It's undeniable the guitar playing community owes a debt of gratitude to Dan Smith and his cohorts. Their foresight and vision for the ailing behemoth rescued it from the erosion caused by the CBS period and deciding to embrace the skilled luthiers of the Far East instead of following a more litigious route surely proved to be a better option in the long run.

To give the American manufacturing the breathing space whilst they sorted out production, a deal was struck to form Fender Japan and for instruments to be produced there under license for  the domestic and export market.  Sharing the hardware of the new AVRI range, these were not cheap instruments with the first production run bearing the Fender logo. Soon these were superseded by the Squire by Fender guitars to differentiate and the Squire JV myth was born.   

This guitar is in great condition. These export models were finished in thin polyurethane which has weathered the years very well with no sign of fade, free of any dings or damage of any sort. Noteworthy is the accuracy of the three tone sunburst, a feature that helped convince Dan Smith, then CEO of Fender, that these Japanese guitars were worthy of the Fender name.

As with the body, the neck too is finished in polyurethane which has retained its deep gloss, fade only really evident on the headstock face where there is some slight damage from a stand. Fretboard and frets are in great shape. Neck date reads February 1983

Plastics don’t seem to have faded and there is only some discolouration on the hardware. The pickguard isn't original, replaced by the previous owner.

Electrically everything looks correct. Pots are dated December 1982 with the trio of SQ-5 Hot Rod pickups still present. This guitar is fitted with a DM-50 5 way switch.

The guitar comes with a hardshell case

This guitar is a revelation. It feels and plays fantastically with all five positions delivering a wonderful array of classic strat tones without ever getting muddy or too shrill. It even puts some of the other stratocasters that we have in the showroom to shame. Believe the hype.

A testament to the craftspeople of the Fuji Gen-Gakki Mfg Co and their ability to produce a guitar that Fullerton had neglected over the past decade. These guitars might never reach the lofty heights of the guitars that inspired them but they are worth investigating. Grab this before it gets away