By Phil Weller - Guitarworld.
Yosemite pickups, a quirky take on push-pull tone shaping, and a choice of experimental tonewoods headline Fender's latest American Performer instruments.
As Fender continues to celebrate 70 years of the Stratocaster, it has released a new limited edition American Performer Timber model – and it's brought the Telecaster along for the ride, too.
The firm began phasing out the use of ash tonewoods altogether back in 2020 due to depleting supply and the threat of Emerald Ash Borer beetles, and now it has decided to experiment with some unconventional electric guitar alternatives here with some more left-field choices.
Both the Stratocaster and Telecaster are available in three forms: Sassafras, which is a swamp ash-like alternative, with a satin Mocha finish; sugar pine, with a satin Two-Color Sunburst finish; and spruce – a wood typically found on acoustic guitars – with a satin Honey Burst finish.
Both guitars also offer Yosemite single-coil pickups – three for the Strat and two for the Tele, naturally – which have been designed for “rich, expressive tones”. They offer flat-staggered pole pieces, which Fender says increases their output.
Both guitars also feature modern C-shaped necks with 9.5” radius fretboards and 22 jumbo frets but distinguish themselves with some choice electrical quirks.
The Stratocaster uniquely offers a push-pull tone control that adds the neck pickup into any switch position, in contrast to the conventional split-coil approach that is usually seen with humbuckers.
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