In the early 1960s, a fearless creative culture thrived in Southern California, and Leo Fender was on a mission to create a fresh collection of acoustic instruments that captured the innovative spirit surrounding the artists around him. In collaboration with legendary luthier Roger Rossmeisl, Leo launched several unique acoustic models that embody the character that made Fender a symbol of the rock-and-roll revolution, including unmistakable top shapes, easy-to-play neck profiles, and radical style, forever changing the face of Fender Acoustics. Today’s Fender California Vintage models draw direct inspiration from their mid-century origins, featuring a retro visual atmosphere while adding 21st-century performance and a rich, refined acoustic tone – a true modern alternative with Fender’s classic heritage.
Designed with an innovative Performance-X™ bracing pattern, the medium-sized auditorium body of the Fender California Vintage Palomino is expertly crafted with a solid Sitka spruce top and solid ovangkol back and sides to effortlessly produce a versatile, articulate voice with exceptional clarity and balance. For the okoume neck, a modern ergonomic “V” profile was chosen along with a 25.5-inch scale length for optimal support and a 6-in-line slotted headstock with a maple cap for a distinctive look born from the DNA of Fender electric guitars. Other notable details include an ovangkol fingerboard bound with pearloid block inlays for a retro appearance, vintage-style tuning machines for fine and precise tuning, and a bone nut and saddle for superior harmonic character. Designed for performance, the onboard Fishman® Sonitone Plus preamp system features soundhole-mounted controls that seamlessly blend a piezo pickup under the saddle and an internal transducer to allow faithful and reliable reproduction of the guitar's natural sound when connected to an amplifier or recording device. A vintage-style hard case is included.
Bold, striking, and unique, the California series instruments make no compromises, balancing remarkable style, superior sound, and effortless playability for those aspiring to play something different.
- Body: Solid spruce top with solid ovangkol back and sides
- Body finish: Gloss polyurethane
- Body top: Solid Sitka spruce
- Body binding: Aged white
- Body shape: Palomino auditorium
- Body back: Solid ovangkol
- Body sides: Solid ovangkol
- Fingerboard: Ovangkol
- Hardware finish: Nickel
- Pickguard: 1-Ply Gold
- Position inlays: Pearloid block
- Neck finish: Satin urethane
- Neck shape: Modern “V”
- Palomino vintage slotted headstock
- Rosette: 2 rings white/black/white
- Special electronics: Fender®/Fishman® Sonitone™ Plus Soundhole Pickup System
- Orientation: Right hand
- Concentration: Performance “X”
- Scale length: 25.5" (64.77 cm)
- Number of frets: 20
- Fret size: 2 mm
- Nut: Bone
- Nut width: 1.69" (43 mm)
- Truss Rod key: 4 mm Hex (Allen)
- Controls: Volume, Blend (Body Pickup, Piezo)
- Bridge: Vintage Viking
- Tuning Machines: Vintage style with aged white buttons
- Strings: Fender® 60L Phosphor Bronze (.012-.052 Gauges), PN 0730060403
- Case/Bag: Vintage-style hardshell
- Fingerboard radius: 16" (406.4 mm)
- Neck material: Okoume
- Refined neck material: Mahogany
- Neck shape refinement: V shape
- Nut material: Bone
- Truss Rod: Modern heel adjustment
- Truss Rod nut: 4 mm Hex
