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Ibanez AR420
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster
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Playability
73
Sound
65
Build
53
Value
69
Score
64
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Playability
72
Sound
77
Build
80
Value
66
Score
76
FIND IT ON:
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Ibanez AR420 vs Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster Specs Comparison
Ibanez AR420 Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster
General
Brand: Ibanez Fender
Year: 2020 2021
Configuration: HH SS
Strings: 6 6
Made in: China United States
Series: AR American Ultra
Colors: Sunburst Sunburst, Green
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Okoume Ash
Bridge: Gibraltar Performer 6-Saddle American Tele with Chromed Brass Saddles
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Bolt-On
Tuners: Ibanez Deluxe Cast/Sealed Locking
Fretboard: Bound Jatoba Rosewood
Neck Material: 3pc Maple Maple
Decoration: Acrylic & Abalone block White Pearloid Dot
Scale Size: 24.75" 25.5"
Shape: AR Augmented “D”
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.79'' (20.1mm) - 12th Fret: 0.87'' (22.1mm) 1st Fret: 0.84'' (21.3mm) - 12th Fret: 0.89'' (22.6mm)
Frets: 22 Medium Nickel Silver 22 Medium Jumbo Stainless Steel
Fretboard Radius: 12" 10" to 14"
Nut: Plastic Ivory Tusq
Nut Width: 43mm (1.693'') 42.8mm (1.685'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Super 58 (Humbucker / Passive) Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: Super 58 (Humbucker / Passive) Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Speed Dome
Pickup Mods: Tri-Sound S-1 Switch
Volume Controls: 2 1
Tone Controls: 2 1
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Gold Chrome
Show Diagrams Comparison
Ibanez AR420 pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Ibanez AR420's switch options
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster's switch options

Reasons to Get
Ibanez AR420 over Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster

Decorative Top
Flamed Maple vs None
Finished with beautiful natural wood patterns
Neck Profile
AR vs Augmented “D”
Thin neck for playing fast
Pickup Mods
Tri-Sound vs S-1 Switch
Grants 3 ways to modify the sound of the pickups
Volume Knobs
2 vs 1
More volume control
Tone Knobs
2 vs 1
More tone control
Pickups
HH vs SS
High output without hum
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.79'' (20.1mm) vs 0.84'' (21.3mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.87'' (22.1mm) vs 0.89'' (22.6mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm) vs 1.685'' (42.8mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Scale Length
24.75'' (628.7mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Value Score
69 vs 66
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster over Ibanez AR420

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs China
Built with higher quality standards
Fret Material
Stainless Steel vs Nickel Silver
Best fret material that will last forever
Release Year
2021 vs 2020
From a more recent year
Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Compound Radius
10" to 14" vs 12"
Balanced playability for chords and single-notes
Neck Profile
Augmented “D” vs AR
Thin and flat neck for playing fast
Pickups Brand
Fender vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Nut Material
Ivory Tusq vs Plastic
Resistant, good tuning stability and rich tone
Pickup Mods
S-1 Switch vs Tri-Sound
Modifies the pickups
Neck Joint
Bolt-On vs Set
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Pickups
SS vs HH
Beautiful cleans
Locking Tuners
Yes vs None
Easier to change strings
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.84'' (21.3mm) vs 0.79'' (20.1mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.89'' (22.6mm) vs 0.87'' (22.1mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Nut Width
1.685'' (42.8mm) vs 1.693'' (43mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm) vs 24.75'' (628.7mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone

Other Key Differences
Ibanez AR420 vs Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster

Bridge Pickup
Super 58 vs Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Super 58 vs Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Okoume vs Ash
Different Body Wood
Fretboard Wood
Jatoba vs Rosewood
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Plastic vs Ivory Tusq
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Ibanez AR420 vs Fender 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
Switch Positions
3
Same pickups versatility
Number of Frets
22
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Type of Frets
Medium vs Medium Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Frets

Common Weaknesses

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

Price History Comparison

SET PRICE ALERT
SET PRICE ALERT

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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 .

Ibanez AR420:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster meets 7 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Ibanez AR420 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

Ibanez AR420
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • 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

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 Ibanez AR420

Jatoba wood pattern used for guitar building
Jatoba
Okoume wood pattern used for guitar building
Okoume

Jatoba is a hard and dense wood that emphasizes the mid-lows, giving a fuller, more round sound than, for example, Mahogany. However, it also has a lot of clarity in the top end. Find out more about Jatoba.

Okoume is an affordable wood and one of the first to replace Mahogany when the prohibitions started. It's generally softer than Mahogany and the tone has warmer lows.

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 Ibanez AR420 has an HH configuration while the Fender American Ultra Luxe 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 Ultra Luxe Telecaster pickups from a more specialized brand than the Ibanez AR420. 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

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

Both give you different pickup mod options.

The Ibanez AR420 offers Tri-Sound.

Tri-Sound gives you the choice of using the pickup coils at the same time, splitting them or connect them im parallel for a brighter sound.

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.

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Ibanez AR420
Pickups 60
Sustain 70
Versatility 63
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 65
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 Ibanez AR420 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. The Ibanez AR420 is built in China while the Fender American Ultra Luxe 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 Ultra Luxe 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.

The Ibanez AR420 has a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.

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: Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster.

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.

The Ibanez AR420 has a Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.

On the other hand, the Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster comes with 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: Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Ibanez AR420
  • Tri-Sound Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • 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

Ibanez AR420
Quality of materials 45
Features 55
Quality Control 60
Build Quality 53
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

Ibanez AR420 Nut Width
Ibanez AR420 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 Ibanez AR420 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 Ibanez AR420, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Ibanez AR420's Scale Length
Ibanez AR420's Scale Length
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster's Scale Length
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster's 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.

The Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster has the longest scale: 25.5". The Ibanez AR420 is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.75'' (19.1mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

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

Ibanez AR420 Neck Profile
Ibanez AR420'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 Ibanez AR420 has a SA type of neck. Like most Ibanez necks, it's thinner than most modern C necks. It's very similar in thickness and shape to their unique Wizard profile.

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

Ibanez AR420 Fingerboard Radius
Ibanez AR420'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.

Fret Size

Ibanez AR420 Frets Size
Ibanez AR420'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 Ibanez AR420's Medium 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

Ibanez AR420
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 70
Playability 73
Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 65
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 70
Playability 72