First released in 2022, Fender’s American Vintage II Series celebrates the brand’s iconic models through the decades, equipped with authentic specifications and aesthetics for lovers of vintage-inspired style and sound.
With a remarkably accurate take on the revolutionary designs that altered the course of musical history, the Fender American Vintage II series boasts period-accurate bodies, necks and hardware, alongside premium finishes and meticulously voiced, year-specific pickups, capturing the essence of authentic Fender craftsmanship and tone. Now Fender expands the range with new colour options.
AMERICAN VINTAGE II – NEW COLOURS
American Vintage II 1961 Stratocaster® ($2,499.99 USD, £2,399.00 GBP, €2,849.00 EUR, $4,099.00 AUD, ¥393,800 JPY) During the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, the popularity of Fender musical instruments flourished, and although the Fender assortment had expanded to include many great new instruments, the Stratocaster® reigned supreme. By 1961, the Stratocaster had taken on a more refined aesthetic, with a 3-Color Sunburst reformulated with a more vibrant red and bolder black edge, topped with a 3-ply pickguard accenting the Strat’s signature curves.
Featuring a premium alder body, a trio of Pure Vintage 1961 Stratocaster pickups and a medium “C”-Shaped maple neck mated with a 7.25” radius slab rosewood fingerboard, the American Vintage II 1961 Stratocaster reproduces the quintessential tone and feel of the original. Other appointments include a vintage-accurate synchronized tremolo with cold rolled steel block and bent steel saddles, single-line “Fender Deluxe” tuners and 3-ply pickguard.
New color: Surf Green with Rosewood Fingerboard.
American Vintage II 1973 Stratocaster® ($2,679.99 USD, £2,499.00 GBP, €2,949.00 EUR, $4,499.00 AUD, ¥393,800 JPY) By 1973, now-classic CBS design cues had become standard spec and were widely used by rock, funk, fusion, and prog players around the world. 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® exudes the spirit of the era and is outfitted with a trio of Pure Vintage ’73 staggered pole pickups, a large headstock with dual string trees, a convenient “Bullet”-style truss rod nut, and a three-bolt neck plate with Micro-Tilt™ mechanism. The “C”-shape maple neck plays like a dream with a 7.25″ radius rosewood or maple fingerboard and vintage tall frets. Additional features include vintage-style “F” stamped tuners and a synchronized tremolo with bent steel saddles and cold rolled steel block.
New color: Olympic White with Maple Fingerboard.
American Vintage II 1963 Telecaster® ($2,649.99 USD, £2,399.00 GBP, €2,849.00 EUR, $4,099.00 AUD, ¥393,800 JPY) By 1963, a new combination of tonewoods married the punch and focus of alder with the warmth added by a round-lam rosewood fingerboard, enhancing the signature Tele® twang. Featuring Pure Vintage ’63 Telecaster® pickups, a triple threaded-steel saddle bridge, and a comfortable “C”-shape maple neck, the American Vintage II 1963 Telecaster reproduces the quintessential tone and feel of the original. Characteristic of production in 1963, this Tele features clay dots (narrow-spaced at the 12th fret), a 7.25″ radius fingerboard.
New color: Vintage Blonde in Rosewood Fingerboard.
American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster® Thinline ($2,799.99 USD, £2,649.00 GBP, €3,099.00 EUR, $4,699.00 AUD, ¥448,800 JPY) The Telecaster® Thinline first debuted in July of 1968 and the semi-hollow design was created to produce light instruments from heavy ash. Reimagined in late ‘71 around a pair of WideRange humbucking pickups mounted to a reshaped curvy pearloid pickguard, the souped-up second-generation Telecaster Thinline had its first full year of production in 1972. Notably, it was Fender’s first six string with humbucking pickups and the first Tele® with six adjustable bridge saddles.
The American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster® Thinline reproduces the quintessential tone and feel of the original. Featuring a “C”-shape hard rock maple neck, the American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster® Thinline plays like a dream with a 7.25” radius fingerboard and vintage tall frets. To create authentic WideRange humbucking pickups, we resurrected CuNiFe magnets, an essential element in recreating the sonics of the originals. Characteristic of production in 1972, this Thinline is outfitted with a convenient “Bullet” style truss rod nut, threebolt neck plate with Micro-Tilt™ mechanism, “F” stamped tuners, 6-saddle string-through body hardtail with bent steel saddles.
New color: Candy Apple Red in Maple Fingerboard.
American Vintage II 1975 Telecaster Deluxe ($2,699.99 USD, £2,499.00 GBP, €2,949.00 EUR, $4,499.00 AUD, ¥437,800 JPY) Initially introduced in 1972 and billed as the top model in the Telecaster® family, The Telecaster Deluxe holds the distinction of being Fender’s first solid-body Telecaster with two humbucking pickups.
Like the original, the American Vintage II 1975 Telecaster Deluxe sports a large Stratocaster®-style headstock, comfort-contoured belly cut, and 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. To create authentic Wide-Range humbucking pickups, we resurrected CuNiFe magnets, which had been out of production since 1981, an essential element in recreating the sonics of the original. Featuring a ‘75 “C”-shape hard rock maple neck, the American Vintage II 1975 Telecaster Deluxe plays like a dream with a 9.5” radius maple fingerboard and medium jumbo frets. Characteristic of production in 1975, this Telecaster is outfitted with a convenient “Bullet” style truss rod nut, three-bolt neck plate with Micro-Tilt™ mechanism and offered in Black, Mocha Brown, or 3-Color Sunburst over an alder body. Other features include a 6-Saddle hardtail bridge with stainless steel block saddles and vintage-accurate Tele® Deluxe tuners.
New color: Vintage Blonde in Maple Fingerboard.
American Vintage II 1977 Telecaster® Custom ($2,599.99 USD, £2,399.00 GBP, €2,849.00 EUR, $4,299.00 AUD, ¥426,800 JPY) The Telecaster® Custom marked one of Fender’s earliest forays into the use of humbucking pickups. The Tele® Custom featured a 3-way toggle located on the upper bout and dual volume and tone controls mounted to a stylish, elongated pickguard.
The American Vintage II 1977 Telecaster Custom reproduces the quintessential tone and feel of the original. This Tele features a Wide Range humbucking pickup in the neck position and a Pure Vintage ‘77 single-coil Tele® pickup in the bridge position. To create an authentic Wide-Range humbucking pickup, we resurrected CuNiFe magnets, which had been out of production since 1981, and are an essential element in recreating the sonics of the original. The American Vintage II 1977 Telecaster Custom plays like a dream with a ‘77 “C”-shape hard rock maple neck with a 7.25” radius maple or rosewood fingerboard and vintage tall frets. Other features include a Tele bridge with 6 slotted steel barrel saddles, “F” stamped tuners, a convenient “Bullet” style truss rod nut and a three-bolt neck plate with Micro-Tilt™ mechanism.
New color: 3-Color Sunburst in Rosewood Fingerboard.
American Vintage II 1966 Jazz Bass® ($2,699.99 USD, £2,499.00 GBP, €2,949.00 EUR, $4,499.00 AUD, ¥398,000 JPY) When Don Randall at Fender Sales requested a more sophisticated, high-end bass model, the now iconic Jazz Bass® was the result. The neck was narrower at the nut, providing a faster and more effortless feel and the sleek new body style mirrored the offset contoured style of the Jazzmaster®. By 1966, evolution of the instrument reached new heights with striking new features.
The American Vintage II 1966 Jazz Bass features a comfortable “U” shape hard rock maple neck, and it plays like a dream with a 7.25” radius roundlam rosewood fingerboard and vintage tall frets. Characteristic of production in 1966, this J-Bass® is offered with white neck binding, pearl dots, two volume controls with master tone, matching painted headstock and 4-ply tortoiseshell pickguard. The 4-saddle bridge with threaded saddles, vintage-style “lollipop” tuners and Pure Vintage ‘66 Jazz Bass pickups deliver classic thump and style.
New color: Lake Placid Blue in Rosewood Fingerboard.