Fender is proud to announce the release of a limited number of the popular American Vintage Series instruments featuring “1st 46” neck plates, a designation given to the first 46 instruments of each model year. These neck plates commemorate the fact that Fender was founded in 1946, as well as the fact that Fender is releasing the most accurate and beautiful Fenderreissue instruments ever from key historical years. The neck plate will serve as an indicator that these “1st 46” models were the first of their kind to be built, as well as add an element of collectability to these first run instruments. These units will be randomly distributed around the globe for Fender fans everywhere to have a chance to find one in their local stores.
The American Vintage Series has long presented some of Fender’s best-selling guitars (their early-’80s introduction, in fact, was one of the first signs that Fender was “back” as the CBS era ended). Today, Fender has boldly cleared the slate to make way for a fresh American Vintage series with new features, new specs and the most meticulous level of vintage accuracy yet. Rather than just replacing the previous models with different ones, the entire vintage-reissue concept has been completely and comprehensively re-imagined—restoring original tooling dies, voicing new pickups, reformulating vintage colors and more—based on actual vintage guitars designers tracked down to ensure even greater accuracy.
All the new American Vintage Series guitars feature thick and slim necks with profiles and edges carefully re-sculpted to reflect even greater period-correct authenticity, with both maple and rosewood fingerboards, vintage-style frets and bone nuts; all-new vintage-style pickups wound to period-correct specs and sound to accurately reflect specific model years, and even specific periods within specific model years; retooled pickguards, parts and hardware designed to accurately reflect specific model years (and again, even specific periods within specific model years), and standard and custom-color finishes re-formulated for even greater period-correct authenticity.
The new guitars are the American Vintage ’56, ’59 and ’65 Stratocaster® models (’56 model also in left-handed version), American Vintage ’58 and ’64 Telecaster® models (’64 model also in left-handed version), American Vintage ’65 Jazzmaster® and American Vintage ’65 Jaguar®. Also, the American Vintage ’52 Telecaster returns to the fold (in right- and left-handed versions) with body, neck and pickups refined with the best features—tones, curves, perimeters, radii and more—from a handful of extraordinary ’52 Telecaster specimens examined by Fender craftsmen.
