Fender Japan is gone :(

[bholder]

So maybe we will see some new exciting brands from Japan, then. The high-end Tokai, Fujigen and ESPs are already up there. Would be strange if the production facilities and the know-how should get lost.

The skill and capacity are definitely there, and now perhaps they'll free themselves from Fender's style constraints. I always thought Fender Japan was more innovative in the right direction on average than Fender US (which seems more than a bit hidebound).

 

[JonW]

Hi Guys,

Here are the two prior threads on this topic:

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes - Fender Japan Seems to be Sporting More than a Few.... | TalkBass.com

Is Now a Good Time to Buy Japanese Fenders? | TalkBass.com

I don’t know what to think. Fender Japan has a new web site as of earlier this month:

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes - Fender Japan Seems to be Sporting More than a Few.... | TalkBass.com

If you pick basses from the top menu and then the “Japan Exclusive” from the pull down menu, they are still listing all the basses from before the web site redesign and the rumored business partner rearrangement. They changed the names of all the basses. For example, the VSP’s seem to now be called Classic Special 60s and such.

Why would they list these basses if they have already stopped production? I don’t know. I am hoping that all these rumors are just that… rumors. I was hoping to pick up my first Fender Japan bass on an upcoming work trip to Japan next winter. We’ll see, though.

 

[Lownote38]

Whether it's true or not, Fender seems to be one heck of a messed up company, making a lot of bad decisions.

Like killing SWR as well.

 

[Nic.]

Every year Fender Japan produces a run of really pretty "Factory Special Run (FSR)" limited edition colours. I'm glad I bought my Lake Placid Blue short-scale Squier Telecaster Thinline CV guitar before Fender Japan stopped, and my friend has this beautiful Metallic Blue Aerodyne PJ bass.

I wonder why Fender USA doesn't really do cool stuff like these:
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They're unique, very playable and relatively cheap instruments - including shipping, my Tele cost about the same as the normal edition of the Thinline CV, and my friend's Aerodyne was way under a thousand.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Id love to see EBMM step in and start making their midrange stuff in Japan

 

[Feral Feline]

Pity , I was hoping to get a Jaguar. There are a lot of other cool Fender Japan products I like(d).

 

[Mike Sorr]

Does this mean my Sunburst Geddy Lee will one day be an overpriced classic?

 

[ptensioned]

It's not the end of anything, it's just kanda Shokai won't be building fender licenced products any more.. I mean, none of you care about the label on the headstock right?!

For me, what I've always loved about Fender Japan basses is the willingness to take traditional Fender products (P and J) and then do something new and interesting with them while still retaining that classic Fender style and usability. While Fender USA spends all its time doing reissues and relics, Japan was doing things like the Aerodyne, or thinline basses, or strange pickup combinations, etc. Here's an example of something that uses the classic lines of a P bass as a launchpad to go somewhere Fender USA or Mexico would never risk:

So maybe Kanda Shokai can continue making instruments like this, but by losing the Fender license, it means they will have to hew much further away from the traditional Fender design language. And let's face it, with all the relics and reissues, nobody knows better than Fender that that design language is by far their biggest asset. It's obviously not to everyone's taste, but it is to enough people's taste to keep Fender where they are as one of the worlds biggest instrument manufacturers.

 

[Spent]

I had to send my Aerodyne back to a well known online music store. They said they would fix or replace it, but I noticed that they had no Aerodynes in stock. Could be a coincidence. FedEx promptly "lost" the guitar; it was supposed to delivered last Saturday, but the tracking info changed to something like "we have no idea where this package is." I just got a call a few minutes ago telling me that they found it. Very relived as it seems I could not get a replacement. BTW, no conspiracy implied, no one would know it was an Aerodyne and possibly no longer available. Either way, terrible news as the Aerodyne is my favorite Fender. I like it better than my USA Jazz Deluxe.

 

[Old Blastard]

I bought a FGN jazz bass online last year (it's the back one in my profile pic) because I was impressed with my 80s MIJ Fender Jazz Bass Specials and my 2011 MIJ Jag Deluxe. I have not been disappointed. It plays every bit as well as an MIA Jazz. Perhaps now FGN and others can find distributors in the US for their own house brands.

 

[SpanishDave]

I was talking myself into toying with the idea of selling MIJ Aerodyne to fund new purchases.............. This thread has put a stop to that idea.
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[SirMjac28]

As long as people are making basses somewhere I'm good and all the folks who are really upset about this when's the last time you bought a new Japanese Fender?

 

[Robroy]

that would be a sad day. More and more going to China probably.. pisses me off.

Good news: It's going to be all made in a factory in Iowa. Bad news: The only human there is the guy that checks the status of the machinery every six weeks and the guy that sweeps up the wood debris from the automated lathes when the robotic sweeper is home sick.

 

[Old Blastard]

That would be 2013 for me. But the bass was made in 2011 or something. It's MIJ, not CIJ. I don't even know what that means anymore.

 

[SamJ]

Good news: It's going to be all made in a factory in Iowa. Bad news: The only human there is the guy that checks the status of the machinery every six weeks and the guy that sweeps up the wood debris from the automated lathes when the robotic sweeper is home sick.

a lot of hand work goes into making a guitar.

 

[orange joe]

Well the same factory still makes the FGN Guitars and basses which are pretty much the same thing.They just have their own name on the head stock instead of Fender.

 

[Malak the Mad]

I don't know about that. Americans like buying American products. I think both lines would've done well. Maybe the higher end Mexican Fenders would've gone through the floor, but I think American Fenders woulda done just fine.

Definitely so. That being said, and not to beleaguer your point, this American would take his 'Dyne over an MIA bass in a heartbeat.

Japan is likely redundant now.

…except for the Aerodyne, the Smart Sized, the Hollow-Bodies and all the other non-export models. In light of all these offerings and more, I'd hardly call that redundant. I'd hazard a guess to it being "less profitable" than "redundant" for FMIC.

 

[Robroy]

a lot of hand work goes into making a guitar.

Yeah, but less and less.

Whenever I hear people concerned about where an item is manufactured I think of the Infinity factory chase scene in "Minority Report". It's where we are headed for a LOT of stuff. Nobody makes real money manufacturing Microsoft Office retail boxes. They make money designing and marketing it.

 

[SamJ]

Yeah, but less and less.

Whenever I hear people concerned about where an item is manufactured I think of the Infinity factory chase scene in "Minority Report". It's where we are headed for a LOT of stuff. Nobody makes real money manufacturing Microsoft Office retail boxes. They make money designing and marketing it.

I don't think you are comparing Apples with Apples.... country of origin and the experience, skill and dedication of the people making my bass matter to me...

 

[Double E]

Well the same factory still makes the FGN Guitars and basses which are pretty much the same thing.They just have their own name on the head stock instead of Fender.

They are a bit different actually...