This is my review of two iconic guitars from the Fender American Vintage ii series. I take a closer look at the Fender American Vintage ii ’61 Stratocaster and the Fender American Vintage ii ’51 Telecaster.
Intro: American Vintage Re-issues
Fender has been producing so-called American Vintage Re-isssues (AVRs) since the 1980s. AVRs are reissues of original Fender guitars with an effort to replicate the specifications of the original guitars with the utmost accuracy. In 2022, Fender introduced the “American Vintage II” series with some favorites such as the ’61 Stratocaster and the ’51 Telecaster and some guitars that were not considered vintage in the early 1980s, such as the 1975 Telecaster Deluxe and the 1977 Telecaster Custom. Here we look at the Fender American Vintage ii ’61 Stratocaster and the Fender American Vintage ii ’51 Telecaster.
My verdict in brief: The American Vintage ii ’61 Stratocaster us Fender’s best vintage recreation to date. The guitar has flawless construction, wicked sounds and an acceptable price for a true classic Stratocaster. The Fender American Vintage ii ’51 Telecaster is an authentic recreation of guitar from the first official Telecaster year. The guitar has a great neck, fantastic sounding pickups and the build approaches perfection. Only downside: no compensated bridge saddles.
The devil is in the details!
As mentioned, reissues are all about replications of the smallest details. In 1951, the Telecaster logo first appeared on a Fender electric guitar. The Fender logo in ’51 was a bit less angular than the years before and after. Another detail is the use of a crosshead for the adjusting screw for the neck pin. In the years before 1951, a normal screw was still used for this purpose.
Looking at the details of the 1961 Stratocaster, ’61 was the year the sunburst finish got a redder red, and a blacker black. And in 1961, for example, the logo on the headstock still had two patent numbers (in 1962 it became three). One last detail: the bottom of the rosewood fingerboard is still straight in the 1961 (in 1962 that bottom was curved). The American Vintage II 1961 Stratocaster is an exact replica of the instruments that came off the assembly line in that year, in contrast to earlier guitars that combined the best of several years.
Fender goes so far as to make the construction of the AVRs as similar as possible to the original construction methods. Of course, using modern production methods and taking into account the current availability of materials and laws and regulations. The Fender American Vintage ii guitars are perfectly constructed. The gloss lacquer finish, the woodwork, the fastening of the neck in the body and the finish of the frets: everything is of excellent quality.
Overview
Fender American Vintage ii 1961 Stratocaster
- Price indication: $ 2100
- Body: Alder
- Neck: Maple, profile: 1961 “C, Scale length: 648 mm (25.51”)
- Fretboard: Block-glued slab board rosewood fingerboard, 21 Vintage Tall frets
- Pickups: 3 Pure Vintage ’61 Strat Single Coil
- Controls: 1 x Master volume and 2 tone controls, 5-Way switch
- Hardware: 3-Ply Mint Green pickguard, Pure Vintage Synchronized Tremolo with bent steel saddles, Pure Vintage Single Line “Fender Deluxe” tuners, Nickel/Chrome hardware
- Other: Clay dot fingerboard inlays, Finish: Gloss Nitrocellulose over Polyurethane Lacquer, Includes brown vintage style case with orange lining
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Fender American Vintage ii 1951 Telecaster
- Price indication: $ 2250
- Body: Ash
- Neck: One-piece maple neck, profile: 1951 “U, Scale: 648 mm (25.51”)
- Fretboard: Maple, radius: 184 mm (7.25″), 21 Vintage Tall frets
- Pickups:2 Pure Vintage ’51 Tele single coils
- Controls: Master volume and master tone controls, 3-Way switch
- Hardware: Single-ply black phenolic pickguard, Pure Vintage 3-saddle Tele bridge with brass barrel saddles, Pure Vintage Single Line “Fender Deluxe” tuners, Nickel/Chrome hardware
- Other: Black dot fretboard inlays, Gloss Nitrocellulose over Polyurethane lacquer, Includes Vintage-Style Tweed case with “Crushed Red” lining
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Body and Neck
Fender American Vintage ii 1961 Stratocaster
The body of the Stratocaster is made of alder. The Stratocaster has a slim neck with and rosewood fingerboard, with no nut filler on the back. The body is available in Olympic White, 3-color sunburst and red. The Strat has a vintage vibrato bridge with a cold-rolled steel block and Fender-stamped curved steel saddles.
Fender American Vintage ii 1951 Telecaster
The body of the Telecaster is natural ash. The neck is a solid piece of solid maple with a “skunk stripe” on the back. The Tele is finished in a beautiful amber Butterscotch Blonde. The Tele includes an ‘ashtray’ style bridge with three uncompensated brass saddles and a chrome plated baseplate in which the serial number is stamped.
Playability
The guitars have narrow, high frets and the radius of the fingerboard (7.25 inches, 184 mm) is very comfortable to hold. The 7.25-inch fretboard radius is rounder than the fret side of most contemporary guitars, this is a significant aspect. It makes it simpler to play chords, but more challenging to play quick notes and bends in the high register. It also makes the neck feel springier and quicker when you bend strings. The U-shaped neck of the Tele and the slimmer C profile of the Strat feel very natural and make you feel right at home on these guitars.
Hardware
The tuning machines are Kluson-style with six in line, and on both guitars a butterfly-shaped string holder pushes down the two thinnest strings. Both guitars are equipped with Pure Vintage pickups that are a nice combination of the sound of the time, and how they would sound now, with weakened magnets and after years of use.
Sounds
Leo Fender designed these guitars to sound as clean and crystal clear as possible. At that time, distortion was still an undesirable and amplifiers at that time produced lower highs. The clarity of the single-coil pickups combined with a relatively clean amp and a few good pedals will guarantee the best blues and rock guitar sounds you’ve ever heard.
Fender American Vintage ii 1961 Stratocaster
The Stratocaster gives exactly the sounds you expect: clean, bright, warm and woody. The neck pickup is very musical, the intermediate positions are vocal, and the bridge pickup is bright and articulate. The ’61 includes a tone control for the bridge pickup that wasn’t there at the time. With this you make the sound less sharp or darker with more overdrive.
Fender American Vintage ii 1951 Telecaster
The Telecaster gives plenty of clarity and beautiful sounds with each of the three pickup combinations. The bridge pickup has plenty of high, yet it never gets shrill (and that’s the way it should be!). The neck pickup sounds beautifully pure and in the middle position you produce the desired ountry, pop or rock sound with both pickups. Compared to the Custom Shop models, these guitars produce slightly less gain (that’s how they were designed).
Pros and cons
For
- Authentic and excellent remake of the guitar’s first years as “Stratocaster” and “Telecaster”
- They play beautifully and sound fantastic—exactly what a classic Strat and Tele should be.
- By using a quality pedalboard and a cleanish amp, their single-coil clarity will transform into blues and rock guitar pleasure.
Against
- I can’t think of anything. The only thing might be that you might want to spend an extra extra $40 on compensated saddles.
Alternatives
Alternatives for Fender American Vintage ii 1961 Stratocaster
Squier 40th Anniversary Vintage Edition Stratocaster
A sleek and ergonomic “C”-shaped neck profile, vintage-style tuning machinery, a 6-saddle synchronized tremolo bridge, and Fender-designed single-coil pickups with alnico 5 magnets for recognizable Strat tones are just a few of the player-friendly enhancements of this commemorative edition.
Fender Vintera ’60 Stratocaster
The Vintera ’60s Stratocaster was developed for musicians who desire the look and sound of Fender’s golden age. This guitar has the chime and articulation that made the Stratocaster a classic. It is outfitted with the sought qualities that marked the decade, such as a playing feel and neck profile that are faithful to the time period.
Fender Stories Eric Johnson ’54 Virginia Stratocaster
Legendary musicians, their cherished customized Fender electric guitars, and the remarkable music they produced together are honored in The Fender Stories Collection.
When Eric Johnson released Tones and the Platinum Ah Via Musicom, ground-breaking albums that elevated him to a hero among music lovers and guitarists alike. He played them on his ’54 Virginia Strat.
Alternatives for Fender American Vintage ii 1951 Telecaster
Squier 40th Anniversary Vintage Edition Telecaster
For the retro-minded Squier aficionado, the 40th Anniversary Telecaster, Vintage Edition is a heartfelt tribute model garnished with a selection of vintage elements.
This model has been fine-tuned for players, with features like a slim and comfortable “C”-shaped neck profile for a comfortable playing feel, vintage-style tuning machines, a 3-saddle string-through-body bridge, and Fender-Designed single-coil pickups with alnico 5 magnets for recognizable Tele tone.
Fender Player Plus Nashville Telecaster
The Player Plus Telecaster combines traditional Fender design with player-centric features and eye-catching finishes to give excellent playability and recognizable personality.
The Player Plus Nashville Tele produces warm, sweet Tele twang as well as Strat in-between tones without hum thanks to a set of Player Plus Noiseless pickups.
Fender Vintera ’70s Telecaster Deluxe
For musicians that aspire to the look and sound of Fender’s golden age, Fender designed the Vintera ’70s Telecaster Deluxe. Contains the sought elements that made the decade memorable, such as revoiced pickups, a neck profile and playing feel that are authentic to the time period. This instrument exudes the same genuine bite and twang that made the Telecaster famous.
Verdict of the Fender American Vintage ii Strat and Tele
These are Fender’s two most famous models, so the success of the Fender American Vintage ii is important to Fender. Back then there wasn’t much competition for these guitars, the only choice you had was a different color. So this is the primal version of the Strat and Tele, from which all subsequent guitars were derived.
In the process, only minor concessions were made to the modern era (such as the tone control for the Strat’s bridge element and the five- instead of the three-position switch) and that will be appreciated by almost all guitarists! (By the way, a little modernization of the Tele in the form of compensated bridge saddles would not have been out of place either). Both guitars are built with exquisite craftsmanship; they play wonderfully and sound great. Just the way a top quality Strat and Tele should be.
Fender American Vintage ii 1961 Stratocaster
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Fender American Vintage ii 1951 Telecaster
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