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Meeting with the FujiGen Founder Family [ FGN (FujiGen) Guitars Information Thread ]

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Pete.RPete.R Frets: 238
edited July 2023 in Guitar
Shoji Yokouchi (the son of the FujiGen founder) and his family made a trip across Europe - and we've met a few weeks ago in Würzburg (Bavaria) which is close to where I live.
We had been in contact for some time on facebook, he's a contributing member of my FGN (FujiGen) Guitar Fanclub group with close to 2000 members https://www.facebook.com/groups/563422544374288 ;
( If I'm not allowed to post this link, feel free to delete it )
He brought me a present.... handsigned from the 95 year old FGN founder and him in perfect teamwork.
Needless to say I feel honored to get such a nice present!
I gave him a picture of the FGN Fan Club's 'leadership team' taken last year at the guitar-summit in Mannheim and a gift of wine from my region.
It was a pleasure to meet Shoji Yokouchi and his family,
hope we'll meet again in 3 years when I'm retired and will visit him in Matsumoto.




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  • Tall_martinTall_martin Frets: 158
    That's awesome!

    Great to see your clear passion for their guitars recognised  :)
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  • ThePrettyDamnedThePrettyDamned Frets: 7416
    That's brilliant! What a fantastic post :) 
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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4680
    Nice - they've made some rather nice guitars!
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  • DrJazzTapDrJazzTap Frets: 2008
    Its really nice to see something uplifting in times like these. Well deserved  :)
    I would love to change my username, but I fully understand the T&C's (it was an old band nickname). So please feel free to call me Dave.
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 15603
    Lovely story. Hope they enjoyed Wurzburg, really interesting place although it was heaving with tourists when I was there. 
    [I am obviously a seasoned traveller and not a tourist] 
    I’ll handle this Violet, you take your three hour break. 
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  • Pete.RPete.R Frets: 238
    prowla said:
    Nice - they've made some rather nice guitars!

    Thanks - they still make them...


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  • Pete.RPete.R Frets: 238
    Lovely story. Hope they enjoyed Wurzburg, really interesting place although it was heaving with tourists when I was there. 
    [I am obviously a seasoned traveller and not a tourist] 

    He plans to visit Würzburg again in two years, not with the family, just with some friends, including
    Mr. Tamura Susumu, who designed the famous Ibanez Tube-Screamer


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  • guitarjack66guitarjack66 Frets: 1397
    I hope Mr Yokouchi's nose gets better soon!
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  • Pete.RPete.R Frets: 238
    That's awesome!

    Great to see your clear passion for their guitars recognised  :)

    Thanks !

    He'll do a personal factory-tour for me in the Matsumoto factory and the one in northern Hokkaido

     

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  • BigsbyBigsby Frets: 2770
    Great story, thanks for sharing it! 
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  • GoFishGoFish Frets: 1082
    Nice one! Keep posting here on all things FGN, and other things too. :+1: 
    Ten years too late and still getting it wrong
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  • GoFishGoFish Frets: 1082
    Nice one! Keep posting here on all things FGN, and other things too. :+1: 
    Ten years too late and still getting it wrong
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  • OffsetOffset Frets: 9212
    Wow!  That's a bit special!  You're obviously an FGN nut so that must really have meant something.
    Currently for sale: https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/247085/pro-ject-essential-ii-turntable
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  • Pete.RPete.R Frets: 238
    edited July 2023
    Offset said:
    Wow!  That's a bit special!  You're obviously an FGN nut so that must really have meant something.

    Thanks !

    Yes, I am a FGN-Nut 
    and I really feel more than belly-brushed

    While I was searching for an used €pi-Elitist Les Paul Custom nearly one decade ago and had to realise the used ones are more expensive than a brand new FGN LC-10 at thomann - I just hit the button, and bought the thomann 'photo-model'
    for less than € 1000 back in 2014.
    I was totally impressed by the Quality, Feeling and Sound.
    Then I've bought my second FGN, the Masterfield with double HBs,
    and a few others, all in all I had 17 FGNs, currently 10 in my collection.

    I've even sold my Gibson Midtown Custom to get another FGN

    The sold ones....
    NeoClassic LC-10 (sold)

    Expert-FL-Duo (Sold)

    Standard FlatTop Duo (sold)

    Odyssey Duo Standard and Expert (sold)

    The current crew:
    Virtuoso VFL-Custom | Expert Rise ERS | Standard JFL-Custom

    Masterfield Trio MSA-HP-C | MSB Prototype | MSA-SP-C

    NeoClassic TL-Custom | Standard Iliad HH

    Boundary Duo Iliad & Odyssey


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  • Jez6345789Jez6345789 Frets: 1652
    Lovely story and sure most of us of a certain age have played some nice guitars built by fujigen that they produced for Oem partners It also forgotten from back then how many innovations and production techniques they introduced to guitar building. I believe they were one of the first companies to embrace cnc. There standards for many years eclipsed the likes of fender and Gibson.

    so great story thanks
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  • Pete.RPete.R Frets: 238
    edited July 2023
    Lovely story and sure most of us of a certain age have played some nice guitars built by fujigen that they produced for Oem partners It also forgotten from back then how many innovations and production techniques they introduced to guitar building. I believe they were one of the first companies to embrace cnc. There standards for many years eclipsed the likes of fender and Gibson.

    so great story thanks

    Thanks !

    Yes, they did start wit CNC machines in 1981

    They also made the first guitar-synthesizer in cooperation with Roland in 1978

    in 1983 they were the worlds biggest guitar-factory, making 14000 guitars a month

    Gladly Fujigen went back to 'Quality over Quantity'
    currently they produce around 100-120 guitars a day,
    thats basicly 'Custom-Shop' numbers, compared to some big US based mass-producers




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  • rprrpr Frets: 302
    There's a Tele alike for sale in local gumtree - https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/fgn-tele/1461739734 
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  • Pete.RPete.R Frets: 238
    edited July 2023
    rpr said:
    There's a Tele alike for sale in local gumtree - https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/fgn-tele/1461739734 

    Looks like a Boundary Iliad with an upgraded bridge HB


    Basicly MiJ Quality for the price of MiC Squiers.....



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  • Pete.RPete.R Frets: 238
    The Prototype of the FGN Masterfield Semi-Hollow made it's way to the FujiGen Founder Family collection


    I have a feeling where this guitar will go in a few years....





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  • willowillo Frets: 240
    This is a lovely story and, knowing what I do of Japanese culture, what a lovely meaningful gift from them. Beautiful guitars also!
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  • KateskogsKateskogs Frets: 6
    edited July 2023
    Fantastic, nice to see still thriving too. Fujigen have made some Fantastic guitars over the years (still do!)  Very consistent quality and of course were responsible for the JV Squier line of guitars. 
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  • Pete.RPete.R Frets: 238
    The current output by FujiGen is ~ 3000 guitars a month
    There are ~ 300 employees in their factories
    6 in the Matsumoto area, 1 in northern Hokkaido and 1 in Vietnam
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  • willowillo Frets: 240
    edited August 2023
    Pete.R said:
    The current output by FujiGen is ~ 3000 guitars a month
    There are ~ 300 employees in their factories
    6 in the Matsumoto area, 1 in northern Hokkaido and 1 in Vietnam
    Hi Pete.R - do you have any experience getting a guitar with the Circular Fretting System refretted?

    I saw some mention of it on a FGN site that suggested it wouldn't be an issue but I'd love to get a real world perspective, as it concerns me a little.
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 20197
    @Pete.R that semi-hollow reminds me, I've got a "History by FujiGen" guitar about the size of a Gibson CS-336 or ES-339, with the "circle fretting system" and "Louis" pickups.  Just out of curiosity, is History a sub-brand you know much about?
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  • Pete.RPete.R Frets: 238
    edited August 2023
    Philly_Q said:
    @Pete.R that semi-hollow reminds me, I've got a "History by FujiGen" guitar about the size of a Gibson CS-336 or ES-339, with the "circle fretting system" and "Louis" pickups.  Just out of curiosity, is History a sub-brand you know much about?

    History is a brand for the Japanese Shimamura store - made by Fujigen, it is basicly a FGN Masterfield
    CoolZ is / was their entry level brand, made by Fujigen, too
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  • Pete.RPete.R Frets: 238
    edited August 2023
    willo said:
    Pete.R said:
    The current output by FujiGen is ~ 3000 guitars a month
    There are ~ 300 employees in their factories
    6 in the Matsumoto area, 1 in northern Hokkaido and 1 in Vietnam
    Hi Pete.R - do you have any experience getting a guitar with the Circular Fretting System refretted?

    I saw some mention of it on a FGN site that suggested it wouldn't be an issue but I'd love to get a real world perspective, as it concerns me a little.

    there was no need to refret any of my FGNs, but it is easy to do, cause the radius is huge, so regular frets can be put in,
    that's what Fujigen and some luthiers say.

    BTW you don't really feel this CFS fretting with your hands/fingers - you might just hear it (a bit)
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  • willowillo Frets: 240
    Pete.R said:
    there was no need to refret any of my FGNs, but it is easy to do, cause the radius is huge, so regular frets can be put in,
    that's what Fujigen and some luthiers say.

    BTW you don't really feel this CFS fretting with your hands/fingers - you might just hear it (a bit)

    Thanks. I need to understand a bit more about this because I don't understand how curved frets can be replaced by straight ones - do they just bend to fit the fret slot? If you don't know, no worries - I'm not meaning to make you the expert of all things CFS here! I can do some digging online.

    For what its worth, I think I'll be fine with how it might feel as I adapt pretty quickly to frets, necks etc. I'm not fussy about anything other than quality, and my experience of Japanese guitars (admittedly, Navigator and Tokai as opposed to FGN) is excellent and makes me quite confident about buying another without trying it in advance.
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  • Pete.RPete.R Frets: 238
    edited August 2023

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=f1NRbSqjseg&fbclid=IwAR02tl5WKrigfONV69BH3kDcgS-NYByNnheCHyGLQ-dARTHoYVpl-p6MtU0


    this is one of FujiGens factory, located in the Village of Nishiokoppe in northern Hokkaido

    Mostly woodwork and lacquering is done there.

    The capacity is about 20000 bodies / year, done by~ 40 employees


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  • LoobsLoobs Frets: 3782
    Pete.R said:
    That's awesome!

    Great to see your clear passion for their guitars recognised  :)

    Thanks !

    He'll do a personal factory-tour for me in the Matsumoto factory and the one in northern Hokkaido

     

    that's cool - Hokkaido is beautiful and was my favourite area in Japan 
    https://www.instagram.com/len_bluevan/
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  • hollywoodroxhollywoodrox Frets: 3605
    That is so cool , thanks for sharing 
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