Signature Curves, Richer Tones
The popularity of Fender musical instruments grew throughout the ’50s, flourishing into an assortment of instrument models, and by 1961 the Stratocaster had taken on a more refined aesthetic.
A big evolutionary change in early ’60s first appeared in late 1959, when Fender guitars transitioned from maple fingerboards to rosewood’ mostly because of the visible wear that a maple fingerboard showed. But it made an appreciable difference in the overall tonality of the guitar, giving it a slightly warmer voice.
To mirror this transitional period, American Vintage II 1961 Stratocaster sports a 7.25 radius slab rosewood fingerboard, and is available in 3-Color Sunburst reformulated with a more vibrant red and bolder black edge, accented by a 3-ply pickguard accenting the Strat’s signature curves.