Fender American Ultra II Meteora Bass Guitar, Ebony Fingerboard, Ultraburst

Entering the fray as part of Fender's most elite series of instruments yet, the Fender American Ultra II Meteora Bass is a stellar offset ready for anything. Outfitted with high-quality electronics and materials, this bass is ready to take on any musical summit.

This American Ultra II model starts out easily with Fender's Meteora offset bass body crafted from a cut of select alder. The specially-selected pick of wood plays seamlessly and moves comfortably. Cut with the American Ultra II's Ultra body contours, this Meteora Bass body is streamlined for handling across a stage in the arms. Playability is enhanced by a finely sculpted neck heel that allows easy access to the highest registers and frets available – unlocking new levels of playing comfort and reach.

The experience of the Meteora Bass continues on with a Posiflex support rod and graphite-reinforced quartersawn maple neck. This high-quality selection of maple is effortlessly smooth across its full length thanks to its Ultra Satin finish. Smooth and silky, the finish compounds on comfort with the added consideration of a Modern "D" neck profile. As it fills the playing hand, this neck is effortlessly played and easily handled across all angles and positions – perfect for dynamic musicality.

A compound fingerboard radius lands on this Meteora Bass to enhance the comfort and playing experience of it all. The neck's quartersawn maple fills to an ebony board and measures with – and already speedy and modern – 10" radius near its headstock. This radius flattens further to a 14" radius as it moves toward the body, making the whole experience in hand and on the fingers even faster. Twenty-one Medium Jumbo frets line the ebony for a familiar and comfortable feel across the fingertips. Ultra rolled edges smooth out the fingerboard while Luminlay side dots appear to make for a bright set of fret markers.

For the Meteora Bass, the American Ultra II series dropped in two Fender Haymaker bass humbucker pickups. These punchy and powerful electronics roll through a wide spectrum of expressive tonality to deliver thunderous sounds – all without any hum. A redesigned Ultra II active preamp comes fitted with an S-1 switching system for active/passive operation while a three-band EQ offers a switchable midrange frequency, widening the field of sounds possible. Electronically, the American Ultra II Meteora Bass is massively expressive and inspirational for dynamic musicmaking.

Like all of its American Ultra II brethren, the Meteora Bass comes equipped with a robust hardware setup to tie everything together. An adjustable HiMass bridge offers the options of through-body or top-load stringing while a Graph Tech TUSQ nut acts as a bridge for strings between the body and tuners. Fender's "F" lightweight tuning machines feature tapered shafts for quick string changes and sturdy intonation. Across this whole offset bass, Fender took every opportunity to make a complete knockout of an instrument.

Players seeking the fast lane to a new kind of Fender experience need look no further than the American Ultra II series. This Meteora Bass model comes ready for the most dynamic of sounds at the cutting edge of innovation.