During the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, the popularity of Fender musical instruments flourished, and although the Fender assortment had expanded to include many great new instruments, the Stratocaster® reigned supreme. By 1961, the Stratocaster had taken on a more refined aesthetic, with a 3-Color Sunburst reformulated with a more vibrant red and bolder black edge, topped with a 3-ply pickguard accenting the Strat’s signature curves.
Featuring a premium alder body, a trio of Pure Vintage 1961 Stratocaster pickups and a medium “C”-Shaped maple neck mated with a 7.25” radius slab rosewood fingerboard, the American Vintage II 1961 Stratocaster reproduces the quintessential tone and feel of the original. Other appointments include a vintage-accurate synchronized tremolo with cold rolled steel block and bent steel saddles, single-line “Fender Deluxe” tuners and 3-ply pickguard.
The instruments in the American Vintage II series are direct descendants of the original Fenders: designed for players with a fine appreciation for vintage Fender tone and feel and built with unmatched quality, down to the last screw. These are Fender electrics in their purest form: Fender American Vintage II, the stuff of legends.
Neck
HEADSTOCK: Stratocaster®
NECK MATERIAL: Maple
NECK FINISH: Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer
NECK SHAPE: 1961 "C"
NECK CONSTRUCTION: 4-Bolt
FINGERBOARD RADIUS: 7.25" (184.1 mm)
FINGERBOARD MATERIAL: Slab Rosewood
POSITION INLAYS: Clay Dot
SIDE DOTS: Vintage Clay
NUMBER OF FRETS: 21
TRUSS ROD: Vintage-Style Butt Adjust
TRUSS ROD NUT: Vintage-Style Butt Adjust
STRING NUT: Bone
NUT WIDTH: 1.650" (42 mm)
NUT MATERIAL: Bone
Body
BODY: Alder
BODY FINISH: Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer
BODY SHAPE: Stratocaster®
BODY MATERIAL: Alder
Hardware
BRIDGE: Pure Vintage Synchronized Tremolo with Bent Steel Saddles
BRIDGE COVER/TAILPIECE: Includes Chrome Bridge Cover
BRIDGE MOUNTING: 6-Screw Vintage-Style
TREMOLO BLOCK: Cold Rolled Steel
PICKGUARD: 3-Ply Mint Green
PICKUP COVERS: Aged White
CONTROL KNOBS: Aged White
SWITCH TIP: Aged White
HARDWARE FINISH: Nickel/Chrome
TUNING MACHINES: Pure Vintage Single Line "Fender Deluxe"
STRING TREES: Butterfly
STRINGS: Fender® USA 250R Nickel Plated Steel (.010-.046 Gauges), PN 0730250406
TREMOLO ARMS: crew-In
NECK PLATE: 4-Bolt Serialized
STRAP BUTTONS: Vintage-Style
Electronics
BRIDGE PICKUP: Pure Vintage '61 Single-Coil Strat®
MIDDLE PICKUP: Pure Vintage '61 Single-Coil Strat®
NECK PICKUP: Pure Vintage '61 Single-Coil Strat®
PICKUP CONFIGURATION: SSS
CONTROLS: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck/Middle Pickups), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
SWITCHING: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup