Japan’s FujiGen factory is well-known in the world of guitar manufacturing. Across its history, the company has built guitars for iconic brands including Fender, Ibanez and Yamaha, and has gained an enviable reputation for impressive quality.
As well as lending its expertise to others, FujiGen is also the home of FGN – a line of classic-yet-contemporary guitars that promises to put Japanese build quality into a humble, affordable package, thanks to the absence of a “big name” on the headstock.
It is from this lineage that our Iliad heralds. Lifted from FGN’s ranks of Telecaster-inspired instruments, the Iliad is marketed as a modern twist on Fender’s single-cut design, retaining much of the charm of the original template, and injecting it with some distinct FujiGen flair.
That is achieved by the basswood body and maple neck, which are paired with a 22-fret maple (or rosewood, depending on the finish) fingerboard. A classic combination found in affordable instruments, these specs are joined by proprietary pickups and a six-saddle FGN bridge, as well as Gotoh tuners and a neat elongated pickguard.
All of the above can be had for just £549, and with FGN in its corner, this model has the potential to be a contender for one of the best affordable electrics available right now. We’ve certainly found this guitar to be a serious, serious player.
The body is expertly finished and contoured, with a subtle yet effective sculpted neck joint for accessing the upper frets – access that is further facilitated by the slightly sharper cutaway. The neck, likewise, isn’t a flimsy chunk of wood that gets lost in the hand; it’s a substantial U-profile piece that works wonders in promoting smooth playing, especially when paired with the compound fingerboard.
The 10”-14” radius encourages effortless fretting, while FGN’s ‘Circle Fretting System’ (slightly circular frets, instead of dead straight) supposedly improves pitch and tone. The effects may or may not be negligible, but we’d argue that small details like this matter, and contribute to the high-quality feel when playing the Iliad.
As for tones, it’s all too easy to be skeptical about proprietary pickups found on affordable guitars, but these are exceptional performers. The neck humbucker in particular is especially addictive, and wired to a coil-split push/pull tone pot that channels authentic Tele twangs as well as beefy cleans. The bridge single-coil pickup, while perhaps not as special, still wouldn’t be out of place in a more expensive guitar.
The best praise that could be bestowed upon the Iliad is that it feels like it could warrant a higher price tag. If you’re looking for a top-performing T-style, with street prices of around £500, the Iliad is a must-try.
Specs
- PRICE: £549
- TYPE: Electric guitar
- BODY: Basswood
- NECK: Maple, U-Shape, Bolt-on
- FINGERBOARD: Maple, 10”-14” compound radius
- FRETS: 22, Medium
- PICKUPS: FGN BH-n, FGN BIL-b
- CONTROLS: 3-way lever pickup-selector switch, 1x Master Volume, 1x Master Tone w/ Push-Pull Coil Split
- HARDWARE: FGN FJIL-6SSTD bridge, Gotoh SD91-05M tuners
- FINISH: Black (as reviewed), Sapphire Blue Metallic, Burgundy Mist
- CONTACT: FGN Guitars
