Another MIJ verification thread

[archetype]

Even if Tamarindo03's body is marked 54 it's clearly a post '59 styled body as evidenced by the 'hump' in the control cavity for the extra screw.

My ST-62DEX2 also has an 11-screw 60s-style body that's stamped as a '54.

Archetype_ST-62EX2_5

strat-talk.com

Archetype_ST-62EX2_8

strat-talk.com

 

[fooqotsa]

Those measurements are around the neck and won't mean much. We're looking for thickness from the fretboard surface to the back of the neck, typically measured with a dial or vernier caliper.

Ah ok, my crude measurements (don’t have anything like that lying around) are coming in at 20~22mm for both 1st and 12th.

 

[LTigh]

It wasn't Fender that called them re-issues, it was Arbiter, Fender's UK distibutor for a while. They were a very odd company who did things their own way regardless of what their bosses in the USA expected them to do.

Huh, not sure how that spread across the pond, if it ever did, or if it were just some form of convergent evolution because of a like-minded distributor or rep in Sunny California.

Back when I were a wee lad and got my first "proper" Fender (as opposed to the off-brand el-cheapo knockoff I were plonking on before), the Mom-and-Pop shop what sold me my MIJ "'60s Reissue" sold it to me as such and everyone called it that colloquially (at least all around the parts of Southern California I were familiar with in the early '90s).

Would have gone a-huntin' for one of those in one of my episodic nostalgia G.A.S. fits had my Japanese colleagues not clued me into the JDM and their favorite methods of bringing product (including guitars) from their Homeland to the barbarian hinterlands in which they now live.

 

[76standard]

Hi all,

I’ve seen many a thread in here helping folks understand their MIJ/CIJ fender strats and I’m hoping you can all help me do the same!

What I know
It’s got a V serial number.
It’s made in July 96
It’s two tone sunburst.
21 frets
Staggered pickups

What I think I know
It’s an export??
It’s an ‘ST 54’ based on the number of frets and the string tree being circular
Fender Japan in 1996 only made two types of ST,”54, one the ST54-80AM and the LS? And only the 80AM came in two tone sunburst.
At the time they were pretty liberal with what necks and bodies went on what.

What I don’t know
What body does it have? Is it basswood or lightweight ash?
What pick ups does it have?
Based on the 1996 catalogue, is it an ST54-80AM?

Any help is greatly appreciated! Please see some pictures I’ve taken to help deduct what the heck it is.

Thanks all!
View attachment 631807

Use the link below and scroll down until you find answers to your questions. The first part of the article is historical info and mainly focuses on Strats. You will want to read the info related to MIJ EXRAD guitar’s which might be associated with your guitar, however yours says, DEX2. Good luck with your quest.

MIJ Information

 

[Slartybartfast]

Hi all,

I’ve seen many a thread in here helping folks understand their MIJ/CIJ fender strats and I’m hoping you can all help me do the same!

What I know
It’s got a V serial number.
It’s made in July 96
It’s two tone sunburst.
21 frets
Staggered pickups

What I think I know
It’s an export??
It’s an ‘ST 54’ based on the number of frets and the string tree being circular
Fender Japan in 1996 only made two types of ST,”54, one the ST54-80AM and the LS? And only the 80AM came in two tone sunburst.
At the time they were pretty liberal with what necks and bodies went on what.

What I don’t know
What body does it have? Is it basswood or lightweight ash?
What pick ups does it have?
Based on the 1996 catalogue, is it an ST54-80AM?

Any help is greatly appreciated! Please see some pictures I’ve taken to help deduct what the heck it is.

Thanks all!
View attachment 631807

I had an earlier Sonic Blue that I believe was "Crafted in Japan" but I'm not sure, I know I bought it in '94. Same plastic bobbin staggered pickups, sharp shallow V neck, Basswood body and, as it turns out a 9" radius and taller frets than the '56 I had handed down to me as a teenager. It played better and easier but I liked the neck shape of the '56. I used to get Fender's Frontline Magazine in the mail and each issue had the Fender catalog in it; pretty handy. I knew the Ibanez RG 550 was Basswood, but I didn't know what a great sounding and playing wood it was. I now have a partscaster strat I built with a Warmoth Basswood body that is a joy to play. Those MIJ "'50s" and "'60s" (as they were called in the catalog) strats are so nice.

 

[fooqotsa]

I had an earlier Sonic Blue that I believe was "Crafted in Japan" but I'm not sure, I know I bought it in '94. Same plastic bobbin staggered pickups, sharp shallow V neck, Basswood body and, as it turns out a 9" radius and taller frets than the '56 I had handed down to me as a teenager. It played better and easier but I liked the neck shape of the '56. I used to get Fender's Frontline Magazine in the mail and each issue had the Fender catalog in it; pretty handy. I knew the Ibanez RG 550 was Basswood, but I didn't know what a great sounding and playing wood it was. I now have a partscaster strat I built with a Warmoth Basswood body that is a joy to play. Those MIJ "'50s" and "'60s" (as they were called in the catalog) strats are so nice.

I’ve been taken aback by how nice it is to play. The neck is chunkier than I’m used to but it’s really grown on me.
One of the guys at my local guitar shop was surprised that it would be basswood as it’s such an easily accessible wood. He seemed pretty adamant it would be alder or ash but I’m assuming he’s used to post 2000s CIJ MIJ guitars??

 

[76standard]

Use the link below and scroll down until you find answers to your questions. The first part of the article is historical info and mainly focuses on Strats. You will want to read the info related to MIJ EXRAD guitar’s which might be associated with your guitar, however yours says, DEX2. Good luck with your quest.

MIJ Information

Here is another good link to info about Fender MIJ guitars.

More Fender MIJ Vuitar info

 

[fooqotsa]

Here is another good link to info about Fender MIJ guitars.

More Fender MIJ Vuitar info

Thanks 76Standard, I’ve seen that page before but couldn’t find anything on it relating to exported models.

 

[Headstock]

There's a "hump" in the control cavity for the extra screw that a '62 has, vs a '54 or '57.

Don't over think that control cavity routing; I'm fairly sure Fender Japan (FujiGen at the time) were using a standard cavity routing for all their Strat bodies.

These are not exacting Custom Shop recreations of any specific year and that sort of detail is not visible from the outside so it just wasn't worth their effort to have period-accurate cavity routing and this way they could use one standard body with either configuration of pickguard screws.

(FWIW, I have ST54, ST57 and ST62, all from the mid to late '80s -- and they all have the same cavity rout.)

 

[fooqotsa]

Don't over think that control cavity routing; I'm fairly sure Fender Japan (FujiGen at the time) were using a standard cavity routing for all their Strat bodies.

These are not exacting Custom Shop recreations of any specific year and that sort of detail is not visible from the outside so it just wasn't worth their effort to have period-accurate cavity routing and this way they could use one standard body with either configuration of pickguard screws.

(FWIW, I have ST54, ST57 and ST62, all from the mid to late '80s -- and they all have the same cavity rout.)

Wow! Nice insight!!! I was chasing my tail on Google images for a while.

 

[Headstock]

Yeah, well...

Don't thank me too quickly because it turns out I was dead WRONG and my memory was fooling me!

After I wrote that, I began to question it in my head so I went back to look. Guess what I found...

These are the three guitars:

1986 ST62 in Sonic Blue. Neck is a nice, vintage-style tapering C-shape with a very lovely and very chunky slab of rosewood for the fingerboard. Awesome neck.

1989 ST54 in Candy Apple Red. This neck has a pronounced V-shape; nice to play but very distinctive.

1987 ST57 in Two-tone Sunburst. This one has a deep, rounded neck; not a big "D" like my TL52 Telecaster, more like the very soft V or "boat" shape. It's also a fabulous neck.



The ST62 definitely has the extra "hump" in the routing for the additional screw:


However, neither of the other two do:



You can ignore the extra screw holes in the sunburst as I know it had a different pickguard on at some point in its earlier life but it has been back to the original white single-ply as long as I have owned it.

So, there it is. Turns out that I was entirely mistaken and FujiGen and Fender Japan really were that exacting in re-creating the correct details for their ST54/57 models and the ST62...! For what it's worth, these all have the same pickups as the OP, black plastic bobbins with separate pole pieces and absolutely no bar magnets! I seem to recall that those didn't appear until a little later (early '90s, maybe 92/93) when they started to cut corners to keep costs down.

I was absolutely sure I had seen the routing with the hump used as a more standard format for both '50s and '60s type Strats... but maybe that happened later as they were looking to reduce costs; maybe I'm even remembering some Squier models from around that time but these three most definitely do have period correct cavity routing!

 

[fooqotsa]

Yeah, well...

Don't thank me too quickly because it turns out I was dead WRONG and my memory was fooling me!

After I wrote that, I began to question it in my head so I went back to look. Guess what I found...

These are the three guitars:

1986 ST62 in Sonic Blue. Neck is a nice, vintage-style tapering C-shape with a very lovely and very chunky slab of rosewood for the fingerboard. Awesome neck.

1989 ST54 in Candy Apple Red. This neck has a pronounced V-shape; nice to play but very distinctive.

1987 ST57 in Two-tone Sunburst. This one has a deep, rounded neck; not a big "D" like my TL52 Telecaster, more like the very soft V or "boat" shape. It's also a fabulous neck.

View attachment 633115

The ST62 definitely has the extra "hump" in the routing for the additional screw:
View attachment 633116

However, neither of the other two do: View attachment 633117

View attachment 633118

You can ignore the extra screw holes in the sunburst as I know it had a different pickguard on at some point in its earlier life but it has been back to the original white single-ply as long as I have owned it.

So, there it is. Turns out that I was entirely mistaken and FujiGen and Fender Japan really were that exacting in re-creating the correct details for their ST54/57 models and the ST62...! For what it's worth, these all have the same pickups as the OP, black plastic bobbins with separate pole pieces and absolutely no bar magnets! I seem to recall that those didn't appear until a little later (early '90s, maybe 92/93) when they started to cut corners to keep costs down.

I was absolutely sure I had seen the routing with the hump used as a more standard format for both '50s and '60s type Strats... but maybe that happened later as they were looking to reduce costs; maybe I'm even remembering some Squier models from around that time but these three most definitely do have period correct cavity routing!

Ooft if that’s the case, I believe my st54s body is actually an st-62 which, when I look closely at the picture of the neck pocket, whilst faint, does look like it says st-62something!

FWIW, The pickups sound great from what I can tell but I’ve never had the pleasure of playing an American strat. It does hold up to the MIM 2014 70s classic Strat that I had sound wise. Which had American pickups.

 

[Headstock]

Ooft if that’s the case, I believe my st54s body is actually an st-62 which, when I look closely at the picture of the neck pocket, whilst faint, does look like it says st-62something!

FWIW, The pickups sound great from what I can tell but I’ve never had the pleasure of playing an American strat. It does hold up to the MIM 2014 70s classic Strat that I had sound wise. Which had American pickups.

The majority of the Japanese Fenders were built to a price point in order to compete with the many clones of classic Fender guitars that were being built by other manufacturers around that time. Poly finishes notwithstanding, the wood and the carving of the bodies and the necks was generally very good. Some of the lower price point models got basswood instead of ash or alder (especially those with solid finishes) but the overall feel was (and is!) really very very good.

The electronics were something of a weakness. Some higher end models had better components and US made pickups but the majority did not. All of mine have the pretty standard black plastic bobbins and individual staggered polepieces. The pots and the switches are also relatively cheap. Perfectly functional but not the best. Again, despite their somewhat legendary status on the internet, it’s worth remembering that they were (mostly) built to compete at a certain price point. They were very, very good for what they were but Fender was aiming to take on the clones from Tokai and others. They needed to be good enough to succeed but they really, really needed to turn a profit in that section of the market.

I have long intended to swap all the pups and electronics on these but as they all make perfectly good and very musical stratty noises I have never actually gotten around to it. That said, all of the pots and switches are becoming a little scratchy now, some more than others (they are 30 to 35 years old after all…), so I suspect a major overhaul will have to happen soon! The ST62 needs it the most. They’re great guitars now so they could be truly spectacular with fully upgraded electronics and new pups…

 

[Torren61]

There's a "hump" in the control cavity for the extra screw that a '62 has, vs a '54 or '57.

He's talking about picture five. The "hump" is the part of the cavity closest to the black and white wires of the underside of the pick guard in the picture. (In the picture, it's bottom just left of center of the picture) There's a screw hole on that part of the wood of the cavity where it juts out.

 

[archetype]

Ooft if that’s the case, I believe my st54s body is actually an st-62 which, when I look closely at the picture of the neck pocket, whilst faint, does look like it says st-62something!

FWIW, The pickups sound great from what I can tell but I’ve never had the pleasure of playing an American strat. It does hold up to the MIM 2014 70s classic Strat that I had sound wise. Which had American pickups.

That's not uncommon. FugiGen Gakki sometimes put guitars together per what was most available, as long as it looked right externally.

 

[archetype]

He's talking about picture five. The "hump" is the part of the cavity closest to the black and white wires of the underside of the pick guard in the picture. (In the picture, it's bottom just left of center of the picture) There's a screw hole on that part of the wood of the cavity where it juts out.

Right. That's what we've been describing in the thread.

 

[Headstock]

That's not uncommon. FugiGen Gakki sometimes put guitars together per what was most available, as long as it looked right externally.

Yes, that's pretty much what I thought too -- and also how I remembered my own MIJ strats. I was genuinely surprised when I opened them up again and found that the details of the bodies did actually match the necks and the putative model dates!

 

[fooqotsa]

Supposedly rumours have it they started smooshing different things together in 96-97 due to the contract for FujiGen expiring or something?

 

[Slartybartfast]

I’ve been taken aback by how nice it is to play. The neck is chunkier than I’m used to but it’s really grown on me.
One of the guys at my local guitar shop was surprised that it would be basswood as it’s such an easily accessible wood. He seemed pretty adamant it would be alder or ash but I’m assuming he’s used to post 2000s CIJ MIJ guitars??

Yes it says basswood in the '90s catalog.

 

[fooqotsa]

Yes it says basswood in the '90s catalog.

Which catalogue? Do you have a link? The Japanese fender catalogues I’ve seen for 1996 are domestic models only and all the 54s for that year were ash.