Fugijen PP-420 Textured Shell Pink 1995
Fujigen PP-420, textured pink finish, made in Japan circa 1995. I love this, it's so fly. Legendary guitar makers Fujigen Gakki's house brand produced these Airline-esque PP series guitars in the mid 90s, a few years before the FGN brand became the big thing it is today. The factory was building plenty of guitars for Fender and Ibanez at the time, so they were among the world's best makers of production guitars and really showing the world what they could do. This model was made famous by Japanese all-girl renegade garage pop punks Shonen Knife, who exploded internationally when they landed the Nevermind tour of Europe with a little band called Nirvana. It's super fun to play: the neck is comfy, round and super easy in the hands, and at well under 3kg it's very lightweight. The matte finish has a fleck through it, so it has a certain tactile appeal in the hands, as well as looking supremely cute. The lightweight body, tune-o-matic bridge and sensible tuners make this a very practical guitar in the hands: it's easy to play, reliably holds tune, and the slim round neck feels fantastic with a slick satin finish and fairly tall frets. The pickups are fun: the neck pickup is full and clear, with a glassy shimmer on top and plenty of weight in the attack, it's quite hi-fi and sounds somewhat like a hardtail Strat. The bridge pickup is positioned very close to the bridge, so it's snarly and snappy with a pronounced midrange twang, perfect for snappy surf leads and angular chords. Both pickups together, you get something like a mix of a Tele and Mustang, brimming with clarity and plonk. This is a very practical player, which is a nice touch given how quirky and fun it looks. It's a real best-of-both scenario, and the pink... chef's kiss.
Model: Fugijen PP-420
Made: Japan, 1995 approx, Fujigen Gakki factory
Serial: 00683
Finish: shell pink, matte textured topcoat
Body: basswood, chambered
Neck: maple, rosewood fretboard, 25" scale, 12" radius, 42mm nut, slim C shape
Weight: 2.650kg
Mods: none
Pickups: Fujigen lipstick single coil x2
Accessories: basic gig bag
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has scuffs on the top edge and some patina on the tuners. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, very minor dimples on the back only. The back has some dents on the top horn, bottom corner and elbow area, dimples along the back edge, and some rub wear in the middle of the body. The sides have some dents and dimples in the elbow area, back edge and near the jack. The front has dimples around the tailpiece, rub wear in the elbow area, scratches on the pickup covers and some play wear on the guard and horns.
Overall: very good condition (7/10)
Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Wearing fresh 10/46 Moonshiners strings.
Fret life: 7/10, some normal wear but playing evenly with no major buzz issues