It wasn't until 1970 that the company began making products for the venerable Ibanez brand, which was an unqualified success. They were known for producing high quality products, especially for the badged guitar market, which is why the company was selected by so many major American brands. The company was the largest producer of Japanese guitars during the 1960-1980 period. A possible badge made by Fernandes was the oddly named Orange guitar.įujigen Gakki began operation in 1960 as a classical guitar manufacturer, moving into the lucurative electric guitar markets in 1962. Fernandes produced guitars with the Burny and Nady badges as well as house brand Fernandes. It grew and became one of the largest producers of Japanese-made guitars, rivaling competitors Fujigen and Matsumoku.
Fernandesįernandes Guitars started production in 1969 in Osaka, Japan. Elk badged guitars came in clear acrylics in addition to colors in the early 1970s, which was an attempt to copy clear acrylics designed by the legendary Dan Armstrong in the late 1960s. Makers of the Elk badged guitar from the early to mid 1960s to 1975, although other sources indicate that the Elk brand did not stop production until the early 1980s. A possible badge made by the company was Robin. Badges made by ESP included their house brand ESP as well as Navigator during the late 1970s. ESP survived the 'copy' era and is still in business today. Electric Sound Products (ESP)įounded in 1975 by Hisatake Shibuya, this wildly-popular manufacturer focused on making quality basses for export as well as electric guitars. Dyna also produced the infamous Ibanez badges for a short period of time. Dyna may have been a source for Japanese manufacturer Yamaki. They manufactured guitars for Fender Japan and Greco, so they couldn't have been a terrible manufacturer as Fender is very choosy about outsourcing their product. Dyna Gakkiĭyna Gakki began production in 1972 in the city of Nagano, Japan. Daion went out of business shortly after 1984. JooDee was made by master guitar luthier Shiro Tsuji. Maker of house brand Daion guitars, along with JooDee and Johnson badged guitars. Daion Musical Instrument Companyĭaion was founded in 1962 by Yasuyuki Teradaira. Daimaru appears to have gone out of business after 1980.
Daimaruįounded in the city of Matsumoto, Japan in the early 1960s, Daimaru produced their own house brand, although they outsourced electric guitar production to Teisco during the 1970s period. Guitars made by Chushin from this period are well-made and appreciated by guitar enthusiasts worldwide. The company may have possibly made some guitars with the Aztec, Maya and Robin badges, but that is not verified. During the 1960-1980 period they were responsible for badges Bambu, Cobran, El Maya and Hisonus as well as some Charvel, Fresher and Jackson badges. I believe that Chushin may have been a member of the Matsumoto Musical Instruments Association listed further down because both companies produced Fresher guitars during different periods.with Matsumoto beginning production and Chushin ending it (perhaps because the Association was disbanded?). Sounds hopeless, right? Not always!Ĭhushin is still in operation today in Nagano, Japan and does business with guitar giant Fender. And sometimes, the guitar which is supposed to be an MIJ guitar is actually made elsewhere (Korea, Indonesia) because production was moved during this period in history. Parts from other guitars would be used in the making of a particular badge for a period of time because it was all the manufacturer had to hand.which doesn't always help in identifying a maker. In some cases a manufacturer would farm out production to various manufacturers, making it still more difficult to know who made the guitar in your hands. Some manufacturers merged or changed hands over the years which added to the confusion, sometime merging with another maker, only to pick up their name later. Japanese manufacturers made multiple badges at the same plant, many of whom resemble each other closely. People often make the mistake of citing the American or European importer as the 'maker' of the guitar, when in fact several Japanese manufacturers were producing badged guitars out of their plants and shipping them to America and Europe to sell. As I've read many different guitar collector/enthusiast forums and spoken to local guitar dealers, it's clear that the layperson has little to no idea who made their badged guitar from the 1960-1980 period, also known as the MIJ golden age of guitar manufacturing. This is one of the most frustrating questions from the MIJ collector.
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