Made in Japan

Pics, info, thoughts on old and/or hairy gear.

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innerflight
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Made in Japan

Post by innerflight »

Guitars MIJ, everyone loves them, what was the golden era(s)? best brands? do the modern day ones still compete with the big boys? etc etc discuss :coffee:

Also lets see some pr0n. Post pics of yours if you have them :tu:
’brutish in character but not thug like’
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Philip
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Re: Made in Japan

Post by Philip »

I had a 52 tele reissue/replica from japan in 90's that was ace! Sold it to get a Gibson les paul. Not so sure that it was any better really. :smashed:
Salesman
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Re: Made in Japan

Post by Salesman »

Tokai Love Rock from 1984-1985 is the thing to get.
I have not played one yet that does not kill Expensive CUstom SHop Les Pauls.
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Doc Holliday
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Re: Made in Japan

Post by Doc Holliday »

This is my 2004 ( I think ) made in Japan Tokai
Refinished though in gold w added bigsby and 0X4 pickups.
Tvt pots, pio caps etc
I love this guitar. I upgraded it myself.
I do own a custom shop Gibson which to date is still the best guitar I’ve owned.
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Doc Holliday
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Re: Made in Japan

Post by Doc Holliday »

Although this gets played the most :)
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innerflight
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Re: Made in Japan

Post by innerflight »

^ very nice Sean, 2004 huh? What’s the weight like and what were the pups like before the change? Why did you change them?
’brutish in character but not thug like’
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Philip
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Re: Made in Japan

Post by Philip »

Doc Holliday wrote: Sun Apr 08, 2018 8:14 pm Although this gets played the most :)
This say's it all. :)
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Doc Holliday
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Re: Made in Japan

Post by Doc Holliday »

The weight is heavy :D with the bigsby it’s a back breaker haha but it’s killer to play. 59 club type neck too!
Which I like a fat neck lol
The pickups were gotoh and sounded good but I’d just bought a set of OX4 pickups for my R8 and knew I had to have something similar for every les Paul I bought from then on.
There’s some great pickup builders out there man. If your into that. Stock it played great. With the paint strip and refinish plus all the mods. I’d rather this over any Gibson standard, traditional etc. So well made.

Haha this gets played the most mainly because I don’t worry about taking it out the house but if it was my only les Paul I’d be still sooooo Happy!
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Doc Holliday
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Re: Made in Japan

Post by Doc Holliday »

You really don’t have to pay big big money for great guitars!
The R8 was more a “never thought I’d own one” thing.
It’s beautiful.
But the Tokai... straight up killer!
I had played a few historics before choosing the R8.
The Tokai was instant love. My Dad bought 3. I played all of them and came away with that one. He didn’t like it but it was one of the best les Paul’s I’d played.
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HorseyBoy
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Re: Made in Japan

Post by HorseyBoy »

Oh, man. Big topic. If we're talking Japanese copies of American guitars - "lawsuit"-era Strats, Teles, SGs and Les Paul - the "golden era" is generally considered to run from around 1977 to 1984, although some people (myself included) would go for an even tighter time period, about 1979-1982. In terms of brands, the big two are Tokai and Greco, but there were a host of other brands, like Ibanez, Fernandes and Burny, kicking out killer guitars, often from the same factories.
From March 1982 you get Fender Japan and the JV (Japanese Vintage), MIJ (Made in japan) and CIJ (Crafted in Japan) guitars. Fender Japan started as a joint venture between Fender, Kanda Shokai (a Japanese wholesaler/distributor that also owned the Greco brand) and Yamano Gakki (who distributed Fender products in Japan). As part of the deal, Kanda Shokai agreed to stop producing Greco-branded copies of Fender guitars. The JV guitars were made at the FujiGen factory in Nagano, where most Grecos had been made, using the same luthiers and equipment. JV serial number MIJ Fenders have their own little sub-cult following, and they run from 1982 to late 1983. Generally killer guitars, pretty much rebranded Grecos. They also started making Squier-branded Fenders at the same factory, and those early Japanese Squiers (with SQ serial numbers, from 1983 to 1984) are also highly prized. FujiGen kept cranking out Made in Japan Fenders till around 1997, but some production shifted to Dyna Gakki around 1993 and the CIJ (Crafted in Japan) serials began to appear.
Fender Japan still make a huge variety of guitars, mostly for the domestic market, and a lot of people will swear that they're still better than American-, Mexican- and Chinese-made Fenders. If you ever visit a Japanese guitar shop, the selection is mind boggling.
Me, I like Grecos from 79 to 81. The FujiGen factory got CNC routers around 1982, so the pre-82 guitars are all completely handmade. I also prefer the Super Real models Greco made in that era, which were more accurately modelled on vintage examples. They also used Maxon pickups, which are generally excellent. I've got a 1980 Greco Super Real SE700 Strat (big headstock, bullet truss rod) and picked up a 1980 Super Real EG500 Les Paul (no sticker, but I'm pretty sure it's an EG500) not long ago. Ace guitars for not a lot of money. The Les is heavy as hell, mahogany neck and body (with a maple cap), modelled on a 59 Gibson. Great neck, not as skinny as the 60s neck profile, an absolute joy to play.
I also like earlier Japanese guitars - 60s and 70s Teiscos and Guyatones are awesome things - and have a 1967 Yamaha SG2 (Yamaha's first solid-body electric, only made in 1966 and 1967) that I adore.
I should take some pictures…
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