FUJIGEN

FujiGen Inc.

File:Fujigen fgn logo.png
Company type	Private
Industry	Musical instruments
Founded	1960 (1960)
Headquarters	Matsumoto, Nagano , Japan
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Electric guitars, basses
Website	Official website

FUJIGEN (Japanese: フジゲン), also stylized as FujiGen, is a Japanese musical instrument manufacturing company based in Matsumoto, Nagano. The company was formerly known as Fuji Gengakki (富士弦楽器製造, lit. 'Fuji Stringed Instruments'), and is named after Japan's iconic Mount Fuji. FujiGen does OEM guitar manufacturing for well known guitar brands and they manufacture their own guitars under the brand FGN.

History

FujiGen started production in 1960, making violins and classical guitars. In 1962, FujiGen started production of electric guitars. In the 1970s, FujiGen started making OEM guitars for companies such as Hoshino Gakki (Ibanez), 1970's UK importers, Arbiter, Charles Summerfield Ltd ( Ibanez, CSL, Cimar & Sumbro) and J.T Coppock (Antoria) Kanda Shokai (Greco guitars) and Yamaha. In 1977–78, FujiGen went into a joint venture with Roland to produce guitar synthesizers. In 1981, FujiGen opted out of acoustic guitar production to mainly concentrate on solid body guitar production. FujiGen obtained a CNC router in mid 1981 for making guitar parts and also began to manufacture their own pickups starting in late 1981.

In 1981–82, FujiGen obtained the Fender Japan contract which lasted until 1996–97 and in 1983 FujiGen were producing 14,000 guitars a month with 80% of the guitars being made for export markets and 20% being made for Japanese domestic markets. In mid/late 1992, FujiGen obtained a part of the Orville by Gibson contract which ended in 1998 and from then on have made Epiphone Japan solid body guitars, some Gretsch models and their own branded FGN guitars. FujiGen still manufactures OEM guitars for companies like Ibanez and Epiphone but in much smaller quantities than in the past. FujiGen has three factories: the Omachi factory in Omachi, the Hirooka factory (established around 1992) in Shiojiri and the Matsumoto head office factory in Matsumoto.

In the mid-2010s FujiGen began producing rosewood interior elements in some Mazda vehicles.

Other Japanese OEM guitar makers

Main article: List of Japanese OEM guitar manufacturers

Other OEM guitar manufacturers based in Japan similar to FujiGen include Chushin Gakki, Dyna Gakki, Guyatone, Iida Gakki, Kasuga, Matsumoku, Terada, and Tōkai Gakki.

See also

• Kent guitars

References

• "History of FujiGen" (in Japanese). FujiGen. Archived from the original on 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2015-05-18.
• Rainer Daeschler. "1986/1987 tour of Fujigen factory". Daeschler.com.
  originally published as "Fujigen vom Kuhstall zur Weltspitze". Fachblatt Musikmagazin. 1987 (2).

Further reading

• Yokouchi, Yuichiro (1983). グレコの仲間たち―富士弦楽器物語 [Buddies of Greco — A tale of FujiGen] (in Japanese). Matsumoto: Densan Printing Co. ASIN B000J7471C.
• Yokouchi, Yuichiro (1994). 運を掴む―弱小の会社を世界一にした男の物語 [Get the luck — A story of a man who grown a weak company into the top of the world.] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Gakken. ISBN 978-4051060671.
• "Matsumoto GUITARS" [Guitar Manufacturers in Matsumoto City] (in Japanese). Matsumoto: Junk Guitar Museum.
• Meyers, Frank (July 29, 2013). "Fujigen Gakki Factory Tour!!". DrowningInGuitars.com.
• Meyers, Frank (2015). History of Japanese Electric Guitars. Centerstream Publications. ISBN 978-1-57424-315-4.

External links

• Official website