Fender American Vintage '65 Stratocaster Olympic White

Fender American Vintage guitars are built 100% to vintage specifications. Tastefully acknowledging the great history and heritage of Fender throughout the 50s and 60s, the new 2012 American Vintage guitars bring to life classic Fender instruments of the early years of electric guitars in a modern, period-accurate form.

The American Vintage '65 Strat returns to a thicker C neck after a period of slimmer profiles. This guitar is the first to feature enamel pickup covers and small details like larger pearl inlays, 3-ply pickguard and accurately-spaced tuners/bridge saddles have not been missed. The new Fender "Flash Coat Lacquer" finish is designed to provide an authentic look and allow the natural resonances of the wood to breathe and resonate freely.

Here's what Fender say about the American Vintage '65 Stratocaster

The 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-expertly preserving an innovative U.S. guitar-making legacy and vividly demonstrating like never before that Fender not only knows where it's going, but also remembers where it came from.

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, we've completely and comprehensively re-imagined the entire vintage-reissue concept-restoring original tooling dies, voicing new pickups, reformulating vintage colors and more-based on actual vintage guitars we tracked down to make sure we had it right. We did the work, and it shows, because there's pure tonal magic in each new American Vintage instrument.

The 1965 Stratocaster saw the return to a thick C-shaped maple neck, this time with a round-laminated dark rosewood fingerboard and larger pearl dot inlays. It was also the first year for enamel-covered pickup wire. That's what players will find on the left-handed American Vintage '65 Stratocaster, along with other authentic features including a three-ply white pickguard with 11 holes, lightweight alder body, aged plastic knobs and vintage-accurate pickups, bridge saddles, tuner spacing and more. Available in Three-color Sunburst, Olympic White and limited Dakota Red finishes.

Specifications

• Model Name: American Vintage '65 Stratocaster
• Series: American Vintage

Color / Part #

• 3-Color Sunburst 011-1800-800
• Olympic White 011-1800-805
• Dakota Red 011-1800-854

Body

• Body: Alder
• Body Shape: Stratocaster
• Body Finish: New Fender Flash Coat Lacquer

Neck

• Neck Shape: Mid '60s "C" Shape
• Number of Frets: 21
• Fret Size: Vintage Style Frets
• Fretboard Radius: 7.25" (18.41 cm)
• Fretboard: Round Laminated Rosewood
• Neck Material: Maple
• Neck Finish: New Fender Flash Coat Lacquer
• Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm)
• Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm)
• Truss Rods: Vintage-Style Heel Adjust

Electronics

• Pickup Configuration: S/S/S
• Bridge Pickup: New American Vintage '65 Grey Bottom Strat Single-Coil Pickup (Bridge)
• Middle Pickup: New American Vintage '65 Grey Bottom Strat Single-Coil Pickup (Middle)
• Neck Pickup: New American Vintage '65 Grey Bottom Strat Single-Coil Pickup (Neck)
• 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
• Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge/Middle Pickup)

Hardware

• Hardware: Chrome
• Bridge: American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
• String Nut: Bone
• Tuning Machines: Single Line "Fender Deluxe" Vintage Style

Miscellaneous

• Strings: Fender USA 250R NPS, (.010-.046 Gauges)
• Unique Features: Thick C-shaped maple neck with round-laminated rosewood fingerboard and larger pearl dot inlays; All-new pickups wound to period-correct specs and sound; Vintage-accurate bridge saddles and tuner spacing

Accessories

• Case/Gig Bag: New Deluxe Vintage Black Case
• Pickguards: 3-Ply White with Vintage Bevel
• Included Accessories: Vintage '65 Strat Strap, Cable, and Cloth; Vintage 3-Position Switch, '60s Strat Information Kit, Bridge Cover, Owner's Manual, Saddle Height Wrench
• Control Knobs: New Aged White Strat