Fender unveils new 2012 American Vintage Series guitars

The Fender American Vintage series is one of the firm's most important lines - essentially offering attainable versions of the classic models that guitar players the world over dream of owning.

Now the US guitar giant has announced that it's completely overhauling the entire range, promising closer attention to vintage detail and a more faithful production process, including re-voiced pickups, reformulated colours and even the use of the original dies (production line manufacturing tools).

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Read the full press release below to find out what's changed and browse the gallery to view the full new (old) range.

PRESS RELEASE: Fender's American Vintage Series introduces an all-new lineup of original-era model year guitars that bring Fender history and heritage to authentic 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 US 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 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.

• 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 '52 Telecaster video demo

• 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 '56 Stratocaster video demo

• 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 '59 Stratocaster video demo

• 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 '65 Stratocaster video demo

• 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 '58 Telecaster video demo

• 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 '64 Telecaster video demo

• 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 Jazzmaster video demo

• Bound round-laminated fingerboard and larger pearl dot inlays.
• 3-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.

American Vintage '65 Jaguar video demo

Information taken from an official press release. For more information, visit Fender