In the early 1960s, in Southern California, a fearless creative culture thrived, and Leo Fender was on a mission to create a fresh collection of acoustic instruments that captured the innovative spirit surrounding the artists of his time. In collaboration with legendary luthier Roger Rossmeisl, Leo launched several unique acoustic models that embodied the character that made Fender a symbol of the rock-and-roll revolution, including unmistakable top shapes, easy-playing 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 affordable concert-sized body of the Fender California Vintage Malibu is effortlessly crafted with a solid Sitka spruce top and solid ovangkol back and sides to produce a sweet, focused voice with exceptional nuances and balance. A modern ergonomic “V” profile has been chosen for the okoume neck, along with a short scale length of 25 inches for a warm tonal response and a 6-in-line slanted headstock with a maple cap for a distinctive look born from Fender's electric guitar DNA. Other notable details include an ovangkol fingerboard bound with block pearloid 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 the performer, the onboard Fishman® Sonitone Plus preamp system features soundhole-mounted controls that seamlessly blend an internal piezo transducer under the saddle to allow for 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 instruments in the California series do not compromise, 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 poly
- Body top: Solid Sitka spruce
- Body binding: Aged white
- Body shape: Malibu Concert
- Body back: Solid ovangkol
- Body sides: Solid ovangkol
- Fingerboard: Ovangkol
- Hardware finish: Nickel
- Pickguard: 1-Ply Gold
- Position inlays: Pearloid block
- Neck finish: Gloss urethane
- Neck shape: Modern “V”
- Headstock: Vintage Malibu with slanted back
- Rosette: 2 rings white/black/white
- Special electronics: Fender®/Fishman® Sonitone™ Plus Soundhole Pickup System
- Orientation: Right hand
- Concentration: “X” performance
- Scale length: 25" (635 mm)
- 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
- Fretboard radius: 16" (406.4 mm)
- Neck material: Okoume
- Refined neck material: Mahogany
- Neck shape refinement: V shape
- Nut material: Bone
