Fender American Vintage II 1963 Telecaster

A Refresh on a Classic

Wildwoodians, the first Telecaster emerged from the primordial soup of Leo Fender's shop in 1951, it hasn't changed much. After all, there's no sense in fixing what ain't broke, and the Telecaster design is decidedly sturdy (as Greg Koch says, you can use a Tele to dig your car out from the snow if you get stuck after the gig!). But, it has undergone some small tweaks, and this American Vintage II 1963 Telecaster pays tribute to one of those subtle-yet-seismic changes: the introduction of the rosewood fingerboard.

For many years, the Tele only came equipped with a maple fretboard for extra snappiness and articulation. But, when the sixties rolled around, the design team at Fender decided to round off some of the Tele's hard edges by utilizing rosewood. Rosewood fingerboards gave the Tele a little bit of extra sweetness and musical compression to the attack while maintaining the Tele's signature tone, and they inspired a new generation of players all over again.

This American Vintage II 1963 Telecaster captures the spirit of those early sixties Teles beautifully. The Pure Vintage '63 single-coils present a balanced, even take on the classic Tele tone with even response across the bass, mids, and treble 9although the neck pickup has juuust the right amount of scoop in the mids). The neck pickup has plenty of sparkle, chime, and twang while the neck pickup is warm and vocal. Of course, the middle position is a beautiful blend between the two.

But, the American Vintage II 1963 Telecaster doesn't just sound good--it looks good and feels good, too. It has a Goldilocks-approved '63 C neck profile (not too fat, not too skinny) with a 7.25" radius for easy chording and vintage tall frets for an expressive vintage playing experience. And, it has all the period-correct aesthetic details: a round-lam fretboard, clay fingerboard inlays, a three-saddle bridge, and a 3-ply parchment pickguard.

All in all, the American Vintage II 1963 Tele is a monster Tele that delivers vintage vibe in spades. Take one for a spin, and we have no doubt you'll get hooked on its killer tone and stylish good looks.