I have just got a secondhand Fernandes APb 5 and it has the serial number on the back. Does anyone know how I could go about dating this? I presume it was made in the 90's sometime in Japan.
I have a Fernandes Limited Edition with the same style neck plate and serial number with an L preface. My Revival has the plate with the little icon before Fernandes and 'Electric Sound Research Group' in a smaller font above that. Both have Electric Sound Research Group decals on traditionally shaped Fender style headstocks, as yours does. Limited Edition and Revival models were issued concurrently in 1981 - 1985, and i'm not sure the serial numbers mean much of anything in terms of being able to date these guitars.That range may be as close as you'll get. On the other hand, mine are both great sounding, great playing instruments. I hope you'll be as happy with yours.
I have a Fernandes Limited Edition with the same style neck plate and serial number with an L preface. My Revival has the plate with the little icon before Fernandes and 'Electric Sound Research Group' in a smaller font above that. Both have Electric Sound Research Group decals on traditionally shaped Fender style headstocks, as yours does. Limited Edition and Revival models were issued concurrently in 1981 - 1985, and i'm not sure the serial numbers mean much of anything in terms of being able to date these guitars.That range may be as close as you'll get. On the other hand, mine are both great sounding, great playing instruments.
I hope you'll be as happy with yours. Click to expand.Thanks Mech, I've just had a look at the 85 catalog as you suggested and I can see the picture you are referring to. Yes I can see what you mean. I might have thought the SAP/R -I think that means sapphire red, but in the picture I'm attaching, you can definitely see there is a burgundy hue coming through the top of the guitar. The whole guitar looks like that in the right light other times it looks red. And your theory about yellowing over the years makes sense. Also, that piucture showing the burgundy mist goes pack through the catalogs as far as 1982.
I'm not sure if it extendds beyond 1986, as the catalogs are only partially loading for me from that year but I will try again later. I have a Fernandes Limited Edition with the same style neck plate and serial number with an L preface. My Revival has the plate with the little icon before Fernandes and 'Electric Sound Research Group' in a smaller font above that. Both have Electric Sound Research Group decals on traditionally shaped Fender style headstocks, as yours does. Limited Edition and Revival models were issued concurrently in 1981 - 1985, and i'm not sure the serial numbers mean much of anything in terms of being able to date these guitars.That range may be as close as you'll get.
On the other hand, mine are both great sounding, great playing instruments. I hope you'll be as happy with yours. My Revival is basically the same as yours, only it's the 50s version with 2TS and a maple fingerboard.
The fingerboard was partially scalloped though (frets 11-21): This is the Limited Edition: It's an 80s 'superstrat' style, with a humbucking pickup at the bridge, diecast tuners instead of vintage kluson types, fully scalloped rosewood 'board on a 22 fret neck, master volume and tone controls, and the jackplate is on the side of the body rather than on the top. The LE has the same neckplate as yours. The Revival has the different style neckplate with 'Fernandes' on top, and the L serial below that, no icon. They are both great players. The scalloped 'boards do require a light touch, though. Gorilla grip will cause pitch problems.
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/ / Tony Salieri Houston, Texas I'm a tone deaf hack. Jun 26th, 2015 03:35 PM Does anyone know if a Fernandes guitar-I'm eyeing a telecopy-having the serial number printed on the front of the headstock means anything regarding county of origin? I found a brief mention of some Fernandes MIJ guitars from the early 2000 having the serial number on the front of the headstock. But I don't know how accurate that info is. I ask because some of the MIJ Fernandes guitars are quite nice. But Fernandes also had/has guitars made in Korea and in China.
Fernandes guitars are NOT easy to research. Sometimes the the headstock shape, the style of the lettering on the headstock, and other things help. Some neckplates are marked Made in Japan, others aren't (and necks plates are easy to swap out), sometimes paper labels were used. Even though my LE-2 had a paper label (SN, MIJ, but no model #) and the lettering on the headstock indicated a LE-2, I eventually had to remove the neck to confirm that it is a LE-2. Tony Salieri Houston, Texas I'm a tone deaf hack.
Jun 27th, 2015 08:35 AM Does anyone have any thoughts and/or experience trying to research Fernandes guitars they're willing to share, namely serial numbers on the front of the headstock? I don't want to take a chance on/pay a premium for a guitar on eBay only to find out it's.not.
MIJ. Related Question-Has anyone recently had problems logging onto the Japanaxe forum? Mirrorboy Yorkshire, England Jun 27th, 2015 09:12 AM There's a Fernandes board on tokaiforum, more Japanese guitar fans post there.
Peegoo Contributing Member. C-C-R is one letter better than B-B-Q. Jun 27th, 2015 09:14 AM My experience with Fernandes is only with the earlier Japan stuff. Mirrorboy offers up some good advice. Find a fanboi site and you'll run into players that eat & sleep this stuff.
Telewired Contributing Member. Kansas City, Mo. Counting it all joy Jun 27th, 2015 09:18 AM I have a Fernandes Special Edition Strat-have it listed on CL and have an offer but I am having a really hard time letting it go-every time I pick it up it just sings-so resonant-totally stock but it is simply a great guitar-has vintage frets and fingerboard radius which on this guitar just feels right- think I am going to pull ad and keep guitar-I really really like the older Fernandes guitars- but as you mentioned not the easiest to track the history or age or specs etc. Peegoo Contributing Member. C-C-R is one letter better than B-B-Q. Jun 27th, 2015 09:34 AM I have a 90s Fernandez Vertigo that is a peach of a guitar. I don't play it enough.
Tony Salieri Houston, Texas I'm a tone deaf hack. Jun 27th, 2015 09:34 AM A older man, late 70s, who runs an independent guitar store told me that my LE-2 is 'probably the only strat you'll ever need.' This is high praise because he rarely has anything nice to say about 'off-brand' guitars, even most of the better MIJ ones. Mirrorboy, thanks for info on Tokaiforum! I'll be sure to check there.
I've tried just about every internet search imaginable, and the closest I got was a passing mention that in the early 2000s Fernandes did put the serial number on the front of the headstock. Japanaxe, where I've found a lot of useful info, has very recent posts. Which is why I wondering if JA is having problems. It won't take any of the three passwords that I tend to use, & isn't sending me a new password that the software says it will. Danny Nader usa You should have been there! Jun 27th, 2015 12:19 PM Serial numbers aside, is it possible to use pot codes on these & other import instruments? Danny Tony Salieri Houston, Texas I'm a tone deaf hack.
Jun 27th, 2015 03:33 PM 'Serial numbers aside, is it possible to use pot codes on these & other import instruments?' Yes, according to my recent research, but I've never done it. Something tells me that would require a fair amount of knowledge and/or a lot research. The Tokai forum didn't give any real answers re the serial # on the headstock. Japanaxe did have a link to many Fernandes catalogs, but that was a PITA (download time) and fruitless even with the knowledge that the telecopy might be early 2000s. Note-If you want to see some truly outrageous metal clothes, hair, & guitar finishes from Japan, check out the Ibanez & Fernandes catalogs. Mirrorboy Yorkshire, England Jun 27th, 2015 04:15 PM Japanese guitar pots generally just say JAPAN or Noble and the resistance rating.
The majority are made by Noble, even the ones that just say Japan, and are of very high quality. There is some more info on Fernandes headstock and logo design here. Tony Salieri Houston, Texas I'm a tone deaf hack. Jun 27th, 2015 08:27 PM I forgot to bookmark the Fernandes site with the catalogs.
Tony Salieri Houston, Texas I'm a tone deaf hack. Jun 30th, 2015 08:36 AM Sometimes too much (Fernandes) research leads to more confusion. I'm now convinced that some of the Fernandes telecopies I'm seeing are MIK. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.as long as they don't have MIJ prices. I'm now rethinking a Peavey Reactor Crafted in the USA. I might even find one locally-much better chance than finding a Fernandes-with some patience. (This message was last edited by Tony Salieri at 10:37 AM, Jun 30th, 2015) Tony Salieri Houston, Texas I'm a tone deaf hack.
Jul 2nd, 2015 09:30 AM FWIW, I saw some Rickenbacker copies, guitars and basses, listed in a couple of the Fernandes catalogs. Apparently the Fernandes Ricks are extremely rare.
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