Four factors contributed to the immense worldwide success of Japanese guitar builders. • The Japanese guitar-friendly culture gave birth to many small local shops. • The craftsmanship matched or even surpassed Western guitars in the 80s at a lower cost. • Gibson and Fender were not in their best shape, and "Japan Made," along with Paul Reed Smith's PRS, took advantage. • They endorsed the best players, with Ibanez persuading Steve Vai to mass-produce his prototype of the JEM - the no. 1 best-selling signature model in history.