Swap
Swap
Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe
Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom
VS
Playability
72
Sound
78
Build
70
Value
68
Score
73
FIND IT ON:
Sweetwater logoAmazon logoMusician's Friend logoFender logo
Playability
68
Sound
73
Build
67
Value
64
Score
69
FIND IT ON:
Sweetwater logoMusician's Friend logo
Add to Compare
Add to Compare
Add more to comparison
Show Full Spec Comparison
Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe vs American Original 70s Telecaster Custom Specs Comparison
Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe American Original 70s Telecaster Custom
General
Brand: Fender Fender
Year: 2020 2018
Configuration: HH SH
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States United States
Series: American Professional II American Original
Colors: White, Sunburst, Blue, Green, Gray Sunburst, Yellow, Natural
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Alder Alder
Bridge: 3-Saddle Custom Cut-Off Vintage-Style Tele Bridge with Compensated Brass Saddles 3-Saddle Vintage-Style Tele with Slotted Steel Saddles
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Fender® Standard Cast/Sealed Staggered Fender® Vintage F Stamped
Fretboard: Maple Maple
Neck Material: Maple Maple
Decoration: Black Dot Black Dot
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.5"
Shape: Deep C Medium C
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.8'' (20.3mm) - 12th Fret: 0.92'' (23.4mm) 1st Fret: 0.82'' (20.8mm) - 12th Fret: 0.9'' (22.9mm)
Frets: 22 Narrow Tall Nickel Silver 21 Vintage Tall Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" 9.5"
Nut: Bone Bone
Nut Width: 42.8mm (1.685'') 42mm (1.654'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Fender V-Mod II Double Tap Humbucking (Humbucker / Passive) Fender Vintage-Style 70s Single-Coil Tele (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: Fender V-Mod II Double Tap Humbucking (Humbucker / Passive) Fender Tim Shaw Authentic CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucking (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Bell Bell
Pickup Mods: S-1 Switch None
Volume Controls: 2 2
Tone Controls: 2 2
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Chrome Chrome
Show Diagrams Comparison
Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe's switch options
Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom's switch options

Reasons to Get
Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe over American Original 70s Telecaster Custom

Release Year
2020 vs 2018
From a more recent year
Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Type of Frets
Narrow Tall vs Vintage Tall
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Pickup Mods
S-1 Switch vs None
Modifies the pickups
Pickups
HH vs SH
High output without hum
Number of Frets
22 vs 21
Allows to reach higher notes
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.8'' (20.3mm) vs 0.82'' (20.8mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.92'' (23.4mm) vs 0.9'' (22.9mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Nut Width
1.685'' (42.8mm) vs 1.654'' (42mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Value Score
68 vs 64
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom over American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe

Number of Frets
21 vs 22
Warmer neck pickup
Type of Frets
Vintage Tall vs Narrow Tall
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Pickups
SH vs HH
Very bright bridge tone and a very warm neck pickup
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.82'' (20.8mm) vs 0.8'' (20.3mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.9'' (22.9mm) vs 0.92'' (23.4mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Nut Width
1.654'' (42mm) vs 1.685'' (42.8mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes

Other Key Differences
Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe vs American Original 70s Telecaster Custom

Bridge Pickup
Fender V-Mod II Double Tap Humbucking vs Fender Vintage-Style 70s Single-Coil Tele
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Fender V-Mod II Double Tap Humbucking vs Fender Tim Shaw Authentic CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucking
Different Neck Pickup

Shared Features
Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe vs American Original 70s Telecaster Custom

Body Wood
Alder
Same Body Wood
Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Maple
Same Fretboard Wood
Headstock
6
Same Headstock
Nut Material
Bone
Same Nut Material
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Switch Positions
3
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
2
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
2
Same tone control
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Fretboard Radius
9.5'' (241.3mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Neck Joint
Bolt-On
Allows you to detach and swap the neck

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Top Pickup Brand

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Weight Relief
  • Locking Tuners
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • Expensive Wood
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Price History Comparison

SET PRICE ALERT

Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom Prices

    SET PRICE ALERT

    These are affiliate links. We may earn a fee if you purchase after clicking. These prices are prone to error. Make sure you're buying the right product after clicking on a link from our site. We are not liable if you buy the wrong product after following these links. As an Amazon Associate site we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Hand Size Comfortability

    After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both favor small hands .

    Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe:
    Big Hands
    Small Hands
    Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom:
    Big Hands
    Small Hands

    Beginner Friendliness

    Both meet 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.

    New Player Friendliness

    Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe
    • Comfortable shape
    • Easy-to-use bridge
    • Comfortable fretboard
    • Tall frets
    • Narrow nut
    • Comfortable neck
    • Short scale
    • Locking tuners

    New Player Friendliness

    Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom
    • Comfortable shape
    • Easy-to-use bridge
    • Comfortable fretboard
    • Tall frets
    • Narrow nut
    • Comfortable neck
    • Short scale
    • Locking tuners

    Sound Quality Comparison

    The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

    Woods Used in Both

    Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
    Maple
    Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
    Alder

    Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

    Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.

    Winner: Tie.

    Pickup Configuration

    The Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe has an HH configuration while the Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom has SH pickups.

    Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.

    On the other hand, SH is a more versatile version of the classic telecaster (SS) configuration. The bridge pickup usually produces a bright and twangy tone, while the neck Humbucker gives you the warmer tone you'll need for more Jazzy/Bluish solos and chords.

    Pickups Quality

    Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.

    Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

    Winner: Tie.

    Versatility Comparison

    Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

    Switch Options

    Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.

    Only the Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe comes with some kind of pickup modification: S-1 Switch.

    An S-1 switch can do a lot of different pickup combinations. It can split them, connect them in series, parallel, add more pickups to each position, and more. Check out the diagram to know how it affects this model.

    When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

    Winner: Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe.

    Final Sound Quality Scores

    Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe
    Pickups 90
    Sustain 85
    Versatility 68
    Tuning Stability 70
    Sound 78
    Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom
    Pickups 90
    Sustain 75
    Versatility 58
    Tuning Stability 70
    Sound 73

    Build Quality Comparison

    When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe compares to the Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom.

    Country of Origin

    The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in United States.

    The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

    Winner: Tie

    Nut Material

    If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

    In this case, both have Bone nuts. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

    Fret Material

    Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

    Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

    Winner: Tie.

    Bridge

    The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

    Both come with a similar bridge: Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.

    Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

    Winner: Tie.

    Tuners

    Both come with regular tuners. The Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe's are Fender® Standard Cast/Sealed Staggered while the Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom's are Fender® Vintage F Stamped

    Winner: Tie.

    Neck Joint

    Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

    Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.

    Winner: Tie.

    Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

    Strengths & Weaknesses
    Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe
    • Made in United States
    • Bone Nut
    • Top Brand Pickups
    • S-1 Switch Pickups
    • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
    • No Locking Tuners
    • No Expensive Woods
    • No Neck-Through Build
    • No Weight Relief
    • No Luminescent Inlay
    • No Tremolo
    • No Compound Radius Fretboard
    • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
    • No Strap Lock
    Strengths & Weaknesses
    Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom
    • Made in United States
    • Bone Nut
    • Top Brand Pickups
    • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
    • No Locking Tuners
    • No Expensive Woods
    • No Neck-Through Build
    • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
    • No Weight Relief
    • No Luminescent Inlay
    • No Tremolo
    • No Compound Radius Fretboard
    • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
    • No Strap Lock

    Final Build Quality Scores

    Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe
    Quality of materials 66
    Features 55
    Quality Control 90
    Build Quality 70
    Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom
    Quality of materials 61
    Features 50
    Quality Control 90
    Build Quality 67

    Playability Comparison

    Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

    Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

    Nut Width

    Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe Nut Width
    Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe Nut Width
    Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom Nut Width
    Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom Nut Width

    The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe has the wider nut with 42.8mm (1.685'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 0.8mm (0.031'') difference

    This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

    Scale Length

    Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe and Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom's Scale Length
    Both have the same scale length

    The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

    In this case, both have a scale length of 25.5".

    This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.

    However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.

    Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

    Neck Profile

    Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe Neck Profile
    Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe's neck profile
    Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom Neck Profile
    Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom's neck profile

    No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

    Both the Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe and the Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

    Fretboard Radius

    Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe Fingerboard Radius
    Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

    Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

    Both the Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe and the Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom have the same fretboard radius of 9.5". This is the most common radius for Stratocaster guitars. It's considered curved when compared to most other models. This allows you to play chords very easily without muting strings accidentally and gives you more space between strings for fingerpicking. However, this curve also gives the guitar less allowance for lower action. If you bend too hard at the high frets, some of your notes might get muted because the curve will make the string fret out.

    Fret Size

    Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe Frets Size
    Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe's Frets Size
    Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom Frets Size
    Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom's Frets Size

    The Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe has Narrow Tall frets, which should be taller than the Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom's Vintage Tall frets.

    Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.

    Final Playability Scores

    Fender American Professional II Telecaster Deluxe
    Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
    Chord Playability 70
    Solo Playability 70
    Playability 72
    Fender American Original 70s Telecaster Custom
    Bending & Vibrato Ease 65
    Chord Playability 80
    Solo Playability 60
    Playability 68