Swap
Swap
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster
VS
Playability
75
Sound
77
Build
64
Value
67
Score
72
FIND IT ON:
Sweetwater logoAmazon logoMusician's Friend logoFender logo
Playability
70
Sound
79
Build
74
Value
69
Score
74
FIND IT ON:
Sweetwater logoAmazon logoMusician's Friend logoFender logo
Add to Compare
Add to Compare
Add more to comparison
Show Full Spec Comparison
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster vs American Ultra Stratocaster Specs Comparison
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster American Ultra Stratocaster
General
Brand: Fender Fender
Year: 2021 2019
Configuration: SS SSS
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Mexico United States
Series: Artist American Ultra
Colors: Blue White, Sunburst, Black, Blue, Brown Burst
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Alder Alder
Bridge: 6-Saddle Strings-Through-Body Tele with Stainless Steel Saddles 2-Point Deluxe Synchronized Tremolo with Pop-In Arm
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Deluxe Cast/Sealed Locking with Vintage Style Button Deluxe Cast/Sealed Locking
Fretboard: Rosewood Maple
Neck Material: Maple Maple
Decoration: White Pearloid Dot Black Pearloid Dots
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.5"
Shape: Mid 60s C Ultra Modern D
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.825'' (21mm) - 12th Fret: 0.975'' (24.8mm) 1st Fret: 0.82'' (20.8mm) - 12th Fret: 0.87'' (22.1mm)
Frets: 21 Narrow Tall Nickel Silver 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 7.25" 10" to 14"
Nut: Synthetic Bone Bone
Nut Width: 42mm (1.654'') 42.8mm (1.685'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Fender Vintage-Style 50s Single-Coil Tele (Single Coil / Passive) Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup: Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat (Single Coil / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Fender Vintage-Style 50s Single-Coil Tele (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 Chrissie Hynde Telecaster pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster's switch options
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster's switch options

Reasons to Get
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster over American Ultra Stratocaster

Release Year
2021 vs 2019
From a more recent year
Number of Frets
21 vs 22
Warmer neck pickup
Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Type of Frets
Narrow Tall vs Medium Jumbo
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Neck Profile
Mid 60s C vs Ultra Modern D
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Pickups
SS vs SSS
Beautiful cleans
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.825'' (21mm) vs 0.82'' (20.8mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.975'' (24.8mm) vs 0.87'' (22.1mm)
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
Fixed vs Tremolo
Good sustain and needs no set-up

Reasons to Get
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster over Chrissie Hynde Telecaster

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs Mexico
Built with higher quality standards
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo vs Narrow Tall
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Compound Radius
10" to 14" vs 7.25"
Balanced playability for chords and single-notes
Neck Profile
Ultra Modern D vs Mid 60s C
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
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.82'' (20.8mm) vs 0.825'' (21mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.87'' (22.1mm) 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
Tremolo vs Fixed
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Value Score
69 vs 67
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster vs American Ultra Stratocaster

Bridge Pickup
Fender Vintage-Style 50s Single-Coil Tele vs Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Fender Vintage-Style 50s Single-Coil Tele vs Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat
Different Neck Pickup
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood vs Maple
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Synthetic Bone vs Bone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster vs American Ultra Stratocaster

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
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

Common Strengths

  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Nut
  • Top Pickup Brand

Common Weaknesses

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

Price History Comparison

SET PRICE ALERT
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

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster favors large hands more than the Fender American Ultra Stratocaster.

Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Fender American Ultra Stratocaster meets 7 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster meets only 6. 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.

New Player Friendliness

Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale

New Player Friendliness

Fender American Ultra Stratocaster
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • 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
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 Chrissie Hynde Telecaster

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 Chrissie Hynde Telecaster.

Pickup Configuration

The Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster has an SS configuration while the Fender American Ultra 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.

You can purchase similar pickups to the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster's and use them on any guitar:

We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender American Ultra 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 Stratocaster gives you 5 switch options while the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster gives you 3. This means that the Fender American Ultra 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 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 Stratocaster.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster
Pickups 100
Sustain 75
Versatility 54
Tuning Stability 80
Sound 77
Fender American Ultra 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 Chrissie Hynde Telecaster compares to the Fender American Ultra Stratocaster.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster is built in Mexico while the Fender American Ultra 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 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 Chrissie Hynde Telecaster 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 Stratocaster 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.

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.

The Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster'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 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

They both have 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: 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 Chrissie Hynde Telecaster
  • Locking Tuners
  • Expensive Wood
  • Synthetic Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • Made in Mexico
  • 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 Stratocaster
  • Locking Tuners
  • Made in United States
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • S-1 Switch Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster
Quality of materials 51
Features 60
Quality Control 80
Build Quality 64
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster
Quality of materials 51
Features 80
Quality Control 90
Build Quality 74

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 Chrissie Hynde Telecaster Nut Width
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster Nut Width
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster Nut Width
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Fender American Ultra Stratocaster 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 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 Chrissie Hynde Telecaster and Fender American Ultra 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 Chrissie Hynde Telecaster Neck Profile
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster's neck profile
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster Neck Profile
Fender American Ultra 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 Chrissie Hynde Telecaster has a C type of 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.

The Fender American Ultra 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 Chrissie Hynde Telecaster Fingerboard Radius
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster's Fingerboard radius
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster Fretboard Compound Radius
Fender American Ultra 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 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 Chrissie Hynde Telecaster Frets Size
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster's Frets Size
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster Frets Size
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster's Frets Size

The Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster has Narrow Tall frets, which should be taller than the Fender American Ultra Stratocaster'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 Chrissie Hynde Telecaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 70
Playability 75
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 60
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 70
Playability 70