciate Sweetwater's transparency (and pictures) when it comes to guitars like this one that may not be absolutely perfect from the factory.

Some people say you're crazy to pay for an American made guitar, which might be true, but sometimes that's what you really want.

My first. Pretty sweet guitar I must say. I'm sure the person who played the crap out of it would agree, you should see the plastic on the pickguard. Someone enjoyed it too. Little upsetting considering.....I believe hands on is best on the higher end guitars. Lesson learned. Two states away? Illinois is skinny too! Make for a real sweet vacay, love to see what's hanging around lol. Thanks, I love this guitar. I finally have my own!

What can you expect from a Strat like this is a great crystal clear sound…. Single coils(Mod 2) are extremely honest, to my initial shock and dismay. If used to humbuckers, these babies will bring out the absolute worst of your playing because of their clarity. It takes a little getting used to, but well worth the effort because they sound awesome now. The build is up to fenders fine American standards, and it is gorgeous. Alan Finkbeiner, my fine feathered friend and salesman picked this guitar out for me and it was flawless when it came to my home. Definitely my favorite guitar ever. Just for kicks, I'm looking seriously into the mercury professional II, because that one's beautiful too. A great product for anybody.

Plays like a dream. Waited a long time to get this and finally got my hands on it. I can't keep my hands off it. Fender did an amazing job on this guitar love the color the finish everything about it is exceptional. Thank you Sweetwater for making this a reality for me, the service and prep work that goes into these instruments is exceptional. My guitar arrived flawless!

Beautiful looking guitar, just wish the headstock color matched the neck & pickguard. It looks out of place.

"Fret Buzz" is the only issue.. playing open strings on E & D,. Now I have to pay someone to fix it.

To be honest, I love the guitar and I'm not a strat guy. Plays great, sounds great, IMHO the pickups sound like a strat should. The reason for the 4 star review is Fenders quality control. For bucks, a rounded fret board shouldn't have tooling marks and there should certainly not be high frets. Currently my new strat, I've had it for 3 weeks now, is the shop getting the frets fixed. 4th fret was dead on the E string. Overall I'm happy with the guitar but for the prices and the name, I think we should expect flawless instruments. This has nothing to do with Sweetwater except maybe they missed the dead feet on the 55 point inspection lol, which again Fender should have caught. Overall I really enjoy this guitar a lot, it very comfortable and the weight is evenly distributed. In addition the dark night color is really nice in person. It's got some sparkles in the finish. If you order this I'd suggest having it plek'd or setup at Sweetwater to avoid the issue I had.

Guitar has an excellent feel in your hands. Tone is good and plays better after I reset the string heights. Quick shipping and free 36 month interest was the closer for me.

Bought this guitar because I always wanted a strat. The paint looks awesome. It sounds wonderful and is way above my skill level. It wouldn't hold tune so I had a setup done for $50 and it's perfect. That's the reason for only 4 stars. The neck feels fantastic. Almost always play clean in neck/middle and the tone is so good.

Dark night finish with the Rosewood fingerboard is a stunning combination. I think I might like this color combination better than my 1979 Antiqua Strat...

So why 4 stars instead of 5? Setup.... The action was so high it was almost unplayable beyond the 7th fret. I took it to the local luthier who also questioned how it got through QC. Now it's setup beautifully, and plays and sounds as great as it looks!

When my new fender arrived, I was overwhelmed with how beautiful the guitar was. But on closer inspection I noticed the fretboard seemed dirty. It's actually not dirty it has a bad finish on certain areas (see photos). I'm very surprised this got past the 55-point inspection Sweetwater does. I own a Taylor and Gibson with Rosewood fretboards and the quality is much higher. Disappointed because I paid for a American made guitar and thought the quality would be excellent.

So I bought a demo of this through Sweetwater. Great price, awesome guitar. But, after playing the first night I realized it just wouldn't stay in tune. Low E and A kept falling flat within about one measure of playing. Stretched strings, retuned. But same issue. Making the guitar basically unplayable for me, unless I pay for a set up at a local store, or try to fix myself. But at this price and advertised as professional... I'd expect a good set up out of box. And I don't think I should have to pay more to have it set, when much less expensive guitars I've purchased didn't need this much attention out of box. Sad, because it seems like a great guitar otherwise.

Just for starters I would like to add that this is my second strat Pro 2. First one was maple fretboard. It had some neck issues, and Sweetwater was good about replacing it.

For a guitar of this price point, Fender seems to overlook some fit and finish detail, and quality control is a bit hit and miss. On my particular guitar, they did a good job of rounding the rosewood fretboard edges; however, the fret ends themselves remind me of a player series at half the cost - rough. On my first pro 2 with the maple board, the fret ends were silky smooth. A different fretboard yes, however, again, inconsistent with the QA.

There is a small piece wood missing from the skunk stripe at the very end. A minor thing (depending on who you ask I suppose), and not sure if I want to worry about it or not. However, on a guitar of this price point, it really shouldn't be there. Overall, nice guitar, if you can find one without defects or issues. YMMV on these, and its a bit sad to have to play the "guitar lottery" with something of this cost.

I've always wanted to own a legit American Strat and finally had the money to dish out for one. Not even 6 months after purchasing, the input jack went out and there are visible signs of corrosion just from having it stored while trying to find a repairman. I wanted to keep the original specs for when I get it repaired but for the price, I could've hot rodded three cheaper guitars to my exact specifications that would've lasted way longer. I'm a regularly gigging musician and take very good care of my gear I'm honestly very let down by the quality of this instrument.