I'm planning to get a Second-Handed Fender Strat 57' Reissue Made In Japan
but I have a few questions in mind...
(please forgive me for any dumb questions asked. I'm only an intermediate player and doesn't know much about guitars..)

1) Besides it's a "reissue", what exactly is the difference between a copy of vintage Stratocaster made in modern days (reissue) and a Standard Stratocaster in terms of sound quality, playability, structure, and etc? and which one is more expensive in price?
2) Do you guys have any commentary/review on a Fender Strat 57' Reissue MIJ? could be good or bad. I did google, but would like to know more abt this model if possible?
3) This "Second-Handed Fender Strat 57' Reissue Made In Japan" model I'm buying, the seller said all the parts are original. Nothing has been changed. Should I keep the way it is or perhaps change the pickups?
4) I'm buying this model "Second-Handed Fender Strat 57' Reissue Made In Japan" in Thailand for around 22000 baht. I'm not sure if it's a reasonable price or not..?

I would really appreciate it if anyone could answer my questions. THANK YOU =D

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Hi Jimmy

Basically the MIJ/CIJ guitars have a very good reputation. I bought a CIJ 58 reissue about 18 months ago (made about 2005) and its very sweet. As far as i know it will be very similar to the 57, just a 3 tone burst version (aka late career Buddy Holly colour )

I changed out the switch/pots on mine as they wernt the best quality.

Later i put in some aftermarket pickups and took out the texas specials. You pays yer money etc .........
The fretwork/build quality etc is excellent and its always easier to sort the electrics than sort the woodwork. From what i know the japanese reissues are pretty accurate facsimiles of the real deal.

Price wise no idea what bahts are worth but a decent non export model MIJ/CIJ strat in the UK is a bit cheaper than a new standard..........but not after youve ripped the guts out lol
Picks of mine are on this site somewhere.

Cheers Al

Thanks a lot Al 87 !!! Those Info was really helpful : D
so...

1) Is the CIJ (Crafted In Japan) better quality than MIJ (Made In Japan) in terms of sound quality/specs? or is it more like just a change in name (MIJ serial# starts with J & CIJ starts with Q) after 1996/1997 ? is CIJ more expensive than MIJ?
2) Let's say a Second-Handed Fender Strat 57' Reissue Made In Japan vs Second-Handed Fender Strat Standard Made In Japan. Both produced at the same year same place. The second one (standard) would be more expensive than the first one (reissue)? and generally the standard one will sound better than the reissue one? at first I thought 'reissue' would be more expensive and better than the 'standard' ones lol.. I guess I got that wrong..

wow! that's a lot of changes you've made Al 87 (Y) Unfortunately my budget is quite limited, so I can't make much changes at the moment : (( I was just hoping originally without any changes this model I'm buying is good enough for now..

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Your welcome mate.

I had the guitar a couple of months and i knew the selector switch was iffy, spraying with contact cleaner didnt really do it and when one of the tone pots got scratchy i thought it was time to swap em out. It wouldnt have been very expensive to do it. Decided to do the pups at the same time thats all.

Not much wrong with the originals so it wasnt essential.

I beleive theres little difference in quality between MIJ/CIJ, just when they were made and where possibly. There both VERY good quality. The workmanship on mine is first class.

Others may chime in with their veiws?

Prices in the UK appear similar, other factors like supply/demand and that old chestnut "age" may influence things.

Id say buy with confidence with the proviso at some point you may change out a few bits anyway. These are my opinions of course. Good luck.

Al

Hi Jimmy25: Two or three years ago I bought a new CIJ ST57-US. That is the '57 Reissue fitted with US pickups - what they describe as "USA vintage pickups": I can't tell you more about them than that. I can't imagine why we should require American made pickups in a guitar because without doubt the Japanese know how to wind copper wire as well as anyone. But there ya go...

This guitar instantly became one of my favorite Strats and still is. Far as quality is concerned, I can't find a thing to fault it. The build and finish are perfect: in fact, taking it apart there is better attention to detail in the neck pocket and cavities than on many Mexican and US Strats I've seen. They take good care in that Japanese factory. On my CIJ the electronics have been flawless. I would have replaced pots and pickups if necessary, but there was no need. Better ears than mine have found the pickups very nice: I love 'em.

Also, I imported the guitar here in the UK through a highly reputed seller/tech and assumed he would set it up well before handing it over. But as it turned out he said he couldn't find a thing to adjust on it: after shipping thousands of miles the factory set-up was still perfect right out the box. Not bad.

Regarding price: 22,000 Baht is about £450 / $700, which sounds about right to me for a second-hand CIJ in good condition. Though of course I don't know the market rate for Japanese guitars where you are in Asia.

Comparing the '57 RI with the CIJ Standard Strat, at least here in the UK the Standard costs about 20% less, if that helps you at all. Far as sounds go, I'm presuming the Standard will have higher output pickups than the RI, so will sound more "modern" (though I haven't played one this century so I don't know). The RI should have a more chimey "vintage" sound. Niether is better or worse, it comes entirely down to taste.

The MIJ/CIJ thing is nothing to worry about. In the '80s they used to mark them Made in Japan. Sometime, late '90s perhaps (someone will know better), they changed the label to read Crafted in Japan. So all it tells you is when the guitar was made. There is no quality implication.

Anyhow. Here's my Fiesta Red '57, the day it came home. I recommend the model:



Cheers - C

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I think if you really don't know what you are looking at there is a high possibility of getting burned.

Because of your lack of experience I would say stick with an Authorized Fender Dealer!

I took a similar tack as Al when I bought my CIJ premium vintage '65 re-issue (the only things Japanese that now remain are the body and neck), but straight out of the box the MIJ/CIJ guitars are quite nice -- superb fit and finish, authentic period-correct details, and reasonably priced. And the beauty of any Strat regardless of country-of-origin is that you can upgrade and/or mod them at your leisure, as time and funds permit. Just be certain that the '57 re-issue you're interested in has its body fabricated from alder -- the cheaper basswood bodies are prone to surface damage since that wood is quite soft and sunburst finishes will not show any characteristic grain beneath the paint.

Best of luck, HTH

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Thanks again mate for the tips Al 87 !
yes perhaps I should buy it with confidence, since with a MIJ/CIJ it should have a good body wood, which I heard although the wood cutting is done by machine, but the wood selection, and finish / installing parts are done by actual people hands-on in the factory, like American Fender, unlike Mexico? I get the idea that with a good body wood is the most important, cz that can't be changed, but other things like pickups, it could be upgrade in the future once I have increase my limited budget again! and as of now, I'm an intermediate player, which I think the original pickups on it should be fine for me for now? am I right? : )

That's a lot of helpful info right there! thanks a lot Ceri !!
Awesome! that's one hell of a guitar you got there! great looking man!! mine would be more like an Eric Clapton's black with maple fretboard, I hope I won't regret later choosing this model and color : p So in my case, my MIJ Strat 57' Reissue it's all original, thus the three pickups would all be simply described as "Japan vintage pickups" right? or there's actual name for the pickups? Also, I just saw posts saying "Consider that the 50s re-issues, at least the older ones had really skinny 50s frets that most people don't like much." & "I have a 1982 '57 Reissue, the first year of the '57 RI. It has the vintage frets, which I really don't like. It's a chore to bend strings with them." Those are comments on the model I've found.. so, is the 57'RI model I'm buying has a more skinny frets and really hard to bend strings/press chords..? I'm really afraid about this, cz my first electric guitar (which is like a no brand). It's extremely a lot harder to bend on solos and requires a lot more force pressing chords comparing to my friend's Fender. It actually hurts my hand and I can't play long on it. That's why I'm considering getting a Fender this time, hoping it would be much easier(better feel. playable.)to play like my friend's which I couldn't help stop playing on it lol, I thought you might know how it's like since you got a MIJ Strat 57' Reissue as well? and.. perhaps the standard model is easier to play for intermediate players like me since it's name "standard"? hahah idk that was random.. or it would be the same as a Strat 57' Reissue I guess. Sorry for the long reply.. Cheers : )

Thanks for the notice ChrisNJ !
I have a friend that really knows about guitar and stuffs, he have been playing for years and is going to go check out the guitar with me, I believe he definitely knows what he's looking for. I thought it would be nice to bring a person that's experienced and can really tell the good/bad. Thanks though ChrisNJ, I'll keep that in mind ! : )

Thanks a lot for the helpful info Retroverbial !
seems like a Japanese body and neck is great finish, but eventually no one keeps the original but change the pickups etc on a MIJ/CIJ Strat Reissue.. I guess except the neck & body, the originals are really not that good and have to be changed later. Sad to know, because I'm limited on the budget and can't afford to make much changes on the guitar at least in the next few years.. I didn't quite get the last part, so what you meant is that 57' reissue ones r made of woods that are soft and could be damaged easily...? Also, do you know what paint that's use on the model I'm interested in? is it like Ash or sth? I don't really know the difference between different types of paint.. was hoping someone could explain that to be in advance.lol. Cheers : )

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Hi again Jimmy. Couple of things...

In the past many of us felt that Japanese Fenders fitted into the catalog somewhere close to the American product and far above the Mexican output. However, in recent years Fender have invested heavily in the Mexican factory and worked very hard on quality control and as far as I've seen it has paid off. To my eye guitars coming out of Mexico are these days pretty much on a par with the Japanese ones: great stuff at their price point.

Lot of us love Japanese Fenders, but I don't see a meaningful reason to diss the Mexican gear nowadays. Good guitars.



Well if you have Clapton flavours in mind then another Japanese model you might want to look out for is the ST54-LS. That is their Clapton-esque Strat: it is a black '54/'57 with maple neck, a V-shaped neck carve, Gold Lace Sensor pickups and Eric's active mid-boost circuit.

It is the most affordable Clapton model out there at present, a bit more expensive than the '57 RI - but not bad! Here it is:



It also has a proper battery compartment on the back to drive the mid-boost. You gotta love Japanese Fenders!



Something to think about...

Cheers - C

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