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Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS
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Playability
73
Sound
83
Build
62
Value
73
Score
73
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Playability
70
Sound
79
Build
70
Value
68
Score
73
FIND IT ON:
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Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster vs American Professional II Stratocaster HSS Specs Comparison
Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster American Professional II Stratocaster HSS
General
Brand: Fender Fender
Year: 2018 2020
Configuration: HSH HSS
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Mexico United States
Series: Artist American Professional II
Colors: White White, Sunburst, Blue, Green, Brown, Gray Burst
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Alder Roasted Pine
Bridge: 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo 2-Point Synchronized Tremolo with Bent Steel Saddles, Pop-In Tremolo Arm and Cold-Rolled Steel Block
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Vintage-Style Fender® Standard Cast/Sealed Staggered
Fretboard: Maple Maple
Neck Material: Maple Maple
Decoration: Black Dot Black Dot
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.5"
Shape: 10/56 V Back-Shape Deep C
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.895'' (22.7mm) - 12th Fret: 1'' (25.4mm) 1st Fret: 0.8'' (20.3mm) - 12th Fret: 0.92'' (23.4mm)
Frets: 21 Narrow Tall Nickel Silver 22 Narrow Tall Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" 9.5"
Nut: Synthetic Bone Bone
Nut Width: 42mm (1.654'') 42.8mm (1.685'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Seymour Duncan JB Jr. SJBJ-1B (Humbucker / Passive) Fender V-Mod II Double Tap Humbucking (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Texas Special Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil / Passive) Fender V-Mod II Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Sustainer Driver (Humbucker / Active) Fender V-Mod Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 5 Way 5 Way
Knobs: Bell Bell
Pickup Mods: Sustainer S-1 Switch
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 1 2
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Chrome Chrome
Show Diagrams Comparison
Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster's switch options
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS's switch options

Reasons to Get
Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster over American Professional II Stratocaster HSS

Neck Profile
10/56 V Back-Shape vs Deep C
Combines vintage and modern feeling
Pickup Mods
Sustainer vs S-1 Switch
Infinite sustain when activated
Pickups
HSH vs HSS
High output, round sound with a single-coil for cleans
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.895'' (22.7mm) vs 0.8'' (20.3mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
1'' (25.4mm) vs 0.92'' (23.4mm)
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
Avg. Weight
7.925lbs (3.6kgs) vs 8.25lbs (3.7kgs)
Tends to be lighter
Pickups Power
Active vs Passive
More output
Value Score
73 vs 68
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS over EOB Sustainer Stratocaster

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs Mexico
Built with higher quality standards
Release Year
2020 vs 2018
From a more recent year
Neck Profile
Deep C vs 10/56 V Back-Shape
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Pickup Mods
S-1 Switch vs Sustainer
Modifies the pickups
Tone Knobs
2 vs 1
More tone control
Pickups
HSS vs HSH
High output with beautiful cleans and tone versatility
Number of Frets
22 vs 21
Allows to reach higher notes
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.8'' (20.3mm) vs 0.895'' (22.7mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.92'' (23.4mm) vs 1'' (25.4mm)
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
Pickups Power
Passive vs Active
Cleaner sound and no battery needed

Other Key Differences
Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster vs American Professional II Stratocaster HSS

Bridge Pickup
Seymour Duncan JB Jr. SJBJ-1B vs Fender V-Mod II Double Tap Humbucking
Different Bridge Pickup
Middle Pickup
Fender Custom Shop Texas Special Single-Coil Strat vs Fender V-Mod II Single-Coil Strat
Different Middle Pickup
Neck Pickup
Sustainer Driver vs Fender V-Mod Single-Coil Strat
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Alder vs Pine
Different Body Wood
Nut Material
Synthetic Bone vs Bone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster vs American Professional II Stratocaster HSS

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
Switch Positions
5
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Tremolo
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Fretboard Radius
9.5'' (241.3mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Neck Joint
Bolt-On
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Type of Frets
Narrow Tall
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • 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

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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 EOB Sustainer Stratocaster favors large hands more than the Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS.

Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS:
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 EOB Sustainer Stratocaster
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS
  • 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

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 EOB Sustainer Stratocaster

Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder

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 Professional II Stratocaster HSS

Pine wood pattern used for guitar building
Pine

Some guitarists don't like Pine because they think it's too soft and dents easily. However, there are many types of pines, and the hardest pine is the one used for guitar building. The general opinion is that it tends to give a nice round and balanced sound.

Winner: Tie.

Pickup Configuration

The Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster has an HSH configuration while the Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS has HSS pickups.

HSH is a versatile pickup configuration that will give you the high output, full tone, and quiet sound of humbucker pickups, but with the possibility of using a single coil for cleaner tones. The disadvantage is that the middle single-coil pickup will have a noticeable lower volume, so you might want to adjust the height of the pickups. Another problem is that if you set the middle pickup too high, it might interfere with your picking hand.

On the other hand, HSS provides a great balance if you like to play with a lot of distortion, but also love to use clean tones. You'll get a lot of output at the bridge position, but you'll be able to play bright clean tones at the other positions.

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.

You can purchase similar pickups to the Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster's and use them on any guitar:

We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS's online:

The Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster's pickups are Active while the Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS's are Passive.

Passive pickups are what most guitars use. These have a normal output that works well for most genres. However, Active pickups are the preferred choice of heavy metal players because they offer extra output thanks to their 9v battery, which results in a heavier, more distorted sound. Bear in mind that achieving a completely clean tone with them won't be easy. So if you want to also use clean tones, you might want to avoid Active pickups.

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.

Both give you different pickup mod options.

The Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster offers Sustainer.

The pickups with Sustainer are able to recreate the 'feedback' you get when you hold your guitar near a speaker without muting the strings. This allows them to produce infinite sustain that you can use for as long as you want to create interest sounds and harmonics.

On the other hand, the Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS comes with the following: 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 Stratocaster HSS.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster
Pickups 90
Sustain 100
Versatility 75
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 83
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS
Pickups 90
Sustain 80
Versatility 82
Tuning Stability 65
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 EOB Sustainer Stratocaster compares to the Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster is built in Mexico while the Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS 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 Professional II Stratocaster HSS

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 EOB Sustainer Stratocaster 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 Professional II Stratocaster HSS 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.

Both come with a similar bridge: 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

Both come with regular tuners. The Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster's are Vintage-Style while the Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS's are Fender® Standard Cast/Sealed Staggered

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 EOB Sustainer Stratocaster
  • Synthetic Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Sustainer Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Mexico
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS
  • Made in United States
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • S-1 Switch Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster
Quality of materials 51
Features 60
Quality Control 75
Build Quality 62
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS
Quality of materials 61
Features 60
Quality Control 90
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 EOB Sustainer Stratocaster Nut Width
Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster Nut Width
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS Nut Width
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS 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 Stratocaster HSS, 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 EOB Sustainer Stratocaster and Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS'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 EOB Sustainer Stratocaster Neck Profile
Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster's neck profile
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS Neck Profile
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS'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 EOB Sustainer Stratocaster 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 Professional II Stratocaster HSS, 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 EOB Sustainer Stratocaster 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 EOB Sustainer Stratocaster and the Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS 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 EOB Sustainer Stratocaster and Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS Frets Size
Both have a similar Narrow Tall fret size

Both have a Narrow Tall fret size. Their height is very similar to Jumbo frets, but they have a narrower crown. They won't let you feel the fretboard when playing, which will make it easier to get clean notes. However, if you press down too hard you might get the notes out of pitch.

Final Playability Scores

Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 70
Playability 73
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS
Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 70
Playability 70