Fender Japan

Made in Japan Modern Series

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Cover - MIJ Modern Series

Launched in 2019, Fender Japan’s Made in Japan Modern Series reimagined classic Fender designs for contemporary players. Blending tradition with innovation, the lineup included Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazzmaster, and Jazz Bass models, all featuring sleek, aerodynamic curves inspired by sports cars. The series embraced Fender’s “Fly Beyond” motto, symbolizing progress in tone, versatility, and craftsmanship. Highlights included compound-radius necks, asymmetrical heels, and locking tuners for modern playability. HH models with Modern Modified Humbuckers delivered a powerful, focused tone, while HSS and SSS versions offered noiseless classic sounds. The result was a fusion of elegance, comfort, and cutting-edge design—distinctly modern yet unmistakably Fender.

Made in Japan Hybrid Series

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Cover - MIJ Hybrid

The Made in Japan Hybrid Series, launched in 2017 under Chris Fleming’s direction, combined vintage Fender aesthetics with modern playability—featuring U.S.-made pickups, satin necks, and medium-jumbo frets. Building on its success, Fender introduced the Hybrid II Series in 2021, refining ergonomics with U.S.-based body contours, rounded neck edges, and narrow-tall frets. New Hybrid II Custom Voiced Pickups and orange-drop capacitors delivered balanced tone and clarity. With unique finishes like Modena Red and Forest Blue, the Hybrid II embodied the perfect blend of American Fender DNA and Japanese precision, offering versatile, high-quality instruments celebrated by artists and players worldwide.

Made in Japan Heritage Series

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Cover - Made in Japan Heritage Series

Launched in March 2020, Fender Japan’s Made in Japan Heritage Series aimed to faithfully recreate the company’s vintage DNA through Japanese craftsmanship. Overseen by Master Builder Mark Kendrick, the project combined data from Fender’s U.S. archives with Japan’s precision manufacturing to achieve unmatched authenticity. Each of the eleven models shared a single price point and period-correct details—such as lacquer finishes, Formvar-wound pickups, 7.25” fingerboard radius, and era-specific neck shapes. Rather than copying American Fenders, the Heritage Series expressed what Japanese builders could achieve as equals, blending tradition, accuracy, and pride into a lasting chapter of Fender’s global story.

Made in Japan Traditional Series

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Cover - Made in Japan Tradition Series

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Launched in 2017 to celebrate 35 years of Fender Japan, the Made in Japan Traditional Series blended Fender’s heritage with Japanese craftsmanship, replacing the Japan Exclusive Series. Under Chris Fleming’s supervision, improvements were made to truss rod installation, fretwork, and finishing, while aesthetic updates included vintage-style decals, redesigned knobs, and a sharper Telecaster body contour. In 2020, the second series introduced modern playability upgrades—narrower nut width, 9.5″ radius—and eco-friendlier materials. Guided by Mark Kendrick’s U.S. design standards, it incorporated American body and neck data, aligning Fender Japan’s precision with global specifications while preserving its unique character.

Fender Aerodyne Series

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Cover - Aerodyne

Launched in 2004 by Fender Japan, the Aerodyne Series introduced sleek, carved-body Stratocasters blending vintage and modern features. The domestic AST-75 and export Aerodyne Standard Stratocaster featured basswood bodies, 7.25” fretboards, vintage-style hardware, and side-mounted jacks, though only the Japanese model had a pickguard. The line expanded in 2006 with the Aerodyne Classic Stratocaster for Western markets and medium-scale AST-75MDS/MDH models for Japan, offering diverse pickups and flatter fretboards. The high-end Aerodyne Special featured alder bodies with carved maple tops and premium DiMarzio pickups. Later limited editions included Koa and Flame Maple Top models, with new Aerodyne II and Special Stratocasters arriving in 2022.

12-String Stratocasters

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Cover - 12-string

The Fender Electric XII, introduced in 1965, was Leo Fender’s innovative 12-string design, featuring a unique offset body, large “hockey stick” headstock, split pickups, and a revolutionary 12-saddle bridge for perfect intonation. Used by Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, and during Bob Dylan’s sessions, it became iconic despite being distinct from the Stratocaster. In later decades, Fender Japan produced several 12-string Stratocaster models, starting with the ST-XII (1987–1993) and followed by export versions like the Stratocaster XII and Strat-XII. Later models introduced the advanced GTC-12 bridge, unique finishes, and vintage-style details, culminating in the 2018–2019 Made in Japan Traditional Stratocaster XII.

Paisley and Blue Flower Stratocasters

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Cover - Paisley Stratocaster

Paisley is a decorative Persian-inspired motif that gained popularity in the 1960s, leading Fender to release Paisley and Blue Flower Telecasters in 1968–69, famously played by James Burton. In the 1980s, Fender Japan extended these finishes to Stratocasters, using printed paper or fabric designs sealed with clear coats. Prototypes were created in 1986 when Dan Smith asked Fujigen to test the concept, with Nick Sugimoto improvising patterns from Indian shirts. Production began in 1987, starting with the Telecaster, then the Paisley Stratocaster ST72-125PRD and later the Blue Flower ST72-75BFL. Fender reissued these models in limited runs in 2002–03 and 2008.

Superstrats: Contemporary, Boxer, Pro Feel and HM Strats

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Cover - Superstrats

After the closure of Fender’s Fullerton factory in 1985 and before the launch of the American Standard, Fujigen became central to Fender’s output and innovation. Responding to the rise of hard rock and heavy metal, the Japanese factory introduced modern “super strat” models, first under the Squier brand and later as Fender exports.
The Contemporary Stratocasters debuted in 1983 for the Japanese market, with painted headstocks, flat fretboards, jumbo frets, and options ranging from Dragster humbuckers to Hot Rod single coils. Their early Rox System tremolo was soon replaced by the Blade Shooter and Schaller-made Fender System bridges. By 1985, export models appeared under both Squier and Fender names, often featuring Kahler units.
In 1984, the Boxer Series replaced the domestic Contemporary line, introducing modern features such as TBX tone controls, 22 frets, and high-output pickups. This evolved into the Pro Feel Series (1989), which refined playability with sculpted neck heels, asymmetrical plates, Lace Sensors, and Floyd-licensed ExTrem systems.
The peak of Fujigen’s superstrat era came with the HM (Heavy Metal) Strats of 1988–92. Designed with Dan Smith and Nick Sugimoto, they featured 24 frets, DiMarzio humbuckers, locking tremolos, and bold finishes, cemented by endorsements from shred virtuoso Greg Howe.

The ExTrad Series

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Cover - ExTrad

The ExTrad (“Extra Traditional”) Series debuted in Fender Japan’s 1986 Twang catalog and became official in 1989, aimed solely at the domestic market. Custom-order Stratocasters, they offered premium craftsmanship, fine tonewoods, custom pickups, and elegant finishes. Models included the ’54, ’57, and ’62 Strats, with alder or ash bodies. Special 30th- and 35th-anniversary editions celebrated classic years with sunburst finishes and bird’s-eye maple necks. Crafted by Makoto Sugimoto’s Custom Edition Team, these guitars reflected meticulous study of vintage Fenders. Identification relies on logos, serial numbers, neck-pocket stamps, and electronics.

Foto Flame

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Cover - Foto Flame

The Foto Flame finish, introduced between the late 1980s and 1990s on Japanese Fender Stratocasters, was not a photographic process but a digital image transfer developed and patented by Fujigen. Using heat-activated plastic film and a vacuum press, a thin flame maple “print” was applied to guitar bodies and necks, then clear-coated, creating the illusion of figured maple tops. Fender only supplied the name for marketing, while Fujigen also applied the process to Ibanez guitars and even luxury car interiors.

Multiple Fender models featured Foto Flame, including the 1989 US Contemporary Stratocaster, Collectable and HRR Strats, the 1994–1996 Foto Flame Stratocaster, and the Floyd Rose Standard Stratocaster Foto Flame, along with Japanese domestic models and Squier versions. While visually convincing, these instruments later developed characteristic cracks in the finish and, in some cases, unusual color changes. Today, Foto Flame guitars remain a curious blend of innovation, marketing, and imperfection in Fender’s history.