Fender American Vintage 65 Stratocaster

General

For fans of classic electric guitars, there's nothing quite like a vintage Strat. Unfortunately, prices soared as the demand was bigger than the supply. The closest you can get to an original is a guitar from Fender's American Vintage series. These guitars all feature the same characteristics as the original at a much friendlier price. This American Vintage '65 Stratocaster, for instance, was modelled after a Shoreline Gold Strat from 1965, the year in which the thick necks returned and the rosewood fretboard slabs were replaced with a thin veneer with a radius. Also, the Clay Dot position markers made room for larger mother-of-pearl dots.

American Vintage '65 Stratocaster: features of 1965

Fender paid immense attention to detail when building this guitar. Its three-layer white pickguard now has eleven holes, fully complying with 1965 specifications. This was also the first year that the pickups were fitted with enamel-coated wire coils. These Grey Bottom single coils were named after the distinctive grey plate they were from then on fitted to. The American Vintage '65 Reissue also gained an authentically shaped lightweight alder body and a glorious gold-coloured nitrocellulose lacquer. Other striking details include period-correct Fender Pat. Pend. stamps on the steel bridge saddles, single-line machine heads and the large Fender logo with four patent numbers on the headstock.

American Vintage series: more accurate than ever before

The American Vintage series comprises several iconic Fender models from the '50s, '60s and '70s that are vintage-accurate down to the smallest details. To achieve this vintage accuracy, the specs and details of countless original old Fenders have been carefully studied and examined. Fender even brushed off the tools of the period to make the result as authentic as possible. All of the American Vintage series guitars come with a vintage-style case with replica case candy that includes a guitar strap, an instrument cable, a polishing cloth, instruction booklets and pamphlets of the period.

• Please note: pictures 5 to 8 show the Dakota Red version and are for illustration purposes only. This is, of course, the Shoreline Gold version!