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2012 Antigua Guitars
Fender has begun unveiling guitars they plan to showcase at the upcoming Summer NAMM. The Antigua finish is one that Fender has handled in a rather McRib kind of fashion. Every so often they release Antigua models and before long they are no where to be found and all we, the people that didn’t pick one up, are left to patiently wait for Fender to release a new rendition.
2012 marks the return of that time an Antigua Strat and a Tele being released. Fender’s already made it known this is a limited run so get em while they’re hot.
The Specifications
Stratocaster
The Strat model is pretty standard fare. It’s built out of alder with a polyester finish and amaple neck and fretboard with a urethane finish. The tuners are Fender vintage F style, the bridge is a vintage style synchronized tremolo, and the pickups are all three pickups are vintage style single-coils. The Strat uses the traditional 5-way pickup switch, two tone knobs, and one master volume. It will run about $510.
Telecaster
The Tele runs with a similar setup as the Strat. It uses alder for the body with a polyester finish and maple for both the neck and the fretboard also with the urethane finish. The tuners are Fender vintage F style and the bridge is an original vintage style Tele bridge with three threaded, steel saddles. The bridge uses a vintage style single-coil Tele pickup while the neck uses a vintage style thin single-coil. The Tele uses a 3-way pickup switch, one master tone knob, and one master volume knob. It will also cost about $510.
History of Antigua Guitars
Antigua finished guitars are something Fender has a history of embracing going as far back as the 60s. Back then Fender had used the finish rather liberally on just about any model they could slap it on, from Strats and Teles, to Jaguars and Mustangs, and even on the now defunct Coronado hollow body. It’s a finish that is just enough in demand for Fender to periodically release a handful of guitars donning it, but evidently not enough to justify keeping it around more.
While other brands such as Gibson have delved at the least dangerously close to matching the color for some of their guitars, Antigua more or less has remained a Fender trademark.
Summer NAMM
If you’re aching to see these guitars up close Fender will be showing them off in all their glory at the impending Summer NAMM in Nashville Tennessee. There they will give more details up front as well as the chance to hear these guitars in all their glory.
Summer NAMM runs from Thursday the 12th through Saturday the 14th, and will be open to the public on14th from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM for $15 with an abundance of other events to see and performances to watch.
That is a beautiful machine.