Technical Information CLICK LINK (box) BELOW 1985 Fender Contemporary Stratocaster with System III Tremolo and Humbucking Pickups The System I bridge string height is set by adjustable pivot post screws and has no individual string height adjustments but has individual string intonation adjustments and is very much like the Gibson Tune-o-matic bridge in terms of intonation and string height adjustments. These shortlived American-made models were made by the Fender Custom Shop in the mid-1990s. There were also USA Contemporary Stratocasters and Telecasters which were totally different than the original Japanese models in terms of features and construction. The Fender Contemporary Telecaster models used the same tremolo systems as the Fender Contemporary Stratocaster models.īlack Francis used a Fender Contemporary Telecaster in the Pixies. There are also Fender Contemporary Telecaster models with HSS or HH pickup configurations and switches for selecting pickup options. When CBS sold Fender to its current owners in 1984 there was a transitional period from 1984 to 1987 with limited Fender USA production resulting in mostly Fender Japan and leftover stock being sold.
FERNANDES GUITARS SERIAL NUMBERS FX02080086 SERIES
The Fender Contemporary Stratocaster and Telecaster models were part of the Fender Japan E series model range. Fernandes Guitar Dating Series Model Rangeįernandes Guitar Dating Series Model Range.That's the only 'late' Fernandes I've ever seen, though. Certainly, other guitar brands kept Gibson-style headstocks long into the 1980s, including Tokai, Greco and Burny. Since the person was in Brazil, all I can think is that Fernandes may have been selling non-altered headstocks in the non-US markets well after the mid-1980s and possibly into the 1990s. (Strat model) (Tele model: Photo by Chuck Evans) 1990's and BeyondAs I said above, Fernandes' use of their logo and the various designs began to vary among models beginning in the early 1990's, which is when their 'all caps' FERNANDES logo began to appear in advertising, and on some guitars: (Ad scan) A note about 'non-US market' Fernandes guitars: Recently someone sent me a picture of a Fernandes strat with a very modern logo (as shown in the image directly above this paragraph) but a decidedly 'Fender' shape to the headstock. To the best of my knowledge, this particular logo design was discontinued circa 1997 in favor of the modern, 'All Caps' version of the logo described next. This headstock change is the important one, as you'll see LOTS of Fernandes guitars with these shapes offered as 1970's or 'early' 1980's models on eBay. When catalogs are not available, I've attempted to use scans of Fernandes magazine ads, when they can be dated with certainty. I'm basing my findings below almost entirely on catalog scans of 1970's and 1980's catalogs that can be freely accessed and viewed at the Fernandes Japanese corporate web site, at The headstock images I've used here are captured from those catalogs, and, unless noted below, copyright on all images I use in this article should be assumed to be owned by Fernandes. Another thing I've found out recently is that many Fernandes guitars were made at the Fujigen factory in Japan, which also made the legendary vintage Ibanez, Greco, and even the first Japanese Fenders (under the Squier brand). Fernandes only began changing its headstock shapes in 1985, as you will see below. Gibson did sue Hoshino Gakki, the company that marketed guitars under the Ibanez brand name, but in the end, Hoshino did not lose the suit, even though they (and other Japanese guitar companies) did end up changing the designs of their guitars slightly to avoid further litigation.