Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue (MIJ)

About the Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue (MIJ)

This guitar's existence traces back to a genuine corporate crisis at Fender in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Japanese manufacturers like Ibanez and Tokai were building high-quality, affordable instruments that rivaled Fender's own - some of them so-called lawsuit guitars, near-exact copies of Fender designs built with startling precision - at the very moment Fender's own American-made CBS-era instruments were widely regarded as the weakest of the company's history. Rather than keep fighting Japanese manufacturers in court, Fender did something more surprising: it joined forces with them. In March 1982, Fender Japan, Ltd. was established as a joint venture between Fender, Kanda Shokai, Yamano Gakki, and Fujigen Gakki, with one specific condition baked into the deal - Kanda Shokai had to stop producing its Greco-branded Fender copies. Fujigen Gakki, the factory ultimately chosen to build the first Japanese-made Fenders (after negotiations with Tokai broke down), carried a genuine irony: it had previously built guitars for Ibanez, including some of the very lawsuit-era copies that had embarrassed Fender in the first place. The company that had helped tarnish Fender's reputation abroad became the one tasked with restoring it. This ST-57 carries the specifications of that restoration effort: a basswood body rather than the alder or ash typical of American Fenders, and a one-piece maple neck with the visible skunk stripe that construction method produces, cut to a 7.25-inch vintage-spec radius with rolled fingerboard edges across 21 frets. Three single-coil pickups and a 6-point synchronized vintage-style tremolo round out a spec sheet built to replicate a 1957 Stratocaster faithfully rather than modernize it.

Where to buy

• Reverb Fender Japan Traditional 50's Stratocaster ST57 2TS JD170 Serial ARM NICE! 578 EUR Best price View details
• Reverb Fender ST-57LH Stratocaster Black Reissue Left-Handed MIJ 1989-1990 Made In Japan Fujigen 608 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Japan '57 reissue Stratocaster ST57-58US US pickup 2tone sunburst finish Crafted in Japan 625 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue Made in Japan, left handed 652 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Japan ST57-70TX Stratocaster Black Texas Special O Serial 1997 MIJ Alder Body 699 EUR View details
• Reverb [SALE Ends Oct 19] Fender Japan ST57-70TX Stratocaster Black Texas Special O Serial 1997 MIJ Alder Body 699 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender ST-57 LH Stratocaster Reissue Left-Handed MIJ 738 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Japan ST57-55 Stratocaster E-Serial (Made in the 1980s) MIJ 797 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue MIJ Crafted In Japan w/ Eric Daw pickups 885 EUR View details
• Reverb 2006 Fender Japan 1957 Stratocaster Reissue ST-57 - USA Dimarzio Pickups - Pro Set Up w Perfect Frets/Action/Intonation - Made In Japan - Demo Video 931 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Stratocaster ST-57 made in Japan 1993-1994 Sunburst 990 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Stratocaster ST-57 crafted in Japan 2004-2005 Black 995 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Stratocaster ST-57 made in Japan 1993-1994 Candy Apple Red 995 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Stratocaster ST-57 made in Japan 1993-1994 Sunburst 999 EUR View details
• Reverb VIDEO ... RARE 1987 Fender Japan ST-33M … MEDIUM SCALE LENGTH Stratocaster ... mythical “E-Serial” Era … 24.75" inch Stratocaster = GIBSON feel & Snap)+ Gotoh Magnum Locking Tuners + Fender GIGBAG 1.025 EUR View details
• Reverb VIDEO ... RARE 1987 Fender Japan ST-33M … MEDIUM SCALE LENGTH Stratocaster ... mythical “E-Serial” Era … 24.75" inch Stratocaster = GIBSON feel & Snap)+ Gotoh Magnum Locking Tuners + Fender GIGBAG 1.025 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Japan 1957 RI Stratocaster Reissue MIJ 2012 1.049 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Japan ST-57 '57 Stratocaster Reissue - Limited Ed. Cherry SunBurst - Pro Set Up w Perfect Frets/Action/Intonation! 1.078 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender ST-57 US Stratocaster Reissue CIJ - 2004 - Sunburst 1.099 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue CIJ 1996 Aged Inca Silver Japan w/ Bag 1.108 EUR View details
• Reverb Vintage Fender Standard Stratocaster 1987 FujiGen G-Serial MIJ Piano Black 1.111 EUR View details
• Reverb 1999 Fender ST-57 70 TX Stratocaster Texas Special 1957 Reissue MIJ 1.113 EUR View details
• Reverb Vintage Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue Hardtail MIJ Olympic White 1989 1.117 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue MIJ 1.130 EUR View details
• Reverb 2011 Fender ST-57 Stratocaster ‘57 Reissue Vintage White MIJ Japan 1.145 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue - Limited Edition Ocean Turquoise Metallic Finish - Pro Set Up w Perfect Frets/Action/Intonation! 1.171 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Stratocaster Japan 1957 Reissue Custom Finish CIJ P-Serial 1999 with Original Softcase & Docs 1.173 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue MIJ 1994 Black 1.178 EUR View details
• Reverb 2004 Fender ST-57 95 DMC Dimarzio Collection Stratocaster 1957 Reissue 2 Tone Sunburst MIJ Japan 1.207 EUR View details
• Reverb 1997-2000 Fender ST-57 Stratocaster 1957 Reissue Electric Guitar CIJ 1.207 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender ST-57 Stratocaster 1995 blackie 1957 reissue mij japan mot 1.207 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Stratocaster 1957 Reissue Piano Black USA Pickups Japan MIJ 2010 1.235 EUR View details
• Reverb Vintage Fender 1957 Standard Stratocaster 1990 FujiGen K-Serial MIJ Piano Black 1.235 EUR View details
• Reverb 2010 Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue MIJ -Limited Edition Lake Placid Blue Finish - Pro Set Up w Perfect Frets/Action/intonation! 1.264 EUR View details
• Reverb 2007 Fender ST-57 Stratocaster USA Vintage Pickups 1957 Reissue MIJ Black 1.300 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Order Made ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue MIJ 1992 Fiesta Red USA Texas Special PUs w/ Bag 1.486 EUR View details
• Reverb 1988 Fender ST-57 Stratocaster MIJ signed Ana Popovic 1.589 EUR View details
• Reverb LEFTY! Fender 1957 RI Stratocaster Reissue CIJ Left handed 2006 Sunburst w/ Hardcase 1.608 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Order Made ST-57 Stratocaster '57 Reissue MIJ 1991 Transparent Black w/ Matching Headstock Japan Fujigen HSS w/ Bag 1.853 EUR View details
• Reverb 1990 Fender ST-57 Stratocaster '57 Reissue Butterscotch [ORDER MADE] (MIJ) (w/ HSC) 1.887 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender ST57-90 Stratocaster '57 Reissue MIJ 1989 Sunburst Lacquer Finish USA PUs Japan w/ Hard Case 1.984 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Stratocaster ST57-65 JV 1983 Sunburst made in Japan 1.999 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Stratocaster ST57-65 JV Sunburst 1984 Japan 2.049 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender ST57-900 (ST57-115) '57 Stratocaster Reissue MIJ 1991 Tobacco Sunburst Lacquer Finish USA Pickups Made in Japan Vintage w/ Hard Case 2.226 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender JV Squier Stratocaster ST-57 1983 - Fiesta Red 2.229 EUR View details
• Reverb Fender Japan 62' Stratocaster Reissue Candy Apple Red JV Serial Number 1983' 2.590 EUR View details
• Reverb 1982 Fender JV ST-57 Stratocaster JV0XXXX (Small Squier Logo) 3.470 EUR View details

No platform selected – pick at least one above.

Some links below are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Source: https://reverb.com/item/98731620-fender-st-57-mij-57-stratocaster-reissue-sonic-blue-made-in-japan-pro-set-up-w-perfect-frets-action-intonation

Sound character of the Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue (MIJ)

The basswood body, a departure from the alder and ash typical of American Fenders, generally produces a somewhat softer, more midrange-focused foundation than those tonewoods - a general tonewood characteristic rather than a specific documented test finding for this exact model. Combined with vintage-spec single coils, the overall voice leans toward the classic, slightly rounder character associated with late-1950s Stratocasters rather than the brighter, more aggressive output of later Fender pickup designs.

What owners of the Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue (MIJ) say

Collectors and players consistently rank 1980s Fujigen-built MIJ Fenders among the most desirable vintage-adjacent instruments available, with the neck quality specifically singled out as exceptional. The general sentiment treats these guitars less as budget alternatives to American originals and more as a genuinely distinct, highly regarded category in their own right, born from a manufacturing partnership that outperformed expectations.

Playability & handling of the Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue (MIJ)

The necks on these 1980s FujiGen-built Fenders have earned an almost mythical reputation among players and collectors - one retrospective piece simply called them divine. The 7.25-inch radius and rolled edges keep the feel authentically vintage rather than smoothed out for modern playing preferences.

Recommended accessories & strings for the Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue (MIJ)

Standard 25.5-inch scale takes .009-.042 or .010-.046 sets well. The vintage 7.25-inch radius suits classic rhythm and blues playing more naturally than aggressive modern bending technique, so players chasing that style should expect the guitar to reward a more traditional touch.

Technical data for the Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue (MIJ)

Price history for the Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue (MIJ)

Cheapest seen: 578 EUR  ·  Most expensive seen: 3.470 EUR

The history of the Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue (MIJ)

This guitar is a direct product of one of Fender's most consequential strategic pivots. Facing both a credibility crisis over its own declining 1970s American build quality and fierce competition from precise Japanese copies of its own designs, Fender chose partnership over continued conflict, forming Fender Japan in March 1982 with Kanda Shokai, Yamano Gakki, and Fujigen Gakki. The condition that Kanda Shokai cease its Greco-branded copies shows how directly this deal was aimed at converting former rivals into allies. Fujigen Gakki's selection as the manufacturing partner carries a pointed irony worth remembering: this was a factory with direct prior experience building lawsuit-era Fender copies for Ibanez, meaning Fender effectively hired the source of some of its own reputational damage to help repair it. The strategy worked - the JV series that launched Fender Japan's production earned broad acclaim for build quality and vintage accuracy, and this ST-57 carries that same restoration-era craftsmanship forward as a faithful recreation of the original 1957 Stratocaster specification.

About Fender as a manufacturer

Built at the Fujigen Gakki factory in Japan as part of Fender Japan, Ltd. - the 1982 joint venture between Fender, Kanda Shokai, Yamano Gakki, and Fujigen Gakki formed specifically to restore Fender's build-quality reputation using the manufacturing expertise of a factory that had previously built lawsuit-era Fender copies for Ibanez.

Notable players & recordings featuring the Fender ST-57 Stratocaster Reissue (MIJ)

No verified professional endorsement ties a specific touring artist to this MIJ reissue model in the sources reviewed for this research round.