Description
Roadhouse USA:
1988 Fernandes The Function Brad Gillis Signature Model Guitar Red/Black Neck W/Case.
This is the continuation of the rare, Fernandes Brad Gillis Signature model. It is in many ways the same guitar, just minus his signature on the headstock.
A great guitar in excellent condition. It has no issues and no dents or dings or anything like that. Ultra clean example.
Plays great and the boost function is fully functional.
All original.
Comes as pictured with tweed hard case.
These guitars are rare to find, especially in clean examples like this one.
Info:
In 1984 Fernandes teamed up with Brad Gillis to create an artist model guitar. It is said that the Fernandes luthiers traveled to Brads apartment and took measurements of his customized Fender Guitar. They recorded the technical details of his instrument before returning to Japan and starting on the development of his signature Fernandes guitar. This new Fernandes version of Brads touring Fender guitar, as we all now know, has very many unique attributes which make it very collectible today.
Some History of the Fernandes Brad Gillis Stratocaster
In and about 1984 Fernandes goes on to produce a red and black guitar. We know the model today as the Brad Gillis Model. Just like any other production run of guitars there were various changes throughout the run. As it seems Fernandes coordinated the official release of the Brad Gillis model with advertising that included Brad Gillis. Like the catalogs that we’ve shown here there were various advertisements that were made public around the world. These started to appear in 1984 and even more so in 1985.
Fernandes Burny prior to the mid-1980s and during this period had become known as a guitar brand. In Japan Fernandes had achieved a certain amount of success with their copies of well known Gibson and Fender guitars. That said, Fernandes never actually manufactured any guitars at all. Fernandes was a marketing group of guitar luthiers and enthusiests. Just like many brands in Japan at the time Fernandes contracted with manufacturing companies inside Japan to make guitars for them. Of course Fernandes instructed these manufacturers as to the exact specifications and the exact build quality of each order. The Japanese shops that manufactured guitars under the Fernandes/Burny brand names during the nineteen-eighties are known by their short names as Matsumoku, Tokai, and then Kawai.
It was approximately two-to-three years that Fernandes seems to have been in a legal endorsement contract with Brad Gillis to produce his signature guitar. The top of the line of BG guitars being the Fernandes Brad Gillis ST-155BG Model. One note we must make is that we have noticed very evident attention to details, higher quality woods, seemingly hand-crafted workmanship and general higher quality from the earliest Brad Gillis models which started in 1984 and were manufactured until 1987.
During the year 1987 the endorsement deal with Brad Gillis seems to have expired. After which, and for a few months, Fernandes continued to produce the same guitar which included the same appointments and quality. Even after the deal seemed to expire more Brad Gillis models were available after 1987 some missing the signature on the headstock.
Towards the end of the endorsement deal Fernandes made a few changes to the Brad Gillis Model and kept thier factories pumping out red & black guitars. Keeping the color scheme, unique fiesta red paint, and adding modernized hardware including a Fernandes Floyd Rose tremolo with fine tuners, Fernandes re-placed a very similar guitar into the Fernandes line. The red and black guitar would appear in the Fernandes guitar line as a “The Function” Fernandes FST. Fernandes also found a new endorsee for this red and black guitar. This unique Fernandes FST stratocaster became the Takeshi Nishiyama Model. Mr Nishiyama was from a band called Hound Dog that was popular in Japan.
