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It's technically a used guitar, but it's new to me.
There was a thread earlier when I was lurking these boards about great guitars for people with smaller hands (specifically women). I would like to add one more, the Fujigen MFA-FP. It is both a smaller body for an archtop (14 1/2 bout), has a short scale (24.75) and thinner neck. The guitar features an ebony bridge and fretboard, with a circle fretting. The guitar has 4 ply cream and tortoise shell binding throughout. It is acoustically surprisingly loud for such a small body. The coil tap is surprisingly useful, with it in the single coil position bringing out more of the woody acoustic sound. I cannot find all the specs on it sadly. But it is pretty close to being the perfect archtop for me personally, it is extremely comfortable to play and I love the tone through my rivera venus 3. I really have not seen much about this guitar on this board or anywhere else, but I attribute that to FGN not having a US distributor or retailer, which is kind of a shame, as the guitars under their own marque are beautiful. The guitars they manufacture for Ibanez and Fender are well known. I kind of went off the beaten path to even find this guitar, and I am glad I did.
I would not call this guitar "entry level", but a nice intermediate step. A good alternative to the Japanese made Ibanez, Peerless, and Eastman guitars. After 20 years of playing guitar, it is something that is a joy to play. Maybe one day I will be in the market for a Custom Made Archtop Guitar, but until then, this will be a great composition and recording, as well as ideal for the rare live performance. My question is does anybody else other then me have one of these, or at least any additional info?Last edited by Ghostlady; 07-31-2014 at 10:41 PM.
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07-30-2014 02:21 AM
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Nice!
Im a huge Japanese guitar fan and have wondered about these, since FGN decided to come out with their own brand. They don't mess around when other people names are on the top, so I doubt they do with theirs.
I couldn't help feel however that the brand was quite expensive and I do wonder how japan is faring as a whole, now China has come along. I would be happy to pay £1,500 (new) for a guitar like that but getting one for under £2,000 would be quite hard.
What did you pay and what does it sound like? Can you do some sound recordings and take some more pics of the back and sides and neck reverse?
ThanksLast edited by GoergeBenson; 07-30-2014 at 11:19 AM.
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Lovely Guitar !!
So many subtle details you have seen in other instruments shown in this beauty.
The GB10 style bridge base stood right out. Your thread got me looking at FujiGen listings on eBay. Ya know so many great guitars came out of FujiGen if they decide they're gonna make some really top flight guitars with their name on them that they will be MONSTERS of that class. Have a look for yourselves folks.
Congrats !!
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Looks like a great one. Congatulations.
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Like GB, I have been buying and enjoying Japanese guitars for...goodness...it's now over 50 years. (My first Yairi is a '62 classical.) The FGN looks like a winner, to me.
Japan has been making great guitars (and amplifiers--few people seem to realize this) for at least 70 years. By the 1970s the industry in Japan had really matured.
More reports on your FGN, please.
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A recording may be awhile, I am in the process of setting up a new computer. But there is quite a few youtube videos of it. I will take more pictures, but they barely really do any justice to this guitar.
Originally Posted by GoergeBenson
In terms of it's price. I looked this up, and you may want to check out Rakuten Global Market. It's a japanese sales site. They have it listed for 1300 GBP there. With Japanese guitars it is always cheaper to order directly from japan if you cannot find it used. I don't know how much it will cost to import it, anywhere in Europe seems to get hit harder with duties, and then there is shipping. I still think you could easily score it for under 2000 GBP. I mean it's a little over $2300 to have it shipped to the US new direct from fujigen. It will not be in the redish color, it is in natural and sunburst, but it's the same guitar.
Used...I am going to be honest, I caught an incredible bargain, I scored it for less than a $1000 (USD) used. I don't think that will happen everyday, or even ever again, these are pretty damn rare even if they are in production and do not pop up very often.Last edited by Ghostlady; 07-30-2014 at 08:36 PM.
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Tundra Music in Toronto has a couple of new FGN archtops. Very nice guitars. Considerably more than $1000 (USD).
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Hello, i am brand new to this but i really need some direction from ibanez guitar experts...I currently have a af85 and am contemplating moving to either a ibanez af 105 or a epiphone joe pass...I really play very little jazz..but the guitar would be used for contemporary worship style of music...looking for some honest feed back..thank you in advance..
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If they are new I would imagine they are are over $2000 USD new. Probably $2400 is my guess. Originally Posted by Hammertone
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I must say that I'm at least as intrigued by what's going on in the background as in the foreground!
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There is a small eurorack 3U system in the white cabinet, an archangel touch sequencer is the black and red thing. Then there is the custom Ciat-Lonbarde, which is a synthesizer made by Peter Blasser. Pretty much all of it is modular of one flavor or another. Composition and improvisation tools for the post-modern avante garde musician. Originally Posted by Jehu
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Gorgeous guitar. Enjoy!
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Okay so I added some more images of the guitar. I will try to keep this thread up to date if I record some samples, or use it on a track (even a non-jazz composition). Since there is not much out there on this guitar on English language sites. There are you tube videos if you want to check it out.
From what I can tell is the guitar is solid wood since the figuring on the AAAA wood matches both the inside and outside the guitar. I am not sure whether it is hand carved or pressed though.
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If the woods are solid (back and front) then I would suspect 'arched' instead of carved. Originally Posted by Ghostlady
Very nice though. The back is pretty and its deeper than I thought.
It kinda reminds me of the old GB-20
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I emailed the company asking for neck width and body thickness specifically related to the MFA-FP model. Their reply was neck width = 43 mm (1 11/16 in.) and body thickness = 75 mm (2.95 in. or ~2 15/16 in.).
However, I did not get a clear response when asking about solid (pressed or carved) or laminate construction. Their reply was - Solid wood materials from Canada(Spruce) and North America(Curly Maple).
The MFA-FP (jazz natural or sunburst) is $2199 (USD) and can be ordered online in the USA from their online store with free UPS shipping and accepted form of payment is PayPal through a credit card.Last edited by Forensbro; 08-06-2014 at 07:34 AM.
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At that price, and with the answer you received, it's sage to assume a pressed (arched) top.
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Greentone I definitely agree. However, I still think that the guitar is competitively priced if it plays and sounds good. The neck width (43 mm) is the same as my Seventy Seven guitars. The FGN has a 305R (12") fretboard radius versus a 310R for the Seventy Seven guitars. The jazz natural sure is a looker!
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I think the solid body which is arched is pretty typical these days for japanese guitars. If I were to guess they improved on the pressing technique, as the japanese often do with manufacturing processes. This technique is already pretty common in japan as they use it with the aria d'aquisto branded guitars as well, which is what they are competing with in their home market.
I also think that the japanese makers are moving away from the laminates and towards solid woods, but using a pressed/curved technique instead of hand carving which is labor intensive.
I found out this is very similar to the Ibanez GB-15, including the coil tapping on the pickup. The difference is that is a laminate, and this is arched solid, so if anything it's a better guitar with the same features, but a lower cost than the gb-15. The size though is identical with both guitars.
In terms of the sound, it sounds beautiful even when not plugged in, but the volume and tone of what one would expect from a smaller guitar. It's louder than flattops though I have played that same size though.
I should note the guitar is very comfortable to me personally, and I have smaller hands and usually prefer guild necks. So it may be in some type of sweet spot in terms of the neck. Looking at the prices of the two other japanese companies currently making similar jazz boxes (Aria/D'Aquisto and Seventy Seven), the price is a bit of a sweet spot there as well.
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Worldwide, this guitar should be a winner. I have been a Bentira, Aria, Ibanez, Matsumoku fan since the 60s. The guitars are great and only getting better.
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Here are site pics of the FujiGen MFA-FP Jazz Natural that lists for $2199; what a looker.
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By the way, I found out what "curved" means, it's not the same as "arched" aka heat pressed. It's CNC carved solid wood, basically it utilizes some of the more advanced CNC production techniques. It's a fairly recent manufacturing technique, but it's one that seems to be limited to japan right now. The D'Angelico Vestex site eludes to it...it's the same way the NYL2 is made.
D'AngelicobVestax
I guess "curved" can now go down as the fourth archtop technique with Laminate, Heat-Pressed, and Hand Carved. Curved = CNC carved solid wood.
This sort of makes sense considering fujigen's history with CNC.
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Curved - heh. Funny.
I don't buy it.
My BS meter is in the red zone.
If it is carved by a machine, that makes it no different from top plates carved at Gibson, Heritage, Hofner, etc. - they are shaped, curved, carved - whatever - by machines. Then instrument builders take them and finish up the carving/sanding by hand.
Or it's a suitably vague word that means heat-pressed.
I think it's a get-out-of-jail-free card.
I think it's spinach and I say to hell with it.
More research required…..
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heat pressing would save on materials too.
I think it would be a good way to do it.
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Why does it make more sense for companies and manufacturers other than Fujigen to manufacture archtops using CNC, when Fujigen literally introduced CNC machines into guitar manufacturing and remains the leader in CNC manufacturing. Fujigen not using CNC, and instead using heat pressing actually makes less sense. Especially when Fujigen has machines which reduce the need for extensive hand finishing. You do realize many of the companies you listed are using techniques first used by fujigen, and keep fujigen on contract as a manufacturing consultant for CNC. Never mind the fact that fujigen also makes many of the tools for cnc manufacturing. Originally Posted by Hammertone
In many ways heat pressing makes less sense if you understand fujigen's history. Some smaller luthiers on their own have figured out how to get a machine to do 95% of the shaping work for an archtop through CNC on lower end machines then what fujigen uses. Never mind the company that strictly focuses on using and improving cnc manufacturing for guitars for over thirty years, uses it extensively in every stage manufacturing, uses the top of the line cnc equipment, and remains the leader in CNC manufacturing. The likelihood of them using a different manufacturing technique other than CNC is actually pretty low.
How do you think many of those companies you listed were introduced to CNC manufacturing in the first place, many were customers of fujigen who introduced them to the technique. If those using lower end CNC machines know how to do this with minimized finishing, you would think the leader in cnc guitar manufacturing would be doing this. In addition heat pressing is not especially beneficial in creating a solid top when one has an extensive amount of top end CNC machines around instead. Heat pressing is an older world technique that introduces problems, additional labor and equipment, and results in a lower quality product with not much cost saving over CNC. While it may result in some savings in material per guitar, it is likely a few dollars, not much more. In general the "saving nickles at the cost of dimes" is not fujigen's style. Their style is using automated processes to produce the highest quality instrument possible. Material costs are not the huge cost in this case, it's the labor. Heat pressing itself lends to a higher defect rate than CNC manufacturing. CNC if you are using quality wood, and calibrating the machines, ends up with consistant results each and every time, at a low cost. With CNC, especially at the level fujigen has, you end up with a more consistant quality with fewer defects. The only cost is an additional material cost, there is probably at a lower labor cost since more stages of the process are automated. It may have made sense at one point to heat press after cnc when the cnc cuts were basic, and the computer technology was not as sophisticated. But the cnc techniques have advanced significantly, eliminating the need for much else.
The use of CNC makes more sense than heat pressing in the case of fujigen.Last edited by Ghostlady; 08-13-2014 at 01:24 PM.
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Curved, or carved.
Couldn't it be a mispelling ?
That would give even more sense (if necessary) to Ghostlady's opinion (that I share)
Nice guitar anyway !
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