Fender Japan "vs." US made

[alnlvntntlv]

Hey guys just for fun these are 91 Strat plus, top of the line American made, and a 1993 Japan 62 reissue. Having played them both a lot I would say that the Start Plus is probably a more versatile and a better work horse guitar (mostly because of the slim neck and the 9.5 inch radius) but the Japanese feels more luxurious and plush, the fat C neck on it is really magic... Quality wise in terms of craftsmanship and attention to detail they're both flawless

 

[FrieAsABird]

Two very nice strats it seems, very cool

 

[archetype]

It's cool that you have both of those. Both should be fine guitars and close to equal in build quality. It's interesting that the MIJ has a fat C profile. They varied, but most were a shallower C or oval. Mine is unusual, with a fattish D-profile with a lot of taper.

BTW, unless the MIJ is an ExTrad model it's not a reissue of anything. It's superficially a '60s-looking Strat, but with lots of features that don't replicate a '62.

 

[Mr Dunlop]

Thank you for your opinion on your two guitars you own.

 

[balston11]

It's cool that you have both of those. Both should be fine guitars and close to equal in build quality. It's interesting that the MIJ has a fat C profile. They varied, but most were a shallower C or oval. Mine is unusual, with a fattish D-profile with a lot of taper.

BTW, unless the MIJ is an ExTrad model it's not a reissue of anything. It's superficially a '60s-looking Strat, but with lots of features that don't replicate a '62.

My TL52 Tele from the CIJ era also has a D or maybe U profile. You often see a D in the markings on the neck pocket and the body this often (but not always this is Japan after all) indicates this deeper profile.

 

[archetype]

My TL52 Tele from the CIJ era also has a D or maybe U profile. You often see a D in the markings on the neck pocket and the body this often (but not always this is Japan after all) indicates this deeper profile.

Righto. My ST-62DEX2 is a fattish, tapered D. I dig it.

 

[rolandson]

Japanese quality is what got them in trouble with fender a long time ago..

It was too good...
Still is.

 

[Fenderbaum]

Love my ST-62 Dex2 neck. Fat and nice. My fav.

 

[rolandson]

Interesting thing:
Going into a music store/guitar shop in Japan and the staff/owner would almost always steer me to whatever US made stuff they had. I'd have to almost fight to get them to show me the JDP (Japan Domestic Product) stuff.

At first I took it as a "proud to have US stock" sort of thing. It took awhile and a bit of conversation to learn that the JDP stuff is not for export and the shop owner didn't want to run afoul of export regulations.

When I'd show them my inhabitant tax doc they'd lighten up.

 

[alnlvntntlv]

Thank you for your opinion on your two guitars you own.

you are more than welcome!

 

[alnlvntntlv]

honestly both were an accident I bought the strat plus when I was a kid because I thought it was the Eric Clapton model and the 62 I bought around 2 months ago after I came in the store to buy a completely different strat, I'm no expert on Strats never touched a Japanese strat before and couldn't believe how good they are! guess I lucked out. yeah I'm sure it's not identical that actually makes it cooler I think because it its own model...

It's cool that you have both of those. Both should be fine guitars and close to equal in build quality. It's interesting that the MIJ has a fat C profile. They varied, but most were a shallower C or oval. Mine is unusual, with a fattish D-profile with a lot of taper.

BTW, unless the MIJ is an ExTrad model it's not a reissue of anything. It's superficially a '60s-looking Strat, but with lots of features that don't replicate a '6

 

[mike58]

I went through a blind test back in ‘96 and asked my dealer to pass me every Strat they had and I played them unplugged without looking, just feeling the neck profile and determining what neck felt just right for my hand.
Surprisingly ( or perhaps not) a Japanese ‘62 reissue was the winner by a long way, and in ‘97 I bought one ( by then “ Crafted in Japan V ser no.) from Chandler in London and they upgraded the guitar with an early 60s block, wiring mods and rolled the fretboard edges ... what a guitar. I did eventually fit Kinman AVN 62 pickups as I needed a low noise set for recording.
Here it is with its sunburst friend that some guy called Murphy painted and aged in ‘99 ( won’t catch on ).

 

[alnlvntntlv]

they're so good. yeah this guy Murphy is going nowhere ..

I went through a blind test back in ‘96 and asked my dealer to pass me every Strat they had and I played them unplugged without looking, just feeling the neck profile and determining what neck felt just right for my hand.
Surprisingly ( or perhaps not) a Japanese ‘62 reissue was the winner by a long way, and in ‘97 I bought one ( by then “ Crafted in Japan V ser no.) from Chandler in London and they upgraded the guitar with an early 60s block, wiring mods and rolled the fretboard edges ... what a guitar. I did eventually fit Kinman AVN 62 pickups as I needed a low noise set for recording.
Here it is with its sunburst friend that some guy called Murphy painted and aged in ‘99 ( won’t catch on ).

View attachment 599154

 

[Neil.C]

Interesting thing:
Going into a music store/guitar shop in Japan and the staff/owner would almost always steer me to whatever US made stuff they had. I'd have to almost fight to get them to show me the JDP (Japan Domestic Product) stuff.

At first I took it as a "proud to have US stock" sort of thing. It took awhile and a bit of conversation to learn that the JDP stuff is not for export and the shop owner didn't want to run afoul of export regulations.

When I'd show them my inhabitant tax doc they'd lighten up.

Back in the day there was an agreement with Fender that certain JDM models could not be exported

I don't think that there are any JDM products that cannot be exported abroad nowadays, unless under private agreement as with Fender in the past.

From looking at Japanese magazines it seems that JDM is often overlooked (especially amongst the young) for the cachet of imported stuff, whether it be Swiss watches, German cars, American guitars etc etc rather than (to them) the boring home grown versions.

 

[jrbirdman]

Nice to have the option for a different feel which will bring out different songs

 

[mike58]

Another fantastic Fender Japan Stratocaster was the very rare ( one of 85 released in EMEA ) lefty Fiesta Red ltd edition traditional 60s Strats in 2020.
Until very recently with the much heralded launch of the AVll series you could only get a lefty Fiesta red Strat in Squier or Custom Shop series.
Here is my lefty.. flipped to look righty... even I prefer the look ( sorry lefties! ) Fiesta is really hard to photograph.. it looks more pink in real life.
And the original dealer advert.

Fender MIJ Limited Edition Traditional ‘60s Stratocaster Left Handed Fiesta Red - Guitar.co.uk

The Fender MIJ Limited Edition Traditional ‘60s Stratocaster Left Handed Fiesta Red is now available from Merchant City Music. Buy from us to experience our outstanding combination of local service, unparalleled customer satisfaction and speedy delivery.

www.guitar.co.uk

 

[TimJ]

From looking at Japanese magazines it seems that JDM is often overlooked (especially amongst the young) for the cachet of imported stuff, whether it be Swiss watches, German cars, American guitars etc etc rather than (to them) the boring home grown versions.

I think that's been true in the past, especially when Japanese guitar making was in its infancy, but a little less so these days. I follow a lot of Japanese bands (feat. younger as well as older musicians) and a lot of them play Japanese instruments - ESP is particularly popular and is very active with advertising, endorsements, and in the music schools there.

But you do find in some of the guitar shops over there that they split their displays (and sometimes entire floors, in the case of the bigger shops!) into "domestic" and "non-domestic" instruments - which implies that their customers still do definitely make the distinction.

 

[alnlvntntlv]

did any of you guys refret these Japan RI's? cause the frets they come with are minuscule..

 

[guitarmikey]

White Contemporary Strat japan made 1986, vs american 2011 FSR AVRI 62 Tropical turqoise. Almost same neck (except semiscalloped by previous owner in japan), different pickups, but both good sounding. Quality very good on both. Still, somehow the ‘86 japan neck feels better in my hand, smoother, maybe because of aging.
I would say the FSR has a quality very next to Custom Shop in attention on details and so on. Japanese made sits very next to it in terms of details, also, great tremolo on.

(Tele is still japan ‘62 RI from 2011)

 

[Neophyte16]

i dont have a lot of experience playing different guitars from different manuifacturers. But from my limited experience playing one, I only feel the difference with the neck profile.