Fender Japan

[Jonny]

What's the say on these guitars? Pretty good quality? US quality?

First thought was that anything Japan was pretty awesome. Was thinking of getting an old Stratocaster maybe.

[38thBeatle]

They are indeed pretty darn good and are consistent. There seem to be two main categories: the "made in Japan" guitars made for the export market and the "Crafted in Japan" made for the Japanese domestic market.Some say the latter are the best-they certainly seem to use US made pickups and pots/switches and they tend to be available as grey imports and therefore more expensive. I am sure I have over simplified but that is basically my understanding of it. I have a Japanese "made in Japan" Strat and it is very well put together and plays very well. No complaints whatsoever and now that it is played in, a guitar I use a lot.

[Twinfan]

As Mr38th says, they're great guitars.  This guys imports them for a reasonable price:

www.fareastguitars.co.uk

[Pete24v]

my CIJ '62 reissue is much better than my old mex strat, easilyl as good if not better than 2 USA strats i have.

[mikeluke]

+1

Been posted before but....

Some differences v USA Strats - MIJ/CIJ have vintage frets and most have 21 rather than 22 frets - there is some variation in neck profiles too - 62 and 57 tend to be more D profile, the 54 reissue is a 'soft V' and is quite a chunky neck if you have wussy hands like me!

My top tip in terms of value for money and quality is a 1984-1987 E series Jap Squier - limited colour range (no sunburst) but otherwise fantastic quality

[Elliot]

IMO older Jap strats are about the same quality as the more modern Mexican output - like the Classic Player range.  A vintage reissue doesn't come up to the same standard as the current US vintage reissues though (although, also not the price).

But be warned - lots of basswood on the lesser models: I personally like the sound of basswood strats, but if you have a thing against it, make sure its got an alder body.

[AndyR]

Big Fender Japan fan here...

I have a the following:

CIJ 62 re-issue strat
CIJ 52 re-issue tele
MIJ 62 re-issue custom tele

All three are gorgeous - the MIJ tele (not so sure this is "grey" import in any way, the others are) is possibly the best of the three, but I'm still in "honeymoon" mode :lol:

The CIJ strat is my #1 guitar and beats the hell out of my early 80's JV Squier - but that's mainly because the Squier has a much thinner neck (and it's a bit old and battered now). I loved this neck when I bought it in 82/3, but I wouldn't buy one now - I prefer the chunkier and apparently "more vintage-correct" :roll: necks on my recent CIJ/MIJ guitars.

At present, I personally would ALWAYS buy Fender Japan instead of US. The Mexican Fenders are a very close second for me and they seem to be getting better and better. In fact, the Roadworn tele I tried is probably the best guitar I've ever played, but for me it wasn't £200 better than the MIJ next to it :lol:

I have to confess I've not tried any Custom Shops to compare against the Japanese stuff - but that's only because CS are in a price range that I'm personally not prepared to pay for "just a guitar" :lol:. I'd like to think CS are the dogs-b0ll0cks, but I just don't want to find this out for certain while they cost 2-3 times as much as the guitars I love already!

[Twinfan]

I'd like to think CS are the dogs-b0ll0cks, but I just don't want to find this out for certain while they cost 2-3 times as much as the guitars I love already!

You don't want to hear this, but......

they ARE the dogs danglies   :P

[Philly Q]

Just don't ever try one, Andy!  :lol:

[AndyR]

I'd like to think CS are the dogs-b0ll0cks, but I just don't want to find this out for certain while they cost 2-3 times as much as the guitars I love already!

You don't want to hear this, but......

they ARE the dogs danglies   :P

That's what I reckon :lol:

Just don't ever try one, Andy!  :lol:

Don't worry on that score :lol:

[Philly Q]

Away from canine gonads and back on topic, I think Fender Japan are equal (or very close) to USA, better than Mexico, on craftsmanship and attention to detail.  But they fall short a bit on quality of hardware and electronics.

The only thing which puts me off is the 7.25" radius, skinny frets thing.  I do much prefer a 9.5" radius and bigger frets.

[Jonny]

Away from canine gonads and back on topic, I think Fender Japan are equal (or very close) to USA, better than Mexico, on craftsmanship and attention to detail.  But they fall short a bit on quality of hardware and electronics.

The only thing which puts me off is the 7.25" radius, skinny frets thing.  I do much prefer a 9.5" radius and bigger frets.

Hmm. That might be an issue for me too.

Thanks for all the responses

[dave_mc]

nice guitars. i think the CIJ/MIJ thing is to do with age rather than model- before a certain year, they were MIJ, after, CIJ. Could be wrong, though.

If you're not averse to second-hand, though, just cut out the middle man and get a tokai. though be careful, it's often hard to identify them, and there are fakes (though you could of course say the exact same things about fenders).

or for a little more, get a bacchus or something like that. i've seen bacchuses going on ebay for a similar amount to CIJ Fenders... amazing what a brand name will do to resale values. awesome when you're selling, not so good when you're buying... :lol:

[Jonny]

nice guitars. i think the CIJ/MIJ thing is to do with age rather than model- before a certain year, they were MIJ, after, CIJ. Could be wrong, though.

If you're not averse to second-hand, though, just cut out the middle man and get a tokai. though be careful, it's often hard to identify them, and there are fakes (though you could of course say the exact same things about fenders).

or for a little more, get a bacchus or something like that. i've seen bacchuses going on ebay for a similar amount to CIJ Fenders... amazing what a brand name will do to resale values. awesome when you're selling, not so good when you're buying... :lol:

You mean the Tokai Silver Stars or something like that.

[Spitfire]

the cij being export and mij being japan only is a myth, it was just a clause in the original fender japan contract that stated if the factory changed from the original then they had to change from mij.

I have played many many fender usa teles in the shops.. and liked none.  My cij is exactly what a tele should be.. thats all i can say on the quality.