Fender, then owned by CBS, acquired the Squier brand name in 1965 when it bought a USA based string making firm, but it lay dormant for many years. In the late 1970s and early 1980s Fender was facing competition from lower priced Japanese made guitars. The higher priced Fender guitars were made in America and could not compete with the lower prices of Japanese made Fender copies.
Fender began negotiations with several Japanese musical instrument distributors and reached an agreement with Yamano Gakki and Kanda
Shokai to establish Fender Japan. Yamano Gakki is also known for once being part of Epiphone Japan. Kanda Shokai owned the Greco brand name and one of the conditions of the Fender Japan agreement was that Kanda Shokai cease production of its own Greco Fender copies.
This arrangement benefited Fender because it removed the Greco Fender copies from the Japanese market which were selling in Japan at much lower prices than the American made Fenders and it also benefited Kanda Shokai because Kanda Shokai could then distribute Japanese made Fender branded guitars in Japan. Further negotiations between Fender and Japanese guitar factories took place. Tokai was seriously considered to start building the first Japanese made Fenders, but after a breakdown in negotiations, FujiGen Gakki was chosen instead.
The first Squier series was launched on July/August 1982 and over time the Squier series has slowly evolved to include original model
designs and production has moved from Japan to various other Asian countries such as Korea and China.
Fender began negotiations with several Japanese musical instrument distributors and reached an agreement with Yamano Gakki and Kanda
Shokai to establish Fender Japan. Yamano Gakki is also known for once being part of Epiphone Japan. Kanda Shokai owned the Greco brand name and one of the conditions of the Fender Japan agreement was that Kanda Shokai cease production of its own Greco Fender copies.
This arrangement benefited Fender because it removed the Greco Fender copies from the Japanese market which were selling in Japan at much lower prices than the American made Fenders and it also benefited Kanda Shokai because Kanda Shokai could then distribute Japanese made Fender branded guitars in Japan. Further negotiations between Fender and Japanese guitar factories took place. Tokai was seriously considered to start building the first Japanese made Fenders, but after a breakdown in negotiations, FujiGen Gakki was chosen instead.
The first Squier series was launched on July/August 1982 and over time the Squier series has slowly evolved to include original model
designs and production has moved from Japan to various other Asian countries such as Korea and China.
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TITLE:
SQUIER ELECTRICS AUTHOR: TONY BACON PUBLISHER: BACKBEAT BOOKS DATE: 2012 PAGES: 160 COVER: SOFTBACK PHOTOS: COLOUR, BLACK & WHITE ISBN: 1617130222 |