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Old Fender Japan Catalogs - Oddness

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 8:48 pm
by Danley
Found here: http://brochures.yokochou.com/en_index.html

1983 - They gave your guitar a behind-the-nut lock, but how about the bridge?

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The answer: BOTTOM ROX!

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Or: END ROX!

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'85 - Best locking nut concept; love to explore this further:

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'93 - Whoa

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'94 - Cramped

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Also '94 - Samurai?

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'96

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'96

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'02

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Offsets: Starting 1993 , Basswood/Sen are never mentioned in the context of the Jaguar/Jazzmaster

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Unless you bought a gold hardware special:

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Last - '84 . :

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Re: Old Fender Japan Catalogs - Oddness

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 9:46 pm
by Futuron
Danley wrote:
Thu Jun 06, 2019 8:48 pm
Found here: http://brochures.yokochou.com/en_index.html

1983 - They gave your guitar a behind-the-nut lock, but how about the bridge?

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The answer: BOTTOM ROX!

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Or: END ROX!

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Fender Japan need to make a guitar with a rocking nut and locking bridge

Re: Old Fender Japan Catalogs - Oddness

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 2:53 am
by CorporateDisguise
That Mosrite/tele hybrid is pretty freaking rad.

Re: Old Fender Japan Catalogs - Oddness

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:12 am
by burpgun
I swear to god I never understand the gulf of design risk taking between Fender Japan and U.S. Fender. Colors, designs, whatever, the Japanese operation was constantly trying stuff. I remember that weird hollowbody P-bass thing when it came out. I think it also had a piezo in the bridge, but not sure. I wonder what that dual slanted pickup P-bass sounded like. I've never seen anything like that.

Re: Old Fender Japan Catalogs - Oddness

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:09 am
by Danley
Only noticed now that the 'Upper Rox' headstock lock actually has fine tuners. One thing that never gets mentioned in these catalogs is the System 2 bridge (locking version of the 'Elite' front-sprung vibrato.) Guess you'd have to use it with 'Upper Rox' since it didn't have fine-tuners. The Nokie Telecaster is pretty damn cool actually.

Re: Old Fender Japan Catalogs - Oddness

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:17 am
by Larry Mal
Regarding the "best locking nut" concept, my father in law actually has that on an HSS Japanese Strat that he has. It's a great guitar.

He does not like that locking nut, and he's explained to me why, but I forget. He says it's quite a hassle in practice and I think he just leaves it off. I haven't used it personally.

Regarding that vibrato block, what is being locked back there?

Re: Old Fender Japan Catalogs - Oddness

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:23 am
by Danley
Larry Mal wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:17 am
Regarding the "best locking nut" concept, my father in law actually has that on an HSS Japanese Strat that he has. It's a great guitar.

He does not like that locking nut, and he's explained to me why, but I forget. He says it's quite a hassle in practice and I think he just leaves it off. I haven't used it personally.

Regarding that vibrato block, what is being locked back there?
If I break out a textbook and channel me from a decade ago when I took a year of Japanese in college, I may be able to make sense of it in a day or two. Too bad the nut fails in practical terms.

Re: Old Fender Japan Catalogs - Oddness

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 10:28 am
by Larry Mal
Well, don't place too much stock on my secondhand account here. It might be just fine for you or me, in fact, I would buy a guitar that had that on there despite his warning.

Re: Old Fender Japan Catalogs - Oddness

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 10:37 am
by JVG
Jeez that takes me back! What a time - before retro was cool, and everyone wanted new stuff. EMG pickups, Floyd Rose vibratos, fluorescent paint jobs....

Things have changed.

But yeah, agree that Fender Japan was fairly progressive compared to the US. Thanks for posting!

J.

Re: Old Fender Japan Catalogs - Oddness

Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2019 4:40 am
by X-Ray Spex
My Dad has one of the HSS Japan contemporary Strats from 1987, the locking nut thing works fine. The bridge system on the other hand is an absolute nightmare to setup and maintain, consequently it's been hardtailed never to divebomb again. The humbucker in the bridge kicks absolute ass though.

Re: Old Fender Japan Catalogs - Oddness

Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2019 5:47 am
by Danley
X-Ray Spex wrote:
Mon Jun 10, 2019 4:40 am
My Dad has one of the HSS Japan contemporary Strats from 1987, the locking nut thing works fine. The bridge system on the other hand is an absolute nightmare to setup and maintain, consequently it's been hardtailed never to divebomb again. The humbucker in the bridge kicks absolute ass though.
Are these they (System 3/Schaller Soapbar?) I'm curious about the 'contemporary' series guitars - and the front-route System 3 vibrato pictured below in particular. Given my fascination with Offsets, I'm always up for a new challenge when setting up a vibrato as a big middle-finger to anyone who says it can't work :D

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Re: Old Fender Japan Catalogs - Oddness

Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2019 6:00 am
by valley_parade
CorporateDisguise wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 2:53 am
That Mosrite/tele hybrid is pretty freaking rad.
Seriously.

Re: Old Fender Japan Catalogs - Oddness

Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2019 4:29 am
by X-Ray Spex
Danley wrote:
Mon Jun 10, 2019 5:47 am
X-Ray Spex wrote:
Mon Jun 10, 2019 4:40 am
My Dad has one of the HSS Japan contemporary Strats from 1987, the locking nut thing works fine. The bridge system on the other hand is an absolute nightmare to setup and maintain, consequently it's been hardtailed never to divebomb again. The humbucker in the bridge kicks absolute ass though.
Are these they (System 3/Schaller Soapbar?) I'm curious about the 'contemporary' series guitars - and the front-route System 3 vibrato pictured below in particular. Given my fascination with Offsets, I'm always up for a new challenge when setting up a vibrato as a big middle-finger to anyone who says it can't work :D

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It very well might be, although I think my Dad's one has brass saddles etc so it might be system 1 or 2 possibly? I'll be heading over at the weekend probably so can report back here then.