Fender Vintera II

19 Sep 2023 by Bob Malkowski |

3,6 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 6 Minutes

Fender Vintera II - Bass VI and '70s oddities join the range! · Source: Fender

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Fender Vintera II is here! Fender’s hugely successful and popular Vintera series gets a welcome update and some new additions…

The Fender Vintera II range is here and we can already see some interesting new additions to the range. You probably already know all about the Vintera series, but if you don’t, here’s a refresher course…

The original Vintera range launched in 2019 and aimed to give you vintage-inspired Fender guitars you could afford. Made in Mexico, the range offers you a vintage-themed step up from the player series. It’s been a very successful range and Vintera models regularly top the Fender charts at Thomann for sales.

Nonetheless, Fender has decided to shake things up and bring us a new Vintera II lineup for 2023 with key features including:

Era-correct neck shapes that feel worn in with a super-comfortable feel, reminiscent of Fender’s most classic neck shapes
Vintage-voiced pickups that perfectly nail the sound of decades past
Custom colors that have made Fender guitars instantly recognizable

There are also some All-new models including the Bass VI, Telecaster Deluxe with Tremolo, and a maple-neck Jaguar. Taking a scan over the new range, here are the releases that immediately caught our eye.

Bass VI

The Fender Bass VI is a cult instrument, made famous by acts such as The Beatles, Placebo, and Robert Smith of The Cure. Looking much like a Fender Jaguar on steroids, the Bass VI is tuned EADGBE like a guitar but an entire octave down. It’s been a secret weapon of many bands and recording artists since the 1960s

If you wanted to buy a brand new Bass VI then up until recently you’d have to “settle” for a Squier Classic Vibe reissue. We’re pleased as punch to see the Bass VI back in the Fender catalogue again. This seems to be an accurate vintage reissue, right down to the triple single coil pickups and vibrato system It looks fantastic in both Fiesta Red and Lake Placid Blue. One of our highlights of the Vintera II series

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Fender Vintera II 60s Mustang Bass VI

$1,215 at

70s Telecaster Deluxe With Tremolo

The twin hum-bucker Tele Deluxe is a versatile rock machine and bands such as Radiohead and Foo Fighters concur! Add in a strat-style vibrato system and you have a very unique instrument! Tele Deluxes with vibrato are incredibly rare things, so again, it’s nice to see an old design returning to the mainstream catalogue.

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Fender Vintera II 70s Telecaster Deluxe

$1,035 at

70s Maple Neck Jaguar

The Fender Jaguar has become a real alternative rock icon over the last couple of decades. Jaguars almost always feature a rosewood neck and so it’s an eye-opener to see this striking, maple neck Jag in the Vintera II lineup!

I think the black 70s block inlays and binding look fantastic against the maple neck and contrast superbly with the black or vintage white finished alder body. The bridge appears to be the standard Jaguar bridge of the period along with 70s F-Stamped tuners.

Vintera II Jaguar

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Fender Vintera II 70s Jaguar

$1,150 at

70s Strat

As you’re probably seeing, the Vintera II series pulls heavily from Fender’s 1970s “back catalogue”. These big-headstock CBS-era guitars were the ugly ducklings for many years. However, it speaks volumes that there’s a whole generation of guitarists who view 70s Fenders as cool!

The 70s Strat is a new addition to the Vintera II series and offers an alder body and a maple neck with your choice of maple or rosewood fingerboards. Period correct features like the “bullet” truss-rod and F-stamped tuners are all present and correct. Groovy baby!

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Fender Vintera II 70s Stratocaster

$990 at

70s Competition Mustang

I told you the 70s were back in! So much so that Fender has seemingly dropped the 60s-inspired Mustang from the previous Vintera series. What we get now is a 70s Mustang with the achingly cool “competition stripe” finishes; It’s a real eye-catcher, especially in competition orange!

It should sound as good as it looks with an alder body and a maple neck with rosewood fingerboard coupled to vintage-style ‘70s single-coil pickups.

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Fender Vintera II 70s Competition Mustang

$990 at

70s Tele P-Bass

A 2023 reissue of a 60s reissue of a 50s bass? Heck, why not?! The Telecaster Bass was Fender’s original “re-issue”, back in 1968. Essentially based on the early 50s Fender Precision Basses, the Tele Bass has a look and sound all of its own.

Wielded by players such as Mike Dirnt of Green Day, and Sting, it’s been tricky tracking one down. Your choice has been pricey American Vintage series reissues or a Squier Classic Vibe version.

This Vintera II Tele bass now offers a unique offering for those after the early 50s P-bass vibe at an accessible price. An additional bonus is the neck is based on a 70s C-shaped profile with a 7.25″ radius. You may find the 70s Tele P-bass a little easier to play than a true 50s reissue.

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Fender Vintera II Tele Bass

$1,069 at

The Full Range

The models above are our highlights from the range, which in full comprises:

Vintera II Jazzmaster · Source: Fender

Overall, I think this is a really nicely curated selection of offerings from Fender. The choice of models, specs, and finishes seems in touch with today’s musicians. Price-wise, they’re at the upper end of what I’d consider “accessible” to the working musician; with that said there’s still the player series for those looking for “my first Fender”.

It’s a thumbs-up from us for the Vintera II series; we can see these becoming very popular, very quickly!

More about the Fender Vintera II Series:

Fender Official Newsroom
All about Fender

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