FENDER PRESENTS: AMERICAN VINTAGE II FEATURING JAMES BAY

For James Bay, inspiration comes in many forms and one of those is the Stratocaster and the luminaries who made it legendary. “So many great players put such a vivid stamp on that guitar,” he explains. “Hendrix, Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, so many made a Strat sound so Stratty in such a brilliant and unique and powerful and bold way.” And from a very early age, Bay has been a dedicated Strat enthusiast who studied his heroes and honed his craft with our iconic electric. “It’s all I played,” he says of his formative years. “If I played electric, it was my Strat. I could trust it, I loved it, I beat it up a bit.”

Circumstances have changed for Bay since he first picked up a Stratocaster — the 34-year old British singer/songwriter is now a hit-making Grammy nominee and sought-after attraction on the festival circuit — but his enduring passion for the Strat remains undiminished by time and success. He still reveres the guitar for its sonic versatility, ease of playability and inimitable, indelible sound. Any time he’s handed a Strat, “There’s an effortlessness that I recognize,” he says. 

Check out the video above to see Bay play his 2024 single “Some People” on our American Vintage II 1965 Stratocaster and see how this promising young artist has taken a guitar that has been the go-to for so many of his idols and transformed its sound into something all his own.

Learn more about all of our American Vintage II guitars and basses here.