FERNANDES

In 1969, Fernandes Company Ltd. (based in Tokyo, Japan) was established to produce quality classical guitars at an affordable price. Over the next twenty years, Fernandes expanded the line and became one of the largest selling guitar manufacturers in the world. Fernandes is the number one selling guitar in Japan, and at times has held as much as 40% of the Japanese market.
In late 1992, Fernandes Company Ltd. began distributing their entire line of guitars to the U.S. market as Fernandes Guitars U.S.A., Inc. Fernandes Company Ltd. uses only the top facilities located in Japan, Taiwan, China, and Korea to produce their guitars. Once the factory is done manufacturing the guitars, they are shipped to the United States where they are inspected and set up again.
In 1998, Fernandes renamed their instruments. For example, the eye-catching H-80 art-deco-style guitar model became the Vertigo Deluxe. In addition to their RetroRocket and Retrospect series, Fernandes is concentrating on the newer additions to their line like the P-Project, Native, Dragonfly, and Lexington series. Fernandes also offers amplifiers for guitars and basses. For more information on Fernandes amps see the Blue Book of Guitar Amplifiers.
Company history courtesy Bryan Wresinski, Fernandes Guitars U.S.A.
Fernandes guitars now represent one of the most diverse groups of guitars in the market today. Since its inception, the Fernandes company has consistently raised the bar for the entire industry to follow. No product typifies this more than the Fernandes Sustainer System. The Sustainer is a specially designed neck pickup and circuit that allows the guitar to sustain chords or single notes indefinitely, giving the player complete control of sustain and feedback without the excessive volume from an amplifier. The Sustainer operates in three modes: Standard (sustains fundamental pitch or pitches), Harmonic (creates various 3rd and 5th harmonics of the note being sustained), and Mix (a combination of the first two modes). Up until 2006, Fernandes was distributed by Fernandes Guitars International Inc., in Chatsworth, CA and in 2007, Fernandes Guitars/Kaysound Imports Inc. became the exclusive distributor. For more information visit Fernandes' website or contact them directly.