IDENTIFICATION
鑑What detail do you check first when a guitar’s history is unclear?
Serials, neck stamps, hardware, logo, catalogue clue. What do you look at before anything else?
FIELD QUESTION / OPEN INVITATION MIJ NETWORK / TOPIC BOARD
OPEN
CHANNEL.
Got a question about a Japanese guitar? Put it on the table. Someone may have the catalogue, photo or scar tissue to help.
COMMUNITY FREQUENCY / 01—15
CURRENT TRANSMISSIONS15 OPEN THREADS
TUNE BY
CHANNELTHREADTYPE
CATALOGUES
頁The catalogue page you always come back to
A favourite model spread, a finish you missed, an odd spec. Which page sends you down a rabbit hole?
READING ROOM / SHARE A DISCOVERYPLAYERS
音Which MIJ guitar surprised you the most?
The one you bought on a hunch. The one that sounded or felt better than expected. Tell us about it.
PLAYER STORY / YOUR EXPERIENCECOLLECTING
棚Do you collect by brand, era, model—or feel?
Some collections follow a maker. Others follow a decade, a sound or an unlikely connection. What ties yours together?
COLLECTOR’S DESK / OPEN QUESTIONIDENTIFICATION
細What is the smallest detail that changed your mind?
A pot code. A route. The shape of a neck plate. What tiny piece of evidence changed the whole story?
FOLLOW THE CLUES / FIELD QUESTIONCATALOGUES
探Which maker or series deserves a closer look?
Point us toward the under-documented builder, the overlooked range or the catalogue run people should know.
RESEARCH DESK / COMMUNITY PICKBRANDS & MAKERS
銘Which Japanese maker should more people know?
Tell us about the label, factory or small builder that deserves a place in the conversation.
MAKER INDEX / COMMUNITY PICKBUILDERS & REPAIR
匠What work changed the way your guitar feels?
A refret, setup, pickup swap, restoration or small repair that made the instrument come alive.
WORKBENCH / SHARE A METHODERAS & ORIGINS
時Which era keeps pulling you back?
Vintage, lawsuit, refined, custom or modern. What period has the sound, feel or story you want to chase?
TIME LINE / OPEN QUESTIONSHOPS & THE HUNT
店Where do the good finds turn up?
A used shop, a local lead, an auction or a listing that nearly got away. Share the route, not just the result.
MARKET WATCH / SHARE A LEADPARTS & PICKUPS
改What swap changed your guitar?
Pickups, pots, bridges, tuners and the upgrades that made an old instrument feel like yours.
WORKBENCH / TALK HARDWAREMUSIC & INFLUENCE
曲Which player or record put MIJ on your radar?
The sound, photo or performance that made you look twice at a Japanese guitar.
LISTENING ROOM / TELL THE STORYAUTHENTICITY & EVIDENCE
証What is the red flag you never ignore?
A changed logo, a too-perfect story, mismatched parts or a price that relies on the myth. What makes you stop and check?
MARKET LITERACY / SHOW THE EVIDENCEREGIONS & EXPORT
港Which place belongs in the MIJ story?
A factory town, export market, dealer network or local scene that changed how Japanese guitars were made or found.
MAP ROOM / TRACE A CONNECTIONTHE OUTER EDGE
異What is the strangest MIJ detail you’ve found?
A one-off finish, an unusual circuit, a tiny workshop or a maker that never had a big catalogue. Bring the odd stuff.
ODDITY FILE / OPEN INVITATIONNO SIGNAL. Try another word or switch the channel.
POST A QUESTION. FOLLOW THE CLUES.BACK TO THE NETWORK ↗
BEFORE YOU POST
BRING
THE CLUES.
A clear question gets a better answer.
Start with what is actually in front of you.
01SHOW THE HEADSTOCK
Logo, model name, serial, tuners and the shape of the neck joint.
02PHOTOGRAPH THE DETAILS
Pickups, bridge, control cavity, stamps and any odd hardware.
03WRITE DOWN THE SPECS
Weight, scale, nut width, finish and anything that has been changed.
04SAY WHAT YOU NEED
Are you chasing a year, a model, a value, a repair answer—or just the story?
HOW TO READ THE CLUES
FOLLOW
THE TRAIL.
One detail rarely settles it.
The pattern is what matters.
01START WITH WHAT IS THERE
Record the physical facts before you reach for a year, a model number or a famous story.
02COMPARE, DON’T ASSUME
Put the guitar beside catalogues, known examples and period photos. Similar is not identical.
03MARK THE GAPS
A missing stamp or changed part is information too. Write down what cannot be proved.
04LET THE STORY MOVE
The best answer can change when one new photo, measurement or document turns up.
HOW WE KEEP IT USEFUL
NO
GUESSWORK.
Good evidence beats a loud answer.
Change your mind when the guitar does.
Say what is documented, what is approximate and what is still a theory.
Catalogues, adverts, photographs and measurements are better than a confident guess.
Repairs, swapped parts and seller interest belong in the description.
Japanese guitar history is full of gaps. A correction is part of the record.
WHEN THE STORY IS UNCLEAR
Use the label that matches the evidence. “Documented” is not the same thing as “often repeated.”
DOCUMENTED Original source or clear physical evidence.PLAUSIBLE Fits the clues, but still needs support.DISPUTED Reasonable people read the evidence differently.
STAY A LITTLE LONGER
KEEP EXPLORING ↗FOLLOW THE SIGNAL.
From old catalogues to the guitar in your hands, there’s always another thread to pull.