Japanes vs American Tele

  • Thread starter Thread starter ColdAsh
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ColdAsh

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I was just woundering if anyone could give me an idea on the differnce in quality of American and Japanese Teles. Also what do you think of this tele as far a valua for money (giving the fact that you cant play it and neither can i unless i buy it)
http://www.guitarcrazy.com.au/FenTCSBJp.htm
note $1 australian is about $0.55 US
 
Didn't you ask this once before?

I'm having a serious case of deja vu' here!
 
My god youve got a good memory. I think my last question was just asking if the guitar was worth the money. The main question here is the difference in quality between jap and american teles.
 
Ive found that american tele's are a little more consistent with their quality, but IMHO, not enough to justify the price. If you want a great american made tele, check out G&L's.
Todd
 
I don't know about the Teles, but if they anything like the Jap Strats I'd say get the Jap. The Fender guitars that were made in Japan in the late 80s and early 90s are the best thing made with the Fender name on it sence the 70s.

Fender hasn't made guitars in Japan for over 10 years now. But, the ones that were made there were made in the same factory where they now make the top of the line Joe Satch guitars.

The ones made in Mexico and Indo are not as nice as the American ones, but the Japs made in the late 80s and early 90s are better. IMHO
 
I bought my Japanese Fender Strat about 7 months ago. Fender Japan no longer export Strats and Teles to the US. However, they still make guitars for the Japanese market. You can order Fender Japan guitars by ordering from Ishibashi Music’s web shop. I took quite a chance by ordering a guitar without playing it. The guitar exceeded my expectations.

The main complaint I have heard about the Japanese guitars is that the electronics are inferior to the US guitars. Fender Japan has partially corrected that problem by offering American pups in their guitars. My 57 RI came with Texas Specials. Over here we call them RI’S they call them Vintage Premiums.

Here’s a link to their web shop.

http://www.ishibashi-music.com/

:)
 
Looks like a beautiful guitar. I love my 8o's MIJ strat, so I wouldn't hesitate to go for another MIJ. I'll tell you though, it looks damned pricey. It could be that I don't understand the price the rest of the world has to pay for material posessions...

I would probably go about $350-400US for a righty, so $450-500US for a nice lefty sounds reasonable. So, it looks to me like they're asking about twice the price I'd be willing to pay for that particular guitar.
 
Ash,

Still looking eh? If they haven't sold that thing yet, maybe you don't want it either? Probably been sitting a while.

Not sure, but I found a "Left" front "Fender" for a 67 Camaro. Is that close?

:p

Fangar

P.S. Dude...all this time and still no guitar?
 
for what you would have to pay for that guitar you could have an american tele.
i have played a few jap teles and strats and afew of them were decent guitarsbut, i can tell u that nothing compares to my american made tele!
the nice thing about the american tele as opposed to the jap is that 20 yrs from now you could get a nice return on ur investment.
dont be fooled by cheap(or in this case over priced)imitations

if u wnt to here an american tele played through a fender hot rod deville check this out
http://nowhereradio.com/growlinclarencebow/singles
 
If they are still making Fender guitars in Japan (I don't think they are, but I could be wrong) and they are anything like the ones made in the 90s, then they are BETTER than just about anything coming from Fender USA today.

Read this.
 
Hey Firebird,

I promise that Fender is still making guitars in Japan. If you read my post you know that I just ordered one seven months ago. I agree with you that they are really great guitars IMHO.

Don’t take my word for it, just check out the link below. There’s some great info about Japanese Fenders . At the bottom left of the page click on links. There you will find a link to Fender Japan.

Also, check out the Fender discussion forum. That’s where I found out that I could order one from Japan.

http://freespace.virgin.net/john.blackman4/index.htm

http://www.fenderforum.com/





:cool:
 
If they are as good as the ones from the 90s, then that's a great thing Trotter.

Have you looked under the pickguard on yours? Almost all the USA and Mex guitars made sence the early 80s have a one BIG hole instead of three small ones for the pups and that really took away from the tone IMHO. The old Jap ones didn't.

My Jap Strat is a 90 model and it sounds much fatter than any of the new Strats that I've played, made in the USA or not! Even the high dollor ones like the EC model.
 
Firebird,

Yep, as a matter of fact I have taken the pickguard off, and mine has three pup cavities in it. I love the sound but I especially love the feel of the neck. It just seems to fit my hands better.

I'm not trying to put down American Fenders. I've owned a lot of those as well, and many of them are great guitars too. I still like my CIJ better than any of them.

Peace:D
 
Have to join in this one, first tho', Sheppard, nice tone man.

I have a Jap Strat, "61 reissue, made in 1984 and a USA standard 1987.
The US is my main axe, aptly named "The Dream Machine" it has the wide frets, one pce maple neck 'n' fretboard. The Jap is a rosewood with a 7.5 inch rad against the US 9.5".

I recently did a major fret file on the Jap and it is really nice.
Sound wise I think the Jap is slightly ahead but it is not as loud and it is quite noticeable, the p/u's are same height.
I think the jap looks nicer as the 60's bodies were slightly wider, from memory about 20mm(3/4) but I'd have to get off my fat arse to be exact so it can wait.

Even tho' the jap has improved so much I still use the USA as first for gigs. Maybe if I put some of those beautiful Gibson Jumbo frets in the Jap it would be a problem deciding, but there is not much in it.
And I am biased. But Ash, get it, you can always put other pickup in . How about Bill Lawrence tele p/u's?
Clive
 
Mine has the 7.5 inch radious neck and the small frets too, just like the old ones from the 60s and it does make it harder to play. I think it was Jeff Beck who said "playing a strat is a real fight, but sometimes it's worth it."
 
Sandgroper Calling Crow Eater

Hey ColdAsh,

Let us know how you get on if you decide to go for the Japanese Fender.

I tried a G&L Legacy here in Perth about two years ago and it was VERY impressive.

Zenith Music in Claremont, WA were selling it for $2100 which was a tad over my limit :( Maple neck, black. It was sooo tasty!

Depending on which model you buy, those Japanese Strats can be reasonably priced compared to those on sale over in Perth.

I wouldn't say NO to a Tele, maple neck, natural finish. Mmm

--
BluesMeister
 
I have a '72 Tele, natural finish with a maple neck. It's my electric of choice for damn near everything. A good friend of mine just picked up a new Tele but now I'm not sure if it's Mexican or what but it doesn't compare at all to mine. It just doesn't feel as substantial IMHO. Here's my baby.
 

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Mmm Tasty Alright

Hey Track Rat,

That's the baby!:)

I'll swap my Epiphone Lucille for one of those anyday!

--
BluesMeister
 
As I recall, 72 was not thought of as a good year for fender. But a little time goes by and...

Very cool fiddle Track Rat.
 
Firebird,
I agree but although '72 and CBS years in general were not very good years for Fender, a lot of the early ones made by CBS were made from Leo Fender stock, aparently they had a huge inventory when they took over. The other thing is I guess a bit like Harleys, over the years they have been adjusted and repaired and that was a lot of the problem, they were thrown together too quickly, mass production still needs the final check, some took a while to get it.
 
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