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Fender James Burton Telecaster
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster
VS
Playability
68
Sound
69
Build
67
Value
58
Score
68
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Playability
72
Sound
77
Build
80
Value
66
Score
76
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Fender James Burton Telecaster vs American Ultra Luxe Telecaster

Reasons to Get
Fender James Burton Telecaster over American Ultra Luxe Telecaster

Number of Frets
21 vs 22
Warmer neck pickup
Neck Profile
James Burton U vs Augmented “D”
Comfortable neck with more grip
Pickup Mods
Series Split vs S-1 Switch
Connects pickups in series to imitate a humbucker
Switch Positions
5 vs 3
More tone options
Pickups
SSS vs SS
Beautiful cleans and good tone versatility
Nut Width
1.654'' (42mm) vs 1.685'' (42.8mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes

Reasons to Get
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster over James Burton Telecaster

Fret Material
Stainless Steel vs Nickel Silver
Best fret material that will last forever
Release Year
2021 vs 2006
From a more recent year
Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Compound Radius
10" to 14" vs 9.5"
Balanced playability for chords and single-notes
Neck Profile
Augmented “D” vs James Burton U
Thin and flat neck for playing fast
Pickups Brand
Fender vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Pickup Mods
S-1 Switch vs Series Split
Modifies the pickups
Pickups
SS vs SSS
Beautiful cleans
Number of Frets
22 vs 21
Allows to reach higher notes
Locking Tuners
Yes vs None
Easier to change strings
Nut Width
1.685'' (42.8mm) vs 1.654'' (42mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Value Score
66 vs 58
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Fender James Burton Telecaster vs American Ultra Luxe Telecaster

Bridge Pickup
Fender Specially Designed James Burton vs Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Fender Specially Designed James Burton vs Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Basswood vs Ash
Different Body Wood
Fretboard Wood
Maple vs Rosewood
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Synthetic Bone vs Ivory Tusq
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Fender James Burton Telecaster vs American Ultra Luxe Telecaster

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
Tone Knobs
1
Same tone control
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Joint
Bolt-On
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Type of Frets
Vintage vs Medium Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • High-Quality Frets
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country

Common Weaknesses

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

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster is probably the better product overall with its final score of 76 compared to the Fender James Burton Telecaster's 68 score, although not by a lot.

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality, value for the money. This means that it wins over the Fender James Burton Telecaster in every aspect.

If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster is the better choice.

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster meets 7 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Fender James Burton Telecaster meets only 5. 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 James Burton Telecaster
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Tall frets
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

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

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Fender James Burton Telecaster Overview

  • From Fender's 2006 Artist series
  • James Burton Signature
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 9.5" Fretboard Radius
  • Basswood body
  • Maple neck
  • Maple fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fender Specially Designed James Burton (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Middle pickup: Fender Specially Designed James Burton (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Fender Specially Designed James Burton (Single Coil/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 5-way Switch
  • 6-Saddle American Series Strings-Thru-Body Strat with Block-Style Saddles bridge
  • James Burton U Bolt-On neck
  • 21 Vintage frets
  • Deluxe Cast/Sealed with Pearl Buttons tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Overview

  • From Fender's 2021 American Ultra series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 10" to 14" Fretboard Radius
  • Ash body
  • Maple neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele (Single Coil/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • 6-Saddle American Tele with Chromed Brass Saddles bridge
  • Augmented “D” Bolt-On neck
  • 22 Medium Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
  • Deluxe Cast/Sealed Locking tuners
  • Compare Specs >

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 James Burton Telecaster

Basswood wood pattern used for guitar building
Basswood

Basswood is a lightweight type of wood that isn't as expensive as other popular choices for guitar building. It gives more power to the mid-range frequencies. Its color can vary from pale white to light brown. Find out more about Basswood.

Woods Used in the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster

Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood
Ash wood pattern used for guitar building
Ash

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.

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 Telecaster.

Pickup Configuration

The Fender James Burton Telecaster has an SSS configuration while the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster has SS pickups.

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.

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

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster pickups from a more specialized brand than the Fender James Burton Telecaster. Its pickups should give you a fuller, richer sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Country and similar genres.

We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster'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 Ultra Luxe Telecaster.

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 James Burton Telecaster gives you 5 switch options while the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster gives you 3. This means that the Fender James Burton Telecaster gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Both give you different pickup mod options.

The Fender James Burton Telecaster offers Series Split.

The Series Split feature allows it to split and connect some of the pickups in series. When wired in series, the resulting tone is similar to a Humbucker's. The pickups will work together and produce a fuller tone with more output than single-coils, but less than Humbuckers.

On the other hand, the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster 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.

Fender James Burton Telecaster pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Fender James Burton Telecaster's switch options
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster's switch options

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 James Burton Telecaster.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender James Burton Telecaster
Pickups 70
Sustain 65
Versatility 70
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 69
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster
Pickups 100
Sustain 65
Versatility 64
Tuning Stability 80
Sound 77

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 James Burton Telecaster compares to the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster.

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 James Burton 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 Luxe Telecaster 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 Telecaster 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.

Bridge

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

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

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

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster 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 Telecaster.

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

Final Build Quality Scores

Fender James Burton Telecaster
Quality of materials 51
Features 55
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 67
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster
Quality of materials 71
Features 75
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 80

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 James Burton Telecaster Nut Width
Fender James Burton Telecaster Nut Width
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Nut Width
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster 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, 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 James Burton Telecaster and Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster'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 James Burton Telecaster Neck Profile
Fender James Burton Telecaster's neck profile
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Neck Profile
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster'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 James Burton Telecaster has a U type of neck. This is also referred to as ''baseball neck'' because of its shape. It's usually thick, which is why some people with big hands like it. However, they can also be thin, similar to a C shape, but with more shoulders for a better grip.

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster, 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 James Burton Telecaster Fingerboard Radius
Fender James Burton Telecaster's Fingerboard radius
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Fretboard Compound Radius
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster'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 Telecaster 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.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

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

Fender James Burton Telecaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Fender James Burton Telecaster Frets Size
Fender James Burton Telecaster's Frets Size
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Frets Size
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster's Frets Size

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster has Medium Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Fender James Burton Telecaster's Vintage 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 James Burton Telecaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 65
Chord Playability 90
Solo Playability 50
Playability 68
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 65
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 70
Playability 72

Specs Side-by-Side

Fender James Burton Telecaster vs American Ultra Luxe Telecaster
General Fender James Burton Telecaster American Ultra Luxe Telecaster
Brand: Fender Fender
Year: 2006 2021
Configuration: SSS SS
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States United States
Series: Artist American Ultra
Colors: Blue Patterns, Red Patterns Sunburst, Green
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Basswood Ash
Bridge: 6-Saddle American Series Strings-Thru-Body Strat with Block-Style Saddles 6-Saddle American Tele with Chromed Brass Saddles
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Deluxe Cast/Sealed with Pearl Buttons Deluxe Cast/Sealed Locking
Fretboard: Maple Rosewood
Neck Material: Maple Maple
Decoration: Black Dot White Pearloid Dot
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.5"
Shape: James Burton U Augmented “D”
Frets: 21 Vintage Nickel Silver 22 Medium Jumbo Stainless Steel
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" 10" to 14"
Nut: Synthetic Bone Ivory Tusq
Nut Width: 42mm (1.654'') 42.8mm (1.685'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Fender Specially Designed James Burton (Single Coil / Passive) Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup: Fender Specially Designed James Burton (Single Coil / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Fender Specially Designed James Burton (Single Coil / Passive) Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 5 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Dome Dome
Pickup Mods: Series Split S-1 Switch
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 1 1