Fender Japan
and
USA
Whole books have been written about Fender so I will not try to wrap
it all up in one introductory paragraph, but it has been a history that the boys in Hollywood should make a movie of.
If you need any specifics without buying the book try the link at the end - Its pretty good- Good dating charts as well. The
main Fender site also full ofgood info.
A few years before starting up Fender Japan in 1982 the owners
of Fender and Gibson plus a few others issued Lawsuits against the Japanese copy industry. The case was specifically
directed at the Ibanez headstock on the Les Pauls but in reality was aimed as a warning shot to the whole copy industry.
For example the Tokai Springy Sound Logo and Greco Strat and Les Paul copies also came under fire . Anyway a few
years later in 1982 the section of Greco making the Fender copies - such as the Sparkle Sound , Spacey Sound ,
Super Real etc was contracted by Fender to make Fender guitars and so Fender Japan came about. The first production models
with Fender on the headstock were the JV series then the MIJ and later the CIV - Made in Japan and Crafted in Japan.
Greco continued for a while in Japan making great Gibson copies but
in time this was wrapped up as pressure from USA increased.
So Fenders were made at the Fujigen Factory from around 1982 to
around 1997 after which production was moved to another Japanese factory. The Fujigen guitars which are acclaimed as the ones
to have are marked " Made in Japan " and from 97 onwards the production from the other factory was marked "Crafted
in Japan" although "Made in Japan " has now in 2007 started to be used on the new production.
The more observant will have noticed some USA guitars in this section
- WHAT ?? - These are all a bit special in some way. Mostly because they are Anniversary models or Limited issues
which do have that something extra.
Our Opinion : Not just our opinion but shared by
Fender freaks the world over. A good "Made in Japan" Japan Fender will equal the USA models in every respect.
. They also excel with their accurate re issue guitars.
These are REAL Fenders and not guitars with Fender written
on them. If you get a chance of one of the earlier JV's grab it - They have never been equalled. From 1997 the Crafted in
Japan guitars are made in the Tokai factory and we make no comment.
Useful Fender Links-Click to Open-
