1980's MIJ Strats?

[rspst14]

Hey guys, is it true that the quality of the Strats produced in Japan in the 1980's was as good as or better than many of the American models? Actually, I'm not looking for the whole guitar, just a quality Strat body. I ask because I'm looking to pick up a Strat body for a project, and I came across one of these in the exact color and routing that I wanted. Also, does anyone know what body wood was used on these guitars? The seller says it looks like basswood, but that he doesn't really know for sure. I'm going for a traditional Strat tone, so I want something that's alder. I'm no Fender expert, but I thought they mostly used ash and alder exclusively. Does anyone know if the Japanese guitars were made with basswood? Thanks.

Ryan

 

[Norman_T]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

Ryan,

Most of the MIJ strats were made with basswood although some bodies from the US were shipped out and could well have been alder or ash. At the time when Fender were establishing the Japanese factory a lot of parts were shipped out to them. These included nearly everything pups, guards. bridges, saddles, necks etc.

In the early part of '82 the first MIJ strats came out and are ones which are highly prized and sought after and feature the Fender logo with a smaller Squier logo. These were replaced in late '82 with Squier being the main logo and Fender in small (hope you follow me). The JV (Jap Vintage) series as they are called ran from 82-84 and are usually pre-fixed with JV+ 5 digits. Although most of the mid '80's also were fairly good. A lot of the parts after late '82 or even '83 were then made in Japan.

See the folowing site which may give you some further useful info:

http://freespace.virgin.net/john.blackman4/story.htm

Norman

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

My 80's Fender Japan Squires and Japanese Strats are alder...that pinkish/brown color and grain pattern is easily recognized by a wood guy such as myself.

I build and design custom furniture for a living...that's my REAL trade.

I have heard that some MIJ Strats and Teles were basswood but none of mine are. Some, I have heard, were also made from poplar...but again, none of mine are.

Most of my Strats are 80's MIJ guitars. I think after you change out the crumby Japanese pickups that they are 100% the equal of USA made Strats costing many times more.

Great attention to detail and the necks are shaped, finished and fretted beautifully...even the Squires.

That said, if I was looking for just a body I'd go with USA Custom or Warmoth.

You can get get the weight you want (LIGHT!) and can even specify that you don't want a glue joint that passes through the neck pocket.

Many feel that sounds better and improves your chances of getting a magical and really special sounding guitar.

Lew

 

[Norman_T]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

Ryan,

Most of the MIJ strats were made with basswood although some bodies from the US were shipped out and could well have been alder or ash. At the time when Fender were establishing the Japanese factory a lot of parts were shipped out to them. These included nearly everything pups, guards. bridges, saddles, necks etc.

In the early part of '82 the first MIJ strats came out and are ones which are highly prized and sought after and feature the Fender logo with a smaller Squier logo. These were replaced in late '82 with Squier being the main logo and Fender in small (hope you follow me). The JV (Jap Vintage) series as they are called ran from 82-84 and are usually pre-fixed with JV+ 5 digits. Although most of the mid '80's also were fairly good. A lot of the parts after late '82 or even '83 were then made in Japan.

See the folowing site which may give you some further useful info:

http://freespace.virgin.net/john.blackman4/story.htm

Norman

Meant to also add that my JV strat is basswood, although it's difficult to tell as it is a solid colour but it is much lighter (weight) and more in keeping with a '57 body. The following is taken from Warmoths site:

Basswood is a lighter weight wood normally producing Strat bodies under 4 lbs. The color is white, but often has nasty green mineral streaks in it. This is a closed-grain wood, but it can absorb a lot of finish. This is not a good wood for clear finishes; It is quite soft, and does not take abuse well. Soundwise, has a nice, warm tone.

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

This is the hodge podge I found when I sanded down my 83' Squire :13:
I'm no Arborist, But thems be look'in likes different woods to me?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

I would guess that those are all one species of wood. I wish the picture was sharper...pretty hard to tell what wood. I doubt there's any maple in there tho.

Lew

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

I would guess that those are all one species of wood. I wish the picture was sharper...pretty hard to tell what wood. I doubt there's any maple in there tho.

Lew

I wouldn't stand on a cliff and swear it's maple, But it certainly looked
like it? And this body is much heavier than my other 2 SQ strats ?
It's very odd they would use maple. I brought this body to a few people
who know a thing or 2 about wood. Everybody agreed the 3rd piece
bore a strong resemblence to curly maple ?? I figure maybe that had
a scrap piece they just threw in?? That's why I took the pic. I found
this very bizare to say the least. I'm no wood expert, But I've never
seen Alder with horizontal grain. (as you should be able to see in the pic)
What would you guess it is?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

Maybe it is...you never know. I've seen alder with a little flame in it like that tho. It's not that unusual, if you work with alot of it you'll see it. Alder is often used to imitate Cherry...which can have a fair amount of figuring in it. The pic is to blurry to tell what it is tho. Lew

 

[joelap]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

In the early part of '82 the first MIJ strats came out and are ones which are highly prized and sought after and feature the Fender logo with a smaller Squier logo. These were replaced in late '82 with Squier being the main logo and Fender in small (hope you follow me). The JV (Jap Vintage) series as they are called ran from 82-84 and are usually pre-fixed with JV+ 5 digits. Although most of the mid '80's also were fairly good. A lot of the parts after late '82 or even '83 were then made in Japan.

Me and the bassist in my band stumbled across a P-Bass EXACTLY like that used fo ronly 100 bucks at a guitar store maybe 8 months ago. Guess what? He bought it. Always knew it was a huge catch... :laugh2:

 

[Norman_T]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

Me and the bassist in my band stumbled across a P-Bass EXACTLY like that used fo ronly 100 bucks at a guitar store maybe 8 months ago. Guess what? He bought it. Always knew it was a huge catch... :laugh2:

That is an amazing score and probably worth more than the store realised - keep it and if it is still in original condition will be worth lots more. Just in case you were wondering what the original logo came out this is one that I have seen on e-bay:

 

[BloodRose]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

I recently picked up a Japanese Squier strat and it is an incredible axe. It appears to be about 1984 and has minor scratches. I got if for $130. It is an amazing guitar! I replaced the pups and pickguard and it is great!

 

[brianwenz]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

Hello KMC--
Your Strat body is made of many pieces of alder. I've seen / owned alot of different Fender / Squier / etc. and the grain patterns [even flamed] are not unusual.
Brian.

 

[sneakyjapan]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

I have a JV from June of 1982, the date is penciled in on the neck butt as it is on all my 80s FJs. I also have an `83,`85, an `87 with the big headstock, another `87 that I bought for the neck and I have a 1989 Esquire tele. None of these are basswood but I have a FJ strat from the 90s with a tele neck that may be basswood. I also have several other FJs from the 90s but they are custom editions, not regular production models, and I am lucky enough to own an ExTrad strat from the lae 90s. You may have guessed 80s FJs are my favorites. My `83 has a sticker on the pickguard that reads pick-up made in USA. There are some great FJs from the 80s and there were some extremely average FJs from the same period. As today, thay made many models with the highest end models finished in nitro and sportng US P`ups and electronics. All my 80s FJs came stock with full size pots and steel switches too, unlike my 2000s which have the small flimsy electronics. I have read on other sites that the export models were mastly basswood but mine were purchased here in Japan and I assume are domestic models. If you find a good 80s FJ... you will not be disappointed.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

I have a JV from June of 1982, the date is penciled in on the neck butt as it is on all my 80s FJs. I also have an `83,`85, an `87 with the big headstock, another `87 that I bought for the neck and I have a 1989 Esquire tele. None of these are basswood but I have a FJ strat from the 90s with a tele neck that may be basswood. I also have several other FJs from the 90s but they are custom editions, not regular production models, and I am lucky enough to own an ExTrad strat from the lae 90s. You may have guessed 80s FJs are my favorites. My `83 has a sticker on the pickguard that reads pick-up made in USA. There are some great FJs from the 80s and there were some extremely average FJs from the same period. As today, thay made many models with the highest end models finished in nitro and sportng US P`ups and electronics. All my 80s FJs came stock with full size pots and steel switches too, unlike my 2000s which have the small flimsy electronics. I have read on other sites that the export models were mastly basswood but mine were purchased here in Japan and I assume are domestic models. If you find a good 80s FJ... you will not be disappointed.

An Exstrad from the late 90's? I thought the Fender Custom Shop in Japan shut down by the early 90's. I had a real Exstrad for a while. Bought it from Tom Quinn, a great player who lives in Japan off and on (on again at the moment!) and hosted his own TV show there for awhile and gave lessons on playing the Blues on Japanese TV. These Exstrads go for around $1000 or more here in the states and are regarded as one the finest replicas of a 50's Strat you can buy...easily the equal of the best Fender USA Custom Shop pieces. But it was my understanding that Fender Japan shut down the production of Exstrads by the late 80's early 90's...but what do I know! :smack:

Lew

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

my '94 MIJ 57ri is a three piece alder body. I've seen quite a few basswood MIJs around the place, but I've also seen a few alder models. The earliest squier strats with 70s headstocks and three bolt necks were ash. Those are GREAT guitars.

 

[sneakyjapan]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

one thing about Fender Japan....nobody seems to be able to say anything with 100% certainty. I read on the net that ExTrads were produced until the late 90s, I also read the the Fender Japan custom shop never existed. I printed out some pics of FJ guitars from a site called the complete telecaster run by a guy named Katsumi... from him I got a page from a 1992 FJ catalog with pics of ExTrads, so we know they were made at least till then. He recently revamped his site so I don`t know if those pics are still there... but I do have the pics and refer to them occasionally when topics of this nature pop up.
When it comes to Fender Japan... what do you know? What does anybody freakin know for sure? Not much judging from everything I read... they are a real inigma. I do know older Fenders from Japan are my favorites right now and will buy more if and when I come across them.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

From what I understand from Tom Quinn, who lives in Japan, there was a real Fender Japan Custom Shop in the late 80's that produced the EXSTRAD. When the economy crashed, the Custom Shop was closed but some EXSTRADS were assembled on the regular production line using remaining EXSTRAD parts. There is no Fender Japan Custom Shop now...from what I understand. Lew

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

Lew, What do you think of the rumor that some of the early Squire's
where NOS CBS parts shipped to japan for assembly?? The SQ strat's
are dead on 70's strats? I never understood why they would retool
for large headstocks w/t Bullet rods. Urban Ledgend or complete B.S. ??

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

Lew, What do you think of the rumor that some of the early Squire's
where NOS CBS parts shipped to japan for assembly?? The SQ strat's
are dead on 70's strats? I never understood why they would retool
for large headstocks w/t Bullet rods. Urban Ledgend or complete B.S. ??

I don't know anything about that. I kind of doubt it's true. I do know that when the new buyers of Fender bought the company in 1980 or 82, or whenever it was, they did not get any of the Fender buildings to make them in. So for a while production was done in Japan until the new Fender company got some real estate again. Lew

 

[sneakyjapan]

Re: 1980's MIJ Strats?

I`ve been in touch with Tom. He left Japan for a bit and has returned. Like I said, there seem to be a whole lot of opinions on Fender Japan, and Tom was here the first time for many years so he would have some credible info. I just had a look at the serial number on the ExTrad strat...F006071 which places it to 1986 / 1987, guess I had it confused with some custom editions I have... by the way, no S in ExTrad. I have read those dates before as well as more offered by others. Evidently no one knows for sure save Fender Japan and they`re not talking. Whatever the case, ExTrads are top of the line guitars and don`t appear on the used market hre in Japan very often. There was one very recently and I contacted the shop but the strat does not have the sticker on the back of the headstock so I did not purchase. I`m pretty sure this is not the last we`re read on Fender Japan.