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before mij fenders and squiers made in the 80s, there are a few manufacturers that made fender replicas and these guitars are loosely termed 'lawsuit' guitars.

does anybody know the quality of strats made by fernandes, tokai and greco in ? which of these 3 brands would you go for and why?

I think except of fernandes I've never heard of any of those... Maybe they're not sold over here...

yeah, they are strictly for the japanese market.

I played one fernandes strat. It was ridiculous, the neck was so glossy it was impossible to move around on, maybe all of them arent like that, but it sure didnt leave a good impression on me.


Originally Posted by ArmotronI played one fernandes strat. It was ridiculous, the neck was so glossy it was impossible to move around on, maybe all of them arent like that, but it sure didnt leave a good impression on me.

are you talking about a new fernandes or those built in the 70s/80s?

i think the most notorious 'lawsuit' firm was ibanez, out of those..

and as for strat replicas coming out of japan, my favourites are the fenders i have a '92 MIJ strat, and i'd give my left nut for either a second MIJ strat or a tele from the same era.. the craftsmanship and love put into those guitars is amazing, especially when duncanised

the woods are very good quality as well, with the cover off the back you can see the grain going very nicely all through the body via the trem rout.. very tidy

tom

i agree tom. i have a couple of 80s mij fender strats and teles myself. apparently, i read that mij fenders are made by greco after fender went into the japanese market. all those brands mentioned were already replicating strats and teles pre fender japan. all of those 'lawsuit' fender replicas are made from the 70's to 84 apparently and they are rumored to rival and even exceed the build quality of post-cbs fender.

I have a 92 MIJ 62RI that I absolutely adore. That said, I have a Fernandez 50's style tele that I also love. It has an ash body, steel bridge and saddles, and a one piece maple neck (not a seperate fingerboard). I like it better than all of the current MIA teles I've played.

I got an 80's Fernandes strat off of ebay. I love the thing. I'm not sure exactly it's age, I've not found any good info on dating Fernandes guitars.
I have a CIJ Strat and Tele, and a Tokai Tele. All are great.

Supposedly the early Springy Sound Tokais and the quot;Extra Traditionalquot; Fenders are the best of the lot, but the gutars I have are great, too.

ESP upper class model fakes

Tokai and fernandes were pretty much similar quality. Roughly equivalent to fender Japan. I once played a basswood tokai 62ri with an extra-thick rosewood board and EMG SAs (not my fave pickup at all) that was just killer. Easliy one of the best strats I've ever played.


Originally Posted by daniare you talking about a new fernandes or those built in the 70s/80s?

no friggin clue. i think it was relatively new...