The Fender Corporation has been paying particular attention to its Japanese activities in recent months, having officially opened its flagship Tokyo store, before unveiling a swathe of Japanese-made electric guitars across most of its brands.
Well, it’s a change in direction worthy of some celebratory six-strings, according to Fender Japan, which has marked the opening of the Tokyo store with three none-more-Fender-Japan American Acoustasonic Telecasters.
The Big F’s Asian branch is no stranger to custom Acoustasonic Telecasters – those Blue Paisley and Blue Flower variants last year immediately spring to mind – nor is it averse to beach-y, scenic body artwork, evidenced from those Art Canvas Esquire models.
Here, the company doubles down on the Japanese heritage with Tama Custom and Mount Fuji Artwork iterations – the former features a fishing boat, while the latter’s focus is solely on the country’s stratovolcano – and offers a more breezy aesthetic with the Cresting Wave Custom.
As is usually the case with these custom models – which boast the art of Katsushika Hokusai – the extravagant appearances are the only thing that separates them from their flagship forebears.
That means these boast all the functional hallmarks of Fender’s American Acoustasonic Telecaster, including a powerful Acoustic Engine, noiseless magnetic pickups and a versatile Mod knob to traverse its assortment of tones.
What makes these models even more notable is the fact they mark a significant milestone in Fender history. On June 30, the brand opened the doors to its flagship four-floor store in the Japanese capital.
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According to Fender, the store stocks the brand’s latest guitars and basses, artist signature models, lifestyle goods, and even has a whole floor dedicated to the “Dream Factory” – a branch of the Custom Shop offering the “finest” Masterbuilt models.
In a recent conversation with Guitar World, Fender CEO Andy Mooney outlined the company’s motivations behind the move, citing the fact that “Tokyo has become one of the major tourist destinations in the world” – before hinting further Fender stores could open in the future.
“In Southeast Asia in particular, you're almost not a legitimate brand or a high-status brand if you don't have your own branded store, so this truly is a flagship that I believe will prove the economic model works,” he reflected “Then, the Tokyo store perhaps will be used as a model to create franchise retail throughout Southeast Asia.”
What’s more, these Acoustasonic Telecasters aren’t the only limited models to mark the store’s grand opening: Flagship Tokyo Gold Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars, as well as American Professional II Tokyo Flagship Premium Edition Teles and Strats, have also been unveiled.
We’re aware we’re starting to sound like a broken record, but all of the above models will be exclusive to Japanese customers. Having said that, Mooney did tease the possibility of such guitars cropping up in US and European markets in the future.
“What we’ve found with Fender Japan is, there are very specific customers for Fender Japan guitars,” he told Guitar World. “Some people really like what I describe as a kind of luxury finish. You know, there's always a lot of lacquer on the necks, and what we found was, generally, the trend here is opposite of that: people want road worn [guitars] with less and less finish on the necks.
“But for the people who love that MIJ finish, that MIJ look, they're rabid about it. So we're going continue to develop MIJ guitars for outside of Japan.”
Head over to Fender Japan to find out more about its Tokyo store, and to gaze upon the Fender Hokusai Acoustasonic Telecasters – which, it’s worth noting, are listed for approximately $2,355.
