Indeed!



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

How do you think about a matching fretless P with an unlined maple fretboard?

Do the new Vintage series come with Nitrate pick guards? I didn't see that listed anywhere.

I don't think so - I thinkFender has just worked to produce a better looking replica compared to the mint green vinyl used on the previous AV '62 models.

+1

If the pickguards were nitrate that fact would've been roundly touted on the description and specs for these instruments, just as a nitro finish.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Well I just pulled the trigger and bought the '65 Oly White from Dave's Guitar Shop. Everyone seems to be selling these at $2299, I got mine from Dave for a couple hundred less! I was forced to sell a bunch of stuff to survive (Job!), and probably more to come. But when these first came out the '65 just stuck with me and never went away. If I could afford two, I'd get the '56 as well!

Pics Dawg, or it didn't happen!



Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I swear it was 20", but the darn thing got away!

When it arrives I'll get the pics up!

Hokey dokey, we'll be here.



Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

+1 on this. $700 for strats and $400 for the Tele! I love Fender but isn't this is just an excuse wrapped up in a marketing campaign to raise the prices to be more inline with Gibson's? How many sellers will immediately increase the price on the existing '52 Telecasters and claim they are the newer ones. Buyers beware!

I also agree - Fender used this as a good "excuse" to take these more up-market. That being said there are dealers that will sell these for below MAP if you ask them (I just read on another forum that someone got a '64 Tele for 35% off list).

If I'm looking at the new ones correctly it seems like the new AVs have serial numbers that read "V12xxxxxx"; I don't believe the old ones were up to having a "12" right after the "V". Also the new ones have replicas of the original owners manuals and other literature so hopefully it would be easy enough to spot the differences between the old AV '52 and the new AV '52 and no one will wind up paying too much for the older model.

Hey Fender,

I applaud you on this series. This honestly doesn't make me want to build my own guitar anymore. You guys nailed it as far as the Strat and Teles it looks like and also picked the right years. Light Sonic Blue LACQUER and a round lam fretboard on a regular production line? Awesome. Thick necks rather than the "modern" necks in most standard lines? More awesome. Stability is a big part of guitar tone, and I'm glad you guys swayed this way. This is EXACTLY what you needed, and are filling in the demand for players who want something with vintage specs, but aren't willing to shell out for a Custom Shop guitar. My only wish is that the Light Sonic Blue could have been available for the '65 Strat, but you guys still did great. I say BRAVO to Justin Norvell and the team who dug this series into glory.

As a response to those saying the price is too high - yes, it is steep. However, the Standard models are staying. The older AVRI lines marketed to roughly the same market as those who would buy American Standard but are willing to pay a little bit more. Honestly, I don't think the previous AVRI line is much better than the Standard line, and didn't really have a point. The old AVRI lines were good, but I've never felt them appealing to me because I wanted something a bit "cooler" and more accurate than that. I'm sure there are a lot more players out there obsessed about Fender guitars and are as anal about miniscule specs as me.

This makes sense from a marketing standpoint, a reputation standpoint (finally making a series that really screams quality and vintage specs in one model), and any other standpoint I can think of. This appeals to me heavily, and I know that many, many others are appreciative that Fender is stepping up their game and listening to the consumer. There are countless Fender models out there for people who are willing to pay less. This just shifts one of those series to a different market...and does it with grace.

(Sorry for such a positive, hyped up rant...but I've been losing faith in the Fender product line for a while until now. Always disappointed that they couldn't release something with true-to-historical specs without compromising with a poly undercoat or trying things like round lam fretboards. This renews my excitement, and I'm positively stoked to try these out and either purchase a '59 Sonic Blue Strat or a '65 Dakota Red/Olympic White Strat. Nice color choices too. Limited, but the right ones for the most part!)

The only things I would have done differently are to make Light Sonic Blue available for the '65 Strat too, and make the '59 Light Sonic Blue with a one ply pickguard. Also, make the necks quartersawn...but honestly that's more of my "dream spec" dreams and I know isn't realistic for Fender because it would cause confusion for having two Sonic Blues and force Fender to up the prices some more. Btw, thick necks and Light Sonic Blue - I'm obsessed with both. Light > regular IMO. So much nicer, and cool to see that the Classic Players series and the CS guitars aren't the only ones to get this finish.

The Stratocasters were $2000 the day they came out, which was perfect, but now $2300? that's a little bit too much inflation for me. I like the series alot though. Instead of a faded sonic blue, I think it should have just been a pure Sonic Blue, and with a maple board. I wish they would make a fiesta red for the '56, and they should have kept a model with the oversized headstock.

Just checked out a new '65 RI Strat at my local music store. As far as accuracy is concerned, the guitar doesn't quite cut it. Sure, it has the round lam board, but the rosewood is WAY too thick. Not like original spec at all. Nice try Fender, but you STILL haven't got it right.