Show Notes
When CBS sold Fender to a consortium of employees, the US factory was not included in the sale. So, while the new owners figured out where their new home would be built, production moved to Japan. That was when the Contemporary Series of Stratocasters and Telecasters was introduced - the first set of Japanese instruments to bear the Fender name on the headstock, instead of Squier. Enjoy!
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More from The High Gain
It’s been our great pleasure to make this show for anyone who would listen, week after week, for 7 years. Knowing you were out there, and hearing from so many of you, really fed us as we pushed forward to that “next” guitar. This is the final episode of The High Gain Podcast. Enjoy! This website and our Instagram account will remain active. If you’d like to keep up with what John and Ed are up to:
In 1963 Gibson introduced the Firebird series of guitars. It came in multiple variations, with several options. The “lowest” model was the Firebird I, so named because of its single pickup. Now, as part of its “Inspired by Gibson Custom” series, there is an Epiphone 1963 Firebird I. In our humble opinion, its simplicity makes it somehow cooler than the rest. Enjoy!
Hamer had a long history of making great guitars, especially for the metal crowd. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that not only did Steve Stevens have a signature model named after him, but he played it in the Top Gun Anthem video. Double cool. Enjoy!
Yamaha was founded in 1887 by Torakusu Yamaha. Dealing primarily in keyboard instruments, it took a while to get around to designing electric guitars. But in the 1960s they did exactly that. One of the most unique shapes they came up with was known as the “Flying Samurai”. Enjoy!
Hello Kitty is perhaps the most recognizable character of Japan’s “cute” culture. The ubiquitous cat has appeared on just about every object you can imagine, and guitars are no exception. Having debuted in 2006, the Squier Hello Kitty Stratocaster is now being reissued, just in time for Hello Kitty’s 50th Anniversary. Enjoy!