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Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster
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Playability
70
Sound
82
Build
84
Value
69
Score
79
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Playability
67
Sound
73
Build
70
Value
60
Score
70
FIND IT ON:
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Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH vs American Original 60s Jazzmaster Specs Comparison
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH American Original 60s Jazzmaster
General
Brand: Fender Fender
Year: 2021 2018
Configuration: HH SS
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States United States
Series: American Ultra American Original
Colors: Black Sunburst, Blue
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Alder Alder
Bridge: Floyd Rose Original Double-Locking 2-Point Tremolo Vintage-Style Floating Tremolo with Tremolo Lock Button and Push-In Tremolo Arm
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Deluxe Cast/Sealed Locking Pure Vintage Single Line Fender Deluxe
Fretboard: Maple Rosewood
Neck Material: Maple Maple
Decoration: Black Pearloid Dots White Pearloid Dot - 7mm
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.5"
Shape: Augmented “D” Mid 60s C
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.84'' (21.3mm) - 12th Fret: 0.89'' (22.6mm) 1st Fret: 0.825'' (21mm) - 12th Fret: 0.975'' (24.8mm)
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo Stainless Steel 21 Vintage Tall Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 10" to 14" 9.5"
Nut: Locking Bone
Nut Width: 42.8mm (1.685'') 42mm (1.654'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Fender Custom Double Tap Humbucking (Humbucker / Passive) Fender Pure Vintage 65 Single-Coil Jazzmaster (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: Fender Custom Double Tap Humbucking (Humbucker / Passive) Fender Pure Vintage 65 Single-Coil Jazzmaster (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Dome Bell
Pickup Mods: S-1 Switch None
Volume Controls: 1 2
Tone Controls: 1 2
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Chrome Chrome
Show Diagrams Comparison
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH's switch options
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster's switch options

Reasons to Get
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH over American Original 60s Jazzmaster

Fret Material
Stainless Steel vs Nickel Silver
Best fret material that will last forever
Release Year
2021 vs 2018
From a more recent year
Compound Radius
10" to 14" vs 9.5"
Balanced playability for chords and single-notes
Neck Profile
Augmented “D” vs Mid 60s C
Thin and flat neck for playing fast
Pickup Mods
S-1 Switch vs None
Modifies the pickups
Pickups
HH vs SS
High output without hum
Number of Frets
22 vs 21
Allows to reach higher notes
Locking Tuners
Yes vs None
Easier to change strings
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.84'' (21.3mm) vs 0.825'' (21mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.89'' (22.6mm) vs 0.975'' (24.8mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Nut Width
1.685'' (42.8mm) vs 1.654'' (42mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Bridge
Floyd Rose vs Tremolo
Allows intense vibratos and techniques like Dive Bombs
Value Score
69 vs 60
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster over American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH

Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Neck Profile
Mid 60s C vs Augmented “D”
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Volume Knobs
2 vs 1
More volume control
Tone Knobs
2 vs 1
More tone control
Pickups
SS vs HH
Beautiful cleans
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.825'' (21mm) vs 0.84'' (21.3mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.975'' (24.8mm) vs 0.89'' (22.6mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Nut Width
1.654'' (42mm) vs 1.685'' (42.8mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Bridge
Tremolo vs Floyd Rose
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance

Other Key Differences
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH vs American Original 60s Jazzmaster

Bridge Pickup
Fender Custom Double Tap Humbucking vs Fender Pure Vintage 65 Single-Coil Jazzmaster
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Fender Custom Double Tap Humbucking vs Fender Pure Vintage 65 Single-Coil Jazzmaster
Different Neck Pickup
Fretboard Wood
Maple vs Rosewood
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Locking vs Bone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH vs American Original 60s Jazzmaster

Body Wood
Alder
Same Body Wood
Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Headstock
6
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Switch Positions
3
Same pickups versatility
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Joint
Bolt-On
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo vs Vintage Tall
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

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

Common Weaknesses

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

Price History Comparison

SET PRICE ALERT

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster Prices

SET PRICE ALERT

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Hand Size Comfortability

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster favors large hands more than the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH.

Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster:
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 Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH
  • Comfortable shape
  • Locking tuners
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Short scale
  • Easy-to-use bridge

New Player Friendliness

Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster
  • 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.

Woods Used in the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster

Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Winner: Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster.

Pickup Configuration

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH has an HH configuration while the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster has SS 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, SS is the classic Telecaster configuration. It's used mainly for playing clean or with low-gain distortion, and it's very popular for the country genre because of their brightness. It doesn't give you as much versatility as a Strat SSS configuration, but you might like the cleaner look of a guitar body with fewer pickups.

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.

However, the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.

We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster's online:

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: Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster.

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 Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH 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 Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH
Pickups 90
Sustain 70
Versatility 74
Tuning Stability 95
Sound 82
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster
Pickups 100
Sustain 60
Versatility 68
Tuning Stability 65
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 Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH compares to the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster.

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.

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH has a Locking nut. Instead of a regular nut, this guitar has a locking system that will lock down the strings at the nut, preventing it from getting out of tune. It removes one of the disadvantages of tremolo bridges, tune stability.

On the other hand, the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster comes with a Bone nut. 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.

Winner: Tie.

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.

In this comparison, the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH is the only one that has stainless steel frets. These frets will basically last for the entire life of the guitar. They will never need polishing nor replacement. And not only that, but some people also notice that bending and vibratos are much easier to perform when they upgrade to stainless steel.

Winner: Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH.

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.

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH's brige is a Floyd Rose. This is a double-locking bridge system that allows you to perform techniques like dive bombs and pinch harmonics. The locking nut allows your guitar to stay in tune even after the most intense tremolo usage. The disadvantage is that it takes more work to change the strings and set up everything correctly.

On the other hand, the Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster's is a Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.

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: Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH.

Tuners

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.

Nevertheless, the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH has a locking nut, so it should have even better tune stability and doesn't need locking tuners.

Winner: Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH.

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 Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH
  • Stainless Steel Frets
  • Locking Tuners
  • Made in United States
  • Locking Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • S-1 Switch Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Retainer Bar
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH
Quality of materials 66
Features 90
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 84
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster
Quality of materials 61
Features 55
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 70

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 Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH Nut Width
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH Nut Width
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster Nut Width
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH 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 Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH, 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 Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH and Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster'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 Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH Neck Profile
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH's neck profile
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster Neck Profile
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster'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.

In this case, both have different neck shapes:

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH has a D type of neck. This is a thin and flat neck that is made for playing fast. If you prefer a neck that doesn't get in your way when soloing, this is the shape you should use. Guitarists that prefer to have a bit more grip won't like this type of neck.

The Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster, on the other hand, has a C 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 Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH Fretboard Compound Radius
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH's Compound Fretboard Radius
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster Fingerboard Radius
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster's Fingerboard 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.

In this case, the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH is the only one with a compound radius. This is a huge win because it will give you the best of both worlds: a more curved radius in the first few frets for chords, and flatter as you come closer to the body for soloing.

Fret Size

Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH Frets Size
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH's Frets Size
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster Frets Size
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster's Frets Size

The Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster has Vintage Tall frets, which should be taller than the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH's Medium Jumbo 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 Ultra Luxe Telecaster Floyd Rose HH
Bending & Vibrato Ease 60
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 70
Playability 70
Fender American Original 60s Jazzmaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 60
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 60
Playability 67