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Post subject: MIJ?
Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 9:47 am
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Other than the Mustang re-issue, are there any other, current-production Fender basses being made in Japan?


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Post subject: Re: MIJ?
Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 2:47 pm
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Well that sort of requires a two part answer.

Off the top of my head I think I can safely say FMIC in addition to the Mustang Bass still imports the Sting, the high end Deluxe Jaguar Bass and the Aerodyne Jazz from Fender Japan for distribution in their North American network. There may be one or two others. Some Fender models formerly imported from Fender Japan are now being made at Fender Ensenada by FMIC such as the Geddy Lee Artist Series model.

Fender Japan makes many more models and colors of basses and guitars for domestic sale in their own distribution system than the chosen few that get imported by FMIC. The ownership of Fender Japan is a partnership of an instrument distributor (Yamano Gakki) and a leading chain of music stores in Japan (Kanda Shokai.) Instrument orders are contracted out to several manufacturers, however most of the basses have been made by Fujigen since Fender Japan first began, with the exception of some Artist Series models that have since moved to Mexico. Some Fender Japan instruments not imported by FMIC find their way into North America anyway through the secondary market via eBay and even direct sales of new instruments to people living in North America. However the warranty is a Fender Japan warranty when you do that. That is also true of any instruments ordered from the Fender Japan Custom Shop. Yes they have a Custom Shop.


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Post subject: Re: MIJ?
Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 8:58 pm
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Thanks!


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Post subject: Re: MIJ?
Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 11:49 pm
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I believe you can tell by the model number listed on the official website where a particular instrument is made. I don't know the distinctions though, but it shouldn't be too hard to find. Sometimes the place of manufacture will change as brotherdave mentioned - for instance, I have one of the '70s Ps with the black blocks on the maple neck/fingerboard in my avatar - they were originally made in Japan, but then production switched to Mexico.

Another thing to be aware of is the CIJ/MIJ (Crafter vs. Made) distinction - I believe that current production is all "MIJ" - they had switched to "CIJ" for a while but then switched back.

I personally am a big fan of Fender Japan instruments - I spent my formative years in Tokyo in the '80s so they were affordable and good quality. I still have a couple of those instruments, plus a few that I have acquired over the years. The '70s is the most recent - I picked that up in 2011. There are a couple of finish issues but overall I really like it and it is my main bass.

I can't comment on MIM instruments because I have never played one.

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Post subject: Re: MIJ?
Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 2:22 am
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MIJ vs CIJ marks are pretty meaningless on basses. All of them but a much smaller quantity of Artist Series signature models like the Geddy Lee model have been made at the same place by the same people, Fujigen in Matsumoto. The CIJ vs MIJ mark meant more on guitars where sometimes the switch meant production moved from Fujigen to Dyna Gakki. That is why the mark changed and on basses it is meaningless quality wise. The guitar guys should pay more attention. It doesn't mean as much really on a bass as it does on a Spanish electric. One time they changed the mark from CIJ to MIJ just to denote the 25th Anniversary of Fender Japan.


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Post subject: Re: MIJ?
Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 2:28 pm
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I have a Mustang Bass RI and like the quality, is why I brought the subject up in the first place. I also have a couple of mid-'90s MIM Strats that are well made, but have heard lots of talk lately about the MIM stuff being of more variable quality, whereas MIJ seems to be generally held in higher regard (with prices to match).


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Post subject: Re: MIJ?
Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 11:48 pm
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Another issue that I think bears repeating is that there are different levels of Fender Japan stuff - though most of it doesn't make it over here. I lived in Japan back in the '80s (and again from '02-'06) and there are a few different price points. Here's a really fun page to drool over: the Ikebe Fender Japan listings (I hope it worked - the website used to be a bit more easily navigable). It's approximately 100 yen = 1 USD so just take two zeros off the prices for American dollars.

Another thing to know is that Japan was hit really hard by the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster, and that seems to have changed production. Fender support says the following about dating Fender Japan stuff:

Quote:
Note: A new Japanese vendor was enlisted in 2010 to help meet demand for the Geddy Lee and Marcus Miller Jazz Bass models. These two basses and the other instruments listed below that were supplied by this factory continued to use “Made in Japan T + 6 digits” designation through 2011:

Pawn Shop Fender ‘51
Pawn Shop Fender ‘72
Pawn Shop Mustang Special
‘70s Precision Bass
Jaguar Bass


Whether or not this has any real-world effects is perhaps too early to be seen. But I think it is good to "try before you buy" if at all possible. I know that isn't always possible in our internet-shopping era...

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Last edited by hieronymous on Wed Sep 04, 2013 7:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: MIJ?
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 7:21 pm
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True, there have been as many as 3 different Fender Japan levels, while only one level ever gets imported to North America.


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Post subject: Re: MIJ?
Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 9:20 pm
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As far as the quality, the woods, the build quality and finishing is spectacular but the electronics are almost always the weak link in a Fender Japan bass. They have yet to get it right in my opinion. Pots, caps, pickups and even the jacks are inferior to USA instruments. For example they use mini-pots on some models such as the 51 RI and the Sting. Like they thought nobody would look?

An example I always point to is the Fender Donald "Duck Dunn signature Precision made only briefly by Fender Japan. Gorgeous 58 clone. Looks fantastic, plays great and yet sounds nothing at all like a Fender P-Bass. I've looked at two in person and both disappointed tone wise when compared A/B to any USA Fender P-Bass. It was just a huge disappointment as I wanted one to gig with and looked for 5 years before finding the second one with the same result as with the first one. Sure you could put in USA electronics, but this is a seriously collectible extremely short-run model and the last thing you'd want to do with such an instrument is modify it because the collector value goes POOF. They just sound nothing like a USA P-Bass and it is a pity. There are only a couple hundred of them, maybe 250 or maybe 300. Whatever the number, it was a very short run.

I have bought Fender Japan basses and replaced the pickups and tone caps but left the pots alone. I can't do that to a limited collectible one though.


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