FENDER USA v Japanese ?

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FENDER USA v Japanese ?

Postby dave robinson » Wed Oct 09, 2019 2:33 pm

I would be interested to hear people pass an opinion from experience on the merits of Fender USA built guitars along side Fender MIJ or CIJ instruments.
I have quite a few of each, as well as some Mexican ones, but I want to focus on USA v Japanese for now. We're talking sound, playability, pickups, paint finish quality, I'm looking for all the points that matter to the player.
Your thoughts please. :)
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Re: FENDER USA v Japanese ?

Postby JimN » Wed Oct 09, 2019 4:18 pm

I have a 1982 MIJ Fender Stratocaster "1962 Vintage Reissue" with a JV serial number. It is not a Squier (though they came into the shops at the same time).

Finished in 3-tone sunburst with the obvious rosewood fretboard and USA-made pickups, this is a great guitar - or rather, it was once I'd replaced the pot-metal bridge-vibrato unit with a made-in-USA unit. I cannot stand the feel of an arm which is not taut in its socket and alloy blocks are notorious for stripping their threads when the arm is even slightly tightened.

After that, it was a great guitar. I had the late Sid Poole set it up in about 1992, fitting a new (black) Graphtec nut as well as adjusting everything else to perfection.

As good as it is, I rarely play it because I have two USA-made "1962 Vintage Reissue" Stratocasters, one made in 1984 and the other in 1988 or 1989. They are each finished in Fiesta Red (but don't look the same colour!). There are slight differences between those, but they have same authentically-slim neck (which they share with the MIJ Strat). Where the American items win is with the quality of fittings. They come with the real thing already installed, including the steel trem blocks. The MIJ runs them close, but the Real Thing is the Real Thing, and you can easily tell when playing them.
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Re: FENDER USA v Japanese ?

Postby anniv 63 » Wed Oct 09, 2019 4:57 pm

Having started out with a 1992 MIJ Hank Marvin Squier and gone as far as a USA 57 vintage reissue.
The Jap model good value for money at about £200/ 225 at the time, paint finish on the Squier very good,
(and still is today) Laquer on fretboard certainly thin and well worn in as compared to USA (unmarked)
A steel block would have been nice as standard on the Squier and the pickup selector could have been better
quality (changed for a USA type) other than that fine!!
Sounds- well the USA has it as you would expect, but the Squier gives a good account of itself, as you can see
on You Tube( Neville Worthington) especially!!!!

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Re: FENDER USA v Japanese ?

Postby RUSSET » Wed Oct 09, 2019 5:05 pm

Hi Dave,
I have had two USA Standard Strats, which both were great guitars from all points of view. I still have the last one, bought about 5 years ago with the 'Fat '50s' pickups & bent steel saddles. Very trebly tone, but can be wound back with the lower tone pot, so no problem. A typical 'Fender' sounding, quality guitar. At present the only other USA one I have is a Vintage reissue '60s' Tele in F. Red, which also has a really great tone. All that Tele twang etc.

I have 3 Jap made guitars that are also really good guitars too. 1. The Jap HBM Sign. Strat from 1996/97. I have put CS '54s in it, & Gold Hardware & a Steel Block. 2. An F.Red Jap 60s Strat from 2017. Very light body, & I haven't really examined in detail all the components, but sounds good. 3. A Jap Custom '62 Tele with Texas Special pickups, bought about ten years back. Fine sounding guitar. All the Jap instruments seem to have excellent necks & play very well.

It's often quite difficult to choose between US & Japanese models, as both seem to have high standards of workmanship. Of course the US ones come at, usually, a higher price .

Tony.
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Re: FENDER USA v Japanese ?

Postby dave robinson » Thu Oct 10, 2019 1:45 pm

Thanks guys for the input so far. My experience differs slightly regarding the guitars I own. I have two CIJ Fender Stratocasters, one of them is a 1993/4 '62 Reissue model and is finished in Fiesta red. The pickups sound every bit as good as my USA AVRI '62 and the trem block is thick solid steel, same as the US one. I have had to change nothing on that guitar, I even left the cheaper switch and pots in tact based on the old adage 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'. I now intend to do some recordings to compare to two.

My second CIJ Strat is the see through 'Whiteburst' one that I bought brand new in 2003 from MIJ Guitars in Edinburgh. It was listed as a '62RI 'Premium' model and had gold hardware and has an ash body, making it noticeably more weighty. The pickups were Texas Specials and I didn't like them as they were 'hard' sounding, so I fitted a set of `Tonerider Vintage' which did the trick. I used that one at Shadowmania in 2006, though I had Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro II's fitted at that time.
Again the hardware was exceptional and it had the heavy steel trem block but the larger pots and USA switch fitted. I guess with the gold hardware that's what made it a 'Premium' model. I use it a lot and can't really see or hear much difference between the USA ones and them, only the price.

It seems that there are differing levels of Japanese / Korean / Chinese and Mexican manufacture based on price and competition, but I know some Japanese ones were built better than some of the US ones and I guess I was lucky to get these two. I have also come across the ones with poor trem blocks etc and I'd be interested to know how many others out there got these top of the range examples ? :)
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