The entire production was sourced from Japan, and the company continues to get certain models (like the Marcus Miller Jazz Bass) from РІР‚СљFender JapanРІР‚Сњ although the yen is now in the hundred-to-the-dollar range.Р”В«ut thatРІР‚в„ўs guitars again - and I promised to discuss cars. ItРІР‚в„ўs often papered-over by modern admirers of the brand, but there were a few years in the Eighties when Fender guitars werenРІР‚в„ўt manufactured in the United States.

But Matsumoku and SLM werenРІР‚в„ўt the only casualties of the dollarРІР‚в„ўs free-fall. The Spectrum FX was a casualty of that relationship, skyrocketing from a solid-value $499 to a rather frightening $699 over the course of a year. This chart shows the relevant numbers for the yen/dollar relationship in the Eighties. Why didnРІР‚в„ўt the market for imported-from-Japan automobiles collapse the way the music-instrument market did? It might be reasonable to ask why that collapse affected Japanese guitars but not Japanese cars. The phrase РІР‚СљPorsche Lime GreenРІР‚Сњ has been thrown about.Р”В«ut speaking of Porsches, IРІР‚в„ўve written before about how the Japanese guitar builders went from unbeatable to irrelevant within the space of two short years. I have a fourth one waiting for me the next time I can get to Chicago, so this new one will probably be the subject of a resto-mod of sorts.

The new one is sort of showing its best side the backРІР‚в„ўs beat to all hell, the frets will need replacing, and at some point in the guitarРІР‚в„ўs life it was vandalized with the addition of a Fender-style five-way swich. Alert readers will notice that I now have two examples of the 1985-build Westone Spectrum FX.

Westone guitar crackle