Here it is, rock'n the stage...
In April of 2013 I picked up a '54 Limited Edition Stratocaster. I believe it came from Dyna-Gakki, Fender-Japan. At the time, I heard there were only 200 imported to the US from Japan. As a hardcore 'Made In USA' guy, buying this guitar was a little bit of a tough pill to swallow. But I couldn't overlook the fact that this guitar is super resonant and light weight. And it had a neck you could not find at this price point. It has a baseball bat, V-neck, that rivals the girth of my Historic '57 Les Paul. Unplugged, it has a beautiful warm tone. Plugged in the warmth translates into one fat sounding Strat. I also like the old style bridge and tuners. The only thing I see on first glance that isn't 'vintage style' is it has a poly coating instead of lacquer. A closer look inside reveals electronics which aren't period correct, it's a more modern looking type of construction. Plugged in sound and tone wise, it sounds a lot warmer and fuller to my ears, than my USA '69 Re-Issue C.S. Strat, which has been my favorite Strat for 20 years. I really like this '54 a lot.
I used it quite a bit with D.on Darox & The Melody Joy Bakers in 2015-16, on-stage. It worked well in that ensemble. Fattest sounding Strat I ever had. Throw some dirt on it with a tube screamer or big muff, or both, and the thing kills for slide guitar.
In 2013 this was the factory that made FENDER-JAPAN. DYNA-GAKKI. Reportedly one of the best quality factories in japan. DYNA-GAKKI exclusively made FENDER-JAPAN since a few years before TOKAI & DYNA made them, and then FUJIGEN, from 1982~1997 or thereabouts. All 3 made excellent Fender-Japan guitars.
Salty Rose onstage with D.on Darox & MJB in 2015.
Salty Rose, 2019