Mij/cij Telecasters

[Nelskie]

69SL - That's a pretty impressive collection of Fender stuff. And yeah, that Tele is really, really nice, too! Beautifully grained body, maple neck . . . awesome. HOwever - what made me super envious was the original Bally KISS pinball machine in the background!!! Thanks for sharing the pix.

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

Thanks Nelskie, the tele is sweet , the only mod to it is a callaham bridge and saddles , the callaham bridge is amazing , the sustain is crazy and overall tone is much improved , highly recomended , it has 2 extra screws towards the front of the bridge plate which secures it to the body more firmly adding all the resonance .. and the kiss pinball machine is one i bought about 10 years ago when an amusement company in my area was going out of business, i paid 200 for it , they sell on ebay for about 2000-3000 , it will soon be time to turn it into a blackface deluxe reverb, but its a great conversation piece just the same... 6S9L

[Robert****]

Yeah, I noticed that pinball machine right away too, very cool!

[Nelskie]

Hey 69SL - Looking for some input regarding the Callaham bridge you speak so favorably about. I was thinking of putting one on my Squier Tele, and was wondering if you could fill me in on the differences between a vintage-type set-up with compensating saddles vs. the standard style bridge that's on there now.

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

the callaham bridge will give you a dramatic improvement in sustain and overall clarity, vintage brass saddles make it a little trickier to achieve perfect intonation but its done all the time , a good tech would have no problem at all, 2 strings on one saddle with different side to side tension is where the difficulty lies but the overall tonal qualities of the brass set up on a tele is truly classic.. best 100 bucks you could spend on your squire.. the callaham site has all the specs and clips too i think , i'm gassin for one of their black fibre pickguards for my 52 reissue..6S9L

[Nelskie]

Thanks for the input 69SL. I am fortunate to know an ace tech, so getting it set up right shouldn't be a problem. My buddies think I'm a loon for dumping money into that Squier Tele, but I really like how that guitar (which I've affectionately dubbed "Sadie") sounds and plays. Sure, I could take the easy way out and fork over a grand for a brand new Tele. Sheesh - what fun would that be?!!!

[tremoloman***]

MIA, MIM, MIJ/CIJ... it's all the same to me. If a guitar feels right, I don't care where it was assembled.

The only CIJ I've owned was a Jazzmaster. Other than the pickups and tremolo bar being a little different, I didn't see or hear any difference between my AV 62' JM and the CIJ model once I added US pickups.

Fender Japan makes some great custom guitars that aren't for sale in the US. I drool over their website on a regular basis.

[x-180]

Hi there,
coming in a bit late in the thread but wanted to add my .02 on the Japanese Fenders. Until very recently, I had no clue how much Fender Japan supplemented the American market during the 80's as the 'post-CBS' Fender got underway. Based on the one Japanese Fender I own, I'd have to concur with the general assessment of these being fine instruments. I stumbled across a sunburst Strat at a Guitar Ctr in the Detroit area for $400... it was pretty gunked up but it had a beautiful sunburst showing under the grime, and a nice vintage-y looking neck with the larger headstock. A good wipedown later and I had a guitar to behold! I did some checking on various serial number sites and the best I can tell is that it was probably manufactured somewhere between '85-'87... it might actually be a '68 Reissue from some information I've read, but I'm not certain... whatever it is, it's definitely got 'the feel'... as soon as I can get some contact cleaner on the guts of it, the 'sound' should be there too... good sounds overall, but very fuzzy, scratchy in the pots and switch... considering that my instrument was likely 'for export', I'd love to get my hands on one made for the 'locals'... there are a few purveyors of CIJ Fenders on e-bay and the pictures always incite GAS when I go window shopping there...

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

Welcome aboard x-180 , post a couple of pics and i may be able to help you id that japanese strat.. also heres a link to a great site regarding japanese fenders , john blackman's site is one of the best for model info , I have several non export mij and cij fenders and there is no doubt that they are as good if not better than the fender usa vintage series and as far as fit and finish goes right up there with custom shop offerings . When you pull your strat apart check for cloth wiring , individual pick-up routes and a neck date , the model number should be stamped on the neck and the body , the 68 reissues are awesome guitars , you may have lucked out and snagged one , also check your bridge saddles if they are stamped with fender/fender then you have one of the better quality ones .. http://freespace.virgin.net/john.blackman4/
check out this site .. i'd be glad to help if i can ... 6S9L