Fender American Vintage 59 Stratocaster Black RW

General

The Fender American Vintage '59 Stratocaster is a highly accurate reproduction of the legendary late 1959 Strat. This guitar marked the transition between the famous '57 Strat and the '62 Stratocaster as it was in this year the Strat went from its renowned, thick maple neck and single-layer white pickguard to a more slender neck with a rosewood fretboard and a three-layer mint-green pickguard. This black guitar has the same looks, playing characteristics and sound as the original '59 Stratocaster. Every detail of the American Vintage '59 Stratocaster was minutely copied from several reference models. Even the accessory case was accurately reproduced, together with the period-correct case candy, consisting of a black leather guitar strap, a grey instrument cable, a polishing cloth, and replica booklets and pamphlets.

American Vintage '59 Stratocaster: late 1959 features

In 1959, Fender traded in the thick V-profile neck of the 1956 Stratocaster for a thinner, more comfortable D-profile. Additionally, the neck was fitted with a rosewood fretboard, for a fuller, warmer sound, as well as clay dot position markers (that's right, made of clay). These and other features can also be found on the 2012 American Vintage '59 Stratocaster, like contour or the 10-hole three-layer mint-green pickguard that replaced the 8-hole single-layer white one, for instance. Additional authentic features include a lightweight alder body (here with a thin layer of black nitrocellulose lacquer), accurate Pat.Pend. stamped steel bridge saddles, and single-line tuners - featuring a single line with Fender logo - just like before.

American Vintage series: more accurate than ever before

Along with the American Standard series, Fender decided to give the 2012 American Vintage series a massive update. It has been expanded with new, iconic '50s and '60s models that have a minute vintage accuracy. To get to this point, the guitar giant tracked down and studied specs and details of numerous original vintage guitars. Fender even brushed off the tools of the period to make the result as authentic as possible. Every model has been fitted with new pickups, especially wound after the specifications and sound of the vintage reference models. There's a good reason that these new models represent Fender's famed, 60-year long history in music.

• this guitar is also available in 3-colour Sunburst, Faded Sonic Blue and 3-colour Sunburst with a maple fretboard
  Please note: pictures 5 to 7 show the Faded Sonic Blue version and are for illustration purposes only. this is, of course, the black version.