The Japanese—the only Asian group mostly born in America and more likely than not to marry a non-Asian—are closer in attitudes and educational level to the American population as a whole. 2007 - 2015: Fender partnered with Kanda Shokai and Yamano Gakki to build their own plant in Japan, producing mostly guitars for the Japanese market, along with a few Fender Special Run (FSR) instruments for the Western/US market. These instruments have sometimes been stamped "MADE IN JAPAN", and sometimes "CRAFTED IN JAPAN", seemingly for Allen Abbassi: In the mid to late '70s, Fender was facing fierce competition from a number of Japanese-made guitar brands who were able to manufacture Fender replica guitars at very affordable prices. The quality of these import guitars was considered quite good. 1. In Japan, the school year begins in April and ends in March. In America, the school year starts in August or September and ends in May or June. Also, students in Japan have fewer days off than 2 Squier. Personally, I don't like the fender and gibson knockoffs, and squire's aren't the best brand, but I have a squire telecaster, which is actually great quality, better than I expected, and it has a slightly more drier, shaky tone that an actual tele, which is a nice feature. In my experience the Japanese ones feel nicer while the American ones are nicer instruments. The Japanese ones get beat up faster, don't have quite as nice pickups, and are usually more like the best version of a vintage strat versus the best version of every strat. Many Stratocaster and Telecaster players will tell you that Japanese-built Fender guitars are on par with American-made guitars, and a few will even insist that the consistency of the Japanese-built Fenders makes them even better. The Japanese builders got it right with all of the classic Fender models except for one: the Jazzmaster. In the 1960s, Japanese manufacturers flooded the market with truly unique guitar designs. Manufacturers like Teisco, Kawai, Guyatone, Fujigen, Matsumoku, Zen-On, and Shinko Gakki brought guitars to America sporting brand names like Kent, Silvertone, St. George, Conrad, Lafayette, Domino, and Kingston among many others. The Mexican Fender makes an excellent option for gigging and live performances. The sound isn't all the way there than an American, but with new pickups and other mods, you can get to about 80-90% there. Best of all, most of the upgrades can be done under $300. Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Maple Fingerboard, and 3 Single-coil Pickups - Black. The Fender Stratocaster is considered by many guitarists at Sweetwater to be the classic solidbody electric guitar. Introduced in 1954, the Strat has flaunted its svelte body curves, tonal dexterity, and expressive vibrato in the capable y3RbA.