Are Japan Fenders as good as US Fenders

[pongracj]

I have had both US Fenders Strats and Japan Fender Strats and I cant tell the difference, both are beautiful guitars. If I had to choose it would be the Japan Fenders, best Fenders for the money!

I have two of them from the 80's

Fender Tele ESQUIRE
Fender Strat
Both made in Japan

[ELVIS]

The japanese strat headstock is incorrect...

Other than that.. very nice...

[Rubnose]

Nothing beats my Mexican Strat.

[diamond den™]

I have a Mexican Strat, it is one of the better ones but it is nowhere near as nice as the American ones.

Having said that, it is my main guitar. I bought a Jackson Dinky the same day I bought the Strat and I never play the Jackson.

[Roy Munson]

Originally posted by pongracj
I have had both US Fenders Strats and Japan Fender Strats and I cant tell the difference, both are beautiful guitars. If I had to choose it would be the Japan Fenders, best Fenders for the money!

I have two of them from the 80's

Fender Tele ESQUIRE
Fender Strat
Both made in Japan

Interested in selling them both?

[Cato]

japan fender's esquire went out of production years ago, so I have been looking for that...

how much?

[Roy Munson]

Originally posted by Cato
japan fender's esquire went out of production years ago, so I have been looking for that...

how much?

Back off, ballsack. I was here first!!! :p

[Cato]

homo, you already have a lot eh?

pongracj, can post pic here?

[Roy Munson]

Originally posted by Cato
homo, you already have a lot eh?

pongracj, can post pic here?

Your avatar is the greatest one ever created. I love boobs.

[Mr Grimsdale]

you're in luck, cato has just got his fixed

[Cato]

Originally posted by Roy Munson
Your avatar is the greatest one ever created. I love boobs.

thanks.

that's the most famous one around here. even Ray Luzier knows it.

[Mr Grimsdale]

i'm surprised he has time to notice it what with all the fisting he does

[Panamark]

pongracj !

Farout, Ive got two very similar guitars to yours, a Jap strat, looks almost identical(Same colour, except Ive got the Rosewood Fretboard,
and my Tele is a US model, with Gold plates and it doesnt have that white pin stripe around the body. At first glance at this thread I thought I must have posted some of my guitars when drunk..

I love the Jap Strat btw, in fact I enjoy playing it more than the US Tele. I think in the mid 80's the Japanese were making some killer guitars. My Ibanez Destroyer is from that era too, and its unreal. I love it. My Strat is mid 80's too. I think old ELVIS told me to buy that one when I gave him the serial number. (I wonder if he remembers?)
Farken good advice ELVIS !!

I would recommend these to anyone. Especially here in Oz, you could
pick them up for less than half the price of the US models. Although I
notice the gap is starting to close. I think people are starting to realize the quality of these guitars now.

[Panamark]

Actually on closer inspection, my strats a bit darker blue. And the necks are reversed on our Teles and Strats, heres a pic...

[pongracj]

Panamark,

Yeah you are right about the blue color, but very close, it looks like you have a better bridge then me, my start is a 50's reisue. Your tele looks sweet, the sunburst is a little different. The actual model of my tele is Esquire. These Japan esquires are very limited, there could be 50 to 500 only made in Japan. It was a special order guitar from Japan. The only drawback of the tele is the neck, I am a mable neck fan.

Anyways it is pretty cool that you are Japan fan. You are totaly right about the prices of the Japanese Fenders going up in price. Here in Canada you will pay $600 - $900 for a strat. That is almost the same price as an American Start. Some people cant even tell the difference between an American and Japan Start.


Rock ON

Jason

[GAR]

Only the Mexican guitars match the USA production ones as far as dimension-wise and features: all other foreign-made ones are different and not interchangeable without alot of work.

Some of the Japanese strats from 83 to 89 are actually really great guitars, but you gotta know or keep handy the serial numbers so you know what you're getting into.

[TwoFoolsAMinute]

I have one of the japanese strats listed above. I love the way it plays, and they are just a touch smaller than the USA Strats. The sound it thinner due to lighter wood used in the construction. I read an interview with Kurt Cobain once who said that he far preferred the Japan Strat because it was easier to play due to the frets being closer together. I'd prefer to have a USA strat over my Japan one, but there's really nothing wrong with the Japan. And, as was mentioned before, customizing the Japanese is a bitch because the parts are not interchangable with the USA.

[TwoFoolsAMinute]

[Cathedral]

I hate Strats.....But you all know this about me already, lol.

Except for the Heavy Metal Strat, they lack balls in my opinion and take you dangerously close to Claptonville for dinner.

[sambo]

I have a white 1990 Jap. Floyd Rose Strat with a H-S-S config. The humbucker is a DiMarzio and it does all the things I need it to do.

Best guitar purchase I have made, it's been 13 years and it still plays like a dream. I have played a similar USA version and I agree that the Jap. ones seem easier to play. I notice a slight improvement in tone with the USA model (emphasis on "slight"), due to some better materials I guess, but nowhere near justifying the price difference. The DiMarzio gets me as heavy sound as I need.

I have absolutely no problem with Jap strats, and with the inclusion of the humbucker takes it to another level. A great, solid, and very versatile guitar. Here is the best pic I have atm.

Cheers!

[Panamark]

My Jap strat needs a good pickup.. The factory ones are total shite. You have never heard so much hum in your life. Fookin hate em..
Im going to try the Hot Rails (Thanks Elvis) or chuck a Seymour Duncan Invader in the bridge position, like you did Sambo.
Otherwise, I love this guitar, got it cheap, and its as good to play as
any US/Mexi strat that I have tried. In fact I think its got a better
feel. But thats just my personal opinion.

I love the feel of the US Telecaster I have at the moment..
(Just to show Im not biased to Jap guitars ! )

Fookin Love Gibsons too !!!!

[Tex]

Here's my strat.

[GAR]

Originally posted by Tex
Here's my strat.

oh REALLY

Promise it to me in your will? That's the finest thing I've seen on this site.

I knew a tilesetter that had a 63 looked exactly like that.

I also missed out on Gary Moore's orange strat, because #1 I didn't have $1300 back in 1986..

LOVE the color. Painted my tele that color in '83.. its quite close to 1973 Ford Pinto Orange

[GAR]

whoa.. I just scrolled to see the headstock.

What year is it - or is that a Fender Relic Reissue of a 62?

[Tex]

Thanks for the kind words It's a '59. Here's another guitar I used to have. It's not a strat but still pretty cool.

[Panamark]

Hey tex, is that the original paint ?? Looks like a metallic speckled type of paint.. What the hell is that model ?? I cant quite read
the name on the headstock....

Im no Fender expert..

I only know the tele's strats and broadcasters....

[Cato]

that's a Mustang designed for students in the mid '60s.

[turboblues]

Originally posted by sambo
I have a white 1990 Jap. Floyd Rose Strat with a H-S-S config. The humbucker is a DiMarzio and it does all the things I need it to do.

Best guitar purchase I have made, it's been 13 years and it still plays like a dream. I have played a similar USA version and I agree that the Jap. ones seem easier to play. I notice a slight improvement in tone with the USA model (emphasis on "slight"), due to some better materials I guess, but nowhere near justifying the price difference. The DiMarzio gets me as heavy sound as I need.

I have absolutely no problem with Jap strats, and with the inclusion of the humbucker takes it to another level. A great, solid, and very versatile guitar. Here is the best pic I have atm.

Cheers!

I had one like that in black, and maple board : good sound but the feeling wasn't right. That floyd made it too stiff feelin'. I had lots of strats but I kept 1 american standard from 95, it's perfect! I've jammed with a Brazillian blues guitarplayer and he had a '63 strat, I played it but wasn't impressed (sound and playability). Just to point out that not all of those old ones are good ones! He on the other hand wouldn't let go of my '95. And I'm not kiddin'. On the Jap/American strat debate : I had good Japs and I had bad Japs, same with the Americans! You have to keep looking for those special ones!!

[sambo]

Originally posted by turboblues
I had one like that in black, and maple board : good sound but the feeling wasn't right. That floyd made it too stiff feelin'. I had lots of strats but I kept 1 american standard from 95, it's perfect! I've jammed with a Brazillian blues guitarplayer and he had a '63 strat, I played it but wasn't impressed (sound and playability). Just to point out that not all of those old ones are good ones! He on the other hand wouldn't let go of my '95. And I'm not kiddin'. On the Jap/American strat debate : I had good Japs and I had bad Japs, same with the Americans! You have to keep looking for those special ones!!

Good call, there are good Strats and bad, most on this thread have probably experienced one or both. At first my Strat felt stiff and awkward, I was a bit worried, but I put that down to being new. My guitar playing friends called it a piece of crap after playing it "straight out of the box". I persevered and one day after about a year of constant playing it felt as if everything just "dropped" into place, and it's been that way, if not better, ever since. Those friends couldn't believe it is the same guitar, they love it, and ask to borrow it frequently. Guess I got a good one.

Cheers!

[Panamark]

Can you put a US neck on the Jap body ????

[Tex]

Sure, the neck is the same size.

[jhale667]

I always heard (back when I sold guitars) that the Japanese ones were very high quality and are now coveted since they've been discontinued. I build guitars, and can attest to the fact that the hardware is usually not interchangable. Necks are the same scale, that's no prob. The Mexican Strats have THE cheapest hardware I've ever seen from FMIC that wasn't a Squier...truly pathetic. The bridges on a American and Mexican Vintage reissue are like the difference between a pebble and a brick as far as density goes. Definitely not a fan of the Mexis. Me, I'm kinda stuck on Charvel and Warmoth parts...check out my babies:

[Panamark]

My Strat has got a beautiful Rosewood neck, but Im so used to having the extra frets. My US Tele has an extra fret, so Im assuming I can
get a US strat neck and bolt it on.

[Reverberator]

I have a mex strat , but you know what ? my '87 Ibanez rg550 kills it dead in every way .

[jhale667]

Originally posted by Panamark
My Strat has got a beautiful Rosewood neck, but Im so used to having the extra frets. My US Tele has an extra fret, so Im assuming I can
get a US strat neck and bolt it on.

Yeah, if they're both 25 1/2" scale (standard for Fender) it should work.

[Panamark]

Thanks guys, appreciate the advice.