FENDER JAPAN

[Diminished Triad]

http://www.fenderjapan.co.jp/products.html

Has anyone ordered from here or a distributor in the recent past?
How do their products and prices compare to American Fender guitars?
The dollar is relatively strong versus the yen right now so if ever going to buy a Japanese Fender guitar this might be the time.

I've not heard much about Japanese pickups either so that would be good info if anyone has such experience.

Thanks!

 

[DreX]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

Most of my guitars, including the one in my avatar are from Fender Japan. I mostly order through http://global.rakuten.com/ . Be sure to select "Japan" as the "shipping country" in order to get true, full product selection), and then email the vendor if they don't allow you to ship to your country (US?) through their payment form. If you want to buy from Ishibashi, for example, you email intl@ishibashi.co.jp and they'll reply with a Paypal payment link. They're usually very friendly, and I've had good experiences with Ikebe, Kurosawa and Ishibashi. On a rare occasion I've resorted to ebay vendors based in Japan, but they often charge extra due to the ebay seller fee and whatever else. Avoid ebay if possible.

The only reason Fender Japan isn't a no brainer is because shipping costs about $100, so they're more pricy than MIM, nearly as pricy as MIA, all said and done. The real benefit is that their selection is unique, lots of awesome guitars you don't get MIM or MIA, and of course, they have the Aerodyne line.

 

[LReese]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

DT's in Korea I think.

Anyway - Mine are older, but build quality looks top notch, they just did not use Nitrocellouse on these (some models they do).

$100 is not a lot to ship a guitar from Japan. It costs 50 to get one from east to west coast.

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

Working through some of the info on the internet now. Not a very easy search engine but worth it considering the reviews above. Really appreciate the info. Continue to be surprised by the relatively lower prices from Fender Japan guitars, and the sites above show Fender Japan guitars and prices even lower than Ebay.

Pickups comparable to standard stock Fender pickups?

 

[LReese]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

Sometimes they are Fender USA pickups/pots/switches... Look at the spec on the model to be sure.

Still, like any other Fender you can swap to heart's content..

 

[FuseG4]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

they really jack the EBay prices up, it seems.
I think they assume that ebay is for suckers who don't know about or won't contact the actual stores in Japan.

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

Learning how best to navigate through the Japanese search engines and other sources and then contacting distributors is great asset. I think many will benefit from this. One day might even be a Warmoth Japan?

 

[LReese]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

Just contact Ishabashi - I did about 15 years ago. They would probably only sell used to me now, but I'm good with a used instrument if they back it up.

it was a remarkably painless transaction. I mean that.

 

[DreX]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

MIJ pickups are trash ceramics unless otherwise noted. The guitars are much better created than MIM fenders, though.

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

About how much cash (USD) in total are you looking at when buying Fender Japan?

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

On my end between 1k and 3k...anticipating changing out pups to SD pickups.

 

[DreX]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

Over 1K will get you their top of the line stuff. Most of their offerings are mid-range, from $400 to $700, bass wood, minimalistic electronics (not bad). If I were shopping MIJs in that price range, I'd love to get this http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/gakkiten/item/10144190/

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

Over 1K will get you their top of the line stuff. Most of their offerings are mid-range, from $400 to $700, bass wood, minimalistic electronics (not bad). If I were shopping MIJs in that price range, I'd love to get this http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/gakkiten/item/10144190/

This one is similar, but I agree I'd get and hope to get the one you pointed out. Check this one out too: http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/westmusic/item/10011952/ If any like these or strats at this level, I'd be interested. I'm going to get one for sure just a question of which one. Thanks for any more info you can send this way!

 

[DreX]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

The most expensive MIJ I've bought was this http://kamiwaza-japan.com/?pid=1198964 , but the price had gone up since I bought one.

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

The most expensive MIJ I've bought was this http://kamiwaza-japan.com/?pid=1198964 , but the price had gone up since I bought one.

Koa.....cool. How does it sound and play?

 

[DreX]

Re: FENDER JAPAN

Koa.....cool. How does it sound and play?

I'd actually recommend against buying one, it's koa veneer over basswood, not solid koa (which if it were would cause the price to double). I bought one because I collect Aerodynes and it's available for a limited time. Sound-wise, for whatever reason, I've had bad luck with the veneer Aerodynes, and good luck with the cheaper painted ones. The veneers seem to cause +1 on the upper mids and a -1 on the bass that plays less favorably to bright, vintage style Strat pickups.

OTOH, when you buy $1000 MIJ Strat, you can tell they set their choice woods aside for the higher prices models. The grain profile on the neck and fret board is usually more showy on the pricier MIJs, where as the cheaper models have a solid appearance, or a much more faint grain detail. The Koa Aerodyne is no exception.