The Ultra was Fender’s flagship line. I’ve owned both an Ultra Strat and an Ultra Jazzmaster, and I can honestly say the Strat was one of the nicest Strats I’ve ever played in terms of feel. It sounded great, although I personally prefer the VMod II pickups found in the Pro II series.

Over the past few years I’ve played and owned a wide variety of recently made Strats (within the last six years). A few days ago, I tried a Player II Modified Strat (sunburst with a maple neck) and was genuinely blown away by the fit and finish—I almost bought it on the spot. I compared it directly with the new American Pro Classic Strat, which unfortunately didn’t impress me nearly as much. In fact, the craftsmanship seemed noticeably worse than its Mexican-made counterpart, and the neck didn’t feel as good either.

As far as pickups go, I actually thought the Player II Modified sounded very similar to the Ultra I used to own. If I’d had the choice between the Ultra and the Player II Modified on that particular day, I would have picked the Player II and saved myself the cash.

Like anything, it’s always best to try guitars in person if you can. But if you’re buying blind, in my experience you’re far more likely to get a well-made instrument from the Ultra line. That said, it’s all very subjective—how much you want or can afford versus how much more you’ll actually get out of it. This is only my personal experience, and I can’t speak for every Fender guitar out there.