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Fender Brad Paisley Esquire
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster
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Playability
72
Sound
72
Build
60
Value
63
Score
68
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Playability
67
Sound
79
Build
82
Value
66
Score
76
FIND IT ON:
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Fender Brad Paisley Esquire vs American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster Specs Comparison
Fender Brad Paisley Esquire American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster
General
Brand: Fender Fender
Year: 2021 2021
Configuration: SS SSS
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Mexico United States
Series: Artist American Ultra
Colors: Blue Sunburst, Red Burst
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Spruce/Paulownia/Spruce Ash
Bridge: 3-Saddle Vintage-Style Strings Through Body Tele with Compensated Brass Barrel Saddles 2-Point Deluxe Synchronized Tremolo with Pop-In Arm
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Vintage-Style Deluxe Cast/Sealed Locking
Fretboard: Maple Maple
Neck Material: Maple Maple
Decoration: Black Dot Black Pearloid Dot
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.5"
Shape: Enhanced V Augmented “D”
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.91'' (23.1mm) - 12th Fret: 1'' (25.4mm) 1st Fret: 0.84'' (21.3mm) - 12th Fret: 0.89'' (22.6mm)
Frets: 21 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver 22 Medium Jumbo Stainless Steel
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" 10" to 14"
Nut: Synthetic Bone Ivory Tusq
Nut Width: 42mm (1.654'') 43mm (1.693'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Custom Brad Paisley Spec Vintage-Style Telecaster (Single Coil / Passive) Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup: Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat (Single Coil / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Brad Paisley Secret Agent (Single Coil / Passive) Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 5 Way
Knobs: Dome Bell
Pickup Mods: None S-1 Switch
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 1 2
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Chrome Chrome
Show Diagrams Comparison
Fender Brad Paisley Esquire pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender Brad Paisley Esquire's switch options
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster's switch options

Reasons to Get
Fender Brad Paisley Esquire over American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster

Number of Frets
21 vs 22
Warmer neck pickup
Neck Profile
Enhanced V vs Augmented “D”
Combines vintage and modern feeling
Pickups
SS vs SSS
Beautiful cleans
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.91'' (23.1mm) vs 0.84'' (21.3mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
1'' (25.4mm) vs 0.89'' (22.6mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Nut Width
1.654'' (42mm) vs 1.693'' (43mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Bridge
Fixed vs Tremolo
Good sustain and needs no set-up

Reasons to Get
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster over Brad Paisley Esquire

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs Mexico
Built with higher quality standards
Fret Material
Stainless Steel vs Nickel Silver
Best fret material that will last forever
Compound Radius
10" to 14" vs 9.5"
Balanced playability for chords and single-notes
Neck Profile
Augmented “D” vs Enhanced V
Thin and flat neck for playing fast
Pickup Mods
S-1 Switch vs None
Modifies the pickups
Switch Positions
5 vs 3
More tone options
Tone Knobs
2 vs 1
More tone control
Pickups
SSS vs SS
Beautiful cleans and good tone versatility
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 0.91'' (23.1mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.89'' (22.6mm) vs 1'' (25.4mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm) vs 1.654'' (42mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Bridge
Tremolo vs Fixed
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Value Score
66 vs 63
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Fender Brad Paisley Esquire vs American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster

Bridge Pickup
Custom Brad Paisley Spec Vintage-Style Telecaster vs Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Brad Paisley Secret Agent vs Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Spruce vs Ash
Different Body Wood
Nut Material
Synthetic Bone vs Ivory Tusq
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Fender Brad Paisley Esquire vs American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster

Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Maple
Same Fretboard Wood
Headstock
6
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
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
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Top Pickup Brand

Common Weaknesses

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

Price History Comparison

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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 Brad Paisley Esquire favors large hands more than the Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster.

Fender Brad Paisley Esquire:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster:
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 Brad Paisley Esquire
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale

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

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.

Woods Used in the Fender Brad Paisley Esquire

Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce

Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.

Woods Used in the Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster

Ash wood pattern used for guitar building
Ash

Ash is a type of wood that Fender used almost exclusively in the 50s, and it's still used by many brands. It's a dense wood with a light color that works well for a transparent, natural finish because of its beautiful patterns. In terms of sound, it's known for emphasizing the mid and high frequencies, but with strong low end. Find out more about Ash.

Winner: Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster.

Pickup Configuration

The Fender Brad Paisley Esquire has an SS configuration while the Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster has SSS pickups.

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.

On the other hand, SSS is perfect for players who like to play clean. The definition you get between notes and the crispiness is unmatched by most other configurations. You can still use it for distortion, but you won't get the same kind of output and power compared to a humbucker, and the hum they produce also makes them less adequate for high gain.

Pickups Quality

Both come with some of the top pickups on the market. You can't go wrong with either of them. You'll probably never need a pickup upgrade.

We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster'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: 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

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster gives you 5 switch options while the Fender Brad Paisley Esquire gives you 3. This means that the Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Only the Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster 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 Stratocaster.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender Brad Paisley Esquire
Pickups 100
Sustain 65
Versatility 54
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 72
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster
Pickups 100
Sustain 60
Versatility 82
Tuning Stability 75
Sound 79

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 Brad Paisley Esquire compares to the Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Fender Brad Paisley Esquire is built in Mexico while the Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster is made in United States.

Mexico has been for a long time where Fender has built their semi-premium series. If you don't want to overpay for a wellp-built instrument, a guitar built in this country by a good brand always offers good value for the money.

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: Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster

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 Brad Paisley Esquire has a Synthetic Bone nut. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.

On the other hand, the Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster comes with a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.

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 Stratocaster 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 Stratocaster.

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 Brad Paisley Esquire's brige is a 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.

On the other hand, the Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster'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: Tie.

Tuners

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster 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.

Winner: Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster.

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 Brad Paisley Esquire
  • Synthetic Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Mexico
  • 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
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster
  • Stainless Steel Frets
  • Locking Tuners
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Ivory Tusq Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • S-1 Switch Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Fender Brad Paisley Esquire
Quality of materials 51
Features 50
Quality Control 80
Build Quality 60
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster
Quality of materials 71
Features 80
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 82

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 Brad Paisley Esquire Nut Width
Fender Brad Paisley Esquire Nut Width
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster Nut Width
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 1mm (0.039'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster, 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 Brad Paisley Esquire and Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster'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 Brad Paisley Esquire Neck Profile
Fender Brad Paisley Esquire's neck profile
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster Neck Profile
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster'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 Brad Paisley Esquire has a Soft V to C type of neck. This neck is also called boat neck because it resembles the shape of the bottom of a boat. It combines the Soft V many people like for playing chords for the first frets, and it transitions to a rounder shape as you get closer to the highest frets. It's a neck that takes a while to get used to, and it's not as popular as a simple C shape.

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster, on the other hand, has a D 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.

Fretboard Radius

Fender Brad Paisley Esquire Fingerboard Radius
Fender Brad Paisley Esquire's Fingerboard radius
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster Fretboard Compound Radius
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster's Compound 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.

In this case, the Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster 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 Brad Paisley Esquire and Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium Jumbo fret size

Both have a Medium Jumbo fret size. These are slightly shorter than full Jumbo frets, so you'll still feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. However, they interfere less with your fretting hand than medium-size frets. This is a good size if you like easy-to-press frets, but would still like to feel a bit of the fretboard when playing.

Final Playability Scores

Fender Brad Paisley Esquire
Bending & Vibrato Ease 65
Chord Playability 90
Solo Playability 60
Playability 72
Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 60
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 70
Playability 67