SPOTLIGHT: Keepin’ It Old-School, Fender Releases American Vintage II Series

Music

Oct 13

☆ Jonah Nink and Jasmine Aguirre ☆

GET PSYCHED, VINTAGE GEAR FANS — Fender has announced a suite of guitars and basses celebrating the company’s most iconic instruments as part of its American Vintage II Series. Through precise, era-appropriate specifications, Fender has given its classic models a second wind in what the company calls a “celebration” of its decades-long history.

“The iconic models in the American Vintage II Series are a near 1:1 comparison with their original predecessors,” Justin Norvell said, Executive Vice President of Product, FMIC. “Today they are built with precise, modern manufacturing processes that weren’t available in the past. These original guitars and basses have long been coveted by avid players and vintage enthusiasts around the world for their aesthetic and tone that inspired some of the greatest music and most-identifiable guitar and bass lines of all time.”

Norvell noted that the line would appeal to everyone, from musicians seeking an authentic tone to customers who appreciate a vintage design, as well as everyone in between.

“Whether you’re after nostalgic guitar sounds in the studio or a vintage-style instrument that can withstand the demands of the road, the American Vintage II series harnesses the best of Fender’s legacy and craftsmanship so modern musicians can innovate today’s soundscapes,” he said.

Fender brass cited a Billboard study that found that the 55% of music fans revisiting music from their past helped spur the interest in revisiting the brand’s gear catalog.

“It’s impossible to count the number of artists who have used these instruments to create some of the most memorable music that has spanned the last 76 years,” Fender CMO Evan Jones explained. “Built to the original specs, these American Vintage II series models demonstrate both the timelessness and relevance of the Fender brand.”

On the low end, the American Vintage II Series includes revitalized versions of the ’54 Precision Bass, ’60 Precision Bass and a ’66 Jazz Bass. With commitment to authentic designs at the forefront, Fender hopes players of all levels feel as if they’ve time traveled 40 years back by providing everything but the bell-bottoms and cigarette smoke–filled studios.

“If you’ve listened to popular music, chances are your favorite songs, guitar solos. and punchy bass lines were played on a Fender [guitar],” Jones said.

Allen Abbassi, Director of Product Management of Fender, broke down the American Vintage II Series beginning with the guitars. He believes this series is important: “[It] keeps us in touch with our origin story, keeps us with the original designs and recipes of all the classic Fender models, and illustrates Fender’s constant search for perfection and commitment to innovation of instrument making.”

After hearing suggestions for a return of year-specific reissue models, Fender has decided to celebrate and highlight these history-making classic models of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s that have been notably played by musical icons such as Buddy Holly and Jimi Hendrix.

These remarkable models are built with nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, giving each guitar and bass that vintage visual aesthetic, and has a big emphasis on the vintage-style neck shapes that many players search for. These models contain Heirloom quality pickups that provide the “crystalline, warm tone,” as Abbassi described, and are built with Ash and Alder bodies.

When looking at the guitar models, the ’50s series lineup includes the American Vintage II ’51 Telecaster and the American Vintage II ’57 Stratocaster, which both come in a left-handed (LH) version. Moving onto the ’60s, the series also has the American Vintage II ’61 Stratocaster and its left-handed (LH) version, as well as the American Vintage II ’63 Telecaster guitar and the American Vintage II ’66 Jazzmaster. The ’70s American Vintage II models include the ’72 Telecaster Thinline, ’73 Stratocaster, ’75 Telecaster Deluxe, and ’77 Telecaster Custom.

“Each one of these models in the series, each specific year, highlights something unique that speaks to players and fans of Fender — there's something here for everybody,” Abbassi said. “Each one of these has its own personality and soul, and that’s really what we’re capturing here with the American Vintage II Series.”

The line is considered to be a concept series, and Fender has teamed up with artists such as Patti Smith, Brothers Osborne, and Jeff Beck to showcase the playing ability of these artists in a multi-part video series for fans and players of Fender to enjoy.

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