Brand Directory
Japanese Guitar Brands
From the 1970s copy era to today’s boutique luthiers. Japanese guitar, pedal, and parts brands, grouped by era and category, with the factories that actually built them.
Classic / Vintage
Brands active during the golden age of Japanese guitar production, roughly 1965 to 1995. This is the “copy era” and everything that followed it — the period when Japanese factories moved from building budget alternatives to building instruments that could genuinely outperform the American originals they were imitating. Most of these names are no longer in production, or survive only as reissue lines, which is exactly why they dominate the used market.
Aria Pro IIFrom Nagoya's Arai & Co. — PE guitars and SB bassesRead the guide →
BurnyFernandes' faithful Les Paul-style guitarsRead the guide →
ESPFrom a 1975 Tokyo shop to a global metal brandRead the guide →
Fender JapanJapan-only models and classic MIJ reissuesRead the guide →
FernandesFrom copy roots to originals like the SustainerRead the guide →
GrecoThe copy-era legend behind the Super RealRead the guide →
HeadwayDeviser's acoustic guitar brand from MatsumotoRead the guide →
IbanezThe Japanese brand that doesn't build its own guitarsRead the guide →
KawaiThe piano maker's rare vintage guitars, 1960s–80sRead the guide →
Orville by GibsonGibson-authorized Les Pauls made in Japan, 1988–1998Read the guide →
SquierThe JV, SQ and Vista series storyRead the guide →
TokaiFrom harmonicas to copies that rivaled the originalsRead the guide →
Yamaha60 years from the FG180 to the RevstarRead the guide →Modern Builders
Japanese workshops that keep building modern, boutique guitars today — the makers to know if you want an instrument built now, not decades ago.
Manufacturers
The factories, not the brands. These are the companies that physically built the instruments sold under other names: Fujigen, Matsumoku, Dyna Gakki, Terada, and others. If you’re trying to date or authenticate a vintage Japanese guitar, this is usually where the answer is.
DeviserThe Matsumoto maker behind Bacchus, Momose & HeadwayRead the guide →
Dyna GakkiFrom behind-the-scenes OEM to its own MIJ brandRead the guide →
FujigenThe factory behind Ibanez, Fender Japan and OrvilleRead the guide →
MatsumokuThe factory behind Aria Pro II, Westone and vintage EpiphoneRead the guide →Pedals
Japan has an outsized presence in effects, from mass-market names that defined entire categories to boutique builders with international cult followings. Several of these companies also manufacture under contract for brands you’d never associate with Japan.
Parts & Accessories
Tuners, bridges, pickups, hardware. Japanese parts makers supply a large share of the global guitar industry — including many American and European builders who don’t advertise it. If you’ve owned a guitar with locking tuners in the last twenty years, there’s a good chance a Japanese company made them.
How to Use This List
Researching a guitar?
Start with the era, not the brand. A Greco from 1976 and a Greco from 1988 came from different factories with different quality standards. Check the Manufacturers section to identify who actually built it, then check the brand page for that period’s lineup.
Shopping?
Brand reputation and current market pricing don’t always match. Some names carry a collector premium that has more to do with a single famous model than with overall build quality. Others are consistently underpriced because they never had international distribution and English-language buyers don’t recognize them.
Brands are listed alphabetically within each category. Some appear in more than one context: a company that built under contract and also sold under its own name can be both a brand and a manufacturer. New brand pages are added regularly.