Whitstable Guitars
A selection of good quality, used guitars and specialising in imports from Japan since 2008
2022 Fender MIJ (Factory Short Run) Hybrid II Telecaster Ash Butterscotch Blonde & New Hard Case
£849.00 + shipping
JAPAN IMPORT
I think that these Hybrid II Telecasters are the best Telecasters that Fender in Japan have made in a long time. If I see one for sale in Japan, I order it almost every time. This particular guitar is listed as an FSR model or "Factory Short Run" because unlike most Hybrids which have an Alder body, this guitar has a solid Ash body & is finished in Butterscotch Blonde to give it that vintage look and feel whilst having the modern features that the Hybrid models are so popular for.
This guitar is a Hybrid II telecaster whereas the others I have purchased have been first generation hybrids. So, what's the difference? I suppose the main differences with this guitar are that it comes loaded with vintage voiced pickups which sound great. The body on this guitar is solid Ash but it has the preferred "belly cutaway" & the finish is a Butterscotch Blonde and it has a 60's style 8 hole pickguard. The first generation Hybrids were produced as "50's, 60's or 70's" Hybrids but the Hybrid II's are just produced as Hybrids. Other than that I think they are pretty much the same. Same switching, locking tuners, bridge, saddles, Satin finish one neck & 9.5" radius.
This guitar is in fabulous condition and looks to be little used. I can't actually find any marks on it so I'll describe it as "near mint" in case I've missed something
As this guitar was a "Factory Short Run" model for Ishibashi Music in Japan, that means that the only way to get one outside of Japan is to import it. I found one other listed on Ebay in Japan for £931.00 but that didn't include the VAT & import duty which would put the price up to just under £1,153.00 & it doesn't include a hard case.
In short, Fender has taken classic models, 50's Teles & Strats, 60's Teles & Strats & Jazzmasters & adapted them with some modern tweaks whilst retaining the classic looks. In the case of this Hybrid II Telecaster , it has an Ash body, 3 ply 8 hole pickguard & a Maple neck and Rosewood fretboard but it also has a 9.5" Radius fretboard instead of a 7.25", medium jumbo frets, a satin finish to the neck rather than gloss, locking tuners, a set of Fender Vintage voiced pickups & a 4 way switch giving an "in series" option with switching.
For me, the best features on this guitar are the 9.5" fretboard radius, the vintage voiced pickups with the 4 way switch which I find really useful for soloing & the locking tuners which do exactly what they're supposed to do. At 3.67 kg it's a light, well balanced guitar too. The price also includes a new £65.00 hard case making it a good deal.
An excellent player & superb looker. This Tele really ticks all the boxes for me and I can't see it hanging around for very long.
Fender Made in Japan Models
Since 2015, Fender Made in Japan guitars have been produced at the "Dyna-Gakki" factory in Nagano, Japan. This facility has been making fabulous guitars since 1972 for Fender Japan (pre 2015) Greco, Fernandes etc. The quality of the instruments coming from this factory is superb.
https://vintagejapanguitars.com/dyna-gakki-en/
Specifications
Body
Series: Fender MIJ (Made in Japan)
Body Colour: BSB (Butterscotch Blonde)
Body Material: Ash
Body Finish: Polyester
Neck
Neck Material: Maple
Neck Finish: Satin Polyurethane
Neck Shape: U Shape
Neck Plate: 4-Bolt
Fingerboard: Maple
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5'' (250mm)
No. of Frets: 21 (Tall Narrow)
Position Inlays: Black Dots
Scale Length: 25.5'' (648mm)
Weight: 3.67 kg
Hardware and Electronics
Nut Material: Bone
Nut Width: 1.675'' (42.5mm)
Tuning Machines: Vintage-Style Locking
Bridge: 3-Saddle, Strings-Through-Body Tele with Brass Saddles
Pick-Guard: 3 Ply Black/White/Black (8 hole)
Neck Pickup: Fender Vintage Voiced Single-Coil Tele
Bridge Pickup: Fender Vintage Voiced Single-Coil Tele
Pickup Switching: 4-Position Blade, Position 1 – Bridge Pickup, Position 2 - Bridge and Neck Pickups (in parallel), Position 3 – Neck Pickup, Position 4 – Neck and Bridge Pickups (in series)
Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
Control Knobs: Chrome (Dome Style)
Hardwear Finish: Chrome
Case included: Gear4Music rectangular hard case (tweed finish)
All in all it's an excellent guitar from Fender in Japan that you probably won't find here in the UK
Hard Case Policy
As said many times, all my guitars come shipped in a new hard case which is included in the price. I find this is the safest way to avoid damage in transit. This case is a nice new one from Gear4Music. Alternatively, if you are collecting the guitar and, like some buyers have cases coming out of their ears, that's no problem, I'll adjust the price (usually around a £50 discount) and I can usually find you an old gigbag to take the guitar away in. The only hard and fast rule I have is that I won't ship a guitar in a gigbag.
If you are further interested in this guitar, you can either email me with any queries & I'll do my best to get back to you within 24 hours.
Or, you can buy quickly and safely using the PayPal "buy now" button and I will ship to most UK addresses the next working day. Highlands and Islands can be slightly dearer but I'll keep the cost as low as I can.
I can accept credit card payments by phone and will also offer a small discount to purchasers using bank transfer payments.
Overseas customers are very welcome but please email me first for shipping quotes.
