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Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST
Fender American Performer Telecaster
VS
Playability
72
Sound
67
Build
54
Value
74
Score
64
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Playability
72
Sound
75
Build
67
Value
71
Score
71
FIND IT ON:
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Show Full Spec Comparison
Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST vs Fender American Performer Telecaster Specs Comparison
Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST Fender American Performer Telecaster
General
Brand: Fender Squier Fender
Year: 2018 2019
Configuration: HH SS
Strings: 6 6
Made in: China United States
Series: Contemporary American Performer
Colors: Green, Gray White, Blue, Brown Burst
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Poplar Alder
Bridge: 6-Saddle Adjustable Bridge Fixed 3-Saddle Vintage-Style Strings-Through-Body Tele with Brass Barrel Saddles
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Standard Die-Cast Fender ClassicGear
Fretboard: Indian Laurel Rosewood
Neck Material: Maple Maple
Decoration: Cream Dot White Dot
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.5"
Shape: Modern C Modern C
Frets: 21 Narrow Tall Nickel Silver 22 Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 12" 9.5"
Nut: Synthetic Bone Synthetic Bone
Nut Width: 43mm (1.693'') 42.8mm (1.685'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Squier SQR Active Ceramic Humbucker (Humbucker / Active) Fender Yosemite Single-Coil Telecaster (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: Squier SQR Ceramic Humbucker (Humbucker / Active) Fender Yosemite Single-Coil Telecaster (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Bell Dome
Pickup Mods: None None
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 1 1
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Black & Chrome Chrome
Show Diagrams Comparison
Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST's switch options
Fender American Performer Telecaster pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender American Performer Telecaster's switch options

Reasons to Get
Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST over Fender American Performer Telecaster

Pickups
HH vs SS
High output without hum
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm) vs 1.685'' (42.8mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm) vs 9.5'' (241.3mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend
Pickups Power
Active vs Passive
More output
Value Score
74 vs 71
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Fender American Performer Telecaster over Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs China
Built with higher quality standards
Release Year
2019 vs 2018
From a more recent year
Pickups Brand
Fender vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Pickups
SS vs HH
Beautiful cleans
Number of Frets
22 vs 21
Allows to reach higher notes
Nut Width
1.685'' (42.8mm) vs 1.693'' (43mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Fretboard Radius
9.5'' (241.3mm) vs 12'' (304.8mm)
Easier to play chords without muting strings
Pickups Power
Passive vs Active
Cleaner sound and no battery needed

Other Key Differences
Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST vs Fender American Performer Telecaster

Bridge Pickup
Squier SQR Active Ceramic Humbucker vs Fender Yosemite Single-Coil Telecaster
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Squier SQR Ceramic Humbucker vs Fender Yosemite Single-Coil Telecaster
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Poplar vs Alder
Different Body Wood
Fretboard Wood
Laurel vs Rosewood
Different Fretboard Wood

Shared Features
Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST vs Fender American Performer Telecaster

Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Headstock
6
Same Headstock
Nut Material
Synthetic Bone
Same Nut Material
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Switch Positions
3
Same pickups versatility
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
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Neck Joint
Bolt-On
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Type of Frets
Narrow Tall vs Jumbo
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Weight Relief
  • Locking Tuners
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Price History Comparison

Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST Prices

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    Hand Size Comfortability

    After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both favor small hands .

    Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST:
    Big Hands
    Small Hands
    Fender American Performer Telecaster:
    Big Hands
    Small Hands

    Beginner Friendliness

    The Fender American Performer Telecaster meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST meets only 4. 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 Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST
    • Comfortable shape
    • Easy-to-use bridge
    • Tall frets
    • Comfortable neck
    • Comfortable fretboard
    • Narrow nut
    • Short scale
    • Locking tuners

    New Player Friendliness

    Fender American Performer Telecaster
    • 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 Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST

    Laurel wood pattern used for guitar building
    Laurel
    Poplar wood pattern used for guitar building
    Poplar

    There are many types of Laurel, but East Indian is the most common for guitar building. Its color can vary from dark to light brown with black lines. Many people find its tonality similar to Rosewood, which favors the warmer frequencies. Find out more about Laurel.

    Poplar is a cheaper and heavier alternative to Alder wood. It terms of tone, it emphasizes the low-end and has cutting mids. It's relatively soft compared to most body woods. Find out more about Poplar.

    Woods Used in the Fender American Performer Telecaster

    Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
    Rosewood
    Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
    Alder

    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.

    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.

    Winner: Fender American Performer Telecaster.

    Pickup Configuration

    The Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST has an HH configuration while the Fender American Performer Telecaster has SS pickups.

    Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.

    On the other hand, SS is the classic Telecaster configuration. It's used mainly for playing clean or with low-gain distortion, and it's very popular for the country genre because of their brightness. It doesn't give you as much versatility as a Strat SSS configuration, but you might like the cleaner look of a guitar body with fewer pickups.

    Pickups Quality

    The Fender American Performer Telecaster pickups from a more specialized brand than the Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST. 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 Performer Telecaster's online:

    The Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST's pickups are Active while the Fender American Performer Telecaster'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: Fender American Performer 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

    Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.

    Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.

    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 Performer Telecaster.

    Final Sound Quality Scores

    Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST
    Pickups 60
    Sustain 90
    Versatility 49
    Tuning Stability 70
    Sound 67
    Fender American Performer Telecaster
    Pickups 100
    Sustain 75
    Versatility 54
    Tuning Stability 70
    Sound 75

    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 Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST compares to the Fender American Performer Telecaster.

    Country of Origin

    The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST is built in China while the Fender American Performer Telecaster is made in United States.

    China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.

    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 Performer Telecaster

    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.

    In this case, both have Synthetic Bone nuts. 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.

    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: 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

    Both come with regular tuners. The Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST's are Standard Die-Cast while the Fender American Performer Telecaster's are Fender ClassicGear

    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 Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST
    • Synthetic Bone Nut
    • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
    • No Locking Tuners
    • Made in China
    • No Expensive Woods
    • No Top Brand Pickups
    • 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 Performer Telecaster
    • Made in United States
    • Expensive Wood
    • Synthetic Bone Nut
    • Top Brand Pickups
    • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
    • No Locking Tuners
    • No Neck-Through Build
    • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
    • No Weight Relief
    • No Luminescent Inlay
    • No Tremolo
    • No Compound Radius Fretboard
    • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
    • No Strap Lock

    Final Build Quality Scores

    Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST
    Quality of materials 56
    Features 50
    Quality Control 55
    Build Quality 54
    Fender American Performer Telecaster
    Quality of materials 66
    Features 50
    Quality Control 85
    Build Quality 67

    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 Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST Nut Width
    Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST Nut Width
    Fender American Performer Telecaster Nut Width
    Fender American Performer Telecaster Nut Width

    The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 42.8mm (1.685''). This is a 0.2mm (0.008'') difference

    This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST, 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 Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST and Fender American Performer 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 Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST Neck Profile
    Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST's neck profile
    Fender American Performer Telecaster Neck Profile
    Fender American Performer 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.

    Both the Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST and the Fender American Performer Telecaster have a C-shaped 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 Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST Fingerboard Radius
    Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST's Fingerboard radius
    Fender American Performer Telecaster Fingerboard Radius
    Fender American Performer Telecaster's Fingerboard radius

    Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

    In this case, the Fender American Performer Telecaster's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST.

    Fret Size

    Fender Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST and Fender American Performer Telecaster 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 Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH ST
    Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
    Chord Playability 50
    Solo Playability 80
    Playability 72
    Fender American Performer Telecaster
    Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
    Chord Playability 70
    Solo Playability 70
    Playability 72