New line boasts 11 different designs, including Strats, Teles and Jazzmasters in various iterations
(Image credit: Fender)
Fender Music KK has launched the Made in Japan Heritage Series, a new electric guitar and bass line developed under the guidance of Mark Kendrick, one of the Fender Custom Shop’s founding master builders and the company’s current Director of Global Build Standards.
The new instruments, which are available in Japan only, encompass Heritage ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s Stratocasters; the Heritage ‘50s Telecaster; the Heritage ‘60s Telecaster Custom; the Heritage ‘60s Telecaster Thinline and the Heritage ‘60s Jazzmaster, as well as Heritage ‘50s and ‘60s Precision Bass and Heritage ‘60s and ‘70s Jazz Bass models.
All instruments feature historically accurate specs, tones and colors, combined with “quality Japanese craftmanship.”
According to Fender, the series, “delivers the true essence of Fender instruments with refined body and neck shapes, ideal pickup settings and colors – all referenced from the original US drawing archives and various vintage instruments.”
See below for a closer look at each model in the series.
Made in Japan Heritage ‘50s Stratocaster
(Image credit: Fender)
Features include an ash body with a nitrocellulose lacquer over urethane finish, soft “V” maple neck and maple fingerboard. Pickups are a trio of Premium Vintage-Style 50s Strat single coils, and there’s also a six-saddle vintage-style synchronized tremolo, chrome die-cast tuners and nickel/chrome hardware.
Made in Japan Heritage ‘60s Stratocaster
(Image credit: Fender)
Features include an alder body with a nitrocellulose lacquer over urethane finish, thick “C” maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. Pickups are a trio of Premium Vintage-Style 60s Strat single coils, and there’s also a six-saddle vintage-style synchronized tremolo, chrome die-cast tuners and nickel/chrome hardware.
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Made in Japan Heritage ‘70s Stratocaster
(Image credit: Fender)
Features include an ash body with a gloss polyester finish, early ‘70s “C” maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. Pickups are a trio of Premium Vintage-Style 70s Strat single coils, and there’s also a six-saddle vintage-style synchronized tremolo, Fender Vintage “F” Stamped tuners and nickel/chrome hardware.
Made in Japan Heritage ‘50s Telecaster
(Image credit: Fender)
Features include an ash body with a nitrocellulose lacquer over urethane finish, 1952 “U” maple neck and maple fingerboard. Pickups are a pair of Premium Vintage-Style 50s Tele single coils, and there’s also a three-saddle vintage-style strings-through-body Tele bridge with brass barrel saddles, chrome die-cast tuners and nickel/chrome hardware.
Made in Japan Heritage ‘60s Telecaster Custom
(Image credit: Fender)
Features include an alder body with a nitrocellulose lacquer over urethane finish, ‘60s “C” maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. Pickups are a pair of Premium Vintage-Style 60s Tele single coils, and there’s also a three-saddle vintage style Tele bridge with threaded steel saddles, chrome die-cast tuners and nickel/chrome hardware.
Made in Japan Heritage ‘60s Telecaster Thinline
(Image credit: Fender)
Features include an ash body with a nitrocellulose lacquer over urethane finish, ‘60s “C” maple neck and maple fingerboard. Pickups are a pair of Premium Vintage-Style 60s Tele single coils, and there’s also a three-saddle vintage style Tele bridge with slotted steel saddles, Fender Vintage “F” Stamped tuners and nickel/chrome hardware.
Made in Japan Heritage ‘60s Jazzmaster
(Image credit: Fender)
Features include an ash or alder body with a nitrocellulose lacquer over urethane finish, mid ‘60s “C” maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. Pickups are a pair of Premium Vintage-Style 60s Jazzmaster single coils, and there’s also a six-saddle vintage-style adjustable bridge with “floating” tremolo tailpiece, chrome die-cast tuners and nickel/chrome hardware.
Made in Japan Heritage ‘50s Precision Bass
(Image credit: Fender)
Features include an alder body with a nitrocellulose lacquer over urethane finish, thick “C” maple neck and maple fingerboard. Pickup is a Premium Vintage-Style 50s Single-Coil P Bass, and there’s also a four-saddle vintage style bridge with threaded steel saddles, pure vintage reverse open-gear tuners and nickel/chrome hardware.
Made in Japan Heritage ‘60s Precision Bass
(Image credit: Fender)
Features include an alder body with a nitrocellulose lacquer over urethane finish, 1963 “C” maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. Pickup is a Premium Vintage-Style 60s Single-Coil P Bass, and there’s also a four-saddle vintage style bridge with threaded steel saddles, pure vintage reverse open-gear tuners and nickel/chrome hardware.
Made in Japan Heritage ‘60s Jazz Bass
(Image credit: Fender)
Features include an alder body with a nitrocellulose lacquer over urethane finish, ‘60s “C” maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. Pickups are a pair of Premium Vintage-Style 60s Jazz Bass single coils, and there’s also a four-saddle vintage style bridge with threaded steel saddles, pure vintage reverse open-gear tuners and nickel/chrome hardware.
Made in Japan Heritage ‘70s Jazz Bass
(Image credit: Fender)
Features include an ash body with a gloss polyester finish, 1975 “U” maple neck and maple fingerboard. Pickups are a pair of Premium Vintage-Style 70s Jazz Bass single coils, and there’s also a four-saddle vintage style bridge, pure vintage ‘70s with Fender Logo tuners and nickel/chrome hardware.
All Made In Japan Heritage models are listed for 160,000 JPY, or approximately $1,460.
Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.
