The MIJ (Made in Japan) and CIJ (Crafted in Japan) guitars are very high quality. The Japanese are, as many of you know, masters at copying—as these guitars testify. In fact, the new Fender USA management guys 'almost cried' when they traveled to Japan and saw the quality.
At that time, Fender USA was still trying to get back up on its feet after the CBS buyout, as USA quality under CBS ownership let their standards really slip.Here is what happened: In 1984 CBS decided to sell Fender and finally, an investment group led by William (Bill) Schultz bought it in the month of March for twelve and a half million dollars. This investment group formally became the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation or FMIC. Bad news though, the sale did not include production facilities in Fullerton, California. Thus USA guitar production ceased between late 1984 till October of 1985 until the new factory was built in Corona, California. It has been estimated that 80% of the guitars sold during this time were made in Japan. When the Corona plant was started up, only the Vintage Reissue Stratocaster models were first produced (between late 1985 through 1986).
Oddly enough, most of the MIJ Fenders were Reissues too, both Strats and Teles, and then later even Signature models. The accuracy of these Reissues is amazing. As you can tell by these pictures of these 62RI Foto Flame Strats, (Tobbacco Burst upper, left, and the other a rare natural Blonde Tiger Striped, upper, center) every detail was reproduced, right down to “Fender” being written on the Bridge Saddles to the routing in the bodies and the slotted vintage Kluson style tuners. Even the Fender logo is the correct for this year. Once again, the Japanese detailing is amazing.
Even the routing on the Tele bodies is accurate. You will consistently find this accuracy and quality with all the Reissue and Signature model MIJ and CIJ guitars, unless someone has altered them. Also, these guitars play only as good as they have been set-up. Nearly everyone, but not all, that I have bought needed to be completey re-setup.
I have owned, and still own, many of both the MIJ and CIJ guitars and when setup correctly and rewired, they can play, feel, and sound as good (if not in many cases, even better) than their USA counter-parts (especially when rewired with custom pickups!) This is why they often bring such a good price on various markets. If you want to know about the dates and serial numbering of MIJ and CIJ guitars and go to the bottom of the page! On this page you will get a sample of a few Reissue and Signature models. Among the Fender Japanese guitars, there were two different logos used: Crafted in Japan and Made in Japan, and both were being made at the same time from 1994 till 1997.
This means that the the serial numbers starting in 1994 ran consecutively on both the MIJ and the CIJ models while the MIJ logo was being phased out. Mid–1997 the CIJ logo was the only one used on Fender guitars coming out of Japan (with exception the Squire series).There are several theories about why some Japanese Fenders have MIJ and others CIJ. One is that there was a reorganizing of where the parts were being make in the large, expansive Fugi Gen Gakki company.
The island of Matsumoto is where the Fugi plant is located. It houses 15-20 different smaller companies, Like Kawi, Gen Gakki Ten, Yamara, Gotoh, Yamoto, etc. I was told by a former Fender Rep that the necks were made one place and the bodies another, while the electronics were made in yet another. I was told that the contract with Yamoto stated if any major subcontractor was to be changed the weaning process would have to take place (MIJ to CIJ). They call it the “Squire countdown.” Since Fuji was pressing hard to get the Epiphone contract, a change was made. Kawi was moving the bulk of their piano building to a new facility in China, and would also be making their own “harp” frames there.
This freed up a lot of space in the plant. Yamara and Gotoh retooled to handle the woodwork and finish aspects of the guitars—thus the Crafted in Japan line was created.The other story is, and maybe both are true and run consecutively, I really don’t know, but the MIJ logo Fenders were for the USA market. USA Fender wanted to stop the import of these guitars to the USA due to firing up their Mexican plant and due to the “too good” quality Japan was creating which competed with the USA models.Regarding quailty, I have owned many of both these Japanese guitars and it is a fallacy that the Made in Japan models are better than the Crafted in Japan or vice versa. As far as I am concerned, the quality of either is much better than the Mexican made guitars and rival many of the USA models. The JV and SQ guitars, as well as some of the E series, had USA parts (mostly pickups, switches, and potentiometers) that were shipped over to Japan to help speed up production while the new USA plant was being set up in Corona, California. The early series are the most popular for collectors.
Also, both Made in Japan and Crafted in Japan models came as Custom Shop models, 'Custom Edition' (EXTRAD) as well as, special 'Limited Edition' and Signature guitars. There has been some questions about the MIJ EXTRAD guitars.
The Extrad is a Japanese 'Custom Edition' guitar, which is just under the Japanese Custom Shop models. They are dead on replicas of the original vintage Fenders, shot with 100% nitro and often use USA electronics. They made 52 Teles, some very nice Strats, some even with Lace Sensor pickups. The quality is better than Fender USA excluding the USA Custom Shop models.They were made in Japan too, so do not think they were made in USA and shipped to Japan. Just read the history (above) of Fender Japan and that is easy to understand!
When Jerry Donahue, the famous “string bender” of the group “Hellcasters,” wanted a custom Telecaster that could give him the best of both worlds for touring and to meet his demanding playing style, he turned to Fender’s Custom Shop. Together, they designed a Telecaster that has a vintage 52 bridge and pickup with a true 52 Tele V shaped neck. They took a 62 Tele bound body, plus the added touch of a vintage Stratocaster sound with a Strat Pickup in the neck position, along with the extra touch of the famous 'out-of-phase' Strat sound by using some tricky custom wiring—thus you have a JD Tele! Kind of a Strat-o-tele! Fender’s Custom Shop started manufacturing the Jerry Donahue Custom Shop Tele (some going at a pricy $3,200!). Later the Fender’s CIJ factory came out with a Jerry Donahue Signature Model.
Some of these varied, as did the rival US Custom Shop models. The JD Teles came in 4 colors: transparent sunburst, red, blue and solid black all double-bound editions. Here is how the STOCK switching works: Position 1) The Bridge PU give Jerry’s favorite customized 1952 vintage sound. Position 2) The Bridge PU and the Neck PU out-of-phase. This gives that unique Strat sound, as it puts a Tele PU and the Vintage Strat PU in an out-of-phase mode. Really cool JD trick.
Position 3) The Bridge PU and the Neck PU in parallel, like a stock Tele in the middle switch position, creating a sweet full rhythm sound. Position 4) The Neck pickup going through the tone control. Position 5) The Neck PU by-passing the tone control. This JD Teles come custom wired from the factory with a 5-way switch. I gutted this one and replaced everything with high-end USA parts, yet retained the JD wiring features, plus some!
The JD feature I liked, was the bypassing of the tone control in position #5, but it seem kind of like a waste of a switching position. So I put in a Fender “No-load” tone control so one can still have this “by-pass” feature, but now on both the neck and bridge pickups.
This way you get full screaming power of the pickups with no resistance! Position #5 is now replaced with Fender’s series wiring for that “fat” sound.Here is how the modified switching works: Position 1) The Bridge PU give Jerry’s favorite customized 1952 vintage sound. Position 2) The Bridge PU and the Neck PU out-of-phase.
This gives that unique Strat sound, as it puts a Tele PU and the Vintage Strat PU in an out-of-phase mode. Really cool JD trick. Position 3) The Bridge PU and the Neck PU in parallel, creating a sweet full rhythm sound. Position 4) The Neck and Bridge pickups wired in series, which is like creating one large spread-out humbucker! Great for a fat, full, Gibson-ish sound.
Position 5) The Neck PU that gives a true-to-life vintage Strat sound. Remember at any time you can totally bypass the tone control by simply turning it wide open. I replace the stock wiring on ALL my JD Teles to this better modified version.
The NECK pickup is a SEYMOUR DUNCAN 57 VINTAGE STAGGERED (SSL-1) and the BRIDGE pickup is a Seymour Duncan Jerry Donahue Custom Shop pickup (APTL-3JD). This is the exact pickup used on the USA Fender JD Custom Shop models. When Jerry needed a touring guitar with the exact same sound as his prized ‘52, he turned to Seymour Duncan who accurately duplicated the warm, punchy tone of its bridge pickup. Seymour used Alnico II rod magnets and a special wind for increased sustain. Symmetrically staggered pole pieces mirror the fingerboard radius and assure exceptionally balanced string-to-string response. The result is a traditional, sweet and even tone that just drips with all the sparkle and twang you'd expect out of a truly righteous Tele.
This is a black, with ivory white double binding, 1996 Anniversary Fender MIJ Jerry Donahue Signature Model Telecaster. (Serial #A055016) It is wired with the modified wiring ljust ike the Red JD Tele above, but with a different bridge pickup. The NECK pickup is a Seymour Duncan SSL-1 which is an exact replica of the original Alnico V Stratocaster pickup used in the 57 Strats. The BRIDGE pickup is a Seymour Duncan (APTL-1) Alnico II Pro. The Alnico Pro pickups were designed to give a a warmer, sweeter tone.
The magnets, as Seymour Duncan states, are the musical magnets. Their softer magnetic field provides and eliminates the brittle, glassy sound associated with many of the newer instruments. The result is a freer, more natural string vibration for greater sustain and has really nice tone and performance. The result is a traditional, sweet and even tone that just drips with all the sparkle and twang you'd expect out of a vintage sounding Tele bridge. The JD Teles have a skunk-striped solid Maple, and has that true 1952 deep V shape design, with vintage Kluson tuners.
This one toto, has had the stock JD wiring replaced with my modified verison of the the same as mention already above.This one also has in the NECK a Seymour Duncan SSL-1 which is an exact replica of the original Alnico V Stratocaster pickups used in the 57 Strats. It has the same type of magnet wire that was used, and the same number of coil windings.
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The staggered rod magnets are hand-ground, then aged by the Seymour Duncan’s exclusive Dun-Aged process. They even have lacquered bobbins and cloth-braid hookup wires. The vintage look and vintage sound! Every detail is included to duplicate the bell-like tone that made the vintage Strats famous. The BRIDGE pickup is a Fender 50’s Telecaster Custom Shop pickup.
This Telecaster pickup comes from Fender’s Custom Shop and is manufactured exactly like the 1950s Telecaster bridge pickup. Unprecedented edgy sound and great sustain that make Telecasters famous. It has all the bright crispness and bite of the old traditional 52 Tele. It was my desire to have this sound be as much of a 1952 Tele as possible, thus the reason this pickup was chosen. Like most of the Teles I customize, Calibrated Brass Saddles, which were developed for Danny Gatton’s Tele, keep the intonation more accurate than the old stock fender saddles.
This is another fine example are Japanese workmanship—a 1998 FENDER CIJ TELECASTER 1962 REISSUE in red. Every detail reflects a 62 telecaster, with white ivory double binding, vintage bridge with “Ashtray,” white 3-ply pickguard, and a slim, Rosewood on Maple neck. This guitar is like new and plays like a 62 should—fast, with a lot of twange.
You can see the similarities between this 62RI and the Jerry Donahue Signature Tele. This one is completely stock. Wonderful guitar that will stand side by side with any USA model. Speaking of 62 Tele Reissues, here is a nice example of a 1999 Fender CIJ 62 Custom Telecaster Reissue with white ivory double binding on a BLACK body and a matching black pickguard.
The guitar is mint and is a prefect reproduction of the original 1962 Telecaster, EXCEPT for my custom modifications. T he NECK PICKUP is a Seymour Duncan STR-1 Vintage '54 Rhythm. True vintage Telecaster rhythm tone, with all those sweet voices you would expect from a Telecaster. Seymour Duncan take great care in making these pickups to the exact specifications of the old 1954 pickups, right down to the cloth wiring and magnets.The BRIDGE PICKUP is a Fender Texas Special, which gives you some hot Texas spank and growl. Nice for everything from county to blues.
I love’em.JERRY DONAHUE MODIFIED TRICK WIRING: there are a lot of people emailing me off my website asking for the wiring diagram on how I do this, but so far I have not given it out. It is a modified version of the Jerry Donahue Telecaster 5-way switching. This gives you the 3 true vintage Telecaster voices, plus a Stratocaster out-of-phase and a humbucker type voices. When I rewired this guitar, I started out with a new set of Fender Custom Shop Texas Special pickups. I guess I had Stevie Ray Vaughn in mind.
Since this is a 1962 Reissue, all the wiring has been re-done with vintage cloth wire. It has an old ceramic style capacitor on both tone controls. The second tone control is a Fender No-Load tone control.
Turn it to 10 and you bypass the tone control completely, thus giving you the middle pickup with no resistance. If you want to see how this was wired, go to my. This is a STOCK FENDER CIJ SUNBURST 1967 'Keith Richard's Sonny' REISSUE TELECASTER. (above) Now this is a Telecaster I love.
It is called the the TL67-65SPL by Fender Japan, and is a Keith Richards “Sonny” replica reissue. Most of the time when people talk about Keith Richards Telecasters they think of his Blonde 1953 Fender Telecaster nicknamed “Micawber.” But there was yet another famous Keith Tele that does not get talked about much. Perhaps it is because Fender USA never made a reissue of this model— it is “Sonny” which is a 1967 Sunburst Telecaster (below right).Fender Japan did make a reissue of the “Sonny” Tele minus the relic looks and the fact it has 6 strings instead of 5!
They were never imported to the USA. I rarely see these and almost every time I do, I buy them. Very hard to find and one of the best Telecasters ever (I have owned 5 of these.) When you think of this guitar, think a 52RI Custom with a 67 C style neck!
They come with a heavy chunk of Asian Ash (Sen) for a body in sunburst (Sonny come from sun burst) with a nice 67 type Maple D-shape neck (324mm Scale, (7.5') radius Fretboard, 21 Vintage frets, 42mm nut width) equipped with Chrome Gotoh Tuners. They also come equipped with a BRASS bridge and saddles. Andy Summers uses the same kind of bridge on his Telecaster as well. BTW, I have never seen a USA version of this guitar. This particular model was never imported into the US from Japan. Every one I have bought either was shipped from Japan or was brought over by some one, thus making this model rarer in the US. They come stock with a 3-way switch, a vintage Tele bridge pickup (same pickup Fender Japan uses on their 62 reissues) and a Fender Atomic him bucker in the neck.BUT, as soon as I get one of these, I custom wire them with a fender 5-way Super switch and sometimes I replace the bridge with a vintage 67 style, often with calibrated brass saddles.
I just like the looks and the chrome ashtray cover. The one below is a 1994 model.
This one was completely rewired using high-end USA parts. As mentioned already, this particular model was never imported into the US and was bought brand new by a gentlemen who was serving in Japan in the military in the early 1990’s. This guitar has wonderful sustain, as it is heavy as a Les Paul. The pickguard is one piece black and is 5 hole like a 52 Tele. The neck is made from a beautiful solid Maple, with a Maple capped fret board. The radius is like the vintage 62/67 style—a soft, slim, C shape.The one above is a FENDER CIJ SUNBURST 1967 CUSTOM SONNY REISSUE TELECASTER. (Production: 1994, Serial #O 003418).
This one was completely rewired using high-end USA parts. As mentioned already, this particular model was never imported into the US and was bought brand new by a gentlemen who was serving in Japan in the military in the early 1990’s. This guitar has wonderful sustain, as it is heavy as a Les Paul. The pickguard is one piece black and is 5 hole like a 52 Tele.
The neck is made from a beautiful solid Maple, with a Maple capped fret board. The radius is like the vintage 62/67 style—a soft, slim, C shape. They come with chrome plated Gotoh Tuners. This utilizes the Fender USA 5-way Super switch, which I will explain in a few moments. As already stated, all electronic parts are brand new made in the USA.The NECK pickup is a NOS (New Old Stock) CHROME DIMARZIO “AIR NORTON” PAF HUMBUCKER. This PU is several years old, but brand new in the unopened original box when I received it.
It runs at a 12.58K DC Resistance untapped. It delivers a true vintage Gibson sound or a Tele Single coil sound, when tapped, due to the custom wiring. It's fat and warm, but not muddy. It's hot, but not distorted.
It's even got cool harmonics. The Patent-Applied-For (thus PAF) magnetic structure reduces string-pull, so sustain is improved, and pick attack and dynamics are tremendously controllable and expressive.The BRIDGE pickup is a HIGH OUTPUT SEYMOUR DUNCAN 1/4 POUNDER which run’s at a hot 17.38k D.C. Resistance, which is over 2 times hotter than a stock Tele bridge PU. This single coil pickup was specially selected so it would have enough power to compete with humbucker in the neck. The stronger magnetic field of the quarter-inch wide pole pieces increases the output along with its special coil winding which allows it to keep the high-end definition for great treble bite and a full, powerful midrange.The custom 5-way switching really makes this Tele have the best of both worlds. You can sounds like a Gibson Les Paul or a Standard Telecaster. You can also mix and match sounds.
Here is how the Fender Super Switching works: Position #1: is the Bridge PU alone, creating a traditional Tele sound with more power and a bit more midrange and bottom end. Lot’s of Tele bite!
Position #2: is the Bridge PU and the Neck PU split into a single coil (tapped), creating a more tradition Tele neck/bridge sound. Position #3: is the Bridge PU together with the Neck PU operating as a full Humbucker. This creates a unique sound, which is a richer and fuller. A Gibson/Telecaster hybrid! Position #4: is the Neck Humbucker split (tapped) to create more of a sweet vintage Telecaster neck sound.
Position #5: is the Neck Humbucker in all its humbucking glory—delivering a Les Paul sound. Full, rich and powerful!
The tone control is wired with Fender TBX tone system. ( I have owned 5 of these and customized all of them. I still have one tucked away and it is the sweetest, Les Paul type Tele I have ever owned!). This is a Fender 1972 Telecaster Standard Reissue in a transparent Butterscotch on Ash. (CIJ 1994, Serial #O 004750). When you think of this guitar, think 52 style transparent butterscotch finish, and 69 Thinline type Maple neck. The Peavey Guitar Company in Meridian, MS bought this guitar directly from Fender Japan.
I bought it from an employee that said Peavey bought to disassemble to inspect the quality, etc. It has never really been played. I took the guitar, customized it and tucked it away in my collection. The neck is a Maple on Maple.
It has that true 1969 - 72 soft, slim, C shape, with Gotoh tuners. The wood on the neck has some outstanding grain.
Every detail of the body and neck is like a 1972 Fender Telecaster, right down to the steel barrels on the bridge. This 72 Reissue has been rewired, again, like some many of my Teles, with a modified version of the Jerry Donahue Teles 5-way switching. I put in a Fender “No-load” tone control so one can have full screaming power of the pickups with no resistance.
Position #4, on the 5-way switch is wired in a series for that “fat” Gibson-ish sound and position #2 is the Bridge PU and the Neck PU in out-of-phase, which gives you a hollow Stratocaster sound.The NECK pickup is a high output Seymour Duncan (STL-2R). This pickup delivers a fat and full punch in both the low and mid-range frequencies. It uses Alnico 5 rods and special high-output coil winding for full, clear sound, running at 9.7k.T he BRIDGE pickup is a DiMarzio HS-3T (DP118). This pickup is a rare bird for a Tele. This was New Old Stock from the 1980s. I was somewhat hesitant and skeptical when I first saw this pickup. Would a pickup that was made famous by Yngwie and used in a Strat in the bridge position sound good as a Tele bridge pickup?
I no sooner plugged it in I found out! Teles sometimes have too much bite. This PU still bites but creates super harmonics and sustain. The HS-3T was designed to have a broad low-end while gently rolling back the top, which resulted in a warmth without a glaring high-end; just right for the guitar that needs more body and less screech. It runs at a hot 23.72k!
The smooth tone curves of the HS-3T produces a sweet over-drive tone without jagged edges. The HS-3T hum-free design lends itself to any performance situation.Check out the page. Soon I will have all the reissues on their own pages.when i can get some time. I have a lot more guitars that could go on this sight and history, etc!
This is a 1997 CIJ 1968 Stratocaster Reissue. (Serial #A098939) This is completely original except for the electronics. These MIJ Teles and Strats are becoming more of a collector’s item due to their high quality. This 68RI had the pickups changed to a matched set of Seymour Duncan Vintage Staggered for Strat (SSL-1). Since this is a 68 RI, I figured I wanted the best vintage sound I could get, so these pickups were chosen. They are an exact replica of the original Fender Alnico V Stratocaster pickups.
The same type of magnet wire is used, as well as the same number of coil windings. The staggered rod magnets are hand-ground, then aged by the exclusive Dun-Aged process; lacquered bobbins and cloth-braid hookup wire complete the vintage look. Every detail is included to duplicate the bell-like tone and the high-end bite that made the vintage Strats famous. This 68 Strat RI model has a beautiful natural finished split Ash body. The wood is split down the middle with such craftsmanship, that it looks like one solid piece, until you examine the end where you see the grain 'fold in' toward the middle. This creates a gorgeous look.
The finish is near mint and replicates the deep thick finish they used during this era of Strats. Because of the finish, the grain really stands out. Ash has outstanding grain and gives a great resonance. The pickgaurd is a White, Black, White. Even the routing on these guitars are vintage, instead of the big gaping hole route found in the newer USA Strats. The neck is Maple on Maple, 21 fret laminated fret board.
It has the large headstock, like on the Hendrix signature Strats. The bridge is the vintage style with Fender written on each saddle.
The Greco family, Greco Spacey Sounds TE-500N 1977, Greco Les Paul Custom EG-600C 1980, Greco Spacey Sounds TL-500 1979I guess it will come as no surprise that I love Japanese guitars, especially Greco’s. I have over the years learned quite a lot about different brands and makers but it can get pretty confusing for me too. Luckily I found this great list of Japanese guitars brands, or rather a list of guitar makers. The list might not be complete but it’s a good start. Taken fromAtlansiaThis guitar manufacturer started out as a parts supplier in the early 1970’s.
Atlansia didn’t begin production of guitars under their badge until infamous engineer and designer Nobuaki Hayashi of Matsumoku fame became the company’s president and chief designer in the late 1970’s. Since then, Atlansia has continued to produce cutting-edge guitar designs in Nagano, Japan. The company did not make any other badged guitars other than namesake Atlansia.Chushin GakkiChushin is still in operation today in Nagano, Japan and does business with guitar giant Fender. I believe that Chushin may have been a member of the Matsumoto Musical Instruments Association listed further down because both companies produced Fresher guitars during different periods.with Matsumoto beginning production and Chushin ending it (perhaps because the Association was disbanded?). During the 1960-1980 period they were responsible for badges Bambu, Cobran, El Maya and Hisonus as well as some Charvel, Fresher and Jackson badges. The company may have possibly made some guitars with the Aztec, Maya and Robin badges, but that is not verified. Guitars made by Chushin from this period are well-made and appreciated by guitar enthusiasts worldwide.DaimaruFounded in the city of Matsumoto, Japan in the early 1960’s, Daimaru produced their own house brand, although they outsourced electric guitar production to Teisco during the 1970’s period.
Daimaru appears to have gone out of business after 1980.Dyna GakkiDyna Gakki began production in 1972 in the city of Nagano, Japan. They manufactured guitars for Fender Japan and Greco, so they couldn’t have been a terrible manufacturer as Fender is very choosy about outsourcing their product. Dyna was responsible for the JooDee badge and may have been a source for Japanese manufacturer Yamaki. Dyna also produced the infamous Ibanez badges for a short period of time.Electric Sound Products (ESP)Founded in 1975 by Hisatake Shibuya, this wildly-popular manufacturer focused on making quality basses for export as well as electric guitars. ESP survived the ‘copy’ era and is still in business today. Badges made by ESP included their house brand ESP as well as Navigator during the late 1970’s.
A possible badge made by the company was Robin.Elk Gakki (also known as Miyuki)Makers of the Elk badged guitar from the early to mid 1960’s to 1975, although other sources indicate that the Elk brand did not stop production until the early 1980’s. Elk badged guitars came in clear acrylics in addition to colors in the early 1970’s, which was an attempt to copy clear acrylics designed by the legendary Dan Armstrong in the late 1960’s.FernandesFernandes Guitars started production in 1969 in Osaka, Japan.
It grew and became one of the largest producers of Japanese-made guitars, rivaling competitors Fujigen and Matsumoku. Fernandes produced guitars with the Burny and Nady badges as well as house brand Fernandes. A possible badge made by Fernandes was the oddly named Orange guitar.Fujigen GakkiFujigen Gakki began operation in 1960 as a classical guitar manufacturer, moving into the lucurative electric guitar markets in 1962. The company was the largest producer of Japanese guitars during the 1960-1980 period.
They were known for producing high quality products, especially for the badged guitar market, which is why the company was selected by so many major American brands. It wasn’t until 1970 that the company began making products for the venerable Ibanez brand, which was an unqualified success.
Fujigen Gakki was the main manufacturer of choice for Greco badged guitars in the 1970 to 1980 period. They also produced guitars for major manufacturer Yamaha. Badged guitars made by Fujigen include Antoria, Epiphone, Jason and Mann. Badged guitars that may have been made by Fujigen Gakki were Marlin and St. Moritz.GuyatoneGuyatone produced electric guitars for major guitar manufacturer Suzuki. The company also produced their house brand Guyatone. Badged guitars produced by Guyatone include Barclay, Broadway, Coronado, Crestwood, Futurama, Howard, Hi-Lo, Ibanez, Ideal, Imperial, Johnny Guitar, Kent, Kingston, Lafayette, Marco Polo (electrics only), Montclair, Omega, Orpheus, Prestige, Royalist, Saturn, Silhouette, Silvertone, Vernon, Winston and Zenta, an impressive amount of names produced by a single company.
Other badges that may have been produced by Guyatone are Beeton (not to be confused by the Beeton Brass Guitar company founded in 1994), Bradford, Canora and Regent.Hayashi/ZenonHayashi was one of the premier acoustic guitar makers among Japanese manufacturers from this time frame. Hayashi bought out small manufacturer Zen-On in 1968 during a period of expansion for the company. Credited with making Pearl badged acoustic guitars, Hayashi was also responsible for making Cortez, Custom and Emperador acoustics.Hitachi Gakki/Hitachi Musical Instruments ManufacturingI’m unsure if this company existed or not, but since many major electronics manufacturers jumped into the electric guitar market in the 1970’s, it seems reasonable that Hitachi could have ventured briefly into guitar production. A seller of the badged guitar “Splender” claims it was made by this company. Yet another seller claims the badge Slendon was made by this company.Hoshino Gakki Ten/ TamaHoshino Gakki were known primarily for producing Ibanez guitars during this time although that wasn’t the only badged guitar they made. Badged guitars produced by Hoshino include Cimar, Cimar by Ibanez, Penco, Howard.
Tama Industries began guitar production from 1962 to 1967 as a factory of Hoshino, producing more badged Ibanez guitars as well as Continental, Crest, Goldentone, Jamboree, King’s Stone, Maxitone, Star, Starfield (some), Tulio and Jason. Tama eventually took over badged guitar production from STAR Instruments in the mid-1960’s. There’s some evidence that Tama began producing guitars under their own badge from 1975-1979. I’m unsure at this point if this Tama had any relation to the Tama that existed under Hoshino Gakki Ten.Humming BirdLittle-known manufacturer in operation in the early 1960’s until 1968. Humming Bird made electrics that were copies of Mosrite guitars.
It’s possible they also made acoustics.IidaIida began manufacturing guitars in 1958 in Nagoya, Japan. Iida is still producing guitars, but mostly in their factory located in Korea. They were mainly responsible for producing acoustic and semi-acoustic rather than electric guitars for major manufacturers Ibanez and Yamaha.
There is speculation that Iida may have assisted Moridara for a short period in making Morris badged guitars, but that is not verified.KasugaKasuga produced their own house brand in Kasuga guitars. For a brief period of time the company produced Yamaha acoustic guitars. Kasuga guitars were first sold in America in 1972. Unlike many Japanese manufacturers who outsourced their guitar production in other factories outside the main maker, Kasuga produced all their products in-house. Badged guitars known to have been made by Kasuga include Conrad, Emperador, ES-S, Ganson, Heerby, Hondo, Mei Mei and Roland. Kasuga went out of business in 1996.Kawai TeiscoKawai Teisco was founded by Atswo Kaneko and Doryu Matsuda. The company also produced the popular Ibanez badge in the 1960’s.
Kawai Teisco made their own house brands Kawai, Teisco, Del Rey and Teisco Del Rey. Badged guitars produced by the Kawai Teisco factories include Apollo, Aquarius, Arbiter, Atlas, Audition, Avar, Ayar, Barth, Beltone, Black Jack, Cipher, Concert, Cougar, Crown, Daimaru, Decca, Diasonic, Domino, Duke, Emperador, Heit Deluxe, Hy-Lo, Holiday, Imperial, Inter-Mark Cipher, Jedson, Kay, Kent, Kimberly, Kingsley, Kingston, Keefy, Lindell, Marquis, May Queen, Minister, Noble, Prestige, Randall, Recco, Regina, Rexina, Sakai, Satellite, Schaffer, Sekova, Silvertone, Sorrento, Sterling, Swinger, Tele Star, Top Twenty, Victoria, and Winston. Possible badged guitars made by the company include: Astrotone, Demian, G-Holiday, Lafayette, Master, Orange, Tamaki and Trump.Kyowa ShokaiThis company, which may have been a distributor as opposed to a manufacturer, was a member of the Matsumoto Musical Instrument Association. They have been credited with Camel and Fresher badged guitars, although Freshers were also made by Chushin in the late 1970’s.Magnavox/AmpegAmpeg was swallowed up by Japanese electrical giant Magnavox in 1971, when they wanted to get in on the electric guitar copy craze of the 1970’s.
Magnavox produced electric and bass guitars under the Stud badge as well as the successful Ampeg brand. It’s been suggested that Magnavox was also responsible for producing Selmer acoustic guitar badges during this time, but that has not been verified. Selmer was sold to Magnavox around the same time they bought Ampeg, so it certainly seems plausible they could have made Selmer acoustic badged guitars as an offering for that market. Stud badged guitars were made until ’75, with Ampeg guitar production continuing until 1980. Opus was another badge made by the company. Magnavox lost their interest in Ampeg shortly thereafter and the brand languished until it was resurrected over a decade later by another American company.Maruha GakkiWe know this company existed in the 1970’s in Japan because of stickers found inside repaired Maruha guitars.
Maruha made high-quality acoustics, some of which are badged F. Hashimoto (some long lost master luthier?) along with the Maruha badges. These guitars are highly sought-after because of the overall quality.MatsumokuMatsumoku is one of the Japanese manufacturers that did not survive long after the heyday of the 1970’s guitar market despite having a long tradition of quality stringed instrument craftsmanship. Matsumoku produced guitars for major manufacturers Greco, Guyatone and Yamaha. Matsumoku made Arai, Aria, Aria Pro II and Aria Diamond badges, with Aria being their primary badge for a majority of this time frame. Badged guitars known to have been made by Matsumoku include Apollo, Arita, Barclay, Burny, Capri, Columbus, Conrad, Cortez (electrics only), Country, Cutler, Dia, Domino, Electra, Epiphone, Granada, Hi Lo, Howard, Ibanez, Lindberg, Lyle, Luxor, Maxitone (this guitar differs from Tama’s Maxitone badge), Mayfair, Memphis, Montclair, Pan, Pearl (electrics only), Raven, Stewart, Tempo, Univox,Vantage, Ventura, Vision, Volhox, Washburn (in 1979 and 1980), Westbury, Westminster and Westone.
Possible Matsumoku badges include: Bruno, Crestwood, Conqueror, Eros, Mako, Memphis, Orlando and Toledo.Matsumoto Musical Instrument Manufacturers AssociationThe Matsumoto Musicial Instrument Manufacturers Association was the organization responsible for Fresher guitars. Little is known about this association, other than it did not have larger guitar manufacturers Matsumoku or Fujigen Gakki as members. Nakai Gakki was a possible member of the association. Fresher guitars began production in 1973 by the Kyowa Shokai Company, an association member, which was also responsible for the Camel badge. It’s interesting to note that Fresher guitars were eventually being produced by Chushin, which leads me to believe that they may have been an Association member along with Kyowa.
The beginning production year was considered a low quality benchmark for the company. The Fresher brand continuously improved in quality until 1980.Maya Guitar CompanyLocated in Kobe, Japan, this manufacturer made the famous Maya brand guitar. Maya guitars were in production from 1970-1980. It’s been suggested that Maya may have been responsible for the Aztec badge. You’ll notice that Maya has been attributed to a company known as Tahara.
At this point I do not know if Maya assisted in production or if Tahara produced some Maya guitars as a subcontractor. Maya and El Maya badges have also been attributed to Chushin Gakki. More research is needed to clarify this point.Moridaira (Morris Guitars)Founded in 1967 by Toshio “Mori” Moridaira, the Moridaira factory produced high-quality guitars, including the infamous Morris badged guitar. Moridaira also produced badged guitars for Hohner including Coronado, Futurama, H.S. Anderson, Lotus (some) and Sakai.Nakai GakkiLittle-known manufacturer from Osaka, Japan, this company is responsible for the oddly named John Bennet badge.
Nakai has been mentioned as a possible Matusmoto Musical Instruments Association member in the past. The company still exists and is producing musical instruments, quite a feat in light of so many manufacturers who faded after the golden electric guitar age.Shinko Musical CompanyA very small, unknown company that is attributed to being the manufacturer of the Pleasant guitar from 1960 to 1966.
Shinko later moved to Korea sometime in the early 1970’s where they produced the Drive guitar badge.Shiro Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company, LimitedThis little-known company is responsible for the St. George badge. This particular badge was made from 1963-1967.
It also produced the rare Shiro guitar. It is possible that the company may also be responsible for the Pleasant guitar badge after 1966. This company may have been a small offshoot of Aria Guitar Company, founded by Shiro Arai, but that has not been verified as of today.STAR InstrumentsThis company slowly merged into Hoshino/Tama but prior to their unification, produced instruments with the Star badge, mainly drums. They also produced guitars, including the infamous Zim-Gar badged electric and acoustic guitars. Over time, drum production was segmented to Pearl, while guitar contracts were taken up by Tama.
Zim-Gar production was relatively short, as these were budget guitars made for K-mart between 1962 and 1968.Suzuki Musical Instrument ManufacturingSuzuki had two factories in Kiso and Hamamatsu where they made popular Suzuki guitars. The Hummingbird Suzuki guitar was manufactured in the Kiso factory.
Suzuki is also credited with making the Canora and Takeharu badged guitars along with Marco Polo acoustics. Holly is another badge ascribed to Suzuki, although that has not been verified.TaharaFounded by a father and son, Ryohei Tahara and the unknown Tahara. I do not know which was the father and which was the son. The company existed until the late 1979 when it was bought up by Saga Musical Instruments.
In all, the company existed less than a decade as Tahara. Both the Maya and El Maya badges are attributed to Tahara. Saga Musical Instruments exists to this day.TakamineFounded in 1962 in Sakashita, Japan, this manufacturer survived the copy era and is still producing guitars to this day.
Takamine was among the first to make and export electric acoustics with their own house brand, although they are primarily known for their acoustic guitars. It is unknown if they made badged guitars.TeradaTerada was one of the smaller Japanese manufacturers of acoustic guitars during the period of 1960 to 1980, producing products for Epiphone, Fender Japan, Grapham, Gretch and Vesta.
Terada produced some Kingston badges until 1975. Other badged guitars produced by Terada include some Burny badges and interesting Thumb guitars. Terada has been in continuous operation since 1912.TokaiTokai was founded in 1947 and is based in Hamamatsu, Japan. Tokai began production of acoustic guitars in 1965 and by 1968 was producing electric guitars for the American market. Tokai still exists as guitar manufacturer.
Tokai made guitars for Fernandes, Mosrite and Fender Japan. Tokai badged guitars included the house brand Tokai as well as Cat’s Eyes, Conrad, Drifter, Hondo, Love Rock, Mosrite, Sigma and Silver Star. Possible badges include Artist Ltd., Gaban, Gallan, Gession and Robin. It’s suggested that Tokai made Hummingbird acoustics as well, but if these were related to those made by Humming Bird I haven’t quite sorted out yet.TomboTombo was the only Japanese manufacturer who produced Norma badged guitars. Tombo made Norma guitars from 1965 to 1970. Badged guitars produced by Tombo include Angelica, Asama, Columbus, Condor, Duke, Horugel, Kinor, Montaya, Queen, Regina, Schaffer and Yamato.ToyotaIs there anything T. Kurosawa didn’t attempt to manufacture in the 1970’s?
Yes, Toyota manufactured a high-end line of acoustic, electric and bass guitars from approximately 1972. Toyota ceased manufacturing guitars in a short span of time (probably because they didn’t sell), although exactly when in the 1970’s production ended, I’m not sure.Yamaha/Nippon GakkiFounded in 1946, Yamaha is still going strong in the electric guitar market as a manufacturer. During the timeframe this article covers (1960-1980) all Yamaha guitars were made in Japan, although not necessarily in their factories as they outsourced to other manufacturers.YamakiYamaki was founded in the 1960 by brothers Yasuyuki and Hirotsygu. Yamaki exists today as a major manufacturer of guitar parts for outside Japanese guitar manufacturers.
Japan Guitars Co Uk For Sale
Yamaki produced a house brand, as well as Daion, Dion, Grande and Jedson badged guitars.Zen-On (see also Hayashi)Little known Japanese manufacturer who was out of business by 1968. Zen-On made electric guitars with the house brand Zen-on badge, as well as Beltone, Morales and Zenon badges. Zen-On bought out Hayashi, but exactly when that took place is clouded in mystery.Thanks again to for the extensive research. Another great source is the Japanese site, where you can read Koyama’s first hand experience with some more obscure brands. I have only tried Fender Japan (MIJ and CIJ), Greco, Tokai, Fernandes, Morris, Suzuki, Westone, Hohner, CSL and Teisco so if you have any questions regarding these brands your are more than welcome to get in touch. I did a previous post about the quality of Japan made guitars that can be found here, Here is the Japanese section of the Claes collection, however some of these guitars have found a new home now. Playsound, Telecaster copy by Teisco, Made in Japan, mid 1960′s Not the worlds greatest Telecaster copy but still a really cool and interesting guitar.
Made by Teisco in Japan around 1965 for the Western markets. These were sold in Woolworths in the UK under names like Arbiter, Sonatone, Audition, Playsound, Kay and Top Twenty. In the US they were sold in Wallmart under names like Silvertone, Kent, Beltone, Duke, Encore, Heit Deluxe, Jedson, Kimberly, Kingston, Lyle, Norma, Tulio and World Teisco.
It has one gold foil singlecoil pickup, these are worth more than the guitar itself and are favoured by guitarists like Ry Cooder for their special sound. It’s in really good state for the age and only has minor dings and scratches to the body. A cool guitar to add to your collection or to gig with, it might be the only Playsound guitar in Spain. Here you can read more about Japanese guitar brands. Tokai (Tōkai Gakki) Tōkai Gakki was founded in 1947 and is based in Hamamatsu, Japan.
Tokai began production of acoustic guitars in 1965 and by 1968 was producing electric guitars for the American market. Tokai still exists as guitar manufacturer. Tokai made guitars for Fernandes, Mosrite and Fender Japan. Tokai badged guitars included the house brand Tokai as well as Cat’s Eyes, Conrad, Drifter, Hondo, Love Rock, Mosrite, Sigma and Silver Star. Possible badges include Artist Ltd., Gaban, Gallan, Gession and Robin. It’s suggested that Tokai made Hummingbird acoustics as well, but if these were related to those made by Humming Bird I haven’t quite sorted out yet.
Taken from my previous post about Japanese guitar brands. Matsumoku Matsumoku is one of the Japanese manufacturers that did not survive long after the heyday of the 1970’s guitar market despite having a long tradition of quality stringed instrument craftsmanship. Matsumoku produced guitars for major manufacturers Greco, Guyatone and Yamaha. Matsumoku made Arai, Aria, Aria Pro II and Aria Diamond badges, with Aria being their primary badge for a majority of this time frame.
Badged guitars known to have been made by Matsumoku include Apollo, Arita, Barclay, Burny, Capri, Columbus, Conrad, Cortez (electrics only), Country, Cutler, Dia, Domino, Electra, Epiphone, Granada, Hi Lo, Howard, Ibanez, Lindberg, Lyle, Luxor, Maxitone (this guitar differs from Tama’s Maxitone badge), Mayfair, Memphis, Montclair, Pan, Pearl (electrics only), Raven, Stewart, Tempo, Univox,Vantage, Ventura, Vision, Volhox, Washburn (in 1979 and 1980), Westbury, Westminster and Westone. Possible Matsumoku badges include: Bruno, Crestwood, Conqueror, Eros, Mako, Memphis, Orlando and Toledo. Taken from my previous post about Japanese guitar brands. I have 2 strat copies and a 335 copy of the J.
Steele guitars and prefer both of these over my ’57 reissue strat (1982) and my Gibson 335. Don’t get me wrong, my Fender and Gibson play great and I’ll probably never get rid of them, but it truly baffles me how the few J.Steele owners I have come across feel the same way, and we can’t find word one about these great guitars. I’ve tried Japanese, Korean guitar maker search to no avail. Note: My 335 copy has Grover machine heads so I’m inclined to think some California maker that hasn’t come forward.
Any advice is welcome.