Newly renamed in 1951 with a moniker that takes its inspiration from the booming growth and expansive reach of television, the first “blackguard” Telecaster rolled off the line in late 1951, and the model has been in continuous production ever since.

Beloved by many players throughout the years for its weighty heft, one of the most enduring aspects of the first Telecasters was the girthy, U-shaped hard rock maple neck, which has been recreated for the American Vintage II 1951 Telecaster, along with the narrow 12th fret dot spacing and a sole Phillips-head fastener at the truss rod nut, characteristic of production in 1951.