NGD!

[bigD77]

I've owned a few strats over my lifetime...mostly MiM and a couple Japanese versions...and started looking for a new guitar a couple months ago.

The search was based on:

1. Feel/playability
2. Looks
3. Unique
4. Sound


Sound is the least important to me as I can always swap pickups at a later date. Finding great stock PU's is just a bonus to me.

Anyways, I found a gem.



It's a 1996 MIJ 67/68 Re-issue, 50th anniversary edition. It's got a maple cap neck, really thin and narrow neck, vintage frets & 7.25 radius, and Custom Shop Texas Special pickups (which are ok).

Pretty cool story on this one and an interesting read here:

http://planetbotch.blogspot.com/2012...atocaster.html

Basically, styled after Hendrix's Woodstock Strat.

I do love unique guitars and this one ticks all of my boxes.

[Steely Glen]

Congrats on a beauty of a Strat! I have a CIJ '62 Custom Tele that is amazing. The only things that the CIJ/MIJ Fenders tend to lack are the pickups but there are plenty of great options out there. Check out the Rocketfire Total 60s pickups if you like that era. Unbelievable pickups, IMO.

[whiteshadow]

Looks really nice.

I guess it plays well?

[Slim]

Beautiful guitar. I read the post. It should sound fantastic!
Have fun!
Tim

[bigD77]

Originally Posted by whiteshadow

Looks really nice.

I guess it plays well?

It plays extremely well. Honestly, I've never loved vintage frets, but this one has allowed me to get the action pretty low with either 9's or 10's with no choking out on bends.

The neck profile actually reminds me more of the very thin front-to-back Ibanez guitars...it doesn't start to thicken until the 7th-ish fret. And I have smaller hands, so the narrow nut feels very natural to me.

[Dru Edwards]

Congrats BigD! Gotta love the look of a sunburst Strat. Would a '96 MIJ strat been sold in the US back then?

[bigD77]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Congrats BigD! Gotta love the look of a sunburst Strat. Would a '96 MIJ strat been sold in the US back then?

Thats a great question Dru.

Japanese Fenders are notoriously difficult to identify and place. The body and neck of mine clearly say "ST67-85", but there wasnt a 67 reissue sold in the US. There was a 68 reissue, so there seems to be confusion over these maple cap-necked 67's as early imports, or Japan market only that were brought over some other way.

I love mystery guitars and the unique stories attached to them, so this one is fun to play and research.

-Shawn

[pieterh]

Sunburst strats are the bee's knees! Congrats on yours!

As far as I can remember, the Japan operation was set up pre-CBS sell off and for a while was the only source of "genuine" Fenders while the new owners got on with setting up the new US (and Mexican) operations. They got licenses, parts and inventory, but not premises.

There are some traders that import Japanese made Fenders though in principal the idea was that the Japanese outfit would (and does) serve the Japanese and Asian market while the US and Mexican plants serve America and Europe. Of course these days they are being made in China, Korea, India and Indonesia so who knows what is what anymore!

I do know that almost without exception the Japanese made Fenders have been excellent. A friend of mine has a Japanese Elite Strat. The Elite bridge is terrible but the build quality of the guitar on the whole is exceptional:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by bigD77

Thats a great question Dru.

Japanese Fenders are notoriously difficult to identify and place. The body and neck of mine clearly say "ST67-85", but there wasnt a 67 reissue sold in the US. There was a 68 reissue, so there seems to be confusion over these maple cap-necked 67's as early imports, or Japan market only that were brought over some other way.

I love mystery guitars and the unique stories attached to them, so this one is fun to play and research.

-Shawn

Hey Shawn, yep, those mystery guitars can be fun, and frustrating, to research, lol. I have the Fender Strat Chronicles 50 years book. I'll have a look this week-end to see if your guitar is in it. It's a great book but I can't recall how much of the Japanese made guitars are there.

[Steely Glen]

Originally Posted by pieterh

Sunburst strats are the bee's knees! Congrats on yours!

As far as I can remember, the Japan operation was set up pre-CBS sell off and for a while was the only source of "genuine" Fenders while the new owners got on with setting up the new US (and Mexican) operations. They got licenses, parts and inventory, but not premises.

I don't seem to remember the Japan factories going back to pre-CBS (1965). Maybe when CBS sold the company (1985) and Dan Smith and those guys took over.... so "post-CBS." If that's what you meant, then yes, I believe the Japanese Fenders were about the only "genuine" Fenders you could get in that interim.

The Strat Chronicles is a great book, by the way.

[bigD77]

Originally Posted by Steely Glen

I don't seem to remember the Japan factories going back to pre-CBS (1965). Maybe when CBS sold the company (1985) and Dan Smith and those guys took over.... so "post-CBS." If that's what you meant, then yes, I believe the Japanese Fenders were about the only "genuine" Fenders you could get in that interim.

The Strat Chronicles is a great book, by the way.

Clearly I need to pick that book up this weekend!

And this (above) is my understanding as well of Japan producing "all" fenders for a while...basically while there was a transition period between production facilities here in the US.

And this is now the second Japanese Fender that I've owned and maybe the 10th I've played...ALL of them have been super high quality guitars.

[Steel and wood]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Hey Shawn, yep, those mystery guitars can be fun, and frustrating, to research, lol. I have the Fender Strat Chronicles 50 years book. I'll have a look this week-end to see if your guitar is in it. It's a great book but I can't recall how much of the Japanese made guitars are there.

I too own this book!

BTW, great looking Stratocaster.

[Steely Glen]

Here's what Tom Wheeler has to say about Fender Japan, basically consistent with what's above with a few caveats: CBS actually established Fender Japan in 1982 before they sold back to the shareholders. Later in the book, Wheeler talks about how some of the reissues coming out of Japan were so good (and popular) that they basically inspired the American Vintage Reissue line.

[Dru Edwards]

Hi Steely Glen (^), your pic isn't showing up.

[Steely Glen]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Hi Steely Glen (^), your pic isn't showing up.

Hopefully it is now. Changed from "https" to "http"