Fender’s new American Vintage II Series offers period-accurate appointments, plus meticulously voiced, year-specific pickups

A Continuous Classic

Newly renamed in 1951 with a moniker that takes its inspiration from the booming growth and expansive reach of television, the first “blackguard” Telecaster rolled off the line in late 1951, and the model has been in continuous production ever since. Beloved by many players throughout the years for its weighty heft, one of the most enduring aspects of the first Telecasters was the girthy, U-shaped hard rock maple neck, which has been recreated for the American Vintage II 1951 Telecaster, along with the narrow 12th fret dot spacing and a sole Phillips-head fastener at the truss rod nut, characteristic of production in 1951.

Available Finishes: Butterscotch Blonde

Additional Features

-Triple brass saddle bridge
-Single line “Fender Deluxe” tuners
-Pure Vintage ‘51 Telecaster pickups

A Game Changer

The world’s first full-scale electric bass model, Leo Fender’s groundbreaking Precision Bass shook the foundations of popular music forever. For the first time, bass players had access to a portable, precisely intonated, amplified instrument.

Introduced in 1951 alongside the (recently renamed) Telecaster, the 1954 edition still took many of the same design cues—such as an oversized Tele headstock, slab body, and chrome plate. But by 1954 Fender updated its P-bass design to share the same sweeping curves and contoured edges of the newly launched Stratocaster.

Available in White Blonde and 2-color sunburst, American Vintage II 1954 Precision Basses feature ash bodies outfitted with a Pure Vintage ’54 Single-Coil Precision Bass pickup to deliver classic Fender thump and style, reproducing the quintessential tone and feel of the original. 

Additional Features

-Single-ply white pickguard
-‘54 “C”-shape maple neck -7.25” radius fingerboard
-Pure Vintage 2-saddle bridge with fiber saddles
-Pure Vintage reverse open-gear tuners
-Pure Vintage finger rest 

An Idea Becomes an Icon

Featuring a supremely comfortable “V”-shape neck and sweeping body contours with a 7.25” radius maple fingerboard, the cleanly engineered tremolo was the Strat’s functional miracle, with six intonatable saddles and a smooth-bending whammy bar.

Offered in three stunning nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, including 2-Color Sunburst or Sea Foam Green over alder, and Vintage Blonde over ash, the iconic voice of the American Vintage II 1957 Stratocaster comes from its trio of Pure Vintage ‘57 Stratocaster pickups.

Available Finishes: 2-Color Sunburst or Sea Foam Green over alder, and Vintage Blonde over ash

Additional Features:

-Vintage-accurate synchronized tremolo with cold rolled steel block
-Bent steel saddles
-“Fender Deluxe” tuners
-Single-ply pickguard 

Refined and Enduring Bass Aesthetics

The early ‘60s was a time of transition for Fender, as well as a watershed period in the development of the Precision Bass—which would see the introduction of many new appointments that have since become synonymous with the P-Bass.

Another refinement of the P-Bass that has stood the test of time is the split-coil pickup. With two alnico magnet pole pieces for each string and an offset design to optimize the tone of the bass and treble strings, the Precision Bass Split-Coil pickup design delivers solid, deep and thundering bass tone. Features a Strat-style headstock shape, comfort-contours, pickguard mounted electronics and 4-saddle bridge.

Available Finishes: Black, 3-Color Sunburst or Daphne Blue

Additional Features:

-Premium alder body
-“C” shape hard rock maple neck -7.25” radius slab rosewood fingerboard
-Pure Vintage ‘60 Split-Coil P-Bass pickup 

Signature Curves, Richer Tones

The popularity of Fender musical instruments grew throughout the ‘50s, flourishing into an assortment of instrument models, and by 1961 the Stratocaster had taken on a more refined aesthetic.

A big evolutionary change in early ’60s first appeared in late 1959, when Fender guitars transitioned from maple fingerboards to rosewood—mostly because of the visible wear that a maple fingerboard showed. But it made an appreciable difference in the overall tonality of the guitar, giving it a slightly warmer voice.

To mirror this transitional period, American Vintage II 1961 Stratocaster sports a 7.25” radius slab rosewood fingerboard, and is available in 3-Color Sunburst reformulated with a more vibrant red and bolder black edge, accented by a 3-ply pickguard accenting the Strat’s signature curves.

Available Finishes: Fiesta Red, 3-Color Sunburst, and Olympic White 

Additional Features:

-Premium alder body
-Pure Vintage ’61 Stratocaster pickups
-Medium “C”-Shaped maple neck 

The Tele Gets Twangier

Marrying the punch and focus of alder with the warmth added by a round-lam rosewood fingerboard, this new combination of tonewoods, alone, used for Fender Telecasters of the early ‘60s managed to enhance the signature Tele twang. But in 1963, the brass saddles in the bridge used for Telecaster guitars throughout the 1950s were changed to triple threaded-steel saddles, which increased the twanginess. These threaded-steel saddles have since become the preferred bridge of many of the Telecaster’s most devoted players.

A prime example of the Tele’s quintessential twang, the American Vintage II 1963 Telecaster features a triple threaded-steel saddle bridge.

Available Finishes: Crimson Red Transparent over mahogany, as well as 3-Color Sunburst or Surf Green over alder

Additional Features:

-Pure Vintage ‘63 Telecaster pickups
-“C”-shape maple neck
-Clay dots (narrow-spaced at the 12th fret)
-7.25” radius fingerboard 

Signature Fender Circuits

With its comfort-contoured offset body, this futuristic electric guitar is about as far from a boxy archtop as can be imagined. Yet, the design was originally intended to provide a luxury playing experience and tempt jazz guitarists into playing solid-body electric guitars.

First advertised as a guitar that contained “all the well-known Fender developments,” where “every convenience is provided,” the Jazzmaster model introduced in 1958 was seen as a top-of-the-line-instrument in the Fender catalog. It was also the first Fender model to feature the innovative rhythm and lead circuit dreamed up by Plant Manager Forrest White, which was added to expand the tones of Jazzmaster.

While it may have failed to catch on with the jazz crowd, the American Vintage II 1966 Jazzmasters featured a more dolled-up look—including bound necks with pearloid block fingerboard inlays, as well as matching painted headstocks—all of which appealed to surf players in the ‘60s, and later, indie-rock, alternative, and even country players.

Available Finishes: Lake Placid Blue, 3-Color Sunburst, and Dakota Red

Additional Features:

-Pure Vintage ‘66 Jazzmaster pickups (wired to the signature rhythm and lead circuits)
-“C” shape maple neck7.25” radius round-lam rosewood fingerboard
-Vintage tall frets
-Matching painted headstock (custom colors only)
-Single-line “Fender Deluxe” tuners
-Patented “floating” tremolo adjustable bridge with threaded saddles

A Faster, more Effortless Feel

Featuring a neck that’s narrower at the nut for a faster and more effortless feel, plus sleek new body style that mirrored the offset contoured style of the Jazzmaster, the first Jazz Bass models were developed after Fender Salesman Don Randall requested a more sophisticated, high-end bass model. By 1966, the evolution of the instrument reached new heights with striking new features.

The American Vintage II 1966 Jazz Bass features a comfortable “U”-shaped hard rock maple neck and 7.25”-radius round-lam rosewood fingerboard with vintage tall frets, accented by the white neck binding and pearloid dots characteristic of production in 1966.

Available Finishes: Sea Foam Green, 3-Color Sunburst, Olympic White

Additional Features:

-Pure Vintage ‘66 Jazz Bass pickups
-Two volume controls with master tone
-Matching painted headstock
-4-ply tortoiseshell pickguard
-4-saddle bridge with threaded saddles
-Vintage-style “lollipop” tuners 

Fender's First Semi-Hollow Body
Created with the aim of producing light instruments from heavy ash, the Telecaster Thinline debuted in July of 1968 as Fender’s first semi-hollow body guitar. For its second generation of factory production, Fender souped up this guitar in late 1971 with a pair of Wide-Range Humbucking pickups mounted to a reshaped curvy pearloid pickguard.

The American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline recreates the first Fender six-string models to come equipped with Wide-Range Humbucking pickups—an essential element in recreating the sonics of the originals—as well six individual adjustable bridge saddles, which was yet another first for the Telecaster. It also features the three bolt neck plate with a Micro-Tilt mechanism introduced on guitars produced during Fender’s CBS era, which replaced the traditional four from the ’50s and ’60s.

The Wide-Range Humbucking pickups used in the American Vintage II series feature CuNiFe (like AlNiCo, this abbreviation stands for the alloys that comprise the magnets—copper/nickel/iron), which is a unique material that can be machined into screws to be used as adjustable pole pieces. These humbucking pickups, originally designed in the early ’70s by famed pickup designer Seth Lover, are exact reproductions of the originals.

Available Finishes: Aged Natural, 3-Color Sunburst, Lake Placid Blue

Additional Features:

-“C”-shape hard rock maple neck
-7.25” radius fingerboard
-Vintage tall frets
-“F” stamped tuners
-Pure Vintage 6-saddle string-through body hardtail with bent steel saddles

The Spirit of the '70s

By 1973, the now-classic CBS-era design cues had become standard spec and were widely used by rock, funk, fusion and prog players around the world. Meanwhile, weekly late night music television shows like Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, In Concert and Midnight Special provided more exposure than ever for Fender instruments, further cementing the Stratocaster’s dominance as a pop culture phenomenon.

The American Vintage II 1973 Stratocaster features a large headstock with dual string trees, as well as the heavier Bob Perine logo and flowing bold type, which became the standard throughout the 1970’s. True to the originals, the ash bodies on these models are available in Mocha (the first custom Strat color to feature a black pickguard), Aged Natural, or Lake Placid Blue—all meant to evoke and encapsulate the spirit of the ’70s.

Available Finishes: Mocha, Aged Natural, Lake Placid Blue

Additional Features:

-Pure Vintage ’73 staggered pole pickups
-“C”-shape hard rock maple neck
-7.25” radius fingerboard Vintage tall frets
-“F” stamped tuners
-Synchronized tremolo with bent steel saddles and cold rolled steel block

Fender's Top Shelf Telecaster
Billed as the top model in the Telecaster family when it debuted in 1972, the Telecaster Deluxe was also Fender’s first solid-body Tele to feature two humbucking pickups.

Sporting a large Stratocaster headstock and comfort-contoured belly cut, the American Vintage II 1975 Telecaster Deluxe is outfitted with a pair of Wide-Range Humbucking pickups mounted to an elongated pickguard with dual volume and tone controls and a 3-way toggle located on the upper bout.

The Wide-Range Humbucking pickups used in the American Vintage II series feature CuNiFe (like AlNiCo, this abbreviation stands for the alloys that comprise the magnets—copper/nickel/iron), which is a unique material that can be machined into screws to be used as adjustable pole pieces. These humbucking pickups, originally designed in the early ’70s by famed pickup designer Seth Lover, are exact reproductions of the originals.

Available Finishes: Black, Mocha Brown, and 3-Color Sunburst over an alder body

Additional Features:

-“C”-shape hard rock maple neck
-7.25” radius maple fingerboard -Medium jumbo frets
-“Bullet” style truss rod nut
-Three-bolt neck plate with Micro-Tilt mechanism
-6-saddle hardtail bridge with stainless steel block saddle
-“C”-shape hard rock maple neck
-Vintage accurate Tele Deluxe tuners

A Tonal Triumph

When Fender designers in the 1970s were looking for ways to give the Telecaster model more “oomph,” they found a solution in CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucking pickups.

Representative of Fender’s earliest forays into the use of humbucking pickups (available in pairs on the Thinline and Deluxe editions) the American Vintage II 1977 Telecaster Custom models boast an authentic CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucking pickup in the neck position for additional tonal versatility, alongside a Pure Vintage ‘77 Single-Coil pickup in the bridge position, offering a new twist on the classic Fender sound.

Available Finishes: Olympic White, 3-Color Sunburst, and Wine Red over an alder body

Additional Features:

-‘77 “C”-shape hard rock maple neck
-7.25” radius maple or rosewood fingerboard
-Vintage tall frets
-Pure Vintage 6-Saddle Tele bridge with six slotted steel barrel saddles
-“F” stamped tuners
-“Bullet” style truss rod nut
-Three-bolt neck plate with Micro-Tilt mechanism