1984 Fender Master Series Esprit Standard autumn sunburst MIJ

Excellent condition, 8/10, including original Fender plastic hardcase, very clean but has some dings in the finish on the neck heel, Made in Japan, more info: Part of Fenders short-lived Masters Series and only available from 1983-85, the Flame Standard and its sister model, the Espirit, were produced by Fender Japan at the venerable Fujigen factory in sparingly small quantities. Unique among Fender Japan production, the Master Series models were designed by Fender luminary Dan Smith in the USA with the intention of competing with the humbucker-outfitted offerings of Gibson. These guitars were marketed to musicians in both Japan and the USA, at a time when Fender Japan production was largely focused on the Japanese domestic market. The Flame and Espirit models both had three tiers, and while strikingly similar in appearance, the Flame is the slightly smaller-bodied of the two - more in line with Les Paul dimensions. While the Espirit model would go on to have a second life as the Robben Ford signature model and as a Fender Japan Custom Shop offering, the Flame series was limited to the original 1983-85 production window. Tonewoods include a chambered alder body, carved maple top, and a maple set neck topped with a bound rosewood fretboard. The stock Schaller humbuckers are unique to the Master series, faithfully capturing the inherent warmth and richness of the chambered construction with a full, harmonically-complex midrange and plenty of top end definition and articulation. The pickups are highly responsive to user inputs, and while the bridge pickup has a distinct chiming character and bite, the neck pickup is full and round-sounding with broad low end.