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Contact: Jason Farrell
480.845.5559
jfarrell@fender.com

FENDER^® INTRODUCES NEW AMERICAN VINTAGE SERIES GUITARS 

Fresh lineup has new features, new specs and most meticulous level of vintage accuracy yet

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.  (August 21, 2012) — Fender’s American Vintage series introduces an all-new lineup of original-era model year guitars that bring Fender history and heritage to authentic and exciting new life. With key features and pivotal design elements spanning the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, new American Vintage series instruments delve deep into Fender’s roots—preserving an innovative U.S. guitar-making legacy and vividly demonstrating how many of the most desirable instruments of the past can be expertly recreated in look, feel and sound.

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.

The most distinctive features of each individual model are listed below:

American Vintage ’52 Telecaster (and left-handed model) 

• Ash body with slightly lighter Butterscotch Blonde finish and singe-ply black pickguard.
• Large maple neck with re-sculpted U-shaped profile and comfortably rolled edges.
• All-new pickups wound to period-correct specs and sound.
• “Barrel” switch tip and knurled chrome domed control knobs.
• Vintage-style bridge with three brass saddles.

American Vintage ’56 Stratocaster^® (and left-handed model)

• Lightweight alder body (ash on White Blonde finish model) with deep contours.
• Mid-’56 thick maple neck with soft “V” profile and comfortably rolled edges—one of the most popular Fender neck styles ever.
• All-new pickups wound to period-correct specs and sound.
• Single-ply white pickguard with eight holes.
• Vintage-accurate bridge saddles and tuner spacing.

American Vintage ’59 Stratocaster

• Early-1959 model in faded Three-color Sunburst, with slim-profile C-shaped maple neck and single-ply white pickguard with eight holes.
• Later 1959 model in faded Three-color Sunburst, Black and limited faded Sonic Blue, with slim-profile D-shaped maple neck, dark rosewood slab fingerboard and three-ply mint green pickguard with 10 holes and vintage-style edge bevels.
• Lightweight alder body.
• All-new pickups wound to period-correct specs and sound.
• Aged plastic knobs.
• Vintage-accurate bridge saddles and tuner spacing.

American Vintage ’65 Stratocaster

• Lightweight alder body in Three-color Sunburst, Olympic White and limited Dakota Red (left-handed model in Three-color Sunburst).
• Thick C-shaped maple neck with round-laminated dark rosewood fingerboard and larger pearl dot inlays.
• All-new pickups wound to period-correct specs and sound.
• Three-ply white pickguard with 11 holes.
• Aged plastic knobs.
• Vintage-accurate bridge saddles and tuner spacing.

American Vintage ’58 Telecaster^®

• Lightweight ash body with single-ply white pickguard.
• Early-1958 large maple neck with comfortable “D”-shaped profile.
• All-new pickups wound to period-correct specs and sound, with early-1958 staggered bridge pickup pole magnets.
• Solid steel “barrel” bridge saddles.
• “Top-hat” switch tip and flat-top knurled aluminum chrome control knobs.

American Vintage ’64 Telecaster (and left-handed model)

• Lightweight alder body (ash on White Blonde model) with three-ply white pickguard with eight holes.
• Slimmer, more rounded maple neck with “C”-shaped profile and round-laminated rosewood fingerboard with larger pearl dot inlays.
• All-new pickups wound to period-correct specs and sound, with staggered bridge pickup pole magnets.
• Threaded steel “barrel” bridge saddles.
• “Top-hat” switch tip and flat-top knurled chrome control knobs.

American Vintage ’65 Jazzmaster^®

• Bound round-laminated rosewood fingerboard with larger pearl dot inlays.
• White “witch hat” control knobs.
• Three-color Sunburst and limited Aztec Gold finishes.
• All-new pickups wound to period-correct specs and sound, with classic dual-circuit wiring and controls.
• Vintage-style floating tremolo with lock button.

American Vintage ’65 Jaguar^®

• Bound round-laminated fingerboard and larger pearl dot inlays.
• Three-color Sunburst and limited Candy Apple Red finishes.
• Classic Jaguar shorter scale.
• All-new pickups wound to period-correct specs and sound, with classic dual-circuit wiring and controls.
• Vintage-style floating tremolo with lock button.

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About Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) is a leading, global musical instruments company whose comprehensive portfolio of brands includes Fender^®, Squier^®, Guild^®, Tacoma^®, Gretsch^®, Jackson^®, Charvel^®, EVH^®, SWR^® and Groove Tubes^®, among others. Fender^® instruments include the Telecaster^®, Stratocaster^®, Precision Bass^® and Jazz Bass^® guitars. For more information, visit www.fender.com.

In 2007, FMIC acquired KMC Music, one of the largest independent U.S. distributors of musical instruments and accessories. In 2011, KMC Music and Musicorp united their sales and catalog divisions as KMCMusicorp, creating a leading wholesaler of musical instruments, accessories and lighting equipment. KMCMusicorp produces and/or distributes Ovation^®, Takamine^® and Hamer^® guitars; Latin Percussion^®, Gretsch^® Drums, Gibraltar^® Hardware, Toca^® Percussion, Sabian^® cymbals and Genz Benz^® amplifiers and more. For more information, visit www.kmcmusicorp.com.