'52 Japanese RI

BloozeGit · April 24th, 2005, 01:07 AM

Hi fellas,

I've recently gotten a '52 Japanese RI that's really great, and I've been trying to find out more about its specs but the Fender Japan website doesn't have anything in English.

It's from the 80s, from the E in the serial number. Can anyone point me to a website with the specs in English or just help me out with some of the details like body material, pickups etc.

Thanks!

Caper · April 24th, 2005, 07:23 AM

Sneaky, is our own Japenese Correspondent in the Land of The Rising Sun

He pops in every now and then.

sneakyjapan · April 24th, 2005, 07:49 AM

sneakyjapan · April 24th, 2005, 07:58 AM

hey. howyadoin over there on the east coast of Canada eh?
80s FJ....my favorites. I own several and all have a date written in pencil on the neck butt...unlike Caper`s butt...at least, thats what I`ve heard.
About the tele in question... what color? I`ve got FJs made of ash. alder and sen. Where is the serial number...headstock?...front or back? base of the neck? What are the electronics...small and flimsy or full size? steel switch or piece O plastic crap?... I mean that in the nicest possible way, I have a couple of newer models with the plastic switch. Any other stickers on the back of the headstock, small green one? custom edition?
There used to be a really good Japanese web site with lots of info on FJ models, but the guy rearranged it and it`s not useful anymore. I go back every now and then, hoping he`s gonna go back to the way it was but no luck so far. You could try Katsumi`s ... the Complete Telecaster site... he has both foreign and Japanese posters there.

BloozeGit · April 24th, 2005, 06:32 PM

Hmmm ok here goes:

Butterscotch blonde
Serial number E 959933 on the headstock, which says Fender Telecaster in bold print
Switches and pots seem to be pretty good stuff. Pots are full size.
Says Made in Japan on the base of the neck
No stickers anywhere
The neck plate has the letter F stamped in it and has some black plastic (?) binding-like rim.
3 ply black pickguard

Yeap that's about it. I'll get down to checking the pencilled date on the neck the next time I change strings.
Thanks for helping shed some light on my new love.

jwells393 · April 24th, 2005, 09:05 PM

The neck plate with the Fender "F", the plastic under the neck plate and the three ply pickguard wouldn't be found on a 52 reissue.
Does it have the round string tree? Does it have dome knobs?

sneakyjapan · April 24th, 2005, 09:37 PM

correct me if I`m wrong but... FJ never really called them Re Issues...we do. I was looking at my 2004 FJ catalog last night and the only guitar actually called a reissue is the Kurt Kobain Jagstang.

BloozeGit · April 24th, 2005, 10:22 PM

Hmmm nope the knobs are flat on top. String trees are a single strip of metal curved in an M shape.

I wouldn't be too surprised if it's had some replacement parts, because I got it used. It's had a new nut and probably new Gotoh tuners (the ones with roughly hexagonal heads). It was consigned to the guitar store that I bought it from, so the sales guy couldn't really verify every detail.

In any case, I didn't pay collector's price (not that these are really collector's items yet anyway) so not a biggie, just hoping to find out more.

sneakyjapan · April 25th, 2005, 05:31 AM

yup....could be a frankentele...or as they like to say here...a flankentere.

BloozeGit · April 25th, 2005, 06:32 AM

Just out of curiosity, what hardware belongs to which era?

Like for example if you're saying the neck plate doesn't belong on a 52 MIJ RI, then where did it come from?
String trees, dome knobs etc?

BloozeGit · April 25th, 2005, 07:13 AM

ok my curiosity was killing me so I had a look at the neck pocket. It says CTL-50M with 2 red printed letters F and N on the neck pocket, and CTL-50 with a red printed F on the neck. Does this mean anything?

jwells393 · April 25th, 2005, 08:05 AM

............... it seems that Fender Japan just gives them model numbers. We call them reissues. By reissues, we mean they are made to look and feel like certain models Fender USA made in the past.
Bloozegit ........... Yours sounds more like a Fender from the 60s. My 66 Telecaster has most of the appointments you describe. Yours may not be a copy of anything. It may just be a MIJ Telecaster from the 80s. They probably no longer make the exact same model.

sneakyjapan · April 25th, 2005, 09:17 AM

if I were a betting man...and I am... I`d say that 50 in the neck pocket means one of 2 things, it sold for 50,000 yen originally, and I`ve seen strats with a small green sticker 55 on the back of the headstock meaning it sold for 55,000 yen and those I`ve seen are made of basswood... or it`s a guitar modeled after a 1950s tele... and in either case, my guess is the M means maple neck.
The 50 was incorporated into the original model number, the same way FJ does it today, for example... the TL52-80, as most here are aware... means the guitar sells for 80,000 yen MSRP. My 1985 FJ strat has that small green 65 on the back of the headstock...65,000 yen.

sneakyjapan · April 25th, 2005, 09:18 AM

JWells...did you see my question in the Bad Dog Cafe?

BloozeGit · April 25th, 2005, 10:01 AM

woah way cool...I'm just a sucker for guitar history like that. Looks like I've either got a "one-of-a-kind" or a mongrel. Either way, it's all good. Thanks again fellas!

Caper · April 25th, 2005, 06:59 PM

Quote:

hey. howyadoin over there on the east coast of Canada eh?

Things are goin well here in ol Cape Breton. My wife and I took a drive around the Cabot Trail last weekend, stopped at Cheticamp, it was beautiful.

Quote:

I own several and all have a date written in pencil on the neck butt...unlike Caper`s butt...at least, thats what I`ve heard.

Ah the mark on my butt is written in ink

lenny · April 25th, 2005, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sneakyjapan

correct me if I`m wrong but... FJ never really called them Re Issues...we do. I was looking at my 2004 FJ catalog last night and the only guitar actually called a reissue is the Kurt Kobain Jagstang.

probably because they never "issued" the first versions over there :)
...
carry on

lenny · April 25th, 2005, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sneakyjapan

yup....could be a frankentele...or as they like to say here...a flankentere.

haha. my friend had a class with a japanese guy at berklee, and the japanese guy had perfect pitch.
the teacher played a tune one day in the "wrong" key.
the japanese guy piped up and said ,
"Pray it right. it's in b frat!"
we used to get sore sides from laughing so hard when my pal did his impression

sneakyjapan · April 25th, 2005, 08:12 PM

you know it`s interesting...the Japanese language has the R sound...arigato... comes to mind, and they can say that no problem...then they see English words with R or L and they suddenly become dyslexic or something. `course we`re no better when we massacre Japanese...and you should hear my attempt at the language...not pretty.

Twang Tone · April 26th, 2005, 06:20 AM

...that make GREAT guitars!!

That's for sure. There's no 'Friday' culture in Japanese craftsmanship - they make consistently good guitars.

One of the first things I look at on any Fender is how tight the neck pocket is. All the *** ones I 've seen have been snug, and truly well made.

Can I get an 'Amen' to that?

sneakyjapan · April 26th, 2005, 07:11 AM

well, if you like the FJs, and get a chance to buy an MIJ Seymour Duncan, Van Zandt, Crews, Bacchus or the old Greco strats, you should not hesitate, they are excellent too. Even the lower end Duncans are real nice and the higher up in the pecking order you go, the better they get... and The Van Zandts are not cheap but brother... they are worth it.

April 24th, 2005, 01:07 AM	#1 (permalink)
BloozeGit Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 133	'52 Japanese RI Hi fellas, I've recently gotten a '52 Japanese RI that's really great, and I've been trying to find out more about its specs but the Fender Japan website doesn't have anything in English. It's from the 80s, from the E in the serial number. Can anyone point me to a website with the specs in English or just help me out with some of the details like body material, pickups etc. Thanks!

April 24th, 2005, 07:49 AM	#3 (permalink)
sneakyjapan Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nippon Posts: 2,342 3 Photos	pop __________________ quasi mojo

April 24th, 2005, 07:58 AM	#4 (permalink)
sneakyjapan Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nippon Posts: 2,342 3 Photos	hey. howyadoin over there on the east coast of Canada eh? 80s FJ....my favorites. I own several and all have a date written in pencil on the neck butt...unlike Caper`s butt...at least, thats what I`ve heard. About the tele in question... what color? I`ve got FJs made of ash. alder and sen. Where is the serial number...headstock?...front or back? base of the neck? What are the electronics...small and flimsy or full size? steel switch or piece O plastic crap?... I mean that in the nicest possible way, I have a couple of newer models with the plastic switch. Any other stickers on the back of the headstock, small green one? custom edition? There used to be a really good Japanese web site with lots of info on FJ models, but the guy rearranged it and it`s not useful anymore. I go back every now and then, hoping he`s gonna go back to the way it was but no luck so far. You could try Katsumi`s ... the Complete Telecaster site... he has both foreign and Japanese posters there. __________________ quasi mojo

April 24th, 2005, 09:05 PM	#6 (permalink)
jwells393 Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Albuquerque, USA Age: 64 Posts: 11,696 101 Photos	The neck plate with the Fender "F", the plastic under the neck plate and the three ply pickguard wouldn't be found on a 52 reissue. Does it have the round string tree? Does it have dome knobs? __________________ Jack's Disclaimer: When I say something.... always ask yourself ..... "What the hell does he know?" _ Guys - learn to disable the flash on your digital cameras.

April 24th, 2005, 09:37 PM	#7 (permalink)
sneakyjapan Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nippon Posts: 2,342 3 Photos	correct me if I`m wrong but... FJ never really called them Re Issues...we do. I was looking at my 2004 FJ catalog last night and the only guitar actually called a reissue is the Kurt Kobain Jagstang. __________________ quasi mojo

April 24th, 2005, 07:23 AM	#2 (permalink)
Caper Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,151 6 Photos	Sneaky, is our own Japenese Correspondent in the Land of The Rising Sun He pops in every now and then.

April 24th, 2005, 06:32 PM	#5 (permalink)
BloozeGit Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 133	Hmmm ok here goes: Butterscotch blonde Serial number E 959933 on the headstock, which says Fender Telecaster in bold print Switches and pots seem to be pretty good stuff. Pots are full size. Says Made in Japan on the base of the neck No stickers anywhere The neck plate has the letter F stamped in it and has some black plastic (?) binding-like rim. 3 ply black pickguard Yeap that's about it. I'll get down to checking the pencilled date on the neck the next time I change strings. Thanks for helping shed some light on my new love.

April 24th, 2005, 10:22 PM	#8 (permalink)
BloozeGit Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 133	Hmmm nope the knobs are flat on top. String trees are a single strip of metal curved in an M shape. I wouldn't be too surprised if it's had some replacement parts, because I got it used. It's had a new nut and probably new Gotoh tuners (the ones with roughly hexagonal heads). It was consigned to the guitar store that I bought it from, so the sales guy couldn't really verify every detail. In any case, I didn't pay collector's price (not that these are really collector's items yet anyway) so not a biggie, just hoping to find out more.

April 25th, 2005, 05:31 AM	#9 (permalink)
sneakyjapan Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nippon Posts: 2,342 3 Photos	yup....could be a frankentele...or as they like to say here...a flankentere. __________________ quasi mojo

April 25th, 2005, 06:32 AM	#10 (permalink)
BloozeGit Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 133	Just out of curiosity, what hardware belongs to which era? Like for example if you're saying the neck plate doesn't belong on a 52 MIJ RI, then where did it come from? String trees, dome knobs etc?

April 25th, 2005, 07:13 AM	#11 (permalink)
BloozeGit Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 133	ok my curiosity was killing me so I had a look at the neck pocket. It says CTL-50M with 2 red printed letters F and N on the neck pocket, and CTL-50 with a red printed F on the neck. Does this mean anything?

April 25th, 2005, 08:05 AM	#12 (permalink)
jwells393 Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Albuquerque, USA Age: 64 Posts: 11,696 101 Photos	Sneakey is probably right ................. ............... it seems that Fender Japan just gives them model numbers. We call them reissues. By reissues, we mean they are made to look and feel like certain models Fender USA made in the past. Bloozegit ........... Yours sounds more like a Fender from the 60s. My 66 Telecaster has most of the appointments you describe. Yours may not be a copy of anything. It may just be a MIJ Telecaster from the 80s. They probably no longer make the exact same model. __________________ Jack's Disclaimer: When I say something.... always ask yourself ..... "What the hell does he know?" _ Guys - learn to disable the flash on your digital cameras.

April 25th, 2005, 09:17 AM	#13 (permalink)
sneakyjapan Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nippon Posts: 2,342 3 Photos	if I were a betting man...and I am... I`d say that 50 in the neck pocket means one of 2 things, it sold for 50,000 yen originally, and I`ve seen strats with a small green sticker 55 on the back of the headstock meaning it sold for 55,000 yen and those I`ve seen are made of basswood... or it`s a guitar modeled after a 1950s tele... and in either case, my guess is the M means maple neck. The 50 was incorporated into the original model number, the same way FJ does it today, for example... the TL52-80, as most here are aware... means the guitar sells for 80,000 yen MSRP. My 1985 FJ strat has that small green 65 on the back of the headstock...65,000 yen. __________________ quasi mojo

April 25th, 2005, 09:18 AM	#14 (permalink)
sneakyjapan Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nippon Posts: 2,342 3 Photos	JWells...did you see my question in the Bad Dog Cafe? __________________ quasi mojo

April 25th, 2005, 10:01 AM	#15 (permalink)
BloozeGit Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 133	woah way cool...I'm just a sucker for guitar history like that. Looks like I've either got a "one-of-a-kind" or a mongrel. Either way, it's all good. Thanks again fellas!

April 25th, 2005, 08:12 PM	#19 (permalink)
sneakyjapan Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nippon Posts: 2,342 3 Photos	you know it`s interesting...the Japanese language has the R sound...arigato... comes to mind, and they can say that no problem...then they see English words with R or L and they suddenly become dyslexic or something. `course we`re no better when we massacre Japanese...and you should hear my attempt at the language...not pretty. __________________ quasi mojo

April 26th, 2005, 06:20 AM	#20 (permalink)
Twang Tone Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: London, England Age: 35 Posts: 810	Well, however they speak... ...that make GREAT guitars!! That's for sure. There's no 'Friday' culture in Japanese craftsmanship - they make consistently good guitars. One of the first things I look at on any Fender is how tight the neck pocket is. All the *** ones I 've seen have been snug, and truly well made. Can I get an 'Amen' to that? __________________ TT Ridicule is nothing to be scared of!

April 26th, 2005, 07:11 AM	#21 (permalink)
sneakyjapan Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nippon Posts: 2,342 3 Photos	well, if you like the FJs, and get a chance to buy an MIJ Seymour Duncan, Van Zandt, Crews, Bacchus or the old Greco strats, you should not hesitate, they are excellent too. Even the lower end Duncans are real nice and the higher up in the pecking order you go, the better they get... and The Van Zandts are not cheap but brother... they are worth it. __________________ quasi mojo