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MIJ Guitars (non-clones)


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15 hours ago, crunchee said:

That headstock shape looks a lot like those found on some Yamahas, such the SA series:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_SA2200

Also, the SG series that Santana once used:

https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Yamaha_SG2000

 

                                                  Cool Guitar..............the "History". The head stock does have a little Yamaha influence going on .When I was buying Yamaha guitars I dealt with a guy that lived in Japan and sold high end Greco, Bacchus,History,Navigator..............etc.etc. Some of these guitar were way beyond what was being offered here in the U.S. Here a Yamaha SA I owned for  headstock comparison. pzES5Mq.jpg

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I once owned one of those Yamaha SG-2000 models.  The build was every bit as good as the LP Custom I'd owned, if no better. It played well and sounded good, the only fault I found was that it's body was larger and thicker than the LP and it was very heavy indeed, a serious hunk of wood.  My flatmate from my college days had an Ibanez RG 6xx from Japan and that too was very well made and was a real quality piece.  I find it hard to understand why the better Ibanez models command lower resale prices than USA items, the quality is there.  When I was in my early teens (like 1978/79) a friend owned an Ibanez Roadstar or it might have Roadster strat copy that was very nicely made too. 

BTW I really liked that bunny headstock, it strikes me as kind of typicalJapanese-flavoured quirkiness, it's just not quite what we'd expect.   As a side note I'd been a keen amateur astronomer for many years until my health problems stopped me from both carrying equipment around and being outside on cold clear nights to observe any more but a good deal of the very best optical equipment for astronomy e.g. Pentax, Takahashi, Vixen is Japanese and the various grades of O'Hara optical glass that's used in all sorts of quality lenses and multi-element lenses for telescopes, binoculars, Canon's 'L' series camera lenses, and others - all made in Japan. Also the better equatorial mounts that need to have their gears cut very very accurately to compensate for the Earth's rotation, mostly Japanese, the main brands again, Takahashi & Vixen.

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Not non clones but I bought my son a late 70’s early 80’s MIJ Strat at a pawn shop for peanuts years ago. It’s long gone now but I do remember it was a really good playing guitar. I still have my 1st guitar a 1960 something MIJ 335 copy, a Bruno Conquerer! Still plays great!

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15 minutes ago, currypowder said:

That looks nice. I think Fujigen built the early MIJ fenders, I wonder if this one was built by them. 

In the Wikipedia entry for FujiGen it says, "In 1981–82 FujiGen obtained the Fender Japan contract which lasted until 1996–97..."

It was around 1997 when I saw the one in the music store, and Robben Ford was still endorsing it.

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  • 1 month later...

Reviving this thread with another interesting MIJ guitar. This one, like the History above, is also built by Fujigen (obviously). From what I can tell, guitars with the full name Fujigen are sold out of their retail shop called the Custom House while guitars branded FGN are sold through other distributors around the world. From what I've seen, the guitars sold out of the Custom Shop tend to be on the upper end of the spectrum with highly figured woods and unique features. I'm not 100% certain that any of the above is true, it's conclusions formed through observation.

Here we have a Fujigen Masterfield from a limited run they did back in 2008 called "Famous Woods". The top and back of this one is a 3 piece laminate of Hawaiian Koa and maple. They also made versions with Brazilian rosewood and bubinga. Like all Fujigen/FGN Masterfields, it has a semi-hollow construction with a 15" body width, in between a 335 (16.5") and a 339 (14.25"). The sides and solid center are carved from a single solid piece of mahogany. I find the tone to be crisp, a little more aggressive than a 335.

Like all Fujigen built guitars I own and have owned, the quality, fit and finish is off the charts, as is the playability. The finish is an ultra thin satin urethane. No filler was used on the woods and the finish sinks into the grain, which I love. The neck with the satin finish is a joy to play.

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Gaw-DANG! That's a beauty, Greg. In many examples of high-end MIJ guitars, it's in the details. Notice how they made sure a koa lamination was on the back's interior, so that the flame would be present through the f-holes? 

I've grown to like the FGN headstocks. They remind me of 1960s Japan guitars.

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On 11/9/2019 at 4:01 AM, Camstone said:

I have over the years (decades) always avoided Japanese guitars. I had it in my head that they were inferior quality and that the finishes were too thick and synthetic.

Then about seven years ago, I bought a 1985 Takamine EN-20-12. I needed an acoustic 12 string and had been looking for a Taylor jumbo 12, but didn't really want to shell out the $1400.00 or more for a guitar that wouldn't get that much playing time. The Takamine is a great instrument. Huge sound, low action, excellent construction and wonderful pickup/preamp set-up. 

So then I started to keep an eye out for it's six string brother. Not a whole lot of them pop up. They only made this model for a few years in the mid 1980s. Finally found one on Reverb about six months ago and overpaid for it because it was advertised as "excellent condition" and I had been looking for so long for a clean one. I spent $600 on the 12 string but $950 for the 6 string.

Was shocked when I received it. The guitar looks literally brand new. As in never played, even though it's a 1986. Still has the "Made in Japan" sticker on the back of the headstock. Just like the 12 string, huge sound, low action and superb construction. All solid woods, cedar top. They even have a compensated two-piece bridge saddle. Just killer. Like playing a grand piano. It has become my #1 when I do my acoustic shows. My trusty old Taylor 410 has been relegated to open G tuning that I use on a couple of tunes. 

My prejudice against Japanese guitars has been dissolved.

 

 

EN 20.jpg

Image result for Takamine EN-10C

 

The guitar in the picture is not mine, but is similar to the guitar that I currently own. That's a great looking guitar and I'm glad you bought it! I have a 1990 Takamine EN-10C which is the 6 string acoustic/electric cutaway version of that guitar. I got a great deal on the guitar from a local Craig's List seller that used to play with Norton Buffalo.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Guitar George

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I have owned Japanese guitars in my collection as an active gigging musician. Some of the guitars that I have owned/sold/traded:

1981 Ibanez Destroyer II: This guitar is equal to the late '70s - early '80s Hamer Standard. I sold it to buy a Gibson Les Paul Custom since I wanted a more classic style guitar in my collection. I kind of have regrets for selling it sometimes. 

1993 Ibanez RG-570: My workhorse super Strat guitar that I hotrodded with Dimarzio PAF Pro & Fast Track I pickups. It got damaged by the bassists brother who somehow swiped the guitar in the gig bag at one of my gigs, damaged the guitar headstock, and gave it back to me. Traded to JC Guitars for my '94 Hamer DIablo II guitar. Owner of that guitar shop is a douchebag & not pleasant to deal with. 

1987 Fender Japan Contemporary Strat with Kahler Spyder tremolo bridge: One of the best & underrated Fender Strat guitars that I own. An offshoot of the Fender Heavy Metal series super Strat guitar. I removed the stock single coil pickups and installed a set of EMG SA pickups & SPC midrange boost. The guitar that brought me back to playing Fender guitars.

Early 1990's Yamaha Pacifica 303-12 electric guitar: Basically a 12 string electric guitar with a Strat body, 3 single coils, and a great playable neck with 12 strings. My newest guitar in my collection that I bought to tinker around for 12 string electric guitar sounds. 

My Takamine acoustic/electric guitars that I bought a few years ago:

1983 Takamine acoustic/electric classical guitar: 

1990 Takamine EN-10C: 6 string acoustic/electric acoustic guitar mentioned in the previous post.

Takamine EF-381SC: 12 string acoustic/electric guitar

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Guitar George

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Some nice ones in this thread, for sure. My limited experience is with Fenders and I’m a fan. Had an Antigua “re-issue” tele that was great, that I’d love to get back someday. Love the Seventy-Sevens I’ve ever seen. Would like to fill my semi-hollow hole with one of those...yeah, that’s right. Fill my hole...

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On 12/22/2019 at 11:47 AM, Camstone said:

This one showed up here about a month ago and it's awesome. MIJ and flawless. I guess it's a clone, but not of anything Fender is currently making.

 

 

Strat XII.jpg

I saw that in another thread, definitely going to have to put that model on the radar.

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My 1984 Ibanez RS 130 ... Super 5 pickups sound great; nice chunky neck; remarkable build quality,; brass bridge and saddles ... They only made the RS 130 in 1984. There was a model with a floating trem, the RS 135, from 1983 to 1985 ... These guitars are a real value --- I bought this one  for $322 with the OHSC, and you can find the RS 130 and 135 models for around $350. They don't have the Strat contours, but these guitars sound good as a USA Strat to me.

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IMGP4721 (2).JPG

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On 11/8/2019 at 1:34 PM, ARM OF HAMER said:

                                                               I don't mind the shape at all I'd be cool with that................................the rest of the guitar I like alot,I think what is on the headstock face makes the guitar look cheap..............which it certainly is not, guess I'm too much of a traditionalist when it comes to something like that.I  love the wood on this one............. beautiful!

I really like that head stock. Very whimsical. Too many guitars take themselves too seriously. “come on, loosen up, Sandy baby, you’re too tight.”

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