UNDER THE HOOD
A look inside the reimagined models
The modded vibe of these new Mk II American Professionals is very evident in their expanded wiring. Each model features at least one fast-action push-push switched tone pot that introduces the extra sound. On our Strat HSS it splits the DoubleTap humbucker, and on our Tele it combines the two pickups in series, when both are selected. On the three-single-coil Stratocaster we get the ‘seven sound mod’, which introduces the neck pickup to positions 1 and 2 on the five-way for two extra sounds: the Tele-like bridge and neck and all-three pickups – both link the pickups in parallel. Even the Jazzmaster gets a push-push switch, which apparently taps the hotter bridge pickup for a more vintage sound.
If these wiring mods are pretty mainstream, there’s a little more going on with the Strat HSS [pic 1, below]. One trick, as with the original American Pro HSS, is the use of a ganged volume pot: two pots stacked on top of each other but are controlled by a common shaft and a single knob. So the DoubleTap humbucker sees the 500kohms pot, and its single coils, the 250k.
Removing the scratchplate there’s certainly quite a nest of wiring: the five-way switch is a four-pole type as opposed to the standard two-pole style, the single tone cap is a 250V 223k code (.022 microfarads). You also notice two treble bleed circuit boards, one for each of the different value stacked volume pots. Each uses three surface mount components: two resistors and a single capacitor, for which we couldn’t ID. The first series American Pros initially used standard components and changed during their run to these PCBs. Originally, then, the treble bleed on the humbucker’s 500k pot was a 1,000 picofarads capacitor and a 270kohm resistor; on the 250k pot a 1,200 picofarads cap was used in parallel with a 150kohm resistor and a 20k resistor in series.
With the scratchplate off you can also see the body is routed for HSH pickups [pic 2], and there’s a large and quite deeply cut ‘P II’ [pics 3 & 4] in the neck pickup cavity, leaving you in no doubt about which series guitar you have. And while we’re investigating you’ll see a ‘P2’ stamped into the side of new cold-rolled steel vibrato block [pic 5,‘P2’ not shown].
Our Tele is a little more regular [pic 6], again using the same tone capacitor and a regular three-way two-pole switch plus the same single coil-style treble bleed for the 250k volume pot. Fender has long offered a four-way lever switch that links the two pickups in series specifically in position 4 (furthest towards the neck). This Am Pro II is no different in terms of that extra sound, but while it takes two moves (selector switch to mix position then push the tone switch), many will prefer this setup as not everyone enjoys the series position on that four-way switch being where the neck single coil usually is. We are creatures of habit!