Down in rural Somerset you’ll find a little slice of Matsumoto, Japan at the premises of Gas Station Guitars. The store, which primarily does business online, imports a wide variety of rare and sought-after Japanese guitars. But, as owner Keith Anderson admits, it’s the colourful and quirky offset guitars made by Fender Japan – notably at its famous Fujigen factory – that are his ruling passion. Less wedded to tradition than US Fenders, the guitars made by Fender Japan have always been a riot of colour and modded features, with guitars often made in vanishingly small runs for individual stores. In this hothouse environment, which set a premium on exclusive finishes and unique features, traditional offsets such as the Jazzmaster evolved into truly capable and versatile contemporary electrics. We join Keith to explore how Japanese Fenders provided the missing link between vintage classics and modern do-it-all offsets.
How did you get into selling offsets made by Fender Japan?
“I think a lot of guitarists of my generation got into offsets because it was all we could afford at the time. And I think the same was true for a lot of my favourite bands, like Sonic Youth and Swervedriver when they started out. So if people wonder why
