Tokai Japan now making Fender branded guitars!!!

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Ben

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I have a friend currently in Japan looking for a Tokai Tele for me. Last year I scored a beautiful Love Rock ex Japan. My friend advised me today every shop he goes into in Tokyo they tell him Tokai are now making Fenders and they wont be able to supply a new original Tokai??? How can Tokai sellout like this? :( Does anyone have any knowledge of this turn of events? Ben (New Zealand)
 
I`d read that the contract with the factory that had been making FJ`s expired but I never heard anything after that. Could be true, why not... they`re tooled up for strats and teles... the Les Pauls however are another story. I`ll see if I can dig up any info.
 
I'm kind of confused here. What Tokai Japan? I thought all the current Tokais were being made in Korea.

Ps-Hi Sneaky!
 
Sounds clear to me. Since they have no Fender type on their current MIJ guitars, and since Fender US has moved most of their lower end reissues to Mexico, it seems that Tokai will take over the japan line.

Good for Fender!
 
Yes,Tokai is making Fender Japan guitars,and very proud about it.That could be the reason we don't see many Tokai ST and TE now.I have read an article placing on this board by Nick(I think ) where a Tokai representative was telling Fender Japan contacted Tokai by 1981 or 82 asking him making guitars for them but Tokai refused it.Next move was asking Fuji Gen Gakki factory who had being building for them until 1.998(Made in Japan) ,I guess.Tokai is very well known factory in Japan and they can make any guitar they want.They were the first adquiring an using CNC machines,but they make a lot of work by hand too.And the best of all is that Tokai Gakki President is a luthier too,he knows a lot about building guitars(he was at Martin factory when he was young as an apprentice) and that's always very good thing.A friend of mine bought a '03 TE-62 75TX tele and is a good guitar(excelent finish no flaws).I have tried 3 Fender Thinlines Classics and the Fender Japan has better neck and better finish.
 
so maybe I read it here then. Boy... those years of mind expanding self abuse are catching up to me now. I too recently got a TE 62-75 TX in blue, not listd in catalogs, and it has no serial number other than the number on the bridge plate which was used on the warranty card. It had been bought new last July and I got it used in December. So this factory change may add a new twist to FJ serial number system. I had never seen a FJ without a serial number up to that point. It has CIJ on the bese of the neck though.
What a contract FJ must have been to get huh. I`ve posted the question on a Japanese site frequented by Fender players here in Japan using my translator software... not sure how the question came out but I hope it`s ok... I`ll ask my wife to read it see if it`s kosher.
Bluefrogs... are you the fella I used to chat with on a live Fender chat site a while back? From LA with a Japanese wife?
 
Felipe Nacif said:
Sounds clear to me. Since they have no Fender type on their current MIJ guitars, and since Fender US has moved most of their lower end reissues to Mexico, it seems that Tokai will take over the japan line.

Good for Fender!

Tokai does have japan made strat/tele style guitars, for example AST-50/ATE-50 and also ATE-70. This one is for sale in Sweden at the moment, it's a new ATE-70 with a rosewood top/back:

tokaiATE70sm.jpg


I have a japan made (2002) AST-50 that I bought from Germany:

ast-50.jpg


Mike
 
This is good news if it's true. It means that Tokai will stay in business plus keep their hand in in building Strat and Tele replicas. Plus maybe I can fly the Fender flag again if it's up to Tokai standards (that is, made by them). :wink:

The current state of affairs at Fender is grim, judging from my recent trip to the local F dealer. American Strat models ($850) with no resonance to them and halfway decent Strat tones in some positions. One out of the two Strat Deluxes ($1200) they had (nice finishes but the maple was so broad-grained I had to look twice to assure myself it really was maple) played well and had some snap to it. There was a Mexican 50s Strat that was good.

I guess you need to buy stuff from their Custom Shop to get a decent Strat, or hope you get a good one from Mexico. Their California production line QC must be a horrorshow. And this ticks me off :evil: because Fender created such fantastic, cheap and durable instruments, in the beginning, that is. I want them to do well, and it's just sad. Man, have I been spoiled by you-know-whats!

From everything I've read, G&L Strats are the way to go for good American Strats. And Reverends are so chimey and fun to play they oughtta be illegal.
 
if I were going to spend the kind of money Fender USA wants for a custom shop, I`d go with another US maker... Suhr, Lentz, Anderson Grosh... and I`m certain there are many more who are doing it better than Fender these days. Even in Japan, given the choice I go with Van Zandt, Duncan Crews, Bacchus among others, and I don`t even look at new guitars any more... hunting the used bargains is just too much fun. I own a few Fender Japans from the 80`s and if you want to play a Fender again, I recommend those.
 
How long has Tokai Japan been making guitars for Fender Japan? Is this a known fact, or just conjecture? Just curious.

Does this mean the recent Fender Paisley and Blue Flower Strats (plus Teles and P-Bass) put out last summer were made by Tokai?

I did try one of the Fender Japanese Paisley reissues in a Pittsburgh guitar shop last summer and it was decent but nothing special, but then again, the body wood was poplar, so the specs say.

thanks

Steve
 
I got zero feedback from the question at a Japanese site. Either no one gives a crap or they don`t know.
 
:eek:
I don't know if I'm happy that Tokai is now making Fenders, more probably because I'm afraid that getting a Fender Japan might be more expensive than getting a Tokai.

I remember my first guitar, a cream Tokai Golstar Sound Strat Maple. It sounded better than a Japanese Fender. If they are now making Japanese Fenders, good for Fender, too bad for Tokai. :cry:
 
heres a response I got...
I am not sure who is actually producing the guitars.
But I heard from somebody, Tokai is producing the low-end guitars and
Fujigen is producing the high-end guitars.

I hope this is helpful.
Best regards,
Koichi
 

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