Great MIJ source

endzone · July 10th, 2006, 02:03 AM

I got to play a brand new MIJ '52 RI this weekend. Good friend of mine ordered from a music store in Japan. They still make one fantastic guitar. VERY high quality. I've known you could get MIJ's but never felt comfortable ordering from over there not knowing a credible source. My friend has ordered several guitars from over there. Never had a problem and he gets the item within a week or so. As a matter of fact, he won't even buy American made any more because he can get these MIJ's for so much less. This gorgous '52 RI costs $683 with HSC and shipping. Here's a link to the store. There's a place on the site where you order, that will give you the Yen conversion rate as well as shipping costs. Enjoy shopping. (I'm not endorsing this store. It's just the only one I know that someone can vouch for with experience. )

http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomfr...%2Ffenderjp%2F

csapo · July 10th, 2006, 02:20 AM

You and your friend have good taste. There are a few of us here who love the MIJ/CIJ Telecasters. Great quality and terrific value. Whether you pick one up from Ebay or direct from Ishibashi, you can't go wrong.

I believe Mr. Wells has one of the nicest collections. I have a couple new additions to this older photo. Mine is a work in progress.

fungusyoung · July 10th, 2006, 02:26 AM

+1 on Ishibashi & CIJ's!

Just got another Thinline from Ishibashi on Friday (see Twin Thins thread). It was picked up from their store in Tokyo on July 5th and delivered to my door by midday on the 7th.

The craftsmanship and quality of the two CIJ's I have are top notch.

Alex W · July 10th, 2006, 02:34 AM

Sorry to threadjack, but... how the heck does one start a new thread around here? I've been staring at the screen for ten minutes and I can't find it! Incredibly stupid, I know, but please... someone help me out.

Back to topic, my 1995 MIJ Tele is a great guitar.

Tq · July 10th, 2006, 02:42 AM

FJ has had a new higher end guitar out for a while now. It is labeled 52-110DM for 1952 copy costing 110,000 yen with D'Marzio special-wound pickups. I have one -- killer guitar, lacquer finish, great neck and the pickups are pretty good. About 85,000 yen -- 775 bucks in Tokyo with a decnt soft case...

getbent · July 10th, 2006, 02:45 AM

dig the ishibashi stuff! are you limited to the links on the english page or could you order something else?

Okay, and to start a new thread, go to the appropriate group like Bad Dog, Amp Central whatever, and at the top left of the page there is a button called NEW POST click that bad boy....

petebradt · July 10th, 2006, 03:37 AM

1999 CIJ TL-52-80 with Hamels. Best Tele I ever played. I've lost count of how many people wanted to buy it.

lchyi · July 10th, 2006, 03:51 AM

What's the shell pinker? Is that a standard tele?

sneakyjapan · July 10th, 2006, 08:01 AM

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...itetele006.jpg

I`m a big fan of the MIJs, I own several but mostly older ones. Heres a pic of my 1985 white tele, I think it`s from the Zinger series of the mid 80s...an excellent guitar and I paid very little for it.
I`m waiting for that DiMarzio series to start showing up on the used market and I`ll get one or two... the `57 strat is amazing too.
The grass is always greener eh... Japanese players seem to be much more interested in MIA Fenders than MIJs and we want the MIJs... BUT the 8-0s FJs have become very collectable here over the past few years and are getting more difficult to find at good orices...I`m in a smaller city with less competition though, and have been very lucky to find some rare beauties. F/USA makes all kinds of guitars sold only in Japan because guys here will...and do...pay almost anything for em. Gibson does too but not at the same level as Fender.

teledude66 · July 10th, 2006, 08:26 AM

so are they still labeled MIJ or are they CIJ? Is there a difference, I played a CIJ (admittedly only one) but I didn't care for it compared to MIJ's I have played. Just wondering if there's a difference, I know I've probably read about it, but right now it escapes me....

eryque · July 10th, 2006, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex W

Sorry to threadjack, but... how the heck does one start a new thread around here? I've been staring at the screen for ten minutes and I can't find it! Incredibly stupid, I know, but please... someone help me out.

Back to topic, my 1995 MIJ Tele is a great guitar.

My # (and only Tele) is a 96-ish MIJ Donahue. I replaced the neck, but the original was every bit as good as any other neck I've played. If only I could get Fender or Fender Japan to start offering a 1" thick neck on all their models... and then only if I could find enough liquid income for all the guitars I wanted... :)

Alex, to start a new thread, find this button:

You have to be logged in to see it, and it will be at the top and bottom of the list of threads.

PhatBoy · July 10th, 2006, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eryque

I replaced the neck, but the original was every bit as good as any other neck I've played.

Eryque,

what kind of replacement neck did you use?

PB

endzone · July 10th, 2006, 10:16 AM

I know that MIJ's are good guitars, my #1 Tele is a MIJ. But I bought it back in the early 90's when they sold them new here in the states. The purpose of this thread was to let anyone interested know of a source where you could still buy MIJ's at a really good price IMO. But Ishibashi has already been known about by the members here. As is always the case on this forum, someone has usually "been there and done that". That's why I love it and have gotten so much out of hanging out here.

Chris S. · July 10th, 2006, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex W

Sorry to threadjack, but... how the heck does one start a new thread around here? I've been staring at the screen for ten minutes and I can't find it! Incredibly stupid, I know, but please... someone help me out.

No problem. :-) Starting from the main page, just click on the forum you want to put your post in: Amp Central Station, for example:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/amp-central-station/

You'll see the words "New Post" in blue and yellow script at the top left of the forum grid.

Hope it helps, CS

Alex W · July 10th, 2006, 10:35 AM

okay great. thanks! *sheepish grin*

john s · July 10th, 2006, 11:35 AM

Got myself a 62 r/w neck white Tele from Ishibashi for 52000 yen..and have to say that since I fitted it with Di Marzio Twang Kings, it is ( out of my other Tele's ) the best of the bunch! I would have no hesitation in buying another from these guys.
John S.

jwells393 · July 10th, 2006, 12:06 PM

Quote:

so are they still labeled MIJ or are they CIJ?

Fender Japan changed the labeling from "Made in Japan" to "Crafted in Japan" around 1997. So ......... the difference is the date of manufacturing.

Telemaniac · July 10th, 2006, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teledude66

so are they still labeled MIJ or are they CIJ? Is there a difference, I played a CIJ (admittedly only one) but I didn't care for it compared to MIJ's I have played. Just wondering if there's a difference, I know I've probably read about it, but right now it escapes me....

FJ change from Made in Japan to Crafted in Japan about 1997-ish. One thing to watch for is vendors selling A****** serial CiJs (really from about 1998)calling them 1985 ones, because they don't realize the S/Ns were duplicated between M/CiJ. The only time I've noticed a difference was between tha M/CiJ 62 RIs, the earlier one MiJ sunburst I had was great, I sold it because I wanted a TLB finish (translucent blue), brand new from Ishibashi, and really it didn't seem as good, although to be fair there wasn't much in it.

All the other M/CiJ ones have been fine regardless, especially an old JV Squier Strat that I sold for next to nothing before I realised they were becoming collectable!! In fact, a CiJ 52RI is probably next (and last??) on my GASlist.

If you want something that isn't on the English translation page (like the TLB 62RI) just email Ishibashi, tell them what you want, and they will sort you out. Great people to deal with.

Joel Terry · July 10th, 2006, 12:20 PM

All of my Fender guitars and basses are stock MIJ, CIJ, or hybrid guitars made of MIJ and CIJ parts. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Great choice, endzone!

Joel

eryque · July 10th, 2006, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhatBoy

Eryque,

what kind of replacement neck did you use?

PB

I ordered a USACG neck to my specs. Maple fretboard, headstock trussrod adjustment, 1" thick fatback, 6105 frets, 7.5-9.5" compound radius board. I won't order from Warmoth anymore, they've screwed things up every time I did.

Next time I need a neck I'll look for an Allpart TMO-FAT. I'm learning to refret so the fret size isn't an issue for me anymore (well, I hope it won't be, I haven't finished one yet! :) ) I'd prefer a headstock truss rod adjustment, but for the price I'll live with it.

teledude66 · July 10th, 2006, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwells393

Fender Japan changed the labeling from "Made in Japan" to "Crafted in Japan" around 1997. So ......... the difference is the date of manufacturing.

thanks....I just see everybody still saying MIJ, and I was thinking maybe they had 2 divisions or something.

Alex W · July 12th, 2006, 02:05 PM

So are the prices in Yen advertised at Ishibashi Music's web page the "list" prices, from which one can expect a certain discount such as at U.S. retailers, or do those represent the actual price?

Using the currency exchange calculator at Google I came up with:
Telecaster TL52-80TX 64,000 yen = .....562.04 USD
Tweed case TC-33G 33,000 yen = ........289.80 USD
bank wire fee 3,000 yen = ....................26.35 USD
shipping w/hard case = 17,000 yen = .....149.29 USD

.................................................. .Total $1027.48

Kinda steep. I guess the thing to do is to skip the hard case and go with a gig bag (9,000 yen or $79.04) which will also save a bit on shipping (-3,000 yen or -$26.35), which changes the total to $790.27.

So if anyone's ordered a guitar from Ishibashi, does this look right to you? Or are the guitars discounted below the marked price? DAIA (domo arigato in advance)

sneakyjapan · July 12th, 2006, 11:48 PM

standard is 20% off list in japan. shipping will depend on exchange rate...115 yen/ dollar as I type this today.the guitar will come with a gig bag...but the originals are very cheap so it will come with a bag but if you can get a case or ritter for less where you are then wait. you don`t have to worry about damage during shipping...they have become experts at packing guitars for overseas delivery.

Alex W · July 13th, 2006, 12:27 AM

So if it's 20% off 64,000 yen that's 51,200 yen or $448.14 according to the exchange calculator. That's pretty sweet. Might have to seriously think about ordering something twangy.

July 10th, 2006, 02:03 AM	#1 (permalink)
endzone Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Louisiana Age: 52 Posts: 1,629 37 Photos	Great MIJ source I got to play a brand new MIJ '52 RI this weekend. Good friend of mine ordered from a music store in Japan. They still make one fantastic guitar. VERY high quality. I've known you could get MIJ's but never felt comfortable ordering from over there not knowing a credible source. My friend has ordered several guitars from over there. Never had a problem and he gets the item within a week or so. As a matter of fact, he won't even buy American made any more because he can get these MIJ's for so much less. This gorgous '52 RI costs $683 with HSC and shipping. Here's a link to the store. There's a place on the site where you order, that will give you the Yen conversion rate as well as shipping costs. Enjoy shopping. (I'm not endorsing this store. It's just the only one I know that someone can vouch for with experience. ) http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomfr...%2Ffenderjp%2F __________________ *I'm Makin Progress*

July 10th, 2006, 02:20 AM	#2 (permalink)
csapo Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: City by the Bay Posts: 1,030	You and your friend have good taste. There are a few of us here who love the MIJ/CIJ Telecasters. Great quality and terrific value. Whether you pick one up from Ebay or direct from Ishibashi, you can't go wrong. I believe Mr. Wells has one of the nicest collections. I have a couple new additions to this older photo. Mine is a work in progress. __________________ Gear List (pics included)

July 10th, 2006, 02:45 AM	#6 (permalink)
getbent Moderator Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Benito County, California Posts: 10,019 37 Photos	dig the ishibashi stuff! are you limited to the links on the english page or could you order something else? Okay, and to start a new thread, go to the appropriate group like Bad Dog, Amp Central whatever, and at the top left of the page there is a button called NEW POST click that bad boy.... __________________ 'never pet a burning dog'

July 10th, 2006, 08:01 AM	#9 (permalink)
sneakyjapan Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nippon Posts: 2,471 3 Photos	http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...itetele006.jpg I`m a big fan of the MIJs, I own several but mostly older ones. Heres a pic of my 1985 white tele, I think it`s from the Zinger series of the mid 80s...an excellent guitar and I paid very little for it. I`m waiting for that DiMarzio series to start showing up on the used market and I`ll get one or two... the `57 strat is amazing too. The grass is always greener eh... Japanese players seem to be much more interested in MIA Fenders than MIJs and we want the MIJs... BUT the 8-0s FJs have become very collectable here over the past few years and are getting more difficult to find at good orices...I`m in a smaller city with less competition though, and have been very lucky to find some rare beauties. F/USA makes all kinds of guitars sold only in Japan because guys here will...and do...pay almost anything for em. Gibson does too but not at the same level as Fender. __________________ quasi mojo

July 10th, 2006, 08:26 AM	#10 (permalink)
teledude66 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Lawndale,N.C. Age: 42 Posts: 2,750 20 Photos	MIJ or CIJ??? so are they still labeled MIJ or are they CIJ? Is there a difference, I played a CIJ (admittedly only one) but I didn't care for it compared to MIJ's I have played. Just wondering if there's a difference, I know I've probably read about it, but right now it escapes me.... __________________ The fact that no one understands you doesn't mean you're an artist.

July 10th, 2006, 02:26 AM	#3 (permalink)
fungusyoung Tele-Holic Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Eastern PA Posts: 930 22 Photos	+1 on Ishibashi & CIJ's! Just got another Thinline from Ishibashi on Friday (see Twin Thins thread). It was picked up from their store in Tokyo on July 5th and delivered to my door by midday on the 7th. The craftsmanship and quality of the two CIJ's I have are top notch.

July 10th, 2006, 02:34 AM	#4 (permalink)
Alex W Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Kentucky Age: 40 Posts: 182	Sorry to threadjack, but... how the heck does one start a new thread around here? I've been staring at the screen for ten minutes and I can't find it! Incredibly stupid, I know, but please... someone help me out. Back to topic, my 1995 MIJ Tele is a great guitar.

July 10th, 2006, 02:42 AM	#5 (permalink)
Tq NEW MEMBER! Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 9	FJ has had a new higher end guitar out for a while now. It is labeled 52-110DM for 1952 copy costing 110,000 yen with D'Marzio special-wound pickups. I have one -- killer guitar, lacquer finish, great neck and the pickups are pretty good. About 85,000 yen -- 775 bucks in Tokyo with a decnt soft case...

July 10th, 2006, 03:37 AM	#7 (permalink)
petebradt Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Niner Country Posts: 3,423 12 Photos	1999 CIJ TL-52-80 with Hamels. Best Tele I ever played. I've lost count of how many people wanted to buy it.

July 10th, 2006, 03:51 AM	#8 (permalink)
lchyi Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 144 3 Photos	What's the shell pinker? Is that a standard tele?

July 10th, 2006, 10:16 AM	#13 (permalink)
endzone Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Louisiana Age: 52 Posts: 1,629 37 Photos	I know that MIJ's are good guitars, my #1 Tele is a MIJ. But I bought it back in the early 90's when they sold them new here in the states. The purpose of this thread was to let anyone interested know of a source where you could still buy MIJ's at a really good price IMO. But Ishibashi has already been known about by the members here. As is always the case on this forum, someone has usually "been there and done that". That's why I love it and have gotten so much out of hanging out here. __________________ *I'm Makin Progress*

July 10th, 2006, 10:35 AM	#15 (permalink)
Alex W Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Kentucky Age: 40 Posts: 182	thanks okay great. thanks! sheepish grin

July 10th, 2006, 11:35 AM	#16 (permalink)
john s Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Perth Western Australia Age: 59 Posts: 353	Mij Tele Got myself a 62 r/w neck white Tele from Ishibashi for 52000 yen..and have to say that since I fitted it with Di Marzio Twang Kings, it is ( out of my other Tele's ) the best of the bunch! I would have no hesitation in buying another from these guys. John S. __________________

July 10th, 2006, 12:20 PM	#19 (permalink)
Joel Terry Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Old Hickory (Nashville), Tennessee, USA Age: 40 Posts: 4,405 17 Photos	I love MIJ/CIJ Fenders beyond description All of my Fender guitars and basses are stock MIJ, CIJ, or hybrid guitars made of MIJ and CIJ parts. I wouldn't have it any other way. Great choice, endzone! Joel __________________ Jesus saves--and He passes the savings on to YOU! ASPCA "Well...."

July 12th, 2006, 02:05 PM	#22 (permalink)
Alex W Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Kentucky Age: 40 Posts: 182	ishibashi music prices So are the prices in Yen advertised at Ishibashi Music's web page the "list" prices, from which one can expect a certain discount such as at U.S. retailers, or do those represent the actual price? Using the currency exchange calculator at Google I came up with: Telecaster TL52-80TX 64,000 yen = .....562.04 USD Tweed case TC-33G 33,000 yen = ........289.80 USD bank wire fee 3,000 yen = ....................26.35 USD shipping w/hard case = 17,000 yen = .....149.29 USD .................................................. .Total $1027.48 Kinda steep. I guess the thing to do is to skip the hard case and go with a gig bag (9,000 yen or $79.04) which will also save a bit on shipping (-3,000 yen or -$26.35), which changes the total to $790.27. So if anyone's ordered a guitar from Ishibashi, does this look right to you? Or are the guitars discounted below the marked price? DAIA (domo arigato in advance)

July 12th, 2006, 11:48 PM	#23 (permalink)
sneakyjapan Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nippon Posts: 2,471 3 Photos	standard is 20% off list in japan. shipping will depend on exchange rate...115 yen/ dollar as I type this today.the guitar will come with a gig bag...but the originals are very cheap so it will come with a bag but if you can get a case or ritter for less where you are then wait. you don`t have to worry about damage during shipping...they have become experts at packing guitars for overseas delivery. __________________ quasi mojo

July 13th, 2006, 12:27 AM	#24 (permalink)
Alex W Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Kentucky Age: 40 Posts: 182	So if it's 20% off 64,000 yen that's 51,200 yen or $448.14 according to the exchange calculator. That's pretty sweet. Might have to seriously think about ordering something twangy.