The second "Fresher", an amazing guitar with built-in effects!
Following the last issue of "Herrby", we would like to feature an unusual guitar again!♪
We have many used Japanese guitars such as Greco and Tokai in stock at our store, but this guitar has a distinct presence!
The name is "Fresher"!
First of all, what is a "Fresher"? For those of you who are not familiar with it, here is a brief summary.♪
What is a fresher?
Fresher is a brand launched in 1973 as a sibling brand of Galant by Kyowa Shokai, which has its headquarters in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, and has released many copy models of Stratocaster (FSC), Telecaster (FT), Les Paul (FLP), SG (FSG), etc... mainly Fender and They released many copy models mainly of Fender and Gibson series.
Fresher had a predecessor brand called FRESH, which was produced for only a few months and later changed to Fresher.
The price range was reasonably priced, with the main products in the 30,000 yen range and advanced models in the 40,000 to 50,000 yen range, targeting the younger generation at the time. Around the time of the Fresher's birth, Greco released the EG-360 in 1971, which was a big hit! Also in 1973, Fernandez released the FST-60, and in the blink of an eye, domestic guitar brands changed their lineups to mainly copycat models, and the price range shifted from the 30,000 yen range to the 50,000-60,000 yen range. Against this backdrop, Fresher, which had released a lineup centered on low-priced models, began to attract attention.
A catchphrase I saw in a magazine article at the time...
"It's our job to bring you great guitars."
Hmmm... I can feel their belief in making musical instruments.
The company was one of the first to adopt the set neck system, faithfully copying Fender Gibson, and using well-chosen materials, finishes (finishes), and parts, while still maintaining a low price range.
From 1973 to 1976, Fresher's production was contracted to the Matsumoto Musical Instrument Manufacturing Cooperative Association, which had its production base in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. After that, Chushin Instrument Manufacturing was contracted to produce the product until around 1986, when it came to an end.
*As we researched, we found that several logos existed for Fresher, and the main one this time will be the logo of the first half of the third period.
The main character that inspired this feature is the "Fresher Attachment Series," a guitar with a built-in effector.
In November 1977, Fresher released three new models that were different from the previous copy models. The three models were the Les Paul FLP-100, the Firebird FFD-100, and the Stratocaster FSC-100.♪
Fresher's price and description were linked, and the selling price of 100,000 yen at that time must have been a big experiment for Fresher, which was mainly in the low price range.
In May of the same year, Greco/Roland released the "GR-500" and "GR-505" guitar synthesizers, and overseas, Gibson's RD and Musicman's Stingray were also released, so the electronic-inspired models give a sense of the background of the times.♪
Now, let's take a look at the following models equipped with multiple effect functions.
Let's take a look at the whole picture!
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*The part number was revised to FLP-1005 in mid-1978, but the specs and specifications are said to be unchanged. |
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Wood material is mahogany 1 piece neck (set neck) with maple 1 piece top/mahogany 1 piece back.
Pretty extravagant specs for the time.♪The neck is of interest...
Nut width is about 44mm, thickness (near the 1st fret) is about 23mm.
The 12th fret width is about 52mm and thickness is about 26mm.
(I felt it was close to a C shape, not too thin, when I held it.♪
Guitar Description
The most unique feature of this Les Paul type guitar is that it is equipped with an effect function.♪！！
It is directly mounted on the top of the body without compromising its looks.♪
The mini-switch on the upper right between the volume and tone controls...
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Effects on/off switch |
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Finally, I applied all the effects from a sound similar to Roland's AP7 (Jet Phaser)! It's pretty... It's going to be amazing lol... Does it work? |
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Back side
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What is the back side? The cavity cover is quite large♪ |
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This hole on the back is for adjusting the distortion output level.♪ |
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I actually opened the inside of the cavity.♪ The board is not attached to the body but to the back panel. |
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Each substrate is mounted separately. |
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It also has an LED below the effects on/off switch that also serves as a battery checker. This turns on when the jack is plugged in.♪ |
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By the way, we use 006P 9V batteries.♪ |
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Actually, there was also an export catalog centered around this guitar with built-in effector, apparently!♪
In addition to the guitars with built-in effects featured in this article, Fresher also produced other guitars such as rhythm boxes, guitars with LEDs in the side positions of the neck, Fresher's first original model "X-309" series, lacquered guitars that appeared as an option, and guitars with a carving knife finish, heavy metal guitars, and other types of guitars. The lineup was full of playful products such as the Flying V and other variant shapes influenced by the metal boom, as well as guitars with built-in amplifiers.♪
In addition to guitars, there were many other items such as a handbook explaining maintenance and playing techniques, a free newspaper called "MUSIC DOCTOR," a giveaway of effector cases, staff jumpers, and more.
Hmmm... Fresher... it's getting deeper and deeper.
The guitars in this show are more for collectors... It's more of a collector's item.♪
However, I have a feeling that this guitar will surely be the center of attention when used on stage!
In order to feature Fresher
I have researched Fresher from the very beginning, but... there were almost no materials available, so I gathered information by surfing catalogs, magazines, and the Internet at the time. We hope that people who like Japan vintage guitars, people who like unusual guitars, and people who are not interested in guitars will enjoy this article!♪
Not only this Fresher, but many other used Japanese guitars are in stock now!♪
Japan Vintage Stock isClick hereAccess from here!
By the way, this is a hobby of mine...
While I was working on this project, I had been thinking about the shape of the effector. I was curious about the shape of the effector, so I decided to make one!♪
I took Guyatone's TZ-2 "THE FUZZ" and packed it into a Wagen bus that I bought at a grocery store, complete with circuit board, batteries, etc...♪
See you next time!