IT’S NO SECRET that Japan has produced some outstanding guitars since the late 1970s. The country’s electrics of that era in particular nudged several U.S. manufacturers to up their game and helped bail Fender out of a tight spot following the company’s near demise some 40 years ago. It’s with this backstory in mind that the JV Modified ’50s Stratocaster HSS pays homage to the great Japanese Fenders of the early ’80s, all while embodying so much of just how extremely versatile, though relatively affordable, a Strat can be.
The “JV” tag is an acronym for “Japanese Vintage,” but players familiar with Fender’s transitional years from CBS to FMIC will also recognize it as the prefix to the serial numbers on a range
