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The first era of Fender Japan began in 1982, when domestic market Japanese Fenders started rolling out of factories. While Fender Japan is popularly known for some of their more extravagant aesthetics, the bulk of domestic Japanese production was focused on reissues of historic American Fender models. These reissue models were labeled by a two letter/two number model code for the model and reissue year, followed by a suffix that indicated the price in Yen, and any unique specifications the model had. While a given model might come in a variety of price points during a given model year, from entry level to the near Custom Shop quality of Fender Japan's ExTrad series, all the models would broadly follow the aesthetic and technical specifications of the original American models. Reissue models would follow this naming convention until 2015, when Fender Japan revamped their product line to more closely mirror the organizational structure of the Mexican and American made Fender lines. Models on this page represent the 1982 - 2015 era of Fender Japan production, and typically feature the old style Fender Japan serial number at the base of the neck, as opposed to the contemporary "JD-" serial number format found on the back of the headstock. The original model codes (and frequently the value suffix) can usually be found in the neck pocket of the body, and at the base of the neck where the mounting holes are.

The first era of Fender Japan began in 1982, when domestic market Japanese Fenders started rolling out of factories. While Fender Japan is popularly known for some of their more extravagant aesthetics, the bulk of domestic Japanese production was focused on reissues of historic American Fender models. These reissue models were labeled by a two letter/two number model code for the model and reissue year, followed by a suffix that indicated the price in Yen, and any unique specifications the model had. While a given model might come in a variety of price points during a given model year, from entry level to the near Custom Shop quality of Fender Japan's ExTrad series, all the models would broadly follow the aesthetic and technical specifications of the original American models. Reissue models would follow this naming convention until 2015, when Fender Japan revamped their product line to more closely mirror the organizational structure of the Mexican and American made Fender lines. Models on this page represent the 1982 - 2015 era of Fender Japan production, and typically feature the old style Fender Japan serial number at the base of the neck, as opposed to the contemporary "JD-" serial number format found on the back of the headstock. The original model codes (and frequently the value suffix) can usually be found in the neck pocket of the body, and at the base of the neck where the mounting holes are.

Originally introduced an upgrade to the Rickenbacker 4000, the Rickenbacker 4001 is one of the all-time classic rock basses. Offered with a combination of a fat Rickenbacker bass pickup at the bridge and a smaller bar pickup at the neck, the 4001 gave bassists a wide range of big bass tones to work with. Starting in 1971, stereo “Rick-O-Sound” outputs became standard on the 4001. 

Years of Production: 1961 - 1986

Body Style: “Cresting Wave” solidbody

Wood Composition: Maple body, Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard

Design Elements: Neck-thru construction, triangular inlay, bound neck, Ric-O-Sound wiring

Finish Specifications: Mapleglo was available on the 4001 starting in 1965. 

Notable Players: Geddy Lee, Paul McCartney, Chris Squire, Lemmy Kilmister, Cliff Burton

The first era of Fender Japan began in 1982, when domestic market Japanese Fenders started rolling out of factories. While Fender Japan is popularly known for some of their more extravagant aesthetics, the bulk of domestic Japanese production was focused on reissues of historic American Fender models. These reissue models were labeled by a two letter/two number model code for the model and reissue year, followed by a suffix that indicated the price in Yen, and any unique specifications the model had. While a given model might come in a variety of price points during a given model year, from entry level to the near Custom Shop quality of Fender Japan's ExTrad series, all the models would broadly follow the aesthetic and technical specifications of the original American models. Reissue models would follow this naming convention until 2015, when Fender Japan revamped their product line to more closely mirror the organizational structure of the Mexican and American made Fender lines. Models on this page represent the 1982 - 2015 era of Fender Japan production, and typically feature the old style Fender Japan serial number at the base of the neck, as opposed to the contemporary "JD-" serial number format found on the back of the headstock. The original model codes (and frequently the value suffix) can usually be found in the neck pocket of the body, and at the base of the neck where the mounting holes are.