If I were after a Fender guitar and was gonna spend ~$2K on something i'd look to the AVRI series. They're essentially new versions of vintage Fenders.

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Thu May 08, 2025 8:21 am If I were after a Fender guitar and was gonna spend ~$2K on something i'd look to the AVRI series. They're essentially new versions of vintage Fenders.

The American Vintage II of the 1975 Tele Deluxe I've definitely been eyeballing. You can get them around that price for used. I plan on playing a Vintera, a Player and a Vintage this weekend and see which one I like the most (really mostly curious about the difference between the pickups more than anything). Also still considering a Warmoth Build.

Well, shit... I found a mint condition Vintera II Deluxe for half the price of a new one. The pick guard still has the plastic on it. Only thing that seems wrong is that it's missing the wammy bar...

cakes wrote: Thu May 08, 2025 11:33 am Well, shit... I found a mint condition Vintera II Deluxe for half the price of a new one. Only thing that seems wrong is that it's missing the wammy bar...

Go for it. I love my Vintera Tele Custom. If you want to get fussy down the line, grab the Novak WRHBs and drop some 1meg pots in there.

four_oclocker_2.2 wrote: Thu May 08, 2025 11:36 am

cakes wrote: Thu May 08, 2025 11:33 am Well, shit... I found a mint condition Vintera II Deluxe for half the price of a new one. Only thing that seems wrong is that it's missing the wammy bar...

Go for it. I love my Vintera Tele Custom. If you want to get fussy down the line, grab the Novak WRHBs and drop some 1meg pots in there.

I tried one out the other day and was impressed by it. I know the pickups aren't Fender CuNiFe, but I can't really say how they differ. Do you have the vintage-style still in yours?

This one is the vintage white. Not my first choice in colors, so the only hesitation right now.

So, I think it has less to do with the "CuNiFe" deal and more with the fact that the WRHBs that Fender was sticking in those guitars (and the earlier MIM Tele Deluxes) were a totally different construction that didn't attempt to get close to the originals.

I had a 70s Deluxe with original WRHBs and my Vintera Custom has a Novak in the neck position and they sounded extremely close to my ear in a side-by-side deal. A big part of it also goes to the 1meg pot, that allows you to get the "highs" those are known for in the vintage models.

four_oclocker_2.2 wrote: Thu May 08, 2025 11:51 am A big part of it also goes to the 1meg pot, that allows you to get the "highs" those are known for in the vintage models.

THIS. You can stick a 1M in a strat and get a super bright sound.

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Thu May 08, 2025 1:05 pm

four_oclocker_2.2 wrote: Thu May 08, 2025 11:51 am A big part of it also goes to the 1meg pot, that allows you to get the "highs" those are known for in the vintage models.

THIS. You can stick a 1M in a strat and get a super bright sound.

That's good to know, because I believe that was the original pots.

So how does the Fender CuNiFe compare to the old ones?

Once I got to play an old Tele Deluxe w/ real WRHBs in my AC30 loud and it sounded an awful lot like my regular Telecaster, more than I expected. Still its own thing, and I liked it enough to see having one for my only guitar.

I would always prefer the slick vintage pickups or a fancy reproduction but I wouldn’t want to be stuck buying those aftermarket. Not cheap. Rehoused vanilla humbuckers sounds kind of lame though.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Thu May 08, 2025 3:59 pm So how does the Fender CuNiFe compare to the old ones?

Once I got to play an old Tele Deluxe w/ real WRHBs in my AC30 loud and it sounded an awful lot like my regular Telecaster, more than I expected. Still its own thing, and I liked it enough to see having one for my only guitar.

I would always prefer the slick vintage pickups or a fancy reproduction but I wouldn’t want to be stuck buying those aftermarket. Not cheap. Rehoused vanilla humbuckers sounds kind of lame though.

Fender resurrected the original specs, or close to it. The OG pickups were CuNiFe, but the material was more available back in the 70s. The demand for CuNiFe I guess was high enough that a company as big as Fender could justify reviving the production of the magnets in recent years.

The American Vintage Fenders are built to era specs, even down to the screws. As far as I know, the Deluxe models are the only guitars with CuNiFe WRHBs. You can buy the pickups from Fender separately, but they are damn expensive: $299 each.

I've never played a CuNiFe, but the Wide Range vintage-style on the new Vinteras sounded pretty good to me. Other companies make good WRHBs for way less than a CuNiFe.