Fender Lead II USA 1981/82 Wine Red Electric Guitar

This is a Fender Lead II electric guitar in Wine Red finish. The Fender Lead Series was first introduced under CBS in 1979 and contained the Lead I, II & III models. The Lead I had a single humbucker in the bridge. The Lead II had two X-1 single-coils and the Lead III was introduced later in 1982 and featured two humbuckers with coil splitting switches added to offer single-coil sounds. The idea was to offer a guitar at a more affordable price point than the Stratocaster which would still appeal to players with its neck shape and pickup options. Although the Lead Series enjoyed success amongst many popular players, it was never a big seller and was discontinued in 1982. Fender reintroduced the Lead III & III as part of the Player series in 2020.

Made in the USA in 1981/82, a bolt-on construction is employed and comprises an Alder body, Maple neck and 22 fret Rosewood fingerboard. Nickel/Chrome hardware is fitted including a 6-Saddle string-thru-body bridge with block saddles and CBS style ‘F’ stamped split-post tuning machines. A pair of single-coil pickups are installed and are wired to a 3-way toggle switch, phase reverse toggle, master volume and master tone controls.

The Maple neck plays very well, with Fender’s ‘C’ profile filling the hand nicely for a substantial yet articulate playing experience across the register. The Rosewood of the fretboard is pleasant under the fingers, and with its traditional 9.5” radius providing a nice balance between comfort when chord playing and practicality for lead lines. With medium jumbo frets the playing surface feels rock-solid, whilst string bending and vibrato techniques are smooth. The smaller body size feels great in the arms whilst also meaning that the controls are within easy reach.

The neck position is smooth and round, working very well for lead and solo tones. The bridge is of course brighter, providing plenty of Fender ‘twang’ and saturating into a searing distortion when driving the amp. The addition of a phase reverse switch provides a Strat-style ‘honk’ in the middle position, meaning that there are 4 distinct tones available before you’ve even touched the volume and tone controls or a pedal. A seriously cool little guitar which is sure to stand out from the crowd.