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Fender American Vintage II 1966 Jazzmaster Electric Guitar - Dakota Red Demo

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 2 Single-coil Pickups, and Vintage-style Tremolo - Dakota Red
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Condition Notes:

This guitar has a tiny finish crack at the treble side of the neck pocket. There may be fine scratches that do not show up well in our Guitar Gallery photos.

This item was thoroughly inspected by our factory-authorized service team and is backed by Sweetwater's exclusive 2-year warranty. These images are of the exact item advertised, and provide as accurate a representation of its condition as possible. If you need further information, please call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700.

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Fender American Vintage II 1966 Jazzmaster Electric Guitar - Dakota Red
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Timeless Sound and All-American Style

Despite its namesake, Fender’s Jazzmaster has endured for decades by solidifying its legacy as an unmatched workhorse of versatility, finding a home everywhere from surf and grunge to new wave, shoegaze, and black metal. Taking it back to the mid-20th century, the American Vintage II 1966 Jazzmaster oozes with iconic design. Its alder body anchors the full-bodied tones with plenty of rich, sustaining warmth. This is complemented by the maple neck’s tight, articulate projection, and the rosewood fingerboard’s shimmering veneer. Pair this with Pure Vintage ’66 Single-coil Jazzmaster pickups and you’ve got the seminal sounds of the era. Classic controls include “witch hat” knobs and thumbwheels to dial in a perfectly personal, balanced tone. Sweetwater’s guitarists appreciate the period-precise “C”-shaped neck, complemented by a 7.25-inch fingerboard radius that accommodates players of multiple styles. Add in a bone nut, Fender Deluxe tuners, and a vintage-style tremolo, and you’ve got a timeless tone horse that you’ll need to take the reins for yourself.

Classic construction, full-bodied tone

In keeping with tradition, Fender’s luthiers made sure to do their homework on this American Vintage II 1966 Jazzmaster, ensuring era-accurate tonewoods were used to faithfully capture the guitar’s iconic sound. The alder body establishes a full, sonorous tonal foundation, delivering a full-bodied profile that sustains its robust bass and cutting mids. Maple imparts a bright, crystalline tone to the Jazzmaster’s sonic array, bringing out crisp highs, excellent projection, and clear, tight articulation through every register. Rosewood adorns the fingerboard, finishing off the guitar’s aural makeup with a shimmering, glassy veneer, taming the tones in just the right way to deliver that classic Jazzmaster sound.

Dial in your tone with vintage voltage

With the notable inclusion of the historic “witch hat” knobs, you’ll be happy to know that Fender’s attention to detail is not just skin-deep. Classic circuitry includes not only the master tone and volume control knobs, but the classic thumbwheel and slide switch arrangement for dialing in and rocking out. Pure Vintage ’66 Single-coil Jazzmaster pickups occupy the neck and bridge positions, brimming with character and masterfully encapsulating that vaunted vintage output.

Comfort, class, and sonic scope

Like the Jazzmaster’s genre-defying presence, it boasts a versatile “C”-shaped neck, accommodating guitarists of nearly any playstyle. Its classic offset cutaways ensure unfettered access to all 21 of its vintage-tall frets, sprawling a 7.25-inch fingerboard radius that’s beautifully bound for historically-accurate panache. Complementing its tonal triumphs, the 4-bolt maple neck is known for its dimensional stability, making it highly resistant to twisting or warping — another reason the Jazzmaster is so physically and sonically enduring. Pure Vintage Single Line Fender Deluxe tuners and a Pure Vintage Jazzmaster bridge bookend the guitar’s 25.5-inch scale, with threaded steel barrel saddles and a 1.65-inch bone nut keeping your tones in tune, buzz free, and ready for endless expression.

Fender American Vintage II 1966 Jazzmaster Features:

  • Era-accurate design includes “witch hat” knobs and bound fingerboard
  • Alder body maintains resonant, rich tones with incisive mids and lush lows
  • Maple neck keeps your tones tight and articulate throughout the spectrum, imbued with a distinctive brightness
  • Rosewood fingerboard provides a sonic balance and glassy tonal topcoat
  • 1966 “C”-shaped neck is highly resistant to twisting and warping, thanks to its maple construction
  • 7.25-inch fingerboard radius houses 21 vintage tall frets for premiere range
  • 25.5-inch scale is bookended by Pure Vintage tuners and Jazzmaster bridge for plenty of expressive potential
  • 1.65-inch bone nut and threaded steel barrel saddles keep your tones reliably buzz free
  • Pure Vintage ’66 Single-coil Jazzmaster pickups are accompanied by classic switch slide and thumbwheel controls to dial in your sound

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

What is Demo Gear?

At Sweetwater, we're so picky that what we call a "demo" is actually better than what most music retailers sell as "new" gear! Our gear hasn't endured hundreds of people a week plunking away at all the keyboards, fumbling through Stairway to Heaven on every guitar or playing with every fader and knob on a mixer or control surface.

What demo means to us is that we've had it out of the box, or maybe it was in a customer's hands for a few days and isn't "factory fresh" as a result. Every demo item we sell has Sweetwater's 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ warranty, and has been tested and verified up to "new" specs by our factory-authorized technicians to make sure it's in perfect working order before we ship it to you.

Note: While demo items from Fender do not include the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation warranty, you can shop with confidence knowing that this item is backed and covered by Sweetwater’s 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ warranty.

When you buy a Demo item at Sweetwater, you get:
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Click HERE to browse our current inventory of Demo equipment. Purchasing demo gear from Sweetwater is a smart and safe way to save!

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape Jazzmaster
  • Body Material Alder
  • Body Finish Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer
  • Color Dakota Red
  • Neck
  • Neck Material Maple
  • Neck Shape 1966 C
  • Neck Joint Bolt-on
  • Radius 7.25"
  • Fingerboard Material Rosewood
  • Fingerboard Inlay Pearloid Blocks
  • Number of Frets 21, Vintage Tall
  • Scale Length 25.5"
  • Nut Width 1.650"
  • Nut Material Bone
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece Pure Vintage Jazzmaster with Threaded Steel Barrel Saddles
  • Tuners Fender Deluxe Pure Vintage
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup Pure Vintage '66 Single-coil Jazzmaster
  • Bridge Pickup Pure Vintage '66 Single-coil Jazzmaster
  • Controls 1 x volume, 1 x tone, 2 x thumbwheel (neck volume/tone)
  • Switching 3-way toggle pickup switch, 2-way switch (lead/rhythm circuit)
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings Fender, .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Hardshell Case
  • Manufacturer Part Number: 0110340854

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Tried four.

I've tried four different AV2 JM's and they were all fantastic. I found a light weight red one and it's as good as any guitar I've ever played. I'm glad they updated the headstock. The pickups are a huge step up from the American Originals.
Music background: Indie, British Invasion
Rated 5/5

Beautiful guitar and great fit and finish

I kind of bought this guitar on a spur of the moment decision. I had been eyeing it on and off but was actually thinking about a new telecaster more recently. But a jazzmaster was really the guitar I next wanted to add to my arsenal already having an American Pro II Strat and a FSR Deluxe Ash MIM Telecaster. When this guitar went on a $ discount and Sweetwater was offering $ Bonus Bucks, I had to hop on it.

I had done a fair amount of research on this particular JM, and a lot of accounts pointed out some major flaws in the QC. Most recent reviews I read seem to be positive, so I took a bit of a leap of faith and made the purchase hoping that those issues were addressed in subsequent runs since initial release (with the wrong headstock as well).

Anecdotally speaking, I am happy to say that this guitar is extremely well built and I have very few bad things to say about it. The QC seems to be great and I hope and expect that is the case for other AV II JM's. It really is everything I was hoping it would be and I do not regret the purchase at all.

Fit and finish is great. There are a few minor issues. 1. There is a tiny chip in the paint along the nut on the high e side. 2. There is a small chip in the pickguard below the knobs. 3. The rhythm circuit knob is a little grindy. 4. The witch hat knobs are oriented terribly. Not sure why they do them like that if that is intended, but maybe I am just used to the strat. 5. The trem arm is really tight, but I can probably adapt.

3 and 4 are simple fixes. 1 and 2 are extremely minor and you wouldn't notice it unless you studied it for more than a few minutes like I did. I am even hesitant to call them out in this review because it is so small.

As for the sound, I have to admit I am still figuring some of it out, but it is extremely fun. I like the darker and warmer sounds from it and it really drives well with a little OD. I have a lot to dig into, but am really excited to find some new sounds.

Overall, this is a fantastic guitar and I am very happy with it. I wanted to offer up this review to those people who had heard the early horror stories and maybe were put off of getting one as a result.

Give it a chance! It doesn't hurt that it is an absolutely beautiful guitar.
Rated 5/5

I am speechless

I have been wanting one of these for a long time. The only other Fender I have is the YJM strat. I absolutely love it too. I have quite a few guitars in my studio but I didn't have anything that could give me this sweet vintage P90 sound. This 1966 American Vintagell Jazzmaster is absolutely top notch. It came out of the box pretty much in tune and setup to perfection. I gave it a quick strum and tune, it was very well setup. It plays like your touching water droplets. The pick-ups are very dynamic. It really gives it a vintage edge of breakup tone that you can get few other places. I especially like how well the Jazz switch is wired. There is a crisp clean flip and the tone shifts to a superbly warm round Jazz tone from the 60's. When it's not engaged the tone and volume knobs are very responsive. I found it a breeze to get it exactly how I wanted. I will never part with this guitar. Fender really delivered on this reissue. Not a single imperfection anywhere. Sweetwater also knocked it out of the park. I ordered it Thursday night and it was here Saturday morning!!!
Music background: Guitar player, Studio Engineer, Tommy D. Studios on youtube
Rated 5/5

Suena como ve

This guitar has the warm vintage sound of the time where the iron was worked by hand, it sounds great, if you like the old style this is yours, the Dakota red color gives it a striking touch and its various tone configurations make it versatile because you can color different nuances to the sound, I like that it has n10 strings to make the sound fatter
Rated 5/5

Vintage Heaven!

My new Fender American Vintage II 1966 Jazzmaster arrived today and... Wow! What a beauty! First, I must say that the staff at Sweetwater has been a delight to deal with. My assigned Personal Sales Engineer, Michael J. reached out and introduced himself to me right after shipment. By far, this was the best musical instrument sale that I have ever conducted online!

There are countless videos on YouTube describing the American Vintage II Series, so all that I will add here is that Fender certainly knocked this one out of the park! That Dakota Red will make you want a 1950's Cadillac. The contours of the Jazzmaster itself feels as if Marilyn Monroe herself is sitting in your lap! The tones are phenomenally diverse! It's one sexy guitar!

It’s impossible to imagine a world without Fender guitars, and if you’re like many of the guitarists at Sweetwater, then Fender not only made the first guitar you ever bought " they made the last one too! From building the first mass-produced solidbody electric guitars and basses in the 1950s to creating some of the most influential amplifier designs in history, it’s no wonder why Fender is one of the biggest names in the business. As one of the world’s largest Fender dealers, we have countless guitars, basses, amps, effects pedals, and accessories in stock and ready to ship, whenever you need them. We’re always getting our hands on their latest creations, and there’s nothing we love more than to tell our customers all about them! So, whether you’re looking for your first axe or a Custom Shop creation, make sure to give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700.

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